Trigger warning: Pretty blatant depiction of self harm.

Author's note: I don't know why I put this pretty sad flashback in here, but I did. It's pretty "meh" but I'm still posting it, so...

Plan F

Ruined Timeline: Past

"Steven…Steven…" Steven heard someone call his name, though sort of faded. "Steven!" She called more clearly.

Steven moaned as his eyes fluttered open and he found himself in Lapis' arm, the blue gem looking down at him, fear evident.

"Steven, are you okay?!" She asked.

Steven looked around him, finding a blood covered blade on the floor. He looked to his wrists, each having been bandaged by the gem holding him now.

Steven didn't even groan this time. She had saved him again…as she always did.

Eighty four years, seven months, and twenty two days, that had been the time that passed since Lapis "rescued" him from his dying planet…the one he had hoped to die protecting. Each year went like it was a century in itself, droning on and on with the halfwit water gem as his only company. The worst part though wasn't her ever present stupidity or naivety, which Steven became increasingly aware of thanks to many lessons he took on Earth from Peridot on the inner workings of the universe and his own studies during his time aboard the ship, but the fact that she was always there, always watching, always protecting her precious sunshine. Couldn't she see that he only wanted to leave this wretched place and join his family in the afterlife? Was that so much to ask for even? But no, she refused to give him that freedom. It had become abundantly clear to Steven that he was merely a prisoner of "love" to the gem who forced him to exist, who force-fed when he refused to eat, who never allowed him around any materials that she deemed dangerous enough to even remotely bring an end to his miserable life. Lapis loved him so much…she loved him to the point that she almost couldn't stand it (and to the point that Steven couldn't stand it), where she was constantly trying to make him happy, trying to interact, trying to fuse even (daily), so of course she didn't want to release him from his pain and her life…and Steven hated her dearly for it.

"Steven, what were you thinking?!" Lapis cried, trying to express anger, but only managing to speak through sobs as tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged him close to her. "You could have- you almost- …I thought you were finally getting happier."

Steven didn't even try to struggle out of her hold, knowing all too well how much more powerful Lapis was than himself, simply giving an eye roll. He had heard similar speeches, similar guilt trips put in place to keep him from hurting himself, from her in the past, they had done this song and dance many times before.

"Whatever, just take me to bed and cry yourself to sleep like you always do." Steven said, voice void of sympathy. It would have been odd to hear from him on Earth, given how caring and considerate he was, but at this point, he had become a new person, a mere shell of the child he had once been.

Lapis' expression fell in an almost defeated manner, which was deceiving given that she refused to be defeated. She had continued to preserve his existence for a long time, longer than Steven cared to remember. It was pitiful for both of them, that one tried to protect what gave her life worth while the other didn't want his own life to have any.

Steven didn't care as Lapis' grip fell from his. He merely pulled away from her, ready to leave and recharge to prepare for the next day, which would likely be a repeat of last week with how repetitive their lives were, where she cheerily tried to make him smile even for a moment and he filled the empty void in his life with the only thing he found anything even remotely akin to pleasure, research, which was made possible because of the last gift Peridot had given to him, her (sort of) repaired limb enhancer, complete with the floating digits and database to go with it. Steven went on like it was any other Tuesday, which it was, like it should have been. However, as he tried, something happened that finally broke their cycle of predictability…forever. And it all started with a painful gripping of his arm.

Steven felt his upper right arm get grabbed hard by Lapis, harshly, in a manner he had thought to be foreign of her, despite his opinion of her being somewhere closer to demon than monster. The action shocked Steven, and actually frightened him as she spun him around and found her face inches from his. He felt his heart drop as he immediately realized he had no control, no guess as to what was happening, other than she was the one in control, and she was frightening him.

"I know you aren't happy here! I know you're not happy here with me!" Lapis snapped, something Steven hadn't heard in a long time. "But you are here, you're stuck here with me! I've tried to make your life with me enjoyable! I've hurt so you wouldn't have to! And I know you hate me, but I don't care! No matter what you do, I'm not letting you leave, I'm…I'm not letting you go… So you better get used to it and start realizing that there are still things that can make you happy, that you can enjoy!" Lapis pulled him close, Steven actually feeling a chill run down his spine as he felt her cool breath against his face, as she whispered despite their complete privacy. "Because I'm never going to stop fighting until you do." With that, she made a move that Steven had known would come some day, one he had been dreading the coming for during his entire first century here, one he had always been wary of…until this very moment. Lapis held his body still, she made sure he couldn't get free, that no maneuvering could free him from her superior power, and began to slowly lower her head down towards him. With no chance of escaping, Steven felt Lapis press her lips against his.

