Eve looked at Victor a long time.

"Why?"

"Why do I want to kill him?"

"Yes."

"Because if I don't, others will die."

"So he is from your side of the ship?"

Victor nodded.

"But I assume the reason he was sent to suspension wasn't because of a failing Mental Score."

"No. He was sent to suspension for getting into a fight while his Social Scores were low. That's not the reason he should've been sent, though. I made sure he was caught, but it looks like it was only a temporary solution."

"I knew he wasn't dumb. He plays dumb on our side. Dumb and charming. Most of the girls eat it up. But there's something about him that doesn't feel right."

Victor took Eve by the arms. "Eve. Where is he now?"

Eve gave him a hesitant expression. "I'm not going to help you kill someone, Vance," she said. "Whatever problems we've got on our side, we're quite capable of handling them ourselves."

This was bad. The only thing that he might have on Dixon right now was the element of surprise. If he couldn't convince Eve, he might lose that.

"Has anyone disappeared since Dixon arrived?"

Eve Storm froze. Her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped slightly, like her worst fears were true.

"How did you know that?"

"It's Dixon's signature move. Before things start going wrong. Before he gets bolder," Victor said. He became very aware that he was touching a girl's shoulder and let her go."Maybe I won't have to kill him," he said, softening the blow. "Maybe we can talk things out. Tell me where he is, Eve."

Victor decided not to tell Eve or Rajia that Dixon had targeted them if he could help it. They were the type that might confront Dixon directly and, unlike Victor, they had apparently not seen the swift and ruthless speed with which Dixon moved.

Eve wasn't simple, however. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'll take you to him, Victor. But why not tell us about the problem. Why come here yourself?" she asked.

"He knows about Rajia and I's communications and may even be monitoring them," he said, telling just enough of the truth for Eve to buy it. She nodded.

"Alright. He should be in the Information Room. Follow me."

Victor followed Eve on the direct route to the Information Room. Another student was sitting by one of the large, wide windows and crying. When she saw Eve, she ran up and blocked their path.

"Eve, it's Rajia," said the girl. Then she looked at Victor. "Who's he?" she said, wiping her tears away.

"Never mind that, Smith," Eve said. Victor assumed she was continuing to use last names. "What was that about Najar?"

The girl shook her head. "She's disappeared. It's just like Amber. What's happening?"

Victor and Eve exchanged a glance and both broke into a run toward the Information Room.

"Go back to the sleeping area and don't leave!" Eve shouted over her shoulder.

Eve was a fast runner, able to keep up with Victor without breaking a sweat. He guessed that Eve's Physical Score was high.

When they arrived at the Information Room, there was a crowd gathered. To his horror, Victor heard a familiar voice giving out orders.

"Mallory, check to make sure everyone's here. Juarez, pick three people you trust to go looking around the ship."

It was Dixon. He was standing amidst the girls giving orders out. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eve said.

Dixon turned around. He had a deeply concerned expression on his face, but Victor knew he might as well be wearing a mask. When he saw Victor he flashed a brilliant million-dollar smile.

"Victor. Boy is it good to see you. We could really use your help," he said, nodding earnestly.

The other girls in the room were beginning to notice Victor. There was another boy on their side of the ship, now. Victor wondered if the best course of action wasn't simply to attack him here and now, in front of all these people. Yet again, somehow, Dixon was a step ahead of him. Victor had been prepared to do what he had to do if he could manage to catch Dixon alone or in a small group. This was different. Most of the girls, about fifty or sixty by his estimate, were gathered in the Information Room and were already nervous about the second disappearance. If he tried anything weird he probably wouldn't succeed and, worse, Dixon could convincingly accuse him for the disappearances. If he played the long game, Dixon would win. It was his specialty. Victor needed to somehow force things to a head, and NOW.

"Out in the hall, Dixon," Victor said, sternly. He wasn't going to pretend to be Dixon's friend. He wasn't going to attack Dixon. He wasn't going to wait in order to try and catch Dixon alone. These were his other options, but they were ones he was sure Dixon was prepared for. However, Dixon was never quite prepared for the truth.

"We can catch up later, man. Hey Storm," Dixon said, flashing a smile. "By the way Vance, have you decided about that thing we discussed when last we spoke?"

Victor realized what Dixon was telling him. He was still asking Victor to make a decision. That meant Rajia must still be alive somewhere. The other implication was that he should keep his mouth shut. This was how Dixon operated. Slowly but surely he controlled all your moves, like a chess player closing in on his opponent. Victor knew that if he allowed it he was as good as dead. He needed to act. He needed to do what Dixon wouldn't be expecting.

"Your murderer is right here," Victor said loudly. The girls exchanged glances. Eve didn't say anything. "It's 'Mark'. Or should I say, Dixon?"

It was such a simple solution. The one a liar was least prepared for.

"Victor, what're you talking about?" Dixon said, a hurt expression on his face. He should have known that Dixon wouldn't be caught so easily, but he didn't let up.

"He's the one who's kidnapped Rajia. Think about it: he makes the disappearances happen then he starts issuing orders and taking control. It was the same on our side of the ship."

