Hello, all! Thank you again for reading my story. Here's chapter 12 for you.
In this chapter, I introduce a few Gems and reintroduce a couple others when Greg finally arrives at the Factory.
Enjoy!
I do not own 'Steven Universe.'
Chapter 12
The Factory
"So you're an…Amber?" Larimar asked as they walked through the tunnel. "I don't think I've ever heard of that kind of Gem before."
"I'm an experimental Gem, the only one of my kind ever made," Amber explained. "My incubation was a mostly organic process, unlike the standard method of Gem incubation. A special plot was made in the Prime Kindergarten where Pink Diamond planted and grew a special tree. Below the tree, within its roots, my gem was made from the tree's resin. The tree acted as a natural incubator, and as incubators drain the life from the landscape to make gems, the tree did the same, using both the Earth's and its own life energy to incubate and form my gem. My incubation drained a lot less energy from the Earth than the average Amethyst or Ruby did."
"Very interesting," Larimar marveled. "But you are the only Amber ever made? Why was the process never repeated?"
"I was Pink Diamond's attempt to introduce a new, more eco-friendly method of incubation to Homeworld," Amber looked down at the ground with a sad smile. "The other Diamonds wouldn't approve it though. Pink Diamond never did try to make another Gem like me, but she kept me around. I became her organic documenter. At least, that's what I'm classified as on the form. I'm the only one of my kind."
"I'm sorry," said Larimar.
"Nah, it's fine," Amber said with a shrug. "I like who I am, and I'm not all that upset over what I am either. And besides, it's kinda neat being one of a kind. Ain't that right, Greg?" When Amber didn't get a response, she looked over at her human friend. "Greg?"
Greg, who had been walking with his head hung low, a look of remorse on his face, snapped his head up in attention, blinking his eyes as he exited his train of thought. "Sorry, what?"
"Greg, are you okay?" Amber asked.
"...Not really, no," Greg confessed.
"You are thinking about Jaguar, aren't you?" Larimar asked gently.
Greg nodded sadly.
"You are also worried about Peridot," Larimar said, making a statement rather than a guess.
"Yeah," said Greg. "Jaguar…she died protecting me. If it wasn't for her, I'd be dead instead of her, and so would Peridot." Greg closed his eyes. "Peridot…I don't know whether she's alive or not. But if Fire Agate got her hands on her, then she's probably…probably…"
"I am also filled with regret and remorse for leaving Peridot behind the way we did," Larimar said softly. "But Greg…there's nothing you or I could have done differently, aside from shatter."
"We could have found her gem. We could have grabbed her before escaping." Greg sighed. "I just…wish we hadn't just left her like that. She has no one now."
"She knows how to get to the Factory, right?" Amber asked. "Maybe she'll make her way to the Factory on her own."
"Yeah," Greg replied, seeming unconvinced. "...maybe."
The three of them continued through the tunnel in silence for a while, unsure of what to say to one another.
"You know, back during the Rebellion, I had to watch as those I called friends were shattered," Larimar suddenly said. Her tone was calm but somewhat frigid. "Those humans who took me in after I fled from the ice fortress I was stationed at? I had to watch as they were slaughtered. And when I became a Crystal Gem, many of the new friends I made went out on missions and never came back."
Greg blinked. "...Oh…I…"
"Take it from me, it is not good to hold on to all of that sorrow and pain," Larimar continued. "You have to let it go."
Greg bit his lip and looked down at the ground. "...I'm not sure I can."
"Greg-"
"Hey, look! Just up ahead!" Amber pointed in front of them excitedly. "The end of the tunnel! We're there!"
Greg and Larimar looked forward and saw an opening up ahead. The human and two Gems walked out of the opening and exited the tunnel. Once they got out of the tunnel, they could see Pink Diamond's Off-Color Factory about a mile away in front of them.
To Greg, it straight-up looked like a maximum security prison.
The three of them had exited out of one of about a hundred different tunnel entrances lined up in a half-circle around them. The ground and the trench walls around them were a gloomy gray color, but a few buildings up above in the overworld lit up the area below. The ground that the trio were walking on ended at the edge of a seemingly endless chasm, leading down into the darkness below. There was, however, a mile-long, seemingly natural bridge of stone several yards wide that led to the other side of the chasm, where the Factory itself stood.
The building was a giant block of dark-gray stone and metal big enough to house about a million people, dotted with numerous squares, what Greg assumed were windows. On top of the building, there were a bunch of what looked like chimneys, antennas, satellites, and several other lights and attachments. The stone bridge that jutted up from the darkness of the pit in front of the Factory led to the building's large, rectangular entrance, which looked like something you would build into a fortress. The whole place, at first glance, seemed somber and depressing.
"This is Pink Diamond's Off-Color Factory?" Greg asked. "Not a…not a lot of color, huh?"
"It looks like a prison," Larimar remarked bluntly.
"It's a heavily fortified structure," said Amber. "Pink doesn't take any chances in making sure the off-colors in the Factory are safe from the rest of Homeworld."
Greg groaned miserably. "One more mile," he grumbled. "I gotta walk one more mile, then I can apologize to my feet for all of the abuse."
"Carry me." Larimar hopped up onto Greg's shoulders, resting her arms atop his head. "I do not wish to walk anymore."
"I wanna be carried," Amber whined.
Greg rolled his eyes before making his way to the bridge and across the chasm before them. Amber walked by Greg's side as they walked to the Factory, their footsteps seemed to echo into the infinite darkness below. As they drew closer to the Factory, Larimar began to drum her fingers nervously along Greg's head. Her fingers were sharp, so Greg winced in pain every time her fingers drummed along his scalp.
They were halfway across the bridge when a loud, teeth-rattling hum sounded from the building. Greg and Amber froze as a beam of red light shone on the two of them, displaying a blanket-sized, twelve-point star over them.
"What…what is this?" Greg asked nervously. "A searchlight?"
"Uh, more like a laser targeting system," Amber replied. "And taking into account the size of the laser point, I can only assume that we're one blast away from turning us into three piles of ash and broken gems."
Greg gulped. "Okay, so, uh…don't move?"
"Yeah, don't move," Amber replied.
"Guess these guys don't entertain many guests, do they?" Greg asked.
"That place is filled with off-color Gems who spent their lives on the run before making it here, and the rest are former Crystal Gems," Amber explained. "Of course they're all on constant edge. I really should have put in a call beforehand. That definitely would've been helpful, yeah."
"There are former Crystal Gems in there?" Larimar asked.
"Yeah. From what Pink Diamond has told me, all of the Crystal Gems who survived the War managed to find safety in the Factory," Amber said. "There weren't many survivors though. It's mostly off-colors in there."
"...Let me try something," said Larimar. "Hold still, Greg. Don't drop me."
Sitting atop Greg's shoulders, Larimar raised her hands and performed a series of hand signals, moving her hands around in a series of motions that Amber couldn't understand and Greg couldn't see. Larimar repeated the movements over and over in a steady fashion, appearing to have been trained to remember them.
After about a minute of performing her hand signals, the laser target surrounding them died away, and the building seemed to calm back down.
"There we go," Larimar stated proudly.
"How'd you do that?" Amber marveled.
"Old Crystal Gem hand signals we used during the Rebellion," said Larimar. "A trick we actually learned from the humans. It seems there are some Crystal Gems in there who still remember them, fortunately for us."
"Are we good to go now?" Greg asked.
"I believe so, yes." Larimar pointed toward the Factory. "Onward, Greg!"
Greg and Amber continued down the length of the bridge. The large door raised upward as they approached the Factory, allowing them entry into the building. Once the trio was in, the door slid back down, locking in place.
