Update 1/27/2019: Fixed a couple continuity errors I found.


The PDETF was still pending approval, mainly because the name was a work in progress.

Onyx knew who would join him: the Jasper he met today and the two Rubies. However, there were more important matters to discuss at that moment. He needed to help Pink Diamond get through this meeting. Sure, she had called it, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it.

Thankfully, this meeting would address something that had been nagging at Onyx ever since he returned to the Moon Base. How on Earth did those Crystal Gems know that Pink Diamond would be at the Beta Kindergarten at that point in time?

The answer wouldn't come as much of a surprise.


"First point of order," Pink said. Then she leaned over to Onyx and whispered: "Is that the right thing?"

"Yes, point of order is correct," Onyx said back quietly.

"Right, first point of order," Pink said to the entire room now, "is recognizing the…" She turned back to Onyx again. "Uh, what was my –"

"Recognizing the achievements of the Jasper," he said.

"Yes, we are recognizing the achievements of the Jasper that saved my life. I believe she has been designated as 3XL. Because of her achievements, she will be officially admitted into the…ugh, PDETF." She turned to Onyx. "Are you really sure about that name?"

Onyx sighed. They were at the Diamond chamber of the Moon Base. He realized it to be a scene very similar to the day of the Human Zoo expedition. There was Fire Agate, next to her was Peridot. Next to Peridot was…not the Rose Quartz commander. Of course not, she was still imprisoned. Instead, there was Hessonite, a member of Yellow Diamond's court, acting as temporary Head of Military Affairs. Somehow, she seemed even more smug than the Agate. Still, he knew so little about Hessonite that he couldn't form a proper opinion of her.

"My Diamond," Onyx said, shuffling his feet, "I am doing my best."

"It sounds like some sort of bizarre disease name," Peridot said.

"Far too many 'E' sounds in the acronym if you ask me," Hessonite said.

"I think that –"

"We are veering off topic!" Onyx suddenly shouted, cutting off Fire Agate before she could say anything more.

"Right," Pink said. "Anyway, 3XL will be admitted to my 'Elite Task Force,' which will fall under the leadership of Onyx. All in favor say 'aye.'"

Everyone in the room said "aye," with the exception of Pink Pearl.

"It's settled, then!" Pink said. "Now, to the real reason I called you all here. The attack on my life just today."

All faces turned grim at the mention of this event.

"Might I make a suggestion, my Diamond?" Fire Agate asked. Upon seeing her leader nod, the Head of Resource Management continued. "Perhaps we should increase security on your person?"

"The problem here is not quantity," Hessonite said, "but quality. She needs more experienced security."

"Are you suggesting," Onyx said, giving her a glare, "that I am incapable of protecting my Diamond?"

"Well, only one of us has a perfect win record," Hessonite pointed out, "and it's certainly not you."

"I saved her from those rebels!" Onyx said, his voice raised in anger.

"By the skin of your teeth," Hessonite said coolly. "Need I point out your numerous other losses?"

"That is neither necessary nor relevant to the problem at hand," Onyx said through gritted teeth.

There was a loud bang as Pink Diamond slammed her staff down on her console. Arguing ceased immediately.

"A round of 'Who's Winning Streak is Bigger' is getting us absolutely nowhere," Pink said. "Hessonite, you should know that I trust Onyx with my life. He proved himself worthy of that trust today. If you question him, you question me." She raised an eyebrow and grinned sadistically. "You aren't questioning your Diamond, are you?"

Hessonite shuffled awkwardly and stared at the ground. "Er, no Pink Diamond, that is not the case."

Pink Diamond laughed for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. "Okay, but in all seriousness, Fire Agate has a point and I don't believe she had finished. Agate?"

"Er, yes My Diamond," she said. "Now, as I was saying, I propose we instate a permanent entourage that would surround you at all times. This would require any potential attacker to get through more resistance, allowing for ample time to capture said attacker."

Pink was nodding slowly. "I see…it makes sense."

"I also find sense in this idea," Onyx said.

"All in favor?" Pink asked.

There was a unanimous chorus of "aye," although Hessonite noticeably hesitated.

"It's unanimous! Agate, I leave you in charge of organizing the entourage."

"Thank you, my Diamond," she said.

"So, unless anyone else has something to say…" Pink Diamond left the statement hanging, giving her subordinates time to bring something up.

