"Hey, babe, can I ask you something?" A male voice pierced the quiet of Black Pearl's dreamscape.
She immediately recognized it as Ash, the first person she ever killed. It was him who plunged her into a homicidal addiction driven by anxiety. Her dream soon turned to a memory, an episode, and it was from her point of view, as always.
There they were, standing in a hut on some distant jungle planet Black Pearl forgot the name of. Ash was a human she had met on the first planet she landed on after White Diamond threw her out for dead, he said he respected her, he listened to her story and promised to never hurt her...and she believed him despite the rumors of him being a notorious slave dealer. He was your typical human, short, smooth brown hair, a muscular, extremely fit body...Black Pearl had never met someone who identified as male before...but she found his assertive nature almost...attractive.
"Yes?" Black Pearl asked. She looked down to see that she was wearing a woven green dress and an apron...an indicator of the happy, domestic life that she and Ash were living. It was warm and humid, no air conditioning in their primitive home...birds were chirping outside and there was the light noise of leaves blowing in the summer breeze.
"I would like to consider...moving. I say we could take my ship and get out of here, what do you think? We can see the galaxy together." Ash flashed a smile.
"What? That's rather irrational...I thought you liked it here! I like it here!" Black Pearl argued. Now that she thought about it, this whole ordeal started out rather stupidly.
Ash chuckled, which soon turned to a cackle. "I didn't say you had a choice."
Black Pearl's eyes widened.
"I never liked it here, in fact, I never liked you...I just like the way you look, you know? I like your naivety, it makes my job so much easier..." Ash cackled again. "You're so desperate for happiness, for love, for acceptance...apparently you don't know how this world works...No wonder that Diamond was able to rape and almost kill you so easily..."
"No...You must not be thinking straight..." Black Pearl said breathlessly.
"Oh no, I'm thinking more straight than I ever was...Come now," Ash pulled and jingled a pair of silver handcuffs. "We have a ship to catch."
"They were right..." Black Pearl whispered. "No, you can't make me, I won't let you hurt me like my Diamond did. I never liked you either, I just needed you to survive." She said defiantly.
Ash laughed. "How childish! You were infatuated with me, admit it, which is exactly why you'll come with me. Don't make this harder than I want, now come here." He said the last command through gritted teeth.
Black Pearl placed her hand on her Gem and wielded her ebony spear, just to look threatening. "Stop this now, I'm warning you."
"It wants to fight back, how cute!" Ash pulled a gun from his belt and pointed it in the direction of Black Pearl's head. "Come with me or die, Pearl."
"How did it ever get to this? Whatever happened to the guy I met three years ago?" Black Pearl's voice was trembling, breaking.
"All fake! All a hoax, oh what a plot twist! Enough...You're a Pearl, now do my bidding like one." Ash answered harshly, stepping closer so that the gun's barrel was closer to her forehead.
Black Pearl gripped the handle of her spear tightly and lifted it slightly. "Don't make me kill you..."
"Kill me? Wow, you're a hilarious Gem, making me laugh like this..." His smile quickly turned to a death glare. "Make one more move and I'll shoot you." He said through gritted teeth.
Black Pearl took a second to think, her body trembling and mind spinning. It wasn't until after she realized that the gun was not pointed at her Gem, that she closed her eyes and ran her spear through Ash. She felt blood splatter onto her clothes and the cold metal burn of a bullet hitting her skull. The gunshot and yelp of Ash rung in her ears, and she opened her eyes when she heard his body hit the floor. It was strange that she hadn't poofed from the gunshot, but it seemed that there was some force within her, keeping her from poofing.
She had done it.
Black Pearl would have never dreamed of killing someone, and certainly not him. She wanted to cry, it was a nightmare, her whole life seemed like one big nightmare. Now, not only had she murdered someone, but she murdered someone she loved.
It was then that she felt the first wave of guilt, the first feeling of homicide. It was a chill, yet it made her sweat. She knew then, that she had to hide, she had to run away...live on the lam for the rest of her life. Black Pearl turned only to face a decorative mirror on the wall, seeing her bloodstained self for the first time.
"I'm no better than the Diamonds..." Black Pearl sighed before running out of the hut, not even taking the time to grab belongings.
The village was bustling, full of aliens that looked like humanoid arachnids. There was always a large bonfire burning in the center of town, where people would come to pray to their pagan gods. One woman stopped in front of Black Pearl and pointed out her stains.
"My, my, what happened?" She asked in her native language that Black Pearl learned from emersion.
"Nothing, nothing at all. Cooking incident." Black Pearl said, although her facial expression and body language said otherwise. She continued running, her back facing the hut and the woman. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the village.