The inside of the large Factory was a bustle of industry. Gems of every color, shape, and size you can imagine were all over the place, carrying equipment, installing parts, fixing up ships and other Gem vehicles. Like a prison, the levels went up and up, with Greg and his company on the ground floor, as it looked, possibly some sub-floors. Up above them, on every level, Gems moved about the Factory, hard at work. Tethers lifted machinery up into the air and toward the upper level, hovering trolleys stacked with supplies and equipment were pushed across the floors heading to who knew where. In Greg's opinion, the place looked like someone had turned a maximum-security prison into a body shop.
The Gems themselves were different from any of the other Gems that Greg had seen. He saw some familiar-looking ones here and there, and some of them seemed normal–by Gem standards, anyway. But the majority of the Gems were clearly off-color. Some Gems were smaller or bigger than their type of Gem normally was. For other Gems, it was a bit less subtle than simple size. Deformities were apparent among many of the off-colors, sometimes barely noticeable and sometimes greatly noticeable. Unorthodox fusions resulting in strange-looking combos and odd-looking beings walked about the Factory, putting their fusion abilities to use as they worked.
The entire Factory was filled with the sound of metalwork and other such sounds, combined with the shouts of the working Gems communicating with one another. Greg covered his ears to block out the sound, having grown used to the aerie silence of the Underground.
"Okay, we're here!" Greg shouted to his two friends over the sound of the Factory. "Now what?!"
The Factory went silent as all of the Gems stopped what they were doing. Every set of eyes focused on Greg, Larimar, and Amber.
Greg and Amber both took a scared step back, eyes wide with fear at the sudden attention.
Larimar smiled and waved her hand at all of the Factory Gems. "Hello!"
The Gems surrounding the trio all began to approach them.
Greg gulped as he and Amber huddled together, with Larimar clinging to Greg's head.
"Hold up, everyone!"
The Factory Gems all stopped their approach and parted for the Gem that had spoken as she made her way through the crowd. She was a stocky and robust-looking Gem, with broad shoulders, a sturdy build, and thick, muscular arms. Her skin was gray-blue and there was some kind of black star tattoo on her right bicep. She wore something like a black apron hung down to just above her ankles, with a pink belt that wrapped around her waist with a pink, sort of arrow-head-shape displayed on her stomach and waist area. Her leggings were dark maroon and her shoes were black. The stocky Gem's hair really stood out from the rest of her; she had a dreadlock-rainbow going on. Her gem seemed really weird to Greg. It was a square spiral that caved into her chest, the same multiple colors as her hair.
Greg looked around at all of the other Gems. His guess was that this rainbow-haired Gem held some authority here in the Factory. As she approached the three of them, Greg cleared his throat nervously and took a step forward.
"Um…hi," he began nervously. "...Please don't kill me."
The rainbow-haired Gem let out a hearty laugh. Despite her intimidating size, she had a jovial expression and a big, friendly smile on her face. "I guess if I had to choose four words to say before walking into unknown territory, those would be it."
"...Did…did it work?" Greg asked.
"Relax, little Quartz, I ain't gonna hurt ya." The rainbow-headed Gem looked behind her, addressing all of the other Factory Gems. "Take it easy, everyone! Look at these three, they ain't here to cause trouble!"
Most of the Factory Gems exchanged looks before continuing with their work, but some stayed behind to look at the newcomers, as if not entirely trusting them yet.
The rainbow-haired Gem looked up at Larimar, sitting atop Greg's shoulders. "You were the one who signaled for the gunners to stand down. You're a former Crystal Gem?"
Larimar gave the big Gem a salute, raising her hand to her head instead of using the Diamond-salute. "Larimar is my name. I was part of the Twelfth Unit stationed in the northern hemisphere."
"The Ice Team, yeah," The big Gem nodded. "You Gems operated in the arctic zones. You mostly hid and transported supplies and weapons."
"Mostly, yes," said Larimar. "I doubt you remember me at all, I was always just a grunt. But I know who you are, Bismuth. You were one of Rose Quartz's top lieutenants."
"Wait, you're a Crystal Gem too?" Greg asked. "The Gems that saved Earth?"
"She's not just a Crystal Gem, Greg, she was one of the Crystal Gems," Larimar hopped off of Greg's shoulders and walked up to the one she had called Bismuth. "She, Rose Quartz, and that Pearl lieutenant of hers were a few of the most influential and capable leaders of the Crystal Gems. I have to say, it's an honor to actually meet you up close and in person."
"Ah, I was just a Gem doing what needed to be done," Bismuth replied with a modest wave of her hand.
"So you knew the Rose Quartz? The Gem that started the Crystal Gems?" Greg asked. "What was she like?"
"Rose? Ah, heck, she was the best." Bismuth looked away for a minute in reminiscence. "A natural leader, worshiped by both Gems and humans. I can honestly say that the Rebellion would have been nothing without her. She held the whole thing together, fighting to free the planet from Pink Diamond and give us all a world where we could truly be free."
Greg also looked away for a minute. He still remembered Pink telling him that she was the one who had set the whole thing in motion when she assigned a Rose Quartz to start a rebellion. A part of him felt guilty for not being able to tell Bismuth that.
"Listen, you may not have done what you did for us, but on behalf of the human race," Greg smiled at the big Gem. "Thank you."
Bismuth frowned. "On behalf of the…" Bismuth squinted her eyes as she took a closer look at Greg. Her eyes then suddenly went wide.
"I don't believe it," Bismuth marveled. "You're no Quartz. You're a human."
This revelation earned a collective chatter among the Factory Gems. They began to gawk and stare at Greg with sudden, new-found interest. Greg began to feel uncomfortable under all of their gazes.
"A human surviving here on Homeworld." Bismuth shook her head in disbelief. "Who would've thought? Then again, your kind always had a weird way of surprising me. The humans managed to teach us something for everything we taught them."
"Well, he's had some help in staying alive." Amber stepped forward. "Mostly mine."
"Hey, I recognize you." Bismuth pointed a finger at Amber. "You're Pink Diamond's Amber Gem. Little Amethyst told me about you."
"You know Amethyst?" Greg asked.
"Little Amethyst? Yeah, she's a delight to have around the Factory," said Bismuth. "She hates it here though, I know she does. Likes to run free, that one. How do you know her?"
"She abducted me," said Greg. "Accidently, anyway. It was during one of the Earth collection things they do every decade. I tried to take back something Amethyst stole from me, she took off with me in her pod, it almost killed me, next thing I know, Amber here is patching me up and Pink Diamond is introducing me to her court."
Bismuth raised an eyebrow at Greg. "So…Amethyst wasn't fibbing? Pink Diamond's really got a human in her Garden?"
"Yeah, I…I…" Greg swayed on his feet. "I…I…"
"Greg?" Amber swooped in and caught the human before he could collapse onto the ground. She held Greg up, which was the only thing keeping him on his feet.
"Greg, what's wrong?" Amber asked, greatly concerned. "You were fine just a second ago!"
"I think…the past few days…are finally catching up to me…" Greg struggled just to keep his eyes open. "I've barely rested in order to make up for time…I've eaten nothing but rocks since I got here…I miss my van…I miss the taste of Earth's air…I miss the smell of the ocean and the rain…I miss the taste of actual food…I miss…I miss my mom, I…I…"
Greg slipped into unconsciousness, going limp in Amber's arm.
Bismuth brought her fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, a pair of off-color Quartzes rushed forward from the crowd. One of them was a short Carnelian and the other was a skinny Jasper.
"Help her with her friend," Bismuth ordered.
The skinny Jasper looked at Greg and gasped. "It's you," she whispered.
Carnelian took Greg's feet and Skinny Jasper grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him up. A look of adoration shone in the Jasper's eyes as she held him.
"What's wrong with the human?" Bismuth asked.
