CHAPTER 9: A NEW MENACE
"Then Steven won't come with us!" Pearl said crossing her arms.
"But… Pearl!" Steven protested.
"No Steven! I'm putting my foot down! We almost lost you on Yellow Diamond's ship, this time we won't take that risk! We don't know anything about that… that… stranger, but he seems to know us and our moves and I-" Pearl said pointing at him, before Garnet stopped her placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Pearl… nothing could happen to Steven… we are in six and we'll all stay together during the entire mission…" Garnet said, as Pearl began to calm down.
"Yeah P, Garnet is right, plus tell me just one thing that is more useful than his shield! He saved our butts back at the Kindergarten…" Amethyst said.
"Well… I… I… ugh… fine… Steven will come… but you have to promise me you'll be careful and that you'll always stay near to us…" Pearl said as they all began to step on the warp pad.
"I promise!" Steven said happily as they all disappeared into the beam of light.
The gems, alongside Steven, appeared on the edge of a tremendously high cliff, which overlooked the sea. As soon as they stepped off the warp pad, all of them began to look around, in order to spot any kind of opening that could lead them inside the research facility Peridot talked about. After some moments, the green gem pointed a particular, circular platform in the distance. As all of them looked at each other, nodding, they began to walk towards what looked like the entrance to the laboratory. Peridot found herself walking side by side with Lapis, she didn't know very much about feelings and emotions, but she could tell that Lapis didn't enjoy what she saw at the Kindergarten…
"Lapis?" Peridot called the blue gem.
"What is it?" Lapis said as she moved to Peridot's side.
"I… I'm… sorry… for what you saw at the Kindergarten… I know it must have been horrible… b-but I assure you that I don't have anything to do with that!" Peridot said as Lapis gave her a sad smile.
"I know Peri… you wouldn't have done something like that… thank you for caring for me…" Lapis said as a small blush appeared on Peridot's face.
"W-well I… I… I just d-did what good f- ehm… good teammates do for each other… isn't it?" Peridot muttered as Lapis stiffed a slight giggle.
"You can call me friend you know?" Lapis said as Peridot's eyes widened.
"O-of course I know…" Peridot said keeping her gaze low, as Lapis continued to giggle and walked towards the top of the group.
Peridot was more than conscious about the fact that she was beginning to form some kind of bonds, besides the one she already felt with Steven, even with the other gems, but she was still embarrassed about it, she couldn't still fully understand what feelings and emotions were and it startled her how they could turn an enemy into one of the people you cared the most for, despite this, knowing that Lapis didn't have anything against her and that she was ok, made her feel something rather pleasant, but… there was something that was still bothering her…
"P-Pearl?" Peridot said approaching her, as Pearl continued to follow the others.
"What do you want Peridot?" Pearl asked coldly as she remained turned towards the rest of the group.
"Pearl… I… I wanted to speak to you… a-about what you told me earlier… I… you know… I…" Peridot tried to speak but was interrupted by Garnet, who stopped walking alongside everyone else.
"Peridot… I need you here…" Garnet called her as she kneeled down on the platform.
"P-Pearl I-" Peridot said before being interrupted by the white gem.
"Now it's not the time to discuss such things… Garnet needs your help… we need to find whatever we need in order to charge the shard and destroy that abomination Homeworld created… are you going to do something in order to help us or not?" Pearl said, slightly turning his head towards the green gem.
"Y-yes…" Peridot said as she reached Garnet and began to examine the platform.
After some minutes, Peridot removed a panel and, shortly after having removed it, she managed to activate the mechanism contained in it, which caused the platform to begin a descent into the ground.
"Whatever happens… remember to stay close to each other… we don't know who or what is waiting for us down there…" Garnet said as they slowly descended into the darkness, not noticing the light that came from the warp pad… and the one who stepped off it.
"Rose…"
Meanwhile:
"It must be somewhere… there were so many… how can it be that I can't find even one of them!" A tall, dark figure, hidden behind a black cloak hissed as she wandered through the corridors of a dark and long forgotten facility.
"They may be fools… they may be weak… but I'm alone… and they are many… but I won't let them find what they are searching for… she's not going to reach me in time… and if I really have to die… then they'll die with me… destroyed by what we created long time ago…" The dark figure said as suddenly, she stopped in front of a dark room… but even if it was dark… she could see something on the ground.
"I knew you were here somewhere… we couldn't have used all of you isn't it?" The figure whispered as she took the small, round object in her hand and placed a finger on it, causing it to glow in a yellowish light.
After the faint, yellow glow dissipated, a bright and white one began to enlighten the small object, as it raised in the air, a slim silhouette began to emerge from it, while the sick laughter of the tall, humped figure echoed through the long and dark corridors of the laboratory.
"You have been created only to obey me… this what you are… thinking that you're better than a servant will bring you only pain and suffering… obey me and you'll live… I am your master… my enemies are your enemies and they are going to be here soon… you'll destroy them as soon as you'll see them even if it will cost you your own life… do you understand?" The tall figure said as the smaller one kneeled down.
"Yes… master…" The smaller figure said as she kept her gaze low, she had found her master, the one she belonged to, and now it was time to perform her duties of servant, even if it meant to die, this is what she has been created for, after all, a pearl didn't deserve any better.
Hi guys! We are back! Sorry for the long wait but I really had a long, stressful week at school and it isn't still over since even this week will be full of tests and stuff like that, however, we hope you have enjoyed this chapter, I'm going to publish another one the day after tomorrow and another one on Friday, maybe even a fourth update on Sunday but I can't say it for sure, thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows and keep reading if you want to discover who's the one that is following the gems, a friend? An enemy? Only time will tell… bye!