Original Idea by: Scraps
Collaboration work with: DeityDeviantWarrior
Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar
Chapter 8: Sin of the Creator
[*]
Gem Colony Venatio, present day
[*]
Topaz marched through the walkways of the colony, their face concealing a growing rage over the news they had heard. It had been hours since they evacuated Gems to this colony, and provided their own Secundos, their creations, to battle alongside their brother. But now that time was over and for the Taskmaster, there was a new issue to deal with, because just recently, a certain Secundo had been found nearby Venatio, a certain Gem by the name of Emerald, who moments ago had escaped Insidiae and left his comrades behind, especially Howlite and Hematite. As Topaz continued to storm through the halls towards the holding cells, they were approached by a large six armed Gem with a turquoise Gem over her eye.
"How long has he been in custody?" Topaz asked the Gem.
"Since we found him Master." Turquoise replied with hesitation, she had never seen the Taskmaster so upset before. "But I don't understand why you had us put him in custody and not tell us why?"
As the Gems approached the door to the holding cells, Topaz looked to Turquoise and pointed their finger at her.
"Let me ask you something Gem." Topaz replied sternly. "How loyal are your Gems?"
"To the very Vitae in their being Master." Turquoise replied proudly. "They will serve you and the Tribunal to death."
"Has any of your Gems fled from battle and left there Gems behind?" Topaz asked with a angry tone as they closed in on Turquoise. "Have you?"
"No…no they haven't." Turquoise replied hesitantly. "I never met a Gem who has ever done so."
"When you do, then you can ask me that same question." Topaz replied with a scoff before they opened the holding cell. "Now stay outside and let me be alone with him."
Turquoise saluted as they watched the Taskmaster enter Emerald's cell. A cold feeling ran through her body at what the Taskmaster had in store for this Gem.
[*]
Gem Colony Venatio, Holding Cells, present day
Emerald sat against the wall of his cell as he used a small rock to carve a small etching in the wall beside him. It was a drawing of a warrior with a sword fighting flying creatures. As he stopped carving to look at the drawing, he looked at his hand that held the rock, he clenched the rock as he thought about his friends back at Insidiae…the Gems that he left behind…
[*]
Gem Colony Insidiae, Ventilation Shaft Controls, Several hours earlier
[*]
"Damn it!" Emerald said as he aimed his sword as the Agates before him. "There's no way out."
"That's where you are wrong Smaragdus." A voice whispered to Emerald. "There is always a way."
Emerald turned to see Diamond standing beside him. At first, the Gem was startled, but he smiled as he nodded his head to the Gemian, who nodded back to him. In a flash, Diamond swung his mace, blowing away several Agates and shattering several more. As Diamond raised his hand and clenched it, the Agates shook violently before they were crammed into a large ball shape. Diamond then lowered his arm and turned to Emerald.
"Boy am I glad to see you Master!" Emerald chuckled as he lightly bowed to the Gemian. "I thought we were done for."
"We?" Diamond asked as he looked around the area. "Where are the other Gems?"
Emerald looked around as he noticed that his Gems were gone. Not a single Gem remained but Diamond and himself. At the realization, Emerald fell to his knees.
"No…" Emerald whispered as he looked at his hands. "I killed them."
"What do you mean?" Diamond said as he approached the Secundo. "You lead them into this trap?"
"…No…" Emerald replied softly as he looked at his hand. "I didn't…mean to…I was following your orders…I think…"
"And you have…" Diamond said as he looked at the Ventilation switch. "By sacrificing your Gems to allow you to achieve your goal."
"No, that's not true!" Emerald objected as he stood up and turned to The Old King. "I was following your orders. You tasked me with this mission and I ensured it was accomplished."
"Yes…*you* made sure that *you* were the *one* to claim the glory." Diamond said as he reached down and picked up a broken Gem shard off the ground and showed it to Emerald. "If you truly cared for the mission, then why not send a solder to fulfill the task while you helped fend off the Agates?"
Emerald tried to find an answer, but his mind came to a blank. Just then Diamond's next words snapped the Gem to attention.
"Your ego cost the lives of your entire squad." Diamond explained coldly. "As well as the lives of Howlite and Hematite. I watched as Onychinos tore them apart. Your arrogance caused their deaths."
Emerald turned pale as he backed away from Diamond. He then turned away as he clenched his fists. The green Gem then shouted loudly as he punched the wall. Diamond could feel a warm heat emit from the Secundo, he then noticed small orange cracks appearing on his skin. As he realized what was happening, he quickly placed his hand on Emerald's shoulder, feeling the hot heat on his skin and feeling the energy flowing through the Secundo.
"Smaragdus, I know you did not anticipate this." Diamond said as he turned Emerald towards him. "But there is nothing you can do to fix this, I can't protect you from the others, and once Topaz finds out about this…then you will know a side of my sibling that only a few have ever seen."
Emerald looked to Diamond as he took a deep breath, winching as the cracks on his skin disappeared, he then looked to the Gemian with tears welling in his eyes.
"Then what do I do Master?" Emerald asked. "Where am I supposed to go?"