"My Diamond," Onyx said. "There is one thing that has been bothering me since we returned here."

"And that is?" Pink asked, gazing at him with interest.

"I would like to know how exactly those rebels knew you would be present at the Beta Kindergarten today," Onyx said.

Fire Agate tilted her head curiously. "Why it's obvious, isn't it?" she asked. "This was a routine raid on the Beta Kindergarten not unlike the attacks on the Prime that have been happening since the war's beginning."

"There's more to it than that, though," Onyx said. "This wasn't just a 'routine raid.' The first words Bismuth spoke to me today –"

"Which Bismuth are you referring to?" Peridot asked.

Onyx had to remind himself that there were countless Bismuths in the Homeworld Empire and his allies couldn't possibly know which specific one he was referring to. "A prominent figure in the rebellion's leadership. The first thing she said to me when she ambushed me was 'where is Pink Diamond.' She almost seemed to expect that Pink Diamond would be there." He glanced at his leader with concern before continuing. "Now, the schedule for Pink Diamond's visits to the Kindergartens are entirely confidential to only everyone in this room. I can come to no other conclusion than someone in this room is leaking information to the Crystal Gems."

There was great silence in the room. Everyone stared at Onyx for a moment as they processed his idea.

It was Fire Agate who spoke first.

"Have you cracked?!" she demanded, stalking up to Onyx and glaring down on him. "Are you honestly suggesting that one of us is a spy?"

"It is the only logical explanation I can think of," Onyx said, unflinching in Agate's incredulous rage.

Agate knocked on his head, producing a dull clanging. She didn't seem to notice in her frustration.

"Perhaps that mind of yours isn't as sharp as I was led to believe," she said. "This inner circle is held by only the most trusted individuals hand-picked by Pink Diamond herself!"

She was cut off by a great impact knocking her to the ground. Pink Diamond's staff had extended and smacked her on the side of her head.

"Really digging this staff," she said, returning the staff to normal size and patting it affectionately. "It has so many uses, wouldn't you say, Pearl?"

Pink Pearl nodded, much to the surprise of everyone who hadn't noticed her. Onyx noticed her face turn a darker shade as she smiled a little.

Fire Agate held her head in pain as she stood. Then she stood stiffly at attention.

"I-I-I apologize, my Diamond," she stuttered. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Obviously," Onyx said. Agate glared at him, but wisely said nothing.

"Oh, calm down, Agate," Hessonite said, shrugging and shaking her head. "A spy is not a problem if we can sniff it out."

"It's not that simple, Hessonite," Peridot interjected. "We cannot tell who the spy is by merely looking."

"We will need to begin an intensive interrogation procedure," Onyx said. "I will interrogate every one of you to determine which of you is the spy."

"Now hold on," Hessonite said. "I am surprised you haven't seen the logical fallacy in that plan. How are we to know that you aren't that spy, and this is all an elaborate ruse to divert attention off yourself?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Peridot said. "Onyx fought against the rebels on countless occasions and actively obstructed them from stealing Pink Diamond. Furthermore –"

Peridot's next words were cut off when Hessonite's hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her into the air.

"Take that tone with me again," Hessonite said with great anger, "and I will throw you into the Earth's sun with my own two hands. Understand?"

With great difficulty, Peridot nodded her head and made a choking noise that vaguely sounded like "uh-huh."

"That's enough, Hessonite!" Pink Diamond shouted. "Let her go now!"

Hessonite immediately did as she was told. Peridot fell to the ground, gasping for air and coughing.

"Apologies, my Diamond," Hessonite said.

"I don't know how Yellow Diamond's court works, on the count of me getting bored and zoning out when she explained it. Anyway, pointless maiming of your fellow Gems is generally frowned upon here. Get the picture?"

Hessonite nodded slowly, carefully removing all signs of emotion from her face. "Yes, my Diamond."

"Good!" Pink Diamond said. Given how quickly she was transitioning between delight and tranquil fury, Onyx had reason to believe she was messing with everyone in the room.

"Now, what were you saying Onyx?" Pink asked.

Onyx sighed. "Hessonite…you're absolutely correct. I let my instinct to protect Pink Diamond cloud my judgement."

"Awww," Pink remarked. "That's sweet."

"We require an impartial third party to fairly judge which of us is the spy. No, Hessonite, I'm not referring to you." Hessonite lowered her hand with a disgruntled look on her face. "We need someone whose skillset is specifically tailored to investigation."