Sector Epsilon 82, Q 7, 49.3: Present

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Jazz exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "We lost him. Our first mission and we lost him! The actual savior of the multiverse and we couldn't keep him safe for one single mission?!"

"Hey, we've been through worse." Rose Wings offered sweetly. "Remember when Water Wings got us attacked by those robot thingies?"

Water Wings patted his friend's back. "Not really helping bud."

Rose Wings looked to Water Wings. "What do you mean? We made it out and even helped that hedgehog and fox out of their pickle."

Water Wings couldn't help but chuckle. "The fox didn't even realize his name was a pun."

"Hello, aren't you forgetting something?!" Jazz asked harshly before going back to talking to the taller two.

Rose Wings sighed, slightly embarrassed but still wearing a smile. "Oh…I really didn't help."

"Jazz calm down." Green told her partner, tapping something on her screen.

"Calm?! How can you be calm at a time like this-"

"Jasper!" Green looked up from her screen and snapped, shutting up the orange gem at the sound of her true name, something she only heard from Green when she meant business. The green gem looked back to her screen, resuming her work. "Steven and Lapis will be alright. We obviously aren't just going to let our top priorities die on their first mission."

"But how can you be sure?!" Jazz asked.

Green typed a few more keys before lined boxes that appeared to be a grid popped up with a red dot at the center, the Peridot smirking. "Because everything's still going according to plan."

Steven groaned softly as his eyes began to open. Where…was he?

Without lifting his head, he took a glance left and right.

A forest…why?

He looked over to find Lapis lying on the ground a few feet away from him.

Steven's expression became one of exasperation. Of course. She had something to do with it. Was she trying to get them alone as another one of her recent failed romantic advances? They already slept in the same bed (though he didn't really have a choice in that matter), why couldn't she just stop? These odd little things always messed up in some way, like her getting knocked out for instance, and he was the one who was stuck cleaning up the mess.

"Ugh, how much longer?" Steven heard a voice ask. "I'm tired of doing this creep's dirty work."

Steven felt a little confused. Was that…Jazz? He supposed that the orange gem should have realized by now, but she wasn't exactly the most…well he supposed she was smart enough and an all around skilled tactician, but she wasn't the best when it came to connecting the dots. Though, what dirty work? Did Lapis finally kill someone? He supposed it was going to happen sooner or later.

"This is the first thing we've done for the behemoth. It's not like we're under the rule of another diamond." A nasally voice answered.

"Green?" Steven muttered, too quietly to hear. Then, the hybrid's eyes snapped open as his memories came flooding back to him, as if a dam in his mind had broken. He slowly, carefully looked to the source of the voices, finding himself little green bars made of plasma between him and them, a large amethyst standing with her arms crossed impatiently and a peridot with her gem in her eye, machine parts making a few haphazardly made limb enhancers, working on a small, blue, glowing implant in her own gem. It was Whiplash and Green Eye.

Whiplash groaned. "Any time is too long with her. Can't you work faster?"

Green Eye grunted as she used her tool on the implant, gasping as the tool came loose, leaving the device unaffected. She glared to her companion. "If I don't do this right, the behemoth will be the least of our problems. We won't make it out of this sub group, much less the sector."

Whiplash huffed, crossing her arms. "I still don't see why we can't just rip them out. They can't find us if it's not there."

Green Eye began working on her implant. "You want your form permanently disabled? No, I didn't think so." She felt her device finally give way, the light turning from blue to green. "Finally, now we're getting somewhere."

Whiplash growled. "You better get this thing out of me too."

Green Eye sighed, taking her tool from her own wrist and moving over to the amethyst, the latter giving a sharp inhale at the pain she experienced as it entered her holographic flesh. "Like I would forget our deal. You need me to get us out. I need you to ensure my safety in case Savage figures out our escape plan."

Another click sounded, the light in Whiplash's turning to green.

"And done, not too long now." Green Eye said. "Now, we need to get back to Savage before she begins to suspect something. You get the Lapis. I'll take the Steven."

Steven felt his heartbeat begin to quicken, the hybrid having to keep his fight or flight instinct in check.

"We're taking the hybrid?" Whiplash asked.

They were taking him and Lapis…he could only imagine where and why.

"Have you ever seen a Lapis like her lose their Steven? The sight isn't pretty…let's just say there used to be a whole lot more of me." The peridot shook her head. "Whatever, just get her."

Steven couldn't let them take him. He had to think of something, and fast.

He heard the faint crackling of the green electrical barrier cease, almost immediately followed by the large hand of the amethyst reaching down for Lapis. It was now or never if he was going to-

"What?" Whiplash stopped, moving her hand to Steven, picking him up by the back of his shirt, lifting him up to her eye level.

