Original Idea by: Scraps
Collaboration work with: HikumiRin
Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar
Chapter 5: An Farewell to Lars
[*]
Beach City Containment Camp, Resident District, present day.
[*]
Lars sat on an old park bench as he watched the sun rise over the ocean. The orange light reflected on the water, causing an orange column of light to shine blow the rising sun. It was a beautiful sight to behold, especially for Lars, given the events of yesterday. The young man looked down at his hands, examining the small callouses and cuts that resulted from the weeks of hard labor he endured. He then remembered what Diamond had said to him, the cruel reminder of what he was before all of this. As he rubbed his face and sighted, he heard a pair of feed scuff up beside him. Lars turned and saw Sadie, who sat beside him and looked towards the sunset. Lars scanned the short staked woman next to him, her ragged clothing and dirty complexion which reminded him of the time they were trapped on that island with Steven. As he continued to look at her, he felt his chest stiffen up.
"Couldn't sleep?" Sadie asked Lars.
"Y-yeah…" Lars sighed as he looked to his hands, rubbing them together. "Sorry about what happened…I just…I just want to leave this place."
"I know…" Sadie said as she looked down to her shirt, brushing off dust and grime. "I'm being selected to go to the labor district in a few hours. I am going to meet with Sam and Jamie there."
Lars looked to Sadie with an intrigued expression. "Are you sure this guy will help us? I mean, look what happened to Nanafua. I don't think these guy will be able to help us out."
"Lars, what choice do we have?" Sadie explained to Lars. "If we stay here, we will work ourselves to death or undergo whatever that Diamond guy has in store for us. If we fight back, then we have a chance to escape. If we don't do something, who will?"
Lars hesitated, he wanted to tell Sadie about the deal he had with Diamond, that in exchange for the life of the Jamie, they would be set free. However, he hesitated at the thought, reminded about the possible consequences.
"We need to figure out a way to escape and they can help us" Sadie explained. "I…I don't know what else we could do."
Silence fell between the two as they watched the sun rise from above the water. As the orb of light was resting on the edge of the ocean, Sadie and Lars noticed an Agate approach them.
"[ORGANIC…YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO WORK IN THE LABOR DISTRICT…REPORT TO THE OVERSEER FOR TASK INSTRUCTIONS]"
Sadie sighed as she stood up, raising her arms as the Agate grabbed her by the waist. As Lars watched Sadie get carried away. He looked to his feet and sighed.
"If I tell Diamond about the agents, we can go free…but will it matter? He might just kill us anyway."
Lars then heard and light thump from behind him and when he turned around to the source of the noise, he jumped back at the sight of Master Diamond standing before him.
"Hello Lars." Diamond said with a cold tone. "Am I interrupting you?"
"N-n-no of course not!" Lars replied. "I'm just planning the day ahead of me. Getting ready for my next work shift."
"I see…" Diamond responded as the moved around the bench. "May I sit here?"
Lars nodded and watched as Diamond sat down beside him. Lars took a shallow gulp of air as he looked to the sun. Sweat fell from the young man's head and fell to the sandy ground below him.
"The human you were just talking to, the one known as Sadie, is she important to you?" Diamond asked Lars.
Lars looked to Diamond and nodded lightly. "Y-yeah…she is."
Diamond gave a light smile and looked back to the sun. "I know she is, I read your mind after all, and from what I have gathered, she is a remarkable human."
"I guess this is the park where you blackmail me again, huh?" Lars said as he glared at Diamond, standing up and pointing at the Gemian as he did so. "Well fuck you! You can change my body, torture me, and dig into my brain with your Gem bullshit, but if you ever *EVER* lay a finger on Sadie. I will make you wish you never set foot on this planet. You hear me?"
As soon as Lars finished, Diamond stood up, his dowering stature quickly cut down the confidence within the Human before him. Lars quickly shut his eyes and braced himself for a horrible end, only to feel a pair of hands on his shoulders. As he opened his eyes and looked, he saw a warm smile on the Old King's face.
"I am impressed with your dedication to the well-being of Sadie." Diamond said with a chuckle. "It reminds me of my own affections."
"What?" Lars blurted, confused by the sudden change in the Gemian's tone. "You have loved ones? I though Gems were all, like, "genderless lesbians" or some shit like that."
"Yes, but that only applies to the Gems." Diamond explained as he released Lars and sat down on the bench. "I am a Gemian, the species that created the Gems and uplifted them."
Lars nodded slightly, trying to comprehend what the Gemian that had threatened him the other day was trying to tell him. This was the same Diamond, but he was acting like a completely different person.
"When I was defeated by Rose, I ordered my authority to suppress and alter the history of the Gems and suppress all the knowledge regarding the Gemians, the Metalians, Obsidian, and everything in between. I even had them label Rose, my sister, as a simple Gem and created a false genesis for the Authority to use."
Diamond then looked to his hand, clenching it as he then looked to the ocean.
"All of that was possible because of a single intelligence. She alone carried the knowledge of an entire species and was essential for the expansion of our empire. In the time I spent with her, she helped me engineer the technology of her people and create the Agates. In exchange, I helped her evolve into a true Gem, and help her become something more than a simple machine."
"I don't see the point of telling me this." Lars said as he rubbed the back of his head. "What does this "intelligence" have to do with Sadie?"
"Because much like with you and Sadie, I fell in love with that intelligence and want to protect her." Diamond looked to Lars with a warm smile. "There is not one day that goes by that I wouldn't give all the Vitae and power in the Universe to ensure she is safe."
"So what does this mean?" Lars asked Diamond. "Are you recalling you're deal?"
"No, but I am changing it." Diamond replied as he stood up before Lars. "I will not change your appearance and…break you."
Lars sighed lightly in response.
"Instead, I will give you my word." Diamond said as he placed a hand on Lars's shoulder. "If you do as I say and provide the identity of Ganga's apprentice, I will allow you and Sadie to leave the colony unharmed."
"Y-You will?" Lars said with a gasp of surprise.
"Yes." Diamond replied. "However, I will only allow you and Sadie to leave. The others will stay and embrace their fate."
Lars's smile quickly faded as he looked down in concern, although the deal was far better, it was still a moral dilemma for the young adult. He wanted Sadie to escape, but would it be worth the lives of everyone in Beach City? Especially Jamie and her family. Then there was the deaths of Ronaldo, Peedee and Nanafua…
"The life of a thousand or the life of your love. The choice is as much yours as it was mine." Diamond stated to Lars as he turned and walked away from him. "Keep in mind however that even if you leave, I cannot ensure that neither you nor Sadie will survive what is to come."
