The screen door creaked as they entered the dark, quiet beach house. The overcast sunset outside bathed everything in a dim, sickly yellow light, and the dust motes dancing in the beams only served to showcase how still and haunted the space was.

Pearl dropped the keys on the counter, leaning against it as if she were suddenly unable to support her own weight. Garnet stood frozen in the middle of the living room. She was facing away from everyone, but nothing could hide the exhaustion in her shoulders or the shaking of her hands. She hugged herself, too tired to completely hide her vulnerability this time. Connie just plopped her bag down on the stairs, sitting beside it solemnly.

The group had not come back unscathed; the gems were covered from head to toe with bruises, burn marks and cactus needles. Connie had her fair share of scrapes as well, and was currently trying to think of ways to keep them hidden from her mother. The woman could sniff out injury and physical weakness better than a hungry wolf.

They were tired, they were hurt, and their only reprieve was a house that had become cold an empty since the disappearance of it's one (mostly) organic occupant.

Amethyst came in last, swinging her arms and taking in the depressed air of the room.

"Well that sucked." She said. She collapsed on the couch, hair splaying out over it.

"And those cactuses? Are we gonna talk about that?" She asked, absently plucking a needle out of her arm. Pearl and Garnet gave their silent agreement.

"It was even worse than the first time." Said Garnet.

"They just kept growing their limbs back." Pearl shuddered. "Why couldn't it have been wildflowers or moss, or some- something else soft. Why did they even have cactuses there."

"Yeah. And they kept asking me 'Why? Why are you doing this?'." Amethyst mimicked their high, gravelly voices. "Like, buddy. You know why."

"Oh I know." Pearl agreed, and Garnet nodded.

"...Are you all serious, right now?" Connie asked quietly from where she sat on the stair. The room turned to look at her.

"What?" Asked Pearl.

"You're just- you're just- ugh!" She stood up. "You're just gonna forget about what happened with White?"

"Connie, none of us could have foreseen it happening like that." Said Garnet. "Trust me."

"Is this because we lost him?" Pearl asked. "Connie, we'll get him next time; we'll-"

Connie took a step back, giving Pearl a scorching glare.

"You really think that's what this is about?" She asked. "She- that she dropped him?"

"Well, what else is it about?" Pearl asked, honestly puzzled.

"You don't- you can't- I didn't even- you told me she was there as a last resort. To deal with the soldiers. I didn't know you were gonna- just- sicc her on Steven like that!"

"Connie, we had to-" Garnet tried, but Connie threw up her arms.

"No you didn't!"

She stormed outside, slamming the door behind her, leaving them in the house. The sun slipped underneath the horizon, taking the rest of the light with it.


Jasper liked to watch Steven sleep, even though she despised the concept itself.

She'd never understood why humans needed sleep, it seemed so inefficient and dangerous. To lie defenseless for hours, senses dulled, prey to anything quiet and awake.

She'd once vowed to hate anything weak enough to need rest. This included the trees and grass, because they were basically sleeping all the time. There seemed to be no life on Earth free of this curse, at least none that she had found.

It had been a great blow to discover that many gems, some of which she had fought alongside during the war, had tried sleep and actually liked it. It had challenged her perception of inherent Earthling weakness, because it had spread to her own species like a disease.

Earthlings didn't choose to sleep, they had to. Meanwhile, there were gems who'd made a conscious choice to degrade themselves with it, and this choice was unforgivable.

Knowing something as powerful as a Diamond had to rest, it made the practice seem less… disgusting. Redeemable.

But as much as her opinion of it had changed, her hatred of it had gone nowhere.

Nothing scared Jasper, absolutely not. But the idea of Steven, the sole purpose of her existence, her Diamond, laying unprotected for a full eight hours, every single night… it bothered her.

So it was only natural for her stand guard, watching over him until he was awake. Less… vulnerable.

Not that his waking hours were much better as of late.

