Mermaids of the Deep

by SailorHexGirl

Rose was in tune with the sea and the beings that dwelled below its surface. When she passed away she leaves many questions for her son. Now that Steven is older he wants to meet the people his mother was close with. There are many challenges for him to face including the trust that has been severed between his family and the ones below.

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Steven and Yellow were egar to get out of her room. After Yevette and Bella had brought them food and left they waited for a bit before promptly trying to get out. At first Yellow tried to pick the lock but soon realized that they had changed them on her, something Steven asked about.

"Because I may or may not get outside more then they would like." Yellow smiled down at her cousin before getting back to her feet and heading off to her bathroom "But that doesn't mean I don't have other ways."

"They still don't let you outside?" Steven asked following Yellow.

"Not willingly." Yellow said walking into her bathroom and shutting the door after Steven. "Aunt Whinney has become possessive with this new work project she got."

"Yellow..." Steven took his cousins hand and made her pause. "You know there mermaids right?"

He looked up at her with serious eyes. Yellow felt herself break a bit and kneeled to be at his level. "Yes."

"You know what Aunt Yvette did to them at my house?"

"I herd over the radio from some passing guards."

"Yellow." Steven held his cousins hand in both of his "They don't belong here. We need to help them get back to the sea."

"Steve-"

"Please Yellow." Steven cut his cousin off with a pleading look "They came to me after being attacked in the sea. They don't have any other mermaids that can help them. They need my help and I have to help them. I promised."

"I can get us into the room there in." Yellow said "After that we can come up with a plan."

"Thank you Yellow." Steven smiled big and hugged his cousin.

Yellow hugged Steven back and smiled in turn. Steven had always been the more open one of the both of them. He was always so happy to come see her and spend time with her every chance he got. As he got older he would do more to stay longer with Yellow. He didn't understand why his aunts kept her inside most days but he understood how lonely she could get. He would talk to her all the time if he could.

Yellow let him go and turned away. She walked over to her shower and got in between the shower and the wall. Steven looked at her confused "What are you doing?"

"Getting out the only way no-one but me, and now you, know." Yellow grunted pushing the shower away from the wall. It took a few moments but soon there was a big enough of a gap for both her and Steven to slip through. "C'mon."

"What is this?" Steven asked following after Yellow as she slipped into the dark beyond. Once he stepped through Yellow nudged him aside and pulled the shower back into place, just the faint rim of light poking through.

"This used to be an office floor. We changed it into our home and only a few office rooms were left abandoned." Yellow gestured around them before taking Steven's hand and pulling him through the dark. To Steven wasn't sure how Yellow was navigating the dark room but he walked with a stride of confidence "They didn't expect me to find this room and I didn't expect my last way out was through my bathroom."

"What do we do from here?" Steven asked as they stopped walking "There going to be upset when they find us not in there and no idea how we got out."

Yellow frowned as she looked around. Thanks to the blood running through her veins she could see perfectly fine in the dark. She took Steven over to the old office door, letting go of her cousins hand and telling him to hold still, grabbing an old spoon off a dusty desk next to the door "Well, we get out of here and try to be as quiet as possible to get to your shifters and mermaids."

"Do you think Aunt Whinney will hurt them?" Steven asked softly as Yellow stopped working on the door and popping it open just a crack, letting the light from the hall filter in slightly.

"As long as they don't fight her or hurt anyone they should be fine." Yellow answered just as soft "She doesn't tend to get aggressive unless she is attacked or someone goes against her."

"Connie will be fine but I don't know about Jasper." Steven said stepping up to Yellow's side as she glanced out the crack in the door. "Her need to protect Pearl and Sapphire will make it very hard for her to not fight. Me just being near them at first was scary. She didn't like any of us near her companion."

" You've said Guardian's are protective by nature." Yellow said placing a hand on her cousins shoulder "Shh."

Both of them peaked through the crack as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by the voices of Yvette and Bella.

"We have to do something, she's in there with them." Bella said.