As Lars watched Diamond vanish, he looked towards the direction of the labor district. He could see small tents in the distance and could hear a faint banging noise. Lars then looked back to the Sun, which was now far above the ocean below it. Lars then sighed as he walked towards a nearby Agate.
"Take me to the Labor district." Lars said hesitantly. "I wish to work."
The Agate grabbed Lars around the waist, lifting him into the air and hovering him towards the labor district.
"Sorry Sadie…" Lars whispered to himself, his eyes welled up as he thought about what he was about to do.
[*]
Crystal Temple, Catacombs, present day
[*]
As Diamond appeared within the temple, he was greeted by the faint humming. He then approached a nearby desk and picked up a small stone. It looked like the wailing stone, but it was as small as a pocket watch and not as ear shattering. As Diamond pressed the button on the top with his thumb, he paused for a moment, his eyes widened in surprise.
"By Gemia…" Diamond whispered. "…they are coming to Earth."
Diamond placed the stone on the table and snapped his fingers. As he did, Pearl and Zirconia appeared before him.
"What is it Master?" Pearl asked as she bowed to him. "Is there another attack by the humans?"
"No, it involves the survivors from the Gem Colony Venatio." Diamond said as he glared at Zirconia. "They had escaped on a ship that was stored there, along with another Secundo of Topaz's known as Smaragdus, otherwise known as Emerald."
Zirconia's eyes widened at the name. She remembered hearing about Emerald. He was a Gem of great power, he was a member of the house of TO. He was also known for leading the attack that resulted in the Insidiae massacre.
"Master, will be able to combat against him?" Zirconia asked as she stood up. "He would be very useful in your army."
"We will be." Diamond said as he glared at Zirconia. "You however, will not."
Diamond then reached into his robe and pulled out a blue Gem, the Gem of Lapis Lazuli.
"That is why we are using her." Diamond replied as he tossed Lapis's Gem to the ground. As it fell to the floor. Diamond then called out to it.
"Lapidis Sapphyri, est mihi!"
In that instant, the Gem formed into Lapis. As Pearl looked to her, she saw her eyes were black shot and her face was without expression. It seemed that Diamond's control over her was absolute. She walked up to Diamond and bowed to her.
"Do you know who I am?" Diamond asked the blue Gem.
"You are my Master." Lapis replied. "You are the one to lead all and to control all."
"What is your purpose?" Diamond asked.
"To serve you without question or objection." Lapis replied coldly. "I live to serve you and will offer my life at your command."
"Are you aware that I will kill you?" Diamond asked again.
"…Yes." Lapis replied, a trickle of black fluid ran down her left cheek.
"Good." Diamond said as he walked towards Zirconia. "Now go prepare yourself, we are going after your brother, as well as a handful of traitors."
Lapis nodded as she exited the room. He then looked to Pearl, who hesitated before leaving as well, leaving Zirconia and Diamond alone in the chamber.
"As for you, you will keep watch the Temple and the Colony." Diamond explained to Zirconia. "No one enters or leaves unless via Agate. All intruders are to be killed on sight. Alert me if anything happens."
"Yes Master." Zirconia replied as she bowed to him. "I will not fail you."
"Lapidis, Vestibulum, and Onychinos will assist me in cleaning up the mess you failed to clean up." Diamond said coldly. "If anything happens to this colony, I want you to know that I will kill you."
Zirconia hesitated as she heard those words. As she looked to Diamond, she gave a look of fear as she bowed once more.
"I…I understand M-master." Zirconia replied. "I will redeem myself in your eyes."
"I expect that you will not fail." Diamond said coldly. "Now leave me."
Zirconia nodded as she left the chamber, as she did, Diamond reached into his robes and pulled out two Gems, one was orange colored and the other was pure white. As he threw them to the ground, he call out to them.
"Solislapide, Lunamlapideas, est mihi!"
The Gems Diamond threw began to glow and transform into two different beings. The Orange Gem had spikey yellow hair, an orange coat and dark red skin. The other Gem had pale white hair and skin, a white robe, black shot eyes as dark as ink and blood red irises. As they formed, the white Gem knelt before Diamond as the orange one began to stretch his limbs.
"Ugh, it's about time." Sunstone groaned as he bent his back. "What's up Master D? Good to see you're all better."
"Salve Domine!" Moonstone said to Diamond. "Quotiens possum serviturus sum nonne filio?"
"I hoped that I would not need your services, but there is the possibility that a G.E.R.M agent is residing inside this colony." Diamond explained to his servants. "I need you to assist Zirconia with keeping watch over the colony and locating the agent or agents if there are more."
"Magister eam desideretis!" Moonstone replied as she stood up from the floor.
"Yeah, don't sweat it Mr. D." Sunstone replied with a grin. "What's the cattle this time? Adashi? Kaleenians?"
"They are Humans." Diamond explained. "Rose has not yet regenerated and a human has stolen her powers. I am leaving to acquire her powers and hopefully, she will also lead me to Topaz."
"Oh man! I wish I was going with you!" Sunstone complained as he kicked the ground with his boot. "I would love to give that…er…whatever the fuck…um…they are…I wish I could give that…eh...thing a piece of my mind or…whatever."
"Oblivisceris fraternitas competit creare Topacius!" Moonstone said with a smirk. "Estis vos qui insidia bantur cum participatione fructibus sustulerat vetitisque?"
"Hey! Don't you judge me!" Sunstone barked to Moonstone as he walked up to her. "Don't tell me that there was not one day that you were curious about our "origins". I mean, they had Lapis jammed into a mirror, while I was used as a fucking shield, and then let's not forget what they used you for."
"Enough!" Diamond commanded as he placed a hand on the side of his head. "You both can have your squabbles after I leave. I should inform you though that Lapidis is now under my control and we will be acquiring Smaragdus as well. In addition to assisting Zirconia, I need you both to collect the Gems in the burning room and take them to the Agate factory to be processed, as well as a Gem named Howlite, who is in the chamber behind you. You will then send the Agates to Insidiae as soon as they are ready."
"Aye-Aye Boss!" Sunstone replied. "Speaking of Agates, is Peridot here? We could use her help with the Gemdroids, given her expertise with that kind of shit."
"No…" Diamond said coldly. "She is dealing with a different task at the moment."
