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...
A few hours later...
Mike walked silently through the Kindergarten, the normally dull and dark place being even darker due to the night sky.
He was all alone, so he took the time to just think about the events that took place ever since he came to Earth.
He acknowledged what he was doing was a bad thing. Working with Rose Quartz's son?
If Yellow Diamond found out, she'd shatter his Gem six ways from sunday and then some.
But he didn't seem like such a bad kid. Didn't seem to have an interest in fighting or anything.
But it was still an alliance no one could know about. Not the Crystal Gems, and ESPECIALLY Yellow Diamond.
She wouldn't have a problem with shattering or exiling him. She has a thousand more Hematites at her disposal.
And those ones were probably better than him, anyway...
He looked at all the injectors around the area. He was very familiar with the machine. After all, many Gems including himself had been born with these injectors. They were pretty much the closest thing to a parent.
Although they hadn't exactly done their job right when they created him.
Thinking back on his alliance with Steven though, it was a dangerous move to be sure, but having someone else to help him with his mission definitely easier than doing it solo. Although that wouldn't be a problem if Yellow Diamond had just found someone to assist him, but nooo, he had to go alone because she didn't want to risk losing more Gems!
He rubbed his eyes with his hand, letting out an annoyed sigh. His mission was starting to get stressful.
He had killed, had to fight a corrupted Gem, found out Crystal Gem still exist on Earth and are the reason he had to come here in the first place, and eventually he was gonna have to take down a monstrous fusion like Malachite to unfuse Jasper and Lapis...
He told Steven he'd use a Gem Destabilizer, but he wasn't even sure if that would even effect a Malachite fusion.
And what if the Crystal Gems found out about him? If that happened, the only way he'd leave Earth was with a broken or shattered Gem,
which Yellow Diamond would just use to power one of her oh-so-magical Gem artifacts.
Oh yeah, she'd enjoy doing that, alright. Probably do what the Crystal Gems did to Lapis, stick him in a mirror.
After all, when Hematites were first created centuries ago, that was all they were used for- powering Gem history mirrors!
And it's not like the Crystal Gems would just let him go. They destroyed Peridot's warship and then stole her foot!
If they tore his foot off, that'd probably be enough to make him retreat to his Gem where they could just crush him under their feet!
And he knew just as much as any other Homeworld Gem- the Crystal Gems were ruthless and dangerous.
They'd taught him when he was born. He'd heard all the stories. They started a war just because they didn't like how Yellow Diamond was running Homeworld. So they started a war. And thousands of Gems died on both sides.
The fact of the matter is: The Crystal Gems are evil. They were monsters who would kill a Gem from Homeworld regardless of age.
Heck, he'd witness it when he was hiding in his Kindergarten hole when he was born.
Watching them drag newborn Gems out of their holes and shattering them just because Homeworld created them.
It was a horrifying thing to watch. How would anyone else feel hiding and cowering, watching their own kind be murdered in front of them,
and worrying that you might be next?
After giving it some thought and consideration, the Gem wasn't sure he wanted to protect the Crystal Gems from Jasper anymore.
There was no way he could work with Gems like them, much less protect them from being punished for their own bad decisions.
But that didn't mean he would throw Steven under the bus. He may have Rose's Gem, but the boy clearly didn't even know much about what's going on with Homeworld Gems coming to Earth. In fact, he didn't express any knowledge of Homeworld itself, either.
So he came to a conclusion. He would protect Steven, keep Jasper's hands off of him, but whatever Crystal Gems remained in that temple can fend for themselves. He didn't have a reason to help them. As did they not have a reason to help him.
...Although, assuming he can't make Jasper retreat to her Gemstone, he'd have to come up with an excuse for Jasper not to strangle the child. He had slight mixed feelings for the boy, y'know, having Rose's Gemstone and all, but he seemed innocent.
He couldn't just jab her with a destabilizer. She'd know he did it, and he would get SEVERLY punished for doing it.
Maybe he could lie and tell her he was killed? His Gem shattered to the point where none of his shards could be recovered?
