Chapter 37

Lightning flashed as dark storm clouds slowly rolled across the sky.
Rockets arched from the cargo ships turned warships onto the city as H.L.A and Anvil forces fought tooth and nail.
Burners tore their way through the city as they desperately tried to find their Synthetic queen while the Hybrids carved their way towards the Crystal Temple where the innocent citizens were flocking to for safety. While the ones that were lucky enough to reach the temple were given what little shelter there was, those who failed to reach the temple were usually ripped apart by the Hybrids.
Greg was one of the first to reach the temple. He was asleep until a rocket tossed his van like a toy.
Sadie and Lars managed to catch a ride with Mr. Smiley before things got too chaotic.
The Fryman family had decide to take refuge within the bunker Ronaldo had built for when the snake people rose up.

From one of the six cargo ships, Drago Korshunov watched as his army advanced deeper into the city.

"I have you cornered Adler..." he growled as he observed the battle through his binoculars. "What is three hundred hired guns compared to my army of Hybrids?"

Drago smirked as he watched one of the Anvil Corp gunships fall to the ground.
While it was true that the Anvil Corps mercenaries were the best and most ruthless in the world, they were small in number.
Drago had the full might of the H.L.A behind him while Adler only had his mercenaries and his abominations to keep him safe.

"Your luck has finally run out."

The Crystal Gems and the Remnants had all prepared for battle when the sound of helicopter rotors sounded over the temple.
As the Gems rushed out to face the possible threat, the noticed that the helicopter's belonged to the U.S National Guard.
The helicopters began to rope down U.S troops around the temple. The low grumbling sound of tank treads filled the air as six M2A3 Bradleys formed a perimeter around the temple. On the high ground over looking the city, four M1A2 Abrams tanks lined up and aimed their guns towards the city.
The U.S soldiers began piling sandbags and digging foxholes while more helicopters began to hover over head.

"What the heck is going on now?!" Amethyst shouted over the whoosh of the helicopter blades. "Don't we have enough to worry about?!"

"They're U.S National Guard, they're probably responding to the invasion, just like we are," Garnet stated as she kept the sand from blowing underneath her shades.

While the army set up a defensive perimeter, a group of four soldiers approached the Gems.

"Overlord, this Razor 3-1 Actual. We have reached the temple and are proceeding with standard operating procedures, over!"

"Be advised, Razor 3-1, the Gems are not to be considered hostile, I repeat, not hostile. The temple will be serving as our deployment zone. Hold the position until reinforcements arrive before assaulting the F.B.U.R HQ. A flight of F-22s and four A-10s are on fast approach. ETA thirty minutes; over."

"Roger that, over."

The group of soldiers ran up the steps of the temple and stopped in front of the Gems.

"Alright, listen up! We need all civilians out of the temple and onto those helos, ASAP!"

"Why should we listen to you?" Azurite snapped hotly.

"Because if we fail to retake F.B.U.R HQ, then the air force is gonna flatten the city!" one of the soldiers snapped back. "You think this little beach house will survive that shit?!"

"Shut it Corporal!" the squad Sergeant ordered angrily. "We don't need them pissed off at us too! Look, we both know that this temple is going to be a target for the H.L.A. The sooner you let those civilians come with us, the sooner we can let loose one the H.L.A and Bureau forces."

"You're targeting the Bureau?" Pearl asked. "I thought that-"

"You thought wrong," the Sergeant stated, cutting the gem off. "Adler has been labeled a threat to national security and is to be apprehended at all costs."

Azurite rolled her eyes and gripped her rapier tightly.

"There wont be anything left once we are done with him," she growled angrily.

Before the Sergeant could respond, the sound of panicked gunfire grabbed his attention.

"Contact, hostile foot mobiles coming down the stre- WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE THINGS!"

