Peridot raised herself up on the platform by taking an upward swipe on her holopad. The platform obediently began its' ascent to the ground of the gloomy Kindergarten. The green glow of the holopad became less apparent as the overcast and foggy, yet still bright light of day began illuminating the slope, gradually pushing the shadows back into spiderwebbed corners.
She opened a voice recorder and began a log. Another swipe of a finger and data appeared, which she began prodding, dissolving and adding geometrical shapes representing different parts of the experiment.
"Log date six-five-two. This is Peridot, updating status." As she was finally raised to the top, the platform landing with a thunk that she barely noticed, her voice took on a bitter tone. "Still stuck on miserable planet." She tapped a few more shapes. "The fusion experiments are developing properly." As she talked, she glanced to the side, barely noticing the Steven standing there, staring. At least he wasn't messing with her stuff. She glanced back to the holopad. "A few have even emerged ear-EAUGHHHAH!" The Steven!
She stared at him in shock, desperately hoping his appearance didn't bring the so-called, 'Crystal Gems,' with him. To clarify that thought, eyes quickly darting to the left, she asked quietly, "Are the… other ones with you?"
He looked to the left, raised his gaze to the heavens, thinking. He then brought his face into a forced frown- but not at all hostile, as slightly on the ship- and shook his head slowly no. Before Peridot could let relief wash over her, however, he changed his head movements to bounce up and down in a yes. He accompanied it with a shoulder shrug and a sympathetic look and if to say, 'Yeah, sorry for lying, but… it was a little obvious.'
A brief look of horror appeared on the technician's face before she swiveled the holopad back into her fingers to promptly smack her face and drag the fingers down. "Of course! "Why not?" Stillness overcame the Kindergarten for a few precious seconds before a terror inducing yell echoed across the rough rock walls. Surprisingly, it struck more fear into her gem than if Yellow Diamond herself had yelled it. A following,
"There she is!" from the Pearl made her scramble, letting out a gasp similar to the first one and running for her life. She spotted a cliff face directly ahead of her line of flight. Aha. I will be sincerely surprised if they can catch me up there.
"There's nowhere to go!"
"You're cornered!"
That is what an archaic CLOD what think, hmm? She allowed herself a mental snicker, sprinting closer and closer to the wall, their rapid footsteps sounding less far away. A small hop, and she begin to scale the vertical wall with gravity-defying ease.
A small scuffing noise, now below her, confirmed that they truly were archaic. Crystal gems? More like archaic clods- Focus. Her lack of concentration was beginning to concern her.
She glanced behind her, making sure they weren't following before increasing her speed, dodging holes and dormant Injectors.
The Steven let out a faint whine. "Hey, I can't do that!"
"Neither can she!" Uh-oh. She ducked just in time for a faintly blue spear to shinnng past her head, heading in a directly vertical line above her.
"HA! You missed!" Peridot called down tauntingly, continuing to run. Her triumphant pride distracted her just enough so that she missed the rumble, but not enough so that when she returned her gaze upward, the shadow encompassing her surroundings and herself didn't get any smaller.
"Ah! Aaa-gh- Ungh!" The green gem's frantic whimpers were cut off as the Injector hit her, knocking her head and sending static over her visor's screen for a brief few seconds. It collided against the dusty ground faster than she would have liked, squishing her under two large rocks.
"Do you think she's hurt?" Came the confusingly concerned question from the Steven.
Ignoring curiosity for the moment, deep fear increased her normally lackluster strength tenfold, and she shoved with all her might, sending the boulders sideways.
"Haha, nope!" The rough voice of the Amethyst laughed, malice carried in an undertone. Peridot picked herself up and ran. But suddenly, she was jerked backwards, limbs tightened against her torso. A whip studded with purple amethysts that dug into her body coiled around her, a familiar- and unwelcome- feeling.
She spun, facing her captor with a deep scowl. She wriggled a digit out of the cord and pressed it tightly against the whip. She sent an electric shock outward, causing the end of the weapon to come alive, wriggling at the Amethyst threateningly like a snake.
"Whoa-oa-oa, whip." The short purple gem growled, but looked up as Peridot called out, already running away, having slipped the electrified weapon in seconds.
"You Crystal Clods!" She gave a short pant, then continued, "Go ahead, wreck this place! See if I care! I already got what I needed!"
"Get back here!" The Pearl screeched, the Amethyst flanking her, both weapons out and at the ready. The green tech gem panted, panic rising within her. There was no way she could outrun- a whirring noise from her left distracted her frantic thoughts. Subconsciously, her fingers stretched, spinning with increasing speed. Of course! She lifted her arm, and as her boots left the ground, she pulled them up, tucking them against herself and wrapping her arm around them. She ducked the lower portion of her head between her knees, and as she watched the furious faces of the two clods transform into a mix of that and utter surprise, she began to giggle uncontrollably into her knees. The hilarity of the whole situation rose along with her head, and she began laughing maniacally at them, watching as they chased her, but failing, with all their superhuman speed and endurance, to catch up the vertical feet she soared into the air. They shouted, but their threats fell on deaf ears as she laughed hysterically, tears of relief, joy, and amusement leaking from her eyes.
Yet, in the midst of all the funnyness she found herself lost in… was the uncontrollable laughter just the sound of slipping sanity?