#gemsona commission | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dearlittlecanary · 2 years

Text

If You Give a Lab a Cluster . . .

Two years ago I wrote this commission for @eclecticegomaniac ! Originally posted under my now lost side account @.bearswritingaccount. This is a Steven Universe fictive for their original character and Steven! It ended at 5,103 words.

Lab Rat: a person or thing used as a subject for experimentation Inhumane: without compassion for misery or suffering; cruel Betterment: the act or process of improving something’s standard or process Mankind: human beings considered collectively; the whole of the human race

There was once a time, when the lighthouse brought a sense of uneasiness, perhaps even loneliness. However, that was in the past, and now, now they were in the future; and Steven wouldn’t give that up for the world. It wasn’t quite sunset, nor was it still afternoon. Rather, it was that peaceful time when the sky was just beginning to turn, the soft rose golds, burnt oranges, and crisp golden well, golds, were starting to wake from their dianural slumber. As pretty as the sight was, that wasn’t the one that had captured Steven’s attention. Rather, it was the young woman that sat beside him. If you asked him which part of her that held his heart the most, Steven would be hard-pressed to find a proper answer. Was it her spit-fire personality, which always kept him tethered to what mattered most? Was it the fact that she never seemed to be far, allowing him to have someone to rely on when he needed it most? Or was it something more cliche, more . . tangible? Such as her eyes, as mysterious and tempting as a starless midnight sky? Her hair, which was always pulled back in it’s signature braid, a beautiful shade of strawberry blonde that seemed to exist no where else? Steven would say that it was all of those, and at the same time, none of them. He had grown up learning all kinds of different definitions of love, and each time he tried to apply one to what he and Mia had, none of them seemed to fit just right; but, is that really a bad thing?

“Penny for your thoughts?” an achingly familiar voice questioned, mirth never straying far from her words. Steven blinked, said thoughts scattering like tadpoles that had just been startled by a skipping rock. A soft smile pulled at his features, it was also so hard to keep one from forming when he was around her. “I was just thinking about you.” he said honestly. Mia couldn’t help the quick glimmer of . . perhaps surprise, that flickered through her gaze before she laughed, a sound that Steven knew he would never get tired of hearing. “Surely you have better things to think about.” No sooner had she finished her sentence had the boy shook his head. “If I could think about nothing but you all day I would.” Okay, so maybe he had been brushing up on flirting skills in the library. He wasn’t very experienced when it came to things like this, and he would be damned if he wasn’t going to try his very best. “Well that would certainly make for some interesting lesson plans down at the school.” Mia replied, that ever-present tone of mirth coating her words. Steven couldn’t help the snicker that quickly turned into a full-blown laugh at her words, clearly in agreement.

Unbeknownst to both of the young teens, their date was under a rather scrutinizing and overly disdainful watch. A nearly silent drone, a BlackBear-289 (a rather small and surprisingly un-bear-like drone), hovering by the rails of the lighthouse; it’s attached camera zooming in on the pair without any trouble at all. “We have eyes on Subject 0190.” a disembodied voice spoke, travelling to a small yet elite strike team that was perched on the cliff-face, away from any prying eyes. “You’re clear to initiate Project CL-164. Be advised that the Subject is accompanied by one of the Crystal Gem threats. Be prepared to take injuries, possible casualties. Remember. . . failure is not an option.” The voice itself was rather monotone, almost robotic. As if it didn’t care what it was sending this team to do. After its warning about failure, the voice faded into static, and the lighthouse hill seemed peaceful once again; the air as tranquil as a hidden pool in the forests of lore. But alas, the peace and tranquility lasted only another heartbeat, for such things were never built or meant to last.

The team of four scaled what was left of the cliff with ease, having come up behind the two teens. Their plan rode heavily on the element of surprise. The team was dressed all in black, wearing advanced headgear, their faces entirely covered, with nothing giving away their identities. One individual pulled a slender canister from their waist, the only sound being made was the pin being pulled. Steven and Mia turned, the sound startling both of them, but by then it was too late, the grenade was thrown. Just as Steven summoned his shield, it exploded against the ground, the concussion grenade spitting smoke, a bright white light and a high-pitched squeal, not unlike the feedback of an old television or radio. A pained cry escaped the teens, and the team wasted no time in moving in, pulling crackle rods from their belts. Electricity sparked off of the blue rods, the setting on the sticks set to stun; enough to render the teens unconscious should the blow(s) land. While failure wasn’t an option, bringing Subject 0190 back dead would certainly hasten their own meeting with the reaper. Their very organization rode on her existence, after all.

