#agent philbert bracknell

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Ruby Stars - Chapter Ten

(Special thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading this!)

Sledgehammer

Two jet fighters roared over Wilmingmore.

Clancy frowned as he watched them soar through the dawn sky. Not having slept well, he decided to get some coffee before Bracknell woke up and went out for an early breakfast. He had just driven back into the factory parking lot when he'd seen the jets, silver streaks against the reddish-blue sky. They were headed due south, and he wondered if they were bound for Beach City. Perhaps they had cameras attached, and they'd be taking pictures for Colonel Bradshaw - he wouldn't be surprised if they were.

He was just about to head inside when he heard another growling roar, this one far closer to the ground. He turned to the parking lot entrance - a convoy of olive drab army trucks rumbled through the gate, pulling up in front of the factory. Shouted commands filled the air as soldiers piled out of the backs, assembling in the empty car park - behind them, a jeep rolled in, pulling up in front of the bewildered agent.

Colonel Bradshaw climbed out of the back, joined by Major King. The major handed the colonel a folder, which he promptly handed down to Clancy.

"What the hell is this?" demanded Clancy.

"The situation's changed, Agent Miller," Bradshaw replied, "We have orders from on high."

Clancy looked over the unassuming manila folder, emblazoned by the golden and navy accents of the Presidential Seal. That, he thought, certainly couldn't be good.

"The gem situation has become untenable," continued Bradshaw, "We've had the fire at the rail depot, an attack on a public mall, the worm destroying our chopper, the assault on Captain Clark..."

"Poor man," said Clancy, entirely unsympathetically.

"...not to mention the abductions and the loss of that Barriger kid," finished Bradshaw.

"Barriga, sir," corrected Major King.

"Yes, thank you, Ernest," nodded Bradshaw, "Point is, we need to bring this situation under control."

Clancy let the words sink in, his tongue soured with the bitterness of their meaning. No, this was not good. Not good at all.

That being said, Clancy had been in the game long enough to know when to argue outright and when to… persuade. Men like Bradshaw don’t take well to defiance, he had learned that the hard way. The only realistic option he had was to try to appeal to reason.

He cleared his throat and feigned something that sounded like deferential disagreement. "With all due respect, sir, the situation is under control. As I advised you, the Crystal Gems have it..."

"The Crystal Gems have hell, Agent Miller!" snapped Bradshaw, "How many more people are gonna be dragged into space while they have things under control, huh? How many more government artefacts are they gonna steal?!"

"We have no evidence that they stole that Ruby, Colonel Bradshaw," growled Clancy, struggling to keep the venom from his tone.

"Well then, who did, Agent?" demanded Bradshaw.

Clancy didn't reply.

"No more, Miller," snarled Bradshaw, his eyes narrowing, "I'm taking control of the situation. That folder details Operation Sledgehammer. I have a mandate to bring Beach City and the surrounding area under military law..."

Clancy opened the folder, reading the contents. His face paled - they couldn't seriously be thinking...

"...as well as to either capture the Crystal Gems," finished Bradshaw, "Or terminate them with extreme prejudice."

Steven laid out the rug and put down the picnic basket.

He and Connie were out in the forest, about a mile away from Beach City. It was a lovely morning - there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun shone brilliantly through the canopy of trees. While he continued to set up the picnic, Connie checked the weather on her phone. There didn't seem to be any change in the forecast - the sun would shine all day.

It was a good chance to finally scale things back for a day and focus on themselves.

Connie was just about to close her phone when the news app flashed quickly.

No-fly zone enacted over Southern Delmarva due to hijack threat, POTUS says.

As if on cue, the silence of the forest was broken by the dim roar of a fighter jet. Connie looked up, watching it roar through the deep blue of the sky and off into the distance. If she squinted, Connie could just about make out its shape - it had a pointed nose like a dart, and a pair of wings towards the back of the fuselage. It was long gone before she could make out any more details.

"Huh," she muttered.

"What is it?" asked Steven.

"Nothing," shrugged Connie, "Just saw a plane."

She sat down as Steven handed her a sandwich.

"So, things have been pretty hectic lately, haven't they?" she said.

"Mm-hmm," nodded Steven, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

He swallowed, clearing his mouth.

"I'm just glad Sadie's getting used to everything," he added, "But I hope she talks to her mom soon."

"I don't know," mused Connie, "I'd be pretty mad if it was me. I mean, it'd be like..."

She thought back to Stevonnie's dream on the jungle moon base and smirked.

"...if my mom actually was Yellow Diamond."

Steven chuckled.

"Wow, that'd be weird," he said.

"I know, right?" replied Connie, "Can you imagine my mom as an alien dictator?"

She picked up her phone and held it to her ear.

"No, Doctor West," she said in an impression of her mother, "If that patient isn't ready by the time I arrive I'm gonna have you shattered!" She lowered her phone. "Okay, Connie, I need you to be ready for tennis practice in an Earth hour." She raised the phone again. "Shattered, I tell you! Shattered!"

The two burst into laughter. Steven wiped a tear from his eye.

"Aw, I shouldn't laugh," he admitted, "But hey, funny's funny."

Suddenly, they heard a thump and a rustling from the bushes. Steven glanced over - he saw nothing.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Squirrel?" shrugged Connie.

Steven got up, walking carefully towards the bushes.

"It could be hurt," he said, "I just want to make sure it's okay."

Connie's phone beeped. She picked it up; the news app had flashed again.

Martial law instituted in Beach City and Crossroads areas. Army command advises all citizens to return home immediately.

"Uh... Steven?"

Steven wasn't listening. He leaned down next to a bush, carefully pushing the branches aside.

"It's okay, little fella," he said, "We'll make sure you're feeling better, and we'll give you a name! You can be called San..."

He pushed aside the last branches.

"...dy..."

Connie's eyes widened as she took in the tall, blue figure crouched behind the bush.

"...Lapis?"

Peedee watched warily as a column of army trucks rumbled onto the boardwalk. Each of them found a spot to pull up and deposit their cargoes of heavily armed soldiers. It was surreal - it was like one of those old films about America being invaded, but this time, the occupying force was their own army.

A jeep screeched to a halt outside Fish Stew Pizza. Nanefua and her bodyguards were already stepping out to meet the blue-uniformed officer that jumped out the back.

"Mayor Pizza," he said officiously, "Major Ernest King, U.S. Army Air Force. On behalf of the Gem Task Force, I've been asked to inform you that we are taking over the running of this town, effective immediately."

"Under whose authority?" demanded Nanefua.

"Under the authority of the President of the United States," replied Major King, "Furthermore, Colonel Bradshaw would like to brief you immediately regarding the situation with the Crystal Gems. Please be present in your office in half an hour."

He saluted crisply and climbed back into the jeep. It sped away before Nanefua could reply.

The Mayor shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Rude," she muttered before walking back towards the restaurant.

Peedee furrowed his brow and turned on the radio. Perhaps that would explain what was going on.

"...am Lieutenant-Colonel Bradshaw," a voice said, his voice light and slightly Southern, "Gem Task Force, United States Army. As of this morning, the townships of Beach City, Ocean Town, Charm City and Crossroads are being placed under martial law under the orders of the President. I assure you that this is being done in a humane and professional manner."

An ear-splitting crash filled the air. Peedee jumped and looked up the boardwalk.

A tank had sunk turret-first into the boardwalk, which had splintered under its weight. The commander was standing in the hatch, looking sheepishly from left to right.

"Uh... nothin' to see here, folks," he said.

Greg had just finished washing down a car when they came.

Two armoured vehicles screamed around the corner. Greg stepped back in shock as the lead vehicle rolled on top of the car, crushing it beneath the treads. The commander leaned out the hatch, looking at the wreckage - he grinned mischievously.

"Ha! Nice," he said.

"Nice?! That was somebody's car!" exclaimed Greg.

"Yeah, well, you got bigger problems, Mac," shrugged the commander.

The rear hatches of both vehicles opened and a squad of soldiers emerged. Boots clicking loudly on the pavement, they swiftly took positions around Greg, encircling him on all sides. He swallowed - everywhere he looked, he could see somebody pointing a gun at him.

"Uh... I think you've got the wrong guy?" he said nervously.

"Greg Universe?" replied the commander.

"Uh..."

"Yeah, thought so," nodded the commander, "You're under arrest by order of Colonel Bradshaw and the Gem Task Force."

"But... why?!" exclaimed Greg, "What have I done?!"

"Heck if I know, Mac," grunted the commander, "But I hear the Colonel wants you pretty bad."

He smirked unpleasantly.

"Unless you don't wanna come?"

Slowly, Greg put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, okay, I-I'll come quietly..."

Sadie watched from the top of the lighthouse as the army vehicles rolled into and around Beach City. She clutched the rail with shaking hands, listening to the radio.

"With your help, we will see the Crystal Gems apprehended safely. Remember, the army is here to help. Thank you."

The radio switched off, replaced by the tones of the Emergency Warning System. Jenny switched it off and joined her next to the rail.

It had supposed to be an easy day. The band had met at the lighthouse to talk about their next song (Sadie was still pretty into the werewolf idea), and while that meant trying not to trip over Ronaldo and ignoring his 'True Werewolf Factoids', the atmosphere in the old building was lovely. The sun was shining high in the sky, and looking over Beach City in the brilliant sunlight was quiet relaxing.

At least it had been, until the tanks rolled in.

Sadie could see them rolling across the beach, cutting off access to the Temple. They seemed to be stopping a few hundred metres away from the Temple itself - Sadie wondered if they were waiting for the Crystal Gems to surrender. Not very likely, she thought.

"Man, this is surreal," muttered Jenny, watching a helicopter land in the town square.

Sadie nodded.

"Why now, though?" asked Jenny, "The Gems have been here since, like, forever. If they'd wanted to start something, they would've done it years ago. Where were they when that big green hand showed up and we had to evacuate? That at least would have made sense."

"Something must've changed," mused Sadie.

She thought back to the wrecked helicopter in the Beta Kindergarten. Surely that couldn't have been it? It had only been one helicopter, and they'd saved the crew, hadn't they?

Distantly, she heard loud boots on the stairwell. She turned to the window, and moments later a few soldiers entered the lantern room. She glanced to Jenny - they nodded and headed back in.

The leader of the soldiers, a man in a blue uniform, was talking politely but firmly to Buck, Sour Cream and Ronaldo.

"...this lighthouse has been appropriated for use by the military as an observation post," he was saying, "You will need to vacate the premises."

"But I live here!" exclaimed Ronaldo.

"We can talk about compensation when the crisis is over," replied the officer, "But you'll need to leave. We need this building for use against the Crystal Gems."

"Use against the Crystal Gems?"

Ronaldo crossed his arms.

"I'll have you know that I used to be a Crystal Gem," he declared.

The officer and his troops exchanged glances.

Five minutes later, the officer shoved a handcuffed Ronaldo into the back of his jeep. He turned and nodded to the other kids.

"Sorry for the disruption, kids," he said.

He climbed into the jeep and drove away.

"Dang," said Buck.

"So," asked Sour Cream, "What do we do now? I mean, we can go to my place, but I kinda don't think I'm up for anymore song-writing..."

"We can go check in with Nana," suggested Jenny, "She's the mayor now, so she'll know what's happening, right?"

"Unless she's been arrested too," said Sadie darkly.

"I still don't get why they're doing this now," said Jenny, scratching her chin, "It just doesn't make any sense..."

Sadie thought back. She remembered the Delmarva Centre and the incident with the corrupted Quartz...

"OSS! Stay back!"

A man stepped through the dust, carrying a crowbar. Sadie's eyes widened.

It was Clancy Miller.

Sadie narrowed her eyes.

"Clancy," she growled.

"This is Captain Wayne Clark of the Gem Task Force!"

Pearl rolled her eyes.

She, Garnet, Amethyst and Peridot watched as the loud, angry captain bellowed into his microphone. He certainly seemed confident, which might have had something to do with the squads of troops that surrounded the Beach House, backed up by a half-dozen tanks. She wondered if they actually intended to attack the Temple.

"We have you surrounded on all sides!" the Captain thundered, "If you do not come out by sundown and surrender yourselves to our custody, we will be forced to assault your base with extreme force. I repeat, you have until sundown to comply!"

"What does he think he is, a cowboy or something?" asked Amethyst.

"He looks nothing like a cow," added Peridot dismissively.

"He's definitely confident." Pearl turned to Garnet, frowning. "Do they have a chance?"

Garnet shook her head.

"Not in a direct battle," she replied, "None of their weapons could penetrate the Temple door. We wouldn't even have to fight them."

"I get the sense there's a 'but' coming up, G," said Amethyst.

Garnet nodded.

"They seem willing to use our allies to get to us," she said flatly. "The humans in town. Greg. Connie..."

Pearl's hands flew to her lips, covering the tiny gasp that escaped her lips.

"Steven," she whispered.

Garnet only nodded, looking particularly severe as she gazed out of the window.

Beside them, Amethyst fidgeted uncomfortably. "I-I mean, they wouldn't actually do anything to the humans, right Garnet? They're supposed to protect them - like Greg and Connie are both humans! They couldn't just attack them, right? And Steven, too..."

"Steven isn't exactly human," Peridot corrected, though her usually poindexter attitude seemed awfully bitter.