Or maybe he could just tell her that Yellow Diamond specifically ordered him to bring them back to Homeworld?
She was stubborn, but she wouldn't defy Yellow Diamond. She knows what that would mean for her...
As Mike was lost in thought thinking of all the possible outcomes of what he could do when Jasper unfused, he almost didn't notice that he was receiving a transmission on his communicator.
He did notice when the screen suddenly popped up in front of his face, however, catching him off guard.
It was from Yellow Diamond. She must have been calling for a progress report.
He clicked the screen, and Yellow Diamond's erie yellow glow emitted from the screen.
Her entire body, as it usually was, was clouded in shadow, her only distinctable feature being her ominous yellow eyes.
Mike straightened his pose. "Yellow Diamond." He saluted.
"Report, Gem." She ordered stiffly. She appeared to still be agitated. "Have you found the Gem's whereabouts yet?"
He scratched his head. "Uh... well... no, I haven't exactly." He admitted.
The Gem overlord seemed unfazed. "Explain."
"Um... well, you see... Jasper and Lapis Lazuli, they... sort of fused into Malachite, and apparently Lapis Lazuli double-crossed her and trapped them both at the bottom of the ocean. I don't know where exactly, however."
Her expression changed ever so slightly, her low eyelids raising up in surprise.
She quickly regained her composure. "What. Did. You. Say...?" She asked, sounding VERY angry.
Mike cleared his throat. He knew she wouldn't be happy to hear that. "Uh, Lapis tricked Jasper into fusing with her, and trapped them both at the bottom of an Ocean. As Malachite. And I don't know where they are..." He repeated slowly.
Yellow Diamond gave him a hostile scowl. "Lapis Lazuli... trapped Jasper and herself at the bottom of an Ocean?!" She slammed her fists down on the transmitter she was using. She was furious. She had suspected there was something suspicous about her,
but set it aside. However, this news had all but confirmed her suspicions.
The other Gem flinched in surprise at her outburst. "Please, my lord, she-
"Hematite." She interrupted. "You're a smart Gem. What happens to Gems who defect and/or betray other Gems?"
She placed her hands together and waited for an answer. "Tell me."
Mike stared back at the screen in confusion. Why is she asking him that question?... Where is this going? He thought.
But he complied and answered the question.
"Uhm... you get punished, Yellow Diamond. Beaten, cracked and/or shattered."
"Good. Now, considering what you just told me, Lapis Lazuli's actions could be considered treachery, correct?"
Her tone had become calm, almost soothing, if not lined with ominosity.
Mike was feeling slightly ennerved. Was she asking him to do what he thought she wanted him to do?
"Y-yes... I suppose it could... my lord, what exactly are you asking of me...?"
"Why, it's quite simple, Hematite. I want you to shatter Lapis Lazuli's Gem when you find her." She replied, a devious smile creeping onto her face.
"W-what? You want- you want- ME to kill Lapis Lazuli?!" The peach colored Gem inquired, slightly unsettled.
"But of course. An act of treachery like what you just explained... we can't have a Gem like her on Homeworld, now can we?
If she's stupid enough to imprison one of my generals, than I don't see any reason you shouldn't shatter her."
Mike looked into Yellow Diamond's glassy eyes in disbelief. She couldn't ask him to do something like that!
He doesn't kill Gems... at least, he doesn't LIKE to kill Gems!
"Uh... but... Yellow Diamond... I'm... I'm sure that Lapis was just-uh, just... doing what she thought was right...?" He replied sheeplishly,
regretting his words before they even came out of his mouth.
Yellow Diamond stared back at him with the same cold expression she retained almost the whole conversation. She was not amused.
She let out a very faint chuckle. "... Hematite, was that the sound of you disobeying my orders?" She questioned,
leaning closer to the screen.
Mike quickly shot his hands up in defense. "What?! Oh, nonononono, never- never in my life, Yellow Diamond, would I disobey you,
I just- I, well- I-
"Still your tongue." She raised a finger up. "You've said enough, Hematite. I expect you to continue your search for those three Gems.