"Go to the Gem colony Venatio, they are a neutral colony." Diamond explained to Emerald as he placed his fingers in this forehead, implanting the location in his head. "Tell them what you did, tell it in truth, and they will take care of you. I can promise that."
Emerald nodded lightly as he backed away from Diamond and summoned his stone wings. He then looked to Diamond who nodded lightly.
"Thank you Master." Emerald said softly. "I'm happy to know that you still care, even after everything I've done."
"There is no need." Diamond replied. "Now hurry, I will deal with things here, and remember: tell them all about what you did, and remember: do not lie to them."
Emerald nodded as he shot into the sky, unaware of what awaited him at what he believed to be sanctuary.
[*]
Gem Colony Venatio, Holding Cells, present day
[*]
Emerald threw the rock in his hand at his cell, he watched it disintegrate as it hit against the force field that he was placed behind. However, his attention was then drawn to the Gemian with golden hair and a light yellow suit that stood before him. In that instant, he quickly rose from the ground and knelt before the Taskmaster.
"Creator Topaz." Emerald greeted his creator as he continued to kneel, his face was towards the floor. "I ask you for forgiveness for my actions. What I did was-"
"Be silent!" Topaz interjected coldly. "I have no need for the pleas of cowards, nor the formality of criminals."
Emerald stood up slowly as he looked into the eyes of Topaz, which gazed back towards him like a burning sun.
"C-creator, you have to believe me." Emerald pleaded towards his creator. "I never meant to leave my solders behind. I was…"
"…trying to claim the glory for yourself." Topaz interjected. "You left your solders to die so you could take all the credit."
"I don't care about that!" Emerald objected as he approached the energy shield, looking to Topaz with an intense glare. "I was trying to stop Onyx. That was the reason why I was sent there."
"Wrong!" Topaz shouted as they reached through the shield, breaking it in the progress, and grabbing Emerald by his armor and tossing him against the wall behind them. The Taskmaster watched as Emerald slowly stood up and looked to his creator, who stared back at him with a cold glare.
"Your mission was to protect Gems from Onyx." Topaz explained with a cold tone. "That was your *only* mission…that was the reason I created you. You failed to accomplish the task that you were *made* for!"
Emerald looked down at the ground as Topaz's words sunk into his heart like a knife. As he tried to look up to Topaz, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"Between you and Lapis, I cannot…" Topaz sighed as they rubbed their brow, looking back up with an angry glare. "No Secundo of mine will be known as a coward or a traitor."
Emerald perked up as heard the name of his sister "Lapis", he then looked up and saw Topaz still glaring towards him with arms crossed.
"What did Lapis do?" Emerald asked with concern as he approached the Taskmaster. "What did you do to her?"
Topaz scoffed as they then uncrossed their arms and summoned a blue mirror in their hand. As Emerald watched Topaz use it to straighten their hair. The Green Gem noticed the cracked Gem on the back of the mirror. It was shaped like a teardrop and had a large crack on it. Emerald then turned pail as he realized who's Gem that was.
"You…you hurt her…" Emerald gasped as he back away lightly, he felt burning tears trickle down his face. "You used your own…secundo…"
"You keep forgetting that regardless of everything, Gems, including Secundos, all have a purpose to the Tribunal, Emerald." Topaz explained as they finished straightening their hair and dissipated the mirror. "If you cannot fulfill that mission, then they are useless, only to be seen as mere cannon fodder, Vitae supplies, or…just decoration."
In that instant, Emerald roared as he felt his body begin to burn again, only the heat was hotter than before. He screamed as he felt his skin crack and red plasma began to pulsate between the cracks. Topaz watched in shock at what they were seeing.
"Oh Gemia...you wouldn't?" Topaz gasped as they raised their fist and extended their ring and middle finger, muttering a quick command.
"Nilrem est mecum!"
Suddenly, a golden portal opened up next to Topaz and a golden stag with large antlers of silver and a single bronze horn on the center of his head suddenly appeared from the portal. He trotted over to Topaz and snorted at him.
"Nilrem! Zmaragdinae futurus sit Ergokinetic!" Topaz explained to his familiar."Velociter, qui eum interciperent antequam ipse consumit omnem coloniam!"
Nirem nodded as he moved before the boiling Emerald, who growled at the stag as he began to glow brighter, causing the crystal walls around him to begin to melt. Nilrem quickly snorted as he began to trot around Emerald slowly, as Emerald readied himself to attack, he noticed that Nilrem was starting to trot faster and faster, after several seconds of trotting, Nilrem began to gallop and continued to build speed around the Green Secundo. Soon, the familiar was a blur as he created a ring around the burning Emerald.
"What is this?" Emerald roared as the plasma in his body was now a bright orange. "Is this a new prison of yours?"
"No." Topaz replied as they extended their hand. "It's a demonstration on how to be a *real* protector."
"Nilrem, Aerem Decipula!"
In the instant Topaz shouted out the command, the ring instantly closed above Emerald, trapping him in a dome. In the instant the dome shut, Emerald felt his body weaken as the plasma in his body began to cool down and dim in color. Emerald staggered as he tried to summon his sword, but before he could, he found himself gasping as he fell on his back. As he felt the heat in his body stop, he saw the dome dissipate and felt fresh air brush upon his face. He then saw Topaz approach him and kneel down beside him, with Nilrem beside them.