"And what do you suggest we do?" Yvette snapped "Our hands are tied Bella."

"We can't let her have her way with them!"

"If we step in she is going to hurt you and I won't let her do that again."

"Yevette-"

"You almost died! I almost lost you. I won't let her do that again and I can't see you in pain like that. The first time was hard enough. An besides we have Yellow to worry about too." Both of them passed by the crack and both kids flinched back for a moment "She doesn't need to know that Yellow is like you and Steven is here too, we have to worry for his safety as well now."

"There my people Yvette." They watched them both stop walking and Bella reach out to Yvette, they could only see her. "I don't want Yellow or you to get hurt but I can't let her hurt them either." Bella took a shaky breath "She ripped me away from them and we have done everything we can to keep her from taking what is left of my home, of my pod... of my people. Yvette... I never wanted this for them."

"I know." Yvette's voice was softer now as she tugged Bella out of the kids line of sight as she pulled her wife into her arms.

"I never wanted this for my people." Bella said so softly "I don't want them to stay trapped like I have been here."

"I know."

"We need to get them out of here."

"I don't know how Bella and even if I did I would need more time to think of a plan."

"We don't have time. Yvette." Bella's voice shook for a moment as she spoke "That Guardian isn't going to stay passive for long. Guardian's are very protective of there pods and homes in general. You saw the way she was holding the one promised to Whinney. She is more then just a member of her pod she was protecting. That is her companion which means the moment Whinney makes any aggressive moves too or at the smaller one it's over. Any promise she made to Steven will no longer hold marret. She will do whatever it takes to protect her companion and the other one that came in with them."

"That doesn't give us a lot of time." Yvette said with a sigh, letting go of her wife "Whinney gets very hands on with her projects."

"The Guardian will fight until either she dies or your sister does. The fact that we have three of them means that there pod will come looking for them making the Guardian not the only problem were going to have."

"Let's go figure something out." There voices started to grow faint as they headed further down the hall "This isn't going to be easy."

Both kids waited until Yvette and Bella had rounded the corner to peak back out of the door. after a few moments of silence Yellow pulled the door open further. On the other side was a thin layer of wall paper. Steven watched as his cousin reach down and tug on the wallpaper, ripping a decent sized hole for them to slip out of.

"Won't they know about this room now?" Steven asked as Yellow slipped out into the hall.

"I don't think that there going to really pay attention to us." Yellow said waiting for Steven to join her. "If what my moms said was true then the rest of there pod are going to be coming and that Guardian won't be calm for much longer."

"They don't like being separated." Steven said taking his cousins hand "We need to get them back into the sea so none of them get hurt."

"Lets hope we can do that before something happens." Yellow said.

She took Steven's hand and started down the hallway. They didn't fully make it around the corner before all the lights went out. The hall was lit in a eerie red glow as a low alarm started echoing through the building. Steven death gripped his cousins hand as his voice shook.

"What's that for?" Steven asked as they both stood close together.

"The launch bay, I think." Yellow looked over her head at one of the lights before starting down the hall in a light jog "There pod is either here or that Guardian just lost her calm."

Inside the Lab

Pearl was frozen in fear. She was pressed against the back of the tube with her arms protectively in front of her chest. Her heart was beating against her ribcage roughly. Her companion was growling loudly as she could feel her pull for her. She wanted to follow that pull so badly. Jasper was making it clear she didn't like her or Sapphire being so far away from her. This was dangerous and the one in front of them was even more so. Pearl wanted to get out of here, she needed too. This was the last place she wanted to be. She wanted to be right beside her companion. She could defend herself to a point but Jasper was built for it. For situations like this. Where she couldn't stand the Guardian would make up for the rest. Especially now, she felt so out of her ability to defend her self in any sense, making the fear and panic in her pull for the other much more hard, more needy.