"So what you're saying is…we need a Zircon?" Pink Diamond asked.

"Precisely," Onyx said.


Onyx looked around. The walls of the holding cell were blank and featureless, giving the impression that he was stuck in some ethereal white void. The table and two chairs were the only things in the room aside from Onyx himself. He imagined that being stuck in one of these rooms would be a maddening experience for anyone.

All Onyx was feeling at the moment was boredom. He had been stuck in the room for several hours at this point, and he could only review the attack on the Beta Knidergarten so many times before the experience grew stale. There was, however, one event he kept playing back in his head: Pink Pearl tripping Bismuth. Entertaining as that was, he couldn't help but feel… something else whenever he saw it. Was it shame that a Pearl had done his job better than he could have at the time? No, he doubted that was the case.

Then he finally understood. He felt gratitude.

Onyx was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door to the cell slide open. The telltale clunk of a certain staff hitting the ground gave away who was there before Onyx even saw them.

"Hey, Onyx," Pink Diamond said, cheerfully waving as she walked in. Pink Pearl was not far behind, the door closing after her. Onyx smiled to himself. He was finding it easier to notice his Diamond's most loyal servant as the days went by.

"Not exactly very homely, is it?" Pink asked as she sat down.

"I must admit, the solitude of this cell is enough to make me miss the Rubies," Onyx said.

"So, you do like being around them?" Pink Diamond remarked with a mischievous grin.

"On very very rare occasions," Onyx conceded.

Pink Diamond's face suddenly became very serious. "Listen, you don't have to do this."

Onyx frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"This whole… mess," Pink said, waving her arms in a huge circle. "This cell, the interrogation, none of it is needed for you. I can clear your name real easy!"

"I appreciate the gesture, my Diamond," Onyx said, "but I would rather it not come to that."

Pink Diamond tilted her head, tapping her chin in thought. "Whyyyy?"

"If you clear my name, it is true that the others –" He gestured to the door, outside of which the other members of Pink Diamond's inner circle were patiently waiting their turn. "– will accept your opinion without question. However, there will still be lingering doubt in their mind because I was not subjected to the same rigorous questioning that they will soon go through. The only way they will truly accept my loyalty is if you give evidence, at which point you will likely have to divulge my secret to them."

He raised his hand onto the table. The hand glowed with a pale purple light that receded up his arm. He clenched his fist, now exposed as metal with veins of purple energy spread throughout.

"I know about this," he said. "You know about this. But they do not. I would like to keep it that way."

Pink Diamond sighed and leaned back in the chair. It was a slightly awkward maneuver considering the chair was comically small for someone her size. "Why do we have to keep the coolest thing about you a secret to everybody?"

Onyx restored his hand, opening his fist to stare at the pale purple skin of his palm. "Imagine for a moment that you revealed to all of Homeworld the truth about what I am. Every Gem from the smallest Pebble to the mightiest Quartz would look at me and see something alien. Something that exists outside the established norm of our society." He looked at the table. "No one would ever see me the same way again."

Pink Diamond let this information sink in. She eventually nodded. "Fine. I see your point. Welp!" She suddenly rose to her feet, stumbling a bit and catching herself with her staff. "I gotta go. I just came to check up on you."

Onyx nodded. "Where are you headed this time?"

"Back to Earth," she replied. "I never did finish my inspection of the Beta Kindergarten. It's sooo boring but I gotta do it eventually." She turned to walk away when something suddenly occurred to Onyx.

"My Diamond," he said.

She turned around again, tapping her foot impatiently. "Yeeeees?"

"Forgive me for stalling you further, but may I borrow Pearl for a moment?"

Pink Diamond turned to Pink Pearl, who had just opened the door for her. She turned back to Onyx and shrugged. "I guess? Just make it quick."

Pink Diamond walked out of the cell and Pink Pearl closed the door. She stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Sit down," Onyx said, gesturing to the now empty seat across from him.

Pink Pearl hesitated for a moment, then walked up to the chair. She slowly sat down, as if afraid the chair might give way any second. The two sat in silence, Onyx gathering his thoughts and Pearl sweating nervously. She opened her mouth to speak, apprehension all over her face.

"You don't need to say anything," Onyx said. "Just listen."

Pearl sighed in relief.

Onyx leaned forward. "I never had the chance to thank you."