"Do you have any idea what you were going to do?" Topaz asked Emerald as they heard footsteps from outside the holding cell doors.
"Emerald was too weak to speak as he watched Topaz reach down and rip a chunk of Topaz's skin off, the Secundo winced in pain and then saw as Topaz was holding a thin strip of what looked like brimstone.
"Each Secundo has a unique talent based on their upbringing and their Gem potential. Yours is an ability known as Ergokinetic combustion. This means you can superheat the very Vitae in your body to intense levels and eventually, you can become a supernova with the destructive power to destroy an entire colony."
As Emerald tried to speak, he heard the sound of doors slamming open as Turquoise and two Gems entered the room.
"Master Topaz, is everything alright?" Turquoise asked as she looked to the weak Emerald. "Did he try to escape?"
Topaz looked down to Emerald and sighed before he looked back to Turquoise.
"He attacked me and then he tried to destroy the colony." Topaz explained to Turquoise. "My brother was right when he told me about what he had done."
"N..No…he helped…" Emerald muttered as the two Gems along with Turquoise lifted the Secundo up and carried him to another cell, this one had special shackles attached to the wall. As the Gems strapped Emerald into the shackles, Topaz approached him and sighed.
"I am disappointed in you Emerald." Topaz said sternly as they looked towards their son. "You had much potential, and I saw of you as a proper elite. But even with future vison I can't see everything, and every now and then I find things that I didn't predict."
"Sa…sancu…ry" Emerald gasped as he tried to speak. "Li…d…t…to….e"
"What?" Topaz asked as they moved in closer to Emerald. "What did you say?"
"Dia…mond…lie…to…me." Emerald muttered weakly. "He…told…me …to …go…here…to…tell…them…"
"What are you talking about?" Topaz asked as they looked at Emerald with a confused expression. "What did Diamond tell you to say?"
"Tha…that…I…killed…them…" Emerald explained weakly. "I would…get…sanctuary…for…my confession."
Topaz pondered this for a moment before they turned towards Turquoise.
"When he arrived here, what did Emerald tell you?" Topaz asked the six armed Gem.
"He told us that he was responsible for the death of the Gems on Insidiae." Turquoise replied as she gestured to her Gems to lock up Emerald. "He then said that Master Diamond would handle things on Insidiae."
"Alright…I have what I came for." Topaz sighed as they began to walk away. "Do what you want with Emerald."
As Topaz ordered Nilrem to open a portal to Homeworld, they pondered this new data. While he knew that Emerald was responsible for the Gems that supposedly died, but something didn't add up.
[*]
Homeworld, Tribunal Chambers, three hour ago
[*]
"Diamond!" Topaz shouted as they rushed towards their brother, who was sitting on the edge of one of the beds in the chamber.
"Ah! Topaz!" Diamond said as he hugged his sibling. "Thank Gemian you are alright."
"I could say the same for you." Topaz replied happily as they patted Diamond on the back. "You did it brother, you stopped Onyx."
"I know…" Diamond sighed as he rubbed his face with his hand. "…but we lost many Gems in the process. I…I just wish that."
"Diamond…" Topaz interjected as they placed their hand on their brother's shoulder. "We had no choice, now without Onyx, the enemy will be powerless, and the Gems lost will be remembered for their sacrifice for the greater good."
"Of course…" Diamond said as he looked away, making a light grin to himself. "…for the greater good. However, I would not count your Gems before they form."
"What do you mean?" Topaz asked as they watched Diamond stand up and walk towards the balcony and lean on it. Topaz then approached their brother with concern. "Diamond…what do you mean by that?"
Diamond sighed as he turned to Topaz and placed his hand on his sibling's shoulders, looking into his eyes.
"Topaz, there is no easy way to say this." Diamond said as he bowed his head slightly. "But you need to know what happened to those Gems, what happened to Emerald."
"What happened to Emerald?" Topaz asked as their eyes widened in shock. "What happened to him?"
"I…I saw him leave his Gems behind to active the leave to gain access to Insidiae." Diamond explained as he continued to lean on the balcony edge. "He proclaimed that he would kill Onyx himself and become the leader of the Diamond Elite."
"No…that can't be…" Topaz muttered in shock. "I…I know Emerald…I created him….he is not like that…he…can't be…like…"
Topaz, need I remind you that he is one of the Gems you experimented on?" Diamond inquired as he stared at the last sliver of the sun that was setting in the distance. "He, like Sunstone, was one of many Gems that you modified to have their bodies changed into alternate identities? I am sure that such a change to his physical and mental composition could have resulted in some form of damage?"
Topaz pondered this carefully as he turned to Diamond, who was facing him while holding the Mirror of Lapis in his hand.
"I forgot to mention that as soon as he was outnumbered, he fled the colony and left us behind. Howlite and Hematite died because of his actions."
Topaz gasped in shock at the mention of Howlite. Topaz then looked to the mirror.