Suddenly, one of the M2A3 Bradleys fired its 25mm chain gun down towards the street that lead to the beach. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl rushed from the temple and spotted what the Bradley was firing at.
Sprinting faster then a human ever could was a group of ten Hybrids, each with their claws, teeth, and blades ready to rip apart any who stood in their way.
As the Bradley fired, one of the Hybrids shouldered and RPG and fired it at the vehicle. In a shower of fire and smoke, the Bradley erupted into a ball of fire.
The three Gems raised their weapons and charged the attackers.
But before the Hybrids could get within striking distance, a blast of cold air slammed against them like a solid brick wall.
Before they could recover, two blue tomahawks buried themselves deep into two of the Hybrids' skulls.
With a blue blur, the tomahawks were ripped out of their skulls.
Time seemed to slow down as the Gems and the Hybrids watched as the blue armored warrior Turquoise rose as her two slain enemies fell to ashes.
She whipped her hair out of her face then readied her weapons.

"I release you from this torment..."

Like something out of legends, Turquoise engaged the mob of Hybrids by herself.
Bullets flew as the monsters desperately tried to shoot her as jets of glowing gore sprayed into the air.
Turquoise ducked and weaved at incredible speeds as she dodged attack after attack.
She had not fought in battle for nearly two thousand years, but one would not tell by looking.
She moved like the howling wind as her tomahawks cut down anything in her path.
Her enemies growled and brought their blades down upon her, yet none were fast enough to hit her.
Turquoise blocked out the agonized cries of her enemies the best she could.
She began to hear the pounding of war drums and tribal songs of past victories echo in her mind.
Why she was remembering them now eluded her, for the elder Gem hand not heard them for nearly a century.
Soon the drums deafened her to everything around her. All she was focusing one at that very moment was winning.

Slack jawed and wide eyed the Gems watched in awe as Turquoise decimated the Hybrids. Her tomahawks looked like blue blurs as she spun and hacked away at the infernal beasts.

"Daaannnggg..." Amethyst exclaimed as she stared at the scene before her. "Do-do you think she needs help?"

Pearl shook her head and hid behind Garnet nervously.

"N-no, I think she has it under c-control," she stammered as she cowered behind her leader. "R-right Garnet?"

"I'm not stopping her," Garnet stated as she watched the fight with a impressed smile. "Let her blow off some steam."

"Oh, man, who knew Turquoise could throw down like that?!" Steven exclaimed as he watched through a part of binoculars from the safety of the temple.

"Let me see, let me see!" Connie begged as she grabbed the binoculars.

Connie's jaw dropped as she witnessed Turquoise hammer both of her tomahawks into the throat and forehead of two enemies that had attacked her at both sides. Leaving the twin axes in their victims, Turquoise dropped to the ground and avoided a spray of bullets.
The bullets meant for the old gem found the Hybrid that was lunging behind her.
Glowing ichor gushed out of it's face as Turquoise slid towards the machine gunner, who was still firing his Kalashnikov in a panic.
Turquoise pushed her hand past the barrel of the gun and drove her palm underneath the Hybrid's neck and snapped it.
With most of their mob now killed, the last two remaining Hybrids began to run as fast as they could away from the blue Gem.
But Turquoise could not let them escape. She tore her tomahawks out of the blackened husks of her vanquished enemies and threw them at the fleeing Hybrids.
With a loud, pain filled wail, the two Hybrids fell dead in their tracks as the twin axes drove deep into their spines.

Turquoise opened her palms and the twin tomahawks tore themselves out of their victims and zipped back into the proud Gem's hands.

After taking a deep breath, Turquoise spun her weapons with her hands, crossed her arms, and bowed her head.

"Return to the earth from whence you came..." the stated in a hushed tone.

At the sound of her voice, the ashes of her fallen enemies were blown to the four winds.
With the threat now dealt with, Turquoise made her way back up the steps of the temple.
The Gems were silent and the soldiers were wary as she crested the last step.
The black war paint on her face brought out an intensity that her once gentle blue eyes lacked. Chills ran down the Gem's backs as her eyes met theirs.