"He's exhausted. Just…exhausted." With the Quartzes holding him, Amber came up and examined Greg with medical professionalism. "The poor thing's been pushing himself to the limit making his trek through the Underground. He got poisoned right before he fell into the Underground, he's covered in scrapes and bruises, he's barely had any rest time with all of the walking and running for his life. Humans don't have the endurance that us Gems do."
"If he's Pink Diamond's human, then why was he even out there in the first place?" Bismuth asked.
"Look, I don't have time to answer all of your questions," said Amber. "Is there somewhere I can take the human? Somewhere clean, where I can operate?"
"I'll do you one better." Bismuth turned to the Quartzes holding up Greg. "Take the human to the Healing Fountain."
The Quartzes nodded before carrying Greg away.
"Healing Fountain?" Amber asked.
Bismuth nodded to where the Skinny and Carnelian were taking Greg. "We have a fountain here dedicated to Rose Quartz. The fountain is filled with a liquid that mimics the effects of Rose Quartz tears, courtesy of Pink Diamond, surprisingly enough. It instantly heals any damage. I don't see any reason why it can't fix anything wrong with your human."
"That's perfect, thank you," said Amber. "You have any questions, ask Larimar."
Amber took off after Greg, leaving Bismuth with Larimar.
"I have questions," said Bismuth.
"It is kind of a long story, so I will attempt to make it short," said Larimar.
"So, what's Earth like?" Spinel asked as she focused on the Mario Kart race.
"I've never been on Earth for very long, but it's always really fun," Amethyst replied as she raced against Spinel. "Humans know how to have a good time. You think this game is fun? Humans have, like, a hundred different fun things they like to do."
"Wow," said Spinel. "You're about to hit a banana."
"I'm what-ah, dangit!" Amethyst cried. "You put that there, didn't you?! And right at the edge of the ramp, you evil, pink pebble."
As Spinel and Amethyst played, Pink Diamond, shrunk down to Quartz-size, paced back and forth by the fountain in the center of the Garden. Padparadscha was with her, sitting on the fountain's edge.
"What exactly are we waiting for, my Diamond?" Padparadscha asked.
"Anything," said Pink, looking worried and agitated. "A call from Amber or Jasper, contact from the Factory informing me of Greg's arrival, a future vision of Greg being brought back to me, something."
"You have to have faith, my Diamond," said Padparadscha. "Letting the worry chip away at your gem will do you nor Greg any good."
Pink sighed. "I know, I know." Pink ran a hand down her face. "I'm just…I'm just so sick of Homeworld. The societal perfectionism of this world is just ridiculous. I let one human, one human, live in my Garden, and all of Homeworld goes crazy. Yellow Diamond is trying like it's the end of the world to kill my human, Blue just wants to use him like he's a limited-time deal, even if she is starting to like him, that could've just been a lie. At least White is staying out of it. She just thinks this whole thing is me being silly. But, what else is new?"
"Take it from a Sapphire who's spent her entire life hiding that she's an off-color; even if the world expects you to be perfect, you still don't have to be." Padparadscha smiled at Pink. "Funny thing about perfection: It's all a matter of perspective. If it seems perfect, then everyone's happy, even if it isn't actually perfect, which it normally never is."
"It's different when you were literally made to be a symbol of perfection," Pink argued. "You make a single mistake and it's like you committed a felony."
"And the death penalty here on Homeworld is common enough," said Padparadscha. "Normally instated immediately after being brought into this world."
Pink looked over at Amethyst, playing Earth games with Spinel and laughing happily.
"Off-colors don't deserve to be shattered just for what they are." Pink frowned at the floor. "No one does."
"The world is only as fair as we make it," said Padparadscha. "Life is not fair, especially to Gems like me. But maybe we can do something to make it a little fairer for everyone."
"I've been trying to do that for thousands of years," said Pink. "What more could I possibly have to do in order to-"
The big holoscreen over the fountain appeared, pulsing pink as it signaled an incoming call.
Pink gasped at the holoscreen. "Finally!" She snapped her fingers and answered the transmission. Amber's face appeared above the fountain. Amethyst and Spinel paused their game and hopped off the couch, running up to Pink and Padparadscha.
"Hi, everyone!" Amber's waving hand appeared on the screen.
"Amber, thank goodness!" Pink cried. "Where are you, is Greg with you?"
"I'm at the Factory. Don't worry, Greg's with me." Amber bit her lip and looked away. "But, he kinda passed out into unconsciousness about a few minutes after entering the Factory. He's a little tired from his trip."
"What? Is he okay?" Pink asked in concern.
"Don't worry, he's soaking in the Factory's healing fountain. You know, the one you installed with the likeness of Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems?"
Pink weirdly looked away for a second. "Yeah, that one. The one of…Rose Quartz."
"He'll be fine after a soak, but he's still out cold. He really pushed himself making his way through the Underground," Amber continued. "I'm still waiting on Jasper to get here. She was battling it out with Fire Agate while I escaped with Greg to the Factory."
Pink let out a long sigh of relief. "He's safe at the Factory. Good. Yellow Diamond can't get to him now."
"Greg's okay! Yay!" Spinel cheered. She grabbed Amethyst's hands and the two of them jumped up and down with joy.
"My goodness, I feel like a giant weight just got lifted off of me," said Padparadscha. "And I am small. It doesn't take a lot of weight to make me feel like that."
"Keep an eye on Greg, Amber," Pink ordered. "Once Pearl is done with her errands, I'll send her to the Factory to pick up Greg. Can you keep Greg comfortable at the Factory until then?"
"Sure. The Bismuth you have running the Factory seemed to like Greg, I'm sure we can find him somewhere…out of the way to stay. But knowing Greg, he'll probably want to earn his keep somehow. You know how he is."
Pink smiled warmly and nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I know." She tilted her head curiously. "How…how was Bismuth doing?"
"The Bismuth? She seemed to be doing well. She keeps the Factory going, looks out for her Gems, all that," Amber said. "You know her?"
"Just keep Greg healthy. Once she's done with her tasks, I'll send Pearl to bring Greg back to the Garden," Pink instructed. "And once Jasper reaches the Factory, I'll have you and her accompany Greg and Pearl to the Garden. I don't care who gets there first, Jasper or Pearl, the four of you leave together."
"Will do, my Diamond," said Amber. "See you all soon."
The holoscreen blinked away. Pink hung her head and closed her eyes, smiling to herself.
"Why don't you just go to the Factory yourself?" Amethyst asked. "I can go with you, they know me in the Factory."
Pink opened her eyes and frowned. She then bit her lip and looked away. "I'm…not entirely sure that I'm…fully welcomed in the Factory."
"Why not?" Spinel asked curiously. "I thought you were the one Diamond everyone in the Factory liked?"
Pink grimaced. "I think even the word 'like' is too strong of a word to use. But…maybe…maybe I should visit the Factory."
Pink closed her eyes again. "I owe someone there an apology. I mean, honestly, I think I owe everyone at the Factory an apology. But…there's someone in particular who…who I owe more than just an apology to."
"Who?" Spinel asked.
Pink Diamond blinked back into focus. "Oh. Sorry, I…got lost in thought there for a minute."
"Look, whatever the plan is, I just want Greg to come back," said Amethyst. "And, that's happening, right?"
"Of course it is," said Pink. "And once he's back, I'm never letting him leave this Garden again."
"Until we're able to send Greg back to Earth, of course," said Padparadscha.
"You three stay here," Pink ordered. "I may be gone for a while, so stay in the Garden and wait for Greg to come back." With that said, Pink Diamond shape-shifted to her natural height and walked to the warp pad. The Pink Imperial Topazes moved out of the way for their Diamond as she stepped on the warp pad and was beamed away.
"I don't like that she didn't answer me," said Padparadscha.