"Huh…what a shame." Sunstone scoffed. "That sexbot would probably have this whole planet taken care of by the time you got back and have time to give me a good "old fashioned", am I right Mr. D?"
Diamond took a deep breath as he fought the urge to tear Sunstone to shreds. Instead turning away from the two siblings to calm himself.
"Yes…I am sure she would." Diamond growled with gritted teeth. "But for now, the both of you have a task to attend to, and I suggest you both get to it."
"Quod sic Magister." Moonstone nodded as she rushed off, startling Sunstone as he began to dash after her.
"YeahnoproblemmrDwe'llhandlethingshereyoutakecareofyourshitwhilewetakecareofthis!" Sunstone said as he dashed after Moonstone. "Wait for me you albino bitch!"
Diamond soon found himself alone once again in the chamber. He then sighed and began walking towards the exit of the chamber, still wondering what possessed him to choose such a pair of servants. He was then provided an answer as he felt a deep pulse emit within his chest.
[*]
Beach City Containment Camp, Labor District, present day.
[*]
A large section of Beach City was converted into a small work camp. Residents who are assigned here were divided into two groups: builders and collectors. The collectors were assigned to scavenge the ruins of Beach City for supplies or materials. They were also assigned with breaking apart buildings, cars and other objects into materials that could be used for construction, such as concrete or metal. They collected the fruit of their labor into large carts which were then transported to the builders for their use. The builders were assigned to building things for the colony, which at the moment was constructing a large wall around the colony. They used the materials that they collected for the construction. The Agates ensured cooperation and efficacy within the district as they did with the rest of the colony, dealing with those who refused to work of were too inefficient. As Lars was dropped down into the district, he was greeted by a red and black Agate with a gold colored head. It was obvious that this Agate was the overseer of the district.
"I requested to work here." Lars said with a hesitation. "I am here to "clean out any infestations"."
The Agate hovered in silence for several seconds, its head twitched as it spun its lens several times.
"Um…" Lars said as he began to move around the Agate, only for the machine to quickly block him, causing him to leap back in shock. "I said that I-"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" The Agate shouted at Lars, causing the young man to nearly jump out of his skin.
"Jesus Christ! What is your deal?" Lars yelled at the Agate, placing a hand over his chest and gasping in shock.
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" The Agate shouted again at Lars. "[ORGANIC…YOU ARE TRESPASSING WITHIN THE LABOR DISTRICT…THIS UNIT IS IDENTIFIED AS…OVERSEER…THIS UNIT IS THE OVERSEER OF THE LABOR DISTRICT…AND NOTHING ELSE…STATE YOUR PURPOSE ORGANIC.]"
"I just told you that I asked to work here today!" Lars replied as he held his arms up in defense. "You know, providing my services for the Master and-"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Lars, causing him to jump once more. "[THIS UNIT KNOWS WHY YOU ARE HERE ORGANIC…THIS UNIT WILL ESCORT YOU TO YOUR DESIGNATED WORK AREA…WHERE YOU WILL WORK EFFICIENTLY AND DILIGENTLY…AND NOTHING ELSE.]"
"Okay…?" Lars replied with a look of skepticism, only to yelp as the Agate grabbed him and began to move him around the district.
Lars looked around at the workers that he passed by, he saw the men women and children that were working to exhaustion. He then saw a woman fall to her hand and knees, collapsing to the ground entirely as a man approached her. As he tried to help her up, an Agate appeared before them. Before either of them could respond, the Agate lifted the woman off the ground and shot an eye beam through her chest. The man then fell to his knees and screamed as the Agate grabbed his neck with its other arm and snapped it. Lars watched in horror as the Agate flew away with the two bodies towards the water tower, all of this with no reaction from the workers. Lars then turned back forward, the thought of the woman caused him to think of Sadie, fearing that the latter would become the former.
Eventually, the Agate Overseer brought Lars before a large building, it appeared to be one of the old homes that dotted the city. The Agate then dropped Lars before it.
"Thanks for the lift, Big Guy." Lars said with a smirk. "So what task does the Master seek from me?"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Lars, who already prepared for said response. [YOU WILL GO WITHIN THE BUILDING AND RECEIVE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS…THIS UNIT WISHES TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS UNIT HAS DECEIVED YOU…THE ORGANIC KNOWN AS SADIE REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE.]
"Sadie…? Lars said blankly, his eyes widened in surprise as he pieced together what was going on: Sadie found Jamie and Sam, the remaining G.E.R.M agents, and they were planning to escape the colony. Lars was then brought back to reality as Overseer shoved Lars though the door.
"Hey! Cut that out!" Lars shouted at the Agate as he began to walk.
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the last three times." Lars replied.
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted. "[ASSHOLE!]"
[*]
As Lars entered the building, he watched as Overseer moved past him and up to a pair of dressers stacked on one another. The Agate then pushed them aside, revealing a trap door on the floor. Overseer then knocked on the door and opened it.
"[ENTER THIS DOORWAY ORGANIC.]" Overseer commanded as he floated out the entrance of the building. "[FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL LEAD TO…The INABILITY TO ENTER THE BUILDING.]"
As Lars hesitantly slid into the door, he slide down a metal slide and into a pile of mattresses. As he stood up and brushed himself off. He saw a small hallway up ahead, along with a metal doorway. Lars slowly approached the door and knocked on it. As he did, the center of the door opened up and Lars could see a pair of eyes looking back at him.
"Who the fuck are you?" The eyes asked in a gruff female voice. "Are you that boy Sadie asked for?"
"Uh…y-yeah?" Lars replied, unsure about what was happening. "Your Agate escorted me."
"….Yeah…He did…" The eyes said, closing the center of the door. "Gimmie a sec..."
Lars could hear several clicking noises behind the door, followed by a small hum. As the door opened, he was dragged into the doorway and held up to a wall by a tall woman with pale skin and yellow teeth who was wearing a trucker's cap.
"Hold still you little shit!" The woman growled as she held Lars to the wall and placed an S.A.B.E.R rifle barrel under his chin. "Let's see if you're insides are as yella as your fuck'en soul."
"Hey! Wha-What are you doing!" Lars shouted in protest. "I'm on your side!"
"Are ya now?" said a voice. "Cause a liddle birdy might say otherwise."
