It's finally come to this. I've waited for this moment. I've waited so patiently for this to come, and now, now, the moment is here.
For those who have been staying with me, thank you. For those who have dropped me, I apologize again for failing to entertain you.
Now... Let us begin.
Episode 59: The Cluster Part 1
November 15th 12:00 p.m.
Up on the roof of Dewey High School today...wasn't gonna be like any other day,
On one side of the roof was Kameron, standing up straight with narrowed eyes. On the other side was Chelsea, placing a hand on her hip while narrowing her visible eye to him. A small breeze blew past the teens, making their hair flow in the wind as their eyes were locked onto one another.
Turning to her right side Chelsea lifted her right leg up, bending it and keeping it afloat while balancing herself with her other leg.
"Badass. You better be prepared." Chelsea said firmly.
"Chel. I don't want to do this." Kameron replied.
"Too bad." Chelsea said. "You and Blueberry have been acting distant and private the last few days. Neither of you won't say anything. So, if I win you spill. If you win, I'll back off. Simple as that."
Kameron scoffed while placing his hands on his hips. His narrowed eyes slowly shifted into a glare.
"You do realize that if either of us are caught by your sister or a teacher both of us will get in trouble." Kameron addressed. "I'm sorry, but this is something neither me or Lapis can say. If it was about something else I would tell you and the others at the drop of a dime."
"And you can't do that now because...?" Chelsea replied.
Kameron sighed as he placed a hand on his head. He can't blame her for acting like this since this was all on him. Though the reasons for not telling her or the others were...complicated at best. The clock is ticking and there truly wasn't anymore time to waste since today was the big day. And as much as he really, really didn't want to go through with this...there was only one way out.
Turning to his left side Kameron raised both of his arms up. Raising himself up by his feet he began to hop in place, keeping his eyes locked onto Chelsea.
Chelsea's visible eye shifted into a glare. Lowering her leg to the ground she slowly bent her body forward and dashed straight toward her best friend. Step by step she locked her eye right on him without missing a beat. Coming in close she quickly turned her body, shooting out her right leg at him.
Seeing the leg coming up to him Kameron raising up his left arm just as Chelsea's leg made contact. Her leg striked his arm, though not a single flinch was made on his face.
Retracting her leg Chelsea leaped back and began hopping in place. Swaying her body she quickly launched herself at him once more. Coming in close she turned her body again, shooting out her left leg toward his stomach.
*BAM*
Felling her foot make contact Kameron grunted, making him step back. His body bent over just before he raised his head to see Chelsea spinning herself and launching her leg at his face. Seeing it come Kameron had to chose an option. It would be extremely simple to subdue her a matter of seconds. But...the outcome wouldn't turn out well. Any outcome wouldn't go well at the end of this. But...this is one of his best friends. He trusts her. They both trust each other. He was there when her scumbag father died and she's been a great friend with Lapis during her first days in school. So...there was only one option to conduct.
*WHAM*
The amount of force she placed into her kick made Kameron spin himself away from her. As his vision began to blur he soon saw the world tilt on it's side and collapse onto the ground. Small moans exited his mouth right as he placed his hands the cold concrete. Just as he raised himself up some added weight was added onto his back, pushing him down. Turning his head he saw Chelsea glaring at him.
"Spill." She said angerly.
Kameron nodded when Chelsea removed her foot off his back.
A deal's a deal, so as the teens sat down side by side near the edge of the roof Kameron began to explain to her what's going on. Telling her the aftermath of Peridot's capture, the discovery of the Cluster, how long until the Earth's life energy is taken, and what the Rainbow Gems and Crystal Gems have been doing to prepare themselves to stop it.
Chelsea just sat next to him, listening to every word he was telling her. For the moment her glare began to soften and her eye started to widen. Her expression slowly turned to shock. At this point she really shouldn't be surprised about his Gem activities, but this...this was just beyond anything she could've thought they were dealing with.
"...Tomorrow...is when the Cluster will activate. I'm sorry for not telling you or the others, but if the public found out it would cause a panic." Kameron finished.
Turning his head to Chelsea's shocked reaction Kameron's narrowed eyes began to disappear. He then looked away from her and turned his attention to the skies.
