Calling Collect from Homeworld

by Jokie155

A new Homeworld Gem lands on Earth, but she is unlike anything the Crystal Gems have faced before. Armed with terrifying new powers, unknown to even Peridot, and with secret missions that she intends to carry out, Steven and all his friends, both Gem and human, are matched against an agent of White Diamond herself, and the herald for far worse things to come... (Now a full AU)

10. Appetite for Apatite

"Connie?"

Conne flailed her arms in front of her face as she woke up in a panic. That panic was only worsened by seeing her surroundings. Pristine white walls with a faint teal glow to them, a humming energy field between her and a hallway beyond.

A twist of her head revealed a transparent wall, also tinted teal. When her eyes adjusted to the glow, she slowly made out Steven's shape, huddled in one corner away from the hallway.

"Steven!"

"Don't touch the barrier. It's designed specifically to keep humans in, but let Gems through."

She pressed both hands against the wall between them in desperation. It was growing harder and harder to resist breaking down in tears over their circumstances, only worsened by how defeated Steven looked. He had been awake longer clearly, enough to exhaust their options for escape.

"Steven, what do we do?"

Steven didn't budge from that corner. The marks on his hands and arms from trying to breach the energy field said enough. "We wait. We play along, bide our time, then escape when we have a plan in mind. Right now, we can't do anything. Apatite won, it's as simple as that."

It was exactly what she didn't want to hear from him, and the blunt nature of his admission only made her eyes water further. "Am I going to end up like Lars?"

There was a long pause, a lot of various looks from Steven, even an attempt to answer at one point, before he finally made the effort to crawl over to the wall and place his hands against it in return.

"Connie, I escaped Homeworld with Lars and the Off Colours. We stole Emerald's ship by sneaking past her Citrines, and they took me back to Earth after she attacked and I crashed on that jungle moon. Remember that."

Connie nodded. His point was clear enough, to avoid drawing any attention whatsoever to his real method of escape, and the potential for Apatite to try and explore that method…

"How do we get to a ship of our own then? Are there even any Off Colours to meet up with here?"

Steven gave a cold shrug while glancing around the room, making it clear that he well and truly believed they were being spied on at that very moment. "This is supposedly one of the oldest colonies. If there were Off Colours on Homeworld, there's bound to be some here." He looked back to her, and momentarily smiled with a wink before returning to his more glum expression. "And all we'll do is lead White Diamond right to them."

"Right, they'll be tracking us all the way." She took the signal for what she assumed it was and played along with his pessimistic tone. "No hope of getting away from these Homeworld Gems. They've probably got guards at every warp pad and every spacedock anyway. And we can't fly back to Earth by ourselves."

While his expression moved downward further, Steven did his best to avoid smiling. "It's not like Lapis is here to carry us in a big bubble all the way back home."

"And Peridot isn't here to cobble together a battle mech to fight all the guards White Diamond throws at us."

"Alexandrite could take them all herself with one fire breath attack alone..."

The moment passed. Both went back to sitting there quietly. Listening. Waiting.

"We'll find a way to get home. I promise you Connie."

A bell sound rang out into both cells, drawing their attention to the hallway beyond briefly.

"I know Steven, I know."

"Test subjects will prepare for inspection by Iron Quartz."

Steven looked to Connie with great surprise.

She looked back with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Iron Quartz? How many Quartz variants are there?"

Two bright red Gems strode into view at that moment. They had the typical body shape of Quartzes, but the thick dreadlocks that ran from their head in evenly spaced rows were unlike anything they had seen amongst Gemkind before, only adding to their menacing presence.

The flails that they carried looked no less intimidating. These Gems were built solely for fear, and in a society that supposedly didn't need it to remain functional, they were also probably quite bored, and waiting for an opportunity to make themselves useful.

Very bad for them.

The field dropped once the respective Quartz was outside the cell, ready and waiting to escort them to Apatite's lab.

As it turned out, they had faint German accents.

"Step outside, subject Connie."

"Step outside, subject Steven."

Connie looked to Steven. Steven looked to Connie. The former nodded, then the latter. Both took a breath, and stepped forward.

The hands placed on their respective shoulders were firm, but not painful. Just enough to keep them from running if they tried to slip free, not that they had anywhere to run to.

"Keep pace."

"Arrival expected at exacting time."

"No conversation."

"Obey all orders given."

The way in which they alternated their issuing of instructions was unsettling. Always starting right as the other finished without so much as a pause, as if they were simply one voice with two mouths.

Steven couldn't see either of their gemstones, but it did raise the memory of the Topaz pair he had met, and made him wonder if there was something similar going on with their guards.

By then they had reached the end of the hallway, the two Iron Quartzes stopping at the threshold of what turned out to be an airlock. A pale white Gem was waiting in the room beyond, just slightly shorter than Peridot, and spindly in figure like Pearl. She had a mane of hair that looked more like large spines than actual strands, or at least the hard light equivalent that almost all Gems had. Unsurprisingly, she had a white diamond on her uniforms, just like the Iron Quartzes. Her gemstone was situated on her left cheek.

"Ready for departure, please keep both subjects within the vicinity of tertiary access hatch for swift disembarkation on arrival."

The respective Iron Quartz responded. "By your order Natrolite 9KT."

And the other Quartz in turn. "No resistance from subjects."

It was clear that Natrolite held authority over Quartzes at least, but her posture indicated she was more fed up than prideful. Her attention was switching between both Steven and Connie almost out of boredom as they were escorted into the ship.

"I'll never understand the fascination with fleshlings. Oh well, if this sees less of my crew reassigned needlessly for the next few hundred years…"

Natrolite rolled her shoulders before striding away towards the front of the shuttlepod. "Notify Apatite that we are enroute now. That will be all."

Steven and Connie were led across the room to an airlock further towards the front of the shuttlepod, made to face the plain teal surface of it while the other Gems on board went about their respective tasks. A small rumble marked their departure from whatever building they had been housed in.

Not being able to see anything of where they going, or ask any questions was absolutely deliberate. The less they knew of Elysium outside whatever labs they were being shuttled between directly affected their ability to plan an escape. It was only through sheer luck that he and Lars had survived the fall on Homeworld at all. And thinking happy thoughts while plunging into the depths of a hollowed out world didn't sound all that easy.

Nor did fighting off robonoids in mid air while floating down, especially without the sword.

The most he could do for that moment was glance over at Connie, doing his best to reassure her with expression alone that they weren't doomed to the fate ahead.

"Approaching destination. Please be ready Iron Quartzes, we don't need another delay."

They both looked to each other in annoyance just briefly. The rumble of the ship docking with their destination signalled for a tighter grip as they waited for the doors to open, and their time under Natrolite's grating micromanaging to end.

It left little time for Steven and Connie to share one last glance of their own. The moment of truth lay ahead, answering just what kind of tests they were in for at last.

When the doors opened, Apatite's two personal Citrines were standing there. Their curly flows of orange hair had been tied back with white scrunchies since the battle at the Galaxy Warp, but other than that they looked completely unscathed from the experience. Not even a faint scuff on their uniforms.

"Well well, the reds actually managed to stay on time for once."

"It looks that way, Citrine."

Both Iron Quartzes clenched their free hands a little harder, glaring back at their orange Quartz counterparts.

"Transfer matched to exacting time standards."

"Duty performed optimally, no change in status of test subjects."

Both Citrines sighed in an exhausted manner.

"Yes yes, we both have fully functioning eyes. Go back to doing whatever it is you Irons do."

"Aside from being boring of course."

Both Citrines snickered while summoning their respective gauntlets, Elbow taking Connie's shoulder while Forearm took Steven's.

Elbow squeezed Connie in a rather uncomfortable manner, causing her to gasp in mild pain. "Hm, they feel squishier than I remember."

"Unnatural gravity does that to organics, or so Aquamarine says. Just try not to break their fragile little arms and we won't get in trouble, mm?"

The procession moved forward at that point into the laboratory complex itself. The design itself was starting to become familiar to Steven. It was very similar to that which he had seen through the astral projection into the Lapis Lazuli working at Shungite's home lab, and more so what Lapis herself had described when inhabiting her body.

Which also meant White Diamond was closer than ever, possibly one of the observers herself.

Anxiety was rising, as was the continued urge to break the imposed silence. The Citrines certainly seemed a lot less robotic than their red counterparts, but then they had also been pretty aggressive in fighting Garnet. Mean looking flails suddenly didn't seem quite so dangerous in comparison to the gauntlets.

They began to pass Gems in the corridors as they moved deeper in, as well as many closed doors. There were a couple of Peridot variants, including one that Steven almost mistook for being Squaridot for a few moments, but the vast majority were Gems neither of them had even heard of before, let alone seen. All either had lab coats akin to Apatite, suits like the Peridot they knew well, or skirts and tights like Shungite, though with full sleeve jackets to accompany them instead of bare midriffs and large shoulder pads.

As expected, every single one of them bore White Diamond's insignia. No transfers from either of the other courts at all.

None paid any attention whatsoever to the two humans, only glancing briefly at the Citrines before continuing on their way.

"So, the two of you actually held your own against Apatite there huh? Not bad."

Neither of them replied to Citrine Elbow, leading to Citrine Forearm nudging Steven's shoulder lightly.

"Loosen up, the Iron Quartzes are too strict, no fun at all. They're even worse than Aquamarine about following rules."

