Notes: Long chapter. I tried breaking it up, but it made the narrative too choppy.

Excelsior!

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

What do you mean she was working with the Crystal Gems!?" White Diamond was furious. Her teeth grit, her hands clutching the arms of her chair.

"It's… Just as I said, director." Yellow watched as Aquamarine shifted uncomfortably. She was doing a video chat via a mobile telecommunications van.

"Do you have proof?" Yellow Diamond didn't believe it. Not at all. Blue Diamond throwing in with the Crystal Gems.

The general was just having a hard time with the whole thing. She spoke with Blue not four hours ago, she was coming back to DC, Crystal Gems in tow. They were closing the book on this case. Blue could finally move on. (Yellow could move on, and perhaps find a way for her and Blue to be happy and together again?)

"I have video evidence as well as the DNA test to corroborate what has happened," Aquamarine said rather confidently.

"Show us the video, agent, I have little patience," Yellow said through a clenched jaw.

Aquamarine spoke to someone offscreen, and soon her face was replaced with video footage from the detention facility on Cane Island. The video's color was washed out, but everything was more or less clear.

The angle was a top-down view of the hallway with an office a short distance away. Two guards stood watch at an office door. Soon Blue Diamond entered, then shortly after, Aquamarine briskly entered the room with two more armed guards.

Then the agent left, and the two remaining guards swept into the room. There was flashes from muzzle fire and the boy; this Steven Universe barreled out of the office with some sort of force field and ran off-camera with one guard chasing him.

There was some more violent activity from the room. (God, what Yellow would give to know what was going on in that room.) Then a distinctly pink energy disk hurtled down the corridor. Yellow looked at White when that happened, the director gave the slightest of nods to acknowledge she saw it too.

Then Blue Diamond stumbled out of the office; she was injured severely, leaving a puddle of blood on the linoleum floor. Yellow clutched at the arms of her chair when she saw her Blue in such a state. The boy showed up to seemingly aid Blue, then the feed abruptly cut off.

"As you can see, I confronted her with the DNA results, and Blue Diamond seemed as if she was going to cooperate, so I departed. But things went terribly awry… there's more video evidence."

Another video, this one was of slightly better quality and had sound. The timestamp indicated that it was about 20 minutes after the first video.

"They're in this cell block, I just need a moment to override the controls." Blues lovely Irish accent filtering through the tinny speakers.

The view was another top-down angle giving a clear picture of the controls to the prison cell block. The colonel appeared from the bottom of the screen. She was bandaged up now, sporting a rifle on her right shoulder.

Yellow knew her wife was seriously injured. Gem abilities were remarkable; even the most common Gem could withstand a few hundred pounds being dropped on them. They could also withstand small arms gunfire with only a scratch. Gems were very durable. The soldiers in the facility used armor-piercing bullets for this reason in particular.

"Hurry Blue, we gotta get the Gems out of here!" A young boy's voice could be heard just off-camera. The Diamond just continued to work the computer system in front of her until the unmistakable alarm announced the opening of cell doors. The colonel then walked off-camera, and the video ended.

(Blue, god-dammit…)

Aquamarine's face flickered back on screen. Yellow was beside herself with anger, she still wasn't entirely convinced that things were as they seemed. Aquamarine was just a little too eager to tell her story, and individual pieces did not seem to fit.

"Shortly after the Crystal Gems were released, they planted improvised explosive devices in the front of the building to cause a distraction and escape. You know the rest of the story." It was meant to sound somber, but the general could see how shallow the statement was.

"The DNA report, how many times was this test run?" White said, her temper once again level.

"The Peridot and medical officer in charge of the lab ran the test three times before coming to me with the results. They came to me first with the information due to its sensitive nature." The agent's tone was neutral.

White turned her small laptop towards Yellow, and the general quickly scanned the results. 25% of Blue Diamond's DNA was shared with this boy. Her head swam… Carissa is still alive? What was going on? Just so many damned questions.

"The Peridot and doctor; I want to speak to both of them, now," White demanded.

"I apologize, director. Both the Peridot and the medical officer were killed in the subsequent explosion." Aquamarine said flatly.

