Episode 18: Catch and Release
Peridot and Jack were making their way to the Galaxy warp. They were using their helicopter modes, Peridot with her finger-copter and Jack with his helicopter backpack. "So, how do we get Steven?" Jack said. "Well, it's late at night and I can't use the warp pad to enter their place, so I figured to use their front door, albeit quietly." Peridot said. "You sure that will work?" Jack said. "What else can we do? Warp makes an obvious noise and light, they got the shroud of Shadows, and I got no response from Yellow Diamond. I need him to repair the Homeworld Warp Pad to make sure I can escape." Peridot said. Jack softly nods. "And if we succeed, then I managed to protect you and you managed to survive, proving Chase wrong." Jack said with a boastful smile. Peridot nods as they arrive at the Galaxy Warp. Jack helps Peridot walk over to the Homeworld Warp Pad as they began a montage of putting the pieces back together.
A bit later, they managed to get the Homeworld Warp Pad back together but was still busted up. "Alright, I'm going to get him." Peridot said. "I wish you the best of luck." Jack said with a smile. Peridot nods as she limps over to the warp pad and warps away. Jack sits down on the Homeworld Galaxy Warp pad. He began to go into deep thinking. 'Why does Chase not see the potential in Peridot? I mean sure she's not from Earth but she got some sweet tech and might have something inside of her that even she doesn't know.' Jack thought. He ponders some more. Is Peridot really holding him back or something? No, there's no way. Peridot is one of his remaining allies. He doesn't trust Wuya much anymore, Chase is still a bit iffy on Peridot's potential and Jackson...well, he's Wuya's underling. He's not on good terms with Katnappe, PandaBubba recently got incarcerated, Vlad is a good ally but he's back in Russia, and Tubbimura isn't responding to his calls to return after his defeat against Raimundo. He has been repairing the Chameleonbot but it's still a fairly away from being back in full power. It's functional, yes, but it's still kinda have some issues here and there.
Jack wonders some more. He began to get a little scared. 'What if the Monks and Gems find her before she could get Steven?' Jack thought 'Would I be out of luck and out of time? Is Peridot truly out of time? What am I thinking? This is my last shot and if it fails...I don't know what I can do. I'm hoping this succeeds and I can quickly bail before the Gems and Monks kick our butts.' Jack was pondering some more as he waits. We see a bit of a montage of Jack waiting on different broken warp pads. He was thinking some more, hoping Peridot's plan succeeds and didn't get captured. A good while later, Jack looks back at the Homeworld Warp Pad and groans. "I think Peridot did just got captured and I'm wasting my time." Jack bemoans to himself.
Just then, a warp pad activates. Peridot arrive with a squirming Steven in tow. "Let me go!" Steven shouts. His squirming causes Peridot to lose balance and fall to the ground. "Alright, enough of this." Peridot said, using her tractor beam to hover him over the Homeworld Warp Pad. "Peridot, you did it!" Jack said with a gleeful smile. "What do you two want from me?" Steven said. Peridot began to walk over to Jack and the Homeworld Warp pad. "I want you to repair the warp pad so I can get off this planet." Peridot told Steven as she disables the tractor beam. "Wait, what?" Steven said the beam lets him go and he fell to the ground. "You, Steven, have to repair this." Jack said. "Why?" Steven said. Peridot sighs "Look, you are my last chance, I ran out of robonoids, I just lost my foot, Chase and Wuya isn't going to help and I got no response from Yellow Diamond." Peridot said. She kept her composure. "Besides, you managed to fix Lazuli's gem, and Jack reported back that you have some healing powers in your saliva. How you do it, you need to do the same on this warp pad." "Oookay then, just give me a second. My mouth sometimes get dry when I get scared." Steven said. He then lick his palm and slams his palm on the warp pad.
A brief silence fill the air. Peridot looks around in confusion and Jack facepalms a bit. "Let me guess…it still not back?!" Jack said with a shout. "Yea…it's doesn't always work." Steven said "No…no no no no no, it has to work." Peridot said, starting to freak out a bit. A brief silence fall again. Peridot sits down on the warp pad and curls up a bit. "That was our last shot. That was it. We are going to die on this planet." Peridot said, bemoaning. "Hey come on, Earth isn't that bad." Steven said, trying to comfort Peridot. "Sorry, Steven, but there's something you don't know. Earth isn't likely to survive for much longer." Jack said. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" Steven asked.