"Victor, I'm only thinking of Rajia," he said in a stern tone. His tone revealed it as a subtle threat directed at Victor. Shut up, or Rajia paid the price. Victor didn't let up.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Think about it, people," Victor said, looking around the room. "The disappearances started when he arrived on this side of the ship, right? Forget how popular he is. Forget his looks and his charming smile. That's what got a lot of people on my side killed. Isn't it at least worth looking into?" he said. They likely wouldn't find anything, but the act of looking into the possibility that Dixon was a murderer meant that their faith in him would be forever shaken. A leadership role would be impossible. Dixon clearly realized this.

"Shut up, Vance!" he shouted. His break in character frightened some of the girls. Others looked at him uncertainly, their body language denoting that they were on their guard physically as well as mentally. Tears began to stream down the faces of one or two girls. Victor would not have been at all surprised to learn that he had seduced key Social Score people. The ones whose opinions carried the most weight on this side of the ship. Rage began to glow in Dixon's eyes.

"They'll never trust you fully again, Dixon. It's only a matter of time before they realize what you are. I doubt you can suppress yourself for much longer, anyway," Victor said with a teasing smile. Dixon was nearly shaking with rage. Then, suddenly, he was calm. He broke out into a wide smile and approached Victor with a hand held out for a handshake.

Victor saw the ploy for what it was. Dixon clearly meant to attack, but if he could force Victor to attack then he could still pin it all on him. If Victor waited, however, Dixon just might try and get a grapple on him and put him to sleep. Hell, in his current state of desperation he might risk killing Victor outright. After all, he could apparently forge vid evidence. He could cook it up later and regain the trust of this side long after Victor's corpse had been flushed out of the airlock.

"He's going to attack me right now," Victor said. "After he takes care of me, he'll forge evidence and slowly regain your trust. He'll be back in control and the disappearances will restart by the end of next month."

Dixon stopped. Now he couldn't attack. Victor stepped forth and shook his hand, smiling brightly. Dixon smiled too. It was a friendly smile, but Dixon grasped his hand so hard Victor thought it might break. He didn't let his pain show, however.

"Victor, I'm sorry you've got that impression," he said. "Why don't we focus on Rajia, for now? Then we can address your concerns."

"I am focusing on Rajia. By dealing with you," Victor said. "Why don't you tell us where Rajia is?"

Dixon fist was fast. Victor had been on his guard, but though it missed his face it still managed to land on his shoulder.

"How dare you accuse me of hurting Rajia!" Dixon shouted. Tears were coming to his eyes. Victor hadn't expected this. Dixon was a master manipulator to the last. He was countering Victor's unexpectedness with his own. Using his distress over being accused of hurting Rajia to pretend losing his mind. Who knew what might happen by accident if he fought someone in this state?

He leapt at Victor and attempted to pin him to the ground, but Victor rolled out of the way. They were on their feet and circling each other now. One girl stormed out of the room. The rest watched in silence.

Dixon was sure to tinge his rage with a wounded helplessness, adding a sniffle now and again. Victor's expression remained stern. Dixon acted hesitant, weak. How could such a person kill another intentionally? Victor was sure that Dixon would go for the killing blow before long. He would try to make it so quick that no one would be sure what happened. That meant he likely meant to take things to the floor, perhaps go for a neck snap.

Dixon was an expert wrestler. That had become clear on the early days on the boy's side. If he could manage to take things to the ground, Victor's odds dropped dramatically. But Victor was tall and had length. He could keep Dixon at bay, more or less, and drag the fight out. The longer things went on, the harder it would be for Dixon to convincingly keep up the act. Killing someone in a brief fit of passion was believable, but during a ten minute ordeal? Not so much.

Dixon made a dash. Victor caught him in the side of the head with a hard punch, but the boy absorbed the hit and kept moving forward. They both fell to the ground. Victor fought to keep Dixon's legs and arms from wrapping around him as they wrestled and rolled on the floor, but Dixon was too fast on the ground and too hard to get a hold of up close. Dixon's legs wrapped around Victor's torso as his hands came down around his neck. Victor was surprised, somewhere in the back of his mind, that Dixon hadn't used a wrestling move and hadn't gone for the quick finish. Then again, it needed to look desperate and visceral.

"This is for Rajia," he said, tears streaming as he choked the life out of Victor. But up close, at a corner of Dixon's lips, Victor could see the tiniest smile. Victor pulled at Dixon's arms and landed blow after blow on his face and head, but Dixon didn't let up. The room began to swim and grow dim. Was this it? Was this how he was to die? There were so many things he hadn't done. He thought of Lucas and Fumio on the other side of the ship, oblivious to what was happening. He thought of Eve and Rajia. Eve might have enough sense to survive, but Rajia was as good as dead if Victor's life ended here. Then his mind flashed further back. Back to Aurora and back to Alexander and Sara, his only friends there. He thought of the Alex Normstrom, sleeping in a hyperbolic chamber. He thought of his father and brother.

Then Victor heard a chiming sound.

"Victor, one called Vance," the voice said. It sounded familiar. Had he heard it in a dream? "Your timeline must not end here. Your ship approaches the mouth. You are needed."

The words echoed through is mind. His life touched too many others to give up here. Alexander, Sara, Normstrom, Fumio, Lucas, Miguel, Eve, Rajia... even his father and brother. Too many people depended on him. He was needed.

As the last of his vision swam into darkness, Victor stopped trying to remove Dixon's whole hand or even whole arm. Instead, with the last of his strength, he grabbed the pinky finger on Dixon's left hand and pulled backwards until there was a sickening crunch.