"Show me the Battle of Insidiae, focus on the involvement of the Gem Secundo Emerald of the House of TO.
The mirror activated upon command, showing the requested moments upon the glass before the Taskmaster. After a few seconds of watching, Topaz approached Diamond and looked toward him with an angry glare.
"Where is he?" Topaz asked with a cold and infuriated tone.
"He is currently in custody of the Gem colony Venatio, the Gems found him and he confessed his crimes as soon as he set foot on the colony."
Without a word, Topaz stormed away from Diamond and summoned a golden portal.
"I'm sorry Topaz." Diamond said to Topaz before they stepped into the portal. "But it was for the greater good. If you want, I can have him replaced with a more loyal Secundo."
"It doesn't matter." Topaz replied angrily as they began to step into the portal. "As far as I am concerned, he *is* the killer of Hematite and Howlite, and he is no Secundo of mine, I assure you!"
As Topaz entered the portal and it closed. Diamond sighed as he leaned on the, looking over the vast Gem City from under a dark blue sky.
"My sibling is the embodiment of the Crystal Mother's knowledge and wisdom, and his emotions and grudges blind him from a divine future." Diamond thought looked at his hand, "However, with Onyx "captured" it will be harder to acquire enough Gems, and then there is the possibility that the Gem known as Howlite could jeopardize my actions. I am sure she burned up in the atmosphere, but as a precaution, I should send Agates to comb the Homeworld just to make sure. Finally, there is the task of acquiring my sibling's vitae without stirring them. "
As he pondered the probabilities of what to do next, he heard the door behind him open and saw his sister Rose enter the room.
[*]
Homeworld, present day
[*]
As Topaz rode on Nilrem's back through the streets of Homeworld, the thoughts of Emerald's actions and Insidiae still were odd. If Emerald was a traitor, why did he turn himself in instead of fleeing the Gems like Onyx did, or try to create an army like Tiberium did? Moreover, the Secundos obey the orders of a Gemian to the letter, especially during crustal circumstances such as the battle of Insidiae. Even when Topaz arrived at Emerald's cell, he imminently knelt before Topaz and asked for forgiveness and during the confrontation, he did not try to attack once. The Taskmaster then summoned the Gem mirror and looked into the reflection.
"Show me my encounter with Emerald at the Gem Colony Venatio." Diamond commanded the mirror as they watched the whole encounter. As Topaz watched Emerald begin to heat up and engage his Ergokinetic ability, Topaz noticed something during the initial transformation. "Stop here." Diamond commanded the mirror.
As the mirror paused, Topaz noticed that around Emerald's eyes were small faint wisps of black mist, as Topaz played the scene, a thought shout into their head.
"Show me my encounter with Emerald before he engaged his Ergokinetic ability." Topaz commanded as they watched the scene with Topaz showing Emerald the mirror. As the Taskmaster used the mirror to straighten their hair, much to the embarrassment of said Gemian watching the scene, they noticed the Secundo before them, who was starting to shed strange tears from his eyes, they were black in color and seemed to burn into the floor, leaving behind small obsidian pebbles.
"What in the name of…" Topaz said in confusion as they examined the scene in the mirror. They had a feeling that he had read up about something like this during the war, but for the life of them they could not remember what the subject matter was. Nevertheless, Topaz did consider that Onyx was responsible for this, and as of now, only Diamond knew where she was being held.
With that in mind, Topaz directed Nilrem towards the Tribunal Hub, hoping that the very Gemian who stopped Tiberium and Onyx would be able to figure all of this out.
[*]
Homeworld, Tribunal Building, present day
[*]
Topaz entered the main doors of the temple, searching the floor of the building for their brother.
"Diamond…are you here?" Topaz shouted as they searched through the building.
[*]
Topaz scanned their surroundings as they entered the courtyard, the whole area was still under repair from the attacks by the Metalians and Onyx.
"Rose…are you here?" Topaz shouted, hoping their sister had seen her brother. "Rose, are you here?"
It was clear that neither Diamond nor Rose were here. Thus, leaving one area unchecked.
Topaz quickly entered the Tribunal building and rushed up to the center of the building and looked up towards the ceiling, which seemed to go for miles.
"Ascendit" Topaz said as they were engulfed in a blue light, which quickly rose them up the building until they reached the top, and placed him before the door to the Tribunal Chambers. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a strange sound from the other side of the door.
…it was strange…but familiar…
…it sounded like breathing…
…weak breathing…
Topaz took a deep breath as they opened the door, ready for whatever was waiting for them beyond the door.
[*]
Homeworld, Tribunal Chambers, present day
[*]
Topaz was startled by the mess they saw. There was rubble and debris everywhere. Shattered crystals and glass were scattered everywhere as well as torn cloth of some kind. As Topaz picked it up, they recognized it as part of Rose's robe.
"My Gemia Rose, did you summon Lion in the chambers again?" Topaz sighed as they stepped over the broken sink. "I swear, if I even smell that Lion, then you better enjoy the throw rug that I-"
Topaz stopped dead in their tracks as they noticed the large spots of blood all over the floor, as well as the large pool of blood near the destroyed sink. Topaz then looked down as their boots and saw to their horror as they were stepping in the blood without realizing it. As Topaz looked back to the large pool of blood, they saw a large long drag trail going towards the bedrooms. As they began to follow the blood to one of the chambers and entered it, they saw that the room was ransacked, the bed was bloody and torn, oh yeah, and Rose's arm was sticking out from under one of the beds.