Just then, the Gems and Monks warp in. "Oh, come on!" Jack and Peridot said at the same time. The monks and gems fully warp in. "There he is." Pearl said. Steven rushes up to the Gems and Monks. "Guys!" Steven said. "Thank goodness, you're fine." Pearl said. "Yea, we were worried about your safety." Kimiko said. "Ugh, why don't you guys leave us alone!" Peridot shouts. Garnet and Clay crack their knuckles. "Gems! Monks! Move!" Garnet commands. Pearl pulls out her spear and began to duel against Jack while the Monks, Amethyst, and Garnet deal with Peridot. Jack was giving everything he got, even the kitchen sink. He made Pearl work to even come close to attacking Jack. Peridot was able to handle some of the monks, but when tried to fly away, she got ensnared by Amethyst's whip. She tries to generate an electric current down the whip but Garnet grabs the whip and intercepts the charge. "Not this time, Peridot!" Garnet said as she sends the electric charge back, zaps her and slams her down on the ground hard. Jack turns and was worried, taking a surprised sucker punch in the jaw by Pearl, knocking him down on the ground. Jack seemed to be down and out. All he hear was ringing. A few seconds later, he hears Peridot saying something. "Wait...wait...you-you'll need us!" Peridot said. Jack then sees Raimundo ready to surprise attack Peridot with the Sword of the Storm. Peridot notice this and about to fire her blaster while saying something "We're the only one to know ABOUT THE-" Peridot said before Garnet grabs her, squeezes the daylight out of her and poofed her. Jack's eyes shot wide open. "NOOOO!" Jack shouts. Peridot's disembodied limbs fall to the ground. Pearl rushes over. "What the heck?" Pearl said."Did we just kill her?" Clay said with a worried look on his face. "Nope, she's right here." Garnet said, revealing Peridot's gemstone. She then bubbles said gemstone and sends it off. "And now she's in the temple." Garnet said.
For Jack, everything else became a blur. His protection of Peridot had failed, his remaining ally, nay, a friend of his, now gone, possibly for good. Jack lowers his head and something inside off him began to take over. Back to the Monks and Gems, Amethyst snatches up all of Peridot's limbs and dumps them to the ocean below, making it look like an accident. "Garnet, I think Peridot and Jack were planning on telling us something…" Steven said. "I doubt Jack would tell us. As for Peridot, it was going to be nothing more than lies then a gem that was caught. We don't have to worry about her anymore." Garnet said. Just then, they heard a massive roar dangerously close by. They turned to Jack as he was exuding a dark red aura. "Looks like Jack isn't done with our fight." Pearl said. She resummons her spear. Jack unsheathes his sword again and charge against Pearl again.
Jack look like he not only gain a second wind but was going full blown ham on Pearl, forcing her to go to the defensive measures. Garnet tried to help out but Jack round house kick Garnet to the pillar like it was nothing. It make a signal that this was Jack and Pearl's battle and no one else. Pearl kept trying to defend, trying to find an opening. Anytime she did attack, Jack managed to counter the attack perfectly. It seemed that Jack's speed and strength has increased immensely with this. Something must be really driving Jack. Steven then realized something. "Guys, Jack must have lost his marbles after we poofed Peridot!" Steven said. "Wait, are you su-" Pearl said, just as Jack grabs Pearl's throat. Pearl was in trouble. Amethyst summons her whips and managed to ensnared Jack's left leg. Jack then notices it, pulls the whip with his leg, chucks Pearl to the side and suckers punch Amethyst as she came flying in from the pull. This sends Amethyst on top of the warp pad. The Monks pulls out their wus but Garnet jesters them something. "Stand down, We can't afford to lose the wus to Jack." Garnet said. Pearl slowly gets up, but Jack kept attacking like he had nothing to lose. Just as Pearl got close, Jack sucker punch Pearl, disoriented her. However, she quickly got her bearing and stalled Jack's attacks. Jack was attacking there was no tomorrow. A bit more fighting later, Jack managed to get Pearl on the back foot. However, both just glared at each other.
