oOo
"Requesting permission to speak with a higher officer," Ruby said impatiently, bouncing up and down on the balls of her heels in front of the hologram. Her eyes kept flitting from one side of the vacant room to the other, but she was as internally focused as she had ever been.
"You had better have a good reason for your request," replied the holographic gem. "Rubies usually only have clearance in the third class."
Ruby tried not to raise her voice. "I know, but I really just need to talk to someone. I was on Pink Diamond's last scouting mission and I have questions."
"Don't be disappointed if none of your questions get answered."
"Can you just connect me?"
"…One moment, please."
Several minutes later, the hologram flickered and a tall, severe-looking gem filled the room. "Zultanite speaking. Make it quick, because normally I don't take time to talk to rubies."
"I know," Ruby answered, lifting her chin up. "I have questions about gem occupation on planet Earth."
oOo
Ruby sat in the dark silence for longer than she cared to keep track of. Green shadows flickered across the opposite wall, glowing in the light of a lamp posted outside her cell.
The light in there was nothing like the sun on Earth. On Earth, the day was bathed in warm, golden light that brought life wherever it touched. The dim lighting of gems' creation, however, brought nothing but hollow, flat lifelessness.
For a long time, Ruby watched the shadows. She picked at the corner of her uniform where it was beginning to fray.
Because of the silence within the building, Ruby could hear any sound made within a good distance. This was the reason she was not surprised when the far-off rhythm of footsteps began edging their way into her radius. She was, however, surprised when they stopped in front of her cell.
Sapphire sat down gingerly on the opposite side of the barred wall, mere inches away from where Ruby sat. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them without speaking a word.
Though it was hard, Ruby didn't look over at her visitor. She kept her eyes forcefully trained on the shadows, aware of the ground beneath her heating up.
oOo
"I don't understand," Ruby said, blocking the entrance with her bunched fists. "Why won't anyone tell me anything? I know something is—"
"Do you really think we're going to tell you anything?" responded the bigger gem, looking down at Ruby with cold eyes.
"There was something going on and you know ab—"
"Get out of my way, pathetic gem. You're lucky I'm not reporting you to Pink Diamond."
"Pink Diamond just killed dozens of her own gems on a suicide mission! I'm supposed to just sit by and—"
The taller gem leaned down to Ruby's height, pressing her face so close that the other gem could smell the acrid metal of the hologram. "You're supposed to keep your mouth shut and do as you're told."
Ruby ripped the diamond emblem off of her jacket and shook it in her hand. "All my life I've fought to be a soldier for her, but I never agreed to watch my comrades get shattered, and I never agreed to keep your dirty secrets."
At that point, the door behind the two gems slid open and a pair of identical quartz warriors stepped inside.
Although they didn't speak, the hologram gem recognized their presence with a nod of her head. "Ruby," she spoke, I don't appreciate the questions you are asking, and I know the diamonds won't appreciate them either. This has been nothing but a waste of my time."
"But—"
"I must go now. Green Diamond has called a class-wide conference about the rebels. A ruby like you is not allowed to attend, however, so I hope this is the last I will be seeing of you."
Ruby knew about the rebels. She wasn't ready to give up on her quest for answers, though.
"If Green Diamond wants to keep using us for suicide mission she had better let us in on what's hap—"
"Soldiers, please escort this…malfunctioning Ruby to our holding cells until further notice." Zultanite straightened her back and sniffed once, disdainfully. "I'm sure no one would notice if she withered into dust in there."
Ruby lunged forward, head bursting with heat. "You can't just—"
Her vision went white and pain lanced through her as her physical form broke apart, leaving a steaming, red gem to clatter onto the floor.
oOo
When the silence between Sapphire and Ruby became too long and thick to bear, a huff of bitter frustration split the air.
"What are you doing here?" asked Ruby venomously, turning her head to hide how red her face was.
Sapphire did not answer for a few minutes, with her hands folded on her lap and her hair tangled around her shoulders. "…I thought you could use company."
The other gem looked up, not knowing whether to be surprised or offended. Gems didn't keep each other "company," especially this particular gem.
"News gets around fast."
"News?" She scoffed. "They've got bigger things to worry about than a stupid Ruby losing her temper."
Sapphire shifted her position, careful not to touch the humming bars between them. "You've been questioning Green Diamond's governance. Of course they're going to worry."
"Them." Ruby scoffed a second time. "I guess you're not worrying, then?"
The other gem didn't answer for a while, but when she did, her voice was even quieter. "…Ruby, they want to execute you."
"Why would you care?"
Sapphire looked down.
What was with her? As on guard as she seemed, Sapphire was acting different from how she acted before. Had she seen something with her future vision? Did the Diamonds know about her ability?
"Of course they don't know," Sapphire stated, as though it was obvious. "No one should know."
I know, Ruby thought. That was only because of Garnet. She didn't like thinking about Garnet, though. It felt dirty, how much she enjoyed being fused. There was something about the closeness, the wholeness. She felt stronger in a way different than she had ever felt.
"Four rebels were captured and shattered yesterday. When news got around, gems were scared of you. They're scared of you questioning Green Diamond. With you asking so many questions…"
"Why wouldn't I? You were there, too, Sapphire."
"I'm not asking for trouble."
"I just…" Ruby struggled to find words. Her hands flexed and loosened. "I thought we were doing something good down on Earth. I thought that Pink Diamond trusted us to be a part of the new gem colony, but…"
"Do you want to see something?"
Ruby looked up, and she found herself staring straight into Sapphire's single eye.