Pink Pearl tilted her head in confusion.

"You tripped Bismuth and got Pink Diamond away from her," Onyx said. "You may very well have saved her life. You did what I could not." He gave a small smile. "For that I must offer my sincerest gratitude."

Pink Pearl stared at him. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were beginning to look watery.

"Don't cry, Pearl," Onyx said.

She nodded and rubbed the tears away.

"Now, go back to our Diamond," he said.

Pink Pearl nodded and stood up. She was about to open the door when something else occurred to Onyx. "Pearl? Continue to keep her safe for me."

Pearl did not turn to look at him, but nodded anyway. She opened the door and walked out. The door slid shut. Onyx was alone again.


Pink Diamond gave an impatient huff as Pink Pearl finally emerged from the cell. "About dang time!" she said.

Pink Pearl looked around. Hessonite, Fire Agate, and Peridot were all staring at her. This was getting uncomfortable.

"Come on, we have to get to the Galaxy Warp now!" Pink Diamond said. "At this rate, it'll be night at the Beta Kindergarten by the time we get there."

Pink Pearl nodded and followed quickly after Pink Diamond.

They walked without saying a word. The clunk of Pink Diamond's staff on the ground punctuated their footsteps.

It was a few minutes after they had departed that Pink Diamond finally said what was on her mind.

"What did you guys even talk about in there anyway?" she asked.

Pink Pearl simply looked at her Diamond, smiled, and shrugged.


Just when Onyx thought he really would go insane from waiting, the door slid open again. Standing in the doorway, surrounded by oblong holo-screens was a Blue Zircon.

Zircons fulfilled a few roles on Homeworld, most of which were similar to each other. Some were linguists, interpreting the written languages of long-lost civilizations and translating them with great accuracy. Some were lawyers, taking equal parts in defense and prosecution with the higher-profile ones even attending cases overseen by the Diamonds themselves. The one that had arrived in Onyx's cell was both this and an investigator. It was her job to find out who among the billions of Gems in Homeworld's empire weren't as loyal as they said they were.

Zircons were an interesting case for Onyx. He had no strong opinion on them. He did not like them, but then again, he didn't dislike them either. He admired their deductive reasoning skills, yet he frowned upon how some of them could get so flustered when a case did not go their way.

Blue Zircon took one of the holo-screens around her and pulled it closer to her face. She was deeply engrossed in thought, not even looking up when the door closed and she took the seat across from Onyx. She hummed in thought, scrolling down the file on the screen and reading at an impressive pace.

Onyx began to speak. "I am –"

"I know who you are," Zircon said, still not looking up from her screen.

Onyx nodded and leaned forward in his chair. "How much do you know about me?"

"Not nearly as much as I would like to," Zircon said. With a frustrated sigh she pushed the holo-screen away from her and finally looked Onyx in the eye. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find information on you?"

"I do have some idea," he said. He was well aware that many of the files detailing his creation were restricted and not often sought after. Most of the nobility on Homeworld didn't even know he existed.

"You're an enigma," Zircon said. "If one doesn't look hard enough, one might assume you don't exist. It certainly doesn't make my job any easier," Zircon said. She pulled out another screen from her monocle and placed it on the table. Onyx recognized it as a voice recorder. She began recording.

"State your name and designation for the record, please," Zircon said.

"Onyx," he replied. "Facet 3MP, Cut 7RD."

"What is your connection to Pink Diamond?" she asked.

"I live to serve my Diamond in whatever manner she desires," he said. "As of current, I am her guard and I am occasionally dispatched on missions integral to dismantling the Crystal Gem Rebellion."

"Approximately how long have you served under Pink Diamond?" Zircon asked.

"576 years," Onyx said. "That is also how long I have been in existence."

"What are your personal feelings regarding Pink Diamond?" Zircon asked.

Onyx hesitated for a moment. Zircon furrowed her brow. "Answer the question, please," she said impatiently.

After another moment's pause, Onyx spoke again. "My apologies, I was merely gathering my thoughts.

"My Diamond is the best person I have ever met. Her ideas are unorthodox, yet understandable. She is unusually expressive, yet she knows when to be serious. She is far from eloquent, but she shows great improvement every day. I owe my very existence to her, and for that I shall continue to serve her until the end of time. I will ensure her safety no matter the cost. She is my Diamond in every sense of the phrase. And…" He briefly considered how wise it would be to say this, then dismissed that thought. "And she is my friend."

