CHAPTER 6: WHAT LURKS IN THE SHADOWS

"Oh… I have to go… my mom asked me to come home… Steven, do you think your dad could give me a lift?" Connie said as she looked at her phone.

"Of course! Ehm… there is only one problem…" Steven said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh my… your dad… he… he doesn't know about Lapis and Peridot?!" Connie shouted in disbelief.

"No… I mean… uhm… yes…" Steven said staring at the ground.

"Steven!" Connie shouted.

"I- I didn't know how to tell him! When I told him about the time when Jasper knocked me off, he freaked out..." Steven said as Connie sighed.

"Well… I think this time you'll have to tell him… don't worry… I'll help you… we'll show him that Lapis and Peridot have changed…" Connie said smiling slightly.

"Thank you…" Steven said as they approached Greg's carwash.

As Steven, Connie, Lapis and Peridot approached the carwash, they began to hear a melody coming Greg's van. They began to move towards it until Steven stopped walking.

"Ok… just… let me talk to him for one second… wait for me here…" Steven said as he began to move towards the source of the music.

"H-hi dad!" Steven greeted as he saw Greg sitting in the back of his van.

"Hi Steven! How are you doing?" Greg asked as he stood up.

"Fine dad, thanks, ehm… could you… could you give Connie a lift home?" Steven asked.

"Of course… let's-" Greg tried to say before being stopped by him.

"Ehm… before we go… there is something I have to tell you…" Steven said as Greg assumed a worried expression.

"Son… is everything alright?" Greg asked as he gently laid his hand on Steven's shoulder.

"Yes… but… I have to show you something... and you have to promise me you won't freak out… ok?" Steven said as he grasped his father's hand.

"O-ok…" Greg answered, becoming a little worried, needless to say, he would have never imagined what Steven was going to show to him.

Greg followed his son as they walked around the van and stopped in front of Connie, Lapis and Peridot. Greg remained motionless as he tried to process what he was watching at. In front of him, stood the gem who broke his leg and tried to drown his son and the gem who corresponded to Steven's description of Peridot, the Homeworld gem who kidnapped him and tried to bring him away forever.

"H-hello mister Universe…" Connie said keeping her gaze low.

"S-Steven… are those… Lapis and Peridot?" Greg asked in astonishment.

"Y-yes…" Steven answered as Greg moved in front of him, willing to protect him from who he thought were two aggressors.

"What are they doing here?! Did they try to hurt you?! I swear, if they have only touched you-" Greg shouted but was interrupted by Steven.

"No dad! They didn't do anything bad! Lapis and Peridot are in our team now!" Steven said trying to calm his father down.

"What?!" Greg shouted in disbelief.

"Dad-" Steven tried to speak but was cut off by his father.

"No! How can Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst trust them after what they did?!" Greg yelled pointing at the two gems.

"Dad please! You have to listen to me! Lapis and Peridot saved my life! If it wasn't for them… I don't think I would be here now…" Steven said looking Greg straight in the eyes.

"But…" Greg said before Connie intervened.

"Mister Universe, you have to listen to Steven! I spent the day together with Lapis and Peridot and I can see they have really changed!" Connie said clenching her fists.

"Dad… please… I need you to trust me…" Steven said as Greg's expression softened.

"Well… if they really saved you… then I guess I can't be mad at them… I'm sorry for the outburst…" Greg said patting gently his son's head as he looked at Lapis and Peridot.

"I-I should be the one who apologizes… indeed… I helped Steven… but I also hurt you and your… ehm…" Lapis said as she pointed at Greg's van.

"It's a van…" Connie whispered.

"Oh… your... van…" Lapis said as Greg smiled slightly.

"No problem… the important thing is that Steven is here and trusts you… now… better take Connie home right?" Greg said as Steven nodded happily.

"Bye! Thanks for the good day!" Connie said as she got in the van.

"I never met someone this understanding on Homeworld…" Peridot said as Steven waved goodbye and the van disappeared behind the corner of the street.

"It's one of my family's qualities…" Steven said smiling.

Steven and the two gems kept walking until they reached his house, as they opened the door, they found Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl waiting for them.

"Hi guys… is something wrong?" Steven asked as he watched Peridot and Lapis.

"No Steven… but we must discuss something with Peridot…" Garnet said as she stepped forward.

"Is she in trouble?" Steven asked sounding worried.

"No… but if she really wants to be part of our team… then she has to reveal what was the purpose of her mission on Earth…" Garnet said walking in front of the green Homeworld gem.

"I…I…" Peridot muttered as Garnet placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Peridot… you don't have anything to fear from us… you saved all of us but most importantly you saved Steven… and we'll always be grateful to you for that…" Garnet said as Peridot sighed heavily.

"Alright… but… it's better if I show you…" Peridot said as the gems looked at each other and nodded.

Steven, the gems, Lapis and Peridot walked towards the warp pad and disappeared into the beam of light. After some moments, they appeared in front of a well known place… the Kindergarten.

"Kindergarten…" Garnet whispered.

"Were you sent here in order to reactivate it?" Pearl asked looking around.

"No… the project which involved using Earth as a colony was abandoned when it became clear that Homeworld wouldn't have been able to defeat the rebellion… so its leaders decided to use it as a site for the conduction of their experiments…" Peridot explained as she and the others approached the hole that leaded to the control room.

"What kind of experiments?" Lapis asked as she looked into the dark hole in the ground.

"I'll show you… but… please… remember that I don't have anything to do with Homeworld… creations…" Peridot said as they all looked at each other, the tension increasing quickly as they jumped down.

"This place looks creepier than the other time we've been here…" Steven said as they reached the control room.

"Peridot… what are these pillars?" Garnet asked as she looked around the room and spotted several pillars scattered on the ground.

"No… no… they shouldn't be here! They should be inside the walls! T-they can't have gotten out on their own!" Peridot said, as she took a step back.

"You are right little traitor… I took them out…"

As soon as Steven and all of the gems heard a voice coming from behind them, they immediately turned around. In front of them stood a humped figure… completely covered by a black cloak.

"And now… you have all fallen into my trap…"

The dark figure began to titter as a long, thin arm emerged from the black mantle. It all happened in a moment… the figure stretching its arm towards the gems… a bolt of energy springing from its hand… and Steven jumping in front of everyone.