And when you do, you will break Lapis Lazuli, and you will bring her shards to me. Do I make myself clear?"
"...Yes, Yellow Diamond." He agreed reluctantly.
"Good. Now get the job done."
And she dissapeared from the screen, her yellow glow fading away, leaving Mike alone again in the lone darkness of the Kindergarten.
Mike slowly shut off his screen.
He'd nearly messed up. He'd almost spoken against one of Yellow Diamond's orders. He knew better than that.
He's never killed a Gem, but that wasn't a reason to defy his leader like that. When Yellow Diamond orders you to do something,
you put your opinion aside and you do it.
And he had almost defended Lapis's actions of imprisoning her and Jasper. You can't defend Gems who do things like that.
But at the very least, Yellow Diamond didn't seem too angered by it. Hopefully.
But on the other hand, now he's probably going to have to kill Lapis. A relatively innocent Gem, who was probably just confused,
and just wanted to protect Steven.
And that was another problem.
How could he tell Steven? The boy was clearly worried for her, so how could he tell him he had to kill her?
Just when he thought this mission would become easier, it just became a lot more difficult.
The next day...
Steven sat in front of the clock, staring at it constatly and impatiently, paying close attention to every minute that had passed. It was quarter to twelve.
The Gems had vacated very early in the morning, apparently to find some corrupted Gems, they told him.
But he knew what they were actually doing. He had overheard a conversation last night in bed.
Apparently they were actually looking for a Gem ship that landed near the city.
It was probably Mike's ship, unfortunately. So they already knew he landed on Earth.
Normally he would beg to go with them on a mission, but he knew that if the Gems found Mike, it's straight to the Burning Room.
So he decided to stay home and help Mike with finding Peridot.
He was just waiting for him to get here. He planned on trying to slowly coax him into joining him and the Crystal Gems.
He seemed eager to find his friends and go back to Homeworld, but surely he didn't actually WANT to side with them, right?
That weird Gem fusion thing he and Garnet found in the Kindergarten before- he didn't seem like the kind of person who'd be okay with that, right? He seemed to be nice, other than his outburst at the funland.
And while the Gems would try to bubble him if they found him, Steven himself could try to introduce him to the Gems and promise he didn't want to cause trouble. They might be okay with him then, hopefully.
But those thoughts of redemption would have to wait. Right now, he had to help him look for Peridot.
He was pretty excited that they made a team to go and search for Peridot , but he didn't actually know where they should look for her.
Maybe she'd be at the communication hub again? Or the Kindergarten? But he quickly brushed off the idea, considering she almost got caught the last time she went to those places, so she probably wouldn't go back to either of them, at least not immediately.
Steven was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the sound of the front door opening.
He turned his head to the door, and was happy to see the nervous face of Mike peeking from behind the door.
"Good morning, Mike!" He greeted, getting to his feet.
He immediately noticed the boy. He took a quick glance around the house, before speaking.
"Are... the other ones with you?" He asked.
"You sound just like Peridot! Don't worry, it's safe to come in. The Gems left a while ago."
The Gem breathed a sigh of relief before entering the house.
"Okay... good. In that case, good morning to you, too." He greeted back. "So... you didn't say anything about me, right?
Remember, I'm a secret to everybody." He lifted off his hat and scratched his head.
"..." The boy replied with silence. Should he tell him? He doesn't want him to have to worry about the Crystal Gems about knowing about him, but on the other hand, if he didn't tell him, he wouldn't see it coming if they find him.
"Hey, Steven!" Mike snapped his fingers, bringing Steven out of his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh! Well..." Steven scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to come out with it.
Mike kneeled down to him. "Steven... you can tell me. Do they know about me?" He asked.
"...Yeah.." He replied.
Mike let out a sigh. "Steven..."
"But I promise I didn't tell them anything! I heard them last night talking about how they saw a Gem ship on the news,
and I figured it was probably you."
"The news...? You mean that thing where people with cameras film anything they think is interesting and put it on TV?"
Steven nodded.
"Alright... so they're looking for me. That's not good. Steven, do you have any idea where they might have gone?"