Greg's eyes went wide as he gasped himself awake. He shot up from his lying position, sending water flying. As Greg steadied his breathing, he realized he was laying in a fountain pool, half-submerged in clear water with his back propped against the fountain's centerpiece to keep him from drowning. The water was clean and shimmered in the pool, pouring down above Greg in two twin streams.
Greg, all wet, stood up and looked at the fountain. The centerpiece was a white stone carving of what looked like one of the Rose Quartzes Greg had met in Pink Diamond's Palace. But instead of a uniform, she wore a lovely, large, strapless dress with a star design on the stomach. The carving was flawless, making her look gorgeous, even as she wept. The streams of water were pouring from her eyes. Her hands were folded in front of her, held below her navel, and her curly-haired head hung slightly as she cried into the pool. It was like she was offering the tears willingly.
Greg stared up at the statue, wide-eyed and mouth agape.
"Wow," he said. "...You're beautiful."
Greg looked at the streams of tears falling from the statue's eyes. He then walked up to one of the falling streams and cupped his hands, catching some of the liquid. Greg brought it to his lips and drank it. He recognized the Sprite-like taste almost immediately.
"Magic tears."
"Indeed."
Greg yelped and spun around, splashing up some water as he did, to see a pair of identical Rutiles, not that Greg knew what they were, standing at the edge of the pool, staring at Greg.
"You have regained consciousness," said the Rutile on the left.
"That is good," said the Rutile on the right. "We were assigned by the Amber to make sure you didn't drown while you soaked. Our apologies if we startled you just now."
"Oh, uh, no, it's fine." Greg waded through the pool toward the Rutiles. "Thanks for watching over me, I-"
The room they were in was dimly lit. The fountain itself seemed to glow, giving the room its only illumination. As a result, it wasn't until he got closer that Greg could see that both of the Rutiles had only one arm each, one lefty and one righty. And that they were conjoined at the waist, where a Y-shaped gem sat above their one waist and one pair of legs.
"OH FUCK WHAT THE HELL?!" Greg shouted as he jumped back like a frightened cat, splashing the water around him.
The Rutile twins both gasped and took a step back, covering their faces with their hands, as if frightened themselves by Greg's reaction.
Upon recomposing himself, Greg realized what he'd done and blushed. "I'm…I'm sorry. That was really rude of me."
"Oh, no. It is alright," said Left Rutile.
"It's that kind of reaction that saved us from being immediately shattered in our Kindergarten," said Right Rutile.
"Well, that's depressing," Greg commented. "I'm Greg, by the way. Again, I'm really sorry about freaking out. It's been…a rough couple of days. Or maybe it's been longer, I honestly have no idea."
"Call us Rutile, and you really needn't apologize," said Left Rutile.
"We have made peace with what we are," said Right Rutile.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly's up with you two?" Greg asked. "Are you, like, a fusion that got stuck halfway through or something?"
"We're just a Rutile that came out wrong," said Left Rutile.
Right Rutile hung her head. "We survived because...all the other Rutiles ran away when we emerged."
Left Rutile hung her head as well. "We survived because…they were afraid of us."
"Oh." Greg cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well…look on the bright side: You both always have someone to talk to."
The Rutile twins rolled their eyes but smiled.
"Hilarious."
"Haven't heard that one before."
The door to the Fountain Room slid open and Bismuth entered. "How's our human doing?" she asked.
"He seems to have fully recuperated," said Left Rutile.
"The Fountain appears to have healed him," said Right Rutile.
"Good to hear," said Bismuth. "How ya feelin', human? Any, eh, side effects, from the fountain? We've never actually subjected a human to the Tears before."
"Nah, it worked like a charm. I'm fine. Feel like a million bucks," Greg said.
"Oh, that's wonderful," said Left Rutile.
"What are bucks?" asked Right Rutile.
"Where's Amber and Larimar?" Greg asked.
"Amber's making a call to Pink Diamond and waiting for Pink Diamond's Jasper to get here," Bismuth said. "As for Larimar, we're setting her up with a position here in the Factory. She filled me in on everything, don't worry, I'm caught up. Gotta say, you're tougher than you look to have made it all the way here to the Factory, human."
Greg stepped out of the fountain and tried to shake the water off of him. "I'm glad you're letting Larimar stay here. She was really looking forward to coming here." Greg frowned and looked to the floor. "...We all were."
Bismuth stared at Greg for a minute. "I've seen that look before. You lost someone, didn't you? Larimar hinted at it, but I didn't press her for details."
Greg nodded, looking sad and defeated. He took a seat on the edge of the fountain. "When I fell into the Underground, I wasn't alone. I was with the Peridot that tried to kill me. We eventually became friends, poor thing was backstabbed by her own Diamond so we had to travel together to escape Big Yellow. Then we met Larimar, and then we met a Maw Sit Sit who was injured and alone in a cave."
"A Maw Sit Sit?" Bismuth asked.
"I called her Jaguar, after a kind of predator on Earth," said Greg. "She became my friend. And…" Greg closed his eyes. "...She died…protecting me."
"I'm sorry," Bismuth replied gently.
"And Peridot, she…she's still out there. She was poofed, and I couldn't get to her." Greg curled up in a fetal position, balancing on the fountain's rim. "I had to watch as Jaguar was crushed into pieces, and I just left Peridot at the mercy of that flaming maniac."
Bismuth looked over at the Rutile twins, nodding to the door. The Rutiles nodded back and left the Fountain Room. Bismuth came over and sat down next to Greg on the fountain's edge. She sat with her forearms resting on her legs, staring at the floor.
"...I've seen war, human. I've watched as my friends were shattered or left behind." Bismuth closed her eyes. "It hurts. I know. It's a pain that cuts deep. Real deep."
"How do you move past it?" Greg asked. "How do you make the pain and guilt go away?"
"It doesn't go away," Bismuth said gravely with a thousand-yard stare. "You never forget the ones who gave their lives for you. You never forget the people who got left behind. Their faces and the sound of their voices get burned into your memory. You're gonna keep on thinking about what you could've done differently to save those you lost. You're gonna keep on beating yourself up."
"Jaguar died because of me, and the last thing she wanted to say to me was 'thank you.' That only made the sting even worse." Greg let a few tears fall. "And after being so patient with Peridot, after sharing my pain with her, after becoming her friend, I leave her gem in the dirt as I make my escape."
"That. That right there, you can't keep doing that." Bismuth raised a finger at Greg. "I've done that before, I've blamed myself for the fate of others. I was convinced that it was my fault, and a part of me still is. You have to let go of that guilt. Even if it follows you around until the end of time, you have to let it go, and you can't let it latch back onto you."
"How do I do that?" Greg asked. "You apparently know better than I do that guilt is…is sticky and corrosive, like some kind of tar."
Bismuth sighed. "You just…you have to honor their memories. You'll live with the guilt and the pain forever, but you can't let it break you down. You have to make the fallen proud, you know? Remember them and let it all forge you into something stronger."
"Hmm." Greg smiled a little. "We have a saying on Earth: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Bismuth chuckled. "Heh. I like that. You know, during the War, I held a lot of respect for the humans."
"Yeah?" Greg asked, moving out of a fetal position.
"Before the Rebellion, I was one of the Bismuths gifted to Pink Diamond from Blue Diamond. Us Bismuths are made to be builders and construction workers. That kind of thing, right? And I was sent to the Earth colony to do just that for Pink Diamond." Bismuth smiled and pointed up at the fountain's statue. "But then I met her. Rose Quartz opened my eyes. Unlike everyone else, she asked me what I wanted to build. She asked me what I wanted to make."
"What did you wanna make?" Greg asked.