Jasper herself was barely holding on. Her need to protect both Sapphire and Pearl was slamming into the front of her mind. Her head was starting to pound as her eyes glowed a dangerously bright orange. Her hands were shaking and her body was straining against her outer limits to keep herself awake. She was in a bad place but she wasn't backing down. The pull from both of the smaller aquatics was yanking at her core. Her Companions excessively panic pulls was driving her near breaking.

"My how you have grown." Whinney was smiling ear to ear at Pearl. "You were a bit smaller last time I saw you."

Whinney was taking small calculated steps towards the white mermaid. She was so happy to have her promised creature of curiosity in her grasp. It amused her at the sight of the aquatic. The small thing was pressed as far away as she could be in the tube she was in. The look of recognition and fear on her face was amusing. She could taste the salt in the air from the tubes not being fully shut but she didn't mind. She would have to scold her sisters wife at being soft but she understood. She wanted her living possession to be as comfortable as she would allow her to be. A frightened mermaid could be a very dangerous creature when cornered.

Whinney had tunnel vision towards the aquatic in her sight until her vision got obscured for a moment as all the water in Pearls tube shifted. The clear image of her became hard to pin point as the water seemed to grow thicker and shift around her. Whinney paused and smiled a bit wider at the growling she finally tuned in too.

"I see you found companionship in others. How strange." Whinney said not even looking over at Jasper but gesturing in her direction, getting louder growls in turn "An a pod to welcome you in at that. Very strange in deed."

Pearl said nothing as she felt the water change around her. She could feel Jasper doing what she could from far away. She wanted to be next to her so bad but she felt a lot better in water her companion could control. She wasn't safe by any means but she felt a bit safer in this moment. The fear of the elemental in front of her was very real. She had met her once before, long ago when she learned of her purpose, when she was very young. She remembered it very well.

~flash~

"Pearl, keep up dear." Alexandrite words were short but warm.

Pearl ducked her head as she swam a bit quicker to catch up. She was following behind Penny and Alexandrite as they made there way towards the surface. The Guardians and Benders of there closest pods were hovering. They weren't allowed to come with them but they kept as close as they dared, which wasn't very close. They were ordered to stay within the boundary's of the protective charms and fields of there people as there leaders went to meet with those who caused them harm. They were all very vocal about the danger but none of them went against there orders.

Here is were Pearl found herself now. She had been escorted by several Guardians here, along with Penny, in the early hours of the morning in the southern boarder of Penny's seas. She missed her friend, her personal companion in a way, that was always with her when she wasn't with there three aquatic leaders. She wished Sunstone could be here now but she was staying with Bismuth as she couldn't come along this time. She had been more protective over Pearl as of late when the small aquatic learned of her purpose but there was nothing they could really do about it.

Pearl huffed slightly in anticipation as both Alexandrite and Penny started to slow there assent. From where she was behind them she could see Bella waiting just below the surface. The nervousness of her twisted together fingers made them stop, forcing Pearl to stop behind them. Looking up made her flinch. She could see the looming ship floating a few yards off. The ill intent leaking into the water made her eyes flicker enough to be noticed by the elders.

"Calm yourself Pearl." Bella said in her soft but commanding voice. She frowned a bit as Pearl flinched back at the command, ducking her head in slight fear.

"C'mon Bella, don't be hard on her." Penny said crossing her arms and leaning to the side a bit.

As Penny swam up to talk to Bella, Alexandrite placed a gentle hand on Pearl's shoulder, getting a glance up from the small present. She gave her a small nod before Penny came up to take her place.

"Pearl, were going to go meet the Elemental that you will be living with ok?" Penny took Pearls hands with a gentle squeeze an a slightly forced smile. It made Pearl very nervous but she trusted Penny. She trusted the three of them and there decisions and if this was what they thought was best for there species and her then she would do as she was told. Pearl gave her a small nod and smiled as Penny smiled a bit bigger. "Good girl, lets go meet her ok?"

"Ok." Pearl said softly. She got a small blush as Penny kissed her head and turned to the other two.