Pearl looked about ready to draw swords, so Garnet raised a hand to stay their worries.

"There's a number of possibilities... I can't know for certain how this will play out. But we need to plan."

"There's a gem who wants to escape Homeworld," said Lapis, "I'm trying to help her."

Lapis' return had been met with laughter and hugs from Steven, which was understandable - but Connie had been less ecstatic. It seemed strange to her - Lapis had left because she was afraid of the Diamonds returning. Why, then, would she come back? And why would she recommend another gem come here? It just seemed too good to be true.

That having been said, it'd didn't look like Lapis was lying. Connie had learned the facial tics that people sometimes made when they weren't telling the truth, and Lapis had none of those; and there certainly wasn't any sign that she was brainwashed or anything. Still, something about this made her feel uneasy.

"Lapis, that's so nice of you!" exclaimed Steven, grinning broadly, "I'm sure the Gems would be thrilled to have her!"

Lapis smiled.

"I hope so," she replied, "I mean, they might not be glad to have me, after everything that's happened..."

"Water under the bridge," chuckled Steven, "You get it? Water? Because... because you do water stuff?"

Lapis laughed.

"No," she said.

"Well, I'll explain it to you one day," shrugged Steven. “C’mon, we’ve got to go back to the Temple right now! Peridot is there, and she’ll be so --”

“No!” Lapis flinched away like Steven had hit her. “N-no, I can’t face her. Not… not yet. We should help this gem first. She stole a ship and is just waiting for a signal to come down to the surface… I didn’t know where might be a good place?”

Connie tapped her chin, thoughtful. "Well, away from the army, at any rate."

She winced as she heard another fighter jet scream overhead.

"How about the warehouse?" asked Steven, "They probably won't look there, right? The only things there are Mr. Smiley's stash of old wrestling magazines!"

Connie nodded.

"That might work," she agreed, "Okay, let's go set it up for... Lapis, who was this gem again?"

"Seraphinite," replied Lapis.

Greg winced as the soldiers shoved him roughly to the office floor. He looked to his left, and found himself next to Doug and Priyanka - he swallowed and grinned nervously at them. Thankfully, they seemed more focused on being angry at the military officers than being angry at him.

"Major King's bringing the last one up now," one of the soldiers said.

"Good," nodded Bradshaw.

He was sitting behind the Mayor's desk, Clancy Miller and Philbert Bracknell behind him. The former looked as though his temper was threatening to burst through the dam of self-control - Bracknell, for his part, just looked confused. In front of them, Nanefua paced angrily, giving Bradshaw a piece of her mind.

"You have no right to detain my townsfolk," she snapped, "They haven't done anything wrong!"

"That's for me to decide, madam," replied Bradshaw, "I have orders to neutralise all threats. Other countries would've handled this in a far more violent fashion, and..."

"That doesn't make you right!" growled Nanefua.

The door opened. Major King marched into the room and pushed Ronaldo onto the ground next to Greg - for his part, he seemed to be slightly less forceful than the other soldiers. Slightly.

"Ronaldo?" quizzed Greg.

"I'm a person of interest!" said Ronaldo excitedly.

"Alright," said Bradshaw, standing up, "Douglas and Priyanka Maheswaran, Gregory Universe née DeMayo, and Ronaldo Fryman alias 'Bloodstone...'"

Ronaldo beamed.

"...you are charged with association with treasonous alien elements," he continued, "You will detained until..."

"Warrant," snapped Doug.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Bradshaw.

"Warrant," Doug repeated, "Where is it?"

"My warrant," snapped Bradshaw, "Is the power vested in me by the President of the United States. My warrant is my oath to the people, who I am sworn to protect."

He turned to King.

"Where are their kids, anyway?" he demanded.

"If you touch a hair on Connie's head," thundered Priyanka, leaning forward, "I swear..."

"...you'll go to prison for assaulting an officer," grunted Bradshaw.

"We couldn't find them, sir," replied King, "I've got men looking for them now. I've ordered them to use discretion to prevent..."

"Discretion?" snapped Bradshaw, "Does this look like the time for discretion?"

"...they're kids, sir," said King.

"They're a national security threat," replied Bradshaw, "I understand it's not easy, but I need Steven and Candy..."

"Connie, sir."

"Thank you, Ernest - Steven and Connie in custody."

Major King swallowed.

"Yes sir," he said, "I'll... I'll handle it myself, sir."

"See that you do."

King saluted and left the room.

"Now, we have a conundrum," said Bradshaw, scratching his chin, "We got a couple of Crystal Gems who aren't coming out of their hole. We need to coax them."

He turned to Greg and grinned.

"I think I know just how to do that," he continued, "Bracknell, take the other three to the town square - I'm sending them to Fort Raleigh for detainment, you're gonna make sure they make it intact."

Bracknell turned to Clancy, who nodded.

"Don't rock the boat, Bracknell," he whispered, "I'll sort this out as soon as I can."

Bracknell swallowed. A couple of soldiers barged into the room, pulling Priyanka and Doug to their feet. Greg watched as they were dragged out - as they left, he just about saw Priyanka mouth something to him.

It's not your fault.

He sighed in relief as Bracknell escorted Ronaldo out of the office. Nanefua shot the agent a dirty look as he left.

"And where," she demanded, "Is Fort Raleigh?"

"West," replied Bradshaw, "Clancy, grab Mr. Universe. We're going down to the beach."

Clancy furrowed his brow.

"The beach?" he replied incredulously, "You're not seriously thinking of..."

"If it gets 'em out, Miller, then yes."

"Sir, that breaks just about every protocol in the book!" exclaimed Clancy, "You can't..."

"What the President doesn't know, won't hurt him," replied Bradshaw.

Watching the malicious smirk play at the Colonel’s lips, Greg felt his stomach drop.

Sadie marched up the street, the Cool Kids struggling to keep up as she purposefully made her way to Barb's house. Her face was set into a deep scowl. They encountered Onion going the other way - he gulped when he saw Sadie and quickly crossed the road.

She opened the fence and marched to the front door. She knocked three times, with a lot more force than was probably necessary.

The door opened.

"Sadie?" Barb gasped, "You came back?"

"I need to talk to Clancy," replied Sadie, her fists clenched, "You have his number. I'm calling him... and then I need to go again."

She sighed, calming down slightly.

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm still not ready to talk."

There was a long silence as the Cool Kids caught up.

"Uh... apart from that, though, how's it going, Ms. Miller?" asked Sour Cream.

Clancy sat in his car, waiting for the soldiers to finish bundling a handcuffed Greg into the back of the Colonel's jeep. It wasn't so much that Greg was struggling - they'd blindfolded him, and he couldn't find his way into the car. The soldiers were trying and failing to direct him, and their sergeant's face was starting to look something like a swollen plum as he watched his troops fumble. It'd have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious.

His phone rang. Clancy grit his teeth and turned on the bluetooth speaker - now simply wasn't the time.

"Agent Clancy Miller?"

"What the hell is the army doing here?!"

Clancy winced. That was Sadie's voice.

"Sadie, uh, this-this isn't the time, I-I'm very busy..."

"Yeah, I noticed. Why are they going after the gems? What did you tell them?!"

"I told them to leave it well enough alone!" snapped Clancy, "It's not my fault they can't listen to their own advisors!"

The Colonel jumped into the jeep and it started. Clancy grunted, driving along behind him.

"Look, this is a really bad time," he said, "I'll get them out of here, but I need time..."

"What, you're just gonna give them the Crystal Gems?" demanded Sadie.

"They can't take 'em in a straight fight," replied Clancy, "You know..."

"So you'll just let other people get hurt! Just like you always do!"

Clancy winced.

"I'm working on it," he replied, "I... it's hard, okay! Talking to Bradshaw's like talking to a brick wall, and if I push too hard, he might... he might figure out I'm covering for you."

There was no reply, so he continued.

"They already think I know where the ruby is," he continued, "One step out of line and they could find me out. They could find you out! I-I want to help people, I want to stop them for from getting the Gems, but... but I won't do anything that leads them to you."

He sighed.

"I don't know if I can save everyone," he finished, "But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I couldn't save you. I've done enough to hurt your family."

He pulled up at the end of the road, just in front of the slope up to the lighthouse.

"Look, I have to go," he said, "Just... lay low until this is finished, okay? I'll work it out."

"Clancy, you... I can't..."

He looked up. Bradshaw had climbed out of the jeep and was walking towards him.

"Sadie, I gotta hang up," he said, "I..."

Bradshaw leaned against the window. He was grinning now, like a shark who had just cornered his prey. Clancy furrowed his brow - what was he so happy about?

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a phone, pressing a button on it and pulling it to his ear.

"You didn't seriously think we wouldn't have bugged your phone, did you Clancy?"

"So, Sadie Miller."

Sadie's shivered as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. It maintained the facade of military protocol, but there was a hint of grim, sneering satisfaction. She glanced over to her mother on the other side of the kitchen table - her face was set in a frown.

"I imagine you have my ruby," he said.

"It isn't yours," replied Sadie, trying hard not to sound as nervous as she was.

"Oh, but it is, Ms. Miller, and you're gonna deliver it to me," replied Bradshaw, "Or Clancy here is going to be in a bit of trouble..."

Faintly, Sadie could hear a dull thud and a cry of pain.

"And what if I can't?" asked Sadie.

Barb gritted her teeth and mouthed a reply. Don't tell them.

"Oh, I believe you can," said Bradshaw, "In fact, I believe you can take that ruby wherever you want. Ain't that right, 1GK?"

Sadie's blood ran cold.

"How long have you known?"

"I've suspected since the fire at the depot," explained Bradshaw, "But I knew after you drew your weapon in a public mall at Wilmingmore... oh come on, Clancy, you're a secret agent, you wouldn't tell me if you suspected me of something..."

Sadie swallowed.

"So what happens to me?" she asked, "If I give myself up?"

There was a long pause.

"I'm not at liberty to say."

Sadie closed her eyes and nodded.

"If I come," she said, "You leave the Crystal Gems alone. You let Clancy and everyone else you've kidnapped go. You leave Beach City and never come back. Got it?"

"Sadie, no!" exclaimed Barb.

"...deal. Half-an-hour, outside the Temple. Come alone."

The Colonel chuckled.

"I look forward to making your acquaintance."

The line went dead. Sadie collapsed into her chair, rubbing her forehead.

"Sadie!" exclaimed Barb, "You can't give yourself up! I'm not letting you..."

"Mom."

Sadie stood up.

"I've just had dumbest idea in history," she said, "And it's really dangerous, and I'm probably gonna have to wing most of this, because I haven't thought it through..."

She took a deep breath and offered Barb a shaky smile.

"...and I'm gonna need your help."

Barb stared for a just a moment, as if processing what Sadie had said. Then, very slowly, her face broke into a smile.

"That's my girl," she said.

Lapis paced back and forth in the warehouse, occasionally looking up into the afternoon sky. Connie watched her dubiously - she knew Steven trusted her completely, but she couldn't help but feel that something was distinctly off about her behaviour.

Quite suddenly, they heard a rustling outside the warehouse. All eyes fell on the door, which started to groan ominously.

"What's going on?" asked Steven, "Who is that?"

The door flew open with a loud crash. A squad of about six soldiers, led by a man in a blue uniform, burst into the warehouse, weapons drawn. The blue uniformed man advanced on the three, shouting a warning.

"My name is Major Ernest King!" he shouted, "I have orders to take Steven Universe and Connie Maheswaran into custody. Do not resist!"

"What?!" exclaimed Steven, "But we're innocent!"

"Where the heck is your warrant?!" demanded Connie.

Lapis narrowed her eyes.

"No," she said, "You can't be allowed to ruin this."

"This is a military matter, ma'am!" snapped King, "And... wait, you're a gem..."

Lapis raised her arms. The sea by the warehouse began to rise into the air, like a gigantic tsunami in slow motion. The soldiers looked up in horror as the foamy water twisted and formed into a giant fist, ready to smash down upon them; Connie's eyes widened as she realised that she and Steven were also in its shadow.

"Lapis, no, don't hurt them!" shouted Steven, running up to his friend.

Lapis turned to him, her face twisted into a dark scowl. For the briefest moment, Connie swore she saw a speck of white in her pupils.

"I'm sorry, Rose Quartz," she snarled, "But I won't allow anything to stop Seraphinite."

A sonic boom filled the air, shattering windows for about a mile around. Connie would have given it a lot more thought, except for the fact that it was swiftly followed by a much closer boom as the fist of water came down. She heard shouts and scream, a few scattered shots rang out, and then she was consumed by water. For a minute, she struggled desperately for breath, thrashing in the endless blue void.

Then, mercifully, she fell into darkness.

[e350tb]

Steven Universe - Ruby Stars: Chapter Seven

A Trip to Wilmingmore

In the city of Wilmingmore, there was a enormous megamall. It was an enormous, grey concrete structure with a round roof, surrounded by a vast tarmac plain of parking lots and loading bays. It was if it resided in a gigantic black hole in the middle of the city, separated from the city centre and the docks by a ring of freeways, elevated roads and the railway line. It was the commercial heart of the state - it was called the Delmarva Centre.