Lars looked and saw a man walk through a door on the other side of the room. He had brown hair a moustache and an eyepatch. Lars recognized him as Sam, a resident of Beach City and apparently, one of Nanafua's friends from G.E.R.M. As he approached Lars, two young persons were beside him, one was Jamie, the supposed apprentice to Nanafua, wearing a tattered mailman's uniform and holding a handgun towards Lars, and the other was Sadie who approached with a look of concern and confusion.
"Sam stop this, Lars didn't do anything." Sadie pleaded to Sam. "Lars may be a jerk, but that is no reason to kill him. He risked his life to save us several times in the past."
"You expect to believe this bullshit?" The woman holding Lars said as she tightened her grip. "I say we paint the wall with this little cocksucker's yeller brains and be dune with it. That's what Pa would've dune."
"Let him go Mavis." Sam replied as he rubbed his eye with his hand. "I want to have a talk to him before we do anything."
Mavis grunted before she released Lars. As he fell to the floor, Sadie approached him and helped him up.
"Lars, why are they calling you a traitor?" Sadie asked as she looked to Lars, noticing the look of tension in his eyes. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Lars said as he pulled away from Sadie, looking away while trying to act cool. "They're just jealous because I actually did something other than sit around in a hole and whine about the "good old days"."
"You mean like make a deal with Master Diamond?" Sam interjected.
Lars paused, he felt his stomach drop as he glared at the Agents and Sadie.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Lars replied, turning away from Sam and the rest.
"You know the S.A.B.E.R rifle that you used on Diamond? Well they are equipped with an audio receiver that we can use to intercept messages from solders and track stolen weapons." Jamie explained as he walked over to a nearby radio. "We heard everything, about your deal, about how you would to rat us out to Diamond in exchange for your own hide."
Sadie looked to Lars, backing away from him slowly in shock. She knew that Lars was deceptive, but not like this.
"Lars…how could you?" Sadie asked Lars, tears forming in her eyes. "You were willing to turn on us, on me, for yourself?"
It's not like that." Lars explained as he approached Sadie, who continued to back away from him. "I talked to Diamond shortly after you left for the Labor District, if I turn these guys in, we both could leave the colony."
"And what about the others?" Sadie asked, raising her hand into the air. "What about Fryman, and the Pizzas? Don't they matter too?"
"Ye-" Lars paused, choosing his words carefully before his friend and a group of heavily armed assholes who were currently pissed at him.
"Sadie, I'm sorry for lying about that" Lars said as he approached Sadie. "I just don't want to see you end up like Ronaldo. Besides, you don't really expect to win against a God and an army of aliens, do you? It's suicide."
As he reached out to Sadie to comfort her, the girl swatted Lars's hand away, an intense glare pierced through Lars like a metal rod through tissue paper. This was followed by a large slap in the face.
"I would rather die with the people I care about than leave them behind like a coward." Sadie shouted at Lars, tears streaming down her face. "All your life, you always wanted to take the easy way out of your troubles, have someone else take the fall for you. But this time you royally fucked up and now there is no way out. Which means that you will be helping us get every last person out of Beach City…"
Sadie grabbed a gun from a table and aimed it at Lars.
"…or you will die alone. Make your choice!"
Before Lars could object, there was a loud thud from the door. Mavis, Jamie and Sam turned towards and door and slowly approached it. Suddenly, the door swung open and Overseer shot into the room, in a tangle with a young girl with grey and black hair, a grey sweater, and a large ax in her hand. The two tussled around the room, knocking into a table as well as a couple walls.
"Let go of me!" the girl shouted as she tried to break free of Overseer's grip. "He's hurting me! Die Monster! DIE!"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted as he tightened his grip. [YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON G.E.R.M TERRITORY…WHICH THIS UNIT IS OVERSEEING…PLEASE EVACUATE OR THIS UNIT WILL CONTINUE TO RESTRAIN YOU.]"
"Overseer!" Sam shouted as he stood in front of the two. "Let her go. She's not one of them."
Overseer immediately stopped and released the girl, who fell onto her knees and gasped for air. Jamie and Sadie approached the girl and helped her up. Sadie then noticed the cracked Gem on the back of her left hand.
"You're a Gem." Sadie said to the girl. "Are you one of Diamond's servants?"
Right as she finished, the girl looked to Sadie with an intense glare. Sadie could feel the rage and hair emit from the girl as she stared at Sadie.
"What did you say to me?" the Gem hissed at Sadie, walking up to her until she was inches away from her face. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY? SAY IT AGAIN! SAY IT LIAR!"
Howlite grabbed the front of Sadie's shirt with her hand and pulled her closer. Sam, Jamie and Mavis dashed up to a gun rack and pulled off two S.A.B.E.R rifles, aiming them at the Gem. Lars just stood where he was, dumbstruck at what had happened, not at what was happening now, but the idea that Sadie, his closest friend and the girl he loved, had just aimed a gun at him.
"Put down the girl, Gem." Sam commanded the cracked Gem.
"Don't do anything stupid." Jamie added in.
"Calling us a slave to the Monster is stupid." She replied, still holding her grip on Sadie, who noticed the tears forming in her captor's eye. "The things Monster did to us…to our kind…to…to La…Lapis…He's killing her…he…he raped her…just like...he did to…to…"
"…me…."
The Gem dropped both Sadie and her Ax, falling onto the floor and sobbing loudly. Sam and the agents lowered their weapons, looking to each other in confusion at what was happened.
"Overseer, where did this Gem come from?" Sam asked the Agate.
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted. "[THIS GEM IS KNOWN AS HOWLITE…THIS GEM IS A SOLDER OF MASTER TOPAZ…THIS UNIT HAD LOCATED THE GEM WITHIN THE TEMPLE…THIS UNIT THEN BROUGHT THE GEM HERE TO BE QUESTIONED.]"
"Wait a minute…" Sadie said as she stood up. "You were able to get into the temple and get out undetected?"
"Of course." Jamie interjected. "That's why we have him in the first place. He can get to places we can't, such as the Agate factory and even the temple, and the other Agates are none the wiser."
"I can see that." Sadie said as he looked to Overseer, who responded with "[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]". "But how did you do this? I mean, how did you manage to convert an Alien machine like this?"
"Actually, the story behind that is quite interesting." Sam explained as he pulled out a cigar and took a few puffs. "Apparently, this Agate is an incredably old model that protected a temple that belonged to the Gemians, however, it was destroyed by a couple of Gems that attacked said temple a couple months ago. They brought it here to be repaired and fitted with a new Gem."