Speaking of, Mia was the one who recovered from the grenade first, using her gem-given abilities to bend the light that the grenade had given off to make the light equivalent of a smoke-screen, giving time for Steven to recover as well. Unfortunately, while this was a great idea in theory, the headgear that had been issued to the team counteracted the movement easily, the same way a baby gate would deter any toddler from dangerous areas. Of course, this wasn’t a detrimental factor, at least, not to Mia. But then again, she had always been overconfident when it comes to situations like this. Beside her, Steven had recovered, his hands now covered in those ‘bubble boxing gloves’. “Ready?” he questioned. “Do you even need to ask?” came the retort. The grenade’s residue had cleared, and now the teams faced off, the tension akin to an old fashioned stand off in the Wild West, though it was clear this duel wouldn’t be as honorable.

“Subject 0190, you have one chance to come with us amicably.” one of the lab’s bounty hunters said, their voice sounding just as robotic and monotoned as the voice that had come through the drone some minutes before. Steven raised a brow, glancing from the team of four to Mia for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough. A look of pure fury, much like the wrath of a God that had been awakened from their slumber far too soon, was on her features. In the back of his mind, Steven was casually comparing her to an Amazonian. She certainly had the fight and determination of one. “I’m never setting foot back in that place willingly.” she snarled. “If you want me, you’ll have to drag my corpse back.” Of course, Steven had no intentions of letting that be the case, or well, any of it for that matter. “As you wish.” came the eerily calm reply before the team darted forward with the precision of a panther that had been lying in wait for its prey.

Mia dodged the first blow with ease, while Steven used his bubble gloves to block the ones aimed for him. Drawing her sword from her neck, Mia parried away the next blow with confidence, almost laziness really. Matching the lab’s lackeys blow for blow, Mia and Steven moved in tandem, it was a wonder they hadn’t accidentally fused yet they were so in tune with each other’s battle motions. Any spectator would assume that they were communicating in some unspoken way, so deep was their bond. Unfortunately, when it came to those that followed a belief so blindly, to those that made the title ‘zealot’ look like child’s play, such a bond was something to laugh at, to scorn even. “Are you done playing?” The black clothed assassins spoke as one, as if they shared a hive-mind mentality. For all Mia and Steven knew, they did. Were they even human? Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

With renewed vigor, the elite force pressed harder, their blows reaching near supersonic speeds. Of course, such a thing is exaggerated, but that was certainly what it felt like. Steven grunted in exertion, trading his bubble gloves for his actual shield as he tried to knock back one of the individuals, however, in doing so, he left his right flank open. This was when the numbers game truly came into effect, and there were no words to describe the startled and pained shout that escaped Steven. Of course, at his cry, Mia slipped up, her head practically snapping to find him, his name falling from her lips in a panicked nature. “Steven!?” And that was all it took. One of the enforcers practically rammed their rod into the small of her back, not hesitating to use excessive force. It was a wonder the girl didn’t poof, but then again, she had always been the hardy type. Steven stumbled away from the two that had been taking some mighty liberties with the blows that rained down upon him, in an effort to get to Mia; and it was her turn to have her name dropped so fearfully. “Mia!!” It was to no avail. Steven wasn’t too sure where his final blow landed, he just registered the unhesitating waves of currents that wracked through his body, and he fell to his knees, unable to help the one he loved; who was getting similar treatment.

The last thing he saw was Mia passing out in the arms of their attackers, Steven’s final thoughts being ones of failure.

Opting to leave the Crystal Gem hybrid where he lay, the lackeys picked up Mia in a rather careless fire-man’s carry, opting to go down the hill instead of climbing the cliff again; so as not to risk damage to the Subject. At the bottom of the hill, an unmarked and unremarkable white van waited for them. Tossing Mia in as though she were nothing more than a sack of rocks, two of the individuals climbed in after her, while the other two moved to the front of the car; heading back to what was left of Ocean Town. After it’s Great Disaster, much of the townspeople had left, opting to live in more safer residential areas; which made things far easier for the Lennox Scientific Research Center (L.S.R.C). No longer did the head researcher need attend those press conferences, or attend the town meetings, claiming that their research was perfectly humane and safe; keeping up that angelic front. No, now their deeds could be done truly without shame, no longer did they have to hide in the dark like monsters, hide their natures. No longer did they have to fear the people misunderstanding what they stood for.