"Rose!" Topaz shouted as he approached Rose's arm and grabbed it. As the Taskmaster began to pull, the Taskmaster fell back as the torn arm of Rose fell in their lap. Upon seeing this, Topaz screamed as they threw the arm off and crawled back in shock.
"Wh…wha…wha…wh…wh" Topaz stuttered in horror, but not before they heard a crash from Diamond's room.
As Topaz stood up and walk towards the door. They placed their ear to the door and they could hear a hissing noise and a strange wet noise. As Topaz knocked the door down, the sight before them was a horror that Topaz had never seen in their 14 billion years of life.
There was Diamond, his robe was opened and bloody, as he was on top of Rose, who was bloody and was missing her right arm. As he was thrusting into her, Diamond's jaw was split open and a strange tube like tongue was attached to Rose, who was pale in color and she was a limp as a corpse.
"ROSE!" Topaz shouted as they summoned their mace and fired a bolt of energy at Diamond, who was shot in the side and thrown into the wall. Topaz quickly approached the weak Rose and lifted her up into her arms.
"Rose…" Topaz whispered to their sister as they looked in her blank eyes. "Rose it's me, it's your sibling Topaz."
"…drip…1 second…2 seconds…3 seconds…" Rose muttered in a weak voice. "…drip…1 second…2 seconds…3 seconds…drip…"
Topaz sighed in relief as they picked Rose up and began to carry her out of the chambers, only to be stopped by a familiar voice. Topaz turned to see Diamond standing before the balcony, his eyes were as red as molten metal, and his robe was stained with blood.
"Topaz…what are you doing?" Diamond asked as he slowly approached his siblings. "You do know that what I am doing is trying to save this Universe."
"Save it?" Topaz shouted in anger. "Save it? You raped Rose! YOU RAPED OUR SISTER! How would that save the Universe?"
"Using savagery, I can extract the most amount of vitae from a subject, such a Rose and yourself, and acquire the power to fulfill my mission." Diamond explained as he summoned his mace. "What is a better cure for savagery than savagery itself, wouldn't you agree?"
"Diamond…" Topaz stammered as they were disturbed by the sight before them. Diamond, the Old King, their brother, the brother who saved them and Rose from the Metalians, who guided them to protect the Universe. "…what happened to you?"
"I finally discovered my purpose Topaz." Diamond replied as he walked up to the balcony, looking down at the city below him. "I know what I have to do to save this Universe."
"I don't understand…" Topaz said in confusion. "…save it from what?"
Diamond turned towards Topaz and walked closer to him, bending down and wiping up a small pool of blood with his fingers.
"Eons ago, our mother defeated Obsidian and gave this Universe the "great gift" of freedom and free will." Diamond explained as he paced around the balcony "But what has the Universe done with this gift?"
Before Topaz could answer, Diamond took his mace and threw it at a building in the distance, the building collapsed in an explosion as Diamond turned to his siblings and smiled.
"They kill each other over pointless ideals and creeds. They let greed ruin their lives and their homes. They take for granted the great gift that our own mother died to provide. They are to free will as a spoiled child is with their toy. "As Diamond continued to talk, he took the blood on his fingers and began to draw a circle on his forehead. He then drew three downward triangles inside. "As a Tribunal, we have allowed our own corruption soil the very purpose Gemian wanted for us. That the true threat was never the forces that threatened the Universe, but rather the Universe itself…"
Topaz then heard footsteps from both sides of them as they looked to see their Secundos, Sunstone and Moonstone, standing around the Taskmaster and their sister.
"…which is why we are here now, my siblings." Diamond continued as he raised his arms into the air. "Because as of now, the Crystal Tribunal will be reorganized into the Diamond Authority!"
"You…you're insane!" Topaz shouted as they summoned their lance. "You might as well join Onyx!"
Just then, Diamond snapped his fingers and Onyx appeared next to the Old King.
"You…you work with her?"
"Work with her?" Diamond replied with a laugh. "Topaz, I created her…in fact, I am responsible for everything involving her and the Agates, the attacks on the colony ships, the assault on Homeworld, and of course, the battle of Insidiae. But I am sure Emerald has told you, has he?"
Topaz hesitated as they thought about Emerald and what happened to him. Topaz attention was drawn to the large groups of Agates surrounding them.
"I am sorry it had to end this way my siblings." Diamond said as he raised his arm. "I will promise that it will be quick, and I shall morn you after all of this is done."
In that instant, the next few moments were still uncertain. As Diamond approached the trapped Topaz and Rose, and as he was about to attack, there were several flashes of light, as standing between the Gemians and Diamond, were four strange creatures. They were humanoid in shape, but they were each wearing a red shirt with a gold star on it. Three of the creatures had a number 2, 3, and 4 on their faces while the fourth had no number but a strange elongated hairdo. The Gemians, Secundos and Agates watched them fight for several minutes before they disappeared in thin air.