Steven whimpered in his sleep. He tossed and turned, the TV playing his nightmares in jaded technicolor. She stepped closer, but made sure to keep to the shadows in case he woke.

Tonight's showing was a rerun. She saw herself flash briefly across the screen, and swallowed back an angry growl. She hadn't realized it at the time, but Steven had been trying to run towards her when White attacked.

Her fist clenched, and she fought back the urge to smash a hole through the wall. For a Diamond to turn on her own kind, to turn against Steven, it infuriated her. White had no business being anywhere near Earth, but saw fit to target Steven for exercising his natural right? A right that she herself had enjoyed for millions of years?

Jasper sneered in revulsion at the unfairness of it.

The dream's interpretation of the events was skewed, and downright odd at parts. City streets crumbled, revealing the vast expanse of space beneath them. She watched herself fall into this void, becoming a distant speck amongst the stars. Steven was lifted into the air, reaching for her uselessly.

The setting changed, becoming unrecognizable to Jasper. A field of tall grass, broken by two hills, like islands, each holding one lonely tree. The place was completely gray and devoid of color, with thunder clouds smudging the heavens like charcoal. White seemed to glow in contrast to these dark, stormy skies, shining so bright that only her eyes and her small, black mouth were visible.

White's hand came down towards him with black, shiny claws that went up to the knuckle, and Jasper heard him scream. She grimaced, realizing that the noise hadn't come from the TV.

White burst into butterflies, and Steven woke up.

He frantically pulled up his shirt, reaching for the Diamond in his stomach. The flickering static light of the TV danced over the wetness on his face and the surface of his very there, very whole gem.

Both were comforted by the sight.

When it all went down, Jasper's only hope had been to distract White. She'd prayed that in the brief seconds it would take for her to shatter, Steven could get to safety. If White hadn't been so startled by his scream, Jasper didn't know what would have happened.

"Jh-J-hasper?"

The sound of his frail, crackling voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she realized he was curled around a pillow, hugging it tightly. She worried, for a second, that he'd noticed her, but when she went to come forward, he glanced up with wet eyes to the bedroom door.

"Jasper…" He tried to cry out, but his voice was hoarse and stripped, and it barely made more sound than a whisper.

"My Diamond."

Her deep, gruff voice startled him, and he nearly fell out of bed.

"Jasper?" He croaked. She came forward to kneel at his bedside, taking his hand with both of hers and pressing his knuckles to her forehead. His hand shook in her grasp.

"How can I serve you, My Diamond?"

He sniffled, not meeting her eyes.

"Can you… Can you hold me?" He mumbled nervously, toying with the edge of his pillow. "Until I fall asleep?"

"...As you command."

He wiped his eyes and directed her to lay behind him on the bed. The springs of the mattress creaked under her weight, and he pulled the covers half way up on them both. Jasper didn't exactly have a lot of experience in this department, but allowed him to gently guide her arm around his waist.

She couldn't help but notice that he wanted his gem covered, and she felt its warmth radiating from her forearm all the way to her elbow and fingers. At his instruction, she pulled him closer so he was flush against her, his soft hair fitting securely under her chin. He shifted a little, getting comfortable, before closing his eyes and sighing through his nose. He placed his hand atop hers and settled into his pillow.

It was strange holding him like this again.

For the past few months, he'd steadily grown into a picture perfect Diamond. He'd been commanding, powerful and strong, and for a time, had seemed physically and emotionally indestructible.

Now it felt like they were back to square one.

All of Steven's added muscle and height had vanished; he was nearly an inch smaller now than when they'd first set off, and much, much more fragile. He refused to eat, he couldn't sleep, and he constantly looked like he'd break into tears if somebody so much as slammed a door. Jasper had expected to feel disappointment, disgust for his loss of progress. She certainly would have before.

…She didn't really know how she felt right now.