"Nuh-uh." The boy replied, shaking his head.
Mike rubbed his chin, his face racked with uncertainy. If the Crystal Gems were looking for him, considering their track record with tracking Peridot, it didn't exactly mean good things. Not in the slightest.
"Okay... so this means we're gonna have to be REALLY careful, then." The Gem rose to his feet. "Steven, come with me." He said,
walking towards the door.
The boy quickly followed behind. "Wait, where are we going?" He asked.
"We're going to my warship. We can fly around wherever we need to, but we'll use it's cloaking device so we won't get spotted."
"Whoa, really? Cool!" The boy exclaimed. "Where is your ship?"
"It's pretty far out of town. It'll probably take a while to get there." Mike replied, opening the door, and the two went outside.
Mike immediately felt the hot summer weather. There was no cool breeze like there was yesterday. There wasn't even a single cloud in the sky, so he was at the mercy of the boiling hot sun.
As he and Steven walked down the beach towards town, he thought to himself about Lapis.
He didn't WANT to kill her. Not one bit. Killing one of your own was always the worst part about being a Gem.
But if he didn't, than Yellow Diamond would surely do it herself. Then probably shatter him too.
If he decided to not listen to Yellow Diamond and leave Lapis alive, that would be considered treason.
And then he'd have every reason to have his Gemstone shattered.
If you help someone who threatened a mission, or especially betrayed another Gem, they're branded a traitor.
So Yellow Diamond DID seem justified in ordering her death.
But could he actually do it? It's as simple as zapping Malachite with a destabilizer, and then crushing her Gem under his foot,
but he didn't want to actually DO it. And besides, couldn't Yellow Diamond give her another chance?
She made a mistake, all Gems do. Although, it was a very big mistake. Even if he did somehow manage to convice her to let Lapis Lazuli live,
she'd probably just rot in a prison cell for all eternity.
Or maybe... he could tell Yellow Diamond that he did kill her, and she could stay safe on Earth, perhaps?
...But then again, no Gem would probably want to stay on Earth, much less her. He has interviewed... no, interrogated, her before.
He remembered asking her what Earth was like. It wasn't a question neccessary to the report, but he was curious to hear about how Earth had changed, to know if it still seemed like a nice place.
Although judging by her answer, it was clear the two had extremely different views about the little blue planet.
She called it... garbage, worthless, a lot of terrible things. She clearly wasn't a fan.
So she probably wouldn't want to stay here, that's for sure.
So it seemed he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
But right now, he had to find a way to break it to Steven. Slowly.
"So... Steven." He started as they walked down the hot beach. "You and Lapis know each other well?"
"Yeah, we met when I let her out of a mirror she was stuck in, then I fixed her Gem after she took the ocean to try and get back home."
Mike acknowledged him with a nod. "Yeah, you told be that before. But what I'm asking you is... you're friends?"
"Totally! We're BSFB's!" He replied.
"...What?" Mike was confused by the acronym.
"It stands for Beach Summer Fun Buddies! Cause' me and Lapis did lots of fun stuff when she was in the mirror, like I would say something,
and then she'd repeat it!"
"Interesting... you're good friends?"
"Yup! Best friends!"
Mike felt a slight stab of guilt every time Steven said how good friends they are.
It was hard enough to be ordered to shatter a Gem, but if Steven and Lapis were best friends, then he couldn't possibly take her away from him like that... But he should still tell him.
"Hey... Steven? There's something I need to tell you..." He said, coming to a stop.
"What is it, Mike?" Steven asked, who also stopped walking.
"Alright... look... I can't really sugarcoat this, so I'll just come right out with it. Last night at the Kindergarten-
"STEVEN!" Three female voices boomed out from behind them, which made Steven's blood run cold.
"Oh no..." He murmured, as he and Mike turned to the direction of the voices, which came from a very angry looking Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, who all had there respective weapons: Garnet with her gauntlets, Amethyst with her whip,
and Pearl with her spear, all three ready to attack the Homeworld Gem.