That being the betterment of humanity, that is. Some may say that the LSRC was playing at God, trying far too hard to make Earth and mankind perfect, so much so that they had long since forgotten their morals. It was bold of them to even assume that the Center had any morals to begin with, really. “We have successfully apprehended Subject 0190.” the driver said, speaking to a seemingly invisible ear-piece. “Excellent.” came the simple reply. The rest of the drive passed in utter silence, one could hear a feather drop, so deathly quiet it was. It wasn’t long before the team arrived at the institution; which in and of itself was just as unremarkable as the van they had arrived in. The logo was the only identifying mark on the otherwise spotless white and gray building. It sported limited windows, and only two exits were visible to the naked eye. The front, which boasted the pair of simple glass doors, and then the back, which was a stainless and heavy duty steel garage-esque door, which was the one that the van pulled up to. After sitting for about thirty seconds, the door opened, giving way to the lab itself. Though, this first room was rather forgettable, it was filled with countless vans that were identical to the one in which Mia rode.

The next couple of actions passed rather quickly. The individuals left the van, one of them carrying Mia out (in another careless fireman’s carry), only to hand her off to a team of researchers that looked as though they had just left a Doctor Who convention. After Mia had been passed off to them, she was brought to an observation room, devoid of anything but a medical bed, which was fitted with metal cuffs. Setting her down with the care that the enforcers had been lacking, the same researcher that had set her down made sure to secure her while the others (about six or so) flitted about her like bees at a freshly bloomed flower, the scratching of their pens filling the room until it seemed as though there was no other sound that existed in the world. Each camera sported a camera, and each of them were focused intently on Mia, each at different angles and zooms, so that the lab wouldn’t miss a single thing. Once the researchers had gotten their fill of notes (for now that is), they exited the room, retreating to a hidden observatory, waiting with bated breath for Mia to come to.

Some might wonder why they had waited so long to bring her back. The reason for that was simple. It wasn’t as though they had been afraid she would leave, nor were they afraid that they would lose complete and utter track of her. You see, the drone that had been stalking her and Steven on their date, was only one of many that had followed Mia throughout her life. She had been under constant hidden surveillance since she had first left the lab. In addition to the drones, hidden cameras had been placed in the areas and establishments that Mia frequently visited. The lab also had no qualms about hacking into existing security footage in order to keep track of their precious little Subject 0190. Of course, that brings us to the reason as to why she was brought back now. It was through this constant surveillance that the L.S.R.C had gained so much information and knowledge on gem-kind and what made them tick, so to speak. The biggest nugget of knowledge that they had gained, had been that of the cluster and the ‘Gem Mutants’ as the Crystal Gems had called them. The lab’s team (and more specifically the head of it) had been intrigued as to what may happen when a small fused gem-shard cluster was integrated in the same host that a ‘pure’ gem called home. Of course, Mia’s history of becoming corrupted made for an unexpected and rather wild factor in the experiment, but at the same time, that only made the ideas of what could happen all the more intriguing.

Speaking of the host. . . it wasn’t long after the researchers had retreated to their observatory ‘ledge’ had Mia come to. Her first thoughts were of Steven, for the last thing that she had seen was him being beaten down that team of clods that had dared to lay a hand on them. Her second round of thoughts were trying to figure out just where the hell she was, trying to piece together what she remembered. It didn’t take long, especially as she had tried to move in order to get a better view; only to discover that she couldn’t get very far at all, perhaps a centimeter. Everything came crashing down then, with the force of a tidal wave in a thunderstorm.

It was harder than she thought to push down that equally large wave of fear that roared up within her.