Bismuth grinned and extended her arm. Her hand shape-shifted into a hammer. It seemed different from regular shape-shifting like what Amethyst could do. Bismuth's shape-shifting looked more solid, as if her arms were made of metal.
"I wanted to make weapons," Bismuth stated proudly. "And when I joined the Rebellion, that's exactly what I did. I made the best weapons for the Crystal Gems. Rose's sword? I forged that beauty."
"Are you self-taught?" Greg asked.
"At first I was." Bismuth hammer-hand shape-shifted back into a normal hand. "Funny story; During my travels on Earth, some of us did that, I actually got some training from a human blacksmith. Let me tell ya, this human had some master-level skill. We taught each other some tricks, but I honestly felt more like the student than the teacher. He spoke the Gem language, but not well. Said his name was…Oh, what was it? Stars, this is frustrating. You ever forget someone's name and feel awful and stupid for not being able to remember it?"
"All the time."
Bismuth snapped her fingers. "Oh, I remember now. He said his name was Hephaestus."
Greg blinked. "Hephaestus?"
"Yeah. We taught each other Human and Gem crafts and how to sort of mix the two crafts with different techniques and the use of different materials, which proved to be incredibly useful for us Crystal Gems, since we had to use Gem techniques using Earthen material. Getting off-planet resources was rare and normally very risky," Bismuth continued. "The weapons I was able to make because of what Hephaestus taught me proved to be a game-changer in the Rebellion. Hephaestus went on to use what I taught him about Gem crafting to make these crazy powerful weapons for the three kings of his region."
"Three kings?" Greg asked.
"Yeah. For the leader of the three, he forged this awesome, golden rod that could generate and summon lightning. The thing could even conjure up storms. Only the best ships could be piloted through those storms," Bismuth went on. "The other king got this trident that gave him the power of ten Lapis Lazulis. He controlled the oceans in his region and kept seaside human settlements safe. I think the third king got a two-pronged pitchfork that could reanimate dead humans, giving him an instant army whenever there had been a slaughter. And those undead humans were even harder to kill than living humans. Not that I ever had to fight them, we were on the same side."
"...Wow," said Greg. "…I mean…just, wow."
"Right? And you never even saw it." Bismuth smiled and placed a hand on Greg's back. "Hey, how about we go walk? Show you around the Factory? There's more I wanted to talk to you about."
"Okay, cool." Greg and Bismuth got off the fountain and headed out of the room.
The doors closed as the two of them left the fountain room, leaving the statue of Rose Quartz all alone.
The Factory knew Jasper on sight from all of the times she had saved the workers who had to venture beyond the Factory for resources and pickups. As a result, the only reaction that the Off-Color Factory had to Jasper walking up to the main entrance was opening the door for her. She didn't even have to stop as the Quartz warrior walked into the Factory, the door closing back shut as Jasper entered.
As Jasper walked into the main level of the Factory, a number of the Factory Gems took a moment to gawk and stare at her. All across Homeworld, Jasper had a well-deserved reputation. Among the Factory workers, Jasper had earned a reputation as Pink Diamond's sword and shield against the forces that would do them harm. For a while, it made Jasper feel weird. These were off-colors she was protecting. Off-colors were, by what Homeworld deemed as necessary, something that the 'most perfect Quartz ever made' should be disposing of, not protecting. Shattering off-colors is what Homeworld did, for flaws had no place in the Empire. And at the beginning of her existence, Jasper had been ready to shatter any Gem her Diamond pointed at.
But now…being the protector, just as her beloved Diamond was…the way these Gems were all looking at her in awe and gratitude…the affection that Pink Diamond showed her…and Amber…
"Jasper!"
Jasper was pulled out of her thoughts as Amber ran up to her and leaped into her arms. Jasper was momentarily stunned by the embrace, being more used to physical contact being far more violent than a big hug from a crazy Gem.
"What took you so long?" Amber asked as she pulled out of the hug, keeping a hold on Jasper's arm.
"A Ruby fusion that I guess was sent by Blue Diamond blocked off the tunnel when you and the human went in. I had to take a longer route," Jasper explained. "I think I made good time. Is the human here?"
"He's healing in the Fountain Room," said Amber. "He sort of broke down when he got here, but he'll be fine. I left a Rutile, or, I guess, two Rutiles, to watch over Greg so I could wait for you."
"The Fountain Room." Jasper's gaze became distant and hardened a bit. "The one with the statue of Rose Quartz."
Amber's face fell somewhat. She released Jasper's arm and looked up into her eyes. "Right. I forgot your…opinion on the whole Rebellion."
"It was a war," Jasper said. "I was on one side, and Rose Quartz was on the other. I respected her tactics and her dedication, but she was my enemy."
"But what exactly do you think of Rose Quartz?" Amber asked.
"She was an anarchist, plain and simple," said Jasper. "She opposed my Diamond's rule, so I fought to enforce that rule."
"An anarchist," Amber echoed. "You ever think that maybe Rose Quartz was right to rebel?"
Jasper raised an eyebrow.
"I don't like it when Gems fight. Call me a pacifist or call me weak, however someone like you would describe it. But what Rose Quartz wanted was to stop Gems like the ones around us, who see you as a hero, to stop being shattered for simply existing. She wanted to give Gems real freedom, not the illusion we're all handed from the day we emerge." Amber sighed and shook her head. "...When Pink Diamond made me, when I first emerged, she was there. Her eyes lit up and she smiled that big, happy, joy-infectious smile of hers."
Jasper nodded, a ghost of a smile on her face. "She had the same look on her face when she first met me."
Amber smiled back. "Yeah. She was so proud of me, she presented me to the other Diamonds just to show me off." Amber frowned, her bespectacled gaze behind her square glasses became surprisingly stern. "They wanted Pink Diamond to shatter me."
Jasper's face portrayed shock, or as much as the stoic Gem could allow to show.
"Yeah." Amber nodded. "The other Diamonds thought my incubation was, and I'm quoting them directly here, 'an unconventional waste of resources.' I'm technically not an off-color, so in the end, Pink Diamond won the argument to keep me alive."
Jasper groaned in frustration and ran a hand through her scalp. "Amber…my part in the war against the Crystal Gems and what they stood for…it was my job, okay? I fought in the name of our Diamond."
"Our Diamond didn't even want that colony. She liked Earth the way it was. She was probably hoping the Crystal Gems would win," said Amber. "You think I'm wrong?"
Jasper blinked and looked away. "...I think…I think…" Jasper closed her eyes and sighed. "...I think that I'm…glad that you were never shattered."
Amber's face softened at Jasper.
"Look, Amber. Fire Agate might be a fire-wielding lunatic, but she was right about one thing," said Jasper. "We're Gems. We are what we're made to be. I am who I am, Amber, and you are who you are. For whatever reason, you seem to like who I am. And for some far more insane reason, I seem to…uh…"
Amber's gaze became eager.
"My point being," Jasper quickly said. "I can't help being the Gem I was made to be."
"Jasper," Amber said. "We are who we choose to be. Yes, that's hard to do for Gems, and it's the privilege that Rose Quartz was fighting for, but lost in the end. But you can't keep on pretending that what you are has full power over who you are. You have power over who you are. Everyone deserves the chance to be themselves, and to be happy."
Amber smiled and placed a hand on Jasper's chest. "That being said…we could start thinking about…what 'we' could choose to be." She tilted her head playfully. "What do you think?"
As brave as Jasper was, she didn't have the guts to look Amber in the eyes. "I think…we should find that human and get out of here."
"Pink Diamond wants us to wait for her Pearl to get here before we can leave." Amber's smile widened. "And she ain't here yet."
"Then we wait for her." Jasper marched away from Amber. "Where's the warp pad?"
Amber sighed in disappointment. "Really making me work for it," she muttered before following after Jasper.