"Sergeant, get the people inside the temple out of the city," Turquoise ordered firmly. "More will come before long and they will not show mercy towards those inside."

The sergeant swallowed the lump in his throat then nodded his head.

"Alright, get those civilians on those helos ASAP! Our jobs will be a little bit easier without them slowing us down!"

Everyone who had sought shelter within the temple found themselves being rushed into a Black hawk helicopter. Steven took Connie by the hand and lead her out towards the helicopter with her father.

"Dad, make sure she stays safe!" Steven shouted up at Greg over the howl of the helicopter's rotors.

"What about you Steven?!" Connie asked as Steven began to nudge her towards the open helicopter door. "Aren't you coming too?!"

Steven smiled nervously and shook his head.

"I'm not gonna leave the Gems to fight alone!" he shouted. "This isn't your fight! Get out of the city while you still can!"

Connie shook her head and gripped Steven's hand tightly.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" she shouted defiantly. "Not after all that has happened!"

"It's too dangerous for you to be here!" Steven yelled back. "Get out, get to safety, and wait for this to blow over! Let me and the Gems put a stop to this!"

Connie refused to move, she refused to leave Steven to face the wraith of two armies without her next to him.
It was irrational and she knew it, but she didn't care. She knew Steven was strong, but she doubted if he was strong enough to survive out in the no man's land that Beach City was quickly becoming.

Before Steven could put up any further arguments, a barrage of rockets arched across the city and began to hammer down on the beach and temple. As the rockets rained down on the temple, the helicopter began to take off, without Connie.

"This is Vulture-1, evac zone is taking too much fire! I gotta get her up before another barrage!" the pilot shouted over his communicator. "I'm moving to the-"

Suddenly, all of the headsets and radios blared loud static.

"Say again Vulture-1, I repeat, say again!" the sergeant shouted into his communicator.

"Sarg, somethings wrong with our comm units! All I'm hearing is static!"

While the situation around the two was much more dire then they realized, Connie and Steven simply glared at each other.
A small, smug smirk crept across Connie's face as the helicopter flew off further inland to safety.

"Now you're stuck with me," she hissed playfully.

Steven opened his mouth to argue with the defiant Connie, but the roar of several jet engines split the air as a flight of F-22 fighter jets flew over the temple.

"This is Eagle-1, sound off." the flight leader ordered over their headsets.

"Eagle-2, standing by."

"Eagle -3 standing by."

"Eagle- 4 standing by."

"This is Eagle-1, to all Eagle units, all none U.S aircraft are to be considered hostile. Our A-10s need the air nice and clean before they can begin their attack run. Quick and clean, no showing off!"

The Gems watched as the F-22's began to cut through both the H.L.A and Anvil gunships like a scythe cutting wheat. Missiles thickened the air as the jets flew over the city, each missile bringing down another gunship.

"Overlord, this is flight leader Eagle-1. We are making another pass over the city, over."

"Overlord copies, Eagle-1, good hunting."

As the F-22s made their second pass over the city, what little anti-air the H.L.A had began to fire blindly into the sky. Red tracers light up the darkened sky as more and more gunships began to fall in sheets of flames.

With the H.L.A and the Anvil mercenaries occupied with the Air Force, the Gems and the Remnants all decided that the time to assault the F.B.U.R Monastery was now. With the skies clearer of enemy gunships, it would be easier to cross the city now. They had to jump on the chance now lest they lose it forever. Pearl took Steven and Connie by the arms and dragged them up the temple stairs.

"Steven, Connie, since you both refused to leave, I want you two and Lion to stay here at the temple," Pearl stated firmly. "Let us handle this mess."

"What, are you serous Pearl?" Steven exclaimed loudly. "What if you guys need me out there?"

"Steven, right now we need you to stay safe!" Pearl snapped. "Please, just once listen to me!"