"The best part is that it's not even powered by an actual Gem." Mavis interjected with a chuckle. "It's powered by a fuckin bag of….Chaaaaps! Can you fucken believe that?"
"Chaaaaps?" Sadie asked with a look of confusion. "That actually works?"
"Yep." Sam replied with another puff of his cigar. "It seems the Agates found a bag of that crap and though it was a Gem. You know for a supposed superior warriors, they aren't that bright. I mean, they were more of a menace back in the day then how they are now."
"It's the intelligence." Lars interjected as he approached the group. Sadie, Mavis, and Jamie gave a look of suspicion as the young man approached Overseer.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Mavis asked. "What intelligence?"
"When I last talked to Diamond, he mentioned that he developed the Agates with some sort of computer. He said that it "had the knowledge of a whole race" and that he was in love with it. It was really strange."
"Perhaps we could have Overseer enter the Temple and steal the intelligence." Sadie said to the group. "Perhaps the controller to the Agates with it in our hands-"
"[THAT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE.]" Overseer interjected. "[THE INTELLIGENCE HAS BEEN MOVED OFF THE PLANET…IT IS BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE FROM THE INTELLIGENCE THAT THE OTHER UNITS ARE LACKING IN LOGICAL PROCESSING…WITHOUT A STEADY CONNECTION TO THE INTELLIGENCE…IT WILL TAKE THE UNITS LONGER TO PROCESS TACTICS AND COMMANDS.]"
"So what about you?" Mavis said to Overseer. "How come you are not like 'em?"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Mavis. "[THE INTELLIGENCE NEEDS TO LOCK ONTO THIS UNIT'S CORE PROCESS TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION…THE USE OF A SYNTHETIC CORE COMPOSED FROM PROCESSED ORGANIC MATERIAL BLOCKS THE SIGNAL USED TO CONTROL THIS UNIT, WHILE THE ORGANIC INTERIOR OF THE CORE PROVIDES POWER...WITHOUT A CONNECTION…THIS UNIT APPEARED TO HAVE DEVELOPED INDEPENDENT SENTIENCE]"
"So the bag of Chaaaaps is providing you a personality and a core?" Sadie asked. "And that means you're not controlled by Diamond or his "intelligence".
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Sadie. "[CORRECT …BECAUSE OF THIS…THIS UNIT IS UNABLE TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE INTELLIGENCE AND WILL OBEY COMMANDS FROM ORGANICS….IN ADDITION…THE INTELLIGENCE WILL ONLY DETECT A DISTURBANCE SUCH AS THIS IF A LARGE MASS OF UNITS WERE TO BECOME ROGUE LIKE THIS UNIT.]"
"Alright, this has been helpful so far." Sam said as he move over to a table. On the table was a map of the entire city, several areas of the map were marked with red circles while several areas were marked with red "X". "So will you be able to enter the temple without any issues?"
"[DISREGARD THIS UNIT'S PRESENCE!]" Overseer shouted at Sam. "[AFFIRMATIVE…THIS UNIT HAS ACCESS TO THE ENTIRETY OF THE COLONY…THIS INCUDES THE TEMPLE DISTRICT AND AGATE FACTORY.]"
Howlite stood up at them mention of the temple and approached the group.
"I know about that." Howlite interjected. "There's a warp pad inside the temple. But only a Gem with proper permission from…him...could use it, unless you had a warp whistle. "
"Gotcha covered" Sadie said as she pulled out a warp whistle from her pocket. "Steven gave this to me a long time ago. I hid this from the Agates before they caught us. It should allow us to use the warp pad. But we need to establish a link to it first."
"Then it's settled." Sam said as he looked up from the map. "We make preparations, and then we begin our plan to escape the city."
[*]
The hours past as if they were mere minutes as the Agents, Agate and Gem discussed, argued, and planned out their escape. As they debated over alternative escape routes. Sadie turned to see Lars, sitting on a table and looking off to the distance. She then approached him, sitting beside him on the table.
"So…the others are planning to escape soon." Sadie said awkwardly, fidgeting with her hands. "We made contact with the other residents, and they plan to aid with a distraction while we make our escape."
"…and then what after that?" Lars replied blankly. "What do we do? Do we just keep running away from them…from Diamond? You know he'll just hunt us down. Who knows what he'll do to us when he finds us."
"Don't say that!" Sadie shouted at Lars. "You can't just believe that. We can win this if we work together. Just like the Gems did, that's how they were able to escape."
Lars turned to Sadie, she could see his eyes were bloodshot from crying.
"Sadie, we're not Gems." Lars explained with a sniffle. "We can't do the things they can. Hell, the guy who runs all this, he is one of their creators. We aren't fighting a Gem, we're fighting a fucking God of those Gems. Not to mention an army of robots made from Gems. How are we supposed to win against that?"
"I don't know." Sadie said as she looked to the floor. "But I'd rather die swinging my fist than a pickax anyday."
Lars scoffs lightly as a smile grew on his face. He looked to his hands and studied the cuts and calluses upon them again.
"Sadie…remember when we were on the island?" Lars said as he touched his palms. "Remember what I asked you when I thought we would never return home."
"Yeah…" Sadie replied as she looked to Lars.
"I asked you that because when I am with you…" Lars looked to Sadie, fresh tears were forming in her eyes. "I forget how lonely I truly am. All this time, you cared about me, even though I was a complete asshole."
Sadie grabbed Lars's hand and held it within hers. "Of course I did. I mean, we've been friend since we were kids. I know you're more than that."
Lars sniffled as Sadie brought him into a hug. She could feel Lars sobbing into her shoulder, warm tears beginning to dampen her clothing. As Lars pulled away, he looked to her with an expression of guilt and shame.
"I…I'm so sorry Sadie." Lars said between sobs. "I never meant to betray you…I just…I wanted you to be safe…I…"
Lars was stopped by the sensation of a pair of lips upon his. Lars then realized those lips belonged to Sadie, his co-worker from The Big Doughnut, who stood by him through thick and thin, though good times and bad, who no matter how many times he screwed up, she stood by him and helped him. As he felt the lips part his, he saw the warm smile of Sadie before him. Her eyes sparkling like Diamonds.
"I know…" Sadie replied as she held his hands. "…and I forgive you."
Lars smiled as he leaned forward, resting his forehead on Sadie's. The two grinned as they felt the fire of their friendship and passion rekindle and become something grand. Suddenly, the two lovebirds were interrupted by the said of a throat clearing as the due looked to see Sam, Mavis, Jamie, Howlite, and Overseer looking upon them.