Fortunately for Mia, Steven didn’t intend to let her feel (or try to not feel) that fear for long. Coming too, a groan escaped him; the sound mixed with pain and exhaustion alike. Spitting out dirt and grass, he pushed himself up as he looked blearily around him. It took only a few seconds to realize that Mia was gone. It took only a few seconds after that for Steven to be on his feet and using his floating ability to jump down to the temple. While a part of him wanted to get into the Dondai and race to get her back himself, he knew that he would need the backup; especially if more of those black-clothed goons were wandering the lab. He didn’t know much about it, just what Mia had told him all those years ago, but what he did know was enough to send shivers of fear and worry alike down his spine. Bursting through the door, Steven didn’t hesitate to speak, the words spilling over his lips as quickly and harshly as a waterfall that had just shaken off the last ice of winter. “MiaandIwerehavingadateatthelighthousehillwhentheseg--”

“Steven slow down!” Pearl said, raising a hand, eyes wide at how frantic Steven looked. “Yeah man, you look like you’re about to pass out.” Amethyst said, looking over Steven’s . . . disheveled appearance. Steven hesitated, then took a deep breath and tried to start again, trying to be a little calmer. “Mia and I were on the lighthouse’s hill, having a date, when these guys from the lab came and attacked us. They overpowered us and took Mia and now we have to go get her back before they do something horrible to her.” It was a wonder that Steven managed to say that all without yelling honestly. That’s not to say that a part of him didn’t want to scream and shout and throw apart the entire temple, but the logical part of him was winning out. For now. He was trying to push down those feelings of failure, incompetence, and frustration. There weren’t enough words in English or Gem or any other language, really, to describe how inadequate he felt. First it was Spinel. Then it was Blue-Bird. Then those two Lapises, and now . . . now he had lost Mia to the very people that had tormented her since she was a little girl. And while he knew that she was more than strong enough to take care of herself. . he knew that she shouldn’t have too.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt as though each passing second was a year long. The other gems, to their credit, had been quick to move, working through their shock more efficiently than Steven ever could. “Let’s go then dude!” Amethyst said, eyes wider than Steven had ever seen them. Mia had long since become a part of the family, and an attack on the family, was essentially a death sentence. Letting the gems practically usher him to the Dondai, as it was impossible to warp to the laboratory, Steven couldn’t help but feel on autopilot. Once he was in the car however, he seemed to come to life a little, his movements jerky; the only sign that gave away his emotional distress. That and the speeding of course, when he actually managed to get the car into drive. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning whiter than snow.

I’m coming! He wanted to scream, Please don’t be afraid.

Please don’t give up. Please don’t give up on me.

Steven’s unheard pleas were for naught, for several reasons. Of course, there was the obvious answer. Secondly, Mia couldn’t even hear them. Besides, at the moment, she was a little preoccupied. . Now that she had come to, a voice was carrying through the space. “Subject 0190, otherwise known as Mia Lennox, Human Host, otherwise known as Rainbow Spectrolite, Alien Gem, are you aware of your surroundings?” Like the voice that had been used by the brutes that attacked her and Steven, the voice was robotic, monotone, as if it’s life was nothing but black and gray. Mia didn’t bother answering, not seeing any reason to cooperate with them. There was a minute or two of silence. “Subject 0190, we are aware that you can hear us.” the voice said, before repeating it’s earlier statement. Once again, Mia didn’t say anything, and instead flipped off one of the cameras. However, this seemed to be answer enough to the voice and the unseen observers. There was another few minutes of silence, perhaps the white coated sheep were trying to figure out what question to ask first. Mia idly (and rather condescendly) wondered how they didn’t pass out from the excitement that she undoubtedly brought to their tiny brains. “Are you aware why we brought you in today?” the voice finally asked, as though she was being pulled over. “Well I sure as fuck wasn’t speeding.” she drawled. “Did I run a red light? A stop sign?”

There was an almost silence, for Mia could just hear the scritching of pencils coming over the intercom. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help her figure out where the room was. “It’s good to see that you retain some sense of humanity.” Mia couldn’t (and didn’t really try to) resist the urge to roll her eyes. “Since when is humanity and humor the same thing?” Honestly, Mia couldn’t stand holding a conversation with these people, but it served as a good distraction. She was trying to figure out how to get out of here, and the working idea was to use her abilities to try and melt the cuffs. The only problem with that was the constant surveillance. Even if she managed to get her hands free, she had no idea how many individuals in black they had, or even what other weapons they had. . .