"I don't know what's gonna happen when we face the Cluster. But...we'll do the best we can to make sure it's doesn't succeed in what it was made to do." Kameron said softly. "I'm sorry again for freaking you out. I am gonna explain this to the others too, but...you all can't let anyone else known. Okay?"
Turning his head to her Kameron saw Chelsea's shocked expression slowly fade. She then moved closer to him right as she grabbed his hoodie jacket, pulling him closer to her face as her eye narrowed at him.
"You and Blueberry better come back alive. Got it?" She said.
"We'll do the best we-" Kameron replied before getting cut off.
"No! You better come back." Chelsea seethed through her teeth. "Promise me."
Kameron blinked at her. His expression became neutral and he only gave her a solemn nod without a verbal response.
With that said both teens stood up as Chelsea released her grip on him. Without another word she wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder. Feeling her tightening herself on him Kameron returned her affection, wrapping his arms around her waist. Closing his eyes he pulled her in a little closer to him. A small hum exited Chelsea as her lips curled into a small grin.
Soon they both separated from each other and turned their attention to the rooftop door before walking toward it.
November 15th 7:00 p.m.
Deep, deep below Destiny City within the sewers at Kameron's secondary location, the families of the Rainbow Gems and the Crystal Gems all gathered around the drill. Side by side everyone placed their eyes on the very machine that stood in front of them. Built by their very hands this very drill is their key to seeking out the Cluster. It's taken tremendous time assembling it together, but now...it's officially ready to fulfill it's purpose.
Green walked away from his family to approach the drill. Halting himself from a distance from it he turned himself around, placing his gaze onto the very people in front of him.
"Everyone. We are gathered here today to prevent a catastrophic crisis from transpiring onto our very home." Green began. "I apologize for not being apart of the drill's construction due to preparing my students for their finals. Though I congratulate each of you for being able to complete it when you were given time. I don't need to tell each of you what is at stake. However, I will say this. As of right now the past doesn't matter. Whatever differences we've had before let us put them aside for what is happening as of now. In unity, we will succeed, but only through cooperation and trust. In duty, we ensure that our goal is reached so our home can thrive for tomorrow. Destiny does not exist. You all have the right to decide how to live your life as you see fit. Today, we will stop the Cluster."
Once Green finished speaking Christie walked up to him. She then turned her attention onto the others, "I won't say much. But I only ask for you all to come back safe and sound."
Soon Kameron stepped out of line, walking toward his parents and turning around to face everyone else. "Before we do this I have something for all of you."
Raising his right arm his Gemstone began to glow. A small sphere of light erupted out of it before it began to expand. The light of the sphere began to dim and fade, revealing a large wooden box. The box slowly drifted down and fell into Kameron's hands.
"I was planning on giving you all these for emergencies. Now seems like a better time than any to do so." Kameron said as he approached the others.
"What's in the box?" Lepidolite asked.
With his other hand Kameron lifted the top off the box, revealing the contents inside.
Gathering around him everyone looked inside the box with confusion and awe. Within the confines there were seventeen self-made rings. Each ring was a different color than the rest and were of different sizes depending on the color in general. More than that, the only similarity between each ring was that each one was made of crystal.
"Whoa..." Connie said in awe. "What are those, Kameron?"
"Energy Rings." Kameron answered. "I'm well aware that each of us is gonna give it our all, but I still decided to give you all some help. Once you all wear a ring you'll get a boost of energy for as long as you're wearing it."
"Wait. When did you have the time to make these?" Peridot asked.
"I've actually held portions of energy from almost everyone here for a while." Kameron replied. "Your energy I haven't acquired Peridot, so I gave you mine instead."
Peridot blinked at him as she picked up a small lime-green ring. Without another word she removed her Limb-enhancer from her right arm and placed the ring onto her middle finger. Once the ring was on her eyes shot open as both her pupils and Gemstone started to glow for a brief moment before they returned to normal.
"How do you feel, Peridot?" Steven asked.
Peridot blinked as she reattached her Limb-enhancer back on. "Wow. I have absolutely no idea how you were able to achieve something of this magnitude, Kameron, but I feel incredibly charged."
Witnessing this everyone else pulled a ring out of the box and placed them on their fingers. Just like Peridot their eyes and Gemstones immediately glowed from the surge of energy before returning them to normal.
"Kameron, this...this is so amazing. Thank you." Pearl said as she looked at her ring.