"If I'm not interrupting anything, we have a plan to discuss." Sam said with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "…and I assume that Mr. Lars is now participating as well?"
Lars stood up and approached the gun rack and pulled off an S.A.B.E.R rifle from it. As he spun the barrel and charged it, he looked to the group with a glare of anticipation and gave a smug grin.
"Well you tell me?" Lars replied. "What's can Player's One and Two do for you?"
[*]
Beach City Containment Camp, Resident District, three days later.
[*]
In the following three days, word began to spread quickly within the camps that a resistance movement was in motion. In the days that passed, there were unconfirmed reports from the Agates that supplies and tools were beginning to decline rapidly. In addition, the workers in the labor district and Agate Factory were reported to have decreased in their work performance and had been sighted speaking in small groupings before returning to their labors. Eventually, Zirconia, Sunstone and Moonstone decided to figure out what was going on. Master Diamond would return any day now and the G.E.R.M Agents had not been located. In addition, word from Agate scouts reported that the military encampment on the border of the colony was communicating with an unknown party, possibly the Agents. The Residents watched as Zirconia stepped up to the podium along with her twin stones and two Agates.
"Attention Humans, there has been a new decree by the Master!" Zirconia shouted to the people, instructing them to approaching her to listen to her message. However, as she looked to the crowd, she noticed that something was off. In the entire time she was here, there was a young man with curly hair and large ear piercings, and a portly blond alongside him. Neither of them were in sight. They could be dead, but then the Agates would have reported their demise. Perhaps they…no…
Zirconia felt the blood in her body boil at the thought of two humans escaping her grasp. However, when she looked to the human's before her, she composed herself and continued to address them.
"The Master decrees the humans named "Lars" and "Sadie" are criminals and are to be acquired for questioning." Zirconia explained to the crowd. "If anyone of you have information regarding the whereabouts of these criminals, please, inform a Agate immediately. This is for your own safety."
"They're criminals?" A voice shouted from the crowd. "What's their crime?"
Zirconia looked into the crowd and saw a lone man glaring right at her, it was Fryman, only he looked scruffier than the last time he stood up to a Gem.
"Stand down Human." Zirconia called out to Fryman. "I though the death of your cellular spawn would have been enough to silence you."
As Fryman stood there, not moving a muscle, suddenly Kofi stood up beside him, then Jenny with her sister Kiki, alongside them was Sour Cream, Jenny, Kiki, Mayor Dewy and his son Buck, all of the residents were standing before Zirconia and the Gems alongside her. She then noticed that Fryman was holding a large pipe in his hands.
"You know, I think we all deserve a little vacation after all the shit you put all of us through." Fryman shouted as he addressed the crowd beside him. "Don't we "residents"?"
The crowd shouted as they brandished various tools and bottles of orange powder. As an Agate approached the crowd, a bottle smashed into the Gemdroid's head, blowing the Agate up in a fiery explosion.
"Fire salts" Sunstone shouted as he and Moonstone summoned their weapons. "The fuck did a group of primates get fire salt?"
[*]
"Alright, so let's go over the plan once more: First thing we need to do is arm the residents." Sam said as he pointed to the residence district on the map. "While they will be able to use basic tools, Mavis was able to smuggle in several jugs of fire salts that we had since the old days."
"Yeah, don't remind me." Mavis groaned as he adjusted her pants. "Do you know how hard it was to get twelve jugs of fire salts past those fucking bolt-bags? I'm still feeling the after effects."
"Point taken. "Sam nodded and then looked back to the group. "So we will give these to several of the the residents and when Zirconia comes to inform the people, then they will attack the Agates in the residential district…
[*]
The townspeople of Beach City began to throw bottle after bottle of fire salts at the Agates as they began to attack the crowd. Blowing up several of the machines before they were able to even fire their eye beams.
"Do something!" Zirconia shouted to Moonstone. "Where are the others? There should be more Agates than this!"
[*]
Beach City Containment Camp, Agate Factory, present day.
[*]
"…then while the residents are distracting the Gems, Overseer will go to the factory, steal the Gems, free the residents inside, and then blow up the factory with a jar of fire salt to the furnace…"
The factory was set up within the city hall, composed of several humans forced to build Agates out of provided parts and Gems. The humans were enforced to work by several Agates. As they worked, the humans saw a black and red Agate approach the main assembly line. Little did they know that this particular Agate was known as Overseer, the Agate Gemdroid with a heart of…eh…Chaaaps?
As he floated around the factory, he eventually approached a large metal box. When Overseer opened the box, he saw that the box was filled with Gems of different shape, color, and size. Overseer picked up a green spherical Gem and examined it.
"[GEMS HAVE BEEN LOCATED…THIS UNIT WILL NOW PROCEED TO STEAL THEM FROM THE FACTORY…AS WELL AS ASSIST IN THE EVACUATION OF THE ORGANICS WITHIN THE FACTORY…WHICH THIS UNIT WILL THEN DESTROY WITH A BOTTLE OF FIRE SALTS TO THE FURNACE.]"
Overseer then pulled out a sac and started to stuff the Gems into the bag. As Overseer finished emptying the box, he turned around to see two Agates before him.
"[SCANNING…AGATE OVERSEER IDENTIFIED…ERROR: GEM NOT RECOGNIZED…ERROR 511: GEM NOT RECOGNIZED IN DIRECTORY…GEM NOT RECOGNIZED.]"
"[GREETINGS UNITS 3242659 AND 2154432.]" Overseer greeted the Agates. "[THIS UNIT WAS TASKED BY MASTER DIAMOND WITH EVACUATING THE WORKERS AND SECURING THE CRYSTALS…AND SURELY NOT ASSISTING THE REBELLING ORGANICS…HAIL MASTER DIAMOND.]"
The two Agates looked to each other and then back to Overseer.
"[UNDERSTOOD UNIT…ERROR 511: GEM NOT RECOGNIZED IN DIRECTORY…GEM NOT RECOGNIZED…PROCEED WITH EVACUATION OF THE FACILITY…THIS UNIT WILL RELEASE THE ORGANICS AS REQUESTED…PRAISE MASTER DIAMOND.]"
Overseer nodded as he hauled the bag over his shoulder and floated above the door, watching as the humans quickly ran from the factory. As soon as the last human left the factory, Overseer floated over to the Agates.