"Here at the Off-Color Factory, we're mostly manufacturing and repairing," Bismuth said as she led Greg through the Factory. The two of them were surrounded by working Gems and their equipment at every turn. It was really a busy place. "We repair and renovate ships, equipment, and the such. We also do some recycling, melting down scrap metal and whatnot and shipping it out as material. There's a bunch of old scrap yards around and near the Factory, some farther away than others."
"Yeah, me and my group passed through one of them," Greg said. "There was even a really old spaceship there. Peridot said it was an original model."
"Really? I'll keep that in mind," Bismuth said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "Most Gems don't even realize how much of their equipment and material actually comes from our Factory. We're more distributive than Homeworld actually knows."
"If you're so successful, then why do the other Diamonds give the Factory so much…uh…heckle?" Greg asked.
"The reason they 'heckle' us, human, is because they're the Diamonds," Bismuth replied bitterly. "It's in their nature, as you humans say, to destroy anything they deem as 'imperfect.'"
"Look, take it from the guy who's been running from Yellow Diamond's top hit-Gem for the past couple of days, I know how…intolerable the Diamonds can be," Greg said. "But still, I don't think they're all bad. I've met Blue Diamond in person, and she's…okay. And Pink Diamond, she's amazing. She's keeping us all alive. She welcomed me into her Court and she's saving off-colors from being shattered."
"Listen, human. You owe Pink Diamond your life, I get that." Bismuth shrugged. "And don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for everything that Pink Diamond has done for me and the Gems here too. But the way I see it…she's the lesser of four evils. A Diamond's a Diamond, Greg. Don't let your guard down for a second."
Greg looked down at the floor. "...I consider Pink Diamond to be my friend."
Bismuth chuckled. "Then, with all due respect, you're either stupid or crazy."
Greg shrugged. "I've been called both."
"Bismuth!"
A pair of off-color Quartzes approached Bismuth and Greg, halting their walk through the Factory. One was a skinny Jasper and the other was Carnelian. They both saluted Bismuth, and Greg noted that they didn't do the diamond thing with their arms and hands when they saluted. Instead, they saluted the way soldiers on Earth did; by bringing their right hand to their head. Larimar did the same thing when she saluted Bismuth.
"Skinny. Carnelian." Bismuth nodded. "At ease." She turned to Greg and raised a hand toward the Quartzes. "These two are some of our newer recruits. Short, red, and spunky right there, I doubt you know. But from what Skinny here has told me, the two of you are acquainted."
Greg's eyes widened as he looked at Skinny. "I remember you. When I first met Fire Agate, you were the Gem she was about to shatter."
"And if it weren't for you, she would have." The Jasper clasped her hands together and smiled. "I owe you my life."
"I didn't save you, Garnet did," Greg said. "That fusion? She saved us both."
"Garnet?" Bismuth asked, suddenly showing great interest. "You never mentioned that name before, Skinny."
"You know her?" Greg asked. "Them? Ruby and Sapphire? Was Garnet a Crystal Gem too?"
"Not at first. And not directly," Bismuth said. "Garnet came to us near the end of the Rebellion, when we were desperate for something to turn the tide of the War. They both still belonged to Blue Diamond back then. Ruby was one of Sapphire's guards."
"They told me about that, yeah." Greg nodded. "Sapphire had three Ruby guards. One of the Rubies was…her favorite Ruby."
Bismuth snorted. "Yeah, that's one way to put it. Anyway, something went down, I don't know what, but it got some important Gems shattered. Sapphire came real close to getting shattered herself. Even got her gem cracked. Blue Diamond was mad at the Rubies who were supposed to protect Sapphire, and was going to shatter all three of them. But Pink Diamond was with her when that whole thing went down. She offered the Rubies to come work for her, so Blue Diamond wouldn't shatter them. Two of the Rubies chose to be shattered, just to show their loyalty. Only one Ruby accepted Pink Diamond's offer, and was branded a coward and a traitor for it."
"So, Ruby and Sapphire became Crystal Gems after that?" Greg asked.
"Ruby did, sometime after. Sapphire stayed in Blue Diamond's court though," Bismuth went on. "But Sapphire became an inside informant, feeding information to Ruby, and through her, to the Crystal Gems."
"They still do that," Greg said. "Sapphire gives Pink Diamond information on where to find and how to save the off-colors in exchange for…well, Ruby."
"I really wish they had stayed in touch after the end of the War. Ruby and Sapphire were cute together, and Garnet was a great Gem to have around." Bismuth shrugged. "But then again, we all had to go dark when it was over. Heck, just look at Rose. She and Pearl straight-up vanished like a puff of smoke. Most think that Rose Quartz was shattered, and if she wasn't, she's probably still happy to keep it that way."
"Pearl?" Greg asked.
"Rose's second lieutenant," said Bismuth. "Yes, she was a Pearl, but she was talented in combat and engineering. She fought for the Crystal Gems so she could live in a world where she could be her own Gem."
Greg stared at the ground in thought. "...Hmm…"
"Bismuth! Bismuth!"
Greg, Bismuth, and the Quartzes were approached by a tall Gem, the gem in her chest and her naval identifying her as a fusion. Her build appeared healthy and athletic by human standards. She had raspberry-pink skin and a long pointed nose, much like a Pearl's. Her wide, black hair was set in a fluffy afro with a big, diagonal, dark lavender highlight. She had four arms, the top pair being thicker than the thin, bottom pair. Her outfit was an entire mismatch. She wore a black and mauve jumpsuit with a diamond-shaped cutout at the navel, revealing her bottom gem, and mauve leggings, with one leg covering her entire right leg and the other only covering part of her left thigh. She wore a black ballet flat on her right foot and a mauve boot on her left. A sheer, pale pink shawl covered her shoulders and the gem on her chest and she wore dark burgundy, elbow-length gloves on her lower set of arms. She had four eyes, the top pair being wide and expressive and the bottom pair being more closed and reserved.
"Rhodonite, hey!" Bismuth greeted. "Whatcha need?"
"It happened again! It happened again!" Rhodonite bounced on her heels and shook her hands by their wrists, looking anxious and agitated. She seemed to have a lot of nervous energy. "Fluorite got stuck in one of the maintenance tunnels again!"
"Ah geez, every ten minutes, I swear." Bismuth ran a hand down her face. "Greg, this is Rhodonite. She's been at the Factory for a while now, one of our veteran workers."
"Nice to meet you," said Greg to Rhodonite. "My name is Gregory Universe. Call me Greg."
"Oh, uh, I'm Rhodonite. It's nice to meet you as well." Rhodonite pointed her two left fingers at Greg. "You're Pink Diamond's human? So, it's really true?"
"Yeah, it's a long, weird...painful story," Greg said.
"I've never seen a human before," Rhodonite walked up and poked Greg's chest gently, like a curious child who had found a starfish. "You're so…Gem-like. Your name is Universe? Are you an elite human?"
"Nah, it's just a name. I'm a musician where I'm from." Greg looked Rhodonite up and down. "You…don't really seem like an off-color. You're a fusion, right? You have two gems."
Rhodonite blushed. "Well, as it would happen, it's considered incredibly 'off-color' for a Ruby and a Pearl to fuse. And, even more so to stay fused like we do."
"What happened?" Greg asked gently. "If you don't mind me asking?"
Rhodonite twiddled all twenty of her fingers and looked away. "We, Ruby and Pearl, I mean, both belonged to one of Yellow Diamond's Morganites."
"What's a Morganite?" Greg asked.
"An elite Gem, made to oversee large operations for the Diamond themselves," Bismuth said. "They're managers for things like Kindergarten foundation, ship ports and transportation, that kind of thing."
