Chapter 26: Her Side

Some Hours Before, Cell A4, Peridot Cut 5XG Facet 8P4B

Peridot's gem rose up and the green gem reformed, her appearance unchanged. She quickly checked her surroundings. Apparently she was in a standard cell. Three walls were made of a solid alloy, resistant to the highest temperatures and pressures. She would have needed a laser cannon of a warship to destroy them. The front wall was a destabilizing field that, using the same technology of a destabilizer, disrupted the gems' physical forms, preventing them to exit from the cell and, if they tried to cross the barrier with their whole body, poofing them. But it was the gem standing on the other side of the barrier that caught her her attention.

The Manager raised an eyebrow. "It was about time that you reformed, little brat"

Peridot made a low growl, but she knew that thanks to the barrier, the Manager was safe from everything she could try. Still she still tried to punch her. She quickly regretted it when her fist got destabilized and she got sent backwards by the shockwave.

"Impulsive as always I see. Well you can see that I've quintupled the standard values the power of the destabilizing field. You should be happy to hear that every time you hit it, the values will increase of another 500 %"

"What do you want? I thought that you would have just shattered me or handed me over to the Diamonds"

"What? I've just taken you here to have a nice chat about how to better betray My Diamond, Homeworld and everything I stand for" she mocked her. Then she returned serious "Back to business. Did you really think that you would be enough to bring me back my status? You just inspired an insurrection. No, to have the status to achieve my goals I need not only you, but Rose Quartz's little hybrid and what's left of her pathetic, little rebellion. Yes, I could drop you on Homeworld and return on Earth to take the rest. But, even if they gave me a platoon of Quartzes, the chances of taking them in a fight are only of the 10 % and they would have their guards up, so it would be even more improbable to lure them into a trap"

"So what! Do you plan to use me as a bait? An hostage to exchange for Steven?"

"The chance that they would fall into a trap, even with you as a bait, are of the 20 % and, even if they traded their leader for a peridot, the hybrid had shown a certain level of skill in escaping and returning on Earth. And him escaping another time would take to my shattering. But don't worry. I've designed a perfect strategy. Based on the analysis of his behavior. It seems like he really cares about interpersonal relationships and mutual trust. Well, what would happen if someone betrayed him? Someone he thought he had fully converted to his side?"

Peridot understood what she meant "I'll NEVER betray him! No matter what you'll do or promise to me!"

The Manager looked disappointed. "It's a shame. Well, it doesn't matter. You'll betray him willingly or unwillingly"

Peridot looked confused as hell "What do-" But she never had time to finish her sentence. Four robotic tentacles sprang from the walls and blocked her limbs. A strange looking machine appeared at the Manager's side. It had an antenna connected to a box. From the box came a wire, connected to a glass cylinder. The Manager stepped inside of the glass cylinder, a remote in her hand. She pushed some buttons and the barrier deactivated. Then she turned a knob and whispered "Let's hope it works" then, more confident, to Peridot "Do not worry, 5XG. It will be painless. For me". A ray hit Peridot and then all became dark.

An undefined amount of time later, MindScape

Peridot opened her eyes. What… what has happened? The details about what happened hit her like a train. She was in a cage. And on the other side… The Manager. But she was not watching at her. Her focus was on a screen. And on the screen…

Amethyst looked in surprise "What the-"

Then a destabilizer stabbed her in the chest. Peridot was too shocked to even speak.