"Wha…?" Diamond stammered as he tried to assess the situation. "Was that some form of escape plan?"
"No." Topaz said as they grabbed hold of Rose. "But this is!"
Topaz quickly aimed their lance to the ground and fired an energy bolt, breaking the floor and dripping them below. As they fell, the two landed on Nilrem, who began to bolt away.
As Nilrem began to outrun the pursuing Agates, Topaz held Rose up as they summoned a small bottle and uncorked it. They then summoned a small box of light blue gel and mixed them together.
"Gemian…please let this work." Topaz said to themselves as they began to lather it on Rose's wounds. Much to Topaz's relief, the mixture was working…except for the fact that Rose was still missing an arm.
"Damnit!" Topaz shouted as they nearly fell of Nilrem. "It's times like this that I wish that our bodies would be projections like what the Gems have."
Suddenly, there was a flash of a pink portal as a familiar pink familiar emerged from the portal.
"Lion?" Topaz shouted in amazed shock as the creature caught up with them. "You're alive!"
Topaz then noticed the familiar object that Lion was holding in his mouth, the very sigh caused Topaz to turn slightly pale.
"…and you have…Rose's…severed…arm." Topaz finished as they turned away and shutter. "Alright, Lion, can you help us find a safe house? Someplace that's not already in Gem control."
Lion growled as his eyes turned white and a portal open before the Gemians and their familiars through. As the portal closed, several Agates appeared, scanning the area before they flew off.
[*]
Homeworld, Tribunal Chambers, present day
[*]
Diamond sat in meditation as he walked around the chambers. As he approached the door, he noticed a small blue reflection and saw the Gem mirror. As he picked it up, he looked at it and saw his reflection. Diamond gasped as he began to see the argument he had with Rose, followed by her beating and then…her…
Diamond dropped the mirror as he backed away. Looking at his bloody hands, Diamond quickly fell onto his knees and began to vomit. As he stood back up and walked to the balcony, he slumped onto a wall and cupped his hands as he began to weep.
"Oh Gemia…" Diamond choked as he looked at his hands. "What have I done?"
Diamond stood back up and noticed a stray piece of sharp metal. Grabbing it, he placed the shrapnel on his neck and tried to pull, but as hard as he tried, he could not bring himself to pull the blade, only to discard it. Diamond then watched as Obsidian appeared before him, picking up the shrapnel blade and holding it in its hands
"Chomwecho eagar kuchitika mpaka kalekale onse lief?" Obsidian asked as it aimed the blade towards Diamond. "Koma inu ndinu amene mwayandikira kwambiri kwako cholinga chimenechi, kuti akulengereni mwangwiro chilengedwe chonsechi. Samayimasula kuwalola zako zonse mwakhama ntchito yola kuti asawononge chakudya."
"I...never wanted this!" Diamond shouted as he stood up to the Leviathan. "You…you made rape…my…o-own sister."
"Inde, chinali kukukumbutsani Kodi iwe chimene iwe adzakhala ndi chiyani mouziridwa ndi n'chiyani uli nacho chiyani mouziridwa ndi ntchito pofuna kuteteza chilengedwe chonse." Obsidian explained to its host. "Mayendedwe a kupereka nsembe nkhambe kucitwa na ndi njerwa komanso anayesa matope, koma kuti 'amenewa ankathandiza kuti kwa thupi ndi magazi."
"I…I know…" Diamond replied as he looked at the Homeworld city in the distance. He then looked back to Obsidian and summoning his mace. "…But it's over! I am your slave no longer!"
Obsidian simply began to make a deep vibration noise. Diamond suddenly felt as if his skull was being split open.
[*]
Then, just as the pain stopped, Diamond noticed that he was at a lab, and he was alone, and he had green blood on his hands.
"No…." Diamond said as he rushed deeper in to the lab, following the green bloody footprints. "No…please…no…not…not her…"
As Diamond stopped at a table, he looked at the white cloth and slowly pulled it off. As he did, Diamond shot back in horror as he saw the dead body of Peridot on the table before him.
"Perdot…" Diamond choked as he began to hug her corpse. "Peridot…I'm sorry…please….no…"
[*]
When Diamond opened his eyes, he was back before Obsidian in his chambers.
"Chiyani mouziridwa ndi Kodi iwe mukuwona Daimondi monga uja, sanamvere mulungu wa nthawi mwadongosolo kumabweretsa chisokonezeko, komanso chisokonezeko adzakhala ndi angakhalepo ndi imfa basi."
"I…I understand…" Diamond said as he looked to the sky. "If I…do this…will she be safe?"
"Kuti ine adzakhala ndi kutsimikiza kuti akhale iyayi chifukwa sadzakhudzidwa mkaziyo 'ananena r Mukhoza kukhala Kodi iwe kuti masikuwo achuluke monga ndili bwino kwa Mulungu."
"So be it." Diamond replied
As he felt Obsidian reenter his body, he saw Onyx approach him.
"What is it?" Diamond said coldly. "…and choose your words carefully."