As much as it sounded like a trick just to get them in more trouble, the way they had acted towards the Iron Quartzes from the start did seem like they genuinely didn't get along, and that Citrine wasn't trying to catch them out.

"Well, we have practised sword-fighting a lot. Didn't think there were that many Gems that used swords anymore."

Citrine Elbow glared at a pair of Tanzanites that had begun to stare at them until they moved out of earshot, not wanting to be overheard. "They don't. Apatite gets bored so quickly that she had Sunstone spend eighty cycles working on that blade just so she'd have something to flick at us."

The lightening of the mood gave Connie motivation to join in as well. "That sounds like a pretty crummy way to live, putting up with her boredom tics."

"Tell me about it. We could be out there pushing borders and guarding new colonies, but instead all we get to do is push around organics until she gets bored again."

Steven took a breath, then went for the clinching line. "Why don't you just tell her that you want to do something else?"

Both Citrines looked at him, then at each other, smirking after.

"Yeah, we'll just tell her that we're fed up with working for Homeworld's elite in the easiest job ever and have decided to help a traitor and a random human to escape right after capturing them because we decided we're just so fed up with her on a whim."

"Why, we'll just pick you up and waltz right over to the nearest starship to send you back home on and brand ourselves traitors after eons of loyal service. Nothing could possibly go wrong!"

The depressing realization that both Steven and Connie came to at that moment was interrupted by them both being shoved into the end of a corridor that they had arrived at. Both Citrines broke out into laughter as the outer doors closed, cutting the pair off from the Quartzes.

The room they were trapped in was barely two metres cubed, and felt uncomfortably confining in its solid white glow.

Steven winced while placing his forehead against the nearest wall. "I almost can't believe Apatite already expected us to try getting sympathy from other Gems. Almost."

"Or the Citrines are just manipulative and nasty like that anyway. I don't think they were pretending to be mean to the Iron Quartzes."

"Not to be more of a downer, but I don't know which is worse."

The wall he was leaning against began to open abruptly. He took a step back, only for the wall behind to begin growing out until it had pushed both him and Connie into the large dome space ahead.

Apatite and several other Gems were watching them from various rooms behind reinforced glass. Quite a few robonoids were in the space with them. Most looked to be there for observational testing, while a couple had more robust designs, including one that was carrying a sword as if ready to hand it over.

They were set for combat testing.

"I'll admit, I was impressed by the ability of an organic to face me in swordfighting, even one with hybrid physiology, so that is where we will begin. At least while we prepare other tests."

The flashing smile on Apatite's face at the mention of those 'other tests' was incredibly disconcerting. Even those Gems around her, save for Aquamarine, looked rather less settled. Aquamarine herself looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else at all.

Steven looked to Connie for a few moments, then back up at Apatite. "You can't make us fuse if we choose not to!"

The smile turned into a smirk at that moment. Exactly the answer Apatite had wanted.

"Oh, this isn't a negotiation. We Gems are quite literally capable of standing here and waiting for you to cooperate for as long as that takes. You two on the other hand have bodily needs such as food, water, sleep and other such organic functions that will soon become impossible to ignore." She took hold of a pad that was handed to her by her Pearl without breaking eye contact. "Shungite has been gracious enough to relay her own studies on human needs, and alternate methods to see them fulfilled, so don't expect a 'hunger strike' to work either. Complying really is your only option. The choice is when."

Another harsh shutdown that there was no real rebuttal to. Escape would mean swallowing a lot of pride, and hoping that they could put whatever plan they could cobble together into effect before the tests grew more and more invasive, as they were so clearly implied to.

That time, he looked to Connie, and stayed focused on her instead. "We're not letting them take a mile by giving an inch. This isn't giving up."

The most Connie could do was nod. Resistance would end badly, and the Gems were patient enough to not get sloppy with guarding them, that much she knew. They had to change the rules of their situation in order to break free.

"I'm with you on this Steven. Let's get it over with."

He nodded in return, hand outstretched. On the edge of his vision, he could see some of the robonoids starting to circle around. Waiting to capture as much information as Apatite could get a hold of.

"We're not going to let this ruin being Stevonnie. No matter what happens."

They clasped hands at last. His gemstone lit up bright, until their forms began to merge, and Stevonnie was left standing in the space between them.

Most of the Gems began to squirm or even recoil at the sight. Apatite kept up her smirk while occasionally glancing down to her pad.

"Fascinating, even their physical attire amalgamated." She gestured at the combat robonoids while turning her attention fully to the readout from the scanners. "Perfect merging of internal organs as well, even distribution of skeletal and muscular structure, and yet traces of Gem energy remain at a constant. Nothing actually gained or lost by the Rose Quartz stone."

Stevonnie pulled a face upon hearing that, just as the combat robonoid hovered up to give them the sword. "You can't scientifically measure friendship!"

"Oh, and here I was thinking you weren't actually going to resort to 'pretty rainbows and the power of friendship'. Clearly I was thinking too highly of you."

After rolling her eyes, Apatite switched the scanner readout for a set of controls instead, nodding to some of her fellow Gems to begin attending to their own systems.

"You should know that the sword lended to you for these tests is designed to disintegrate on command, or in the proximity of a non-Rose Quartz gemstone. Don't waste your time trying to threaten anyone with it, and you'll save yourself that much trouble." With a gesture of her hand, she powered up the largest of the combat robonoids. "Begin."

Stevonnie's shield came out right as a volley of lasers blared out from each of the combat robonoids. A few tagged various parts of their body, harmlessly dissipating over the skin with no more than a mild tingling zap.

"Hm, still vulnerable to a properly established ambush then. Good to know."

"I'd like to see you get out of this without being hit once!"

The number of zaps decreased significantly once Stevonnie got into action. Situational awareness went up, reflexes sharpened, and now more than ever the shield was put to use, deflecting the shots as they came more and more often.

Steven's bubble power was going to remain secret for as long as possible. Any little advantage over Apatite was too valuable to give up just yet.

"Now that's something. You're actually starting to approach the dexterity of a Smoky Quartz. An especially clumsy one anyway, not that it takes much for them to be classed as such. Disposing of them was a good day for Gem society."

Stevonnie gave something of a battle cry, mostly coming from Steven, and charged for the nearest robonoid, sword and shield ready for the offensive.

At that precise moment, two more Gems entered the viewing ring. A Peridot, equipped with a full limb enhancer set, and a Lapis Lazuli. Both had white coats, and white diamonds on their uniforms beneath.

In the moments before launching the attack, they took that fractional moment to reflect, and withdraw back into the mental realm of their shared existence at Steven's own inner prompting.

---

Which consisted of the bizarre mixture of Beach City's beach at twilight, half of the jungle moon's dome in the ocean, Emerald racing around the block in the Donadi, and a cloud pattern that seemed to be shifting between endless butterflies and the tuft of hair on Lars' head.

Steven and Connie were stuck in the middle of it all, on what looked like part of the sky arena sloping down into the ocean, with more than enough sand and grit scattered over to make an audible crunch when they moved closer together.

"Huh, this isn't at all what I expected to find in here."

Connie watched Emerald tear down the road another time in utter confusion. "You'd think it'd be less… chaotic?"

By then, Steven had kicked away enough sand to feel convinced that it was indeed a vivid dream. "When I was in Lapis' mind, both times I mean, it was just a lot of water and empty black sky. It definitely wasn't filled with memories all jumbled together."

They both panicked briefly as a giant head emerged from the ocean, gazing down over them. It was Apatite, almost unsurprisingly.

"I'm getting all giddy inside at the thought. Fighting something completely new, that's a real experience!"

The panic faded as they both realized it was just another memory, and not Apatite in the present peering into their shared mind. Scary as the thought was of anyone witnessing the chaotic mess they had left their mindscape in, somehow, it still paled to the concept of Apatite also having mental invasion powers, rather like Shungite…

"Steven, before this gets weirder, why did you bring us here?"

He hummed in thought, then before speaking, waved his hand at the ocean horizon. The dome sank into the ocean with a low burble, as did Apatite's looming face. Two steps closer to straightening out the madness.

"I had a hunch, and I needed to test if we could talk like this, mentally, like Garnet instructed. If we do it while we're fighting, it'll be a lot harder for Apatite to figure out what we're up to."

"Good thinking." Connie nodded, trying to fill herself back up with a bit more confidence for that. "So, what's the hunch?"

Another hum, another hand wave. This time, Emerald's screeching voice faded, and not because she had driven out of earshot again.

"The Peridot and the Lapis that just showed up, I think they're the ones Lapis and I saw, back when we first fought Shungite. They both look, familiar."

Connie tightened her lips, failing to see the importance, but chose to wait for elaboration anyway.

"Something connected that Lapis to ours, and I might be able to tap into that connection again, just enough to talk with the one here at least."

At that, Connie reached her hand out, her concern growing too strong to ignore. "What good will that do? You told me you literally saw White Diamond through her eyes! That Lapis ran into Apatite while she was controlling her body and became suspicious! What if she notices something's wrong with her again?"

That time, Steven sighed. He didn't want to admit just how large a risk it was to take, to them especially, but the reasoning in mind was too strong to just ignore.

"She's the only Gem I have a chance of talking to without any other Gem spying on us. Apart from Apatite and White Diamond which we need to avoid as much as possible anyway. Otherwise, we wait for our Lapis to swap bodies with this Lapis again so she can bust us out of this lab, and somehow I'm not sure that'll happen without us asking her to try first anyway."