"I have to commend you Jack…Chase does know how to train you." Pearl said with a bit of shortness of breath. "I will destroy all of you when I get the chance." Jack said with an echo in his voice. "Jack, Peridot isn't dead, she's merely poofed. If she was free from the bubble, she can reform her body." Pearl tries to explain. "Well, in my eyes, she's dead because she'll never get out of the bubble. You guys won't let her." Jack said. Pearl sighs as she ready her defense some more. "We could have told you about it, but you wouldn't let her. Therefore, I won't talk to you guys about it either!" Jack shouts with a massive echo. Jack began attacking again and managed to get Pearl on the ropes again. Just as things look bad the Gems and Monk managed to get on the warp pad. Pearl sees the opportunity to escape and takes it. They managed to warp back home with their tails between their legs. Jack lets out a furious roar and passes out. He must have used a ton of his energy in the battle and felt drained from the battle. A few seconds later, the aura dissipates and he began to snore. Jack was now officially asleep.
About an hour later, Steven was on his bed, with Peridot's detached foot. The Monks, sans Raimundo, were fast asleep. Raimundo climbs up to Steven's bed. "Hey, Steven, couldn't sleep?" Raimundo said. "Yea…I feel like Peridot had something to say. I kinda wish I could talk to her for one more second." Steven said. "You…you sure that would be wise?" Raimundo said. "I mean, Peridot almost blasted me and Jack went absolutely ape after she got poofed." "I'm sure, but I don't know how." Steven said. Just then, Steven's gem starts to glow and the temple gate opens, revealing Rose's room. "Woah…I think we might have." Steven said. "I'm not going to stop you from trying, Steven. Just be careful." Raimundo said. Steven nods as he hops down and rushes into the room and door closes. Raimundo goes back down to the couch and began to lie down on the couch. He began to wonder a bit and feel asleep.
About half an hour later, Raimundo is woken up by the fridge being raided. He looks over to see Amethyst pulling out the pizza box they had since early this evening. Pearl and Garnet were also at the table, just chatting something. Raimundo couldn't catch what they were saying but was woken up by Amethyst's rummaging. "Ugh…sorry, I couldn't sleep." Raimundo said. "Ehh, no worries. Like a slice?" Amethyst said. "No thanks." Raimundo said. Pearl notice something. "Wait, why is Steven not in bed?" Pearl asked. Before Raimundo could answer, the gem door opens and Peridot rushes out with Steven in tow. Peridot stops and raises her arm out. "FREEDOM IS MINE!" Peridot said. She pauses and sees Clay and Kimiko waking up and seeing Peridot, she slowly turns to her side to see Omi woken up and seeing her, and slowly turns behind her to see Amethyst, Raimundo, Pearl, and Garnet. Before Steven or anyone could react Peridot scurries into the bathroom quickly, closes the door and locks herself into it. The Gems and Monks quickly rushes to it. "The war may have been lost, but the battle ain't over, CRYSTAL CLODS!" Peridot said. "Uhh...should we tell her that's the bathroom?" Pearl said. "I don't know, maybe." Raimundo said.
Amethyst walks up to the door and began trying opening it, to no success. "Shoot, she locked herself in here." Amethyst said. "Well, why not we bust down this door?" Clay said. "What and lose the bathroom to repairs for sometime? Yea, good luck trying." Raimundo said. "Peridot, open the door!" Garnet commands. Just then, they heard a flushing sound. "Wait, is she using the toilet?" Omi said. "Uhh, if you are trying to flush yourself down, It won't work. Trust me...I tried." Amethyst said. "Hehe, ew, TMI." Raimundo said. Pearl than realized something. "How did she get out? We bubbled her." Pearl said. "Well...I did it…" Steven said. The Monks, excluding Raimundo, and the Gems were stunned to hear that. "Wha? Steven, why would you do such a thing?" Pearl said. "Because she and Jack knew something! They were really scared of something. Something called the Cluster." Steven explained. "Cluster? That's new." Garnet said. "Was there anything else she mentioned?" Kimiko said. "No...that all she said and I could get." Steven said. "That's right, dirt bombs, you don't know what's coming." Peridot said."Destroy me again and have fun trying to talk to me while I'm in a bubble."
"I hate to say it but we might need to squeeze out info from either her or Jack." Pearl said. "But Jack won't likely talk to us unless we prove that Peridot is safe." Kimiko said. "But we can't let her walk with providing info." Raimundo added. "This is a tricky situation.' Garnet said. Just then, they heard water gushing from the room. "Hot-hot-hot-hot!" Peridot shouts. "You have to turn the knob the other way for cold." Steven said. Raimundo chuckles from that. Back at the Galaxy Warp, Jack slowly gets up from his slumber. He looks around and remembered what happen. "Those Gems have crossed me the last time." Jack said with a gravely undertone. He then uses his backpack helicopter and began to fly back to the Chase's HQ.
End of Episode 18