"Murder! The human is dead!" The spider woman screamed.
On top of the guilt, anxiety rushed through Black Pearl, making her want to throw up. She held it in but knew that it would be hard to not get caught if she had witnesses. She had to think fast, and the only way to make someone keep a secret was to...kill them. Black Pearl turned to the roaring bonfire and an idea was born. She ran to the fire and pulled a stick from it, the large flame dancing on the tip. Since the huts were made of animal skins, dirt, woods, and foliage, she figured they would burn easily. She ran through the village, lighting every building on fire with on hand and running through anyone she saw with the other hand, which held her spear. By the time it was over, the once peaceful village was a burning wasteland.
Black Pearl panted with adrenaline as she ran out of the village, tears streaming down her face. She stopped and leaned against a thick tree trunk a mile away from the village. She blinked, and the light of day burned away the memory like camera film...
She woke up panting, her heart beating, pounding rapidly in her chest.
"Whoa, nightmare?" She was surprised to see Moonstone waiting with a tray of fresh tea.
"No! You just surprised me..." Black Pearl replied defensively. Last night, she decided to look deep in the temple for sleeping quarters so that she may get privacy, but she guessed now that was out of the question with this bunch. The room she was in looked from the stone age, with stone walls that had paintings of different animals on it. She was sleeping on a slab of the same material that stuck out from the wall, almost as though this room was actually meant to be a sleeping quarter.
Moonstone sat on the edge of the slab and set the tray next to Black Pearl's legs. "Oh, I believe you...Tea? I bought it this morning."
"Fine." Black Pearl picked up the small cup and pressed the warm liquid to her lips. "You don't have to cater to my needs, you know, I can take care of myself."
"I know, but I think it's a lot nicer to get to know people. People fight better when they fight for people they love, it's a fact. Besides, you're very interesting." Moonstone said, drinking her own cup of tea.
"Well, tell me about the nutjobs you're working with, then. Give me a little tour." Black Pearl said.
"Fine, but only if you tell me a little about yourself," Moonstone smiled.
Black Pearl shrugged and nodded.
"I guess you could say the leader is Rhodonite, a sentient Cluster. If you're not sure what that is, it's basically a Gem composed of the shards of fallen ones. She...has some issues...and she has these flashbacks of her original Gems...back in the first war for Earth." Moonstone began.
"Well, explains why she's so obsessed with Rose Quartz. Just between you and me, how do you feel about her?" Black Pearl asked.
Moonstone's pale face flushed pink. "I think...she has a few kinks, but everyone does...and she's...wonderful. I think she's wonderful. I can't explain my attraction to her, but I feel like we have to get through this first...or at least, I think that's how she feels. Rho is all business, and I know she's afraid to let me in. Makes sense, the last time she loved someone, it seemed like it was all reset, like some sort of video game after the player loses. I wish I can show her that we could get through everything together if we do it...together. You know?"
Black Pearl just sat and blinked. "Give her time."
"Time heals everything, right?" Moonstone smiled.
"Not always, time doesn't heal you when you're drowning...it just makes you die." Black Pearl's monotone turned into a gritted teeth growl.
"Anyway, the little green Gem, Gaspeite..."
"Yeah, I beat her up last night. Caught her spying on me, that little pervert."
"I don't know too much, but she is a defective Peridot who was kicked out of the Diamond facilities, left to scavenge and steal...she's a thief. She used to have powers of animation, but her Gem is cracked."
"Stealing is the best way to go, in my opinion."
Moonstone shot Black Pearl a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
"She ain't the only one who has been cast out by those damn Diamonds, and she's not the only one forced into crime, either." Black Pearl said. "What about you, light goddess?"
"L-light goddess?"
"Yeah, I can read those runes out there. All points to you, darling."
"Well, I wouldn't say that...I'm too dirty to be a goddess who saves the world."
"Dirty? How many have you taken?" Black Pearl leaned in, her smile was that of a homicidal maniac.
"T-taken? Hundreds, thousands...millions...entire planets." Moonstone sighed.
"Would it surprise you that I've done the same?" Black Pearl said, flipping her arm over to reveal tattooed tally marks running up her wrist and up the underbelly of her arm. "A mark for every murder, there more under my clothes and the other arm."
Moonstone was speechless. "What...?"
"Yeah, told you stealing was the best way to go."
"Wow...you're..."
"A psycho? Yeah, figured. Just your neighborhood psychopath." Black Pearl chuckled. "It's funny, like a mouse drinking tea with a snake."
"You're not planning to...kill us, are you?" Moonstone asked quietly.