Connie blinked a couple of times, then sighed herself. "Okay, fair point. Still, she'd be one step away from reporting it all to Apatite. I really hope your persuasion skills are good enough for this."

As soon as he nodded confidently, the mindscape dissipated, sending both back into the conscious realm as one once more.

---

A slow clap was the first thing Stevonnie took notice of upon returning to a conscious state. All of the combat robonoids had backed off to the edges of the dome, bearing quite a number of dents each. The not-quite sarcastic applause was from Apatite.

"That's more like it. Less chatter, more action, better results."

All of the robonoids around Stevonnie floated up into a hatch that opened at the very top of the dome, which shut immediately after the last to prevent any kind of escape through there.

"You've earned a small break, behave well and I might just make the following tests a little shorter for today. I'm not entirely unsympathetic, just almost entirely."

A different doorway opened up at a right angle to the one they had entered through upon Apatite's gesture in that direction.

"I might even put in a good word with White Diamond for you, Rose Quartz. Her clarity is of course not beyond forgiveness, though you do have a thousand years of crimes to pay penance for in addition to your more recent activities. Don't let that deter you from trying however."

Stevonnie's grip on the sword tightened momentarily, then relaxed as it was tossed to the floor in a spiteful manner. It wasn't in bad temper, but it certainly came close.

"Oh, and please do remember to unfuse first. The Kyanites have gone to great efforts to cultivate suitably edible plant life we retrieved from the zoo to spare the difficulty of transporting perishables. Not disgusting them with your existence is a simple, but important courtesy."

The urge to lash out at the smarmy remark took a lot of willpower to suppress, eventually ending with Steven and Connie unfusing in a particularly cold manner, both left glaring up at Apatite in complete silence. Patience was key, however difficult it would be to maintain.

---

As expected, Apatite was lying through her teeth. 'Shorter' turned out to be eighteen hours of combat tests, designed to wear them out both as Stevonnie and as themselves in cooperation until they were too exhausted to fight any longer. And thus, too exhausted to attempt escape during their allocated sleeping hours.

However uncomfortable it was to sleep on a flat surface with no blanket or pillow, even if the cell was regulated at an optimal temperature, Steven at least was too tired to make any real fuss about that particular problem with their confined accommodation.

And sleep was exactly what he needed to begin putting his plan into action.

---

Lapis Lazuli Facet-129G Cut 11 was quietly reviewing one of her more recent reports for filing when a distraction she assumed had long passed resurfaced in a most disconcerting, vivid manner.

"Lapis Lazuli? If you can hear me, don't say anything out loud. I just want to talk."

The voice she immediately recognized as that of Subject Steven, however it was the fact that she also remembered hearing it weeks earlier that bothered her most. As hard as it was to not physically react to the surprise of it, she still maintained that stoic, not-quite bored stare at the screen while letting her conscious thought drift inwards.

Her own mindscape was not unlike the combat arena, just smaller in design. The lab she had worked at for nearly two thousand consecutive years on the Cold Star Project.

In the place that was typically occupied by Cold Star Carbon's plinth stood Steven himself instead, looking a little confused, but determined nonetheless.

At that point, sheer curiosity was all that kept her playing along with the experience, instead of closing it off and going to Apatite for further examination.

"What is it with mind realms being so dark?"

Lapis Lazuli took another look around the walkway surrounding the dome, then moved around to the ramp leading into it that she had traversed the real world counterpart of several times. "You tell me. I assume this isn't part of Apatite's course of experiments, and you don't have approval to invade my thoughts without prior consent?"

After some lip biting, awkward shuffling, and further thought, Steven gave a mix of shrugs and nods. "The first time was an accident. Somehow, our Lapis linked with you when Shungite attacked, and I ended up sharing that dream as well."

The mention of Shungite made Lapis Lazuli nod a little in understanding, though solely at where the conversation was headed. "Shungite and Cold Star Carbon have an unusual bond that may have spilled over somehow yes. But that doesn't quite explain why you are here now. If it's to apologize for the first incident…"

"Well, that was one reason actually."

Steven tried to push through the continued awkwardness as best he could by focusing on Lapis Lazuli properly, using the time taken to finally look at her properly as a pause for thought.

Her face was identical, as expected, though her hair was notably longer, combed back behind her ears and shoulders in a straight flow save for the curve around her gemstone that rested on top of her head.

By the end of his cursory look, he felt far more settled. "If I could have asked you without getting in trouble from Apatite, I would have. But if you really don't want me here, I'll leave for good. Promise."

After a glance around, Lapis Lazuli hummed as well. "I suppose that is a valid reason, stretched thin as it is. And this would be an opportunity to better study the effects of the Cold Star bond on Gems that are capable of astral projection that I otherwise couldn't test until Shungite returned." She looked back to him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll allow this to continue if you'll do me the courtesy of answering questions and assisting with certain discrete tests. Purely mental I assure you, I don't fancy losing control of my body again."

"I can live with that."

"Good, good. So, what really prompted you to make contact with me?"

One hurdle out of the way, only for the largest and worst of them to be thrust to the centre of attention.

Steven took a deep breath, then clenched his hands for that last bit of determination. "We need your help to escape."

As expected, the curiosity in Lapis Lazuli's eyes began to die off. Helping in their escape would not only make her a traitor, but it would also end the very research she hoped to conduct in the first place.

"Look, Steven, I don't exactly approve of Apatite's methods, or her fascinations, but I'm also not about to do something drastic like betraying both her and my Diamond for a human and a Rose Quartz hybrid. I can talk to her about maybe releasing you both in a few decades, but otherwise…"

She looked around at then, this time from muffled voices that seemed to be coming from beyond the lab. Other Gems were starting to draw closer to her.

Steven had also come to that same conclusion, and while his determination had taken a hit, it had not been broken altogether. "Lapis, Apatite does horrible things to Gems that cross her already. She's going to do far worse to Connie, and especially me. I know I can't ask you to betray White Diamond, but Apatite isn't worth your loyalty."

Her frown remained as she brought herself out of that state, giving herself enough time to reacquaint with her surroundings before those approaching arrived.

As it turned out, it was Apatite herself, accompanied by her Pearl. Surprisingly, they actually seemed rather disinterested in her specifically.

"Don't get up on our account, we won't be here long."

Lapis Lazuli remained quiet after settling back down from her momentary move to stand, though her eyes did follow the pair of Gems until they stopped at the main data terminal for the lab. As expected, Pearl was the one to begin accessing them, allowing Apatite to view the data itself freely.

"I do have to apologize for taking up so many precious resources on this ploy, Lapis Lazuli, however I can promise that it'll be over soon, and your lot can get back to tinkering with artificial Gems, and that pet shard of yours."

The silence persisted, though she could hear echoes of Steven asking nervous questions.

"No apology is necessary. Delays in work now to accelerate the project from decades to potential months are irrelevant in the grand scheme. Assuming your plan will work."

Apatite smiled, though for once it was more genuine, coming from pride at being of service to a Gem she could actually find tangible respect for. "To think that Yellow Diamond would have simply shattered her without a second thought, wasting all that potential. I may not care either way about her fate personally, but on the other hand, I don't like to see excessive waste where it isn't necessary. Especially when that waste is created in such a needlessly brutal manner."

Steven's voice grew quite a bit stronger. As far as he was concerned, that was all the evidence he needed that Apatite was about to do something horrible to him.

Lapis Lazuli tried to maintain her cold expression in spite of it all. "Yes, it is still amazing to me just how much she has accomplished since coming into existence, even if it was unintentional." She twisted her lips, ready to pose a question that had been on her mind the moment Apatite's priorities had changed. "That said, I though you saw her as a rival. What changed?"

The smile softened further while Apatite moved over to find a better spot to lean against, lightly touching Pearl's arm with a glance from her top eye. The left remained focused on Lapis Lazuli. "Rival is the wrong word. We both were created to purge impurities from this society, even if she is an impurity herself. I simply think her decision to spend time on Earth was misguided. She could do so much more here on the colonies if given the right direction. I simply dislike how much of our Diamond's time she takes up as a result."

"I suppose that is your opinion to have, Apatite. Her being active on Earth has allowed work on the other Cold Stars to progress at least, and for that I have no complaints."

"Oh yes, keeping on the subject of Cold Stars…"

Apatite left her spot at that moment, starting to make her way over to Lapis Lazuli, both eyes fixated on hers, as if trying to peer deeper in. "We should schedule your appointment soon. Have you had any further issues from being in Cold Star Carbon's presence? Any more moments of unconscious action, voices in your head?"

Lapis Lazuli twisted her lips. An obvious test, ready to catch out a lie if she tried, even if there was no real cause to suspect one beforehand. That was the way of Apatites after all.

"Some of the latter, yes. I suspect Shungite's interaction with the renegades causes the connection to flare up for a while. I'm allocating time over the next few months to begin studying the effects properly."

All of it completely truthful, and hopefully enough to satisfy Apatite's question.

"I'll make it a cursory examination then, you'll have copies of my findings to study from alongside the tests. I'll need time to recondition Rose Quartz anyway, once she's been properly extracted."

She could feel the empty silence in her head at last, though it was for reasons she hadn't wanted at all. Of course, it was technically not her problem, but the implication, and more importantly the validation was there.

"I see. I assumed we were going to put Steven to the task first, not the other way around."

At that moment, Pearl finished her task, standing to attention beside the terminal for when Apatite was ready.