"Your… friend?" Blue Zircon gave him a look of confusion.

"She told me as much," he said.

Blue Zircon nodded. "Back on the topic at hand, where were you when Pink Diamond was captured."

Onyx's stare suddenly turned cold. "I would like to remind you that my Diamond was captured very briefly. We were able to rescue her in the end."

"Answer the question, please."

Onyx sighed. "I was at the Beta Kindergarten. I was in another section when she was captured."

"Why weren't you with her if you are so loyal to her?" Zircon asked.

"I was ordered to be in that section," Onyx said. "She had told me that we could get more work done if we split up and shared our findings."

"Was anyone else with you?" Zircon asked.

"A Peridot working at the Kindergarten," Onyx said. "And two Rubies. They too were sent to guard Pink Diamond, but she felt I…" Onyx took a moment to remember exactly how she had articulated her reasoning. "She felt I might get 'lonely,' so she sent the Rubies to entertain me."

"Entertain you?" Zircon asked.

"Pink Diamond's ideas are unorthodox, yet understandable," Onyx repeated.

"How exactly did the attack go down?" Zircon asked.

"I was inspecting a section where a Gem was currently planted when the Crystal Gems Bismuth and her soldiers attacked me," Onyx explained. They demanded to know where Pink Diamond was, but I of course refused to tell them. I sent the Peridot to acquire backup and raise the alarm. We were outnumbered and were it not for the Jasper emerging from the wall to provide backup we may very well have lost."

"How was Pink Diamond captured?" Zircon asked. "From my understanding, she was in another section of the Kindergarten."

"She told me later that she had heard the sounds of battle and wanted to investigate them," he said. "As she approached, the Bismuth with the Crystal Gems was easily able to capture her in her weakened state."

"And you could do nothing to save her?" Zircon asked.

Onyx gritted his teeth. "Bismuth had threatened to shatter her," Onyx said. "Had I done anything rash, something terrible could have happened."

"You had your arm cannon," Zircon said. "Could you not have shot at the Bismuth from a distance? Could you not have saved –"

"I could not risk her safety!" Onyx screamed, pounding his fist on the table as he reached his breaking point. Zircon was flustered and nearly fell out of her seat. "I was unable to act without risking harming her! What if Bismuth was faster than I and harmed her before I could fire a single shot? What if my aim was off and I hit my Diamond instead? I would sooner shatter myself than risk harming a hair on her head!"

Onyx tilted his head. "Does that answer all of your questions?" he asked, speaking as if his outburst hadn't even occurred.

Zircon gulped nervously and sat up straight. "Er, yes. I think I've heard enough. You're free to go."

"Thank you," Onyx said. He stood up and walked out of the room.

Blue Zircon stopped recording and sighed. "I really hate my job sometimes."


Onyx opened the door and was greeted with chaos.

The Rubies were talking loudly, each one trying to be heard over someone else in the room and progressively getting louder. Some Rubies were arm wrestling. Most were just wrestling. It was rowdy, uncouth, and did he mention it was loud?

Onyx sighed. Then, for the second time that day, Onyx raised his voice.

"SILENCE!" he shouted.

All the Rubies in the room froze in place. Out of the corner of his eye, Onyx saw one Ruby take advantage of the distraction and slam her opponent's arm down on the table.

"HA!" she shouted.

There was a loud bang as a laser pierced her body, poofing her instantly.

Onyx sighed in relief and dispelled his arm cannon. "I require the presence of two Facet 5 Rubies, Cut 1CY and 2CY, as well as their new recruit."

Two voices cried out excitedly as three of the Rubies ran up to him. He recognized two of them: Ruby 1 with her gemstone on her right shoulder and Ruby 2 with her gemstone on the back of her right third was looking at him with a dopey expression, nervously rubbing her shoulder. Aside from her Gemstone being placed on her left shoulder, she was identical to the other two with her.

Onyx motioned for them to follow him out of the room. "Carry on," he said to the rest of the Rubies. The instant he closed the door, he heard the chaos increase in volume with every second.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Ruby 1 asked.

"Never call me 'boss' again," Onyx said. "Follow me." He began walking quickly down the hall, the Rubies quickly following.

"Uh, excuse me?" the new Ruby asked, raising her hand. "But who are you?"

"Onyx, your new superior," he said. "I assume you are the new Ruby 3?"