Rhodonite pointed to the gem in her chest. "Pearl was our Morganite's personal Pearl. Morganite…" the fusion closed her eyes. "did not treat her well."
"Oh, I…I'm sorry," said Greg.
Rhodonite pointed to the gem in her navel. "Ruby was just part of Morganite's entourage. A bodyguard, one of many. A while back, Morganite sent Pearl to fetch the communicator she had left on her personal cruiser. She sent Ruby to go with Pearl, just to make sure she didn't dawdle. They talked while they went to go get the communicator, they shared their thoughts and feelings, they really connected," Rhodonite blushed. "Some…some things happened…and they fused into me."
"And let me guess," Greg smirked. "The two of you kept seeing each other until Morganite found out."
"We were barely able to escape," Rhodonite said. "I dropped into the Underground and made my way to the Factory."
"All because a Ruby and a Pearl fused?" Greg asked. "Doesn't really seem like that big of a deal."
"Well, it was," Rhodonite crossed her arms and looked away. "We chose to stay together, and never go back."
"Well, I'll say this." Greg smiled. "You two go well together."
Rhodonite flushed, smiling in embarrassment. "Oh, w-well, th-thank you. I-I-"
"Alright, alright," said Bismuth. "Rhodonite, how long has Fluorite been stuck in the maintenance tunnel?"
"For the past half hour," said Rhodonite. "She insisted that she could make it out herself."
"Tell her to unfuse if she's stuck," said Bismuth.
"You know she doesn't like to unfuse."
"Stubborn fusion." Bismuth shook her head. "Alright, I'm coming."
"Can I come with?" Greg asked.
"Sure, why not?" Bismuth asked. "I still want to talk to you about something."
Bismuth continued through the Factory. Greg and Rhodonite walked on either side of Bismuth with Skinny and Carnelian tagging along behind them.
"So, you run things around here?" Greg asked Bismuth. "You're in charge of the whole Factory?"
"It didn't start out that way. I was one of the Factory's first workers. Being a Bismuth, I was ideal for the job." Bismuth shrugged. "As time went by, I just sort of…transitioned to the position of head of the Factory by default. Pink Diamond trusts me with the position and so do all of the Factory workers here."
"Well, of course we do," said Rhodonite.
"Yeah, you're the best, Bismuth!" Carnelian cheered.
"Yeah, yeah." Bismuth smiled and threw a hand up. "I keep this place in Bismuth, we all know it."
"Ha. 'Bismuth' instead of 'business.'" Greg commented. "Fun."
"Alright, here she is." Rhodonite stopped the group and pointed up in front of them.
Greg looked at where she was pointing. "FUCK ME!" Greg recomposed himself and coughed into his fist in embarrassment. "I-I'm so sorry, that was rude…But, my God."
"Oh, it's alright."
What had startled Greg in such a manner was the giant, seafoam-green, grandmotherly face with pale turquoise hair. Her head alone was the size of a large SUV. Her huge, segmented body resembled something like a caterpillar, a sort-of three-colored, purple vest covering the two segments, the top one being cyan blue and the bottom one being periwinkle blue. Four arms, the top pair being cyan with white gloves and the bottom pair being periwinkle blue, matching their segments, protruded out of the vest.
Beneath that, there was another iris-purple segment, larger than the upper two. This was the segment that had gotten stuck in one of the maintenance tunnels in the Factory. On her body, Greg counted six gems. Two in her forehead, one triangular above one circular. Three in her chest side-by-side, two triangular gems flanking a rounded gem. And one more diamond-shaped gem in the segment that had gotten stuck.
"You are a peculiar-looking Gem." Her gentle, kind, motherly voice had a slow drawl. "Are you an off-color Quartz?"
"I'm a human, actually," said Greg. "My name is Greg. I'm a human from Earth."
"Is that so?" Fluorite asked. "I suppose that is why you look so unusual."
"I look unusual?" Greg blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry. I did it again."
"It is fine," said Fluorite. "Your reaction has been much kinder than the reactions of those in the past."
"Fluorite here is another one of our veteran Factory workers," said Bismuth. "Six-Gem fusion with one big mind. One of the Factory's engineers. Does pretty good work for us."
"Oh, you give me too much praise," Fluorite said with a modest wave of her hand.
"Fluorite, how'd you get stuck in there again?" Bismuth asked.
"It's not like it's the same tunnel every time," Fluorite argued. "I just don't like having to go all the way around just to get to the Turbine."
"Can't you just shape-shift a little smaller?" Greg asked. "Fusions can still do that, can't they? I'll admit, I don't know all the rules."
"It is more difficult to shape-shift when you are so many Gems," Fluorite drawled.
"But not impossible," said Bismuth. "Come on, Fluorite, do your thing. We got workers who need to use the tunnel."
"Oh, alright. Give me a moment." Fluorite scrunched her face in concentration. Her entire body glowed, then shrunk. She only shrank a little bit, just enough to get her out of the tunnel. Fluorite then crawled out of the tunnel on her six legs, two on each of the three lower segments of her body. One iris-purple, one lilac-purple, and the last one being carnation-pink. Once she was out, she let her body grow back to its normal size.
"There we go." Bismuth crossed her arms. "Now Fluorite, you stay out of those maintenance tunnels, you hear? I'm tired of Rhodonite coming to me all the dang time just to tell me you got stuck in a tunnel."
"It doesn't happen that often," Fluorite argued.
"It's often enough to make me have to say it." Bismuth nodded her head to the side. "Get back to work, we got a schedule to keep and a quota to feel."
"Very well." Fluorite caterpillar-walked away. "It was nice to meet you, Greg the human."
Greg smiled and waved. "And you as well."
Bismuth turned to Rhodonite. "You too, Rhodonite."
"Oh, well, uh, okay. Y-yes, Bismuth." Rhodonite smiled at Greg. "It was nice to make your acquaintance."
Greg nodded. "You as well."
Rhodonite nodded back and walked away. Bismuth turned to Skinny and Carnelian. "The two of you get back to your stations as well. I need to talk to Greg alone."
Greg blinked and frowned at Bismuth, suddenly feeling anxious.
"Yes, Bismuth," the Quartzes both replied. Carnelian headed away first. Skinny hung back for a minute to smile at Greg.
"Thank you again for what you did for me," Skinny said. "I'll never forget it."
Greg smiled back. "Don't mention it."
Skinny nodded before heading after Carnelian. Bismuth walked up next to Greg and smiled at the off-color Jasper as she walked away. "You have a talent for making friends." She looked over at Greg. "You know, Rose Quartz had that same talent. Without it, we never would've gotten as much support as we did for the Crystal Gems."
"I don't like making friends because I want something out of it." Greg's eyes looked to the ground. "I like making friends because…I hate being alone. More than anything."
Bismuth nodded. "Yeah. We're big on camaraderie around here." She looked around to see who was near. Bismuth then placed a hand on Greg's shoulder and led him further through the Factory.
"Listen. I like you, human, I really do. You're forged from tough material to have survived all that you have." Bismuth shook her head. "I mean, Fire Agate alone. One of the most dangerous Gems in the universe, and you managed to evade her, what, twice now?"
Three times, actually," said Greg. "How I met Skinny? I poofed Fire Agate with a destabilizer before she could kill us both."
"By the Stars, you are one mad, lucky human." Bismuth let out a bewildered chuckle. "Fire Agate really wants you dead, huh?"
"And Yellow Diamond," said Greg.
"And Yellow Diamond." Bismuth nodded. "She gives us a lot of trouble. Every time my Gems leave the Factory to go get scrap metal or make a delivery or whatever, we run the risk of bumping into Yellow Diamond's Gems. Pink Diamond's Jasper is always being sent to save the workers."