Apatite herself rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug while making ready to depart. "I'm not convinced he can concentrate the healing powers of his specific Rose Quartz nearly enough to stabilize Cold Star Carbon. It may take a little longer, but I feel that reconditioning the Gem herself to do so is a more practical option. Unless of course…" She turned her head back, gazing down at Lapis Lazuli again while motioning for Pearl to join her. "You believe otherwise?"

Lapis Lazuli gave the most nonchalant shrug she could. "It sounds logical, and we are in no real hurry to see Carbon fully functional. I trust your judgement entirely, Apatite."

The natural look that Apatite had to her smile for a little while vanished altogether at that moment. Back to being one of smug superiority, of being absolutely correct in her decisions.

"Good. You needn't worry about volunteering to assist with the extraction, I have another Lapis Lazuli ready to clean up the mess. Wouldn't want to sully your hands with such a task below your particular expertise."

With that, Apatite finally made her departure, Pearl following close behind with a smirk and flick of her hair.

It wasn't until they were long gone, and she had settled back into her review that she returned to the mindscape Steven had remained in throughout. Understandably, he was entirely petrified by the news, and she was no longer in doubt about his word.

For her personally, it almost felt like she wasn't as shocked as she really should have been. "I'll help you, Steven. There's a difference between being held for testing, and well, that. White Diamond technically didn't set 'mutilation of other Gems' as an acceptable component of the Cold Star project after all."

The sheer extent of the gesture on Lapis Lazuli's part was not lost on Steven, who looked at her for several long seconds before finally reaching out to hug around her legs, or at least the lab coat draped over them.

"I'll try and stay in contact back on Earth, help you with your studies, anything." When he released the hug, it was after his smile of hope had returned, along with warmth to his cheeks. "Any idea how Connie and I can escape? Any ships within easy reach of this lab that can go faster than light?"

"Unfortunately no, the labs are separated from the main city and spaceports by shuttle pods, you'd never get to a port before others noticed." Lapis Lazuli folded her arms and touched a hand to her chin in thought. "We'd need a huge distraction, something that'd cut off power altogether. But then the spaceport doors would be locked shut…"

Steven adopted a similar posture to think as well, then snapped his fingers in a moment of inspiration. "I'll just call for help! All I'd need is a way to contact ships outside the spaceport, find one nearby and have them fly close enough to get on board, bubble the crew, and then when we're back home we'll let them go."

"That sounds pretty risky. I suppose I could fly you two up to the ship to make it slightly less risky, but I can't be seen to help you at all."

"No plan is perfect, at least if we go in knowing it's risky we won't take too many chances."

His smile grew a little forced at that moment when he noticed just how concerned Lapis Lazuli had become. Not telling her about Lars was deliberate on his part, just for the slim chance that she would tell Apatite anyway. What mattered most was getting the chance to call him for help, and even if the rest of the escape didn't work, there would at least be the prospect of incoming rescue to fall back on. That was something too valuable to risk.

"Well, in that case, you should know that repeating Incident 21-D could potentially blow a third of this planet out of existence in the worst case scenario, so if I really shouldn't take that chance…"

The thought alone made Steven wince, but at the same time it certainly sounded like a large enough distraction to keep even Apatite from ignoring it outright. "By worst case scenario, what are we talking about? Ten percent chance?"

"Point four one seven percent actually. I was the one who stopped the incident when it occurred, but since that solution won't work again I'll just have to come up with a less drastic version." She knelt down at that moment to be level eyed with him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "White Diamond will come to the lab as well to help in neutralizing the problem. She has a personal dome at the lab, should be able to get there easily enough. Most communication channels have separate encryptions and codes, but her chair will give you the best chance at finding an unlocked one. Just make sure you don't have half the fleet coming to rescue their Diamond, okay?"

"Believe it or not, this wouldn't be the first time I've used a Diamond's chair computer. Or the second time even."

That made Lapis Lazuli smile in such a wholesome way that for a moment made her look indistinguishable from the Lapis he knew so well.

"Sounds like quite the story. You'll have to catch me up on it sometime when you're back home. Now, you'd better get a lot of rest, it's going to be chaos in however many hours it takes for Cold Star Carbon to wake back up."

"Good luck Lapis, and don't get yourself hurt. There's so much I can tell you about all the Gem adventures I've had on Earth."

They both left the mindscape at that moment, the only physical sign on his end of anything happening being a simple yawn and readjustment of his sleeping position. Nothing that would alert those watching that anything of significance had just transpired.

---

The second journey to the lab was somehow even more uneventful than the first. Aside from repeating the same initial phrases from the previous day, the Iron Quartzes were silent. Natrolite didn't even say a word, simply looking bothered at the mundane task. The Citrines snickered to each other, but also avoided speaking to either one of them.

Even the arena lab itself looked identical to yesterday, save for new robonoids that didn't bear the dents of those Stevonnie had fought. Apatite was still standing up there with her posse, a multitude of other Gems were ready with their research tools.

No sign of that other Lapis Lazuli she had spoken about. No hint of her true plan for the day just yet.

It was hard saying nothing to Connie, but until they were 'given permission' to fuse, he had to remain entirely silent on the plan. That and he still had to work out a way to escape the arena itself once things got underway.

Once they were in the centre of the dome, Apatite leaned forward and smiled.

"I've had my Gems crunch the numbers on your tests from yesterday. They show promise, but they also indicate something of a crucial flaw in your strategy."

The robonoids began deploying their lasers at the two, looking even more menacing as they hovered about.

"The fact is that the human body is simply not durable enough to be worth exploring further for any real use. And then I remembered something, a few facts that prompted me to dig into some archival records…"

Steven's cheeks began to grow pale. There was a vague idea in mind about what Apatite had caught onto, and it was very very bad. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Connie, who was painfully ignorant by his own deliberate choice.

Apatite had gestured for Pearl to approach, who placed a datacube in the console right in front of her. A recording lit up in the arena, showing Lars and the Off Colours entering Emerald's personal hangar. Highlighting the very obvious fact that Steven was not among them.

"It has been a continuing mystery to White Diamond as to how you escaped Homeworld, and seeing as she asked me to finally crack it, I decided to expand my search.

The recording changed, this time to a view of the cell Connie had woken up in. This time, there was an audio component to it, played quite loudly for all to hear.

Connie's words, echoing from that very recording, and said with such harrowing fear and pain, cut Steven to the core.

"Am I going to end up like Lars?"

Connie drew a breath, and looked to him, finally catching on to where things were headed for herself at least.

It made Apatite's smile into a full grin. "Subject Lars enters Homeworld custody with fair coloured skin, and left Homeworld with bright pink skin. The closest reference we have to such a colour is that of Subject Ga-reg. So tell me, Steven, what is it that affected both your father and Lars that Subject Connie is so afraid of?"

Both his hands clenched up until his knuckles turned pale. He had made a solemn, silent promise that Connie would not meet that fate, and whatever the cost, he would see that promise kept. They simply had to hold out until Lapis Lazuli enacted her part of the plan, no matter what.

"I'm not telling you any more, Apatite. I know what kind of Gem you are. I know you'll just exploit that secret for your own power gains. I agreed to comply with tests, but this was not part of the deal!"

Apatite rolled her eyes while gesturing to Pearl again.

"Bad mistake, Steven. I simply asked you what happened to them. But, seeing as I have only damaged robonoid scans from the escape on Homeworld, it seems I have no choice but to repeat the circumstances surrounding the changes noted in Subject Lars. Starting with…" She raised her hand towards her own robonoids. "A matching death."

In a moment of panic, just as the robonoids fired upon Apatite flicking her wrist, Connie wailed in terror.

Steven span around and threw his arms around her, covering them both in his pink bubble, shrunk down to minimal size to maintain its strength.

For once, Apatite was mildly surprised, though it quickly gave way to determination. "You can't hide in there long Steven! Sustained fire! Gradual power curve!"

The barrage of laser shots began blaring out, the pitch of them steadily rising as more and more power was gradually diverted to powering the robonoids.

Inside the bubble, both Steven and Connie held onto each other in desperate hope, only able to stand there and wait for the bubble to inevitably break under the assault.

Every second that it held under the barrage seemed to infuriate Apatite exponentially. "How is it holding up!? Break!" She began angrily gesturing at the Gems around her, barking out orders. "More power! Shatter that bubble and give me their-!"

A harrowing scream ripped through the whole lab at that moment, followed immediately after by a power surge that saw consoles and screens cracking and spraying glass everywhere.

Every one of the robonoids dropped to the floor and began spraying fire in all directions as their centralized control computer was utterly destroyed by the surge.

The bubble dissipated at the same time, both kids falling to the ground in gasps for air, though Steven's were mixed in with cries of anguish.

"Steven! Steven!"

His gemstone felt as if it was ready to melt out of his body, shooting bolts of pain all through his limbs as the scream began to echo around his mind.

Can't form! Not whole! No time! Must form! Incomplete! Can't form!

---

For several agonizing seconds, the dome was gone from his perception altogether. He was trapped in a featureless void, falling endlessly, all while a chilling voice screeched her pains around. Like the voice of the Cluster, but only from a singular source.

Carbon's voice.

Not ready! Insufficient power! Must grow! Must form! Consume! Consume! Consume!

"Carbon stop! Please!"

Carbon! Coal! Shale! Graphite! Hematite! Augite! Shungite! Carbon Army must form! Carbon must form!