Although the centre was vast, the stores inside needed space for their excess goods. On the eastern, dockyard side of the Centre were a series of warehouses for this purpose. They were old, dark and dusty, but they protected a sea of products from the elements.

That wasn't the only thing they protected.

Sometime in the previous winter, a corrupted quartz had lumbered down from Jersey in search of warmer climates. She travelled by night and slept by day, and incredibly had gone completely unnoticed by the time she reached the city.

She didn't like the city, however. It was loud, crowded and bright, and metal monsters screamed down the roads and railways at all hours. She had tried sleeping in the sewers underneath the city, but the dampness and the smell made her uncomfortable. So she wandered further along, cold and miserable, until at last she found one of the warehouses.

Inside, she found a bed in the corner. It was large and wooden, and she could just about fit inside, once she pushed out some of the strange trinkets that were already inside. Satisfied, she climbed inside, carefully closed the lid, curled up and went to sleep.

She slept for a very long time indeed. She was only awoken by a jolt as her bed started to move.

As it turned out, the crate belonged to an electronics store, and it was being moved inside the centre so that the contents to be added to the in-store stock.

Both they and the quartz were in for a nasty surprise...

"...yeah, I'm with Connie. I mean, fifty pages? That's way too much..."

"But Jenny, it's adorable!"

The van pulled into an empty parking space, and Greg turned off the engine.

"Okay, remember where we parked!"

Sadie climbed out of Greg's van, stretching her arms and legs. Wilmingmore wasn't that far from Beach City, but she was glad to be off the road all the same. In any case, she'd been looking forward to this for a while.

She, Steven, Connie and Jenny had come up to the Delmarva Centre to buy equipment for the band. Greg had suggested some new sound equipment, and they'd decided to make a day trip of it. Buck and Sour Cream hadn't been able to come (something about a project, they said), but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun on their own.

In any case, she needed the down time. Training back at Beach City had moved on to summoning her weapon. It wasn't going well, probably because she didn't have the first idea of what her weapon actually was. A day to cool off and focus on herself would probably be good for her - Garnet had even said as much herself.

"Okay," said Greg, "I'm gonna go pick this sound system up from WirelessShack - you guys meet me back at the van at about... three?"

"Are you sure you don't need help?" asked Sadie, "You're doing this for us, and..."

"Nah, I'll be fine," replied Greg kindly, "You guys enjoy yourselves!"

He wandered off in the direction of the Centre entrance.

"So," asked Connie, "What do you guys wanna do?"

"I'm pretty sure there's an arcade in there," replied Jenny, "I mean, if they haven't closed it or anything. I haven't been here for a year..."

"Or we could go to the LEGU Shop!" exclaimed Steven.

He held up his hand and Connie high-fived him.

Suddenly there came a low rumble. Connie looked at her stomach and blushed slightly.

"Well, guess we know what we're doing first," said Sadie.

She chuckled as they headed inside.

"...Seriously, you're making us come here so that you can use a payphone."

"It's not my fault they didn't have one at the office!"

"Bracknell, before we leave, we're getting you a mobile phone. I mean come on..."

Clancy and Bracknell wandered the colossal avenues of the mall. They were in search of what Clancy reckoned might have been the last payphone in the city of Wilmingmore so that Bracknell could call his parents on his mother's birthday. Clancy would have lent him his phone, except he was under no circumstances to lend his OSS-issued phone to anyone else - his boss had repeatedly told him that it was worth more than he was. Besides, it needed his fingerprints to work.

In any case, he was privately glad to be out of the factory-turned-office. The metallic smells were often overbearing, and either Bradshaw or one of his lackeys  called him every couple of hours. At least now he had an excuse to ignore them - and if he got Bracknell a phone, he could claim it was work.

Eventually, they reached the payphone. It was nestled in a corner overlooking a massive, circular concourse. As Bracknell dialled his parent's numbers, Clancy walked over to the railing and peered over it - he felt like a bit of people watching.

It was lunchtime, and people were generally heading to the food court, which was on the other side of the avenue Clancy had just come up. Some were getting business from students, as the Wilmingmore University generally allowed breaks for lunch around this time. There were a lot of people at Cold Issue, for example, and a few more at GameShop. Comparatively, the WirelessShack just across from him was quiet.

Suddenly, a familiar person caught his eye.

Clancy cursed under his breath as he saw Greg Universe, a U-Bahn sandwich in his hand, wandering over to the WirelessShack. He was whistling a tune, and seemed to be in good spirits.

"Okay," Clancy whispered to himself, "Don't worry, Bracknell's gonna be on the phone for a while, I don't have to talk to him..."

"Yeah, I'll call back when I get my phone. Give Dad my love! Bye!"

Clancy's eye twitched as Bracknell hung up the phone.

"She's at lunch with Grandma," he said, walking over, "I'll call her back tonight after I set up my phone. So, WirelessShack?"

Clancy frowned deeply.

Greg stood in line at the WirelessShack, waiting for the man in front to finish paying for his TV.

It took a lot to annoy Greg, but this man was starting to do just that. He was a well-dressed man in a fine suit with no tie, his hair immaculately coiffed, and his voice underlined with a deeply aristocratic air. He probably could have ordered a TV online (or gotten somebody else to do it), but instead he insisted on insulting and abusing the staff at the counter.

"Hurry up, you!" he spat, "I want this television today!"

"Uh-y-y-yes sir," replied the cashier, "I-I just need to make sure your card is valid before I can..."

"Valid? Valid? Do you know who I am?"

Greg was about to open his mouth and ask the man to cool off, when he suddenly felt a soft kick against his heel.

"Ooh, sorry sir, my fault."

"Nah, it's fine," Greg said, turning around.

He paused.

He didn't recognise the man that had kicked him - he was a short, suited, dark-skinned man who looked friendly enough. Behind him, looking as though he wished he was absolutely anywhere else right now, was Agent Clancy Miller.

"Clancy?" said Greg.

"Uh...Greg, yeah," nodded Clancy, "I… uh… we were just getting this kid a phone."

"A phone," nodded Greg.

"Yeah."

"And you went a hundred miles from Washington to get it."

"I… uh..."

Clancy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not here about your kid, alright?" he said at last, "They just want me to keep watch on gem stuff."

Greg nodded sceptically.

"Is...is Sadie well?" asked Clancy hesitantly.

"She's-"

"I want to see it before you load it up!" barked the rich man, "Bring the box out here and make it quick!"

Greg shot the man the sternest look he could (which was hard, as he was not a naturally stern man) before turning back to Clancy.

"She's okay," he replied, "She's living with the Gems for now."

"Yeah, Barb told me," nodded Clancy, "Do you...check in on her?"

Greg nodded.

"Does she tell you anything?"

"I promised I wouldn't tell you or Barb anything she didn't want you to know," replied Greg.

"Um, sir, I'm sort of feeling a bit 'third wheel' here," interjected the other man, "How do you two know each other?"

"Stay out of this, Bracknell," grunted Clancy.

The older agent sighed.

"Look, Greg, just... make sure she stays safe, okay?" he said, "Not for me. For her."

"She'll be alright," replied Greg, "I promise..."

"Ah, perfect! Finally, some punctuality. Wheel it up and I'll look inside."

The rich man was looking at a crate that had been wheeled up from the back. It was about waist high and quite wide - it must have been a very upmarket television. A grumpy looking worker was unscrewing the bolts to the lid. The rich man leant over him, waiting impatiently to see inside.

"Come on, come on, we haven't all day! Let's see it!" the man snapped, with his holier-than-thou attitude that made Greg's skin crawl.

The workman muttered something under his breath as he unscrewed the last bolt. Then, slowly and carefully, he lifted the lid off.

"Wait," said the wealthy man, "That isn't..."

A blue blur flew right into the snob's face, knocking him hard onto his back. Despite the panic of the moment, Greg had to admit it was a little vindicating.

The creature standing on the rich man's chest resembled a very large, very furry and very agitated bobcat. It's fur was light blue with a sprinkling of darker blue spots. Instead of a muzzle it had a beak, and one of its eyes was replaced by a blue gemstone. At the end of its tail was a large, sharp spike.

"Corrupted gem," hissed Clancy.

As the store erupted in a cacophony of amazement, some terror and a few laughs at the annoyingly well-tailored man's misfortune, the gem's head darted around. She seemed to be shaking - Greg realised it must be terrified.

"Okay, everybody quiet down!" he said, "She's scared!"

At that, the rich man tried to sit up. He scowled at his assailant.

"Get this hideous creature off of my new suit!" he thundered.

The gem jumped and yowled. For a second she dug her heels into the man's chest, causing him to wince and yelp in pain - then she was off, out of the store and into the mall, bowling down everyone in her way.

Greg, Clancy and Bracknell watched it disappear towards the food court.

"We... we should get after that thing," said Bracknell.

Clancy sighed.

"So much for a day off," he muttered.

Sadie picked at her food and sighed heavily.

They were sitting in a restaurant in the food court - a fifties-styled diner, with an old jukebox and a lovingly restored roadster out the front. Sadie and Jenny sat alone in the booth; Steven and Connie had gone to try and work the jukebox.

"What's up, Sadie Killer?" asked Jenny.

Sadie stared at a fry in her hand.

"I'm starting to notice that everything seems to taste different," she replied.

"So you hate some of the foods you used to like?" asked Jenny.

Sadie nodded, pointing to an unfinished burger on the side of her plate.

"I never used to have a problem with them," she explained, "But now onions make me gag when I try to eat 'em. And it's not even just that! I don't need as much sleep as I used to or get tired as much, and I never feel like I'm too hot or too cold, and..."

In fact, it was more than simply the taste of the food. Perhaps she was being paranoid, but she was sure that people were looking at her differently - and why wouldn’t they? Her strange new red eyes, the gem that poked out from under her shirt - these were not things normal people had. She felt like everyone was judging her, silently fearing her - like she was something other than what they were.

She no longer felt like Sadie Miller (and in many ways she wasn’t - after all, Clancy Miller wasn’t even her father.) In many ways, she hardly felt like Sadie at all. She felt more a Ruby, less a human, the gem in her torso starting to weigh on the wires supporting her sense of who she even was. They grew tauter by the day, and she felt about ready to snap.

Jenny put a hand on Sadie's.

"Hey, girl, breathe," she said.

Sadie closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly.

"I just... feel less human," she said, "And that's not fair, because I'm not any different from Steven and he never feels like he's not human... at least I don't think he does..."

"Look, Sadie," replied Jenny, "I'm not gonna pretend I understand this, but it's okay if you're scared of what's happening to you. I mean, change is freaky. But you're gonna get through it. You're not alone."

Sadie nodded and smiled weakly back at her.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I guess you're right."

Anything else she might have said was interrupted by the return of Steven and Connie.

"They unplugged the jukebox," said Connie, shrugging, "Someone set it up to play What's New Pussycat twenty-one times."

"Geez, really?" asked Sadie, "Somebody must've had a lot of time on their..."

A shriek echoed through the diner.

Sadie got up, looking out into the food court. Scores of people were racing for the exits, although a few had stopped and whipped out their phones and cameras. The cause of the concern was a blue monster, large and fluffy, that stood on a table. It growled at a security guard, who was very nervously backing away.

"A corrupted gem!" gasped Steven.

"Darn it, now?" exclaimed Connie, "But I left my sword at home!"

"You have a sword?" asked Jenny.

Connie shrugged.

"It's a long story."

The monster growled, stepping towards the security guard. It looked like she was preparing to pounce.

"Okay, we need to bubble her," said Steven, drawing his shield, "Just take it nice and easy, and..."

Suddenly, everything seemed to happen at once.

A young man in a black suit dove out from behind a table, aiming to tackle the monster. He missed, landing hard on his stomach and knocking over the table next to it. A bottle of ketchup crashed to the floor and sprayed him in the face.

The creature just about jumped out of her skin, shooting off the table like a startled cat. She roared and thundered towards the window of the diner. With a mighty crash she jumped through, landing right in front of Sadie and Jenny.

Before they could react, she roared again - this time, a sonic boom burst from her mouth, picking Sadie up and sending her flying into the back wall. She hit her head hard - she slumped to the floor, her vision swimming. Dust flew everywhere.

"Put him down!"

Sadie's vision cleared. She saw the monster - she had lifted Steven up by his shirt with her tail. Connie had picked up a stool and lifted it over her head - she was about to charge in.

"OSS! Stay back!"

A man stepped through the dust, carrying a crowbar. Sadie's eyes widened.

It was Clancy Miller.

"C'mere girl," Clancy urged, "C'mere. Nice and easy..."

The creature dropped Steven - he landed hard on the tiled floor. She turned to face to agent, growling again. Clancy braced himself slightly - he didn't seem to have noticed Sadie.

"Yeah, that's good, away from the kid," said Clancy, "Over here, I can make this nice and easy..."

The monster pounced towards Clancy. He held up the crowbar like a swordsman parrying an enemy - with a sickening crunch, the crowbar bent out of shape as the monster caught it in her beak. She tore it from the agent's hands almost effortlessly and threw it to the floor.

"...oh," said Clancy, backing away, "Uh… shoot, um..."

The monster charged again. The agent shut his eyes.

