***Authors Notes***
I hope everyone is staying safe in these strange times and taking the time to do things for yourself. I would love to hear what everyone thinks, so please comment.
TRIGGER WARNING. DEPICTIONS OF NONCONSENUAL CONTACT.
White opened her eyes with a startled gasp. She sat up and couldn't summon forth the memory of how she arrived where she was. She was alone in a spacious room, seated on simple pillows on an elevated platform. Unlike the rest of the Alloy ship, this room was white. It was also empty, save for the door to her left, and a closed port window to her right.
She wasted no time getting to her feet. She gave herself a quick once over. Her physical form was fine. She dabbed her forehead; her Gem was fine. If she hadn't been poofed or damaged, why couldn't she recall her current situation? Though troubling, she was more concerned with the whereabouts of Magnetar.
White trotted down the steps from her resting place towards the door, stealing herself for whatever she would find behind it.
"Magnetar's gone. Should we explore?"
White whirled around. She was still alone. She touched her temple with a single finger. The voice wasn't produced from the environment, but rather her own mind. 'Another fragment from my forgotten past,' she guessed, though wondered what triggered it. She shook off the enigma and came to stand at the door. There was no hand pad to make it activate. She pushed the line thin door seam with her palms to try and pry it open. Nothing.
With a frustration fueled growl, White slammed a foot into the door. It didn't yield. She huffed, indignant the metal fools had the audacity to lock her in a room like some, childish…like….
"Oh Pink," she muttered, her shoulders slumping at the thought. That was how she had treated the smallest Diamond among herself, Yellow and Blue, just because she couldn't fight back. White felt very guilty, more so then she had before when she realized it was wrong. Now she could sympathize.
She shook off her self-pity. This was no time to wallow. White marched over to the port window. The cover did come open to reveal the stars rushing by. The window itself was as stubborn as the door and refused to open.
"I need to remember more about this place," she decided. She had concluded this had been her room in the past, that much was obvious. But there was no nick knacks or information she could attribute to herself that may spark a memory.
She returned to the bed of pillows on the raised stage and sat cross-legged in them. With a forced breath, she closed her eyes, and did what she told her Gems when they came to her for counseling. She looked within. Usually, when she used her powers to become sympathetic to Gems, she opened her mind to them. Now, she tried this with herself. If she could just concentrate, and search deep enough, something was bound to come to her. She focused on her most recent memory, the small voice she almost recognized that asked with uneasy boldness if they should explore. "Explore what?" White asked the voice out loud. Certainly, another Alloy wasn't the owner of the voice. All were controlled by Magnetar. And the voice wasn't flat and unfeeling. It was soft spoken, feminine. It had the careful and attentive inflection much like…
"White? Did he hurt you again?"
She opened her eyes, and for the briefest second, saw the small Pearl at her feet. Her face twisted with worry as she studied White's face. The memory was gone just as quickly as it appeared, but White had gleaned something big. "I had a Pearl here?" White wondered with astonishment. If she had a Pearl while under Magnetar's control, and then didn't have the small Gem when she awoke on Homeworld, "Could she still be here on the ship?"
The door beeped, and White leapt to her feet. She expected the looming Magnetar, who had been furious with her right before she lost consciousness. Instead, a smaller Alloy was revealed when the door slid open. At first, White wasn't sure if she had seen this dull, rust colored Alloy before. But then his hard face clicked. "Inconel?" she assumed. The first Alloy she had met on that distant Organic world. The Alloy responsible for telling Magnetar she was alive. "Weren't you shinier when we first met?" she snorted.
"It's only tarnish," Inconel assured flatly. "I'll have it fixed when it is convenient. I'm here to escort you to the bridge. Magnetar wants to talk to you."
'Tarnished,' White mused, and took her time walking down the steps. 'That's right. When he shattered Spinel, I blasted him into the sea…" the thought of Spinel's Gem scattered across the sand made White frown at the Alloy. "And what if I do not wish to talk to Magnetar?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Inconel stared down at her; his eyes unreadable. "Magnetar wants to talk to you on the Bridge," he repeated.
"Yeah, I caught that part. Now answer me this; what if I don't want to talk to Magnetar on the Bridge?" she tried to put as much venom into the statement as it could hold.