He couldn't even reach up to his head to clutch at the ring of pain encircling it as the voice wailed on. For that matter, he couldn't see his hands at all.

"This was a mistake! Lapis! You have to stop waking her up!"

Impurities cleansed! Impurities needed! Not whole! Not whole! Not whole!

Out of seemingly nowhere, a hand caught him in his endless fall. A grey hand, cold to the touch, but not clammy by any means.

The hand of a Gem.

"Sister?"

Disorientated from pain, he could barely stand, though when he did, he found himself staring up at Shungite's expressionless eyes.

In a sudden shift of perspective, she shrank down before him, or more precisely he grew exponentially in size until she barely stood at hip height. It was so disorientating to his already unstable lack of balance, that he only caught a glimpse of his long, bleached bone white hands before losing consciousness altogether.

---

Only to regain it back in the physical world, under Connie's desperate shaking and grasping of his shirt.

"Steven please wake up! Wake up!"

Sparks showered over them both as another part of the dome tore off, collapsing near one of the walls with a hard crash of metal and shattering glass.

His head was still spinning every-which-way from the ordeal he had just gone through.

"Hey! Stop!"

A couple of Prasiolites had entered the ruined dome, ready to charge at the pair.

With no time left to wait, Connie immediately dived for one of the flailing robonoids, slinging her arms around one of the firing lasers and wrested it in the direction of the approaching quartzes. Both were poofed from a single impact each, their gemstones clattering to the floor amongst the rubble.

"Connie…"

Through more tears that had begun to flow, Connie stumbled her way back over to pull Steven up at last. While the Prasiolites were still otherwise intact, actually having to take them down in so harsh a manner was not easing her already troubled mind.

"I'm here Steven."

"I didn't expect this. I asked Lapis to give us a distraction to escape in, but this…" He clutched at his head until the pain subsided, having looked at his hands first to ensure they were indeed his once more. "We need to get out of here."

"No kidding!"

Connie clenched her teeth and tugged on his arm to get him right on his feet, keeping that hold until he steadied before finally releasing. "Where do we go from here then?"

"White Diamond's observatory. Lapis says she'll be wherever Carbon is right now. We go there, call Lars, and wait for him to arrive."

"Right. I guess we really can trust her if she was willing to do this to her lab."

She gestured around the ruins again, then hurried back over to that robonoid and grabbed hold of the arm. After a few hard tugs, she pulled it free of the main body, providing them with a hopefully still functioning means of defence.

"Somehow I don't think we're gonna find any Gem disruptors, or swords we can actually use against them."

Steven rubbed around his head more, then gave up trying to ease the residual pain and stumbled on after her instead. "White Diamond's chair will have its own power source. We just have to find her room. And hope that she hasn't changed the access code in the past five thousand years."

---

Every corridor was paced with Gems bustling about in the aftershock, so much so that it was incredibly difficult for Lapis Lazuli to slip away from the epicentre of it due to the sheer volume alone. Entire passageways had collapsed in the blast of Cold Star Carbon's awakening, and those that remained were littered with debris, and in some places gemstones of those that were less resilient against the effect, or closer to it.

A true disaster, and instead of stopping it from becoming cataclysmic, she had caused it.

From talking with Steven, through to reconnecting power conduits, right up to the moment she reached out and touched Carbon's gemstone, she hadn't truly grasped the gravity of what she was doing. All to prevent Apatite from performing some truly deplorable acts certainly, but still not part of an overall good outcome.

She didn't even know where to wait while Steven and Connie made their call. Too close to the observatory would implicate her. Too far away would mean they'd spend too long just searching for her, and thus lead to more run-ins with other Gems.

In the end, she opted for the crevasse walkway, a corridor that extended over one of the many looming falls to the hollowed out core of Elysium. A wide space, and still reasonably sturdy, ideal for launching towards an arriving ship from.

"They'll find you Lapis, just keep it together. This'll all be over soon enough."

"You're right about that."

She froze up in terror, not even able to tilt her head a little. There hadn't been any Gems headed in that direction, which could only mean she had been followed already. No amount of excuses or pleading would save her from whatever Apatite was about to do.

---

White Diamond's observatory was almost completely intact when the pair reached it. A few consoles near the door had blown out, but even the dome itself had held out. At the very least, it meant an easy sprint across the floor to the chair, and away from it if the need arose.

Connie took a quick look around just to be sure it was empty of any Gems, especially towering white ones, then went back to Steven's side while casting the drained robonoid laser aside. "Alright, almost there. How do we get up?"

Steven reached for her hand, seemingly suggesting fusion, only for it to slip away again when his head throbbed.

"I'll have to try floating up there while holding onto you. Carbon's still in a lot of pain, it's a little hard to ignore."

She took one look at the chair again, then winced. "Maybe it'd be better to go up there by yourself. I'd rather stay down below and not take the chance."

After a nod, and a bit more time to ready himself, he breathed in and made a small sprint towards the chair, then leapt for it. To his great relief, he quickly found himself floating up towards the left armrest, steadying his ascent out until he was able to land comfortably on the flat white surface. Connie had reached the base of the chair by then.

"You okay?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna give it a go now! Keep an eye out!"

He wandered up towards the end of the arm rest, which soon began displaying a holo-screen once he drew close enough. The symbol of the three Diamonds shone brightly into his eyes, not the four he had hoped for.

"Alright, let's see…"

With fingers crossed, he tapped in the memorized pattern minus Pink Diamond's tone, the sound louder than ever given the extra size there. Luck paid off as the screen changed to a directory of the chair's own functionality, listing failures in the rest of the networked systems.

"I'm in!" Getting to the communication system itself was simple enough, though the real challenge lay in getting in contact with Lars specifically. Unlike on the jungle moon, he couldn't simply make contact with the nearest ship and have a good chance of it being right, which meant a manual search for the right signal frequency.

After a minute of searching, Connie's anxiety grew enough for her to seek out whatever conversation she could make. "Hey Steven, you feeling any better?"

"A little better! This screen is really bright though!"

It took another minute of searching before finally tracking down the listing for the Sun Incinerator. The moment that a connection was established made so many other moments of relief feel like nothing in comparison.

"Lars! Don't cut this off! It's Steven!"

Lars looked massive when stretched out over so wide a screen, his look of confusion casting a dazzling pink glow over the chair.

"Steven? Where are you? I mean, where are you calling from, and where are you on screen?"

"Bottom right corner I think! On the armrest!"

After a bit of an awkward search, Lars finally spotted his tiny form on the Sun Incinerator's own holo-screen.

"What's going on? Is that one of the Diamond's chairs?"

"Yes! Connie and I are stuck on Colony Elysium! We could really use a pick-up as soon as possible! Just fly near the lab, there's a Gem that can get us to you when you're close enough!"

"You got it! Setting a course now! Hang in there Steven!"

"We owe you bigtime for this!"

The link closed from Lars' end, leaving him staring up at a blinding white screen once more.

"So, now we find Lapis and wait for him to arrive!"

Steven nodded in agreement, and was about to jump back down when a thought occurred to him, one that slowly drew him back to the screen.

"I need to check something first Connie! We probably won't ever have another chance like this! I need to see if there's anything that will help us stop Shungite!"

Connie looked over at the doorway they had come through again, still thankfully devoid of activity. The looming doorway for White Diamond herself remained closed at least, though she still felt a little uneasy about the delay.

"Don't take too long! Someone will notice we're here sooner rather than later!"

That worry was right at the front of his mind while he began skimming through what files were stored in the chair itself. His hope that only the most vital details would be kept at White Diamond's ready was quickly fading, as there seemed to be virtually nothing at all listed under Cold Star Coal. And they certainly weren't sticking around for the main file locations to be restored.

"What was it she said… Incident 21-D…"

His hope was momentarily reignited as that exact listing did show up under Cold Star Carbon's files. It wasn't exactly what he hoped for, but based on Shungite's behaviour in the moment of crisis, anything learned about Carbon herself could turn out to be useful.

What came up was yet another recording of Carbon's housing lab, the exact one Lapis Lazuli had set her own mindscape in.

She was in the recording herself, alongside the Peridot he had seen her working with the first time they shared minds.

It wasn't long at all before alarms began to blare inside the recording, and a near identical scream to the one that had just occurred overwhelmed the audio feed for several seconds, causing the video itself to distort in a unique Gem fashion.

Through the distortion, he could still make out Lapis Lazuli leaving her station for the ramp leading into the dome. "Cut all power links! Open the hatch!"

"Are you crazy!? You can't go in there now of all times!"

"I have to! You were right, there's too many impurities! I have to remove them before she destroys this whole planet!"

The last he saw was the hatch opening, and Lapis Lazuli entering the dome itself, wielding a glob of water, before the recording cut out altogether to his incredible disappointment.

"What!? That's it!? Why even keep this here!?"

"Steven! We have to go now!"

He tore his eyes away from the cut recording, looking in the direction of the great doorway. Thundering footsteps were echoing up the corridor beyond.

They couldn't possibly get through the way they had come before White Diamond arrived.

"Connie! Get ready to grab on!" While he prepared for another leap, he frantically looked around the observation dome for any other kind of way out. After a few passes, his eyes locked onto a small walkway that seemed to extend out back towards another part of the lab.

He pointed at it to ensure Connie knew where to make for, then readied for his jump. "There!"