White bared her teeth and slapped her hand on the conference table in frustration. "Agent! I want the Crystal Gems and Blue Diamond found immediately! You will keep the details of the DNA test to yourself for now. I am very displeased with how the situation has been handled thus far, letting those criminal slip through your grasp…"

"I understand, director. As soon as things are under control at Cane Island, we'll begin to comb the area for the fugitives." Aquamarine saluted then hung up the call.

White turned to Yellow, she leaned back in the office chair with her hands steepled just below her chin for a few moments.

"A lot is going on, a lot of questions, sunbeam." Her honeyed voice was quiet, and Yellow couldn't remember the woman looking quite as old as she did now.

"Mother, I spoke to Blue, maybe four hours ago. She was coming back here; she was ready to end this." Yellow closed the laptop and rested her hands on either side of the computer.

"The biggest question I have is: How is this boy her grandson? It clearly means Carissa isn't dead… So where is she and how is she related to the Crystal Gems?" It seemed that White's head was spinning as fast as Yellow's. The general could only shake her head.

"General, you are to drop everything you're working on, and you are to assist in the capture of the Crystal Gems and Blue Diamond. This was a heinous attack…" Yellow Diamond gave an incredulous look.

"Mother, I have no problem being deployed, but you can't believe Blue would do that, do you?" Blue was many things and had many flaws, but a traitor wasn't one of them.

"Her mental state has been in question for years now! Years of depression and drinking can do that. I'm sorry, Melena, but those videos were very damming. I'm not putting it past her at this point." White gave her a hard look.

"There's too many questions, dammit! Why was the Cane Island facility blown up? Just to escape? That's not how she operates at all, it doesn't fit her profile! Blue has master access codes to all of the facilities we use. She could have easily found a way out without using any extreme measures…" Yellow took a deep breath.

"I'm not convinced that Agent Aquamarine is entirely forthcoming with us!" The general slammed her hand on the table, cracking the cherrywood finish.

"Well then, sunbeam, you'd better find Blue Diamond and fast. There's a lot of angry agents and officers chasing after these fugitives, hungry for blood. Especially Aquamarine."
… … … … … … … … …

It was early, the rain had only just stopped, and the sky was just starting to lighten up. Garnet had slept, but it was restless; she had a lot on her mind. Pearl's confession last night was… It brought up a lot of emotions. To think that she worked for a Diamond for all those years and didn't know it. It bothered her, it rubbed on her mind like an ill-fitted shoe would on someone's foot.

"Hey," Amethyst came up and sat next to the tennis instructor against the barn wall.

"You're going to the large animal vet office you cased." As always, Garnet looked ahead.

"Yeah, we should go or, something. The Authority is bound to be searching for us now. I feel like we stayed here too long." The stout woman's eyes searching Garnet's.

"I'm not sure how to tackle this situation we're in." Since Rose's death, Garnet had led their band. Her guiding her and the Crystal Gems through many situations. Though they slowed their activities significantly when Steven started getting older. He was a growing boy, he needed stability.

He wasn't getting stability now, though. Everything was up in the air, and too many outcomes ended in tragedy. Garnet was their leader; she was their rock. She had to put her personal feelings for the Diamonds aside, and even her feelings on Rose had to take the backburner for the time being. They were all in grave danger. She was curious, though, and Amethyst was the most level headed at the moment besides herself.

"How do you feel about Blue Diamond in this situation?" Garnet's gaze went over to the woman as she lay sleeping, her arm protectively resting over Steven as he lay against her right side.

"Pfff, man, she's in deep with us. I think we can trust her for now, she's really stuck on Steve-O. She liked him even before she found out little man was her grandson. He told me how he met her last night." Amethyst picked up a piece of straw and started to twist it around one of her fingers.

"So crazy… Steven being Blue Diamond's grandkid. Can't believe Rose lied to us…" The bartender got up and brushed her shorts off.

"It's on my shortlist of reasons why I'm even bothering committing a burglary for meds." Garnet nodded at the comment.

"What are the other reasons?" Amethyst crossed her arms.

"She saved Steven's life, she busted us out when she didn't have to. And, I don't have as big of a grudge with her and The Authority like you and Pearl do. I was never a part of that agency, remember?" She gave a wry smile to Garnet.

