"You are workforce gems created to serve under the kingdoms of the Four Diamond authorities. You are to work constantly and without opinion or emotions in regard to your work. All labor must be finished orderly, timely, and most importantly, PERFECT! Any work that is less than favorable will result in the extermination of the gem or gems responsible for the poor labor quality and will be replaced immediately. Areas of work where you will be placed vary and no exact branch of work is guaranteed, so don't count on any one location or field of labor."
Complete silence as the sound of boots ceased.
"You rejects should consider yourselves very lucky to be allowed to live and serve the Four Great Diamonds in anyway possible. Consider it a second chance at bettering the community and having some worth to the almighty Diamonds."
Another pause.
"Now, take them away."
Pearl watched as a large, red colored gem with a robe draped over her shoulder walked off stage followed by two larger green gems in amour.
She looked around.
She was standing in a crowd of gems of all different kinds; most with dead, hollow looks on their faces that stared blankly ahead. Everybody was packed together tightly with hardly any space to move with their hands bound in white, metal-like handcuffs that covered and held their wrists and hands in place. The air was hot and sticky and Pearl shivered in disgust when she felt the breathes of the gems behind her hit the nape of her neck. She had been brought to this small cramp room after being transported from a cell in a large, institutional building of some sort. Irritation began to set in as she craved for the spaciousness of her empty cell. She had no idea what was going on or why.
Several gems of various colors with weapons opened the doors in the back of the room Pearl and the rest of the captive gems had used earlier to enter through, "Alright! Move it! MOVE IT!"
When the crowd didn't move, whether out of fear or possible mental deficiency, the gems with weapons began attacking the crowd and forcing the captive gems out. Out of fear, Pearl didn't move at first, but as the crowd of gems behind started pushing and shoving her to move, she reluctantly proceeded forward. Her eyes shot around in a panicked state, trying her best to be as unnoticeable as possible and cover up her fear as they shuffled closer the doors where the other gems, the cruel ones with weapons, were waiting with malicious grins.
They were staring right at her, she was taller than most of the other gems in the crowd. She crouched and ducked her head a bit to make herself as small as possible to better blend in. She jumped and covered her face with her cuffed hands when she heard a guttural cry of pain come from a small purple gem that was no longer standing beside her. The unfortunate gem was stuck down by one of the weapons as they passed through the doors and was now being tortured for what looked like fun by the other gems. Pearl used this chance to move forward more hastily to avoid detection.
The crowd had walked down a long hall before reaching another set of large double doors where two guards with weapons drawn were waiting. They open the door and sunlight flooded in. Pearl covered her eyes, but still moved blindly forward with all the others.
Pearl couldn't remember the last time she was outside. It had been so long, she had nearly forgotten the feeling of warmth from sun. Fresh air filled her nostrils as a strong gust of wind hit against her. It was relieving and anxiety inducing at the same time. Somewhere burned into her mind, she knew she shouldn't be outside, but it was so refreshing that she couldn't help but lavish in the feeling. She had been locked up in a cell for heavens know how long.
It was just procedure, though. It was how they broke weaker and defective gems. They would lock them away, take away all interaction and stimulation, and injury or kill any one who dared to defy protocol. Pearl had only managed to stay relatively safe and sane by keeping to herself and doing whatever was told of her.
"GO! GO! GO! MOVE IT!" Pearl heard a gruff voice yell from somewhere behind her as she continued to be forced to move forward by the crowd.
She hadn't even noticed the transportation vehicles waiting for them at the far end of the barricaded courtyard until she was sectioned off in a group that boarded one. She quickly huddled over in one corner of the vehicle as her group was piled in. It only took a moment for everyone to be loaded in and the doors to be slammed shut. She waited desperately and with fleeting hope as the vehicle started up and drove off.
Where?
She had no clue. All she knew was that it was apparently some place where she would work without end until she was no longer needed.
Depression began to set in and she slumped against the corner where she was curled up. Her body felt weak and a dark, hollowness found it's way in the pit of her stomach. She glanced around, trying to find any sort of hope among her fellow captive gems, but there was none to be found. Everyone just stared emptily with blank expressions. They didn't appear to be in any distress at all or even cared about what was going on.
The vehicle traveled a ways before it finally stopped. The doors were opened again and captive gems were corralled out in front of a large, dark colored building.
Pearl was in shock at first when she exited the vehicle and looked around. What she saw was nearly unbelievable!
Gems! Gems everywhere! Walking about freely, talking to each other, entering and exiting buildings of their own free will. They were all going about life as if everything was some casual day, as if her and the captive gems didn't exist in that moment, as she stood there in handcuffs. The sight was unfathomable. Mix feelings swirled around in Pearl's chest as she looked on.
"Hey! Keep moving or do I have to teach you a lesson?" Pearl only heard the voice as a whip with several, golden lashes that ended with black stones lashed out near her feet, barely missing her and tearing several lines in the white, stone ground.
Pearl was startled and tripped backwards. A large gray colored gem with golden hair approached her with a menacing smile.
