Chapter Nineteen: Stormcloud

January 7, 2016. BAINE Headquarters.

"And that should about do it," said Gina. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the Cluster."

The sonar scanning necessary to find said object, despite it being just slightly smaller than the moon, had taken longer than one would have thought. Even upon receiving information on its whereabouts from the Crystal Gems, the geo-weapon had been quite hard to locate. But now that it had been found, preparations could begin for a plan to neutralize it, should the Gems' plan fail. But if all went well, it wouldn't.

"Is the 'ladies and gentlemen' really warranted if I'm the only one here?" Rhodes asked drowsily. It was the middle of the night, and the two had been trying to pinpoint the Cluster for hours. But now that they had located it came the really hard part-how to proceed.

"We should obviously go with the easiest option," Gina said. Dark bags hung under her eyes from hours of working tirelessly. "We send a team down to the southern Goldenrod/Silverstone border, build a giant drill to break through the crust, and nuke it!"

Rhodes yawned. "Don't have any nukes. The president has to approve before BAINE can have access to any nuclear material."

"It's the end of the world we're looking at, Eddie," said Gina. "I'm sure Mr. Simon over at the White House would be more than willing to let us use at least one bomb."

"How do you even know a nuke will work?" Rhodes asked. "You should know as well as anyone just how durable a Gem is. What makes you think that one the size of a planet would be any different?"

Gina sighed, shaking her head. "I'm desperate, okay? You should be, too." She turned back over to the screen. "Peridot was so sure that the Cluster would be at the center of the Earth. But since it isn't, that can only mean one of two things: either one of us has faulty information, or this thing has moved since then. I, for one, think it's the latter. It's making its way closer to the surface, getting ready to hatch. And as if that wasn't enough, Yellow Diamond definitely knows that something's going on here on Earth because Peridot turned on her, and we still don't know what the Children of Homeworld are planning! You see how this can feel sort of overwhelming?"
Rhodes nodded. "I do see. That's why you should probably rest for now."

I-I can't rest with the fate of the world at stake!"

"It's late. Get some sleep. You'll feel a lot better in the morning, trust me."

Gina wanted to protest, but she figured he was probably right. "Fine. Night, Eddie."

"Night, Gine. We'll figure this out soon. I know we will."

February 17, 2016. The Sanctum Adamantum.

From atop a balcony, both Mr. Echo and the Radiant One overlooked the massive room below. Within that room beneath them stood hundreds of loyal followers of the Children, ceaselessly training for the coming battle where they would tear down BAINE once and for all. A truly massive army, they rivaled SEEN not only in numbers, but capability as well. And they more than surpassed them in terms of ferocity.

It was quite an effective alliance the two had. From the very beginning, both of them knew what they were capable of when they combined their efforts. Mr. Echo provided the equipment, and the Radiant One provided the manpower. And there was no doubting that every one of his followers was willing to give their all for him.

"I must say, Your Radiance, I am impressed," said Mr. Echo. "I hadn't imagined that so many people would be willing to die for you."

"It is not me they lay down their lives for," the Radiant One responded. "It is only for the glory of the Diamonds that they sacrifice for. For they know that this world will soon be free of the endless curse of death and rebirth."

Beneath his mask, Mr. Echo rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes. Rest assured, the Diamonds will indeed claim this planet. Of that you can be sure."

"Oh? And what of the Cluster?" The Radiant One turned to face his partner. "You seem so certain that the Crystal Gems will somehow be able to halt the Diamonds' superweapon. Why do you believe this is so?"

"Because, one of the Diamonds' agents have joined them," Mr. Echo said. "With her help, they have successfully devised a plan to eliminate the Cluster. And you can be certain that it will not be long before they do so."

The Radiant One shook his head. "Nothing more than rumors and hearsay, as always. You would be wise to accept your fate, Mr. Echo. Holding on to our physical lives is what holds us back as a race."

"And you would be wise to learn pragmatism," Mr. Echo replied. "You let your hatred of the Crystal Gems cloud your judgement. By allowing them to disable the Cluster, it becomes that much more likely for the Diamonds to return personally." The Radiant One didn't respond; Echo scoffed. "Very well. I must be off, regardless-I have a war to prepare for. You know where to find me."

With that, Mr. Echo turned away and strolled off the balcony down the hallway. He passed by the blue Archon, who he gave so second thought to as he passed her. The Archon joined the Radiant One on the balcony. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing we did not already know," he said. "Mr. Echo continues to be a non-believer. But he will soon come to recognize the true power of the Diamonds, you can mark my words on that."

March 22, 2016. BAINE Headquarters.

"I tell you, Captain, this whole Cluster business is much more nerve-wracking than I would have thought," Mills said as he walked through the facility.

Daniel walked beside him. "Well, Director, it is the end of the world. I guess that being scary is kind of to be expected."