"She's ready" Onyx replied as she held a white oval Gem to Diamond, who picked it up and studied it.
"This Gem has been warped." Diamond stated. "How did this happen?"
"Well…the process of combining three Gem samples was…difficult." Onyx explained. "Because you used my Gem essence, it resulted in a loss of sufficient strength, but she is fast and intelligent."
"That will do." Diamond replied as he summoned a syringe of Ichor and injected it into the Gem. "If my plans need her, then she will have to rely on more than power. Now for the final test."
Diamond then placed the Gem onto the ground and pointed his hand towards it.
"Vestibulum ad mecum!"
There was a flash of light as a small Gem knelt before the Gemian. Upon getting a good look at her face and hair, he noticed something.
"Her Gem is warped." Diamond commented in surprise as he approached her, before he turned to Onyx. "What happened to her? What did you do?"
"When I said there were difficulties, I meant that the Gem essence of Howlite degraded." Onyx explained as Diamond began to approach her. "To fill the gap I had to apply more Gem essence and aside from mine there was another sample of yours."
"Are you telling me that this Gem is…is….defective?" Diamond growled grabbed Onyx by the neck and lifted her into the air. "I have no use for an defective clod like that. Get rid of it!"
"But Master, she does have the essence, and she still can use weapons." Onyx said as she gasped. "Please, give her a chance."
Diamond sighed as he approached the little pointy nosed Gem, who was cowering in the corner.
"Ad mecum…"
The Gem began to approach Master Diamond slowly.
"AD MECUM!" Diamond shouted, causing the Gem to approach Diamond and kneel before him.
"Who am I?" Diamond asked his new servant.
"You are DI, The Old King, Gemian God of Power, Order, and Justice." The little Gem replied.
Diamond raised an eyebrow in response "Correct, but WHO am I?"
The Gem hesitated, As Diamond was raising his hand to strike the little one.
"You are my Master, the one I will serve until death either by my enemy's hand or yours." The Gem blurted out, lightly sighing after she finished.
Diamond then lowered his hand as he approached the Gem and looked down towards her.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I am a tool to be used by you Master." The Gem said in a toneless voice. "I serve without question or objection. My life is yours and my death is yours.
"Correct" Diamond relied as he moved his hand away from the little Gem. "You will do as I command when I command it, if you refuse to obey or fail my commands, I will not hesitate to punish you. Is that clear?"
"Yes Master." The Gem replied as she continued to look down at the ground.
"Now then, stand up and face me Vestibulum." Diamond commanded. "Then you will tell me who *you* are again.
The Gem stood up and looked to her Master with a small smile as she replied with only three words.
"I am Pearl."
[*]
Gem Colony Insidae, Ventalation shaft controls, several hours ago
[*]
"Go to the Gem colony Venatio, they are a neutral colony." Diamond explained to Emerald as he placed his fingers in this forehead, implanting the location in his head. "Tell them what you did, tell it in truth, and they will take care of you. I can promise that."
Emerald nodded lightly as he backed away from Diamond and summoned his stone wings. He then looked to Diamond who nodded lightly.
"Thank you Master." Emerald said softly. "I'm happy to know that you still care, even after everything I've done."
"There is no need." Diamond replied. "Now hurry, I will deal with things here, and remember: tell them all about what you did, and remember: do not lie to them."
Emerald nodded as he crouched down and shot into the air. As Diamond watched him disappear into the sky, he raised his hand and clenched it, uttering a single command.
"Reformationem"
As he did, the Agates that were scattered across the ground reformed into fulling functioning Gemdroids. As Diamond watched his machines lift the large ball of Agates and haul it away, Onyx appeared before him, kneeling as she held the black Gems of Hematite before The Old King.
"They were no challenge Master." Onyx explained. "I was hoping for a fight though, seeing as this was my predecessor."
"Only as a conduit, not a servant." Diamond corrected as he picked up the Gems and placed them in his robe. "Now go into the main chamber and procced with stage 3."
Onyx nodded as she disappeared. Just then, Diamond watched as a large Green pod appeared before The Old King, opening up to reveal the Gem known as Peridot. As she stepped out of the Pod, she approached Diamond, who smiled in delight as he approached her.
"I have informed Venatio about Emerald." Peridot said as she summoned her screen. "When he arrives on that colony, they will be aware of this actions and consider him both a coward and a traitor. His confession will be the final nail that will seal his fate.
"Good." Diamond replied as he looked to the sky. "Now all that is left to do is harvest Howlite's squad, create another servant, and harvest my siblings Vitae. With the power of Gemia, Obsidian, and especially you, we will have the power needed to save this Universe."
"That we will Diamond." Peridot said as she finished with her finger pad. As she retracted her pad and turned around, she looked up to see Diamond looking towards her with a warm smile as he placed his hand on her cheek.
"Wha-…Diamond." Peridot stammered as she blushed. "What are you doing?"
"I just had an interesting though…" Diamond said slyly to the Gem before him as he moved in closer. "I have noticed that whenever things are going great for me, for this Universe, you manage to be the one responsible. How do you do that?"