Steven shut his mouth, he knew that Pearl meant business when she snapped like that.

"Lion, if the temple is compromised, take Steven and Connie and get put of here," Pearl ordered the pink predatory cat.

Lion responded with a low growl as if he was saying "You betcha."

Pearl kneeled down and hugged both Steven and Connie before a loud jovial squeal split the air.

"Pearl, get your butt out here and see who showed up!" Amethyst shouted with a wide obnoxious smile.

Pearl ran to the porch just as four A-10 "Warthogs" flew over the temple. The streets below them erupted in a trail of fire and smoke as their GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannons sang their 30mm song of destruction.

"Humans and their toys..."Pearl sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, hey P, guess what their squadron name is," Amethyst said as she tried her best to stifle the ever approaching fit of laughter.

"Must I?" Pearl asked irritated.

"Yes," Garnet responded flatly.

Pearl watched as the tank killers swung back around for another pass.

"Death Bringers, or something stupid like that?" Pearl asked, uninterested.

"Nope."

"Fine...Devil Dogs?" Pearl asked again. "That's a common name."

"Guess again..."Amethyst stated, tears in her eyes as she began giggle.

Pearl sighed and looked up to the sky. That's when it hit her.

"No..." she hissed as she caught a glimpse of what was painted on the side of each of the A-10s.

"Yes..."Garnet responded with a smile.

Pearl rushed to the telescope that was set up on the patio.

"No!" she shouted angrily.

"Yes!" Amethyst cackled.

Pearl began to adjust the telescope to get a better look at the jets. What she had thought was a cartoon bird was in fact a drawing of her straddling a missile.
She grit her teeth and blushed a deep blue as the jets flew past the temple for a fourth pass.

"The White Witches?!" Pearl shouted angrily as she tossed the telescope over the hand railing in a fit of blind fury. "I wrote countless letters to the airbase about this!"

Amethyst was rolling on the ground laughing uncontrollably.

"I always nabbed them before they were picked up!" she laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

With the sky and ground temporarily clear of hostiles, the U.S National Guard began to load up and head towards the city.

"Alright, men, listen up!" the lieutenant colonel shouted as he stood on the top of his Humvee. "Our goal is to push our way through the city and repel the H.L.A forces. Reinforcements will be coming in by air. Once we secure the beach, we are to assault the F.B.U.R headquarters. Be sure to use the new "Breaker" rounds on the Burners and whatever the hell those other things were. When we assault the F.B.U.R headquarters, expect heavy resistance. Adler has hired mercenaries from the Anvil Corps. If you are uncomfortable with the fact that you may have served with some of those mercs at some time, then know this; they are no longer you're brothers in arms. They traded their national identity for money. Now mount up! We're retaking this city!"

"OORAH!"

With the collective grumbling of engines and tank treads, the National Guard began to advance down into the city. Garnet turned to Turquoise and nodded her head.

"Azurite, Carnelian, Pounamu, it is time," Turquoise stated somberly. "We go to battle. Hold nothing back and show no mercy for none will be shown to you!"

Pounamu let out a loud roar and flared her tongue to show her gemstone. With a flash of green light, Pounamu summoned her taiaha staff.
She beat her fist against her chest and began to take quick breaths. After psyching herself up, the green Gem let out a loud war cry.

"Honestly, you are the loudest person I know," Azurite scowled as she drew her rapier sword and gave a quick fencer's salute.

Carnelian sighed deeply then tapped her gemstone on her forehead.
With a flash of orange light, she summoned a total of six chakram ring discs and held them between her fingers.
She was dreading the coming battle as it meant she might face Iron on the field of battle.
The orange Gem didn't know if she could bring herself to harm him, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
For now, her fellow Gems needed her help.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets and cracked her knuckles. She could see so many outcomes of this battle and very few ended on a happy note.
But she was not going to let that stop her. Adler, Drago, Wolfram, they all needed to answer for what they had done.