The swim up to the ship from there was quiet and full of tension as they moved. Swimming into the looming shadow under the ship as scary, even for the Elders. Everything was telling the four of them to run. To flea and hide from this ship and everyone on it and Pearl almost did. She was shaking in fear and all the Elders could feel it radiating off her.

Alexandrite was the one who reached back and stroked the smaller's hair in comfort. She spoke very little in general and even less so around more then the other two Elders and Pearl herself but her presence was always a calming one on some level. Her lack of words made up for the presence she carried. Pearl liked the silent confidence she radiated and gravitated towards her more times then she could recall in times of great discomfort, like now.

As they moved under the ship to a glowing square the rocks settled back into the small aquatics stomach. Breaking the surface of the water under the ship brought the gift to be given face to face with the Elemental she was to be given too.

"Hello dear." The Elemental was tall and in all white with a smile that made Pearl want to cry "She's perfect."

~Flash back~

This time was no different. Pearl still felt the fear in her body from being this close to the Elemental she was to be gifted too. However now she just felt trapped and almost alone. If it wasn't for her Companion pulling for her so harshly or Sapphire's warning clicks she doesn't think she would be able to keep her mind right now. She was terrified, so much so that Jasper was reacting much more fiercely at her disposition.

Whinney was amused at the water the Guardian was controlling to try and hide the smaller but it wasn't enough, not for her well trained eyes.

"When I had my sisters... pet go back for the heart I was more then surprised to hear that you were still around." Whinney waved her hand and to the horror and anger of the Guardian she stilled the water she was controlling as she moved just a few feet from the tube. "I was even more surprised to hear your a clicker now. The fact that your alive and came here not alone makes you even more unique."

Pearl was shaking so bad where she was. As Whinney came right up to the tube she sunk down to the bottom in a fable attempt to shrink as small as possible away from her. The need to run, the fear in her core, was pushing into every corner of her being. She was desperately tugging on her connection to her Companion and then to there Reader. She was so scared and she wasn't the only one.

Jasper herself was all but raging where she was. From Connie's hiding spot she could see the water starting to bubble uncontrollably around the Guardian. She knew it wasn't safe to be this close to her. As Connie peaked her head out she could see Steven's creepy aunt standing very close to Pearl's tube. She couldn't see the thin mermaid but the way the Guardian was reacting she figured Steven's aunt was way too close to her companion and she wasn't happy. As Connie listened to Whinney talking she slowly started to crawl out of her hiding spot and over to the closest table.

"But I am very happy you were found alive." Whinney looked Pearl over as she reached out and touched the glass of the tube "It would of been such a pain to bring you back to life."

The moment Whinney touched the glass Jasper growled so loudly the tube she was in vibrated and started to crack. The water in the big tank started to rock so bad that a low alarm started to sound in the room. It was low enough but it just angered the Guardian more. Pearl reacted just as poorly. As soon as she touched the tube Pearl reacted. She slammed her eyes shut and shoved her hands straight out. All the water in her tube shot forward and turned to ice. It was such a forceful movement that the thing aquatic forced water through the tube at her back connecting to the main tank, grabbing the water from inside to rush into her space. It was also forceful enough it shove Pearl back into the main tank.

It frightened her a bit more and Pearl scrambled back a few feet. Whinney was smiling a bit wider at this and leaned to the side to look at her. "That is quite impressive." The Elemental didn't even spare a glance at Sapphire's warning clicks and growls as she looked over to Jasper. "But not as impressive as you."

Whinney turned and faced the Guardian as Pearl swam a bit further back. She wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to move closer to her Companion but she didn't want to move further from there Reader. Her eyes were darting back and forth between her Pod and the Elemental. When she turned to face her Companion Pearl didn't turn away but swam back towards the tube leading to Sapphire's tube. As the Elemental spoke Pearl worked the water around her to open the tube up for Sapphire to join her.

"I find you rather impressive my aquatic captive. I can just feel the fun I can have with you." Whinney said starting to casually make her way towards the Guardian.