Steven didn't try to play dead, knowing he had already been caught. Once his eyes met hers, he realized just how quickly he was breathing. It was rapid, full of fear, possibly ridding his foes' illusion that he was any more than a normal Steven…just like he planned.

The Steven was awake?!" Green Eye exclaimed. "How much did he hear?!"

Whiplash looked Steven over carefully, a smile eventually growing across her face."Relax." She assured. She moved Steven closer to her face, making him begin to breath even faster. "He's not a threat."

"Amethyst! He's a member of a multiverse defense team! Any information we've given him could be disastrous for us!"

"Please. Look at his sniveling. He's too pathetic to be a threat." Whiplash. "Besides, he won't last much longer than his Lapis."

Green Eye seemed unsure for a moment. "I suppose that logic is hard to argue with."

"Wh- Wh- Wha- What are you going to do to us?" Steven asked, his voice sounding young, innocent. It almost made him wonder if he had reverted back into a child-like form.

Whiplash chuckled, seeming to take pleasure in the hybrid's fear. It wasn't hard to imagine why she was sent to Illusio. "I'll leave that to your imagination. As for your little owner…her life belongs to our leader."

"Amethyst, we should get moving. Savage will get impatient." Green Eye reminded.

"Alright, alright." Whiplash assured, reaching down with her free hand towards Lapis.

Steven looked towards his unconscious friend, a foreign pain rising in his gut as the behemoth gruffly held onto her. He had to fight the desire to hurt the purple gem in that moment. He just needed to keep the act up for a little longer. "So you're bringing us to Savage…" Steven said, looking hopeless. "Why? Y- Y- You two d- don't seem to fond of her."

Whiplash growled at the thought of the fusion. "You think I would willingly team up with that freakish amalgamation? The only reason she's calling the shots is because we needed her to help us escape from that wretched prison and after we got out she decided she was the one in charge, and now we have to listen to her because she could destroy us in an instant."

"Why are you telling him this?" Green Eye asked.

"But we're not going to need her as our bodyguard for much longer." Whiplash continued.

"Amethyst?" Green Eye asked, still going unnoticed by the larger gem.

"Once we get these stupid things out, we'll be home free and no one in that freak show you call 'Sanctuary' will be able to find us-"

"Amethyst?!" Green Eye finally screeched. "Do you realize how foolish it is to tell him all of this?! He's one of the people hunting us!"

Whiplash scoffed. "Please. Remember, this runt's not making it out of here alive, unless as a pet."

"But why?!" Green Eye asked further.

"Dunno." Whiplash shrugged. "Those guys on those films seemed to get a kick out of it."

Green Eye's…eye began to twitch. "Rah! Enough!" Green Eye exclaimed. She used her arm to pull Steven so he was looking her in the eye. "You?! Why do you care so much about the insignificant details of your destiny?!

"W- Well," Steven stuttered. "I needed something to talk about in order for Plan F to work."

The moment he said that, both gems' expressions dropped. He almost was humored at how off guard they were to hear this, he almost chuckled.

The peridot quickly put on a serious look, though Steven knew it was simply a mask to hide her fear. "What do you mean 'Plan F'?" She asked sternly.

"P- P- P- Plan F, the plan that comes after E, which comes after D, which comes after C, whi-"

"We know that!" Green Eye exclaimed. "I mean, what is Plan F!"

Steven began to fumble with his hands nervously as he looked into her harsh, green eyes. "Well, Plan F really just has a bunch of stalling involved."

Whiplash looked confused. "Stalling? For what?" She asked, oh so ignorantly.

"Well…" Steven began. "That." He said, pointing behind them.

"Huh?" Green Eye turned around, just in time for a pink blur to knock her away.

"What the-" Whiplash started, feeling something wrap around her leg. She looked down, finding a stream of water which led to the back of a blue shirted Steven, of Water Wings.

"'Sup." Water Wings said, pulling Whiplash's leg out from under her.

Whiplash let out a yelp as she began to fall, the pink blur from before coming back and stopping to reveal it was in fact a third Steven.

"I'll be taking these." Rose Wings said, taking hold of Steven and Lapis, pulling them away right as Whiplash hit the ground.

Whiplash growled, pushing herself up, finding herself looking at the entire team of Alpha 0 standing before her…minus Lapis, who was lying on the ground unconscious.

"What? How?!" Green Eye exclaimed. "I disabled the local tracking features in our implants before we left Illusio! How were you able to find us?!"