Off the armchair he flew, flailing towards the ground at an angle until he felt Connie's hand clutch onto his arm, and his hand around hers. The extra weight was hard to ignore, but desperation to escape drove him upward regardless, until they came sprawling to the floor of the walkway balcony just as the giant doors opened at last.

Connie was back on her feet quickly, though she was quick to notice Steven's exhaustion from the latest ordeal. "Steven hurry!"

"Go, go. Get to Lapis, I'll be right…"

There was a chilling rush of wind, accompanied by more heavy footsteps.

White Diamond had walked right up to that balcony, her enormous eyes twisting down to glare right at Steven, the perfectly square pupils almost as big as he was alone.

"I know who you really are, Steven Universe. You can't hide it from the others forever."

Whatever feeling of exhaustion and breathlessness there should have been in Steven's body at that moment was replaced by raw adrenaline. Never before had he sprinted so fast, hacking breath after breath as he fled White Diamond's reaching hand. Connie was just a few steps ahead, too terrified to look back at the giant white hand drawing closer and closer by the second.

At the first bend, she pulled a sharp right and dashed for the corner, pressing herself up against it while keeping an arm out for Steven to grab. As soon as they had a hold on each other, she yanked him clear out of the path of the pursuing hand at last.

"White Diamond… White Diamond… We were actually face to face with White Diamond."

Being incredibly short on breath had taken Steven down to a slump, now too exhausted to even speak. Even with the looming threat of the giant white arm literal metres away from them, Connie was soon slouched down herself for some much needed air.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get the answers you wanted Steven. We'll just have to find our own way to stop Shungite."

He managed a nod while clutching at his aching chest, just focusing solely on getting his breathing back to a regular pace.

"We'll get out of here Connie… We'll make it home…"

A few minutes after White Diamond finally withdrew her hand from the corridor, apparently having given up on catching them herself for the moment, they moved on again. Even with no real means of taking out other Gems they came across, there was still just as much a chance of them being discovered in hiding as there was on the way to finding Lapis Lazuli. Any further fight they would simply have to be about fleeing or outwitting their former captors.

"You didn't agree on a specific location Steven?"

"I didn't think the whole lab would go offline, so I counted on having some way to track her down once Lars was on the way. Just gotta figure it out ourselves now."

They both began to more actively glance through every window they passed, hoping to catch a glimpse of bright blue amidst the dominating white.

When Connie finally spotted her, she lightly tugged Steven over to the window that looked out one of the great chasms that the lab stretched over. In another corridor ahead of them was a figure that looked rather much like Lapis Lazuli.

"She had the right idea, the Sun Incinerator can get in much closer there."

"Let's hope the Rutile twins are up for some fancy flying then."

They raced around through the shortest path they could find until they finally reached the entryway to the corridor. It looked uncomfortably ready to close behind them at just about any further tremor, but there was simply no going back around the other way to be sure. With a shared glance, they slipped through together and began the tense walk out over the gaping depths that only a couple of layers of material separated them from.

"Lapis! We're here! Are you…"

A terrible feeling settled in Steven's stomach immediately when he noticed how motionless Lapis Lazuli was. No acknowledgement of their callout to her, not even a sign of any idle behaviour. Complete stillness.

"Lapis?"

He moved in closer, one step at a time. Still no movement from her.

"Oh no, please…"

A glimmer on her left hand caught his eye. There was a strange rainbow sheen to it.

"Ste-ven? Ste-ven."

She turned around in awkward, almost robotic movements, revealing her face and her horrifyingly frozen smile. Her eyes had completely glazed over, reminding Steven of the mirror's effect on Lapis in a chilling way.

"It, is, good, to, see, you, again, Ste-ven."

"This is your fault, Steven."

His whole body sank a little further at hearing Apatite's voice behind him. Most likely, she had been deliberately waiting for him to find out the truth for himself.

"What is it with you and blaming everyone else for your decisions, Apatite? Why can't you just own up to just how awful you are."

When he felt Connie bump into him, having backed away from Apatite herself as well as her own posse, he took hold of her hand once more.

"Because that is not how Gem society works. We all have our orders and directives from White Diamond, and mine is to neutralize Gems that fail to follow, or even defy those directives. You do not blame the hand that strikes you down when it is the mind controlling it that holds the intent."

After tightening the grip on Connie's hand, Steven turned around at last, taking his eyes off Lapis Lazuli's blank gaze. "She chose to help us. Gems have free will, you're not constantly controlled by White Diamond. And I know that she didn't order you to extract Rose Quartz from me, or to kill Connie just for an experiment."

He kept his gaze away from the nearest window, once again to avoid drawing Apatite's attention to his next move. They couldn't flee the Gems for long, and while he didn't want to repeat the circumstances of Homeworld, they were once again running out of options.

That time however, Apatite was not taking any chances, as three white Angelites equipped with jet boots and specialized whips hovered into view outside the corridor. Ready and waiting to catch them before they even began to fall.

"She doesn't have to. I know the wishes of my Diamond. I am her most trusted advisor. And believe me when I say that-"

She was cut off mid sentence yet again, though for entirely different reasons than the first time.

The three Angelites outside had been cast aside by a cyan Gem that seemed to be covered entirely in technological parts, save for the mouth and jaw that was left exposed in the otherwise closed helmet. She too had jet boots, as well as heavy armaments on her arms. And she was headed straight for that section of the corridor.

Apatite's cold anger grew hot at that moment. A quick glance at the approaching Gem, and she threw all caution aside to charge right for Steven.

"No!"

The next few seconds weren't quite as chaotic as the moment of Carbon's awakening, but only in that the actual events were more contained.

Steven had moved around further to put himself between Connie and Apatite, hugging her close for protection from both her and the approaching them.

Apatite by then had made it two paces down the corridor, pigtails flopping behind in the dash while the Citrines, Aquamarine and Pearl followed behind.

The first window shattered inward from a precise volley of laser blasts from the new Gem, who folded those weapons back into her extended arms to grab hold of both Steven and Connie firmly while also twisting herself around. The second window she smashed through with her right shoulder.

"Hold on!"

Immediately she orientated herself down into the chasm, blasting well past terminal velocity to make the staggering descent into Elysium's depths before the elite Angelites could follow.

As terrifying as the hurtling downward experience was, both of her rescue targets were too caught up in the shock rescue to do anything other than scream out of pure instinct. No struggle, but also no silence from them.

---

The shock and panic had worn off by the time they stopped the downward blitz, their rescuer having switched to sweeping through the long-abandoned Kindergartens that only varied from Homeworld's in colour. No attempt to speak with her had been made, not that it would be ideal to hold a conversation in mid air at high speed anyway.

It was clear enough that she was intent on keeping them safe, and on escaping the Angelites. When the latter eventually seemed to have been achieved, she slowed down further, and began a more gradual descent towards her destination.

"Almost there. Hope you're not too sick from that."

Connie felt rather queasy, but a day on nothing but Gem-grown fruit that had next to no substance beyond the required nutrients meant there was little for her stomach to empty itself of anyway.

Steven still felt the need to throw up regardless.

She finally landed at the threshold of a particularly large exit hole, where she set both down with great care, being surprisingly gentle with her bulky arms.

While Steven went to clear his nausea, Connie found a smooth part of the rock to lean against and rebalance herself while looking over the Gem at last.

She had an odd kind of freakish nature to her, in that so many of the external parts were of various colours and sizes, all welded and merged together into a larger exosuit of sorts. Even the helmet looked to be composed of a detached foot like that of Peridot's limb enhancers, and what had presumably once been a robonoid.

Having something to focus on helped ease her spinning head enough to focus herself. "Thanks for the rescue."

The Gem cracked a smile, shrugging those bulked shoulders with a soft grind of mechanical parts. "Been waiting for an opportunity to break you out of there. Come in when you're ready, I'll explain where it's a little more comfortable."

She walked further into the exit hole at that, casting a faint glow over the glassed walls from the various energized parts of her exosuit.

Connie opted to wait a little longer before going over to Steven at last, who by then had gotten through the worst of the impulses.

"Any better?"

He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, then nodded.

"We'll find a way to help Lapis. Eventually. Apatite won't get away with this Steven."

"I'd rather not think about that, okay?"

"Okay." She rested a hand around his shoulders to guide him towards where the Gem had gone. It didn't take long at all to discover that it had in fact become an entryway to a sort of hovel inside the rock structure, with several other holes having been connected together or blocked up to form a surprisingly cozy room that was well concealed from outside observation.

A mangled table took up one wall, littered with various Gemtech components and parts. Another bore a surprisingly crisp image of a bright pink Gem with a cheesy grin that looked entirely too precious for a Homeworld Gem.

The Gem's exosuit was in another corner, though the Gem herself seemed to have vacated it already.

"So, whatcha think of Turquenite's little hideout?"

They both turned around, and nearly jumped in fright at seeing Turquenite herself out of the suit, what little there was of her anyway.

A clean cut went right across her torso below the shoulders at an uneven angle, something that had apparently cleaved right through her gemstone as well. And yet, despite being less than half of a Gem, what remained looked perfectly fine. Her agility she even demonstrated by effortlessly clambering around the room with swinging motions, rather akin to primates moving through trees.

With a soft laugh, she flung herself across the space and spun around to land back in the exosuit with a thud. Since only the upper torso had to open, and thus close around her, she was back to full bipedal mobility within a single second.

It was a truly astounding sight to behold.