Somewhere far off, a set of footsteps took off and disappeared just as quickly, leaving a sinister, brassy echo behind.
"See what?" Ruby asked hesitantly, and Sapphire began reaching her hands through the bars. "Wait, Sapphire—"
Her hands passed through without any disruption, and she took both of the other gem's hands in her own. Their gems pressed together for a moment, and Sapphire whispered, "Don't scream," right before Ruby's vision exploded with color.
What she saw was similar to what Garnet saw when she and Sapphire had fused during the scouting mission.
It was hard to distinguish events, but scenes bounced back and forth across Ruby's mindscape like a broken hologram. She saw Earth again, with its warm sun and life-breathing soil. She saw Sapphire, a Pearl, and several other gems she did not recognize. She saw some beautiful things, things she didn't quite have words for, but there were terrible things, too.
She saw gems fighting amongst one another, in an open field underneath Earth's sun. She was fighting them, too, alongside Sapphire and other gems she saw in previous flashes.
What did it all mean? Were those the rebels? Why were they on Earth?
A wall of heaviness suddenly cut the scene of a massive stone temple short.
Sapphire involuntarily let go of Ruby's hands, her face glazed over.
"What…?" Ruby's mouth dropped. Her limbs drew tight against her small body, trembling for more reasons than one. "…Sapphire?"
Sapphire snapped back into focus, but her face was suddenly terrified.
"We have to go," she breathed, standing up briskly and looking both directions down the hallway. "Right now."
"I'd love to, but—"
"Stop playing around," Sapphire snapped, and in the blink of an eye, an incredible weapon formed over her hand and she smashed it into the wall next to Ruby's holding cell.
A hidden panel dropped, bent from the force of the punch, and wires inside sparked for a moment before flickering out. The door and bars of Ruby's cage disintegrated and the other gem practically yanked her out of it.
Ruby didn't even have time to gawk at Sapphire breaking Diamond property. She found herself being dragged at breakneck speeds through the hall, around corners and through broken doorways. She couldn't speak past astonished blubbering until she managed to slow Sapphire down.
"What is going on?" she begged, ripping her hand from the other gem's hand. "You can't just bust the security system down and drag me away like that. They're going to kill us both now."
"If we don't get out of here, we're dead anyways," Sapphire hissed, trying to grab onto her friend again, who pulled away.
"Not until you tell me what's—"
Three massive, resonating gongs shook the building to its core, followed by a sudden drop in pressure.
"The rebels."
Ruby opened her mouth, but didn't have any time to react before the entire building exploded.
"There wasn't anything we could've said that would have made Rose change her mind," Sapphire said gently, smoothing the front of her dress with one hand.
"But we should have stopped her!" Ruby clutched onto her hair in pure frustration, her feet burning into the ground.
"No, we shouldn't have. Steven is important, and you know this as well as I do."
Ruby groaned loudly, "Rose is gone, Sapphire! Rose is gone and it's his fault! She was the important one, not him!"
"It was her choice. Rose knew what would happen. She chose this."
"But he's here and she isn't! She's gone and she's never..." Ruby covered her eyes with her hands, her voice cracking as she fought back her sobs desperately. "She's...never coming back."
Ruby's arms trembled with a burning, unknown weight, and dust blinded her. Somewhere in the darkness, she heard a soft voice say her name.
What was that?
The rebels?
What had she seen?
"Ruby," Sapphire said, putting her hand on the other's gem's cheek. Brilliance from Earth's sun filtered in through the mouth of a cave, filming a quality of mystery over everything. "Ruby."
"Ruby!"
With a painful cough, Ruby opened her eyes and looked around.
It was dark all around them, save a sliver of green light shining through a crack far above. In the limited visibility, as Ruby blinked, she could see dust settling on curly blue hair a few feet away.
"Sapphire!" Ruby cried, beginning to lunge to the other gem's side, but she seemed to be propping up a massive metal beam on the verge of collapse. When she shifted, a few rocks from overhead tumble down.
"Don't," Sapphire grunted, getting stiffly onto her knees. "We almost got shattered."
"I can see that." Attempting to clear out the haziness of her thoughts, Ruby sized up their situation.
From what she could see, she and Sapphire had been running through a larger corridor when the rebels blasted the building. The ceiling beam appeared to have fallen right before the walls collapsed, so Ruby guessed that if she managed to move out from underneath the beam, they would still be safe under the triangle of walls.
"Sapphire—"
"Hold on."
Sapphire pulled a chunk of rubble safely over to Ruby and wedged it under the beam. Although it groaned and more chunks rained on top of them when Ruby let go, it held long enough for them to crawl out of the way. Getting out of the cave-in was another deal, however.
What Ruby really wanted…what she was too afraid to ask Sapphire…
"Let's do it," Sapphire agreed, pulling up one of her gloves before offering her hand across the wreckage.
That threw the other gem off guard. "Do what?"
"Ruby." Despite the tight space both of the gems were in, Sapphire leaned towards Ruby. When their faces were barely inches apart, she lifted her bangs away. "You forget I know what you're going to say before you say it." Her big, blue eye sparkled.
How could Ruby respond? All she could do was stare unintentionally, mesmerized, at Sapphire. She didn't know what this feelings was inside of her, or why it was making her whole body heat up without being angry. She didn't know what it was; she didn't like it.
The corners of Sapphire's mouth lifted with amusement. "Fuse with m—"
"Okay," Ruby answered too fast, and she took the other gem's outstretched hand.
oOo
Funny thing, I'm probably not going to finish this.