Before she could tackle Clancy, he was shoved into cover by Jenny. They both landed hard in a corner booth, the agent knocking his head hard on the bottom of one of the stools. Instantly, the creature turned - it growled and prepared to charge once more. Jenny shielded the stunned agent and braced, waiting for the attack to come.

Sadie shook the dizziness from her head and grit her teeth.

This wasn't fair. She'd come here to get away from her problems, just for a day. Not only had a corrupted gem turned up to ruin it, but her once-father had also had the gall to turn up and make everything worse. Now her friend was going to get hurt, and she was just sitting here, watching numbly.

Jenny didn't deserve this.

Steven and Connie didn't deserve this.

She didn't deserve this.

It just. Wasn't. Fair.

"Get away from her!"

Sadie lunged to her feet, rushing towards the gem monster. Her gem glowed, and she felt something emerge from it. Without thinking, she grabbed it and pulled it out.

She lifted the short, red spear and buried it into the monster's back with all the force she could muster. There was an enormous puff of smoke, and she heard something hard land on the floor.

She landed on her knees, breathing heavily. As the adrenaline wore off, she gazed in wonderment at the weapon. It was a practical spear, no more than a meter long - it was dark red with a lighter red head. It seemed to glow slightly, but perhaps that was Sadie's imagination. She glanced from the weapon to her gem and then back again, her face going slightly pale.

"Did… did I make this?"

She looked over to Jenny and Clancy. The former had already gotten up and was running over to check on her friend (she seemed to be stowing her phone as she did), but Clancy was frozen in place, gazing in stunned silence at the half-gem.

"...my god," he breathed.

Sadie wondered if he was in awe or horrified, but she couldn't help but suspect the latter.

They stared at each other in numb silence. Jenny was saying something, but Sadie couldn't process it. Steven was bubbling the gem, and Greg had arrived with the other agent - they were saying things too, but they might as well have been mute.

At last, Clancy spoke again.

"I can't… I… Bracknell, we need to go!"

He sprung to his feet, adjusting his tie with shaking hands as he walked briskly to the door. The younger agent - Bracknell, apparently - quickly followed, glancing back towards the ruined diner as he did. They passed several diner patrons and mall customers, none of whom paid them any attention.

All attention seemed to be on Sadie. She swallowed, her throat dry, and looked at her shaking hands.

She didn't want this. She didn't want this.

"Sadie?" asked Steven, his voice underlined with worry.

Sadie clutched her head, the spear vanishing as she let go of it. Her head was spinning again, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"... I… I think I need to go."

"Sir," said Bracknell, "What the heck was that?"

They had driven back to the factory in utter silence, Clancy's hands clutching the wheel so hard that he feared he might crush it. Now, sitting in the parking lot, his partner had decided to break the oppressive quiet.

"She's not supposed to actually have a gem, Bracknell," replied Clancy, "I… she's supposed to be normal."

He clutched his forehead and ran a hand through his hair, gritting his teeth.

"That's what Barb wanted, that's what I wanted, that's what Kay wanted!" he exclaimed, "She was supposed to have a normal life, and I told her about that gem, and I screwed it up!"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" asked Bracknell.

Clancy breathed in, shaking his head.

"The ruby I was supposed to get from Beach City," he replied, "The one I was supposed to find..."

There was a long silence, save for the sound of Clancy’s ragged, anxious breathing.

"Oh," said Bracknell flatly.

"Yeah," snapped Clancy, "Oh."

He shook his head.

"And then I just ran off," he sighed, "She probably thinks I think she's some kind of freak. She doesn't need that, and..."

Hesitantly, Bracknell put a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"It's okay, sir, it's okay," he said, "Just… we'll figure it out, alright?"

Clancy shook off his hand.

"No," he said, sending his partner a sharp glare, "This is my mess, Bracknell. I don't want you mixed up in it."

He sighed again, turning the engine back on again. Bracknell bit his tongue and swallowed, not daring to speak up.

"Right, let's go," he said.

"Go where?" asked Bracknell.

"To one of the other Wilmingmore malls," replied Clancy, "We still need to get you that darn phone."

The sun was setting as they approached Beach City.

The van ride had been quiet. Greg had taken everything in his stride - he could always get the new sound system another day, after all. Steven and Connie had quietly discussed the bubbled gem and the possibility of getting a sword rack for the van for the next time they travelled.

Sadie had spent the whole trip home looking out the window - she felt absolutely miserable.

There was a soft beep from Jenny's phone. She checked the message and smiled.

"Yo, Sadie Killer?" she said.

"Yeah?" sighed Sadie.

Quietly, Jenny wagered a question.

"Feeling any better...?"

"No," replied Sadie.

"Well, I've got a little something for you," said Jenny, smiling, "Here, take a look!"

Sadie looked at Jenny's phone. On the screen was a picture of her in the diner, spear in hand. Her eyes seemed to glow like burning coals, and the discarded gem of the monster lay next to her. She frowned - could that really be her?

No wonder people thought she was a freak.

She was about to say something that effect when Jenny scrolled down, revealing a long list of messages received. She smiled earnestly as Sadie read through them.

looking good SK!!! that spear would make a rad prop in our next vid!

Buck is pleased.

SADIE!!! AWESOME SPEAR!!! WE NEED TO TALK, I HAVE TO PUT THIS ON MY BLOG!!!

omg jen?! she beat a monster! that's amazing!

Hello Sadie

Excellent work! We'll need to discuss how you did it, but I couldn't be more proud!

From Pearl

By Jove! She looks like a modern day Artemis! I'll have to cast her in my next play!

Sadie continued to read the long list of replies. It seemed that Jenny had sent the picture to just about everyone, and they'd all sent praise back. She shook her head - how was she supposed to process this?

"See?" said Steven, "Nobody in Beach City thinks you're a freak!"

"They do think you're awesome, though," added Connie.

Jenny put an arm around Sadie's shoulders.

"Sadie, it doesn't matter if you're human or gem or one of Ronaldo's sneople," she said, "You're still Sadie, and that hasn't changed. All the people who matter still love you, girl!"

"Yeah!" Steven and Connie exclaimed.

"Yeah!" said Greg.

He paused, biting his lip.

"I wasn't listening, what's the conversation about?" he asked.

Sadie smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," she sighed, "Thanks."

She closed her eyes and put a hand over her gem, slowly breathing in and out. She still didn’t feel human - but just for a moment, she felt like Sadie again.

"It really means a lot," she said sincerely.

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Ruby Stars - Chapter Nine

(Special thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading this!)

Beta Buddies

Philbert Bracknell was born in Keystone and grew up in Massachusetts - Boston, specifically. His family had been poor - his father had worked for the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, nearly three hundred miles away, and his mother survived on the pay packets the company sent home every week. As a result, he never travelled much - every second Christmas they went back to Eddystone to see Dad, and he'd been down to Fall River a few times to visit his cousin, who worked at the museum at Battleship Cove. He'd never really left the north-east until he was an adult - even then, that was just to work in Washington.

He'd never seen anything like the vista before him now.

The desert sands spread as far as the eye could see like a great ochre carpet. It was dotted in some places by dry shrubbery, and occasionally it was broken by roads, railways and dry riverbeds. In the distance, he could see towering, flat-topped mesas, backlit dramatically by the rising sun. It took his breath away as he watched it pass by from the window of the helicopter - he could only stare mutely, as if gazing upon an alien world.

"It's pretty amazing, huh?"

The co-pilot leaned back, flashing Bracknell a grin.

"Yeah," nodded Bracknell, "It... it's really something!"

The co-pilot gave him a thumbs up.

"Just wait until you get to Site Bravo," she said, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

"What is Site Bravo, anyway?" asked Bracknell.

"Old gem thing," shrugged the co-pilot, "Nobody knows what it's for. Usually we'd keep our noses out of it, but the Colonel wants a detailed report. So we're gonna fly over it and get some pictures, and you're gonna take some notes!"

Bracknell had guessed as much. He'd been flown out at very short notice—Clancy had insisted that there needed to be an agent on station at Wilmingmore and declined to come. In any case, he'd told Bracknell there were 'things he needed to do.'

"Coming up on it now," the pilot announced.

Bracknell looked out the window once more. He gasped.

Below them was a truly enormous canyon. It stretched as far as the eye could see, like a deep scar on the landscape. Each side of the gorge was pockmarked by small holes - they varied in size and shape, but most were just a little bit larger than a person. Tubular structures that resembled gigantic needles were bolted to the sides of the canyon, each in varying states of disrepair.

"What is it?" asked Bracknell.

"La Cicatriz," the co-pilot replied, "The Scar."

"We don't know what the gems actually called it," added the pilot, "But that's what the conquistadores named it. Name sort of stuck..."

Bracknell's attention was suddenly stolen by a strange vibration in the sand below them. It was as if something was running under the desert, but was just shallow enough to shift the dust and shrubbery above it. It was coming down from the north and getting closer.

"I think something's moving down there," said Bracknell.

"Eh, don't worry about it," shrugged the co-pilot, "Probably a coyote or something, nothing to worry—"

With a screech, a worm burst from the sand.

Bracknell didn't get much time to look at the worm—it was long and rusty brown in colour, with a mass of spindly limbs around it's gaping maw. It was gone before he could really discern any features, its spiked tail disappearing into the soil. The barb at the end of the tail flashed for the briefest second. The whole maelstrom of dust and dirt was set against the billows of a blood-curdling shriek that reverberated against the canyon walls, carrying to the helicopter in a deathly echo of distress. The pilot swore loudly.

"Problem?" asked Bracknell, voice shaking.

"I-I've lost all my instruments!" replied the pilot, "The stick isn't responding. Lynn?"

"Mine's out too," nodded the co-pilot.

Bracknell noticed the sound of the rotors was starting to cut in and out, and the helicopter began to spin. The pilot picked up his radio.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is Dog One, we have lost all control," he barked, "We are going down over Site Bravo. I repeat, we are going down..."

Bracknell was pushed back against his seat, clinging desperately to whatever he could as the helicopter spun down to Earth. The world was a flurry of sensation, too much coming too fast; distraught yelling, bright flashes of the morning sun, hot air lashing his face, dust filling his lungs, so much shaking, shaking, shaking. The ground was getting closer, it was too close - he felt like he was going to be sick—why was it so loud?

He couldn’t decide if he’d gone deaf and the ringing was symptomatic, or if it there was so much roaring, shrieking, thunderous activity that he was going to lose his mind...

And then everything went dark.

"Gems," declared Garnet, "We have a mission at the Beta Kindergarten."

Amethyst perked up immediately as Garnet emerged from her room, Pearl just behind her.

"What's the 'sitch, G?" she asked.

She, Peridot, Steven and Connie had been playing a board game on the coffee table. Sadie hadn't been taking part - she was sitting at the kitchen bench, trying to come up with lyrics for a new song. That being said, she wasn't having much luck - she'd decided it was going to be about werewolves but that was about it. Still, it managed to be a pleasant morning regardless, and occasionally she would join in with the board game banter.

"Oh, nothing too taxing," replied Pearl, shrugging, "Just another corrupted gem. We heard some reports on the radio of a 'sand worm' near Beta and..."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up," said Amethyst, holding up her hands, "You listened to the radio?"

"Yes, Amethyst," Pearl replied curtly, "It's very informative."

"Not even a music station?" exclaimed Amethyst, "You listened to the news?"

"Well, it wasn't quite the news," muttered Pearl, "It was more of a discussion..."

"You listened to talk radio?!"

"Amethyst, Pearl's taste in radio isn't important right now," declared Garnet, "We need to bubble this gem before it hurts anybody."

"But it's a big worm, so we're going to need everyone on this mission," added Pearl.

Connie glanced at her sword, which was leaning against the coffee table.

"So, by everyone, do you mean..."

"Of course we mean you too!" Pearl rubbed her hands together, "We need all the Crystal Gems today!"

Connie smiled and stood up.

"I won't let you down, ma'am!"

Garnet smiled and turned to Sadie.

"We'll be back by sundown," she said, "If Mr. Maheswaran comes early, let him know where..."

"Actually," interrupted Sadie, scratching the back of her neck, "Is it okay if I come too?"

There was a brief pause. Sadie swallowed, suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable.

"I-I mean it's okay i-if you don't want me to! I don't wanna get in the way, y'know, and..."

"Yes," said Garnet.

"Are you sure?" asked Pearl, "She's still in training. She might not be ready for..."

"Nobody is ready for their first mission." Garnet's expression was stern and impassive. "The only true way to test yourself is to throw yourself in the deep end."

Sadie swallowed.

"Uh… thanks!” she stammered.

She walked over to the warp pad, stumbling slightly from a combination of excitement and nervousness. She stood next to Steven and Connie—they grinned at her, and after a moment of awkwardness, she smiled back.

Then, with a flash of blue, the beach house vanished.

Clancy walked down the boardwalk, hands in his pockets. It was about lunchtime on a Sunday - the boardwalk was busy as the townsfolk picked up their lunch, did their weekend shopping, or simply enjoyed the midday sun. Most people paid the agent no mind as he wandered along, but a few of the older people—the people who'd been here when he'd lived in Beach City—cast glares his way as he passed by.

He was just about to enter Fish Stew Pizza when the door flew open. He jumped back, just avoiding being hit in the face.