"...Sh!t." Mike swore.
"Steven, get away from him, that Gem is from Homeworld!" Pearl shouted, brandishing her spear.
Mike took a step back. He observed the three Gems. The Crystal Gems.
An Amethyst, a Pearl, and a Garnet, a fusion between Ruby and Sapphire Gems, their clothing adorned with stars rather than diamonds.
The Crystal Gem's symbol.
This had NOT turned out like he expected.
"Steven... I thought you said they went looking for me somewhere else!" He said to Steven in a low voice.
"W-well I didn't know they were still in Beach City! I thought they went out of town or something!" Steven replied nervously.
Mike turned back to the Crystal Gems, adjusting the fedora on his head.
The Garnet fusion took a step forward. "Step away from the child immediately, Gem, before we have to hurt you." She ordered in a stone-cold tone.
"I thought we were gonna hurt him either way?" The Amethyst Gem said, slipping into the conversation, which earned her a smack on the back of the head by the Pearl.
"Amethyst, shush!" The Pearl whispered.
Mike looked to Steven in confusion.
"...Yeah, they don't get along so well sometimes..." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
Mike shook his head perturbedly.
"So, you gonna surender or what?" Amethyst spoke again, stretching her whip.
"No." Mike replied sternly, which seemed to surprise the Crystal Gems. "I'm just here to retrieve Peridot, Jasper, and Lapis Lazuli,
not to be taken prisoner by the likes of you... earth Gems."
He knew these words were crossing a line. Each word that came out of him seemed to provoke the three Gems more and more.
But he wasn't raised to just stand still and say nothing. He was taught to deal with problems to the best of his abilites. And he knew that if a fight were to occur, he would lose it.
Pearls may be simple drones to be ordered around, and Amethysts relatively weak by Gem standards, but put em' together with a fusion like a Garnet, and that would probably not be an easy group to beat. After all, they took Peridot and Jasper out, and they had an entire warship on their side.
"That's some big talk, considering you're outnumbered 3-to-1, tough guy!" Amethyst retorted.
"And that's some big talk coming from such a shorty!" Mike shot back.
"Enough!" Garnet shouted at the two Gems, before turning back to Mike.
"You. You're a Hematite Gem?" She asked, looking down at his Gemstone.
"Uh... yes?" He answered.
"As I thought. Hematites are strong Gems. But their Gemstones are brittle, so they shatter easily.
You may want to consider that before you do anything stupid."
She was right. Hematite Gemstones are considerably weaker than a lot of other Gemstones.
And considering he was talking to a Garnet, not only being a powerful fusion but also having powerful gauntlets, all she had to do was give him one punch to the Gem with her gauntlets, and it was over.
So he had to plan out what he said very carefully.
He took a few steps closer to the Crystal Gems, who raised their weapons.
His expression hardened, as he slowly took out his Gem Destabilizer.
The Crystal Gems braced themselves, while Steven looked on worringly.
And all four were shocked when Mike proceeded to toss the destabilizer over to the Crystal Gems,
landing in the sand in front of their feet.
They looked at the weapon, and back to Mike.
"My name is Mike. I don't like to be called by my Gem, unlike almost every other Gem in existence.
Don't ask why, that's just who I am. But that's not the point.
You see that boy over there?" He said, pointing to Steven. "...We both feel the same way about all this fighting. It's pointless.
We both don't want to fight anybody. I definitely don't want to fight you Gems. Despite the things you've done to Homeworld,
I don't want to do anything to harm you, I don't want to do anything to harm Steven, and I certainly don't want to do anything to harm this planet. I understand that Peridot and Jasper haven't been... reasonable Gems, but I can personally assure you,
if you don't do anything to harm them, or me, I can make sure they don't try to harm you.
I will take them back to Homeworld, and I can make sure Yellow Diamond doesn't find out that you all live on Earth.
You will never have to worry about Peridot or Jasper harrassing you ever again."
The Crystal Gems all looked at one another in mild surprise and confusion at the Gem's offer.
Was it a trick? Or was he telling the truth, and was being sincere?