Like an old Gem tech processor, Inconel stood, analyzing her words, "He wishes to apologize to you."
White hadn't seen that coming. "Wow, that will mean the universe to me," she scoffed, though wondered why she wasted the sarcastic comment on a being that clearly didn't pick up on sarcasm. "If Magnetar is so sorry, then why was I locked in a room?"
"You were resting after your long ordeal," Inconel answered.
"With the door locked?"
"You can't roam the ship unaccompanied. Magnetar's orders."
White held back a smirk. In a way, she saw where he was coming from. Not five minutes after she entered the ship, she had smashed the control panel connected to the Warp Pad the Alloys had hacked. Who knows what else she would break if given the chance?
She also acknowledged she wouldn't get answers in her empty room, "Very well. Lead the way to the Bridge! I'm getting sick of the rust smell on you."
Inconel didn't flinch at the insult, and instead turned around and marched down the dark hallway. White pursed her lips and followed.
She mentally mapped every turn and passageway they took. They passed over long bridges that descended into darkness. She glimpsed an occasional Alloy, but most were smaller than her. These Alloys appeared even more emotionally hollow then Inconel. They tapped away on control panels with empty eyes, as if they were moving pieces of the Ship and not workers.
"Magnetar makes you all?" White asked Inconel. "Other powerful Alloy's like yourself or Titanium can't create more?"
"Correct."
White hummed loud, "He's never heard of the delegation of power?"
"All Alloy's have a purpose. That purpose is predetermined by Magnetar. We are made to be perfect, like him," Inconel said.
White felt familiarity creep into her subconscious. It wasn't so different from how she once commanded her Gems. A dark thought began to form. 'I woke up on Homeworld, alone, and wanted to spread perfection. Did I unknowingly get that trait from watching Magnetar?' she shook off the concept. "I'm still struggling with my memories as you know," White said with an exaggerated sigh, "Help me remember, Inconel. What is it I did while here among you Alloys?"
"You remained with Magnetar on most occasions. Unless, he went on scouting missions for new stars to harvest, then you would have to remain on the ship. You would also organize milestone festivities relevant to the Alloy empire."
White stared at his back, contemplating the brief explanation, "So, I remained like a decorative piece for Magnetar… and threw parties?"
"Yes."
"Like Pink," White whispered with a sudden horrified realization. A smaller being among giants, not taken serious or trusted. She was truly starting to worry if Magnetar had more influence in White's ruling life, even after she had 'forgotten' him.
Small feet tapped almost silent down a corridor. In her mind, White saw the shadow of a small Pearl rush into a dark corner. The memory faded, and she was left staring at nothing. "Could I make Gems while here?" White asked.
"That is a question better answered by Magnetar," Inconel said. He stood before what looked to be a solid metal slab. It split open for him without his influence. Inconel stood to the side, motioning for White to pass him. She walked through the entrance, not thanking Inconel for his time. She didn't make it far into the room. She spotted the looming silhouette of Magnetar. He had his back to her, facing the large view screen that displayed the stars ahead. His arms were crossed tight behind his back, his gaze far into the reaches of space. She felt the ghost of a sting on her cheek from when he hit her, and she didn't announce herself.
The doors slid shut behind White, and Magnetar finally turned to address her. Unlike the last time they spoke, his face was calm. It was like their fight hadn't even happened. He even rewarded her with a genuine smile. White's focus, however, was his eye.
It was faint, but the hint of tarnish was present. 'The same eye Onion hit with a bottle full of sea water,' she noted.
"How do you feel?" He asked her with an air of concern.
She tried not to shrink as he approached, "I've been better. I watched my empire fall and then was kidnapped on the same day. Hardly what I'd call productive." He laughed, as if he assumed she was joking. This annoyed her more.
He took both her hands in his own and leaned down to connect their lips. With a deep grimace she pulled her head away. She didn't get far due to his grip on her hands, and he kissed her. Despite the futility of it, she struggled to break them apart. To her relief, the moment was short lived as he released her with a grin. She noted he seemed to find her protest of him charming.