Captain Clark scowled darkly at Clancy before storming off down the boardwalk.

"Ugh, jerk," grunted Clancy, "What the heck's he doing down here anyway?"

He shook his head and stepped into the restaurant.

The restaurant was mostly empty, but Clancy could already tell that something had gone wrong. A table had been knocked over - shattered dishes littered the floor, and a broken salt shaker littered the carpeting with glass and wasted flavour.. Kiki stood at the counter, Kofi behind her - she was ramrod straight, but her hands were visibly shaking. Greg was on the other side of the counter, talking softly to her.

"...he can't actually do that," he was saying, "He's just being a..."

He glanced over to Clancy as he entered.

"Uh, Clancy, this might not be the best time," he warned.

"What the heck happened?" asked Clancy.

"You tell me," Kofi spat, his tone venomous.

"It's fine," said Kiki, blinking slowly. "It's all… fine. Is there... is there anything I..."

Her voice cracked, and she clutched the counter. Kofi, clearly struggling between seething anger with Clark and sincere concern for his daughter, ultimately rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

"Kiki, why don't you take a break for a while?" suggested Kofi.

Still trembling, Kiki took a shaky breath before nodding at her father, appreciative, and turned to walk off to the back room. The door slammed behind her - Clancy couldn't help but wince.

"You," snapped Kofi, turning to Clancy.

"I take it Captain Clark did something wrong?" sighed Clancy.

"Did something wrong?!" spluttered Kofi, his face turning red. "He marched into my restaurant and interrogated my daughter like she was some kind of criminal!"

"I... I apologise, Mr. Pizza, but we're running an investigation..."

"That does not give him the right to go after my family!" thundered Kofi, "That man threatened her! He told her he was going to arrest her! He flipped a table!"

Clancy winced. He felt very, very uncomfortable, and did his best to avert his gaze from both Kofi and Greg, not sure he could deal with the men's judgement just then.

"He... uh, he shouldn't be doing that," he explained, rubbing the back of his head, "As far as I was aware, me and Bracknell were supposed to be in charge of this sort of thing. I'll bring it up with Colonel Bradshaw, but..."

"I don't care who you bring it up with!" spat Kofi, "I want you to tell me that it will not happen again."

Clancy bit his lip.

"Y-yes, Mr. Pizza," he replied, "I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're not bothered again."

Kofi crossed his arms.

"Make sure you do," he growled, "Your table's in the back corner."

Clancy nodded, walking over the corner table. Clancy wondered if Kofi had put him under a flickering light specifically to annoy him. Greg talked quietly with Kofi for a few moments before joining him.

"This is getting off to a great start," sighed Clancy, quickly tapping out a text to Colonel Bradshaw.

Why is Clark in Beach City?

"Yeah, I know," nodded Greg, "Hey, maybe it'll get better as it goes along?"

Clancy opened his mouth, a half-construed, half-apologetic, fully-exasperated comment forming on his lips, but he was interrupted before the first syllable passed through his lips. His interruptions were two-fold.

First, Clancy received a return text.

CPT Clark taking over why Bracknell is gone. Asked him to question locals. -LTC Bradshaw.

Second, the door opened, and Barb Miller stepped in. Her eyes immediately fell on the agent; if looks could kill, he'd be dead a hundred times over.

Yep, he thought, this is going to be one of those days.

The desert was warm, but not as warm as Sadie had been expected. Still, she was glad that she opted not to wear a jacket that morning.

She stepped off the warp pad, taking in the vast canyon around her. She remembered, very vaguely, visiting the Great Canyon in Aridazon with her mother when she was five, but this sight beneath the midday sun could not have been more different. An endless collage of holes in the cliffs, strange injectors in various states of disrepair, cliff faces that were just a bit too clean - all of these were indicators that this canyon was not one naturally wrought from rivers run dry, yielding beneath the weathers of time. No, this valley was made, a carving of stone that reminded her of those made by ancient civilisations - she was half-tempted to say they appeared “man-made,” but given her present company, she suspected gem-made would have been more accurate. Terrible though it was for the land around it, Sadie couldn't help but be a little impressed.

Peridot stepped forward, sniffing the air. Sadie watched quizzically as she stuck her tongue in and out, as if tasting the wind.

"It's been here, alright," she nodded.

"You can tell that just from sticking out your tongue?" asked Amethyst.

"Please, Amethyst, I'm a professional Kindergartener," replied Peridot. “I know worm-dirt when I taste it.”

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently. Steven lost his footing and nearly fell on his face - Amethyst managed to grab him just in time.

"Move," ordered Garnet, "Now."

Sadie had barely started to run when the ground burst open.

The worm exploded out of the ground with an ear-splitting roar. Like an enormous, ungainly dolphin, it dived through the air, tunnelling into the left-hand side of the canyon. As the barbed tip of its tail passed the Gems, it screeched - a sonic wave blasted the group away, tossing them into the distant walls.

Sadie winced, sitting up. She had landed to the right with the other humans, Peridot and Amethyst, while Pearl and Garnet were far away on the left. They seemed to be dancing - Sadie rubbed the side of her head where it had made contact with the stone, sure she must be dazed from the impact. Now was not the time for dancing, but -.

Then there was a flash of light, and the two gems weren't there anymore. In their place stood another gem, a being so tall Sadie had to crane her neck to properly appreciate who - what - why they were there. A rounded triangular haircut framed a pointed face, with four aims and four eyes and a laugh so unexpectedly pleasant it turned Sadie’s lips up to an unwitting smile.

"Well, she's got vocal range," the giant woman said wryly, "But nothing in the way of style."

With a gracious toss and a quick sway of her arms, the gem produced what looked like Pearl’s spear and Garnet’s gauntlets, but the movements were so swift and graceful Sadie hadn’t anytime to properly register what she was doing. A moment later, the cheeky-looking gem stood proudly, an enormous warhammer positioned squarely over her shoulders. "But don't worry, it's no treble at all. Just a little pitch change should do the trick. I think I'd recommend... going flat."

And without another word, the gem leapt away from the side of the gorge, a trickle of laughter echoing over her shoulder. Sadie watched them go, torn between muted shock and awful chagrin. Terrifying in practice, and in humor - she reminded herself never to get on Pearl or Garnet's bad-side.

She leapt up into the air, landing on top of the canyon and bolting off in the direction the worm had tunnelled.

"So, they're just gonna go off without us, huh?" Amethyst grumbled.

Now back on her feet her feet, she helped Connie up. Steven and Peridot stood nearby - the former was digging through his backpack.

"Was that fusion?" asked Sadie in awe.

"Yeah, that's Sardonyx," shrugged Amethyst.

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Sadie.

"Eh," said Amethyst dismissively, "She's not that great. Kinda got an ego."

"No, I mean... they were two people, and now they're one person!" replied Sadie, "I mean, Garnet told me about it in training, but... but actually seeing it!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, yo," said Amethyst.

"Guys!"

Steven had pulled out a Cookie Cat branded walkie talkie. It was buzzing and crackling - Sadie guessed that it was picking up some sort of interference.

"...Dog One, this is Dog... we have crash-landed... Site Bravo. Agent Brack... need medical assist... I repeat, this is Dog..."

"Somebody's here," said Connie, "They must've been attacked by the worm."

"Well, that is most unfortunate, but seeing as we've got a mission," shrugged Peridot, "Come on, gang, let's get that worm!"

"Peridot," said Steven, putting his hands on his hips.

"What?" exclaimed Peridot, "We're on Crystal Gem business! We can't..."

"Peridot."

"Oh, alright!" grunted Peridot, "Let's go find them..."

Bracknell opened his eyes. He found it made little difference - he was enveloped in darkness. He was lying on a dusty floor - the air was cool but not cold, and it was rather stuffy. He tasted something metallic on his tongue and hoped it wasn't blood.

Carefully, he tried to sit up. As he put pressure on his left ankle, he felt a sharp pain - he nearly fell back onto his face, but managed to stabilise himself with the other foot. Well, that was probably broken - sprained at very least. Still, better pain than no feeling at all, right?

He managed to sit up, his hair just about brushing the roof of the small hole he'd found himself in. No room to stand, then.

He looked around for light, his breathing quickening. His arm brushed the side of the hole, and when he shifted he felt himself pushing against the other. Okay, so he was in a confined space. That wasn't ideal - it wasn't ideal at all, but he had to hold it together if he was getting out of here.

Pointedly, Bracknell closed his eyes and tried to focus on something else, something less panic-inducing. He remembered growing up, and his parents, and Eddystone, and poverty. He remembered arguments, and long days, and even longer nights. A single night stood out, and the memories came to seize him by the collar, gripping his windpipe, sending his heart-rate into a deafening spiral.

Once, long ago, Bracknell visited his father's workplace at Eddystone. Dad had been showing him the big diesel 'switchers' that they were making for some railway up in Vermont. They'd been called over by the foreman to discuss something, and the young Bracknell had taken the opportunity to take a closer look at the machines - far closer than his father would have allowed.

The company, at that point, was still building steam engines - very small, narrow-gauge ones for railways overseas. They tested them at Eddystone, and under the tracks where they were stored were deep holes called ash pits. Bracknell promptly tripped and tumbled into one. He'd broken his leg and arm, and the tight pit prevented him from climbing out. It took two hours to find him and another half-hour to pull him out.

Those feelings of terror and confinement were coming back, threatening to paralyse him. Fear was a luxury he could not afford at the moment, so he tried to focus on what he had felt when he'd been pulled out of the pit; when he'd seen his father after being stuck for so long. He'd been so afraid they'd be mad, but instead they just pulled him into a long hug. He didn't think he'd ever been as relieved as he had then.

Opening his eyes, reality rushed to greet him in the form of inky blackness, and a single, weak glimpse of light. Slowly and carefully, he shuffled over to it.

He was at the bottom of a shallow pit, about ten metres deep and fifty degrees steep. It must have been one of the small holes in the canyon's walls. If he'd fallen in after the crash, logically he should be able to climb out.

Nothing else for it, he thought.

Slowly and carefully, he started to pull himself up.

Barb studied Clancy as he took a sip of his drink.

He'd always looked a little stiff and formal, even when they'd been in college. Once it had been somewhat endearing, but now his government-issue suit and smooth, well-kept hair were nothing short of infuriating. He'd done well for himself - a government job, an apartment in Washington, a more than decent pay check - and all of it came from what he'd done to Kay so long ago.

"So," said Clancy, putting down his drink, "Sadie has Kay's gem."

"She does," nodded Barb, "And apparently federal agents are following her around."

Clancy ran a hand through his hair.

"My bosses don't know about her yet," he replied, "I've been trying to keep them off the scent. It's getting harder, though."

"Well, how noble of you," grunted Barb.

Greg bit his lip, glancing between them.

"So, there's one thing I don't get," he said, "How did Rose manage to remove Sadie's gem in the first place? I mean, I've always been told that Steven needs his gem to live, so..."

Barb and Clancy exchanged glances.

"Gem magic," shrugged Barb.

"Just... gem magic?" asked Greg.

"Just gem magic," Clancy replied curtly.

Greg frowned.

"That's not important," declared Clancy, crossing his arms, "The main thing is she's got it back. And that is very bad news."

"How's it bad?" quizzed Greg, "It's part of her, isn't it?"

Clancy grimaced.

"Kay was terrified of Earth," he replied, "So why didn't she immediately try to get home?"

"...couldn't find a ship?" shrugged Greg.

Barb shook her head.

"She was scared of Earth, yeah," she said, "But she was petrified of going back. Going back meant returning to the... the network."

"What network?"

"The psychic control network," replied Barb, "That kept the gems that belonged to White Diamond in line."

After walking for about ten minutes, the group found themselves approaching a crashed helicopter on the side of the canyon.

As far as crashed helicopters went, it was actually in surprisingly decent shape. It was on its left-hand side, the rotors twisted and misshapen by the impact with the ground. Parts of the chopper were smoking, but it didn't seem like it was on fire. It was coloured in a drab olive green, with the letters 'USAAF' stencilled on the bent tail. A woman sat a short way outside - she was wrapping a bandage around the arm of a man.

"Hey!" Amethyst called, "You guys dead or what?"

"No!" the woman called back, "But we need some help here!"

Sadie approached the wrecked chopper, taking care not to step on any pieces of wreckage. As she got closer, she could see a bandage around the woman's foot - no wonder she was sitting, then.

"We came down hard," explained the woman.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Amethyst.

"Darn worm took out all the electrics," grunted the man, "Must've been some kind of EMP or something. I got it back just before we crashed, but it was too late to save the bird."

He pointed his thumb to a small hole about twenty metres away.

"The OSS guy went down there," he added, "Haven't heard from him yet. We're both hurt pretty bad, so..."

Sadie nodded and wandered over, gazing down into the darkness. She could hear grunting, and could just about see two faint glints of light in the gloom - sort of like eyes...

"Hello?" she called.

A pained voice called back.

"Hey! Uh, little help here?"

Amethyst walked over, leaning down next to the hole. Her arms glowed and began to extend down into the darkness.

"Grab on," she said.

"Uh...eh, sure, okay!" the agent replied.

As Amethyst slowly pulled him out of the hole, Sadie took a moment to look around again.

"This is where gems come from?" she asked, "Just... holes in the ground?"