These concerns only lasted a moment though. She was Mia Lennox after all! She could accomplish anything she set her mind to, come hell or high water! There was no way that she was going to sit still and let the lab do whatever they wanted with her, not again. Not ever again. So, she did her best to keep her movements subtle. All she needed was a little laser right? She could do that just by pointing her finger. . . maybe. “You have been brought back to us because we have a procedure you must undergo. For the betterment of humanity, you will be the one that brings us closer to salvation.” While the words, the mantra really, was eerie enough, hearing it said through a robotic voice made it even creepier. Mia knew that those words would be haunting her dreams without a doubt. Though, the sound of a new ‘procedure’ didn’t exactly sound all that promising either. “Will there be tea and cookies after?” Mia asked, though it would take a total dunce to miss the sarcasm that dripped from her words, thick like honey. Listening to the faint echo of pencils scratching on their clipboards, Mia took her chance to try and cut the cuffs around her wrists. It was a painstaking process. She didn’t really care if she hurt herself while she was doing this, no, she was more worried about the cameras catching on to what she was doing. “Why do you feel the need to ask questions that you already know the answers to, Subject 0190?”

“Does that mean ‘yes’?” Mia replied, not skipping a beat. She could practically hear the eye roll through the camera, the voice changing the subject. “Are you familiar with the gem cluster at the center of the Earth, Subject 0190?” The question caught Mia completely off-guard, her little laser plan halting in her surprise. “What about it? I’m certainly not helping you adopt it, if that’s what you’re getting at. You’re not exactly parents of the year.” The Cluster was actually rather sad. She remembered Steven’s story about it when he had come back from saving it with Peridot. It had also helped them fight Yellow and Blue Diamond when they had come to try and claim Steven for their own. . She would be rather be shattered than help the lab freaks get their hands on it. “You misunderstand. We have a piece of it.” Mia felt as though the floor had just been ripped out from under her. Her brain seemed to be working overtime in order to figure out just where the hell they were going with this. “Unfortunately, many of our tests on it. . . have been inconclusive.” Well that could mean any number of things, honestly. “So, we have decided to go ahead with our next phase of the experiment. To study how our piece of the Cluster, otherwise known as Project CL-164, reacts with a human host that has already been integrated with a ‘pure’ gem. Of course, you have already been corrupted, but have also been healed, so while you are not a truly ideal candidate, you certainly exceed many of our expectations as it is.”

If Mia could breathe, she would. If she could come up with some kind of snarky reply, she would. But it seemed as though she stopped functioning altogether. It wasn’t as though she hated the Cluster, itself, in fact she was sure that it was quite nice. No, rather, she hated that she was once again going to be a guinea pig, a lab rat. She hated the idea of having another gem, or in this case, gems, forced onto her. It was hard enough keeping Spectrolite out of her head. She didn’t want to have to fight to just be herself, she didn’t deserve such a fate. Though, once again, it seemed as though she had no choice. The voice, seemingly having taken her silence as a ‘sure go ahead, I’m totally fine with this’; clicked off, and a previously hidden door slid upwards, for it was integrated within the wall. Four researchers walked in, and activated previously hidden wheels on the bed that she was strapped down on, wheeling her out of the room. A few seconds after she started moving, the true gravity of the situation seemed to come crashing down on Mia, and she began to thrash, to struggle. “NO!” she shouted, not once, not twice, but rather over and over again, until she was practically blue in the face. She took a breath then, and was about to continue shouting some more, but one of the researchers held her arm down and she felt the familiar prick of a needle; and the room started spinning. “N-No!” Of course, it wasn’t anything to knock her out, not yet. They hadn’t quite decided if the operation would be more successful if she was unconscious . . . or not. After all, these shards weren’t like the Spectrolite they had implanted oh so long ago, and anything less than perfect was a failure, and failure. . . . was not tolerated in the Lennox Scientific Research Center.