A few minutes passed, the only sounds in the room being Steven's gentle, steady breathing. She waited a few more moments, before deciding he was asleep and moving to get up.

"W-W-Where are you going?"

She looked down at him, halfway through stepping off of the bed.

"I thought you were asleep."

He stared up at her with wide eyes, hand keeping a death grip on her forearm. His other hand came to aid, wrapping around her wrist.

"I- Jasper, just because my eyes were closed doesn't- doesn't mean I was sleeping."

"It doesn't?"

He shook his head, tugging at her arm insistently. She resumed the position, holding him a little tighter in apology. He accepted, but remained tense. Every so often, his breath would hitch and he'd reach up to wipe his face again. He had overlapped both of his arms over hers, keeping her arm around his gem, and although he wasn't holding on so tight anymore, she felt cemented in place.

Slowly but surely, the tension in his muscles dropped, and his breathing deepened again.

She wasn't quite sure when he actually fell asleep, and he hadn't specified that she should leave afterwards, so she'd stayed with him all night, just to be on the safe side.

The TV didn't flicker back on once.


"Hey, Connie."

"Hey."

Amethyst sighed, setting herself down besides the girl. She tried to hand her a hot cup of tea, but Connie made no move to accept it, so Amethyst nestled the mug in the sand.

Steam rose from the cup, visible in the chilled evening air, but the peppermint smell did nothing to rouse Connie from her moping. For a few moments, neither said anything, just watching the waves slide back and forth over the sand. The twilight moon gently flitted across the tips of the waves.

"...So. Things happened."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"Look," Amethyst began, "we all kinda messed up, it's not your fault that-"

"But I'm not supposed to mess up. Not with Steven!" Connie insisted. She curled in on herself, and Amethyst frowned. Talking about things like this was hard for her, but she'd gotten better over the years. She'd learned that listening was infinitely more important than responding, so she kept her mouth shut and her ears open.

It took a few awkward moments of silence, but eventually, it paid off.

"...I just, I used to be so good at this. Y'know? I was Connie, and- my job was to be there. When he didn't feel like he could talk to anyone else, I was the one he always came to. And- look. I know, I know I shouldn't be looking at it like a job, but-"

She bit her lip, blinking away the dampness in her eyes.

"Damnit, I feel like I failed him."

"Dude. That was our job. And we slacked off big time. So you got the position instead." Said Amethyst. "Connie- we failed both of you."

"No you didn't-"

"Yes we did! You were a child, your only job was to be his friend, not his sole confidant and support system. You had to be there because we weren't."

"B- I just- You don't get it! Back when we- first found him again, I." She huffed. "I just thought I was going to show up, fix his little problem, and it'd be over. 'Cause that's how it's always been. But I mean, like. I- Amethyst, I don't think that's how it's ever been. He just, I think he just kept pretending to "get fixed" so that we could go on with our lives. And this time, he didn't."

Amethyst was quiet for a while contemplating the words.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"Well, like. How does it feel?"

"It feels bad!" Said Connie. "Obviously!"

"No, but. I mean, how does it feel- with- now that you know… now that you know he was always faking."

"...I guess I'd rather know than not."

Amethyst nodded, fixating on the waves.

"...Yeah. I mean it- Like, for months, it kinda felt like something was building up, y'know? And like we were slowly getting to a breaking point…"

The both went quiet for a minute.

"I used to see Steven's hands shaking." Said Amethyst.

Amethyst made eye contact, Connie's black eyes holding her own midnight blue.

"I did, too."

Amethyst looked back at the waves.

"Just. We'd be having a totally normal conversation, or playing video games, or hanging out. And it felt normal. But. Then I'd look over, and his hands would be trembling so bad, even though he seemed fine, sounded fine." Amethyst looked down at her own, steady hands. "And I felt so bad because I never pushed him to tell me why."

"...Yeah."

"But I've been seeing your hands shake too, Connie."

Connie started, reflexively looking at her hands, and sure enough, Amethyst was right.