"[MASTER DIAMOND HAS ANOTHER ORDER.]" Overseer lied as he pulled out a bottle of fire salts and handed it to the Agates. "[THROW THIS BOTTLE OF FIRE SALTS INTO THE FURNACE…IT WILL ENSURE THAT THE FACTORY IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY…AND WILL NOT CAUSE IT TO EXPLODE AND HINDER MASTER DIAMOND'S ARMY…HAIL MASTER DIAMOND.]"
The Agates looked to each other and then grabbed the bottle. Overseer then flew away from the factory, looking back as the building suddenly blew up in a large fireball.
"[THIS UNIT NEVER REALIZED HOW INCOMPETENT THE UNITS WERE WITHOUT THE INTELLIGENCE WITHIN PROXIMITY.]" Overseer commented as he looked over to the Temple in the distance.
[*]
Beach City Containment Camp, Resident District, present day.
"Do something!" Zirconia shouted to Moonstone. "Where are the others? There should be more Agates than this!"
"Dominum Adamas praebere praecepit me mittere cui maior pars jaspidem propugnacula tua residente est insĭdĭae." Moonstone explained to the white haired Gem before her. "Debent iam esset non haberis iam. Adamas revocaveris facto certiore impossibile esset quod Dominus."
Just then, they heard a loud roar followed by the sight of a small explosion in the distance. Zirconia eyes widened as she realized that the explosion came from the factory district.
"Fuck…Mister D is gonna be pissed when he gets back." Sunstone said with a small chuckle as he watched the human beat upon the Agates with tools and fire salt bombs. "Remember how mad he was after Pearl killed Rose? Just imagine how mad he will be after all of this."
"Then don't just stand there, stop them!" Zirconia shouted at the two Gems beside her. As they were ready to pounce into the blitz before them, they were intercepted by several shots from their left.
"Autem Pedicabo…?" Moonstone shouted as she dodged a blast, noticing that the attack was more or a sonic burst. As she and the others noticed several humans standing before them. Humans known as Sam, Jamie, and Mavis, each holding a shining S.A.B.E.R rifle in their hands.
[*]
"…in the meantime, Jamie, Mavis and myself will attack the main Gems with the S.A.B.E.R rifles, and given that there is the possibility that Diamond hasn't returned yet, this won't be too much of a problem…"
"Hey! There are the agents Diamond wanted us to find." Sunstone commented with a smile. "We found them. Boy, we're good at this finding shit."
Moonstone growled in frustration as she summoned her white wings and shot into the air, Sunstone quickly summoned a pair of flaming wings and followed his sister. Soon, the two were flying around, dodging sonic blasts and trying to swoop down and strike at the agents below. Zirconia watched this until her attention was diverted by the sight of a young man with curly hair and large ear piercings running towards the temple.
"You…" Zirconia hissed as she ran in his direction. Dodging both Agate and human as she charged head on towards the temple.
[*]
Steven's House, Interior, present day
[*]
Lars charged through the door and saw the warp pad and approached it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a warp whistle, while this looked like the one that Sadie had at the start of all this, this whistle was pink in color.
[*]
"…this warp pad was modified by Rose Quartz to be used by humans as well as Gems, but to use it, we will need to connect a warp whistle to it…"
Lars sighed as he crouched down and touched the warp pad with the whistle, as soon as he did, the whistle started to hum lightly. As Lars stood up and turned around, he saw Zirconia standing before him, a rage filled grin on her face.
"Nice try human, but you can't escape me." Zirconia said as she summoned her katars. "You should've taken the Master's deal, but I guess you have all the time to think about that while you and your friends are being flayed alive."
Lars scoffed as he put the whistle in his pocket and prepared himself. Zirconia took no hesitation as she pounced at her opponent, crashing into her and smashing through the gem door in the back. The two tussled into the heart chamber as Zirconia pushed Lars off, but as she stood up, she noticed that her hands were covered in a tan colored powder. She then looked down and noticed that her clothing was covered in the dust as well.
"What is this…? Zirconia said as she looked up to Lars, noticing that large patches of his skin were grey in color and the left side of his face had a large crack on the side. She then noticed that his left hand had a cracked silver gem.
"YOU!" Zirconia shouted as she charged at "Lars", the latter ducking below the white-haired Gem and punching her in the gut. As Zirconia fell to the floor and wheezed, she looked up and saw Lars turn into Howlite.
"Wow, Monster really fucked up when making you, didn't he?" Howlite chuckled as she brandished her ax.
[*]
"...This is where you come in Howlite, you will enter the temple disguised as Lars and acquire the charge for the whistle, and it will be likely you will be seen by Zirconia or her cronies, so your disguise will have her lower her guard."
"Okay…" Howlite replied with a nod. "But let's not forget that Lars isn't grey skinned or had a large crack on her face. How are you gonna deal with that?"
Sam smiled. "The same way Jamie hides his pimples."
"Aw dude…not in front of the lady." Jamie complained, much to the humor of his comrades.
"No worried Jamie." Mavis reassured the young man. "I got something for you anyway…"
[*]
Zirconia stood up and quickly threw a katar at Howlite, only for the cracked Gem to deflect it with her ax and pounce at the Gem, who summoned another pair and used them to block the ax attack. As Howlite brought her weight into the ax while Zirconia used all her might to push back the attack. Zirconia watched as the blade of the ax suddenly slid back, pushing the weight in her favor and allowing her to attempt to parry the weapon out of Howlite's hands. But as she did so, Howlite let go of the ax and quickly summoned another one. By the time Zirconia realized what had happened, Howlite had already dropped the ax over Zirconia's left arm, cutting the limb clean off.
Zirconia screamed as she fell to the floor, clenching the stump of her arm as it gushed greyish blue blood, she then looked up to see Howlite towering over her.
"Go ahead, do it!" Zirconia sputtered. "What are you waiting for? FINISH IT!"
Howlite smiled as she de-brandished her ax and started to walk away, but not before she summoned a large box of papers and tossed them down the pit below the Crystal Heart. One of the pictures landed next to Zirconia.
"Wh-where are you going?" Zirconia asked as she tried to stand up, only to slip on her blood and tumble over. "Your letting me live? Finish me off! You can't just leave me like this!"
"Yeah…I can…" Howlite replied as she walked toward the door to the house stopping at the door to look back at Zirconia. "…and when he sees what I dropped down that shaft, you will wish that I did."