Amethyst summoned her whip and cracked it in the air.

"Alright, lets end this!" she shouted determinately. "This has been a long time comin'!"

Pearl turned back to Steven and Connie and kneeled down to look them in the eyes.

"Promise me that you two will stay safe," Pearl begged in a motherly voice. "Let us handle this. Please, just stay out of it. We can't lose you two..."

Both Steven and Connie hugged Pearl tightly, with small tears in their eyes.

"Promise us you will come back..." Steven begged as Pearl wiped the tears from the two's faces."

Pearl gave a soft smile and nodded her head.

"I promise...we will all come back."

With that being said, Pearl shut the door behind her. As she stared down at the blazing city, she began to question if she had just lied to Steven and Connie.
They were surrounded by enemies, out numbered, out armed, but they still had Garnet and Turquoise and that had to be worth something.
When the time came to face the Alloys, she would hold nothing back. As Pearl summoned her spear, she realized something that infuriated her.
Even in death, Geissel was still mocking them. If Geissel was Adler's legacy, then the Alloys were her's.

Side by side, they stood together, The Gems and the Remnants. Their opposition would be fierce and unrelenting. But whether they faced Burners, or Alloys, they would stand together as one. If Earth was to stay the safe haven it was, then Adler and Drago needed to be stopped.

"Gems, to battle!" Turquoise ordered loudly as she leaped through the air and towards the battle that raged in the streets below. One by one the Gem warriors bounded towards the city.

Dust fell from the ceiling as the Monastery was hit by yet another volley of rockets from the H.L.A. Adler scowled as he fidgeted with a wire strewn mess of machinery.

"It will take more then a few rockets to bring this place down...schweinhundes!" he cursed as he finally managed to get the circuitry to stay in place. "Now I have the National Guard and the Gems to deal with!"

Adler ducked underneath a tarp that concealed another of his pet projects.

"It doesn't matter. What I am about to accomplish is going to change the world, even if I have to drag it along kicking and screaming!"

Adler pushed himself out from underneath the tarp and rushed over to his work table.

"You know, little one, you are the first step towards a greater human existence," he stated with a smile as he assembled another piece of machinery. "You should smile more, this is a happy occasion! Please...meine lieben...smile."

Laying limply on a metal operating table with her chest held open by some horrific machine was Tsarina.
Her arms and legs had been removed and the ghastly machine that kept a constant hold on her synthetic gemstone with it's spider like fingers was somehow keeping her from retreating inside of it to heal.

"K-k-k-kill me...p-please kill me..." she begged as Adler pulled a pair of thick protective gloves over his hands. "Please kill me...it can't take it anymore..."

Adler smiled and put a welder's visor over his face.

"I can't do that now can I?" he asked as he flipped a few switches on the machine. "Until all of this nonsense is taken care of and I can finally create more of you, you will stay alive, but not necessarily intact."

The machine stirred as a series of drills unfurled like a grasping hand. Tsarina began to panic as the drills inched closer and closer to her gemstone.

"NO, NO PLEASE!" she screamed helplessly. "NO MORE!"

"We all must make sacrifices, little one," Adler hissed. "We humans know this better then anyone else."

The sound of the drills grinding against Tsarina's gemstone was only just slightly louder then her agonized screams.
Sparks flew as the metal drill heads slowly dug into the synthetic. Her physical construct flickered and and distorted as the machine carved deeper and deeper.
Once the drills stopped, tiny bladed appendages began to pick against the microscopic fissure on her gemstone.
Adler hummed to himself as his diabolical machine mutilated the Synthetic.
Finally after only four seconds, the machine separated a small, finely cut piece of Tsarina's gemstone from the rest of it.
Adler took the shard and inspected it with the eye of a jeweler. He smiled as he gazed at the glimmering shard.

"Yes, this will do nicely," he hissed as he rushed over to his work table.