"Actually, she's Ruby 4!" Ruby 2 said.

"Why?" Onyx asked.

"Ruby 3 is a traitor, duh!" Ruby 1 said.

"Ah, of course," Onyx said. Briefly he thought of Garnet. Had she foreseen the spy being found out?

"So, where are we going now?" Ruby 4 asked.

"To pick up someone else," he said. They stopped outside another door and Onyx opened it.

This one was another holding cell, though this one lacked a table or chairs. Sitting on the ground inside was a burly figure, one who had only been in existence for several hours.

Jasper looked up and saw Onyx enter with the three Rubies behind him. "You again," she said.

"Yes," Onyx said. "I do not believe we were properly introduced. I am Onyx." He held out a hand to Jasper.

She stood up. Onyx sighed internally at the fact that she was much taller than him. She took his hand in hers and shook it.

"As of today, I am your superior officer," Onyx said. "We have much to discuss."


"What is your relation to Pink Diamond?" Zircon asked.

"I am her Head of Technological Development," Peridot said, staring intently at a chart on her screen. "I oversee all tech production on the Earth Colony, I am head of quite a few secret projects that you have no clearance to know about, and I am without question the most intelligent Gem in her inner circle."

Zircon nodded, a bit miffed at the tone Peridot was taking with her. "Where were you during the attack at the Beta Kindergarten?"

"Doing things which you have no clearance to know about," Peridot said, sliding her screen to a new graph. "Overseeing several projects that are highly classified."

Zircon glared. "This is an interrogation," she said through her teeth. "Clearance is irrelevant at this point."

"All you need to know," Peridot said, "is that I don't even know how the attack happened, so you don't have to waste our time asking that question. Pink Diamond just told us that it happened, Onyx mentioned there being a Bismuth there, and nothing more. My loyalty is resolute."

"I will be the judge of that," Zircon said.

"Think of it this way," Peridot said. "I see the Crystal Gems as idiots wasting valuable mind power on trivial matters like 'freedom.' I am far too invested in my research and the resources provided to me by Homeworld to squander it all by getting involved in some pointless rebellion."

Zircon narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by 'pointless?'"

"I'm just saying that win or lose, the Crystal Gems are doomed either way," Peridot said. "But even that is saying too much. If you really want to know what I'm talking about, you can go ask Yellow Diamond and she might tell you if she's feeling generous."

"The point of an interrogation," Zircon said, "is to glean as much information as possible from you. I can't do that if you withhold everything. And would you stop looking at that screen for one minute?!"

"No," Peridot said.


Jasper sat cross-legged and stared at the ground. "So, these Crystal Gems want to take Pink Diamond's colony from her."

"Yes," Onyx said.

"And we have to stop them?" Jasper said.

"That is the overly simplified version of events, yes," Onyx said. "As members of the Pink Diamond Elite Task Force… oh my stars, that really is a mouthful." Onyx shook his head and continued. "As members of the PDETF, we shall carry out the most high-profile missions available. We shall serve Pink Diamond in any way she deems necessary. When not on missions, we shall be members of her entourage, carefully safeguarding her from all harm. Do you have any objections to this?"

Jasper thought about the first thing Pink Diamond said to her upon her emergence. She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Count me in!" Ruby 1 said, raising her hand.

"Me too!" Ruby 2 said, also raising her hand.

"Me four!" Ruby 4 said, raising her foot.

Jasper and Onyx stared at them. "Why exactly are they here?" the Quartz soldier asked.

"I tend to overthink everything," Onyx said. "These three shall help me simplify things."

"Also, we're really good at punching things," Ruby 1 said.

"Yeah, kick, punch!" Ruby 2 said.

"It's all in the mind!" Ruby 4 said.

"Now what are they babbling about?" Jasper asked.

Onyx sighed. "I am beginning to miss the interrogation room."

"You know we can hear you, right?" Ruby 1 asked.


"I mean, I suppose I always knew I was destined for greatness, but I never really expected Yellow Diamond herself to recognize my talents. Oh, who am I kidding, of course I did! I mean my perfect winning streak has been going on for centuries now with no signs of stopping. Of course Yellow Diamond would have to recognize my talents eventually."

Hessonite stopped talking and looked at Zircon. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

Zircon rubbed her temples. "All I asked," she said, "was for you to state your name and designation for the record."