"Just… Please don't think that you can never come to anybody. We don't need another rising world dictator."

"Oh, god. No. I. I'm- I mean you're right. I'm not doing fine, Amethyst, but. I'm… I'm better than I was fifteen minutes ago."

"Glad to hear it."

"...Yeah. Thank you, Amethyst."

They enjoyed the coolness of the sand between their toes for a few moments longer, when the sound of the porch door whacking open broke them from the peace. Tiny footsteps pattered down the stairs and into the sand.

"Hey guys!" Came Peridot's high, scratchy voice. It was very clear she was enthusiastic about something.

"What up, P?" Asked Amethyst.

"You guys! We found him!"

"You found him?!" Connie asked.

"Yeah! I 'hacked' him!" It was clear Peridot had recently learned a new slang term, and was excited about it. "I just followed the IP address of his social media page-"

"Social- what!? What does he got a social media page for?" Amethyst asked.

"Well, not his. His human cult started a Facenook group, and lemme just tell you guys, they didn't even have a VPN. Amateurs."

"Well, shit." Said Amethyst. "Where is he?"


It had been about a week since The Incident with White, and Her Diamond was... acting strangely.

He'd spent the majority of time in his room, avoiding her and the rest of his court to suspend himself in isolation. The only time he even let her near him was at night.

It'd become routine now. The sun would set, the walls of the base darken, and she'd quietly enter his room to find him waiting there for her. He wouldn't sleep unless she was with him, and even then, she knew he wasn't getting very much rest. No matter how many nights she stayed with him, the circles under his eyes became worse and worse. The TV sat in the corner of the room, unplugged and unused, but she already knew what he dreamt of every night.

It had gotten so hopeless, she was starting to wonder if their quest for world domination had come to an end.

Then, one evening, she'd found his door locked. It hadn't hurt, because that would imply that Jasper had feelings. No, she'd taken it as an opportunity to get more work done. One less time-eating task to complete.

Really, she didn't even think about it again until the next morning, when she saw him out of his bedroom for the first time in several days.

She hadn't noticed at first, too busy overlooking their plans for the next week's attack. It was no brilliant strategy, like he could come up with, but it wasn't bad. The troops still felt like they were flying blind, though, and while Jasper knew she had their full respect, she just couldn't lift their morale like Steven could. They were concerned about him, and Jasper had no answers to any of their questions about his wellbeing.

Without sight of their leader, a quietness had descended on the base like flies to a corpse, dampening the normally boisterous, loud nature of the Quartzes. Jasper didn't miss their obnoxious jokes or echoing laughter, but she'd gotten used to it. The new silence that resided in the base was eerie.

But not as eerie as Steven's sudden change in demeanor.

"Hey Jasper!" He cried from her blind spot, smiling manically, and she wasn't startled, because she didn't get startled. More, mildly surprised. That was right.

"My Diamond." She saluted him, an action mirrored by the other Quartzes around the table. He beamed under the attention, Jasper realized that he was eye-level with her.

He'd regained every lost inch of height, and was now almost as tall as herself again. This didn't shock her so much as the fact that he'd cut off the lower half of his T-shirt, leaving a yellow triangle where the star used to be and completely baring his gem.

"...Did you sleep well?" She asked, trying not to stare.

"Actually, I didn't sleep at all." He chirped. Her eyebrows raised.

"You didn't?"

"Yeah, ok. So, I figured out that this baby," He gestured to his gem, "is solar powered. As long as it gets enough sunshine, I don't have to eat or even sleep. I have so much more time now, it's crazy! I mean, I still need like, water and stuff, but that's about it!"

She stared at his gem, fighting to keep her jaw from dropping.

"That's good." She said. "Um."

There were words on her tongue, but she knew they'd sound weird coming from her no matter how she said them. She went ahead anyway, unable to hold them in.