Wheeling Mia into a more than expensive medical wing, it seemed almost as though someone went through every modern medical catalog and ordered one of everything; forgetting how big their designated room was. Everything blinked or beeped or both, and if Mia wasn’t already on some kind of drug, she would have thought that she was having an overdose episode the way that her surroundings all ran together. (Though, quite honestly, this was more likely due to the serum that had just been administered to her). The researchers paid the seemingly wordless babbles of Mia no attention, letting her head roll from side to side and up and down while she tried (unsuccessfully) to take in all of the room, for it seemed to her that each time she looked in a new direction there was a new thing to see. Just what had they given her? She wasn’t sure, but she did like the warm and fuzzy feeling it gave her, it reminded her of a blanket that had just come out of the dryer. “We need to integrate the CL-164 shard into a nerve-heavy area.” one researcher said. “The neck or spine is out of the question, we have no idea how either gem will react being in such close proximity to each other, and we need Subject 0190 alive for as long as possible.” another chimed in.

“The hand perhaps?”

“Above or around the heart?”

“In the center of her forehead?”

For each suggestion, a black ‘X’ was marked, and it wasn’t long before her body was seemingly covered in them, each one marking a vital organ or places where nerves were known to accumulate. Finally, the team came to a decision. “The heart it is.” The words were said with clinical detachment, as if they had asked for a specific surgical tool. Perhaps it was a blessing that Mia didn’t really register what was about to happen to her. Around her, the researchers skittered about, getting scrubs on and wash their hands thoroughly, their actions reminding Mia of busy bees, and well, because of her fun little drug, they actually started to resemble bees. Not realistic bees, thank goodness, that would be far too terrifying. Coming back to her side, the researchers unclipped her classic overalls, so that her shirt was on display. “Scissors.” With a few efficient motions, the last remaining garments were cut away. “Scalpel.” One of the researchers wheeled in the small gem cluster as another handed over the requested tool. The small cluster seemed to be made up of four different gems, and they were melded together in a shape that didn’t seem to be invented yet.

Mia thought it looked like a star honestly, but she was soon distracted from the shining thing when the warmth she had previously felt started to almost evaporate in a sharp and almost painful way. This of course, was due to the researchers cutting her open, the scalpel cutting through her skin with ease, bright red standing out starkly against her skin and the otherwise stainless steel. Just as the researcher in question was about to make the second incision, Mia squirming at the notion, the doors burst open. Steven and the other Gems bursting in with fury unbridled, their weapons all at the ready. Taking in the sight, Steven could no longer hold back his rage, his true rage, and once again, that pink tint came over his skin; and he lunged towards the researchers with every intention of making sure they had to crawl out of that room. Pearl, the unofficial medic of the team, rushed to Mia’s side while the others backed Steven up.

Caught completely off guard, the researchers barely had time to call in for back-up, not that any would have arrived anyways; for the Crystal Gems had taken care of them before they managed to find Mia. Speaking of, she was staring wide-eyed all around her, her motions almost frantic. “Steben.” she tried to say, her tongue feeling heavy, a side effect from the drug. “Steben.” she repeated, a low whine almost daring to enter her tone. “Shhh, you’re safe now.” Pearl said softly as she did her best to patch Mia up safely and quickly, all without hurting her too much. “He’s fighting to save you.” Indeed he was, and he was being utterly ruthless about it. The researchers that went down under his blows took a good second to move again, though such a thing didn’t seem to bother Steven, at least, not at the moment. Once all the researchers were taken care of, and the few backup lackeys that had somehow managed to get past them in the first place, Steven was quick to join Pearl’s side, who had just gotten Mia free from the table.

Taking her into his arms, a sense of relief settled over him. “I’m so sorry.” he said, his voice no higher than a whisper. It was a wonder it didn’t crack. “Steben.” was all she said, and he couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes, the pained smile that pulled at his lips. “Yeah. It’s me.” Mia seemed to relax a little in his arms, which only caused him to hold her closer. “Let’s go home.” he said, louder, addressing all of the Gems at that point. Taking their leave from the building, Pearl drove them home, Steven sitting in the back with Mia; not daring to leave her side for even a second. She had fallen asleep in his arms at some point, and she looked so peaceful, so at ease. He couldn’t help but acknowledge the consequences of his failure, the fruits of his incompetence. A few silent tears streamed down his cheeks. “I won’t let them hurt you ever again.”

“I swear.”

#steven universe #steven universe commission #steven universe x oc #gemsona commission #writing commission #steven x oc #writing commissions open #5k plus commission #open commissions #commissions open

0 notes