Jasper barred her teeth as Whinney got closer to her. The water in her tank was bubbling so much it was starting to make it hard for her to see and that made her even more angry. Every fiber in her body was screaming at her to break out. To rip this Elemental apart and get both Pearl and Sapphire as far from here as possible. To just surround her in water and choke the living air from her lungs. The Guardian was about to give into her instinct when a very loud alarm started blaring in the room. It was loud enough to make the aquatics recoil and cover there ears in pain, loosing focus on the water around them. Both of Connie's parents yelped out in pain as they also covered there ears and shake there heads.

Connie herself shook her head but wasn't as affected as the thought. She was able to shake off the alarms piercing sound in her ears as she peaked out from under the table. She could see that the aquatics were in a bad place and Steve's ant closing in on Jasper. The Guardian looked in pain as she held the sides of her head from the noise. Half of Connie wanted to run away to her parents and hide but the other half of her wanted to help the mermaids. They did a lot to keep her and Steven safe so why couldn't she do the same for them?

"Oh, what now?" Whinney was about a foot from Jasper's tube when she felt something hit the back of her leg. She growled and faltered in her step. She whipped around to see Connie grabbing things off the closest table and throwing things at her. "Oh, your that annoying friend of Steven's."

"Leave her alone!" Connie yelled grabbing she thinks a pencil or pen and chucking it at Whinney.

"I don't have time for this." Whinney turned away from the big aquatic and stormed towards Connie, who tried to back up and fell back onto her butt. As she came up to Connie the small shifter couldn't turn and get to her feet fast enough. As soon as she was up on her feet Whinney grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back. "Your coming with me, Can't have you getting out of your cage again."

"Connie!"

"Let her go!"

Whinney frowned up at the glowing red lights over head as the alarm kept blaring. She held tight to Connie as she started dragging her towards the door. She only glanced at her parents as she stormed across the room "I'll deal with you two after I get this little rat somewhere where she can't get out."

Sapphire had gotten into the main tank with Pearl and both of them were curled up against the back of the tank in pain. Jasper was growling and pushing her self control to try and focus on her surroundings. Both Priyanka and Doug were growling in there own right as they stood at the bars of there cage and watched hopelessly.

"Get off!" Connie was yelling as Whinney picked her up off the ground as she reached the door. As she through it open several guards started to poor into the room.

"Lock them up tight and keep an eye on them." Whinney demanded as she yanked Connie out of the door. "If the White one dose anything incapacitate her. If the others get out." She paused and looked back at them with fire in her eyes "Kill them."

Just before she could move out of sight Pearl panicked and started to sing.

Boat outside the Launch Bay

Greg was trying to think of a plan. He had found a way into the building for the pod but it wasn't the smartest way. Hell, it wasn't even the safest. The roaming eyes were just about to push the boat into the over head spotlights range and he felt a panic start to creep up into his chest. As he turned to address the pod he found himself alone, standing next to a slightly shimmering image. "Uh, guys?"

Garnet was shaking where she was standing. She was fighting every urge to take the sea and slam it into the side of this building full of monsters. She could feel there missing three so close and yet still out of reach and sight. The presence of ill intent was such a forceful wall it physically started to hurt. Her breath was shaky as she ripped the isolated mermaids hand from her lips.

"Merge cover." Garnet growled lowly as she dropped down into a low crouch.

The rest of the pod followed as Lapis waved her hands over her head quickly. A thin layer of water came up over the sides of the ship. It spread over them in a very thin line and wavered a bit. The eyes of the blue mermaid covered over in a dull blue glow as the water rippled and changed. As the boat got closer and closer to the bay doors the pod pressed tighter together. Lapis was almost folded in half where she crouched on the boat. Her hands slowly waved back and forth across the front of her as hushly whispered words passed through her lips. The words seemed to pass into the water, the sound of her voice seeming to contort and practically erase the image of them under her command.