"I'll say." Lepidolite added.
"I'm definitely keeping this." Charoite said as she kissed her ring.
Placing the box back into his Gemstone Kameron looked down at his ring before putting it on his left hand. A white glow erupted from his Gemstone as his eyes glowed the same color. The surge soon ended, reverted his eyes and Gemstone back to normal.
"Thank you, Kameron." Green said.
"You're welcome, dad." Kameron replied.
"Now that we're all supercharged, let's do this!" Amethyst yelled out.
Without anymore delays everyone went toward the drill and stepped inside. Within the drill there were three rows containing five seats with handle bars and peddles on the bottom. In the far back were the last two seats at a close distance toward each other. In the front was Green, Pyrope, Citrine, Onyx, and Kameron. Right behind them were Lapis, Amber, Azurite, Charoite, and Lepidolite. Next were Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth, Amethyst, and Peridot. Lastly in the back were Steven and Connie.
"Everyone ready?" Green asked out loud.
"READY!" Everyone else replied in unison.
"BE CAREFUL EVERYONE!" Greg yelled outside the drill.
Lifting their hands everyone pressed the button directly in between the handlebars before gripping onto them. On unison a massive roar awoke from the engine, greatly startling Greg and Christie. Placing their feet onto the peddles everyone began pushing themselves on them, making them spin. As this happened the massive drill up front started spinning at a rapid pace. More and more the drill spun right when everyone pushed their handlebars forward. Once they did the entire machine began to move, pushing them straight forward. Soon the drill began to pick up speed and continued moving ahead.
The lights on the drill soon turned on right when everyone saw some blockage coming up. No-one said a word as they began drill right into it. Soon the entire machine pierced itself straight through the rubble before it began to descend itself.
Neither person stopped peddling as the drill was now making it's way down. Right in their vision was nothing but rubble, rock, soil, roots, and various bones and coffins. Further and further the drill continued going down without losing any momentum. The only thing anyone could do at the moment was keeping their eyes forward while their hearing was filled with nothing but the piercing force of the machine.
Descending further the drill soon impacted some rubble before unleashing a large blast of an unknown substance onto it. Fortunately the drill wasn't damaged and was merely slowing down while decreasing it's noise output.
"EVERYONE! AUTOPILOT!" Green yelled.
Raising their hands everyone pressed onto their buttons and halted their peddling. The drill continued it's progress while everyone else (Especially Kameron, Steven, and Connie) were able to take a breather.
"Oh my stars! Is that lava?" Connie said.
"Actually, we are currently traversing through large quantities of Peridotite." Peridot corrected.
Connie tilted her head before her eyes blinked, "Oh? Is Peridotite a type of Gemstone too?"
"Yes. It is a substance in which Peridots are born from." Peridot replied.
Connie hummed. As she did her eyes soon widened. "Everyone. Can I ask you all a question?"
"What kinda question hun?" Amber replied.
"You all were born on Homeworld, right?" Connie asked.
"Not really." Pyrope replied. "My siblings and I aside from Kameron were born from different planets. Our dad was born on Home-World."
"I was born on a different planet too." Bismuth added.
"Same here." Lapis added.
"I was on Earth." Amethyst pointed out.
Connie hummed again. So most of the Rainbows came from other planets alongside some of the Crystals.
"What was it like? Before any of you were born?" Connie asked.
"We didn't exist. Then we did." Citrine answered simply.
Connie blinked, "Really? Just like that?"
"Yes, Connie." Azurite replied. "To be honest, we don't have any memories before our births. Once we were given existence we already knew who we were, what we were capable of, and what to do."
Connie soon fell silent, taking in the information that was given to her. Her thought started bending and changing as she turned her eyes onto everyone else. Really makes her think how lucky humans are on how they are capable of maintaining their memories from birth to a degree.
Silence soon overtook the drill until a a large arm appeared on the window. Everyone got startled right until they all took notice of various claws coming onto the side windows.
"What are those?!" Steven yelled.
"Probably Corrupted buried deep underneath the planet." Peridot replied. "Amber. You and me need to activate the drill's cannons."
"Got it!" Amber yelled.
Putting their hands underneath their handlebars both Amber and Peridot shifted them into steering bars. Once they've done than two large cannons soon departed themselves from the drill and began firing at the Corrupted, blasting them away.
