Except for original characters and material, Steven Universe is the creation of Rebecca Sugar and the property of Cartoon Network.
Chapter Ten: It's A Wash
After giving himself a walking tour of Beach City from one end to the other, three things had become abundantly clear to Sam.
First, it was small. It had taken him only roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes to walk the whole perimeter, noting the location of everything as he did so.
Second, it had one of the most diverse collection of businesses for a town of it's size. A boardwalk with arcade and shops, an amusement park, numerous restaurants, it had it all. It was obvious the local economy was centered around the tourist trade during the summer season.
Third, just as he had suspected, word had gotten around town about his arrival that morning. He had a pretty good idea how.
"Sadie's been busy," he remarked to himself.
Indeed. Though he had exchanged pleasantries with the few people he had passed on the street that morning, he couldn't help but notice that everyone was giving him more than just a passing glance as he walked by. Sure, he was a stranger in town, but he wouldn't discount the possibility that word about him had already gotten around thanks to the girl at the donut shop.
But that was fine. As long as they thought he was who he claimed to be, he would be fine. Besides, none of the good people of Beach City would have any idea that he had seen the film...
Anyways, it was time to meet those 'good people' himself, and he knew who to start with.
He retrieved his car from the Big Donut, and back tracked up what, according to a sign, was Thayer Street to where he had passed the car wash on the way in. It was still there, tucked into the base of the hill where Thayer bent to the left to become Waterman Street.
It was a simple L-shaped structure, with a small office tucked into the center. Mounted on the roof was a neon sign of a elephant spraying itself with water from it's trunk, with the words It's A Wash sitting in the center. Besides, there wasn't really more to it.
The lack of doors in line to get washed, let alone on the lot, indicated a lack of customers. Indeed, the doors at both ends of the washing bay itself were closed. The placed looked deserted. Odds were, Sam figured as he pulled into the lot, it was closed, but he wanted to be sure.
A hastily scribbled note taped to the window that read Closed for the Day, and the lack of anyone in sight, confirmed his suspicions. He honked the horn a couple of times to get the attention of anyone who might be working inside, out of sight, but no one came out to investigate the noise.
So, okay, the car wash was closed for the day. There was probably someone in town who could point him in Greg's directions, and, if that failed, he'd simply have to do what the sign said and come back tomorrow. No problem.
Sure, it was a bit of a setback, but if the theory forming in his head was right, Sam knew why it was closed, with it's owner no where in sight. Greg was Steven's dad, who's aunts were...
Yeah, it all made sense.
He drove around the building before he left, just to get a good idea of the layout for the place, and was about to pull back onto the street, when something caught his eye.
Just across the street from the car wash was a two-story apartment complex, and a small house next door to it. Like the car wash, there was no one in sight, but in an upstairs window of that looked over the street, someone had moved back the curtain by just a crack and was peering through it. They were too far away from him to get a good look at them, so all he saw was a dark figure standing behind the curtains.
He grinned; not in the in the least bit concerned he was being observed as he pulled out of the lot and drove away.
Up in the apartment in question, it's lone occupant watched as Sam Gillman, the 'paranormal investigator'-or so he had claimed, according to Sadie-pulled into the lot, honked his horn a few times, then circled the building, before driving away. She waited until he was out of sight before she left the window and made her way to the door, shaking her head.
She knew they would respond once they lost contact with their envoys, but she had expected a full-scale army instead of the lone human they had accepted into their service. But in a way it made sense. Based on her own experience, a single individual, while more vulnerable, could of course be more mobile, versatile and, most importantly in this case, covert than a whole army stomping around.
She reached the door, and suddenly stopped, a deep frown on her face. Earlier, when they were watching him on the beach, she had asked Garnet who he was, but the truth was she already knew. Though it was, admittedly, only through second hand information, it had been enough to convince her that he was a very capable, and very dangerous, individual.
And now he was here in Beach City, a danger to them all...
She paused to take one more look, holding the door half-open. You know, she should really get around to furnishing the apartment, instead of leaving it bare. She'd been paying rent for it for years now, and all she really used it for was someplace to hide from the world, or, as in this case, spy on on the car wash.
It wouldn't be hard to do. Amethyst probably had plenty of old furniture sitting around in that mess she called a room that could be put to good use-after each and every piece had been thoroughly cleaned, of course. Steven and Connie would happily help her out, and so would Greg. Everyone would be willing to help her out, now that she thought about it.
Yeah, it could be a fun project for everyone...once Mr. Gillman had been dealt with...
She finally left and started her walk back to the Temple, as fast as she could. Time was of the essence, and there wasn't a moment to lose.
She had to contact her as soon as possible.