"I've been working on a way of getting your memories back, love," Magnetar assured her, a hand resting on her shoulder so they could walk to the view screen together. "I have my fleet scanning for your Gem colonies. Once enough Gem's have been reclaimed and their energy harvested, I have confidence I can channel that Energy back into you. Enough energy should bring your memories back, then we can put this whole business behind us."
"Oh yes, your betrayal regarding my gem's safety for my surrender. I almost had forgotten in all the excitement," she hissed.
"You don't remember how much you have changed in all these years. I can see what the creation of these Gems has done to your physical form. I need you to trust me, darling. It's for the best." He touched her face, and she winced, hoping a kiss wasn't his intention. 'I have to play along to get out of this,' she reminded herself.
It pained her to, but she placed a hand over his that rested on her cheek, "Magnetar. I know you say I am different. But, why is it you don't trust me to make my own Gems? You haven't seen what my people have accomplished, how they've grown. I used to be rigid in my rule, but they even changed me, I think for the better."
He nodded, his face assuring, "I understand you believe that, White. But now isn't the time for silly theories. I will fix this mess. You just focus on getting better."
"I made a Gem while here, didn't I?" she snapped.
His soft smile faded, and White braced for the fallout of his unpredictable temper. Instead, Magnetar sighed. "Indeed, you did. Once when I was away on a scout mission, you snuck away to an organic world, and created a being using the resources there. Mostly consisting of saltwater based lifeforms," he said the last part with a grumble.
'The Pearl,' White thought. Her fleeting memories were correct.
Magnetar continued, "You hid her very well, and I pretended not to notice. She seemed to bring you such joy after all. But, unlike my creations, yours seemed to have a mind all her own. She caused trouble."
"Where is she?" White demanded.
Magnetar's hand left her face and he gave the scale over his chest a pat. "I have her still, right here, under my armor. At first, it was just a precaution, so you didn't get her back before I deemed it necessary… but then I lost you. I thought you were gone forever, and I held onto the Gem, as a way of keeping you close."
White's focus lingered on the scale on his chest. Her Pearl was under that scale, so close yet out of reach. She assumed she now faced a similar circumstance to her past self. How could she get the Pearl back from right under Magnetar's nose?
"And, has enough time passed for me to have her back?" White asked and tried to forget the fact she was basically begging.
"Oh White," Magnetar hummed. He took her by the waist and pulled them close, even with both her hands pressed against his chest to keep some distance between them, "Enough of this talk about Gems and lower beings. I want us to focus on the future. I have expanded my reach into the farthest edges of the cosmos! There is so much I have to show you, so much to look forward to, together."
She looked past him, pretending to gaze out the view screen, but retained the scale in her peripheral vision. He touched her face, gaining her focus again. He spun them slow in a circular dance, his eyes studying her. She tried to do the same. She focused hard on his strange ever burning eyes, searching for a weakness in them. His gaze had a hunger that made her uncomfortable, and she went to pull away from their dance.
Magnetar held fast and began to hum a tune that was hauntingly familiar to her.
My perfect diamond, my fragile cosmic star
I beg you, never change from who you are
I'll do anything to keep you by my side
In the shadow of my power you'll hide
I'll keep the danger at bay
By my side you'll always stay.
Promise me perfection, and I'll shower you in kind
promise me love, and I'll keep us intertwined
with the endless universe as my witness, I promise you all that I am.
My perfect, my beautiful, the love of my life
My poor sweet star beam, my light in the dark
On my heart, my soul, you've left your mark.
Away with your fear
Lay still, my dear
Forever safe by my side you'll stay
Your worries and past, drift away.
White's emotion's were twisted inside. She tried to keep this conflict off her face. Something wasn't right. She knew his feelings for her were sincere, but she felt suffocated, overwhelmed by it. Had her old self felt this unease too, or did she have the same obsessive love for Magnetar, like he displayed for her? If they had been so happy together, how did they end up apart in the first place?
She glanced the scale on his chest. There would be only one other person in the universe other than Magnetar who would know what the past was like. The Pearl he had taken from her would know. White needed to get that Pearl back to remember, and perhaps, help her escape. She had to play along, just long enough to come up with a plan of getting under Magnetar's scaled armor and taking back her Pearl.
White forced down her feelings and didn't fight when Magnetar connected them once more with a kiss.