Author's Note: Alright, guess what? School is back in session! So I guess some delays are to be expected from now on. Please enjoy for now!

-Voltalia

By the time Garnet and Amethyst had come back to the Crystal Temple, it was almost midnight and Pearl was found asleep on the couch, sprawling her body throughout.

"Hey! Pearl!" Amethyst squealed. "Wake up!"

"Huh? Wha?" Pearl uttered as she came to before shortly rolling over and falling onto the floor. "Garnet? Amethyst? When did you get back? Where have you been?"

"We just got here." Garnet replied without any emotion at all, as was par for the course.

"Well, we were just going to get more groceries, but we heard Zoisite and Onyx just came over here and started slaughtering people." Amethyst said. "You should probably turn on the TV."

"Why?" Pearl asked suspiciously.

"Just turn it on." Garnet responded again.

Pearl did as told, and sure enough something was playing. It was a blank screen with the words "PLEASE STAND BY" embossed with a crimson color.

"And now a message from Zoisite..." a disembodied voice was saying as the screen was being suspended.

The screen then switched over to a shot of a cloaked figure with two tiny white auras where his eyes were. He stood in front of some technical equipment and a few of the broadcasting staff's remains that were scattered all around the room.

"Greetings." the cloaked figure's honeyed voice spoke out. "I am Zoisite. You may have noticed some puddles on the ground that were once your friends while you were walking along. Well, I'm here to tell you that you best prepare yourself for I shall go right ahead and kill all your people. And here's something for you, too: I am one of the only Crystal Gems powerful enough to strip others of their powers."

"He's bluffing!" Pearl gasped as she watched him. "He can't be that powerful, can he?"

"And for those of you who don't think I'm that powerful..." Zoisite continued. "...just look at what I'd done to Peridot, Turquoise, Black Spinel, Sapphire, and the lovely Ruby."

He provided footage of himself, still cloaked and everything, lining up the Crystal Gems he had mentioned against a wall, where he had "violated" them by slapping his palm against their faces, one at a time, and using his own powers to suck up theirs like a vacuum.

Peridot was a slightly muscular chartreuse-hued woman who was almost six feet tall and had straight waist-length hair. She had identically-colored gems located on both of her wrists that would summon a double-ended mace by way of tranquil fury. She was the first to undergo Zoisite's method of torture; she was also the first to be killed on the spot.

Turquoise was a slender, cyan-hued girl (about the same age as Amethyst) who was around 5'4" and had wavy shoulder-length hair. Her gems happened to be located on the points of her hips that would summon clones via mental isolation. After she had had her powers removed, she was next to be axed.

Black Spinel was petite but curved and the color of eigengrau. Her hair was short to the point of nonexistence and yet it appeared to have been covered in little waves of spikes. Her gem was actually her entire body and thus she was able to induce her visibility or otherwise every time she was frightened. As she was being relieved of her powers, she felt herself weakening and she eventually collapsed to the ground after it was over with. She was pronounced dead right there by Zoisite himself.

Sapphire was the last to go. He was a devilishly handsome deep blue-hued lad. He was approximately 5'3" and had styled his hair into a pompadour. His gem was located around the area of his shoulder blades; these summoned wings whenever he felt any sort of pleasure in general. As soon as Zoisite had stripped Sapphire of his powers, his victim found himself beaten to death as though he were a punching bag.

Ruby was left; she was spared from certain death after her powers had been lost. She was hot pink, curved, and petite. Her hair was curled and yet was somewhat messy; a fancy hat with identical coloring accessorized her quite well. Her gems were located between her knuckles and summoned cherry bombs with tranquil fury as well.

"I plan to do your Gems next." Zoisite resumed after he had shown the footage. "This way, I can be certain that I will go about uninterrupted. And for a certain half-breed out there who might be listening, I have only this to say: stand down. No one's had the audacity to stop me before. If you do not, I shall suck out what little power you had to begin with. That is all."

The screen switched back to the same blank screen with the words "PLEASE STAND BY" on it. Steven had come from downstairs after Zoisite had shown himself murdering the Gems on-screen and just happened to hear Zoisite talking after that.

"You don't think he was referring to me, do you?" the kid asked.

Oh dear... Pearl thought uncertainly. She spoke aloud, "I think we might need to get help."

"You mean like backup?" Steven asked.

"Yes."

"From where?"

"You'll have to come with us."