"Pearl's outside brooding by the front door just so you know. She said she was 'keeping watch.' I don't buy it, though." The bartender scuffed the floor with her Converse sneaker.

"Right, I'll jot down some names of basic meds that would work. Meanwhile, mark on the map where this vet is." Garnet grabbed Steven's notebook and pen and began scribbling. As a professional trainer, she knew a lot about sports medicine, and it was paying off in dividends right now.

"I'm going to gather everyone up here then meet you down the road in the bus. I'll be there by the time you've finished." Amethyst gave her a playful punch in the shoulder, grabbed Garnet's list, and a canvas bag with everything she needed for her operation as she stepped out of the barn.
… … … … … … … … …

Steven stood by a wall of glass doors, the epicenter of any good gas station convenience store. He sighed and grabbed his favorite juice, Mango Madness. Then he wandered to the next aisle over where a colorful array of junk food snacks was displayed. Chaaps, beef jerky (it was the law, you have to eat beef jerky on road trips), trail mix.

The boy then saw Pearl in the aisle over; her light blue eyes were bloodshot, and she had her arms folded at the chest. The radiator was leaking on the old van, so naturally, the thin woman was in the automotive section looking for some sort of sealant. He walked over to her and wrapped his free arm around her waist, hugging her. She jumped, then looked down.

"Sweetheart, everything alright?" She knelt down and stroked one of his cheeks.

"I'm sorry I got into a fight and yelled at you. I was frustrated." Steven grabbed the hand that was resting on his cheek and squeezed.

"No, that was my fault. I've got to try a little harder to cooperate, considering our circumstances." Pearl stood and picked up some duct tape and a gallon of coolant.

"We should probably get back to the others." She nodded towards the cashier, and the pair went and paid for their things.

Steven felt a blast of hot air hit his face as Pearl opened the door for him to exit. The heat seemed unrelenting this August. They turned the corner to a more secluded spot in the gas station's parking lot. (It was by the dumpsters and furthest away from the store, so no one was parked there.)

"Hey, you guys find something to fix this?" Amethyst was leaning on the bumper while Garnet was standing and looking at the radiator.

"It's not a bad leak. This duct tape should do the trick." Pearl seemed so disconnected, so out of sync with the others. It bothered Steven.

"Well, you know what they say: If you can't duct it, fu-" Garnet elbowed Amethyst in the shoulder and looked at Steven.

"Uh, fu-get about it!" Amethyst gave a sheepish grin.

Steven smiled softly, he wasn't stupid, "Nice save Amethyst."

"Hey, I try my best, Steve-O!"

The boy climbed into the van to check on the one remaining member of their rag-tag group. Blue was situated in the very back. The curtains in the Volkswagen were drawn in her area so she could rest better. A light blanket was placed over her as she reclined across the bench seats. Steven grabbed a bottle of water from the 24 pack behind the driver's seat and picked up the trail mix he had just bought.

He squeezed his way next to Blue when he noticed a thin chain around her neck. She had the top two buttons of her shirt undone, and the chain stood out against the white bandages on her chest. The boy reached out tentatively; he was just so curious about this woman. Especially now that he learned they were related.

He had a grandmother, someone from his mom's side of the family. Despite all the stories his dad and the Gems told him, he really didn't know anything about his mom. But here was this woman, and she raised his mother.

He gently reached for the chain, and it shifted with a rattle, which was when Blue grabbed his hand. It startled the boy.

"Sorry, Blue! I was just being nosey." She took a deep breath in through her nose and looked around confusedly for a few moments, then let the breath go when her eyes settled on Steven.

"Where, are we…?" She mumbled as her grasp on the boy's hand shifted, so she was holding his stubby fingers. Amethyst had gotten some medication, and one of them was a heavy pain killer. Blue seemed… blurry around the edges.

"We're at a gas station, we had to stop because the radiator is leaking. But Pearl's fixing it." Steven cracked open the bottle of water he was holding and handed it to the injured woman. She nodded her thanks and downed half the bottle in one go.

"Do we know where we're going?" Blue shifted into a sitting position, still trying to shake off her muddled state of mind.

"No, Garnet just wanted us to get out of the general area. We're just kind of going northwest right now." The boy sat down next to her and fidgeted with his trail mix.