Steven, expression deadpan, held his arm in the air, showing them his gleaming, silver colored bracelet. "You didn't disable our tracking devices." Steven's eyes narrowed. "You didn't think you were the only ones they put those in, did you? Plan F was to use them to our advantage if one of us got caught."

Rose Wings giggled. "I can't believe we have someone on our team who overthinks things even more than Green." He said, meaning Steven.

"See! I told you we needed to leave immediately!" Green Eye said.

Whiplash growled. "You wanna go? I'll take you all on right now." She turned her head to Green Eye. "Peridot, let's show them what we're made of!"

Green Eye growled. "Whiplash." She glared in the direction of the group and her frustration faded to emotionlessness. She nodded, eyes shutting. "Ah well," A sick grin grew on her face, making it not so hard to imagine why the green gem was imprisoned either. "sometimes misfortune can lead to something even better." The peridot suddenly slammed her limb enhancers together, the mechanical extensions joining together, the fingers all beginning to spin in a circle while one remained at the center. "Besides, I've been itching for blood for ages!" Within the spinning circle, electricity began to spark, only a few seconds passing before a gigantic plasma ball was launched, followed by another, and another, and another, a seemingly endless barrage with a madwoman holding the trigger.

Steven quickly summoned his shield, the barrier shaking as each ball collided with it. Steven grunted as he fought to keep it up, letting out a grunt as a crack ran down the center.

"Well, Plan F has been a success." Rose Wings offered.

"But man do we need a new plan." Jazz said.

Bismuth hummed as she began to think. "Alright," She began. "when Steven dismisses his shield, we'll all separate into three groups. Green, you and Rose Wings will go for Whiplash, Water Wings and Jazz, you two will come with me and take on Green Eye, and Steven, you need to protect Lapis."

"Not much of a plan, is it?" Green responded.

Steven looked through his translucent shield to find Whiplash charging at them from the side. "No, I'll take care of Whiplash."

Before anyone else could argue, Steven dropped his barrier and rolled out of the way, the rest of the group jumping out of the way as well, with Green using her mechanical limb's tractor beam to pull Lapis with her.

General Bismuth looked on as Steven ran to meet Whiplash, stopping the purple gem in her tracks with a new shield. "Alright, Green, you take Lapis. Everyone else, your jobs are the same. Let's go!"

Green nodded, immediately using her free limb fingers as a propeller and taking to the bright blue skies. Water Wings took Jazz and their general by hand and flew for Green Eye while Rose Wings came to join Steven's side.

Steven gave a mighty shove, pushing back Whiplash.

Rose Wings jumped from behind Steven, wrapping his wings around himself into a ball, beginning to spin quickly as a pink aura surrounded him. Rose Wings shot forward, barreling right into the purple gem's chest. Whiplash was pushed back a little, anchoring her feet and forcing them to come to a stop, only for Rose Wings to uncurl, delivering a drop kick that sent Whiplash even farther back.

Whiplash grinned with excitement. "Ah, so this is how it's gonna be?" She reached for her gem with both hands. From it, she pulled out two whips, each already lit with purple flame. "I guess you two are worthy of being my first kills in a long time." She cracked her whip forward, catching Rose Wings off guard as some of the spikes from her whip came off and flew towards him.

Rose Wings summoned a shield before him, hearing the ear piercing screech of the shards scratching against his shield.

Jazz punched forward, Green Eye, separating her enhancers and surrounding them in electricity, blocking. Jazz yelped as the electricity surged through her, retreating back, holding her injured hand.

Green Eye chuckled, looking in time to see Bismuth and Water Wings coming for her. Bismuth came first, morphing her hand into an axe and cutting forward. Green Eye jumped over and tried to attack with her electrified weapon, only for Water Wings to catch her by her leg with his wings and throw her up.

Green Eye responded nearly immediately, using one hand as a propeller to keep her airborne, the other becoming essentially a miniature version of the previous blaster. She fired a barrage upon her enemies, Water Wings spreading out his water to protect them from the attack.

Jazz growled, curling into a ball and shooting up at the peridot above. She dodged left and right, avoiding each and every one of her attacks. Jazz uncurled once she reached her target, summoning her orange, crystal helmet and headbutting her.

Green Eye swiftly maneuvered around the attack, Jazz quickly curling up again to change directions and trying her strategy again, this time allowing the orange gem's fist to collide with Green Eye's cheek.

Green Eye growled in response, slamming her enhancers together, balls of electricity firing.

Jazz curled into a ball, yellow aura glowing, moving through the air, avoiding each before reaching Green Eye. She uncurled, trying to slam Green Eye down, the former once again separating her robotic limbs, using one to keep herself airborne, the second to defend herself.