"Hope not." Black Pearl said as she stretched. "I think you know enough about me, so I'm going to see how the others are doing." She got up out of bed and left Moonstone to sit in gawking silence.
Black Pearl walked out into the center room casually, slightly grinning at Moonstone's response. Even from another killer, she was still feared...typical. Rhodonite was sitting against the doorway, napping, and Gaspeite was doodling in the sand on the floor. The sun was peeking in, like always...Black Pearl wasn't sure how long she slept, she was too consumed with her dream.
Gaspeite looked up from her doodle. "Blackie! You're awake!"
Moonstone ran out of the hallway and caught up with her. "Don't do anything! I mean, not without my help." She panted.
"I'm not planning to do anything, or at least, anything important. Mohawk!" Black Pearl called to Rhodonite.
Rhodonite sat up, startled. "What? Yeah?"
"We're going out for drinks, just you and me." Black Pearl said.
"What? You can't do that!" Moonstone shouted.
"I can, and I will. Come on, I know a great place." Black Pearl replied as she stopped in the doorway to help Rhodonite up. Rho was confused by the whole thing but didn't mind going out for drinks.
"Is this a know your enemy type deal?" Rhodonite asked as she got up and began walking alongside Black Pearl and Moonstone to the speeder.
"No." Black Pearl stopped. "This is a know your friend type deal."
Moonstone's eyes widened in surprise. "Alright, you can go." Moonstone leaned in to whisper to Rhodonite. "But be careful, she's dangerous."
"I'll take my chances," Rhodonite replied as she got on the back of the speeder behind Black Pearl. Black Pearl gave a light smile and saluted Moonstone before driving away, exhaust and wind blowing Moonstone's hair back.
"So, where are you taking me out? Is it fancy?" Rhodonite asked, having to speak up over the whirring of the speeder. Black Pearl was one to drive fast, so Rhodonite was clinging to Blackie's waist for safety.
"Oh, it's a great place, but it ain't exactly the Ritz. Surely not like any of those Diamond parties you went to before they experimented on you, right?" Black Pearl replied.
"Wait, how do you know about those?" Rhodonite asked.
"Just assumed, according to what I already know. It's called inference, look it up." Black Pearl said.
"Wait, so what, have you been stalking me?" Rhodonite was still asking questions.
"I wanted to know about you and the little team you have here, and I want another angle...I'm a big picture person, Rho, and I need every piece to make the puzzle...every pixel to make the photo, every nut and bolt to fix the machine." Black Pearl explained.
Rhodonite nodded. She then noticed that she recognized the route in which they were driving. It was the same route to Bar Gurama, and for some reason, she hated that place. However, she didn't want to turn her hostess off of her.
Rhodonite was right.
The neon sign, glittering lights, and pink painted building were all too familiar for Rhodonite, although she had only gone there once. The "Fusions Welcome" sign seemed to be running out of power, seeing as it flickered often, almost like it was dying out.
"We're here! Ah, it's got that good old speeder oil smell, just like every good bar should have." Black Pearl said nostalgically, taking a deep breath as she jumped off the speeder and strolled in casually. Rhodonite followed.
The Fluorite who served Rhodonite and Moonstone the last time seemed very familiar with Black Pearl when she walked in. Of course, Blackie acted completely different around the bartenders and patrons. She walked in with the same flamboyance and confidence as Bismuth, flailing her arms and saying,
"I'm back, boys!"
Although most of the patrons identified as female.
The Fluorite approached her with an almost forced comradery. "Jet! So lovely to see you!" She flashed a nervous smile. "W-What are you doing here? I thought you had business in Gallifrey, and besides, why would you ever come back to Homeworld? I mean, I've heard stories and if the Diamonds ever caught you they'd get so much reward they wouldn't know what to do and-" Fluorite stuttered, rubbing her hands together anxiously.
"I have a new business, and boy, it'll be my greatest kill yet. I'm going for big game this time," Black Pearl replied, smiling devilishly.
"Big game? You don't mean-"
"Yep, I already have a spot for their shards to dangle on strings above my ship's dashboard...if I ever find her again." Black Pearl said.
"You mean your old Firefly? Man, you could definitely get something better with the money you get for your jobs." Fluorite said.
"Nah, nothing can beat my ship, Bug. Bug's my girl, I can't abandon her for some Diamond creation that will keep updating itself so that it gets buggy and I have to get a new one in a year. Know what I'm sayin'?"
"Yeah, I feel you. So, what are you doing today as far as dining?" Fluorite asked.
"Table for two please, for me and my new pal, Rho." Black Pearl replied. Rhodonite peeked at Fluorite behind Blackie's shoulder and lightly waved.