"I don't know, perhaps I'm the reincarnation of Gemia herself." Peridot said teasingly with a grin. "Some of the native from those planets I've been studying consider me a god to them. Perhaps I'm a natural leader, maybe a Gemian like you."
Diamond chuckled as he crouched down and kissed his lover.
"No, you are something greater Dilectione Mea." Diamond explained as he noticed the Agates next to him and nodded before he gave Peridot a kiss on her forehead. "Now if you excuse me, I have some intruders to purify."
Peridot smiled as she watched the Gemian vanish before her. As she sighed, she heard a giggle and turned to see Sunstone behind her. The Green Gem yelped as Sunstone chuckled in response.
"Sunstone?" Peridot shouted as she glared at the Gem before her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be going back to spying on Topaz?"
"Oh I will…but right now, I'm focused on what you are "Dilectione Mea"." Sunstone said as he circled around Peridot. "I mean, I don't remember ever seeing you before the Metalian war, and yet, right after the war, here you are, the right hand of the Master and the one with all the power."
Peridot backed away as Sunstone approached her. As he quickly flinched forward, Peridot quickly activated her finger gun and aimed it at the Red Secundo, who raised his hands as he began to chuckle.
"Alright…alright…" Sunstone said with a grin. "You got me. I surrender. Jeeze you're more uptight than my sister. But just tell me one thing…"
Peridot lowered her weapon as Sunstone lowered his arms and approached Peridot.
"What is it about you that makes you his favorite, hmm? Is it the way you control his heart, or is the way you handle his "mace"?"
"Watch your tongue clod!" Peridot barked at the Secundo. "I got to where I am because of who I am, and because unlike you, I wasn't built into a servant."
"Right…" Sunstone said as he turned around and walked several feet before he stopped and turned to the Gem. "…you were "recruited" by Tiberium, you were his "leader" for the Metalians but then Diamond destroyed it, right?"
Peridot hesitated as she felt a drop of sweat drop down her brow. Sunstone noticed her expression and grinned as he began to walk towards her.
"You know, I wonder what my creator would say if they found out the Gem they have been working with was this Intelligence. Imagine it: The collected minds of the very race that nearly wiped out our people, laying in a bed with the divine leader of said people. I wonder if Creator would turn red or purple."
"You wouldn't dare." Peridot hissed as Sunstone. "If Diamond finds out…"
"That what?" Sunstone interjected with a wide grin. "That I ratted him out about his sex toy? That the Gem he screws is actually the collected minds of an entire race of killers? What would he do?"
"I would kill you." Diamond replied as he stood behind Sunstone, who turned in horror and quickly kneeled before the Gemian.
"Forgive me Miste-…I mean Master. I…I have been under pressure from my creator and…I …I wasn't thinking."
Diamond knelt before the kneeling Sunstone and placed his hand on the back of his head, slowly clenching it until he maintained a tight grip, he then slammed his servant's head into the ground below and knelt in towards it.
"I suggest that you use your head the next time you decide to speak towards your superior." Diamond hissed coldly. "Or the last thing that will race through your head will be my fist. This, I promise you."
As he let go, Sunstone quickly stood up and ran off, creating wings of fire as he took to the sky. As soon as the Secundo was gone. Diamond rubbed his brow and scoffed.
"I must remember to infuse him Ichor into him the next time I see him." Diamond said as he turned to Peridot. "If everything works out with Howlite I might even…"
Diamond stopped talking as he watched Peridot wrap her arms around her body and fall onto her knees. Tears rolled down her face as she began to sob softly. In that instant, Diamond quickly rushed over and pulled the weeping Gem into his arms.
"Peridot…" Diamond whispered as he rocked her slowly in his arms, he could feel his robe becoming hot and wet from Peridot's crying. "It's alright, my Peridot."
"I..I'm sorry." Peridot whimpered as her voice was muffled by Diamond's wet robe. "Sunstone was right…I…I…manipulated you…"
"Manipulated?" Diamond responded with confusion as he pulled Peridot from his chest and looked her in her tearful eyes. "What do you mean?"
Peridot sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hands before she continued.
"I…I made you attracted to me, and created a weakness in you." Peridot explained as she continued to shed tears. "You…you are Master Diamond the Unbreakable, You can't have any weakness…any vulnerability…I…I am the reason you can be hurt. If anything happens to me…if the others find out…then….then…"
Diamond hesitated, remembering his nightmare about his siblings and comrades killing Peridot before him. He paused for a moment, looking to Peridot as she crashed her face into her hands and began to weep. Diamond smiled as he lifted her face and looked into her tearful eyes once more.
"Peridot, the reason I am doing all of this is for you, this is all because of you." Diamond explained as he wiped tears from Peridot's eyes. "…and the reason for that is because you have been and always will be my Universe."
Peridot's eyes beamed as she heard those words. She then crouched down and grabbed onto Diamond's robe. Upon seeing the deep blush on her face and tense expression. Diamond smiled.
"Let me guess…" Diamond pondered as he stroked his beard. "You…need me?"
Peridot nodded as she looked away in embarrassment. Only to turn to see the warm smile from her lover, reply with only five words.
"As you desire, Dilectione Mea."
[*]