"Oh, my apologies," Hessonite said. "I just get so caught up in myself sometimes. I mean, who could blame me right? Have I mentioned my perfect winning streak by the way?"

"Yes. You have. Ten times."


Onyx hesitated. He might regret this, but he felt this was for the best.

"There is one more thing I must share with you all," Onyx said. "As we are a team now, we must not have any secrets between us. There will come times where we must trust each other with our lives. We must trust each other with utmost conviction." He took a deep breath. "And so, I must divulge my greatest secret to you. If any of you reveals this to anyone without my permission, I shall shatter you myself."

He raised his arms to his sides. His entire body began to glow with purple light. The light receded up his limbs and down his head, artificial flesh giving way to metal plates and tubes of energy. When the light faded, he looked at each of the soldiers. They all into the purple lights that were his eyes.

"This is my true form," he said. "I am part machine. I am the prototype of the Titanium Project."

Ruby 4 and Jasper continued to stare with mouths agape. Rubies 1 and 2, however, were not so shocked. After all, they had already seen him without his skin after he was ruined in his first encounter with Garnet. That did not lessen their impressment with him, however.

"So does this mean you're indestructible?" Jasper asked.

"No," Onyx said. "Just exceedingly difficult to stop." Glowing light began to envelop him, travelling down his arms and up his head. When the light faded, he was back in his uniform and he had normal-looking purple eyes.

"Why do you never cover your legs when you do that glowy skin thing?" Ruby 1 asked, pointing at said limbs.

"There are rockets stored in there," he said. "If I cover them, I won't be able to fly. Also, my gemstone contains insufficient power to cover my entire body. I can pass off my legs as metal boots."

"You can fly?!" Ruby 4 asked.

"Yes," Onyx said, looking a bit proud of himself. "I can."

"Coooool," Ruby 4 said.

"Just wait 'til you see him crash," Ruby 1 said.

Onyx's arm cannon appeared on his hand in an instant.

"Shutting up now," Ruby 1 said.


Zircon stared intently in Fire Agate's eyes. "What is your connection to Pink Diamond."

"I am her head of Resource Management," Fire Agate said. "I regulate the distribution of Gem workers and soldiers to where they are needed. I organize the harvest of natural resources and the implanting of new Gems in the Kindergartens."

"What is your opinion of Pink Diamond?" Zircon asked.

"Well, she's perfect of course!" Fire Agate said, hands up to her cheeks and gazing at the ceiling with admiration. "When I heard she wanted me to be her Head of Resource Management, I thought I would crack from the excitement! Working with her is truly a pleasure!"

"Where were you during the attack on Pink Diamond?" Zircon asked.

"I was with her, of course," Fire Agate said. "She had wanted me to show her around the Beta Kindergarten. It was a bit of a rush job, but I made sure to make the best of it."

"Why weren't you with her when she was captured?" Zircon asked.

"Well, she had requested to see a Gem that had emerged from a particular exit," Fire Agate said. "So, I had to run back to the lab and find her. By the time I had, a Peridot technician came running in shouting about an attack. It was all over by the time I got there."

"So you couldn't do anything to help?"

"Of course not, I was off planet!" Fire Agate said. "I mean, what's that Onyx's excuse? He had Bismuth in his sights, it was an easy target. Our Rubies had the rebellious Rubies occupied, the Jaspers and Amethysts were dazed, he had no obstructions. Frankly, it was almost as if he wanted her to be captured."

Zircon's eyes narrowed.

"Am I right?" Fire Agate asked, looking rather smug.

Zircon smiled and tapped her monocle. "Yes. You are."


Onyx suddenly heard a ringing in his ears. He held a hand up to stop the Rubies and Jasper from talking. He held his hand up to the side of his head.

"Yes, my Diamond," he said.

"Just got a notification from Blue Zircon," Pink Diamond said. "You should get down there. I'll be with you as quick as I can."

"Understood," he said. Without another word, he cut off communications.

"Why were you talking to yourself?" Jasper asked.

"One of the perks of being a machine," he said. "I was built with direct access to the Diamond communication line in my CPU."

"Cooool," the three Rubies said. Onyx opened the door and walked out, the others following him.

"What's a CPU?" Ruby 1 asked Jasper. The burly soldier just shrugged.


Blue Zircon looked at the lineup of Gems in front of her. Jasper and the Rubies were standing off to the side, watching the proceedings.