"Rhodonite! I had a feeling you'd come back, just not...with her." Fluorite said.
"Yeah, apparently this is a good place to refuel," Rhodonite smiled.
Fluorite grinned back before leaning in. "Be careful with this one, she's dangerous." She whispered.
"I'll be fine," Rhodonite said as she followed Black Pearl to a table adjacent to the bar. They sat in chairs so that they would face each other, and it felt like all the other patrons were staring at them, anticipating what would happen.
"Tell me about yourself, Rho." Black Pearl said casually, leaning back in her seat.
"Well, I was made on Earth...from the shards of fallen Gems and-" Rhodonite began before getting interrupted.
"That's the second time I've heard that. Do you have proof? Or are you just a schizophrenic of some sort?" Black Pearl asked.
"A what of some sort? Never mind that, it's true, just look at my Gem." Rhodonite gestured to her neck. Black Pearl leaned in and felt the grooves that separated each shard. Her eyes then wandered to the golden necklace with the two wedding rings on the end of it. She lifted the chain with her finger and studied it.
"What's this?" Black Pearl asked.
"Oh, just a relic from Earth...brings back memories," Rhodonite said with a light smile.
"I can imagine someone like you to be nostalgic, or as I like to call it, obsessed with the past. Moonstone told me you have flashbacks, I have them too, except not of love and loss...just loss." Black Pearl said.
"Wait, Moonstone told you about me?" Rhodonite asked.
"Yeah, she told me all about you and your little gang, now I want to know your opinion." Black Pearl replied.
"I don't have a lot to say, except that Moonstone has been with me since the beginning, she's a powerful asset and a great friend. Gaspeite just joined us, and I have yet to decide whether or not she is trustworthy."
"You bribed her, and she has ties to the Diamonds. Gaspeite seems to care about money rather than other people, I wouldn't trust her."
"But aren't you fighting because of the money too?" Rhodonite asked, tilting her head questioningly.
"Oh, that's not the only reason." Black Pearl leaned back in her chair.
"What else could it be? You were all excited to go to Gallifrey until we promised you that reward..." Rhodonite said.
Black Pearl leaned forward, her eyes staring deep into Rhodonite's. "It's never just the money that makes me fight."
"Then what is it?" Rhodonite asked.
"Here's the thing, I've been killing my whole life. My entire existence has been a circle of grudges and unsettled scores. I've had people coming after me from all over the universe, trying to get closure from killed wives, husbands, siblings, mothers, fathers, entire families and villages. I'm not just some bounty hunter, I kill to live, I go insane to stay sane, sure, it was for the money in the beginning, but it evolved into so much more than that. One bar fight with me and I'll have your entire family hung from a power line the next week. An overpowering fraction of my blood is bad, and if you piss me off then you're bound to have a spear through your heart. That's just how I roll." Black Pearl replied.
"What's your deal with the Diamonds?" Rhodonite asked.
"You really want to know?" Black Pearl answered with a question.
"Yes," Rhodonite said.
"It's all their fault. They abandoned me, threw me out into space for dead, they saw me as imperfect and tried to kill me. All of my friends turned on me, my confidants spilled all my secrets, my feelings...that's what I get for being nice. That's what I get for being naive, allegiant, obedient, conforming. I let those Diamonds and their system control me like a puppet, built me up until I became real, a real person with feelings, and then they saw it as wrong and I almost died for it. Sure, living like this is better than slavery, but did they ever think I wanted a, you know, happier life? A domestic life? With someone I loved, for real, instead being treated like a servant or fuse toy all my life?" A sparkle of recollection flashed in her eyes, but she quickly wiped it away with a blink. "After what happened, and a few other incidents, I couldn't feel the same. Everywhere I went, every friend I made, I felt the urge to kill, because if they're dead, they can't hurt me right?" Black Pearl took a long, hard sniffle. Her voice was shaky. "No one could be trusted, so it was either I kill them or I kill myself and believe me, I tried to die. I anonymously paid hitmen to kill me, but I killed them back because I couldn't bring myself to do it."
Rhodonite was stunned. "So...?"
"So, I want them dead! Shattered! I want them to be the last people I ever kill, the last people I ever hurt, and then I'm going to die...peacefully...and if not, well, I still want their shards dangling over the dashboard of my ship. I want them to clink together with every jostle my vessel makes, oh they'll ring like wind chimes, no, more like bells of justice, bells of freedom, because for once the tables will have turned and I'll remember the day the oppressed won." Blackie's tone turned from shaky to forceful as she leaned closer to Rhodonite. Rhodonite was surprised no one noticed the scene in the bar, but she assumed that stuff like this happened all the time.