"That's… how… I mean…"

Turquenite kept the helmet off that time, cracking a wide grin before laughing again joyfully. "Wasn't easy the first few thousand years, but once I learned how to form only the body parts I could maintain, all I had to do was wait for random junk to fall down here!" She extended her exo hand to them, a mash of varied finger-units and a destabilizer prong for a thumb. "It's so good to meet you Steven Universe! Wouldn't believe just how much I've wanted to meet an actual Crystal Gem!"

He was still a little dazed from his own nausea, and rather upset about Lapis Lazuli, keeping him from making more than a futile mumble in response.

"Oh, right, the whole rescue thing." She brought her other arm up and physically grabbed the forearm segment to rotate it around with a few clicks, allowing her to bring up her own crude holo-screen. "Hacking into Elysium's communication relay was one of the first things I learned to do down here. So many reports about the Earth Rebellion went through it, all those tales of great battles and Gems standing up for themselves, just amazing. How could I not come up and break Rose Quartz's human sub-Gem and his friend?"

Since Steven was still not in the mood to talk, Connie took up that role instead. "How'd you know where to find us? With the power knocked out, that was some pretty close timing there."

"Oh, Carbon having another fit? Psh, didn't even take out the Angelite signals. Just went to where they were deployed, noticed you two in trouble and took the chance. Easy."

After a report from the Angelites confirmed they had found no trace of the 'fugitives', Turquenite shrugged gleefully and closed it back down into her arm. "After all this time they still haven't found me. Or any of the others for that matter."

That got Steven's attention at last. "Others? There's even more Off Colours?"

Turquenite nodded while starting to stride over to that sole image on the wall. "It's hard for the groups on other colonies to keep contact with how heavily Homeworld has been cracking down on security protocols, but us Elysium Gems have managed to stay connected with each other, even if we have to keep spread out."

Her other hand came to rest on the image at last, gently stroking around the bush of pink hair. "Pink's right around the other side of the planet. Don't know how I manage things without her by my side, but somehow I do."

Steven and Connie looked to each other yet again, then past Turquenite's shoulder at the picture.

"Pink?"

"It's unbelievable how upset they got, just because she didn't want to be called Morganite. From the moment she emerged, she knew she was Pink Emerald." Turquenite sighed in a way that made clear just how deep her longing was. "I'd never let any Gem take that from her."

The pair looked at the picture for a while longer. Pink Emerald did vaguely resemble the Emeralds they had seen. On closer inspection, she even had more pronounced fangs that seemed to be a unique trait to them. And yet, her face was that of pure innocent joy, about as far from the revelling menace of the Emerald they had fought not so long ago as anything could be.

After the long, agonizing ordeal, such a wholesome display of affection lifted so many of Steven's burdening worries and concerns, at least for the time being. The situation itself was bleak, but they were still in the company of a Gem who had quite literally overcome the previously impossible, not that finding love was by any means impossible.

"She sounds like a wonderful Gem to be with. As much as I'd like to stay and meet her, we do kinda have to get back to the surface for our escape off this planet."

Once again, Turquenite smiled, though this time it was less elated and more understanding. "I listened in on that call for help as well, got the proximity alarm on a hotline. We'll know the moment your friend arrives in orbit, I can get you two back up there when the time comes." She stepped away from the picture at last. "Just need to give the Angelites time to move far enough away, gonna be a hectic flight otherwise."

Connie hummed in a moment of thought. "You've got this pretty well planned out huh?"

"Well, y'know, a few thousand years of not being able to do anything other than stare at a screen that's playing out Diamond reports does that. Memorized all the search patterns, pretty much all the situation plans." She flexed one of her arms inside the exosuit to run an on-the-spot maintenance check. "But since Apatite doesn't play by the rules, I figured a little personal intervention would be best."

"We really appreciate it, Turquentine." Steven tried to remain positive, but it still ended up reminding him of the cost left behind. "I just wish Lapis Lazuli didn't have to pay the price."

The smile finally faded from Turquentine's face, though she was still a long way off from looking sad, aside from the awkward rub over her bald head. "Oh, Apatite got to her then I take it? I wasn't really paying attention to her."

Steven sighed at his own highly unusual inability to keep things positive on that occasion. "You couldn't have known she was in danger, I didn't mean to sound like I'm blaming you for not getting there sooner." After an awkward glance to Connie, he looked back up at the tall Gem. "Don't suppose you can get her away from Apatite somehow? Keep her safe?"

"I can give it a go when things aren't so hectic. Homeworld tends to throw Mystic Gems down so they shatter in these depths anyway. We've got quite a few bubbled instead, so they don't have to keep existing like that." She sighed herself, folding her arms up with another soft grind of metal against metal. "Word is that Rose Quartz had some real amazing healing powers. Not talking about fixing myself mind you, there's more than just Mystics that could use your help. When you come back here I mean."

"Come back?"

"Yeah, when you're ready to start taking the fight back to Homeworld, to liberate Gemkind from the Diamonds and their elite. You'll have a lot more support when the time comes than you might think. I know Pink and I will be there the moment you need us."

"Maybe getting a little ahead on the whole New Rebellion plan…" Another look to Connie made it clear that he needed to keep matters appeased, despite his own doubts. "But maybe once we've stopped Shungite, we can start fighting back. There's a lot of corrupt Gems back on Earth that need to be healed."

Turquenite nodded, slowly unfolding her arms again. "I trust your word, Steven. I'll let the others know that we've finally made contact with the Crystal Gems, and we can start preparing for when you come back. Maybe even hijack another ship or two, start building a rebel fleet."

"I think Lars would be fine with becoming a Gem admiral." Steven smiled at the thought for a while, then looked back up to her. "I still want to resolve things peacefully if it's at all possible. But until then, tell all the other Off Colours, the Mystics, and any other Homeworld outcasts, we're not giving up."

The round of smiles that his little speech brought on was interrupted by a beep from Turquenite's arm. She didn't even need to look at it, instead going right for picking both of them up in her arms once more.

"Your friend just arrived! Steven, if you can make that shield of yours work without slowing me down, now's the time. Connie, get in contact with your friend, tell him to slow down and fly over the crevasse, but not to stop even for a moment. The Angelites can tear entire ships apart with their whips if they get the chance."

Her helmet folded back down as she began jogging out through the hole, Steven adjusting his posture to free his arm for the shield, and Connie gripping around her arm in such a way that let her remain comfortably within the screen's camera area.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

The visor on Turquenite helmet lit up in a flashy purple in time with her cracking grin. "Let's fly you two out of here!"

She leapt off the rim of the hole, waiting until she was fully clear before firing her jet boots up, beginning the rocket ascent at last.

Once they had steadied out, Connie finally made the call.

"Lars! Any trouble yet?"

"There's a few ships coming to intercept. Wait, where are you now?"

"Plan changed slightly, we've got a different Gem helping us out! Listen, you need to fly close to the lab without actually stopping, it's too dangerous otherwise! Turquenite can catch up to you if we time it right! Got all that?"

Lars looked away from the screen to relay instructions to the other Gems, an expression of concern present when he looked back. "The Twins aren't confident in high speed, low altitude flying, but we'll try. Rhodonite will be at the rear airlock waiting to help you two in. We're about two minutes from the lab itself."

"Got it! Just stay away from any white Gems you see out in the air!"

She closed the call to avoid distracting Lars further, and to ensure she concentrated on keeping hold herself as Turquenite's ascent path began to sway about more and more wildly.

"Turbulence?"

"Not quite. The Angelites are closing in."

Steven glanced around worriedly, suddenly feeling far less confident about using his shield while travelling at high speed. Tilting it even a little into a dragging angle could throw Turquenite off in a catastrophic way, and keeping it steady while under assault from flying whip-Gems and in the wake of a starship didn't sound quite so manageable anymore.

The frequency of those ascent changes grew higher as they began passing by the lowest reaches of the lab itself, as well as parts of the city that had grown in under it out of a search for what space they could get. Their pursuers were either drawing closer without revealing themselves visually just yet, or they were simply growing in number.

Some time after the open sky became visible again, the first of the Angelites made her move for them.

"Steven now!"

He braced himself while Turquenite twisted around to give him full view of the crackling white whip that was racing towards them. Not an ideal angle to block from, but one he had to work with all the same.

The shield materialized right before impact, dissipating the energy with a loud snap, sending the whip itself back at the Angelite who had to retreat back into the walls of the Kindergarten to avoid its explosive backlash.

"Almost there! Keep doing that Steven and we'll be fine!"

"I'll try!"

The crevasse grew wider and wider, more of the barren rock surrounding the lab's surface coming into view. Now that there was actually time to look up at it, he finally noticed that there was a clear lack of exit holes in the area. Given the purpose of the lab itself, it seemed to be a deliberate choice.

Gazing upward also meant he was first to catch the gold glimmer of the Sun Incinerator as it began to close in from the far end of the crevasse itself.

"There they are!"

And a few larger ships not too far behind. The Sun Incinerator itself seemed to be barreling down right above the surface at much greater speed than he expected.

Turquenite had already taken note of the unfolding situation. "They're going too fast for a sharp handover! Gonna have to catch up to them further on! Brace!"

She spun around again and made a hard turn towards the same path as the Sun Incinerator itself, keeping low as it hurtled overhead towards the main Elysium cityscape.

"I hope that pilot they've got knows her stuff!"

From her back emerged a pair of stabilizer fins, allowing her to remain even as she powered on in the wake of the Sun Incinerator as it began weaving and dodging Gem structures and non-military craft alike.