"...Are you… ok?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine!" He caroled. "I'm fantastic. Literally never felt so good in my lifebutwhatabout youuu what are You Guys up to?"

Jasper swallowed as he leaned in, looking over the map. He grabbed a red permanent marker and began adding adjustments to the battle plan. The marker squeaked across the paper at a rapid rate, but it wasn't loud enough to hide the strange, disconnected sound of his Song. It's normal steady flow was erratic, lacking rhythm, and overall just disturbing to hear. It sounded even more fragile than it had during his worst nightmares.

She ignored it, scolding herself for digging too deep. It didn't matter what it sounded like, he was here, and he was performing his responsibility as a Diamond. There was no cause for concern.

"-and I've been working all night with Squaridot on this new method for- Jasper, are you listening?"

"Hm?" Jasper shook herself, realizing she'd been somewhere else.

"We made a lot of progress on the 'Grand Scheme' last night."

"That's… t-that's very good news, My Diamond."

"Yeah, I-" He looked at her again, and she realized with some degree of horror that he was reading her again.

"...You know, I kinda thought you'd be more excited. 'Sleep is for the weak' and all that."

She didn't hate Her Diamond, she couldn't, but she absolutely despised how accurately he could notice every tell. He always seemed to know exactly how to see past her rocky visage.

And what was there to see? She was excited. This meant he'd have more time to work on colonization. He'd have more energy, no more sleepless, nightmare-ridden nights. He could go back to being the charismatic, functional leader she'd come to respect.

He wouldn't need her to hold him at night…

Because she'd definitely hated that. It'd been awful, having him depend on her as his only source of comfort, the way he'd look at her as if she was the only thing that he needed, the only thing that mattered… She was glad they could finally get back to business.

"I am excited." She told him, after a beat.

He gave her a strange look, not convinced in the slightest. But then one of the Quartzes had rushed over, trying to get his attention.

"My Diamond, you have seven incoming calls!"

"Shit!" Steven clapped a hand to his cheek. "The meeting! I totally forgot!"

He rushed off to the communication hub, distractedly urging Jasper to follow. To her surprise, she actually had to jog a bit to catch up. Before, Steven's legs were so much shorter, it would've only taken a few long strides. Now, they were almost equally matched in pace again.

He skidded to a stop in front of several stolen TVs, gazing up at multiple copies of the same face.

"We took seven more countries last night." He explained. "These are the Zircons I sent to govern them."

"...Incredible, My Diamond." Jasper commented.

She didn't fully understand the concept of "countries" and imaginary borderlines, but she had to admit, it'd made their plan much easier. The humans were incredibly disconnected with each other, split apart into over a hundred nations that looked the other way even when their own species was under attack.

She'd never seen an invasion cut into little bite size pieces before, but it certainly made things easier.

"Hey guys!" Said Steven. "How y'all doing?"

The Zircons all gave positive replies, and began updating him on the progress of the colonies. When the call ended, the TVs blinked off one by one, and Steven turned his attention to the map on the table, surveying the pink thumbtacks littering it's surface.

"What's the next target, My Diamond?" Jasper asked. Steven hummed, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Well... There's only about fourteen countries left. Y'know, like. The big ones. Japan, Russia, India, the UK, etc." Steven was saying, "But they're gonna be hard. I don't know if we have the gempower to take them down just yet."

"You got human power too!" Shouted a cult member from the back.

"Yeah thanks, Joseph!" Steven called back. The acolyte gave him a thumbs up in return.

"...Ehem,"

Both looked down to see Squaridot, looking at them impassively despite having to crane her neck just to make eye contact. In her arm was a large, rolled up piece of construction paper.

"My Diamond, the weapon design is complete."

"OH! Finally!" Steven exclaimed, bending over to take it from her. Jasper peered over his shoulder curiously, wondering what was so fascinating about it. It seemed to be some sort of generic laser cannon, albeit designed a little stronger than most others she'd seen. On the corner of the blueprints, a picture of a White Diamond's gem had been drawn, with red circles and arrows high-lighting inclusions.