"I have to say," Blue Zircon said, "I was expecting this case to be one of the hardest ones in my life. A spy in a Diamond's own inner circle would have to be incredibly cunning and an impeccable actor. And I must say, I was not disappointed."

"Well, out with it," Hessonite said. "Who is it?"

Blue Zircon leaned her back against the wall. "I suggest we wait for Pink Diamond to get –"

"Here!" Everyone turned to see Pink Diamond running up to them. She leaned heavily on her staff, looking ready to collapse any minute. "What did I miss?"

"We were just about to discuss Blue Zircon's findings, my Diamond," Onyx said.

"Oh…good. Let's… get it over with then," she said between breaths. "Hoo! Should not have…sprinted all the way here."

Onyx nodded and turned to Zircon. "You heard her, let's hear it."

"Very well, then," Zircon said. She walked up to each Gem in the line, slowly pacing in front of them.

She suddenly stopped and turned to the Gem next to her with a confident smile. "Fire Agate, how did you know the contents of the Crystal Gems' attack party if you weren't there to witness it?"

Fire Agate stood there, looking Zircon in the eye. Everyone turned and stared at the two of them.

Before anyone could say anything else, Fire Agate stepped forward and punched Zircon in the face.

"Get her!" Peridot shouted, running forward with her limb enhancers forming into a cannon. Fire Agate reached into the gemstone in her right eye and pulled out a flail. She swung the weapon and the spiked ball threw Peridot off her feet with the impact. She turned to Pink Diamond, who was still hunched over and out of breath. Everyone around her was pulling out their respective weapons. She ran towards Pink Diamond, letting out a war cry.

Suddenly, Pink Diamond stood up and tripped Fire Agate with a swing of her staff. Before Fire Agate had even hit the ground, Pink Diamond swung the staff again and hit her across the face. Fire Agate spun around and landed on her back.

"Congrats, Fire Agate," Pink Diamond said, all signs of her previous fatigue vanished. "You just got duped." She looked up, suddenly looking a bit worried. "That is the right word, right?"

"Yes, it is," Onyx said with a smile. He leaned over and picked up Fire Agate, holding her hands behind her back.

"If you think that my shattering will change anything," she said, "then you are sorely –"

Her next words were cut off when Onyx put his arm cannon against her head. "I have been waiting to do this for a long time."

He fired. A flash of purple light and a cloud of red smoke followed. The teardrop-shaped red gemstone bounced once against the ground with a clink. Onyx picked it up and covered it with both his hands. When he lifted one of his hands off, the gemstone was now surrounded by a purple bubble.

"I must say, that was very cleverly done, my Diamond," Onyx said.

"Aww, thanks Onyx," Pink Diamond said.

"Owww…." Everyone turned to Blue Zircon, completely forgotten in the excitement. Jasper walked over and helped her to her feet.

"Are you unharmed?" Onyx asked.

"Oh, I'll be just…" Zircon tilted her head. "Why are you all multiplying?"

"She'll be fine," Peridot said. "The dizziness should wear off soon."

Onyx nodded. He turned to Pink Diamond and lifted up the bubble. "My Task Force and I are going to get this to the holding facility."

"Excellent," Pink Diamond said with a smile. "Now we can concentrate on fighting the Rebellion."

"It's good to get back to work," Onyx said.


A/N: So I guess this is technically an Alternate Universe fic now.

I'm back from my hiatus. Why did I take a hiatus? Well, long story short, I've had family issues, we've had to sell my childhood home, I got a job, and quite frankly my life was just getting crazy. But that's just boring stuff, you don't want to hear about that.

I finally caught up on the recent episodes, watched the season 5 finale, and promptly got disappointed that Steven and Garnet's fusion wasn't a giant Bowser after they got crushed by the Diamond Megazord. Maybe I've been playing too much Bowser's Inside Story 3D lately.

Huge shoutout to Guest Reviewer Shade for inadvertently giving me the motivation to write again by asking me to post an author's note explaining why I'm not continuing the story. Except now I am continuing the story partially to spite you. Joke's on you, clod.

I won't be rewriting this story from scratch to account for certain plot developments. As I said, this is technically an AU now, so I'm just going to roll with the punches. I'll have to reinvent certain aspects I had planned out, but other than that the show must go on.

Thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story. I don't know how but this story accumulated 52 followers since my absence. That's insane. You're all awesome.