"True, but that isn't the problem," Morgan replied. "It would be one thing if the world's end was approaching. But here, the world could already be beyond saving, and we would have no idea. The Cluster could emerge at any moment, and we would have no way of stopping it. I suppose we must hope that the Crystal Gems' drill does its job properly…"

"What about Gina's plan?" asked Daniel. "Sending a nuke down to blow the Cluster back into pieces? You have to admit, it at least sounds appealing, right?"

"Appealing or not, was not meant to be," Mills replied. "I spoke with the president regarding the matter, and he will not permit us to use a nuclear weapon. He says doing so could prove risky in the long run, even if it does work."

"You'd think he'd be more willing to try this stuff, given our situation," said Daniel. "He does know how dire this is, doesn't he?"

"I have told him of the situation again and again, but his faith is in the Crystal Gems," said the Director. "'The Crystal Gems have protected this country since before it was founded,' he says. 'We have to believe they won't let us down now.' Call it naivete if you will, but I can't help but think he's trying to avoid the subject."

"Probably concerned with ratings," said Daniel. "Anyway, isn't there something else we can try? I mean, what if he's wrong? What if the Gems can't stop it? Shouldn't we at least have some sort of backup plan?"

"Hmm...I suppose there is something we could try," said Mills. "It would have gone far better if Mr. St. Augustine hadn't put his lot in with Mr. Echo, but we can't change that. Polaris Industries deals in many sorts of materials, many of them radioactive. Perhaps if we were to acquire some, we would be able to construct our own atomic explosive. But short of breaking into a Polaris stronghold, I'm just not sure how we would be able to obtain any."

"Well, if it comes to that, we won't have any other choice," Daniel said. "Besides, I'm sure Barnabas realizes that the apocalypse isn't profitable. We may be able to convince him to help us out."

"I can only hope that you are right," said Morgan. "And for that matter, that you will not need to be. If all goes right, the Crystal Gems will be able to neutralize the threat. But then again, when at all has anything in this business gone right?"

Daniel was hard-pressed to agree.

April 13, 2016. The Sanctum Adamantum.

For all their differences, the Radiant One and Mr. Echo shared one thing in common: they were both adamant of their beliefs, and refused to see otherwise. The Radiant One was certain that the Cluster would annihilate the planet, while Mr. Echo seemed certain that the Crystal Gems would save it. The four Archons, meanwhile, were not sure what to think.

So here the four of them were, seated at the table that normally held five, discussing what to do at this time. Their main concern was the possibility that not only might the Cluster actually be vanquished...but that maybe it should be.

"Mr. Echo put it nicely," said the blue Archon. "If the Cluster is eliminated, that may draw the Diamonds back to this planet. From there, they can finally colonize the Earth properly."

"Hmmph," said the white Archon. "Ms. Nihlmann, am I to believe that you are doubting His Radiance?"

"Hardly," she replied. "But in such times of crisis, he is simply letting the stress get to him. He is only human, as are we all. So to speak..."

"I must agree," the pink Archon said. "I would never doubt the Radiant One, but he is letting his fervor cloud his judgement. I have heard him speak: he wishes to join the fight against BAINE personally, on the frontlines, no less. Although Mr. Echo has established himself time and time again as a non-believer, we at least owe this army to him. And I think we owe it to him to leave this matter in the capable hands of the traitorous Crystal Gems."

"Very well," said the white Archon. "It's settled. This fight will continue as planned, until His Radiance proves himself incapable of leadership. If he does, we will take control of the Children until this crisis is averted. I do not enjoy plotting against our leader, but I will do so if it is in the name of the Diamonds."

"Well put, Mr. Gregor," said the yellow Archon. "And that only leaves the matter of the Crystal Gems once the Cluster is dealt with."

"Once BAINE is no more, we will make our move against the Crystal Gems," said the blue Archon. "And we have plans to move out any day now…"

May 10, 2016. BAINE Headquarters.

"James! James, wake up! Today's the day, it's happening!"

Wordlessly, James shot up out of bed upon hearing Luke's voice. His first thought was that the Cluster was awakening. But, seeing as how the rest of his Fireteam were simply gearing up, it must not be something quite so dire. Whatever it was, though, it was clearly urgent. "What's going on?" he asked.

"It's the Children of Homeworld," said Vargas. "They're making their move."

"A team of armed Children cultists have taken several people hostage at Grand Central Station," Bridge explained. "The entire place is on lockdown. Local law enforcement is trying to keep it under control, but we're being flown in because of our experience with them."

It definitely seemed like the Children were active again. But why, after so much time, and after threatening to attack BAINE directly, would they go after innocent people in Empire City? Something was amiss here, and James was ready to find out what.

"Hope you're ready for this, Rook," said Luke, as the six of them headed down to the air bay. "This is where things get real."