"It's more complex than that," replied Peridot, walking up beside her, "But yes, this is where all gem life begins. Perfectly cultivated by massive teams - most of the work's done by Peridots, of course. Everyone else just does the digging."

"But if you need big teams to make these... kindergartens," Sadie scratched her head, "Then who made the first ones?"

"Only the Diamonds know," shrugged Peridot.

"Okay, he's out!"

Sadie turned as Amethyst pulled the agent out. He looked rather worse for wear - his jacket was gone as was one of his shoes, and his left ankle looked badly swollen. He was covered in dust and bruises. He was also very familiar - Sadie had seen him before, in Wilmingmore.

"You... you work with Clancy!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, yeah," nodded the agent, rubbing his agent, "Agent Philbert Bracknell. He's my partner."

"What're you doing out here?" demanded Sadie, "Why is he suddenly running around chasing gem stuff?"

"Colonel... Colonel Bradshaw wanted a report," shrugged Bracknell, "I don't think it's about you or anything, just... ugh, it's bright out here. I think I might have a concussion..."

An ear-splitting roar filled the air before Sadie could reply.

The worm burst from the cliff face, landing hard on the ground in front of them. This time it did not dig, and Sadie saw Sardonyx clinging to its tail. Looking closely at the barb, Sadie saw a square ochre gem on the side. It glowed, a shrieking sound filling the air - a second later, it pulsed once more, throwing Sardonyx off the tail and into the cliff. Dust and smoke filled the air - when it cleared, Garnet and Pearl were slumped on the ground, dazed and confused.

"Garnet! Pearl!" Steven exclaimed.

"Hold on," said Amethyst, determined, "I got this."

She took out her whip and flung it out, snarling the worm's tail. It began to thrash wildly, Amethyst holding on tightly to avoid being thrown by the gigantic monster.

"Okay..." she said, gritting her teeth as she struggled, "Somebody poof it."

Steven and Connie looked at each other and nodded. Sadie tilted her head as they began to dance in place - then her eyes widened as they glowed, their forms distorting and running together until there was only one there.

Stevonnie grinned and drew their sword, running towards the giant worm. They leapt into the air, jumping higher than should have been possible and landing on the tail. They raised their sword.

"Sorry worm," they shouted, "But you're-WHOA!"

The worm pulled fiercely against Amethyst. Sadie reached out to grab her in an attempt to help, but all that meant was that both were pulled forwards when the worm began to tunnel underground again. With a thunderous roar, they were gone.

Peridot and Bracknell stared at the enormous hole in the ground.

"I'm not hallucinating, right?" asked Bracknell, "Because I'm pretty sure I've lost a bit of blood here..."

The more Greg heard, the more he wished he hadn't.

It was clear that neither Barb or Clancy knew the full truth of the 'psychic network', but what they did know turned his blood cold. Clancy's description was clinical, as if he could see a brutal logic in the idea - to him, it was a psychic network to which the minds of all of White Diamond's court and underlings were connected to. White had implemented it after the Rebellion - after all, if a mere Rose Quartz could cause so much trouble, she couldn't risk other gems showing such independent thought. As a result, complex emotion and rebellious thoughts were suppressed, while loyalty, dutifulness and a dull sense of personal satisfaction were amplified.

What Barb told him was less clean. She described what Kay had confided to her (and apparently, sometimes Rose as well) - the constant, biting feeling that something was wrong that you could never quite explain or address; the dull numbness that often overtook you and drowned independent thought (usually when performing tasks that were 'critical for the Empire'); the sudden emergence of everything that had been suppressed when you escaped it, the vortex of feelings and thoughts that threatened to drive you mad, and then when you got a hold of yourself, the fear that you might lose it and again be drowned in the network.

"How did Kay get away from it, though?" he asked.

"Even White Diamond couldn't control the whole universe, I guess," shrugged Clancy, "They had nodes, I think - high-ranking gems, towers, little devices in their ships. I guess the one controlling her must've been destroyed when her ship crashed."

"There was one gem she mentioned specifically," mused Barb, "Starts with an S, but I can't remember her name..."

"Doesn't matter," grunted Clancy, "Look, there's one thing we can all agree on here. We need to keep Sadie safe - safe from White Diamond, safe from Bradshaw, safe from anything. We need a bug out plan."

"A bug out plan? What is this, America's Wackiest Doomsday Bunkers?" exclaimed Barb, "Clancy, she lives here. This is her life! We need to defend it!"

"Defend?" spluttered Clancy, his voice dropping to a whisper as he glanced around the restaurant. "Barb, Bradshaw has troops! Guns! Tanks! And that's not even going into what White Diamond has! What're you gonna fight them with, you and Skinny the Mailman?!" Yeah, maybe they'll laugh themselves to death."

"It's better than tearing her from everything and running to... Appalachia or something!" exclaimed Barb.

"Appalachia is beautiful and I resent that," snapped Clancy, "And she'll be safe!"

He turned to Greg.

"You've gotta understand, Universe," he continued, "Colonel Bradshaw says he just wants to 'observe' but he'll go after the Gems at first opportunity. And yeah, he doesn't have a chance of taking them on, but Sadie's half-human! Your kid is half-human! They don't just poof when they get shot. And if White Diamond comes, this town's pretty much doomed anyway!"

"But if we take her and run," shouted Barb, "We're never gonna stop! Eventually they'd come for her in Appalachia, or wherever we took her! She'd be going from hideout to hideout forever! She'd never be able to make a life for herself!"

"She'd be surviving," growled Clancy.

"But she wouldn't be living!"

Barb stood up, her chair crashing to the floor.

"You don't get it!" she thundered, "Because all you've ever done is run! You ran from your home! You ran because you couldn't face what you did to Kay! You ran to the OSS so you could hide behind the 'just following orders' excuse! And look at you know! You've got everything, and you hate it! You hate yourself!"

Clancy paled, eyes wide. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Barb, that..."

"Yeah, maybe she'll be in danger here!" exclaimed Barb, "But you know what? I'd rather she be in danger here than be a coward like you!"

There was a long silence.

"Maybe," said Greg, very quietly, "You should ask what Sadie wants."

Barb took a deep breath.

"I need to go," she said, "Or I will probably hurt him."

Clancy bit his lip.

Barb began to march towards the door. It was already opening - Greg swallowed as he saw Captain Clark march in, his face red. He look straight at Kiki, who was back on the counter - she went pale.

"Alright, I reckon you've been holding out on me," he shouted, "So I'm gonna teach you a little lesson, you little-"

Barb marched right up to him and booted him in the stomach. He yelped and fell onto his back, wincing and rolling around in pain.

"Don't dish out what you can't take," snarled Barb.

She marched out the door, leaving the restaurant in dead silence.

Sadie clung to the monster's tail for dear life. Above her, Amethyst had grabbed the barb with her whip. It was burrowing along underground, and Amethyst couldn't tell how long it would be before it emerged again and used its strange sonic attack.

"Stevonnie!" she called, "We need... the sword!"

Stevonnie was holding on much further back. They tried to climb forward, but the worm jolted violently and forced them back again.

"I can't make it up!" they shouted.

Amethyst looked back at them - she narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Okay," she said, "I think I've got an idea, but you're gonna have to trust me! I mean, really trust me! You get what I'm saying?"

Stevonnie swallowed and nodded. Amethyst grinned and looked down at Sadie.

"Take a look," she said, "'Cause you're about to see some Crystal Gem history!"

She recalled her whip and jumped towards Stevonnie, holding her arm out.

Please work please work please work...

She grabbed their hand and looked into their eyes. They nodded, and their gem glowed. Amethyst's vision was filled with light, and she closed her eyes.

They soon reopened them, one of their four hands gripping tightly onto the worm's hide. They stole the briefest moment to look at themself - they had a slightly darker skin tone than Smoky Quartz, although the freckles were about the same. They had two eyes, and their hair was somewhat neater, although still very fluffy. Both arms split into two at the forearm, which honestly looked pretty neat.

Yeah. This works.

"Alright, giant worm!" the new fusion exclaimed, "Meet Smokonnie Quartz!"

They blinked.

"Yeah, that's what we're going with, I guess," they shrugged.

They pulled a pair of yo-yos from their gem, thrusting them out towards the barb on the monster's tail. The two objects whipped around it, entangling it firmly.

Light streamed into their vision as the worm burst from the ground again, roaring once more. Smokonnie leapt into the air, retracting the yo-yos and pulling themself towards the barb.

We only get one chance at this...

They grabbed onto the barb, swinging their sword with their free hand. The gem glowed - they closed their eyes.

Poof!

There was a sudden feeling of vertigo as they fell.

Oh man, I gotta make this look cool.

Flailing in the air, they somehow managed to land on their feet, grabbing the falling gemstone as they did so. With a loud thump, Sadie landed next to them.

"Oh yeah, probably should've caught you too," Smokonnie said to themself.

They smiled as they watched Sadie climb to her feet.

"Still, one heck of a debut, huh?" they said cheerfully.

"You... that's the first time you've done this?" asked Sadie incredulously.

"Yep!" nodded Smokonnie, "Smokonnie out!"

They glowed and split up, Steven, Connie and Amethyst appearing in their place. Connie laughed and tumbled to the floor, shaking her head.

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," chuckled Amethyst, "Who said you had to think before doing something awesome?"

"Steven!"

As the smoke around them cleared, they could see Garnet and Pearl running up to them. As it turned out, the monster had re-emerged right next to the helicopter - maybe something about it had attracted the worm?

Amethyst shrugged, quickly bubbling the gem and sending it off to the temple. It wasn't her problem anymore.

"Good work, gems," said Garnet, "Nice fusion."

"Garnet, you think all fusions are nice," said Steven, blushing bashfully.

"They are," Garnet declared matter-of-factly, "But Steven fusions are the nicest."

"Yes, good work all of you," said Pearl, "Now, I don't mean to leave in a rush or anything, but I think we should be getting those humans to a hospital..."

"I'll call mom," nodded Connie.

In the end, Bracknell and the helicopter crew had not been hurt badly. The pilot's arm was broken, but Bracknell and the co-pilot had gotten away with minor sprains.

Bracknell was now in a wheelchair in his ward, waiting to be picked up. The doctor, Priyanka Maheswaran, was waiting with him - apparently she needed to be there when he checked out. He didn't like hospitals - they were overly sterile environments and the food was awful, so he was glad he wouldn't be staying overnight.

The door opened. Clancy walked in - he looked strangely pensive.

"Bracknell," he greeted, "Doctor."

Priyanka offered him the sign-out form.

"He needs rest," she told him, "No field work for a week."

"Heck of a way to get the week off, Bracknell," grunted Clancy, signing the forms, "So the Crystal Gems took him in?"

"Yes," nodded Priyanka, "Apparently he was stuck in the desert. They probably saved his life."

She looked strangely proud. Bracknell noticed a similarity between her and that Connie girl who'd been with the gems - perhaps they were related.

"I'll be sure to thank them if I see them," said Clancy gruffly, "Thank you, Doctor."

They briefly discussed some pain medication he'd need, but before long Clancy was wheeling him through the hallways to the parking lot.

"So apart from this, how'd it go?" asked Clancy dryly.

"Site Bravo was incredible," replied Bracknell, "I've never seen anything like it. Are all gem sites like that?"

"Beautiful? Bracknell, it's a hole in the ground. There's nothing anybody can use in it."

He snorted.

"So I guess we can only hope the Gem Task Force stays around there for a while," he scoffed, "Where they can't hurt themselves."

He sighed.

"Are you okay?" asked Bracknell.

Clancy shook his head.

"I've got a lot on my mind, Bracknell," he replied, "A lot on my mind..."

Once again, Sadie lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. It was dark, and the moon cast long shadows in the beach house, but sleep simply would not come.

So had that been her first mission? It hadn't gone as expected, but she didn't actually know what she'd been expecting in the first place. She hadn't actually done much - in fact, all she'd really done was be there. And yet, she felt strangely elated by it all. She wondered what it'd be like to fuse - to be one with Amethyst or Garnet or Pearl. How would it feel? Would it be her but more, or would she simply be replaced by someone else for a while? Would she ever be able to take on a gem as big as the worm, either fused or on her own?

Was she a Crystal Gem, now that'd she'd been on a successful mission?

She turned on her phone, pressing play on the music app. Perhaps a song or two would lull her to sleep.

Don't stop thinking about tomorrow,

Don't stop, it'll soon be here,

It'll be here better than before,

Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone...

"Lieutenant Colonel Bradshaw speaking."

"..."

"Yes sir, I understand."

"..."

"Agent Miller has advised against such a move, sir..."

"..."

"Satellites picked it up near Pluto, you say?"

"..."

"Yes, I understand the urgency. I'll tell Miller immediately. Goodbye, Mr. President."

Colonel Bradshaw hung up the phone and opened his desk drawer. He pulled out the folder on top and looked it over, nodding solemnly.

TOP SECRET

Operation SLEDGEHAMMER

For the institution of martial law in Beach City and surrounding areas and the immediate apprehension of the Crystal Gems.

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Ruby Stars - Learning to Fly

(Special thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading this!)

Learning to Fly

Clancy yawned and took a long sip of cheap coffee, shivering in the crisp night air. It was about three o'clock - far too early to be working, he thought.