Green Eye chuckled. "Surprised we're at a stalemate, quartz?" She asked.

Jazz seemed unamused. "Nah, I've been equal to better. 'Sides, you're not seeing the big picture."

"Huh?" Green Eye looked down, just in time for Bismuth, jumping up with hand in the shape of a hammer, to strike her to the ground.

Whiplash and Rose Wings were at a stalemate, Whiplash trying her hardest to hit Rose Wings with her whip, the latter blocking each attempt with his shield.

"Ugh, just stand still!" Whiplash cried, cracking her whip, sending the shards forward.

Rose Wings didn't hesitate to widen his shield, blocking the attack. Rose Wings huffed, falling to his knees from fatigue. "Jeez, she's annoying." He looked up in time to see Whiplash jumping over his shield, expression crazed as she tried to strike with her weapon. He rolled out of the way, just barely escaping her attack.

Whiplash chuckled. "You can't keep dodging forever."

Rose Wings huffed. "You know, you remind me of a really bratty kid Sans knows."

Whiplash didn't know what Rose Wings meant, but she felt offended anyway, angrily trying to punch Rose Wings. Before she could, Steven came from the side, using his shield to hit her in the face and throw her away.

"Steven!" Rose Wings called.

Whiplash groaned as she pulled herself up, looking to see the hybrid who had earlier outsmarted them. She chuckled. "I guess I really underestimated you. But now the jig's up and we can settle things the right way." She gripped her weapon tightly, eyes narrowing cruelly. "So come on, hit me with your best shot."

Steven shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay." Steven, expression blank, held his arm forward, a miniature version of his bubble shield coming over his hand. The sphere stretched forward quickly and caught Whiplash within a second, attached one. Then, with no effort at all, Steven raised his arm up quickly, lifting Whiplash up as well, and dismissed his weapon, sending the purple gem high in the air.

Rose Wings watched as the purple gem flew higher and higher, until she wasn't even visible anymore. "I guess we're done." He said.

An ear piercing, slightly annoying, scream sounded, the two Stevens turning to find Green Eye collide with the ground, creating a crater on impact. When the dust cleared, she was lying there, barely holding on to consciousness, limb enhancers destroyed.

Jazz and Bismuth landed by it, Water Wings joining them, followed by the rest.

Bismuth let out a sigh of relief. "Boy, that was a doozy."

Jazz scoffed. "Please. I didn't even break a sweat."

Green Eye groaned, her eyes slowly opening. When she saw the group before her, she yelped in fear. She looked to her arms and legs, finding them bare of the mechanical extensions she had made for herself.

"So, who wants to poof her?" Jazz asked with a grin, popping her fingers.

"Jazz, we can't destroy her physical form yet." Steven said. Without another word, he jumped into the small crater and slid to her location. "Alright Green Eye, where's Savage?"

Green Eye seemed a little shocked at the question, but it soon became thought. "Why do you want to know?"

Steven rolled his eyes. "You know exactly why. Now, do we have to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

Green Eye tapped her finger. "Oh, well I'm quite certain I have no idea what it is you're speaking of." She gave the hybrid a deceitful look. "However, I might be able to remember if I were given the 'right price'."

Steven sighed. "Hard way then." He held his hand forward, the mini bubble shield appearing over his hand. It stretched forward and came around Green Eye's head. "Now, tell me where Savage is and this will be a lot more pleasant."

Green Eye grunted. "You're…bluffing."

Steven made the pink ball come closer, pulling Green Eye with it, so she could see into his eyes. Within them was something foreign, something most Stevens would never experience but he had been forced to live with for so long. In was an almost crazed look, yet completely logical all at the same time. "I've watched entire worlds die, entire universes. Do you think that one little peridot I don't know is going to make a difference?" He made the sphere smaller, squeezing Green Eye's head. As he did, the sound of Whiplash's screaming returned, the purple gem landing with so much force that she pooped upon impact. "Now. Where is Savage?"

Green Eye suddenly was very afraid. The fear she felt in this Steven's presence was even greater than that she received from Savage, so much so that she forgot her fear of the former and focused solely on that for the former. "Okay! Okay!" She cried. "She's in a clearing in that direction! She's been making us look for the Lapis here and we were supposed to bring her back!"

Steven's expression seemed to grow less agitated and a little more…satisfied for lack of a better word. "Alright." He clenched his fist, a single area on the sphere around Green Eye growing a point and stabbing into the gem's torso, followed closely by her form disappearing and her gem lying within Steven's bubble.

Author's note:

Tails' name is a pun.

Miles Prower

Miles Pr-ower

Miles per hour