He grabbed a thick container filled with a clear gel and dropped the shard inside of it. After sealing the container, he rushed back underneath the tarp.

"And this piece goes here, and...there we are!" he exclaimed with joy.

Adler rushed over to his computer and began to type rapidly. The machine hidden under the tarp groaned at life as gears and servos spun and ground together. Adler began to laugh as whatever that was hidden under the tarp rose up it's full height. He grabbed Tsarina's face and forced her to look at the machine that was slowly awakening.

"Tsarina...say hello to our baby," Adler hissed as he held the barely conscious Synthetic's head.

The tarp slowly slid off the machine to reveal the beast that hid underneath it. Standing at nine feet tall was a war machine the world had never seen before.
The machine had two large armored legs that were supported by four hydraulic outriggers. It's torso was boxy and covered in thick plates of metal armor.
It's right arm was built like a roman styled shield and ended with jaw like pincers. It's left arm had a short barreled cannon that resembled a furled up flower.
In the center of it's chest was a single glowing red eye that slowly scanned the room. With a loud hiss, the container that held the shard taken from Tsarina was pulled into the back of the machine and locked underneath layers of protective armor.

Adler clapped his hands and laughed as the machine took it's first step.

"Diagnostics completed. All systems functional." the machine blared in it's cold, soulless computerized voice. "Awaiting orders."

Adler felt his heart pound as he approached the machine. This was only a small taste of what was to come of his work.
By using a gemstone or a synthetic gemstone, one could give power to something that modern fuels like gasoline and oil couldn't.
Gem's gemstones produce a limitless supply of energy, that energy could be harnessed and used as a power source.

"Herr Amboss!" Adler shouted up at the war machine. "Terminate all none Bureau personnel! Initiate Genocide Mode!"

The machine growled as the a metal blast shield slid down over it's eye. It's arm cannon hissed and unfurled into a long barreled laser cannon.

"Order Confirmed. Genocide mode initiated!"

As the robotic war beast marched it's way out of the hanger room, Adler began to laugh maniacally.

"The first of many!" he laughed loudly. "The first of many!"

Drago Korshunov watched with dismay as more and more of his forces were destroyed. The F-22 fighter jets were blowing his gunships out of the sky while the four A-10s attacked the ground. He knew that if he was going to have any hope of victory, he would need to do something drastic.

"Clear the skies!" he shouted. "Release the Piercer!"

"But, comrade, we still have our gunships out there!"

"Their noble sacrifices will be remembered in the new world order. Now release the Piercer!"

With a loud thump, the crew of the ship fired a device that was little more then a catapult. It was what it had thrown into the air that was the real threat.

As the Gems fought their way through the streets, Turquoise heard a familiar chiming sound in the sky. It sounded like a high pitched flute yet it echoed like thunder. That's when she saw the car sized, arrow head shaped object stop and hover in the air. A bright light blinked from it, then it began to zip around at a nearly impossible speed.

"No, those were all destroyed!" Turquoise shouted as panic began to take hold.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Amethyst shouted as she watched the object with wide eyes.

Suddenly, gunships and jets began to erupt in balls of fire as the light blue object cut them down in a hail of diamond hard pikes.

"That's an ancient Gem weapon of war!" Turquoise shouted as the Gems scrambled for cover from the falling wreckage and raining pikes. "They found a Wind Piercer drone!"

The Gems watched in horror as U.S army helicopters that were transporting reinforcements began to fall from the skies.
The Wind Piercer was also targeting Anvil helicopters and H.L.A gunships. It was simply attacking anything that flew.

The Gems now knew that they were not going to be getting anymore help from the air. That meant reinforcements would need to come in by grounded methods, and that could take hours, and they didn't have hours.

"Nothing is ever easy, is it?" Amethyst asked with dread in her voice.

Garnet shook her head.

"Nothing worth doing ever is..."

Just a little bit more. This train ride is almost over.

Thanks to all those who put up with this.