Standing in front of the smouldering ruins of the old freight depot, the faint glow of the embers could still be seen on the ruined timbers. The police and the fire department were gathered around, milling over the wreckage to see what might be salvageable, and a woman from the Delmarva Railway Society was pointing animatedly at a burnt steam locomotive. For the life of him, Clancy couldn't work out why the OSS had called him out here.

"Shame about the engine," mused Bracknell, walking up behind him. He's shied away from coffee, and was sipping a cool bottle of cola. How he could drink a cold beverage outside this early in the morning was beyond Clancy.

"Eh," shrugged Clancy, "It'll probably be fixable. It's steel."

"Ten-shun!"

"Here we go," sighed Clancy, turning around.

Three men marched towards him from an army car that had parked just beyond the police line. The man who had yelled stood on the left - he was a grizzled, pale man, his face set in a perpetual frown. His deep brow was framed by the steel helmet he wore, upon which the insignia of a captain was printed. He wore a plain khaki jacket and trousers, hobnailed boots and leather gloves. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the two agents - he seemed to audibly growl.

The man on the right was a clear contrast. He was tall and handsome, and his skin was a deep tan. He had straight, well manicured hair under a peaked cap. His uniform was clean and tailored, and came in a royal blue - Air Force, Clancy guessed. His black belt and shoes were well polished and shone slightly in the moon light. His expression was stoic - he looked neither happy nor annoyed.

The middle man was the most striking. He wore enormous aviator sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night - it struck Clancy as quite impractical. He smoked a corn-cob pipe, and wore a tall khaki peaked hat. His face was set in stone - not in an irritated scowl like the captain, but an arrogant sneer. His uniform was minimalist - a brown tie over a khaki shirt, with trousers carefully tucked into his boots so that they puffed out slightly. He seemed almost familiar to Clancy, as if he was aping somebody else's image, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Bracknell tried to stand to attention. Clancy put a hand on his shoulder and he eased up.

"You must be the Gem Task Force," he grunted.

"That's Task Force Gem," corrected the captain.

The middle man took his pipe out of his mouth.

"Agent Miller, Agent Bracknell," he said, "Lieutenant-Colonel Bradshaw. These are Major King and Captain Clark."

"Yeah, we spoke on the phone," replied Clancy, "You said you'd send a guy over to give us our first assignment. He never showed."

"My apologies," replied the handsome man (Major King, apparently), "The OSS gave us the wrong address."

"That sounds about right," grunted Clancy.

"Well, if you want an assignment, I've got one for you right now," said Bradshaw.

He pointed towards the ruins, furrowing his brow.

"Steven Universe was at the scene when the fire broke out," he said.

"That'd be my luck," muttered Clancy.

"He's Greg Universe's kid," snapped Bradshaw, "He's involved with the Crystal Gems. And what gem makes fire, Clancy?"

Clancy swallowed quietly but didn't answer.

"Rubies, Agent Miller, Rubies," said Bradshaw.

"Like the one you lost," snapped Clark.

"Colonel, you're not suggesting that the Universe kid deliberately..." began Clancy.

"I won't rule anything out, no," interrupted Bradshaw, "But if he did, this constitutes an attack on American private property. It can't go unanswered."

"So what do you want me to do?" asked Clancy.

Bradshaw frowned, his lips thin. Clancy took a little satisfaction from this - he wasn't going to let himself be walked all over by some arrogant brass hat, after all.

"Gather intelligence," replied Bradshaw, "I want a dossier - everyone the kid deals with. The kid here can do that."

"I...uh...yes sir!" said Bracknell, saluting.

"Don't do that," sighed Clancy.

"Don't do that," grunted Bradshaw.

Bracknell swallowed and lowered his hand.

"Meanwhile, I want you to scout out gem sites in Delmarva," continued Bradshaw, "Temples, ruins, labs - if they've built tourist traps, I wanna know about it."

"Sir, you realise gem relics are a global thing?" asked Clancy, "You can't just drive down the interstate and find..."

"Don't argue. Just do it."

Bradshaw's tone was final.

"You have my number," he said, turning around, "I want daily reports. Good luck, Agent Miller."

"Dismissed!" bellowed Clark.

Clancy rolled his eyes as the men walked away.

"Well, you heard him," he muttered, "We've got stuff to do, Bracknell."

"Where's the first gem site, sir?" asked Bracknell.

"Oh, we're going to the most sacred temple of them all," replied Clancy, "We're going to Appledee's."

It was the crack of dawn.

Sadie yawned, a faint puff of mist emerging from her mouth. It was bitterly cold up at the Sky Arena, and she and Steven had both dressed warmly. Fluffy clouds surrounded the floating platform like moving mountains, lit in warm, yellow-and-red colours by the slowly rising sun. In the far distance, she could see the contrails of a plane. All was quiet but for the light rapts of footfalls, almost anxious in their urgency.

Garnet was pacing in front of her, hand on her chin. She seemed to be deep in thought - perhaps she was deciding where to begin?

She stopped suddenly and turned to her new pupil.

"Sit down," she said.

Sadie, somewhat perplexed, did so.

"Before we train your body," said Garnet, "We need to train your mind."

"You mean meditation?" asked Sadie.

"In a way," nodded Garnet.

She sat down in front of Sadie, crossing her legs. She held out her hands.

"Take them," she said.

Sadie hesitated before placing her hands in Garnet's. She blushed slightly, but shook her head and concentrated.

"Focus on me," said Garnet.

Her visor faded, revealing three eyes. Bristling slightly, Sadie tried to mimic her opposite's stoicism, but it was still a little difficult. She knew that Garnet had three eyes - just about everyone knew - but to see them, to be beholden by them so pointedly, was definitely a little intimidating. Blue, red, purple - she never noticed they were three distinct tones.

Swallowing, Sadie tried her best to do as Garnet bid, focusing on her deep and piercing stare.

"Count to four," instructed Garnet, "Breath in. Count to four, breath out..."

Sadie did so, steadying her breathing. She continued to look Garnet in the eye, and as she carried out the exercises, she began to feel more at ease. The stillness no longer seemed so hollow or intimidating, but oddly humble. Distinct corners and gradients of colour all fell out of focus, replaced by the rhythmic humming of air steadily leaving her lungs, only to re-enter again.

She blinked.

She was sitting in a wide-open plane, dimly lit in a rather comforting blue. It was cool but not cold; vast, but not terrifying in its immensity.

"What is this place?" she asked, finally breaking Garnet's stare.

Garnet looked to her left. Sadie followed her gaze, seeing a small, red figure standing next to them. It was a Ruby, but she didn't wear the same Homeworld uniform that Kay had. Hers was a plain dark red, with the front of the top a lighter red. She wore a headband around her hair. This, Sadie thought, must have been the Crystal Gem Ruby - the one that was now half of Garnet.

"You are a Ruby now," said Garnet, "Which means that you may have the powers of a Ruby."

"May?"

"You're half-human," replied Garnet, wearing a small smirk. "Like Steven. There has been nothing like either of you before."

"You may end up surprising us."

Sadie swallowed. She hadn't even been a gem for a week yet - she didn't really want to think about 'surprising' anybody.

"So, what can a Ruby do?" she asked, her tone nervous but with the slightest hint of excited curiosity.

Garnet smiled.

"Well," she said, "That's what you're here to find out..."

To their left, Ruby smiled, clenching her fists. Her arms burst into flames.

"Welcome to Ruby 101," said Garnet.

Time passed.

Peridot had watched Sadie's training by way of observation. The human seemed to be doing well. Every day, she'd head up to the Sky Arena with Garnet and Pearl; she'd return in the early evening, covered in sweat, dirt and more than a few bruises. Steven had taken to making dinner for her (or at very least ordering it from the Pizzas) when she got back, and oftentimes Peridot would join them to watch them eat.

She'd long decided that she liked Sadie. She reminded her a lot of Amethyst in some ways and a lot of Lapis in others, but mostly she seemed to be her own unique person, like most humans. In turn, she seemed to be getting along with her (as was to be expected - she was the Great and Lovable Peridot, after all).

And yet, Peridot was not at ease. While the conversations with Steven and Sadie were pleasant, they were marred by the absence of Amethyst. She still hadn't returned from Vidalia's house.

It had been a week, now. Peridot was only half-listening to Sadie talk about her training in pyrokinesis (apparently she was achieving a temperature warm enough to heat a "s'more" - what that was, Peridot had no idea - but it must have been some sort of accomplishment. Sadie could achieve it without even being angry.) She gazed towards the door, absently fiddling with a fork with her powers.

She sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to go check on Amethyst," she said.

Steven nodded.

"Can you tell her I said hi?" he asked.

Peridot nodded as she walked away.

It was a lovely evening. The sky was a mosaic of blue and crimson, and the sea breeze was pleasant. The walk to Vidalia's house should have been nice, but Peridot couldn't help but feel agitated. She knew that Amethyst was safe with her friend, but she missed her - and there was a part of her that felt somewhat irritated that she was spending so much time with the human.

Presently, she reached the house. A lanky youth with notably ill-fitting appearance modifiers paced outside the front door. He had a phone to his ear, and his tone seemed to flicker between excitement and impressively laid back. From what she’d learned in conversations with Amethyst, she guessed that this was Sour Cream.

"...yeah, that sounds pretty rad," he was saying, "And they can make sure it's...sweet. And your dad can handle this? I mean, he's not mayor anymore, so...great, tell him I said thanks!"

He glanced over to Peridot.

"Oh, someone's here, I gotta go. See you around, Buck."

He hung up.

"Hey!" he said, "It's Peridot, right? Crystal Gem?"

"Yes," nodded Peridot, tight-lipped. "I am Peridot, Current Leader of the Crystal Gems. And you are...Sour Cream? Onion speaks very highly of you."

Sour Cream smiled.

"You here to talk to Amethyst?" he asked.

Peridot nodded.

Sour Cream led her inside. They passed Onion on the way in - he was venturing out with a blowtorch and a pair of wire cutters. Peridot waved - Onion waved back.

They found Vidalia in the living room, reading a worn scrapbook. She smiled as her son lead Peridot in. Awkwardly, Peridot smiled back - she avoided the woman's eyes. Sour Cream waved and walked away, headed for his room.

"You must be Peridot," said Vidalia kindly, "Amethyst's in the bathroom right now; how about you sit down here while you wait for her?"

Peridot was about to tell her that gems didn't need to use the bathroom, but something in Vidalia's eyes told her not to mention it. So, reluctantly, she sat down next to her, her face set in a frown.

"So, you're Amethyst's friend," said Vidalia, "She talks about you a lot, you know?"

"She does?"

Vidalia nodded.

"Yep," she said, "Reckon she likes you a lot."

She smiled knowingly at Peridot, who merely stared blankly back, not quite understanding.

Vidalia chuckled and opened up the scrapbook to the first page. She slipped it over to Peridot, who studied it carefully.

It was a rough sketch - according to the date written on the corner, it was twelve years old. It was of two figures - one tall and wearing a leather jacket, the other short and round. They were leaning into each other, and for a moment, Peridot thought they were involved in some kind of staring contest.

"What kind of ritual is..."

She remembered episodes of Camp Pining Hearts, and it clicked.

"Oh. Oh."

She blushed, shooting back into the chair and away from the drawing.

"Am-am I supposed to be l-looking at that?" she exclaimed.

"Well, that's why I gave it to you," replied Vidalia.

Peridot's eyes widened and she began to stammer incoherently. Vidalia laughed.

"Don't worry," she said, "Everything in that book's perfectly clean."

"And w-why-why'd you want me to look at this?" asked Peridot. Her face felt very warm.

"Turn the page," replied Vidalia.

Peridot nervously did so.

The scrapbook was full of pictures of Amethyst. They were mostly drawings, some very rough; some were from years ago while others were very recent. Some were normal pictures of her doing normal things - eating, sleeping, doing things around town. Others were abstract, with strange wavy lines and peculiar shapes. Some were...decidedly risqué, and a few were very personal indeed. She felt like an intruder as she looked through these pictures; as though she was rifling through Vidalia's innermost thoughts. As she read the book, Vidalia said very little, usually just clarifying things about the art style.

She reached the end and closed the book, running a hand over the leather cover. She liked the feel.

"Why did you show me this?" she asked.

Vidalia shrugged.

"Well, what do you think of them?" she replied.

Peridot looked down at the book.

"They're...uh...really nice," she said, blushing, "You have a real talent for...bringing out how b-uh-aesthetically pleasing Amethyst is. But-but that doesn't answer my question! Why did you show me this?"

Vidalia smiled.

"I wanted to see if you see her with the same eyes I do," she replied.

"But that's impossible. I can only see through my own eyes."

"Figure of speech," said Vidalia, patting Peridot's shoulder.

They heard a door opening.

They turned to the door - Amethyst stood in the arch way, dark, dried lines running over her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there was a hint of dampness on her nose. She looked at Peridot.

"Amethyst?" asked Peridot, "Are...are you okay?"

Amethyst smiled - an uneven, vulnerable smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Yeah," she said, "I...I think I'm ready to go home now."

Peridot smiled back.

