Chapter XXIII

One Warp Away

Steven watched as his father sawed some wood, both fascinated and entertained at the man's handiwork. The house was beginning to take shape after a few weeks of construction, with the roof now fully installed as well as a convenient staircase leading up a little way up the cliff. The two both looked up as Pearl came over with her clipboard.

"How are the window frames coming along, Greg? I would like to have them installed by today." She asked, twirling the pencil in her fingers.

"Ah geez, I only have the one right now. This is a lot of work for an old guy like me." He scratched the back of his head apologetically. "But I should be able to get them done by this evening."
"Hmmph, well" Pearl scribbled down on her clipboard. "As long as they're done eventually."
Greg's eyeroll was cut short at the sight of Garnet and Amethyst approaching.

"Hey guys, everything going okay up your way?" Said Greg.

"Partly." Garnet replied then turned her attention to Pearl. "We have an emergency mission."
"Awww man, does this mean I have to hold the fort?" Greg slumped. "And here I thought my back would get a break."

"Sorry man, if there's a chance for action I'm gonna take it. I can't stand doing all this boring building work and being bossed about by Pearl." Amethyst elbowed the gem in turn.

"Amethyst! I wouldn't be so bossy if you would actually stop lazing around and using the scaffolding as your personal jungle gym!"

Garnet took the two gems by the arms and led the forcibly away, calling over her shoulder "We wont be long, Greg."

"I want to go on a mission too." Thought Steven, watching the trio make their way to the Temple. "Maybe I can!"

Greg had gone back to sawing after few groans and shoulder stretches, his portable stereo blaring out his favourite hits on full. With his father occupied, Steven ran to the temple hoping to catch the gems in time.

"Guys, I'll come too!" Steven skidded in, only to just miss them as they warped out. "Aww man!"

The inquisitive five year old approached the warp pad and climbed on top of the shiny crystalline surface. Doing a few test jumps, Steven held his arms out like he saw the gems do and concentrated.

"C'mon warp, send me to where Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl are!"

After a few more seconds of nothing, he sighed in frustration.

"Why wont you work?" He stomped, and then was immediately engulfed in a ray of light.

"W-woah!" A flash of what seemed to be a network of paths, before Steven landed facedown on the warp.

Groaning, he looked up and took in his surroundings.

"A desert?"

The ground was arid and cracked, showing little signs of vegetation with the exception of some dried up moss dotted around the plains. Steven wondered if this is where the gems had gone and went to explore. Something shiny caught his eye from a distance off, and he ran over to investigate.

"What is this?" Picking up what seemed to be some sort of metal. The sun moved slightly overhead, causing a sudden shadow to cast over him. Steven looked up and his eyes widened.

"A spaceship?"

A wreckage lay in front of him of a craft seemingly torn in half exposing some of its interior. Steven clambered over the various pieces of debris and marvelled at the intricate carvings inside. He was particularly drawn to one, and he clutched his gem unconsciously as he tried to make out what was happening.

Steven looked around and it suddenly dawned on him how alone he was in such a gigantic place. He felt his heart begin to race and leaned against a pillar in the middle of the spaceship.

"This was a bad idea." He whimpered, tears pricking his eyes. The structure was creaking, the smallest of disturbances eerily echoing throughout. Steven was scared, and he didn't want to venture outside again due to the falling darkness. He sniffled into his crossed arms, curling up as small as he could.

"Steven?"

"Who was that?"

"Steven?"

The voice sounded closer.

"Pearl?" he squeaked, noticing a small beam of light. He smiled widely when he saw her and ran into the gem's arm, bowling her over completely.

"S-Steven, there you are! Why on earth are you here?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and held him at arms length. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? How dangerous this place is for a child?" She was raising her voice, and it got higher and higher, echoing through the spacecraft.

Steven bowed his head, fresh tears falling down his face. "I'm sorry…I'm really sorry. I wanted to go on a mission with you guys so bad."
Pearl sighed, kneading her forehead with her fingers.

"You know you are too young to go on a mission with us, Steven." She pulled him close, and hugged him tightly. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I love you Pearl."

She held him tighter, "Me too."

They both made their way back to the warp pad, with Pearl providing a sufficient piggyback service. "By the way, Garnet has banned you from dinner for a thousand years. And you can expect no television either."

"A thousand years? Aww…I was getting hungry in there." Whimpered Steven, his stomach rumbling providing ample evidence.

"Well…I suppose a pizza wouldn't hurt for today. Your father is also hungry from searching the whole beach for you."

Steven felt guilty at that. "I'll work extra hard at the house tomorrow Pearl, I promise."
"No doubt you will, we have some window frames to finish." She bounced a little, emitting a giggle from the boy latched onto her back.