Blue made herself more comfortable and rested her right arm on the back of the seat. She straightened out her collar and pulled out the chain that was underneath her shirt, revealing a pair of dog tags. Steven instantly stopped what he was doing and stared wide-eyed at the adornment.

Blue leaned in, and the boy carefully brushed his fingers across the smooth stamped metal.

Diamant
Linna
235879663125 AF
O NEG
AUTHORITY

"So, your real name is Linna? I heard Pearl call you that last night, but I guess I didn't think about it."

"Blue Diamond… Blue, is a code name, a handle. My birth name is Linna." A sad smile drew across her face. The boy's fingers wandered to a beautiful gold ring hanging from the chain, with a diamond the color of the sun in its center.

"This your wedding ring?" Steven asked quietly.

"Yes, Yellow… Melena, gave it to me a long time ago." Blue said, her eyes focusing on some distant memory.

"Can I meet her someday?" The question jerked the Diamond from her thoughts, she had a very vulnerable look on her face.

"Yes, of course. Yellow would like that very much. Provided we can get ourselves out of this mess." Blue's arm moved from the back of the car seat to Steven's shoulder.

"Yeah, but what are we going to do? We have nothing G, and we can't run forever." The private moment Blue and Steven were sharing was interrupted.

Amethyst jumped in the seats in front of the pair and slouched down. The bus rocked as the hood was closed. Pearl soon entered the driver's seat and turned to make sure everyone was accounted for. Garnet stepped into the passenger area and slid the door shut.

"We need a plan, we've got nothing." The tennis instructor shook her head and took off her sunglasses.

"Aquamarine is a monster. She'll try and end our lives for sure. I hate to suggest this, but maybe if we turn ourselves in…" Pearl was biting her lip.

"Turn ourselves in? Are you nuts!? We have no proof that we didn't blow up that prison, it's our word against Aquamarine! What makes you think anyone in the Authority is going to take our word over that little psycho agent's?" Amethyst's scratchy voice was at a fever pitch.

"I'm inclined to agree with Amethyst, we need some leverage, and there is none. White Diamond can be fair and reasonable, but to satisfy her, we need evidence." Blue Diamond shook her head.

"There's proof, I've got it." Everyone looked at Steven.

The boy retrieved his cheeseburger backpack and pulled out his phone. He turned it on and flipped through some videos he took. There was one of Connie and him sword fighting, one of his dad playing guitar… There, the video he took of Aquamarine and Blue having a discussion in the office.

He turned the volume all the way up so Pearl could hear and showed Blue, Amethyst, and Garnet what transpired at the detention center on Cane Island. Aquamarine smugly bragging about her plan to kill Blue Diamond and taking her place, then framing the Crystal Gems with destroying the prison and then keeping Steven detained indefinitely for study…

"Holy cow Steven! How did you even know to record that!?" Amethyst bounced up and started messing up his hair. The boy laughed and ducked out of reach. Garnet looked at him, and he handed the phone over to her so she could show Pearl.

"I just got a bad feeling with Aquamarine, so when Blue was talking to me the other night, and she walked in with her guards, I took my phone out and started recording." He looked up at Blue, who smiled in turn.

"This is good, this is really good. Steven, you are so smart, I'm so proud of you." Pearl said, gazing at him from the driver's seat.

"We can take this to White Diamond, she'll stop this madness if she sees this." Blue's tone was confident, an energy seemed to pulse through her that was missing before.

"We'll have to race Aquamarine to DC. There's also the matter of Yellow Diamond…" Garnet was chewing on the inside of her lip.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Yellow Diamond was deployed once the situation became out of hand. She will be targeting me mostly… And probably, Steven. I may be able to reason with her if we run into her, let me handle it." The Diamond stared intently at Garnet.

"Alright, we have a plan. Let's head for DC and see if we can outmaneuver Aquamarine and her forces." Garnet exited through the sliding door and made for the front passenger seat as Pearl started the Volkswagen.

There was a chance; it wasn't a perfect plan, but if they succeeded, the Gems could make it out of this alive. Blue wrapped her arms around Steven and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Steven just smiled and leaned into the woman's embrace.