The residual heat in the air was causing Steven and Connie to sweat and gasp, able to do little as their eyesight turned bleary.

"I can barely see!"

"I should've welded you two some goggles or something when I had the chance! Sorry!"

The lurching and weaving grew worse as they gradually closed in, the density of the city itself forcing increasingly drastic turns to avoid any collision. Worse, the hum of the pursuing ships only seemed to get louder as the far more experience pilots gained ground on them.

When they finally pulled through the worst of the wake, Turquenite adjusted her grip on them again. Ahead, she could make out the open airlock of the Sun Incinerator at last, and a maroon fusion standing in it.

"Get ready you two! Almost there!"

It wasn't long before they could make out Rhodonite properly, her lower arms gripping each side of the airlock fiercely so that she could lean out and extend her upper arms towards them as much as possible.

"Hurry! We're running out of space to fly in!"

The air pocket behind the ship gave something of a reprieve for all three, the gap between Rhodonite's reach and that of Steven and Connie growing shorter and shorter by the second.

"Floor it Turquenite!"

"I'm trying! Believe me!"

Just past the hull, Connie could see the thinning space ahead. They had seconds at most before the Sun Incinerator would have to hard maneuver again.

"Turq!"

"Grab her!"

With a hearty yell, she boosted herself to less than a metre distance from Rhodonite, and used that extra momentum to hurl the pair right at her waiting arms.

As soon as she saw her grab hold of them both and haul them in, she gave a teasing salute and swan dived right down into the depths well before the Angelites could catch up.

Rhodonite kept a tight hold around them both until the airlock closed, feet braced against the frame to keep from sliding out. "They're here Lars!"

As soon as the rush of air stopped, she let go of them both and hastily scrambled to her feet. "Oh no, are either of you hurt? Was I squeezing too hard?"

"We're fine Rhodonite."

Steven attempted to stand as well, only for the ship to lurch wildly as they presumably made to escape the tighter confines of the city. He was spared from crashing into Connie as she stumbled around herself by a quick clutch at his shoulder by Rhodonite.

"I can't believe you two actually escaped a White Diamond base!"

"We'll tell you all about it on the way back to Earth! Right now we have to get out of here!" He waited until the swaying stopped to slip free of her hold and get Connie up as well, stumbling with her towards the corridor that led to the bridge, Rhodonite right behind.

Arriving on the bridge itself was incredibly relieving, even if tension was running higher than ever as they weaved through the upper reaches of the city for a final escape trajectory away from Elysium at last.

Lars nearly leapt out of his seat to hug them both when he noticed them, instead settling for a happy smile that sadly didn't last as long as it should have.

"This is kicking the snot out of the thrusters! Anything's worth getting you both out, just saying!"

Over at her console, Padparadscha gasped in delight. "Our attempt to rescue Steven and Connie will be a success!"

"For once, I choose to believe that's our future Padpa!"

Both Rutiles yelped as they grazed over a building, causing a loud screech of metal before they pulled clear.

"We might've torn a hole in the hull!"

"We definitely tore a hole in that number crunching block!"

It did at least mean they were free of further obstacles, which meant being exposed to attack by the pursuing ships, but also meant they had a lot more freedom to dodge and evade.

"Twins! How long until we can hyper-speed away?"

Rutile Left glanced over at Rhodonite, who was only just getting back into her seat, while Rutile Right frantically worked to get the thrusters ready for the jump.

"Maybe thirty seconds to clear enough of the atmosphere?"

Steven and Connie by then had moved to each side of Lars' seat for a more secure place to hold onto while they raced on out of Elysium's gravity well, only for Rhodonite to yelp.

"Lars! There's a big ship coming up ahead!"

"Onscreen!"

The main display switched to a view of Elysium's surface below, where a giant white arm was rising up. The fingers began to curl in save for the index that instead pointed right at them.

"Fingergun? Fingergun!"

"No! Not fingergun Lars! Fingercannon!"

"FINGERCANNON!?"

"Fingercannon is preparing to fire!"

"Twins! We're out of time, punch it!"

Both Rutiles looked to each other momentarily, then punched the screen at the same time.

Lars was only spared fainting by Steven quickly grabbing his wrist and keeping him awake by shaking it.

"I predict that the Rutile twins will mistake a science fiction movie quote as being literal! How amusing!"

All of the others yelled in panic at that moment as they watched White Diamond's ship open fire, shooting an immense white beam of energy into the depths of space right across their path.

---

Once again, White Diamond was gazing out over the stars, turned fully away from the doorway when Apatite entered. All of her Gems had been ordered back to her ship, Teal Pearl included, leaving her feeling uncomfortably alone for the first time in her existence.

The long silence that followed well after she reached the designated waiting spot only added to that. She fully expected to be blamed for the escape, despite having done quite literally everything she possibly could have under the circumstances.

"Apatite, I am deeply disappointed."

Just as expected.

"I am sorry my clarity, I do not know just how Turquenite got wind of our-"

"Silence. That is exactly what I am disappointed in you for."

Apatite blinked in confusion. "The fact that I couldn't predict-"

"I said silence!"

White Diamond lifted her foot and set it down to the right ever so slightly, but her size gave it enough force to send a loud clap through the whole dome. Apatite went deathly silent for that.

"You've grown too lax, too comfortable in your position of authority. You make decisions without consulting me, you pretend to know the fullness of my plans. You dare to assume my intent!"

The words had such sharpness to them, that the isolation Apatite found herself in turned to sheer dread. Never had she heard White Diamond raise her voice like that, and now she was the sole target of her otherwise unheard of anger.

"You ruined one of the best Lapis Lazulis to have ever emerged from this planet. Her quality rivalled that of her Star counterparts, thousands of years of diligent, unwavering service in line with her fellow scientists. And you dared to ruin her of your own accord?"

"She betrayed-"

White Diamond lashed her hand out at Apatite without actually turning around, sending a vicious beam of pure white energy that caused her to crumple down in agony, but still intact. Purely so that she would hear the rest.

"The Cold Star Project has been far too long in the making to risk further complications now. My instructions to the team were quality of work above all else. Now, I will have to take a direct role in Carbon's stabilization, as well as the formation of the rest of the Army. Time away from Homeworld, because you developed personal feelings of betrayal, and even dared to act upon them."

Scorch marks lined Apatite's extremities, and her once pristine pigtails had singed and frazzled. Nothing that couldn't be undone with a good reformation session, but the point had been made to her in the most bitter of ways all the same.

"I'm sending you back to Homeworld. There you will stay until I can deal with you properly. You are meant to be our best defence against free thinking, not the purveyor of it."

With her pride, as well as her status stripped away, just like that, there was nothing left for Apatite to say. All she could do was turn around and limp her way out of the observatory in utter shame. Of all things, what hurt most was the very notion that Steven had been right about her after all.

---

"Gently now, gently."

There were quite a number of disconcerting metal groans coming from the ramshackle spacecraft that Peridot was piloting at that very moment. Keeping it in the air at all was a challenge, keeping up with Pearl's very specific landing instructions seemed impossible.

It was almost too much for Priyanka to watch, knowing that the best chance of seeing Connie again was a poorly constructed metal mess that was mostly composed of material and parts salvaged from millenia old colony ships. Doug was doing his utmost to be supportive for her, despite how much it was hurting him inside as well.

For Greg, it had been a nightmarish situation of anxiety and uncertainty, and then it had happened all over again. And yet, all he could do was watch the vain attempts at pulling together a horribly outdated, and FTL-incapable ship on the vague hope that it would actually accomplish anything other than being an empty hope.

The ship itself collapsing into the beach on touchdown felt like a sharp stab to all three parents.

"Peridot! I said gently!"

"Do you really think I rushed this Pearl!?"

While the two began to argue rather heatedly, both Lapis and Gradie slowly made their way over from the beach house. The argument itself didn't help their already low mood.

"Pearl, I'm sorry, our experiment didn't work."

The argument was brought to a cold halt, Peridot sinking back into the wrecked ship, Pearl burying her face in her hands again.

"There's just no way to carry that much oxygen that far out with water alone."

Gradie let out a long sigh. "At this point, we're gonna have to hope that they've found their own way to escape. Because I don't-"

A soft mrowl from Lion drew the attention of everyone. Ever since the capture he had been far more lethargic. To see him suddenly standing up and padding the sand impatiently was too out of the ordinary to ignore.

Of them all, it was Pearl who decided to approach him. "What is it?"

Right before her eyes, a portion of his mane glowed, through which Steven and Connie emerged with deep gasps for air, collapsing to the hot sand with hysterical bouts of laughter at finally being back on Earth.

"Oh my goodness you're both safe!"

The onslaught of tight embraces that followed lasted several minutes, everyone too frantic with overwhelming relief to actually hear what the others were saying. Not too long after, Garnet and Amethyst joined in the reunion after noticing the sudden spike in activity, spreading the joy at their return that much further.

Once again, Steven had beaten the overwhelming odds of escaping capture by Homeworld, and better yet, with both Connie and himself doing it unscathed.

And to top it all off, Lars and the Off Colours were that much closer to Earth, mere weeks away at last.

While the fates of Turquenite and Lapis Lazuli were present at the forefront of Steven's mind, for the moment his sole concern was taking the time to relax, and feel grateful for being amongst family and friends once more.

Preparing for the inevitable battle with Shungite could wait a while longer.

The black screen closed in around them all in a wide star, then popped altogether.