Sadie lay on the couch in the dark beach house, gazing at the ceiling. She was listening to her tablet, her music playing very quietly through her headphones. The faint glow of the tablet screen lit her small corner of the room a soothing green. She'd never been able to sleep in pitch darkness - she'd been afraid of the dark as a child, and these days she'd become used to a dim light shining as she slept.

She was tired, deeply tired. It had been a hard, hard few weeks, and her trials showed no sign of slowing down. But she was learning - and as she learned, her thoughts began to surface with newfound perspectives. Sometimes good, but sometimes...

She still couldn't face her mother. She was no longer as angry as she had been, but the grim sense of betrayal still stung. As for Clancy, she'd be quite fine if she never heard from him again. But she couldn't help but sympathise with them - their whole situation had been so new and so difficult. The death of Kay must have been painful for both of them - perhaps part of their dishonesty to her had been due to their own unwillingness to reopen those wounds.

"Dishonesty wasn't exactly new to her, Sadie thought with bitterness while she rolled over on the cushions. She had treated Lars with a rather cruel amount of falsehood herself when they had been "trapped" on the island with Steven, over a year ago now. At the time, she had just been so invested in the opportunity, to revel in a few days away from the world, to forget about the challenges of family and her job and friendships... Lars wasn't perfect, but he had at least deserved better than that.

More and more, she felt Clancy not exactly as someone she wanted to forgive, but... maybe someone worthy of forgiveness."

But there was another thing on her mind. Everyone had made it very clear that she was under no obligation to become a Crystal Gem herself. Originally, she herself had no intention of joining. But over the past week or so, she'd begun to give it serious thought.

Maybe it was a chance for her to make something good of this whole, ugly situation.

Ah, but that was for another day. For now, she lay on her back, closed her eyes and listened to the quiet sound of the music in her ears.

I'm learning to fly,

Around the clouds,

But what goes up,

Must come down...

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Ruby Stars - Complications

Complications

The new office made the gloomy office back in Washington look positively luxurious.

Agent Clancy Miller had been sad to leave the old Extraterrestrial Desk. Sure, the room was frigid in winter and baking in summer, sure you couldn't move your arm without elbowing another agent, and certainly the roof leaked over his chair when it rained, but in a way it was home. He'd miss the secretaries at the entrance to the building. He'd miss the curious people who worked in the other offices along the hallway. He'd missed the Head...

...actually, no, scratch that, he certainly would not miss the Head.

He'd been seen off with little fanfare. Agents Fletcher and Thompson from next door had stopped by to help him pack up (they weren't close friends but they had often met up in the break room), and one of the security guards had put his valuables in a safe for him. Other than that, he and Agent Bracknell left quietly in the early afternoon. He preferred it that way, really.

The new office was in a mothballed factory on the outskirts of Wilmingmore. It was the old foreman's office, overlooking the factory floor. They had made cars for the Tucker Corporation, building their highly successful 'Torpedoes' before the company moved production to Jersey in 1973. There were still incomplete car bodies on the rusting assembly line, weeds and flowers growing through them. No wonder the OSS had gotten the office cheap, Clancy thought ruefully.

Bracknell, who Clancy had gathered was irrepressibly cheerful and enthusiastic, had already claimed one of the desks (which thankfully had been refurbished - the OSS wasn't that cheap) and was now staring at the window at the factory floor.

"Do you think," he said, "If I took little bits from all of 'em, I could make my own Torpedo?"

"I dunno, Johnny Cash," grumbled Clancy, "Look, just set your desk up so we can go find where they're making us sleep."

He shook his head.

"Probably in a hammock or something," muttered Clancy, "And we'll have to share the..."

The phone rang. Clancy let it ring twice before answering.

"Clancy Miller."

"Ah, Agent Miller. Glad to hear you've arrived."

The voice was light and had an almost exaggerated Southern twang. It was like the old landowners and politicians Clancy had seen on the television as a boy in Appalachia.

"And who might I say is speaking?" asked Clancy.

"My name is Lieutenant-Colonel Bradshaw of the United States Army," replied the man smoothly, "I am heading up Task Force Gem by order of the President, and the OSS has graciously offered you assistance to our mission."

"Task Force...Gem?" said Clancy incredulously.

"Why yes, my boy," replied Bradshaw.

"I'm in my forties, Colonel," Clancy grunted.

"After your unfortunate failure to recover the Ruby, for which none of us at all blame you," said Bradshaw (Miller did not believe him), "The President decided that more proactive action will be needed in our relationship with the esteemed Crystal Gems."

"I hope that doesn't mean attacking them," said Clancy, "Because if I'm honest, you probably won't win."

"We don't intend to open hostilities, Agent Miller," replied Bradshaw, "Perish the thought that any of those fine women come to harm unnecessarily."

Yeah, thought Clancy, They're definitely the ones who'd get hurt.

"But we need Gem technology. You've seen it yourself, Agent Miller - these Gems, Crystal and Homeworld, have no respect for American sovereignty. They fly craft in and out of our atmosphere at a whim, and we have no recourse to stop them. We must, we must catch up to their level."

You got a spare thousand years? thought Clancy.

"So what kind of tech are we thinking of, Colonel?" he asked.

"Anything you can get your hands on without attracting the gems' attention," replied Bradshaw, "If it isn't nailed down, we want it. I will send a man over in the morning to give you your first assignment. Good day, Agent Miller."

"Colonel, I don't think-"

The line went dead. Clancy frowned.

"Damn it," he cursed.

"Problem, sir?" asked Bracknell.

"Don't call me sir, I work for a living," replied Clancy, "I just got a call from an Army colonel. We've got GIs in our hair, Bracknell."

"Is that bad?" asked Bracknell.

"Let me put it this way," replied Clancy darkly, "He's military, we're intelligence."

"So?" shrugged Bracknell, "They go together, right? Military Intelligence?"

"One thing you'll find out soon enough," said Clancy, "Is that Military Intelligence is a contradiction in terms."

"There are smart people in the army, aren't there?" asked Bracknell, "I mean, my uncle was..."

"Oh yeah, there's smart people in the military," nodded Clancy, "And one perfect day, the generals may listen to them. But for now, be on your guard."

He looked out the window over the rusty assembly line.

"I've got a very bad feeling about this 'Task Force Gem.'"

"...well...I suppose it's alright. Just remember to eat something healthy for dinner."

"Yes! Thanks mom, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Connie hung up the phone.

"She said I could stay," she said, sitting down on the couch.

Sadie, Steven, Amethyst and Peridot were sitting around the coffee table, waiting for night to fall before they headed to the fountain. In the kitchen, Greg was packing some groceries into the fridge - he glanced over at them, looking a little worried.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tell Garnet and Pearl?" he asked, "I'm sure they wouldn't object to this..."

"Yeah Greg, that's why they didn't tell us for twenty years," grumbled Amethyst, "They really wanted this to happen, you know?"

"Well, they've got to have had their reasons, right?" shrugged Greg, "I mean, I'm not defending them, but..."

Amethyst sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"Greg, can we talk outside for a sec?" she asked.

Greg nodded, putting down the bag of groceries and following the purple gem outside.

The sunset was a brilliant red, and the breeze was cool and gentle. A small tall ship could be seen a short ways up the coast - probably from one of those historical sailing clubs up around Lewes. It was the very picture of calm, which made Amethyst's clear unease a stark contrast.

She sat on the top stair. Carefully, Greg sat down next to her.

"Why aren't you mad?" she asked, "They lied to you, too. Rose lied to you."

Greg sighed.

"I guess I'm a little upset," he replied, "But I think...I think they were trying to protect me, and I can appreciate that. I don't think it was right, but I appreciate it."

He turned to Amethyst.

"But how about you?"

Amethyst sat back, looking up at the sky.

"It's not just that they didn't tell me," she said, "It's that they used me."

She scowled.

"Back when we first discovered Lil' Butler," she said, "I'd talk to the other Gems about it a lot. It drove Pearl nuts and I don't think Garnet really got it, but Rose...Rose always listened. She actually got a TV guide so that I could tell when it was on. And I was so happy about that, because I had someone who was interested in what I had to say. But now I think...did she just do that so that'd I keep you distracted?"

She rubbed a hand over her face.

"It's not even the first time they've lied to me," she said, "I mean, they've told me nothing about the war."

"It's probably hard for them to talk about," replied Greg, "War's pretty terrible, Amethyst."

"Yeah, but it's where we came from, right?" said Amethyst, "Heck, I didn't even know about what happened to Pink Diamond until Steven did! I just thought she'd been shattered in some battle, I didn't think it was actually some kind of assassination."

There was a long silence.

"Maybe they were worried about what you'd think of Rose if they told you," suggested Greg, "I mean, when Steven found out...he worried me for a while, Amethyst. He still kinda does. And maybe they didn't want you to go through something like that."

"Yeah," sighed Amethyst, "Maybe. I don't know."

She shook her head.

"Well, a little distance could help," suggested Greg, "Take some time away from Garnet and Pearl, work out what you think. Maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder?"

"That's a dumb saying," muttered Amethyst.

"Yeah, I was gonna put that in a song, but it was too cheesy," nodded Greg.

He stood up.

"Look, if you need to talk to somebody about anything, my door's always open," he said, "I'm willing to listen."

Amethyst allowed herself a small smile and climbed to her feet.

"What, are you a therapist now?" she asked.

"No, just a friend," replied Greg.

"Wow, that was cheesy," chuckled Amethyst.

They laughed and walked back inside.

The night was dark and the moon was full.

The warp pad activated, landing Sadie and her friends at the fountain courtyard. She shivered - the air was cold and the atmosphere was heavy. She felt chilled to the bone.

They walked over to the fountain without a word, Connie carrying the box in her hands. When they arrived, she gingerly placed it on the side of the fountain.

"Okay," she said, "How do we open it? I mean, we should probably be..."

Amethyst shifted her hand into a large hammer and slammed it into the lock. There was a loud crack as the lock broke open.

"...okay," nodded Connie, "That works too."

She stepped aside, allowing Sadie to gingerly open the box. She swallowed, her lips feeling dry, as she looked inside for the first time.

The Ruby resting on the padded interior of the box looked to all the world like an ordinary gemstone. There was an enormous, round crack in the middle of the stone; Sadie gathered that it was where the bullet had hit, and was surprised to see how little damage it had actually done. She'd expected the Ruby to have at least split in half. Carefully, she took out the gem, turning it over in her hands. It was light, but in a way it was heavier than anything Sadie had ever held.

"Kay," she whispered.

Peridot looked over the gem. She took it from Sadie, lifted it to her mouth and licked it.

"Is that really necessary?" asked Steven.

Peridot swallowed and nodded.

"Just below the collarbone," she said, "Like Amethyst."

"You can tell that just from licking it?" quizzed Steven.

"Steven, I'm a certified kindergartener," scoffed Peridot, "If I couldn't tell where a gem's placement was just from taste, I wouldn't have become such a big deal on Homeworld."

Amethyst snorted.

Peridot handed the gem back to Sadie. She looked down at the fountain and gulped.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"Heal the crack first," replied Peridot.

Sadie lowered the gem into the fountain. It glowed for a second - she watch the crack vanish through the clear waters, her breath caught in her throat. Soon she lifted it out - it was in pristine condition.

"Alright," nodded Peridot, "Now press it to the spot. Just under your collar."

Sadie handed the gem to Steven and pulled her shirt down slightly. She breathed in deeply.

"Okay," she said, "Here goes nothing."

She nodded to Steven. He swallowed, and carefully pressed the gem against the top of her chest.

For a second, nothing seemed to happen. Then, as if caught in quicksand, the gem began to sink into Sadie's skin. She watched in wonder, feeling a strange, tickling sensation as the skin under the gem seemed to disappear, replaced with the cold, hard rock. Then, as abruptly as it began, the sensation stopped and the gem was still.

Sadie nodded.

"Well, that was easier then...then..."

She held her head, hearing whispers in her thoughts.

...inspection of the Cluster will proceed. Peridot 5XA will be in command with Ruby 1GK as her bodyguard...

...I still don't think this is the right course...

"My head," she muttered, her vision starting to swim.

"Sadie?" asked Steven.

...I don't care. The development of the Cluster will be continued; the weapon will be developed on schedule. I...Agate! Remove the Peridot and her guards, I wish to speak with Blue Diamond alone...

...Yes, My Diamond. Peridot! Ruby! Dismissed...

Through the darkness, towering above the mountains, Sadie swore she could see a giant, shadowed figure.

"Do you...do you see that?" she asked.

"See what, Sadie?" replied Connie, "Are you okay?"

The dark figured turned, and suddenly Sadie's whole vision was filled a brilliant white.

Pain.

Sadie clutched her head, screaming as her whole body was filled with searing, burning agony. She collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball - she could hear a cry, but could not tell who. The gem, once cold, now felt like the surface of the sun on her skin, and her mind swam with alien thoughts and strange images.

She glimpsed her hand - it looked like it was red hot, literally steaming from the intense heat. She clenched her fist, closed her eyes and screamed again. It was an echoing, ear-piercing shriek.

She opened her eyes again. She was on her back, looking up at a terrified, panicking Steven. She tried to reach up to him, but she felt too weak to lift her arms.

She screamed once more, and then merciful, blissful darkness took hold of her.