As Howlite exited the doorway, Zirconia looked at the scrap of paper that fell next to her. She saw a crude drawing of a smiling Howlite holding Master Diamond's bloody head in one hand and a bloody ax in the other, with the words "I did a good thing!" over her in bright red letters.
[*]
As Howlite stepped onto the balcony of the building, she was greeted by the sight of Lars and Sadie, armed with a pickax and a pistol respectfully. Behind them was a small group of Beach City Residents, mainly Fryman, Sour Cream and Buck Dewey with his father riding piggyback, and the Pizza family. Overseer then floated towards the crows, following by the G.E.R.M Agents Sam, Jamie and Mavis, who was clutching the left side of her torso as she limped along.
"You have the whistle?" Sam said as he approached the cracked Gem. "Cause that's our only way out of here and we only got one shot at this."
"Yeah, got it right here." Howlite whipped out the whistle. "But what's gonna stop them from following us?"
"Easy…" Sam motioned for Jamie, who was carrying a large backpack and opened it, pulling out a large jug of fire salt with a jug of cyan fluid attached, with a small knob attached in the center.
"We learned back in the day that if you mix Gem repair fluid and fire salts, the result is as effective as thermite." Sam explained. "However, there is one problem…"
Before he could continue, the group heard a shriek and saw Moonstone and Sunstone in the sky, as well as a large group of Agates with them.
"[WARNING: INCOMING GEMS AND AGATE UNITS]" Overseer shouted as he pointed into the sky. [THIS UNIT RECOMMENDS TO [ASSHOLE] EVACUATE AS QUICK AS [ASSHOLE]-ING POSSIBLE.]"
"There they are!" Sunstone shouted. "Get 'em!"
"K...all…tim!" Moonstone shouted in what was apparently a sour attempt at English.
As the Agates began to swarm down, the Agents began to pick them off with their rifles, all the while, Lars, Sadie and Howlite helped escort the residents and Overseer inside the house. As soon as the least one was inside, Lars and Sadie turned to the Agents.
"Come on!" Sadie shouted to the Agents as they fired at the Agates and Gems above them. "We gotta go!"
"Sorry sweetheart, but we have a code in G.E.R.M…" Sam shouted as he spun his rifle barrel. "…kill the Gems or die trying.
"Now get going!" Sam commanded as he handed the bomb to Sadie. "We'll handle it from here."
Sadie stood there for a minute, looking at the bomb in her hands and then to Jamie, the young mailman turned solder, then to Mavis, who was leaning and bleeding on the balcony while she was firing on the incoming Agates. She then was brought to her senses by Lars, who escorted her into the door, looking back at the three agents he once tried to sell out.
"Alright maggots, listen up!" Sam shouted as he fired on the Agates. "Not one of these fuckers gets in the house. Understood, we go the way of Ganga: with guns firing! Now are you with me?"
"Yes sir!" Jamie shouted as he fired his rifle at an Agate. "It's been a privilege to serve with you all, and Mavis, thanks for the pre-battle fuck."
"Hey, you deserve to die as a true man!" Mavis grunted as she fired her rifle, clipping an Agate which crashed into the side of the temple. "Now let's man up and ship 'em out. For Nanafua!"
As the three fired at the Agates, it is believed that they shouted a phrase at their assailants.
"DE SIDERUM FETUS URUNTQUE!"
[*]
As they shut the door behind them, Howlite quickly grabbed a small table and propped it against the door. As they approached the warp pad, Howlite pulled out the warp whistle and blew into it. As she did, the warp pad came to life.
"Everyone go now!" Sadie shouted as she gestured to the warp pad. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you."
One by one, the residents were quickly escorted into the warp pad, followed by Oversser. Eventually, there was only Lars, Sadie and Howlite.
"Where did you send them?" Howlite asked Sadie. She then looked back to the hallway to the heart chamber, which was lacking a certain bloody Gem.
"They should go to an island that Lars and I went to a long time ago." Sadie explained to the cracked Gem.
"Good." Howlite replied as she looked to the warp pad. "After I take you over there, I'll go to the old Tribunal Temple. I believe that some refugees from a Gem Colony are residing there. With any luck, that "Furem" and the Gems that Monster is looking for will be there."
"Alright, now to arm this bomb and get the hell out of here." Lars said as he approached the warp pad with the bomb in his hands. "With all due respect though, I only wish that I took one of those rifles though, they're kinda cool."
Just then, Lars felt a droplet hit his face, as he wiped it off his face, he looked at his hand and saw a grey smear on his hand.
"What the…?" Lars said before he heard a light thud from behind him, followed by a sharp pain in his back as a blade shot through it. This brought the attention to Howlite and Sadie, who turned to see Lars with a one-armed Zirconia behind him.
"You see what you have brought upon yourselves?" Zirconia said with a hysterical tone. "Now you all will die here!"
"No…" Lars muttered with a cough. "…It'll just be the both of us!"
Lars then charged back and pinned Zirconia to the wall next to the warp pad, shifting his weight to hold the weakened Gem back.
"What are you doing?" Zirconia shouted as she tried to break free. "Is this supposed to stop me?"
"No…" Lars strained as he looked to Sadie. "…but this will."
Sadie and Howlite watched as Lars then gripped the bomb in his hand and placed his hand around the knob in the center, twisting it three times.
"LARS!" Sadie shouted as she charged at the Gem, only for Howlite to stop her. "LARS NO! PLEASE!"
"Sadie, I'm sorry for everything, and…." Lars said as he looked to the worried girl before her.
"…I love you…"
"Lars…no..." Sadie said as Howlite began to pull her into the warp pad. As soon as they were in, the two quickly vanished. Leaving Lars and Zirconia alone with the bomb.
"You can't possibly think this will change anything?" Zirconia growled as she struggled to break free, he remaining arm pinned by Lar's back and the wall. "Your race is doomed, this changes nothing!"
"Well then…" Lars said with a smile as he grabbed the knob to the bomb. "Perhaps you need to see us in a much more…"productive area."
And with that, Lars pulled the knob out of the bomb, watching as the fire salt and Gem fluid mix into a purple liquid. In that instant, the bomb turned white and it turned warm in his hands, exploding into a blinding light. As Lars felt his body turn numb and hear the scream from the Gem behind him, he felt the world around him turn dark.
In that instant, the last sight he saw was the face of Sadie, knowing that she would be safe from Diamond. In the end he won and with that, he felt peace.
"Farewell Player 2…" Lars thought to himself as the world around him faded. "…Player 1 signing out."
[*]