"Aww, I missed," the gem glared at Pearl.
Pearl's eyes widened with fear. She tried to scurry backwards and away from the gem, but the gem was already in front of her.
"Well, I'll make sure to get a direct hit this time," the gem said as she reeled her arm back with her whip in hand.
Pearl felt her whole being go cold as she recoiled into herself on the ground.
"Nuummite!" Pearl heard a voice and felt no pain.
"Hurry up and get inside!" another more petite gem walked out the large, dark building that was behind Pearl, catching Nuummite's attention and stopping her before she had a chance to attack.
"Sorry, Galena. I was just taking care of a straggler," Nuummite apologized with a malevolent tone about her voice as she turned her attention from Galena back to Pearl.
"And stop killing all of the workers. How the hell is any work suppose to get done around here if you keep killing them all!" Galena yelled at Nuummite.
Nuummite scoffed, "buzz kill."
Pearl remained completely still, not daring to move or even risk a peek at who ever Galena was.
"Get up! What are you still cowering for? She didn't even strike you," Galena scowled.
Pearl didn't move at first, but as her mind raced, she realized that it would be a more foolish idea to not move than to move. Slowly, she forced her shaking arms and legs to move her off the ground and stand.
"Ha! Look at that face!" Nuummite laughed as she brought a hand to rest on her hip.
Galena pulled out a card like object and held it over Pearl's handcuffs. A small square on the top of the card flashed red three times and then green as odd, green lines ran across Pearl's handcuffs. The lines popped the handcuffs open and they fell to the ground with a thud.
"Get going before I do have this brute get rid of you," Galena growled at Pearl as she motion towards Nuummite.
Pearl didn't hesitate to listen to the silver gem that was apparently named Galena. She moved unsteadily towards the building and entered.
As soon as she entered, she saw that the building was actually a factory. The other captive gems from her group were already hard at work.
She stood dumbfounded at first; not knowing what to do, but then a familiar, stern voice came from beside her.
"You will work in that section over there. You will build whatever blue prints are given to you and shall finish a complete set by sundown. Failure to do so will result in having you replaced," Galena said coldly.
Pearl looked at Galena for a second. She studied her face and saw the dark bags under her eyes and the wrinkles on the corners of her lips from wearing a constant frown. Galena's cold, blue eyes moved to glance down at Pearl and Pearl took that as a sign to get moving.
She walked over to her assigned station and saw a rolled up paper already waiting for her. Pearl picked it up and unrolled it. It was a blue print for some kind of war-like device. With a troubled look on her face, she tried to read the blue prints, but she no idea how to build it.
Pearl moved the blue print down and turned around in her station to see a conveyer belt carrying of all sorts of material in the center of the room. She looked back to the blue print and then to the conveyer belt again.
Reluctantly, she began to try and built the device on the blue print.
Pearl glanced out the windows far above her with sweat dripping down her face. The sun was beginning to set.
Her eyes moved down to her work. Though it had taken multiple attempts and much frustration, she had managed to figure out how to build the device and finish her set.
She looked down at her hands. They were bruised and riddled with stinging cuts.
She used the back of her forearm to wipe the sweat from her brow, smearing dirt and grease on her face.
"Evaluation of worker 3648192."
Pearl turned to see Galena standing in front of her station with another orange colored gem standing beside her with a clipboard.
The orange gem rushed over to the devices Pearl had built and examined them. She wrote something on her clipboard as she looked over Gelena, "impeccable work, actually. Not a single flaw in the design."
"Good," was Galena's only response at first.
"Looks like you get to live another day. Give her the next blue print," Galena said as she fixated rigid eyes on Pearl.
She turned and began to walk off, "I expect a set by sunrise."
The orange gem quickly handed Pearl a new blue print and rushed after Galena.
An unsettled look crossed Pearl's face as she watched them go and unrolled the blue print. Distress quickly took over as she noticed that the blue print was for another device more complex than the last.
"I was barely able to finish the last device…" She whispered to herself.
She glanced back to the window and saw that it was nighttime. She had even less time to figure out and build this new, more difficult device.
The same depression she had felt early began to settle in once again as stress tighten the muscles in her neck. She brought a hand to cover her face as she heard the sounds of all the other gems working. She moved her hand away and saw gems moving back and forth from the conveyer belt in the center of the room like clockwork, like machines. They all still carried those dead-faced expression, their eyes devoid of life.
Pearl felt tears burning in her eyes and a odd sound caught in the back of her throat. Her heart raced as realization began to set in.
This was it. She was what she going to become. A lifeless slave forced to work until her death. A hollow shell of a gem and no one would ever even know or care.
A/N: Woof! What a chapter to write. The reason I released two chapters today is due to the fact that both of the chapters were originally meant to be one, but I decided to instead split it up. I'm already working on the next chapter, but I'm going out of town tomorrow and won't be back to finish it for a couple of days. Just a heads up. The next chapter is going to be a continuation of this.