Stage III

Clover carefully shut the door to security, locking it tight before sinking against the back wall. The lights were off, leaving only the harsh white glow from the monitors on the desk. The team rarely used the cameras, so most of the time they were off, the screens displaying either static or a blurry shot of the floor. The crewmates trusted each other. He ran a hand through his hair, biting down on his lip. Now he couldn't even trust himself. His eyes stinging, he tried to convince himself that he wasn't responsible for it. It was another person inside of him, because he, Clover, would never harm one of his crewmates.

I'm not responsible for what happened to Sky, either. He told himself sternly, but he was sure now that the demigirl's death was connected. Waking up across the ship from where he blacked out was too suspicious to be a coincidence, though he wasn't sure what was more terrifying; seeing himself pull a knife on his crewmate, or having to piece together clues that only confirmed something even more chilling.

He stared at his reflection in the steel door, the side of his face illuminated with the cold light as he recalled the moments before the incident. It was like the intrusive thoughts that sometimes flickered in his mind had been harnessed and brought to life. It was the same sick voice that told him to shove his hand into moving parts of the reactor to see what would happen or to divert the power to the oxygen room when he was working in electrical. They weren't common for him, but he still couldn't get over the fact that he had no control.

That was it- control. Clover always was on top of everything, formulating a plan B whenever he could. But now... not even his body was his. Something had proved to be able to take over, leaving him with no options. Nothing but watch. He needed to tell Raven. He wanted to give them time, but what if he didn't have it? The sharpness in Raven's voice as they hunched over Silvius' body echoed in his head, and a shiver ran down his back. Silvius somehow cared about everyone on the ship, finding a bright side to any situation. Without them, the team's morale may not have been high enough to escape the facility at all.

Everything felt so dangerous. Every step forward was a risk, a possibility that he would slip out of himself again. He shut his eyes, the walls pressing the back of his suit against his neck. He heard Jaune walk by outside, long strides slowing for a moment behind the door to security, then continuing. They had offered to finish Silvius' tasks as well as Clover's so everyone could rest. He tried to think of a plan, something that would keep his crewmates safe. What if... he felt his eyes snap open in the dark. Of course. He had told Silvius about waking up in the engine room a few hours before the incident. If the end goal was to kill somebody, why wouldn't it be Jaune, right down the hall, or Valentine, who would never see it coming? He pressed his hand to his temple. He had already confessed to Silvius. But that meant... the best option is to keep everything a secret. A voice rang in his head, echoing over visions of a blood-spattered Medbay as he drifted off to dreamless sleep.