Breakage points.

"And this'll do it?" Steven asked.

"It was designed by me. Of course it will."

"Oh! Thank you, Squaridot!" He cried, scooping her up in a tight hug.

Squaridot grit her teeth at the name and the gesture, but otherwise kept her composure.

"You're very welcome, My Diamond."

"How soon will it be ready?"

"Well, these are just the blueprints. It still needs to be built, and tested, modified, tested again, and re-modified, and tested again. And then of course, we'll need to weed out our best marksgem and make sure she knows how to use it correctly, so about… forty-five minutes."

"Wait, really?"

"I'm sorry for the wait, My Diamond. We're just a bit short on technicians at the moment."

"How many do we have?"

"Me."

"Oh. Well. Keep up the good work!"

"Yes, My Diamond."

Squaridot turned and left, and Steven ran his hands through his hair.

"My Diamond," Jasper said. "Uh, may I ask what this weapon is for?"

"Oh, you know… just like. Added defense. Just in case."

"...You're going to use it on White?"

Steven rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Ohh… I don't know. Just like. Just in case she shows up, you know. Just in case."

"...Yeah. Just in case." Jasper chuckled.

Steven frowned at her, and opened his mouth to argue, but their conversation was interrupted by a worried Quartz.

"My Diamond, the Crystal Gems have discovered our base, and made off with one of the Lapises!"

"The- what? What- What?" Steven stuttered. Jasper seethed.

"Well?" She asked the Quartz. "Go after them!"

"Hang on, we don't want to rush this," Said Steven. "We need a plan."

"She could leak valuable information!" Jasper argued.

Steven shook his head.

"Well. No. 'Cuz… remember? I mean, this is still bad, but we did the anti-snitching ritual you told me about."

"...What?"

He rapped her bicep with the back of his hand.

"You remember! We did the-"

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, Silly." Steven giggled, but the joyful moment was short lived, and concern took over. "I do wanna get her back soon, though. I… I don't trust, uh. I don't trust those guys with her."

"They are very morally corrupt." Agreed Jasper.

"Well, yeah, but they've always been super violent with captives in the past." He frowned, concern turning to worry. "Actually, yeah. Squaridot? I need you to trace where they went, like, asap. We need to get a team on this like now."


"Ok, come on. You gotta know something." Said Connie.

"Yeah, don't play dumb." Said Amethyst. "Bad idea."

At the Lapis's fearful expression, Garnet stepped in.

"We won't hurt you, but we need this info."

"Why isn't she saying anything?" Asked Pearl.

"She can't."

Eight pairs (and one triad) of eyes snapped back to the open door, where a very short figure stood silhouetted against the light of the stairway.

Connie stepped forward, sword drawn.

"How the fuck did you get down here?" She hissed. And by all circumstances, she was right to be confused.

They were deep the basement of Sadie's mom's house, the most inconspicuous place they had thought to congregate. Mostly because, well. It was the basement of Sadie's mom's house. It was hard to think of a place better suited to hosting a secret meeting.

"...mmmMMYeah that. That might have been our fault." Peridot said guiltily, and Lapis stood beside her, staring at her own feet.

"We got excited and made flyers." She explained.

"Damnit, you guys!" Amethyst yelled.

Bluebird looked up at Connie, giving her a squinty smile, fingertips dancing against the tip of the blade.

"Hahahmhm… Careful with that, love. You've no enemies here."

"Uh, I think we've yes enem- enemies… Get- just get out of here!" Amethyst materialized her whip, giving Bluebird an frustrated look. Bluebird flashed her a buck-toothed grin in response.

"Don't you want some help? With that?" She asked, gesturing to the Lapis chained to a chair in the corner of the room.

The room, quieted, and Bluebird stepped forward confidently.