"Um...Blackie? Yeah..about that..." Rhodonite stuttered quietly.
Black Pearl cocked an eyebrow.
"I wasn't going to kill them!" Rhodonite pushed out a shout.
"You what?" Black Pearl said back, her tone a choking growl. "What were you going to do?"
"I was going to bubble them...and keep them in a hidden room that was heavily guarded..?" Rhodonite replied timidly.
"No...NO! I want them dead! I don't want them to come back, I don't want them to hurt anyone anymore! I don't...want to hurt anyone anymore." Black Pearl sounded passionate in her plea, which left Rhodonite torn.
"I'm not sure what to say..." Rhodonite said quietly.
"Look, if I wasn't passionate about this cause, you'd be dead where you stand! Don't test me, I'm the leader in this deal!" Black Pearl hissed.
"Black Pearl...You said you didn't want to hurt anyone." Rhodonite said gently.
"I don't! I just want to hurt them! If you keep being nice, they'll hurt you too!" She shouted. "Murderers, bigots, thieves, worse than I could ever do. It's rulers like that that deserve to burn in hell...Don't you agree? You wish to fight a war only to go pacifist on the cause of it all? That's idiotic!"
"I..." Rhodonite stuttered.
"No!" Black Pearl slammed her fist on the table. "How dare you snatch everyone's peace from them like this! I...was going to be happy...and Moonstone, I know she's been through so much...don't you care about her enough to put her out of her misery? I thought...you'd want a domestic life with her..." Her voice calmed. "I know she wants one with you..."
"W-What? I do care about her, but the Diamonds are millions of years old, they're artifacts in themselves...besides, I'm not sure if I can even shatter them..." Rhodonite said.
"Who gives a damn about artifacts? Let me tell you something...I doubt you have hidden your tears so well that you never cry...your eyes remain dead even when your heart is breaking on the inside. Let me tell you that I've lived without closure for years, even facing death without getting some sort of emotion. A secret of mine, I always cry at happiness. When this ends, I want to feel something. I want to feel satisfaction and maybe...maybe even a little bit of compassion, because believe me, it's been long overdue. Rho, listen to me, you wanted war, and in war, things get destroyed. Artifacts, cultures, entire religions...and it never matters. That temple you're staying in? The Diamonds destroyed it, they buried all relics of ancient Gem culture. Those runes on the walls, they're about them, Rhodonite...don't you feel something when you read them?" By now, Blackie was standing up.
"I..." Rhodonite managed to stutter.
"Or do you just want to destroy the planet and leave it to suffer alone...like you are supposed to do?" Black Pearl's voice seemed to get louder and louder, her words stronger and stronger. Rhodonite looked over to see Fluorite, who was ducked behind the bar counter.
"That's enough! Look, I'm not sure what will happen, or if the Diamonds will even bow to our knees, but for the time being, we have to push that aside...so then no one gets hurt." Rhodonite said, trying to stay calm.
Black Pearl seemed to stop everything. She stood silently, occasionally twitching impatiently. Her breathing was still heavy, but it slowed just a touch. "I-I guess you're right...I'm getting ahead of myself."
Rhodonite was still speechless, so she just stared at her.
"I'm sorry about that, you shouldn't have seen it." Black Pearl said, turning her head away from Rhodonite. She walked away from the table and out the door.
"But you didn't even buy anything!" Fluorite shouted, following Black Pearl.
Blackie turned abruptly to Fluorite, a glare on her face. "I wasn't thirsty." She continued to walk out.
Rhodonite ran out after Blackie. "I'll drive if you want." She offered.
"You'll be doing that anyway, I'm taking the train back to base." Black Pearl replied.
"But...won't you get caught?" Rhodonite asked.
"Would anyone ever be stupid enough to turn me in?" Black Pearl said before leaving Rhodonite to head for the subway station. Rhodonite combated her anxiety for her and drove home, Black Pearl's words spinning in her mind.
Oh my gosh, this took forever, sorry for the wait, ya'll.
Now that my Spring Break is coming to a close, I hopefully will get back on track. Heh, funny I said the same thing about the Break beforehand. I swear, I was either busy or distracted during my vacation, and at first, I thought that the break didn't do the things I wanted it to. It didn't vanquish my anxiety or give me time to write, but I guess I found what I wanted when I wasn't looking...which is happy memories to overpower the old, horrible ones. My brain's subliminal messages seem to all point to me being ready for a new, hopefully happier phase in my life.
Urgh, I'm boring you all with stuff about me.
Being a murderer has its perks, in Blackie's opinion, but most of the time, Black Pearl just wants to be free and peaceful.
What did everyone think of this chapter?