The Manager commentated out loud. "One gone. Two to go"

Then she saw Peridot "Ah. You're awake"

"How-"

"How I possessed your body? Simple. With a machine I designed, I had been able to introduce myself in your mind and see all of your memories. Pink Diamond's betrayal was a surprise, that's for sure, but my plan is going smoothly"

"Why are you doing it?! Can't you see how we are threated!? I only want to help gems like us, but it seems like you care too much about your status-" she never finished her sentence, because the Manager, with a look of true hate in her eyes, had landed a punch on her jaw

"SHUT UP. So you are the one who cares, clodding clod? Well, who did you think worked six thousands of years to ensure better conditions for technicians creating enhancements and robonoids to give more importance to technicians? Me. Who worked day and night to show the Diamonds that those clods like agates and ambers are wrong, that we are worth a lot more? Always me. ALL YOU HAVE DONE? Oh, yes you put a wrench in my plans. Calling Yellow Diamond a clod almost nullified two thousands years of work. But you did worse. You persuaded those poor technicians on Ahl to revolt, while you were safe on Earth. What did you think the Diamonds would have done? It was obvious that they would have taken action. Don't you get what it means?"

"N-no…" Peridot knew what it mean, but the only thought terrorized her

"IT'S. YOUR. FAULT. Every shattering is your fault. Every worsening in the peridots' condition?

Your fault. You could have shattered them by your hand and what would it have changed? Nothing. Oh, wait, they would have seen your true face, the face of a ruthless traitor. I can see why you have so much affinity with Pink Diamond's offspring. You and he are both traitors with the mouth full of judgments and useless ideologies. Well, that's not true, now that I think about it. At least Pink Diamond fought on the battlefield instead to send poor idiots to die for her. You are a dishonor not only to the peridots and to your matrons. But to the whole gemkind"

Peridot was astonished. Was it true? Was all her fault?

"Do you want to hear what I thought about you when I read your personal file for the first time? When you were first stationed under me?" the Manager continued "That you had potential. More than me, maybe. You could have been someone like me. We could have reformed it from the inside. We could have created a better future for everyone. But you decided to follow those rebels. I felt disappointed. You think I'm the traitor of our caste? In my eyes, the only one that betrayed those poor gems are. YOU. So shut up and let me do my job"

Peridot was too destroyed by the remorse to reply. It was true. It was her fault. Did she deserve shattering? Yes, she did. She didn't move a muscle when the Manager poofed Pearl. IT. She didn't do anything when the Manager made Steven believe that she had betrayed him. She looked in his eyes and the ache in her chest became so strong that she couldn't think straight. WAS. She didn't do anything when the Manager attacked Steven. ALL. She felt her sins crawling on her back. She didn't do anything when the Manager told horrible things about Pearl's fate. HER.

FAULT!

At that point she was a shadow of herself. She was almost detached from reality, sulking in a corner of her cage. If she had caused so much hate, anger, grief and pain, why should she fight again. It would only worsen her friend's lives. Everybody's life. Steven's life. No, it was better that he thought that she was a traitor than that he saw her in this new light, like she was.

But then something happened. A single shard of a sentence echoed in her head, like somebody that screamed into a metal sphere, the sound gradually more metallic. You. Won't. Survive.

"NO!" she screamed with all she had. She could be shattered, no she had to be shattered, but Steven? Steven did nothing wrong. He had always been kind and innocent to everyone, he was like that to everybody. Earth could burn. Homeworld could be destroyed. Heck, the whole universe could be annihilated, for what she cared. After all, the universe would be meaningless without her Universe, Steven Universe.

Hot tears flowed from her eyes as she called his name and shook the bars of the cage. Nothing happened. But then… the visual of the screen began to be watery. Both Peridot and the Manager understood what it was. Peridot's tears. The manager turned, hate in her eyes

"STOP"

Peridot didn't

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

Peridot didn't

The Manager put an arm through the bars and pulled up Peridot at her eye level "ARE YOU BRAINDEAD?" She smacked her "STOP"

Peridot didn't. In fact, she started to move her limbs in all directions, causing her physical form, outside of the MindScape to fall.

The Manager, snarling, punched her straight in her face "WHERE IS YOUR DIGNITY? I WON'T LET YOU RUIN MY PLANS AGAIN" another slap "I PROMISED TO GIVE REVENGE TO ALL THE GEMS YOU SHATTERED!"

Then a blinding light covered everything