"Your precious little Steven gave her a gag command;" Said Bluebird. "She literally can't tell you a thing."

At Connie's questioning look, Pearl sighed.

"Diamonds... can force other gems to obey their orders, Connie- But- And before you say anything, there's rules. Eye contact and physical touch is essential."

"But how does- where'd he learn to do that?" Asked Peridot.

"Jasper must've shown him." Answered Bismuth. "That is, if Bluebird isn't lying."

"Yeah." Said Connie, eyes narrowing at Bluebird. "How would you know?"

"I've been spying on him too, you know." Bluebird said, tone becoming bitter. "I'll admit; he's more clever than I took him... Destroying an Empire to build anew on its ashes..."

Many in the room wanted to argue for Steven's sake, but unfortunately, she had them in a technicality. The room became dead silent, apart from a slight creak coming from a nearby faucet. Bluebird reveled in the heavy atmosphere, continuing.

"...You need someone morally gray on your side." She said. "Someone smart enough to think of using this."

Several gems in the room gasped as she reached into Eyeball's gem to pull out a dark pink, metal tube. She waved it around, and a few of the gems ducked, not excited to meet with it's blade a second time.

"What is that?" Asked Connie.

"Well, I'm glad you asked!" Said Bluebird. "Shall I demonstrate?"

"No." Said Pearl, snatching it out of Bluebird's hand.

"Hey!" She cried in outrage. "That's my bargaining chip!"

"It's a weapon," Said Pearl.

"Ok but what is it?" Connie asked again, getting impatient. "Like, but what does it do?"

"Are we sure we wanna use it on him?" Bismuth worried. "Guys, I- I don't know about this. Seems cruel."

"Why? What does it do?" Connie screeched, but her voice was drowned out by the gem's discussion.

The room filled with worried voices, debating the ethics of its use. Connie grit her teeth, fingers tightening on the grip of her sword.

"If I don't get an explanation right now, I'm stabbing somebody!" Connie shouted, raising her sword at Bluebird. All attention turned back to her.

"Do it!" Peridot shouted from the back, but Pearl stepped in, putting a hand on Connie's sword to lower it.

"It's a- it's a rejuvenator." Said Pearl shakily. "It… it restores a gem's default settings. But with Steven, well. It'll reset his gem, Connie. He won't be able to use his powers."

"Oh." Connie's eyes softened. "Well, that's good?"

"It could be." Said Bismuth. "Except we don't know how his… army will react. They might turn on him. Even if they don't, we could permanently lose his trust."

"What was left of it, anyway." Said Lapis.

"But, if they turn on him he'll be helpless to defend himself." Connie said.

"You're right." Said Garnet, adjusting her visor.

"Oh dear." Said Bluebird. "Guess we'll have to switch to plan B. What was it again?"

All the faces in the room fell, and Bluebird chuckled.

Then, there was a sound like rushing water, followed by rope snapping and glass breaking.

The captive Lapis had freed herself, and busted through the basement window on her way out.

"...So there's a sink down here." Said Connie. "Good to know."


Jasper eyed the line of Quartzes critically, searching for any sign of weakness.

"Your mission will be incredibly dangerous. Some of you may not return in one piece." She told them. The group didn't flinch, but Steven certainly did.

"Um, what?" He asked, voice cracking. "No. You guys, please try to come back alive."

"But know that your mission is more important than your life."

"No it's not. I mean, I really want that Lapis back, but like. Safety, guys. Please exercise safety."

"And fearlessness."

"But I mean. A little fearfulness is ok too." Steven insisted. He turned to his first in command, fighting the urge to stuff his fingers in his hair again. "Jasper, please. I'm trying to give them a pep talk."

"So am I."

"No, but."

They were cut off by the sound of the front door opening, and the Lapis entered the warehouse. All eyes turned to her.

"...Well. Hey. Welcome back." Said Steven.