All of their previous encounters with Gems from Homeworld usually ended in them all getting captured or nearly killed, but this Gem apparently wanted to make peace with them? An odd turn of events, to be sure.
All the while, Mike looked back at the Crystal Gems, with a look of fearlessness.
On the inside however, he was terrified. He was making such an offer with Crystal Gems, one's that could easily shatter him in an instant if they wanted to. And what if they rejected the offer? Or thought he was lying? What would happen then? Shattering?
But he suddenly felt the comforting warmth of Steven's hand grasp his.
He looked down to the boy, who was staring down the Crystal Gems sternly.
"Steven..." Was all Pearl managed to say.
"He's telling the truth, you guys! He's a nice Gem. When he found out I have my mom's Gem, he didn't try to hurt me like Jasper did.
In fact, he actually saved me from a corrupted Gem yesterday, even though he got hurt protecting me!
And he doesn't want to hurt you, me, or Earth. He just wants to find his friends and go home.
That's not a reason to hurt him, right?" Steven declared.
Amethyst and Pearl looked to the boy unsurety. They both looked to Garnet for her imput.
The fusion simply looked back at them, and gave a slow nod.
Without any words, the Crystal Gems slowly placed their weapons on the ground, where they dissapeared in a flash of light.
Garnet looked back down to the Hematite Gem.
"I'm going against my better judgement on this. But I want you to know something. These Gems are very important to me.
We're a team. If you do anything to harm any of them..."
"Then you can shatter my Gem without any resistance." Mike interrupted. "But you have my word, I really don't want to hurt anybody."
He didn't see her expression change through her visor. But the previous tension was definitely a lot less prominent.
"...Come with us. We'll discuss at the temple." Was all she replied, her voice as stoic as ever.
Without any more words, all five Gems began the not-very-long-at-all walk back to the Crystal Temple.
Nobody said anything aloud, but in their heads, they couldn't stop thinking.
Pearl and Amethyst were wondering, despite the new Gems's apparent non-hostile intentions, why Garnet was going to trust him so easily,
as well as wondering if he had actually saved Steven. Surely he didn't know about Rose's Gem when he did it?
They don't know at all what goes on on Homeworld these days, but they knew that if a Gem from there were to find Rose Quartz,
or her Gem, they'd shatter it at the first oppurtunity. Just what was this Gem planning?
Garnet was wondering why this Gem actually didn't want to harm them or Earth, or if he was even telling the truth at all.
But she was going to 'trust' him only because Steven did. If a Gem from Homeworld would not only not attack, but protect Rose Quartz's son, than she didn't see any reason to just outright bubble or break him.
As for her future vision, she didn't see any immediate breach of his words to them.
Mike was wondering what exactly the Crystal Gems wanted to 'discuss' with him.
And was also slightly bothered by the fact that he would have to put off his search for Peridot temporarily.
The more he delayed, the less likely he will find Peridot. What if she was on a different continent by now or something? She really knows how to work her fingers, after all...
...Why did that sound wrong?
Steven, however, was the only one thinking positively about the situation.
While he hadn't expected the Gems to find out about Mike so quickly, this could actually really help redeem Mike.
His kind personality didn't really seem like he likes whatever evil things that Homeworld does, like that cluster thing and treating Lapis the way they did.
And he's the only Gem so far from Homeworld who actually likes Earth. Even Lapis said Earth was a miserable place,after all...
But now that the Gems knew about him, he could really get to know all of them, and then maybe he'll really see how the Crystal Gems are the ones doing the right thing, and maybe join them or something.
The last thing Steven wanted was for him to choose the wrong side.
...
Sorry for the short hiatus, everyone! I wanted to spend the last few days of summer relaxing, so expect the next chapter soon!
School may start Tuesday, but that won't stop me from writing.
Also, now that Mike/Hematite has met the Crystal Gems, this story can finally go somewhere interesting!
And that thing about Hematite Gems being hard but brittle is actually true in real life.
I'm trying to be as accurate as possible when comparing Mike to real Hematites.
See you in the next chapter! ^^