"Since when did you have time to install cannons into the drill?" Pearl said as she looked over to Peridot.
"I thought they would come in handy. You told me there would be no need for them, but as you can clearly see there is nothing in being prepared." Peridot replied.
"How come you only gave cannons to Amber?" Amethyst asked.
"Ambers are hunters. Besides myself, she is very capable of using firearms." Peridot addressed.
Amber quickly looked over to Peridot in annoyance as she continued firing at Corrupted.
More and more of the Corrupted were soon dealt with right as the drill made it through the hot Peridotite. Once it did Peridot and Amber reverted their handlebars back to normal, placing the cannons back into the drill.
Burrowing through more rubble everyone turned off the autopilot and continued peddling to increase the drill's speed. As they kept going everyone took quick glances out the windows to spot anymore Corrupted around.
For the most part there was nothing around. Then right as they pierced through more rock the drill started going faster than before and made the machine descend it's body further down. Everyone gripped onto their handlebars as hard as they could while the tracks were lifted off the ground. There was nothing in front of them to drill anymore, which only left them falling directly through a massive hole.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone wailed as loud as they could.
Deeper and deeper the drill kept falling as the screams continued on. Then a large light shined itself in front of them, making everyone shut their eyes until they were able to open them again. Once they did there were no words for anyone to say as to what was behind the light.
Gasps exited everyone as to what they were seeing. There was a massively large cavern with various waterfalls sending out rapid flows of water at each side, a large moat surrounding what looked like a ginormous metallic facility with a huge tower-like structure at the center of it. Strange enough, the entire facility was illuminating a large rainbow-esque light all around it. And for some reason it almost looked like a fortress.
However that didn't matter at the moment considering the fact that the guardians of the planet were as of now falling to their deaths.
"EVERYBODY EJECT, NOW!" Green screamed.
In complete unison everyone pressed their buttons one last time. Through a synchronized action the roof of the drill opened up and shot everyone out of their seats immediately. Watching the drill beneath them tumble to the ground below everyone else soon began to follow suit.
"Everyone gather around me! I got this!" Steven yelled.
Pushing themselves away from their seats every quickly interlocked their hands together with Steven as his eyes began to glow pink. Soon an enormous bubble engulfed them within it right as it also started to descend to the ground at a rapid pace. Soon the bubble impacted the ground and made everyone inside release their hands before bouncing around in various directions until the bubble popped. When it did everyone soon bumped into each other and made contact with the ground.
Moans and groans left the mouths of the guardians while their eyes and pupils were spinning around in their scleras.
"Is... Is everyone alright?" Green asked as he stumbled a bit while standing up.
Pyrope groaned as he picked himself and his sister Amber up from the ground. "For the most part, dad, yeah."
"Ugh. I felt my stomach drop as fast as-" Kameron added just before his cheeks puffed up.
Steven and Connie puffed up their cheeks too before jerking their heads away and letting out some barf.
"Oh, Steven, Connie. Are you both alright?" Pearl asked as she went over to then.
BLLLLUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRUGH!
Both Steven and Connie continued to barf, making Pearl tense up before she placed her hands on their backs, slowly rubbing them.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Meanwhile Kameron was vomiting violently while gripping onto his stomach. Once finished he let out some heavy breaths and grunts.
"Are you okay, brother?" Azurite asked worriedly.
"I...think...I think it's all gone." Kameron replied with heavy breaths. "Can someone pull my hair just in case?"
Lapis walked up behind him and took a chunk of his hair right as he barfed again. She pulled on him hard, making him barf again. Letting out some heavy breath Kameron gulped.
"Thank you, Lapis." Kameron said.
Lapis released his hair and helped him stand up. "You okay?"
Kameron nodded.
Azurite placed a hand over her chest Gemstone and brought out two orange pill caps. She handed one to Steven and Connie while handing the other to her brother.
Taking the caps the kids opened them and swallowed two pills from them. They each let out a sigh and placed the caps away.
With that out of the way everyone soon turned their attention onto the facility near them.
"What is this place?" Green said.
Peridot walked next to him, narrowing her eyes at the very structure in front of them. "This is where the Cluster is being kept."
End Of Episode 59.
This marks the end of Part One.
Next Time:
The Cluster Part 2