"Thank you, My Diamond." Said the Lapis. She brushed some dirt off her dress, only looking slightly traumatized by her captivity.

"I know it's only been like, a couple hours, but...You ok?" Steven asked.

"Yep." Said the Lapis.

"Ok, good." He turned the the elite rescue crew. "Hey guys, mission's off. She's fine."

The Quartzes looked a little disappointed, as did Jasper, but meandered off with only a little grumbling. Steven, meanwhile, rushed to further check on the Lapis, Jasper following close behind.

"What did you tell them?" Jasper questioned ferociously. Steven just put a hand on her shoulder, gently directing her to stand back.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked.

"Eh, not really." Replied the Lapis. Steven was visibly relieved, but Jasper still wanted answers.

"What information did they take from you?" She asked.

"None? I obeyed your command, my Diamond. I wouldn't have told them anything even if I could."

"See?" Said Steven. "The anti-snitching ritual works."

"But what if they hadn't taken a gem?" Jasper asked him. She gestured to a nearby group of humans on their lunch break, half-way through helping some recruited Bismuths add another wing to the base. The warehouse had certainly gotten a lot bigger since they began their operation, and was now closer in size to a full scale facility.

"Yeah, I kinda wish- actually. Hang on." Steven stepped forward, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting to the group. "Hey Justine! Get over here!"

The young woman, short and stocky, approached.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"My Diamond." Jasper corrected.

"Jasper, be nice." Steven scolded her quietly. "Hey Justine. Gimme- what is something you hate doing?"

"I hate drinking water."

"Cool." Said Steven. "I need you to go drink, like. I don't know. 22 ounces of water."

"But I don't wanna do that." Said Justine. Steven huffed.

"Well, ok. Fine."

"Eye contact. Physical touch." Jasper reminded him, giving him a nudge.

"Oh, right."

He approached the acolyte, gently resting his hands on her shoulders and looking her dead in the eye. The woman gazed back, looking like she was having a deep and intimate moment with god. She likely believed she was.

"Go drink 22 ounces of water." Said Steven. Justine just nodded, unable to refuse the order. She turned around, heading off to complete the task. Steven turned to Jasper, an astonished look on his face.

"Hey Jasper?"

"Yes, My Diamond?"

"I think I've got a plan. A way to kill White Di- I mean, take down the last fourteen countries. You follow me?"

"You're crystal clear, My Diamond." Said Jasper.

Steven paused, taking a moment to study her stoic face.

"Jasper. Was that. Was that wordplay?"

"What?" Jasper asked.

"Crystal clear?"

"That. That wasn't-"

"No! That was wordplay!" Cried one the Quartzes. The others gathered near, excited grins on their faces, but none could match the brightness of Steven's own smile.

"Jasper, you just made a pun."

"No I didn't."

Jasper tried to deny it, but then the Quartzes' excited praise became joyful, incoherent screaming, and she found herself taking stock of all her life mistakes. This one was definitely going to the top.

The only thing that saved her was the sound of Justine vomiting 22 ounces of water onto the concrete floor of the base.

"Oh jeez. Oh gross." Said Steven. "I didn't think she'd- it wasn't that much water."

"She's weak." Said Jasper. "She can't handle the responsibilities of serving your greatness, My Diamond."

"I guess not."


"Ok, but we're not actually gonna help them, right?" Eyeball asked her companion, who was currently flying them back to the closest thing they had to a home. They'd stationed themselves in an old abandoned boat house on the outskirts of Beach City, so as to better keep an eye on Steven. After he'd skipped town, they realized spying on his friends would be much more fruitful.

"We are going to help them." Said Aquamarine. "We're going to help them strip him of his powers, so that we can tear his gem from his stomach and smash it into millions of pieces."

Aquamarine's grip on her partner tightened with her lust for revenge, but Eyeball just grinned.

"Oh," Eyeball chuckled. "That is- I like that plan. That is a very good plan."

"I know."