Bismuth stopped their progress, turning to look Greg in the eyes. "So, imagine how much of an increased risk I'm taking keeping you here, the human at the top of Yellow Diamond's hit list and the Homeworld famous Fire Agate's vendetta."
Greg's eyes widened. "Well…Yellow Diamond wouldn't try to attack this place, would she?"
"The Diamonds are hypocrites. They don't care about ethics or morality," said Bismuth. "Directly attacking this place just to get to one human far from home? I doubt it's beneath them."
"Okay, so…" Greg looked from side to side. "What…exactly do you want me to do?"
"I have been informed of the situation. Once Pink Diamond's Jasper and Pearl both get here, you're leaving." Bismuth's grip on Greg's shoulder tightened. "And once you're gone, and I say this respectfully and without any amount of spite…don't ever come back."
Greg stared at Bismuth in surprise.
"Keeping you here puts my Gems at risk," said Bismuth. "The last thing we need here is an excuse and the motivation for Yellow Diamond and her Fire Agate to try and get in here to do some shattering. I'm sorry, human, really. If the circumstances were different, I'd let you stay for as long as you want. But with such a big target on your back…well…"
Greg looked away and bit his lip. "...I have a request."
"Name it."
"I don't know if Peridot is alive or not. I'm praying she is." Greg looked into Bismuth's eyes. "But if she's alive, and if she somehow makes it to the Factory, give her a place here, would you? Keep her safe. You'll know her when you see her. She's short, angry, gem in the forehead, likes to call people a clod, it's her favorite word. No one else will take her in. I'm not even sure Pink Diamond would take her in. The Factory is Peridot's only chance. Let her stay here, put her to work, and maybe don't tell Pink Diamond about her. Deal?"
Bismuth smiled and nodded. "Deal. If she shows up, I'll introduce her into the Factory, no hassle."
"Thank you," said Greg.
"In exchange." Bismuth let her smile fade. "You never set foot anywhere near this Factory again. For the safety of the Workers here, I need you to stay away."
Greg nodded. "Okay. I understand."
Bismuth chuckled and crossed her arms. "You're an honorable one, human. Makes me feel bad that you have to survive here on Homeworld. This place ain't meant for organic beings like you."
Greg shrugged. "Pink Diamond takes care of me."
"Not well enough, it seems," Bismuth muttered.
"She's the reason I'm even still alive," said Greg. "She's the reason any of us here are alive."
"The Diamonds are the reason we're here in the first place," said Bismuth. "You think Rhodonite or Skinny or Carnelian or the Rutile twins can just walk through Homeworld whenever they want? You think Fluorite could just...go for a stroll? No. This place, human? This is our prison as much as it is our home."
"It beats the alternative," said Greg.
"That it does, human." Bismuth nodded. "That it does."
Greg then heard a voice behind him. "So it is true. You are here in the Off-Color Factory. It is my understanding that you walked through the Homeworld Underground to arrive at this location. The fact that you survived is truly amazing. Yes indeed. Very amazing."
Greg blinked. "I know that voice." He turned around and grinned. "Sphene!"
The one-eyed, teak-colored Gem with the spiked-up hair and black exo-suit smiled at Greg. "Greetings human Greg. It is nice to see you again. Indeed it is. I have missed you. I really have."
Greg laughed and wrapped Sphene in a hug. "I've missed you too, Robo-Gem! God, It's good to see you!"
"Do not call me that." Sphene returned the hug. "I am immensely happy to see that you are still alive. Even if I cannot properly express it."
"You two know each other?" Bismuth asked.
"Long story. Sort of." Greg released Sphene. "First time we met, we were doing a job for Blue Diamond. Second time, we survived a hit squad from Yellow Diamond."
Bismuth blinked and looked at Sphene, who nodded in confirmation. "Huh. Small Homeworld, I guess."
"Has Sphene been doing well here?" Greg asked.
"You kidding? She's been upgrading this whole Factory since the moment she got here," Bismuth said. "Let me tell ya, we really lucked out when we got this Gem sent to us. Sphene, tell Greg here about all the awesome work you've done for us."
"As much as I would enjoy recapitulating all of the many improvements I have made during my time in the Off-Color Factory, I am afraid that is not why I am here." Sphene normally had a neutral look on her face, and her version of joy showed on her features upon seeing Greg. But when she looked at Bismuth, her face showed the maximum level of seriousness she was capable of showing. "There is something you need to become aware of, Bismuth."
Bismuth frowned. "What's wrong?"
"We have a visitor," said Sphene. "She is standing at the end of the bridge across the chasm from the Factory."
"What, a new recruit seeking refuge?" Bismuth asked.
Sphene raised her mechanical arm, bringing her palm up. Her hand morphed a bit and a holoscreen displayed above Sphene's hand, big enough for Greg and Bismuth to both see the land bridge that Greg had walked across to get to the Factory.
"I highly doubt it."
Sphene zoomed the image in at the end of the bridge opposite of the Factory.
Fire Agate was standing there, hands folded behind her back and a calm smile on her still-scarred face.
Greg's face went white and his blood went cold. It was like Fire Agate was looking right at the camera…right at Greg.
Bismuth's eyes went wide and she clenched her fists and teeth. "No, not her. Anybody but her."
"W-w-what's she doing?" Greg stammered.
"All she has done so far is stand there," said Sphene. "With that same smile on her face. She does not even blink."
"Has the rest of the Factory been alerted?" Bismuth asked.
"No. I thought it in the Factory's best interest to take this directly to you," Sphene said. "As you know, Fire Agate's reputation alone is enough to make the entire Factory panic."
Bismuth nodded. "Let's keep an eye on her. Maybe if we're lucky, she'll go away. She might just be…I don't know, taking it all in?"
"She's here for me," Greg said as he stared at the screen, looking into Fire Agate's calm, fiery gaze. "I mean, yeah, she might be standing there fantasizing about burning this place to the ground…but she's here for me."
"She is not getting you," Sphene stated firmly. "I'll just aim the blasters at her. That should succeed in scaring her aw-"
"Wait, hold on. She's moving." Bismuth pointed at the holoscreen.
Fire Agate was walking backwards. She kept on her smile, and her hands stayed folded behind her back beneath her cape. Fire Agate walked back until she was standing behind a bunch of carvings of symbols that looked something like hieroglyphs. Greg guessed she must have cut them into the ground.
Greg narrowed his eyes. "What are those? Some kind of satanic symbols? How appropriate for her."
"Those are what we call Gem Glyphs," said Bismuth. "It's our version of written language. We rarely use it, but we all know it. I think some of you humans back during the Rebellion attempted to duplicate it, but the few human nations that actually tried it came up with their own versions in the end."
"So she wrote a message in the dirt?" Greg asked. "What's it say?"
"You're not gonna like it," said Bismuth.
"Yeah, I figured that," said Greg. "What's it say?"
Bismuth walked up to the holoscreen and ran her finger along the glyphs as she read them aloud. "Come on out, Greg. We have unfinished business. You alone. Unarmed or not, we both know it will not matter. I have something I believe you want." Bismuth coughed into her fist awkwardly. "And then, uh, the last part of the message reads 'Do not keep me waiting. My gem and my sword both burn for you, my beloved.' And, yes, that's the word she used."
"I believe it is an accurate assumption to suggest that this particular Agate is cracked in the head," Sphene said.
"What kind of relationship exactly do you have with this lunatic?" Bismuth asked.
"We don't have a relationship. She's just crazy," said Greg. "Something I want? What does she have that I want?"
As if on cue, Fire Agate brought one of her hands out from behind her, showing off the green, triangular gem that rested in her palm.
Greg's eyes went wide as he gasped. "No, no, no, no, no." He walked up closer to the holoscreen. "...Peridot."
Fire Agate's smile widened.
Thank you for reading my story. Until next time!