As the boat started to just cress under the lip into the bay the mermaids held there breath. Garnet was crouched in front of Lapis as Bismuth was off to her right. Amethyst was right on her left with Ruby and Peridot perched at the back. Blue herself was right against Lapis'. She had her own hand on the benders back, channeling some of her own ability through her to help strengthen the illusion she held. There eyes darted around as they got further and further into the bay as a man started to address Greg from further inside.

"State your name." The man said.

"Greg Universe." Greg said with a frown "Whinney knows I'm here. I'm here for Steven."

"We will have to confirm with the boss."

"What?"

"We will dock you here and you will wait until we get word back. From there you will be escorted inside and taken to the waiting room-"

"Oh no." Greg said pointing a finger at the man, the aquatics keep an eye not on him but the armed people around the bay. There were a lot more in the bay then they had first saw. There was a walkway way up in the air with several armed men peering down as a few more lined the inside of the doors. They were armed and dangerous looking. It was almost enough to make the few in the back of the group turn and dive back into the water to run. "Your taking me straight to my son and his friends that were brought here."

"Now Mr. Universe there is a bit of a wait-"

"I can vouch for him." All eyes turned to a set of doors against the furthest wall as they opened enough for a tall figure to walk through. Garnet and Bismuth both recoiled and pressed more into Lapis' space as Bella looked at the boat. "Dock the boat and leave him alone. You all know he is no threat."

"Yes Miss Bella." The guard who was bothering Greg said gesturing around the bay "Bring them in!"

"Them? Exactly what do you see aside from Mr Universe?" Bella looked at the boat. She didn't look at Greg but directly at the aquatics hidden in plain sight, more specifically the Guardian barring her teeth. She could see through the blue mermaids illusion, being who she was, but she was surprised to see this many here. She knew the three inside came from a pod but didn't know how big it was. She was more surprised to see how quickly they came here looking for them. She had instilled fear into all there hearts about this whole side of the sea, to avoid it. She was worried and proud at the same time. Worried that they came anyway but proud they came all the same. Pods stick together.

"No one." The guard turned with a smile at her "Until you said something."

Everyone on the boat felt there stomachs drop as Bella's face lost it's color. Before Greg could even blink Bella moved. In the blink of an eye, faster then any of the aquatics on the boat could move, several balls of water shot up and surrounded the heads of all the guards around her. This made the pod squint in question as Lapis shot to her feet. First instinct took over and she did exactly what the Elder aquatic did, drilled down deep in her core to follow her lead, even if it wasn't fully by choice. As Lapis shot water up to the people on the walkway over head the others reacted.

All in there own way they used the water to lash out and attack everyone in the bay. Lines of ocean water and sudden ice arced through the air decorated the bay in a twistedly deadly yet beautiful way. Sudden shouts and screams filled the space for just a few moments before the sound of struggling and drowning quickly came. Greg had hit the deck and covered his head in surprise where Bella flinched back.

The older aquatic took a step back in surprise at the pods follow on her lead. She expected them to attack but she thought she would be in that circle as well. In there position she would of attacked her. She attacked them at the heart, at there chosen home. In the same sense they couldn't attack her without great effort, due to her statue long after being removed from the seas as she was. She kept them in her sight but maintained her hold on the guards around her.

"Yvette!" Bella leaned back towards the slightly opened door to the rest of the building as the guards in the room slowly started to stop moving. Out of the corner of her eye, the man who had talked to Greg, had reached up in his last few moments of life and messed with something on his belt. "We have a problem!"

A curse from her wife came down the hall as the sound of her running off followed by a loud alarm sounding. The pod dragged the dead into the water as they all stood behind there Guardian. There was a lot of clicking and growling from them that was drowned out by Garnet's own warning sounds. The Elder looked to them before back down the hall.

"This was the dumbest way to get into this place." Bella said controlling the water to bring the boat closer. The younger in the pod couldn't help but dive off the side and back into the comfort of the sea. Garnet herself stood strong with Lapis behind her and Blue gripping her hand tightly. The Guardian was trying to stair down Bella but kept having to advert her eyes. Instinct was hard to dismiss. "Your smarter then we thought."

Garnet huffed as Bismuth's head popped out of the water enough for her eyes to be seen. The others below the surface swam in a tight circle under the ship. Amethyst pushed and pulled eh water to move the now floating dead to the furthest corner in the bay. Ruby floated out from under the boat enough to see the top of Garnet's head but kept the others in her sight. Clicking of words to stay close and together echoed through the water as Bella spoke.

"I can't get you into the building safety to the three inside but I can get them out to you with help."

"What kind of help?" Lapis asked. She waited a few moments before speaking. She as waiting for Garnet to say something but said Guardian wasn't able to stop her growling. Her eyes were starting to glow a dull purple as her hands started to shake slightly. "Why should we trust you. You tried to kill one of our own. You tried to take the thing you tried so hard to keep from the ones here."

"Because I'm the only one who can get you out of here." Bella turned and frowned as a thunderous sound started coming into the bay. She quickly stepped up and grabbed the doors she came through and slammed them shut, cursing in a language none of them knew. "Greg, get up."

"What in the world is going on?!" Greg said getting to his feet. He tried to turn and get off the boat Garnet grabbed his arm. "agh!"

It was just a moment but the tension between Garnet and Bella was almost grinding. Garnet was barring her teeth as she held onto Greg's arm. She didn't consider him part of her pod but she deemed him as one of them right now. As far a she was concerned he was needed to get to there missing three and his missing two. She knew that Greg couldn't do this on his own but they needed them to get into the place they couldn't but she couldn't hold onto him. Bella's eyes glowed blue for just a moment in challenge, a warning, in the Guardian's direction. It forced her to let go and let him step away.

"The way you can help is making a scene outside." Bella said flinching at the alarm "My companion can get to your three and the others and get them out but she needs the distraction."

"Why should we help you?" Lapis tried to sound touch but she was shrinking away from the older aquatics eyes.

"Because if the Elemental who wants what we tried so hard to keep from her." Bella growled taking a step from the doors "You distract her then we can help you."

"Why?" Bismuth growled out as Garnet could do nothing but snap her teeth shut. The isolated aquatic, since being banished, had more laxed rules then the others. She didn't have the feel, the full push and drive, to obey there laws like when she was still one of them. There was instinct of course to listen and do as she was told but the drive behind it wasn't as strong as it was binding to be. Given her the ability to talk back and question more then she could ever do before "Why shouldn't we just kill you and get them all out?"

"You can't kill me." Bella held her head higher as Greg stepped onto one of the platforms. The two younger on he boat took a few steps back as Garnet growled a bit louder but followed suit in a protective way. Ruby ducked below the surface and swam under the boat to the others.

"They can't." Bismuth said "But I can."

"Outcasted."

"I prefer the term extended isolated travel."

"The Elementals in the building are powerful." Bella said "There stronger then I am alone and my companion and I can't do this without help-" The Elder cut off as shouting started to be herd. Bella looked scared as she locked the doors and quickly started backing up. "Get out of the bay." She turned and looked at them before shouting. "Now!"

The pod reacted in moments and the final three dove into the water as the ones under the surface darted tot eh bottom of the bay. As Garnet hit the water and flashed she clicked for the pod to wait. She tugged on her connections to them to stay close as they all gathered near the door.

Bella watched them dive as she looked to Greg "Hide. As soon as the doors are open follow the hallways. Find the stairs and go up three floors. There behind a big silver door."

"Bella-"

"Just listen to the growls." Bella said taking a few steps towards the water as banging started happening against the locked doors behind her. The Elder looked at the doors for a moment before turning and diving into the water. Before the pod could say anything they watched Bella dive in and form her tail. It was a bright glow before her pierceing blue eyes landed on them. She didn't give them a second glance as she started quickly swimming out of the bay "Quickly, I know a back way in."