[IC] Don't Look Back | dee & Engel

[dee]

"Homeworld Portal Nine, this is Peridot, serial number 13B90. Approaching Portal in approximately 190 seconds."

"13B90, you have clearance to land."

"Understood. Activating auto-landing sequence."

Peridot extracted her limb enhancers from the control panel of the ship and leaned back on the chair. It had been a horribly exhausting few cycles and just the sight of Homeworld nearing on her screen was enough to rejuvenate her. Oh, how she hated having to be sent away on scouting or retrieval missions. She hated the latter more so since those often last longer than necessary, especially when the target was determined not to get caught. Her mind fell to the gem in one of the ship's many containment chambers and a frown found its way to her lips. Just thinking about that clod and all the trouble she'd caused Peridot... She wished there would be public execution. She'd bring all her Flask Robonoids to watch and see what would happen should they try and stage a mutiny against her.

She wondered just how her prisoner was doing. Her finger was hovering over the button that would activate the containment chamber's security feed, but she decided against it. There were some lines she wouldn't cross, and offering her prisoner her privacy was one of those. There wouldn't be time, anyway. The ship was lowering slowly on to Homeworld. She'd have to submit her report to Yellow Diamond after securing her prisoner to a jasper.

She stood and headed down to the containment chambers. The empty cells seemed such a waste of resources for her, but she knew that there might come the time when all of the ships' containment chambers would be filled. Just the thought of having to manage that many prisoners by herself was enough to make Peridot thankful that she only had to deal with one rebel gem.

She paused on the outside and eyed the gem, silently appraising her. This was the gem that had her running around in circles. She bit back the distasteful remark and chose to maintain professionalism. "We have arrived," she announced as she reached into the gem on her forehead and extracted a Gem Destabilizer. "I'm going to lower the Destabilizer wall and lead you outside. Should you act in any hostile manner, I will be forced to utilize this Gem Destabilizer and poof you. Is that understood?"

[Engel]

Kunzite had stopped trying to escape, for now, as getting out of the cell didn’t seem possible without outside help. She still blamed herself for getting captured by Peridot. At first it had been a fun game to play on the gem who had come to retrieve her. She had gradually begun to underestimate her, thinking she was a harmless and amusing distraction, but that had let Peridot get the drop on her. Now she was locked in a cell on a spaceship heading back to Homeworld, the last place she wanted to be. Well obviously, she had escaped after all.

The journey back had been dull and long so far. She was mostly left alone for extended periods of time, not allowed to explore the ship or anything. Alone with her thoughts she freaked out more than once, banging at the walls and shouting, but there was no reaction from Peridot whom she had thought would be watching her. It unsettled her further. What would they do to her when she had been brought back?

Her ears perked up when she heard approaching footsteps echoing through the corridor. Kunzite was excited just by the thought of someone to talk too at that point, even if she feared she knew why they were coming down. She smiled at Peridot when she stopped in front of her cell, but her fears were soon confirmed when she was told that they had arrived.

“You’re going to poof me if I do anything hostile?” Kunzite replied, and stood up. She ran two of her hands through her hair, while stretching the others. “Oh my, that sounds menacing.” She said with an insincere, playful tone. “I thought you knew me better than that though. How sad, after you spent all that time chasing me too.” Crossing her arms across her chest, she leaned against the wall. Peridot was the one who needed to get her out of the ship, but Kunzite was perfectly fine with staying put where she was. The gems waiting for her on the surface probably wanted to do something worse than poof her. “What if I do something kind or cuddly instead of hostile? What will you do then?”

Kunzite giggled and put a hand in front of her mouth as if she wanted to conceal it, but really, she wanted to provoke Peridot to anger. It would be easier to get away from her again if she wasn’t thinking clearly. “You’re so focused on me attacking you that you don’t think about all the other fun things I could do.”

[dee]

Peridot watched her prisoner's movements with a stony expression. She knew the other gem's antics. It was painfully obvious that Kunzite was mocking her, much like she'd done so many times before during Peridot's chase, and it would never cease to be something that got under Peridot's nerves. Do something kind or cuddly instead of hostile. Peridot resisted the urge to scoff and to release a bitter laugh. Weren't they all the same thing?

Her grip on the Destabilizer tightened as she stepped towards Kunzite, careful not to touch the wall that still separated them. Fun things she said. Peridot understood what she meant by that and just the thought made her want to sic her Robonoids at the other gem. Honestly, she didn't have time for such nonsense. Her superiors were waiting outside and here her prisoner was attempting to distract her with fun things.

"Enough talk," she announced, her tone more clipped than she intended. "Once I lower this wall, you will not speak. You will not do anything unless I say it. If you do not cooperate, I will be forced to call for help." She paused for a beat and caught Kunzite's eyes. "You know that they will not be as... merciful as me. You will be destroyed where you stand. Now, all I ask for is your cooperation."

It was standard procedure. Let your prisoner know that following you would be the better option. If they still refused, then make them regret that decision. But by the name of the Diamond Trifecta, Peridot hoped that Kunzite would just accept her offer. She imagined having to call for help. Those insipid jaspers would surely laugh at her inability to contain her own prisoner. News of it would reach her superiors and Yellow Diamond.

She blinked herself back to reality and scowled at Kunzite. She placed her hand on the wall next to her prisoner's containment chamber, activating a control panel that would allow her to lower the Destabilizer Wall. With one tap of her finger, the deed was done. The wall that separated them had disappeared into nothing and Peridot stepped back, the Gem Destabilizer pointed towards her prisoner.

"Step out and follow me."

[Engel]

Kunzite almost mocked Peridot because she had said she would call for help if she did not obey her commands. The thought of having to deal with any of the other gems stopped her from opening her mouth and speaking words she would come to regret. They would either destroy her or drag her out of the ship, whether she kicked and screamed wouldn’t bother them a bit. She did giggle at Peridot needing help, and did not bother to pretend that she was not doing it this time around.

“Courageous.” Kunzite managed to say right before the wall was lowered. A final act of rebellion. Something she’d done out of a compulsive desire to stand up to Peridot before she was forced to obey. She knew Peridot was too high-strung to issue any orders that might be fun to carry out. Kunzite dragged two of her fingers across her lips, a gesture to indicate that they were now sealed.

She was a bit surprised when she was told to follow her, rather than walk in front of with her hands above her head. Peridot did know she had four of them, right? It’d be twice as easy for her to pull some kind of stunt, especially when walking behind her. Kunzite wasn’t sure how to convey that to Peridot without talking or doing any sudden movements. It might startle the other gem if she made any odd gesture, so she simply stepped out of the cell and waited for her to move. Once she did, she followed her.

Peridot’s ship was very different from the one Kunzite had used to escape. It was large, empty and clinically clean. Kunzite’s had been more like a home, but this was a flying prison with no visible hints that Peridot owned it, no personal touch. Maybe she was into locking other gems up and depriving them of their freedom though.

When they neared the exit, Kunzite grew anxious. She really didn’t want to set foot on Homeworld again, and even though she knew what Peridot would do if she tried anything… Well, desperate gems tend to do stupid things. She walked closer to Peridot, feeling some hesitation regarding how to proceed.

“Sorry.” She finally whispered, then pushed Peridot and tried to take the destabilizer from her. She had the advantage of more arms, and tried to use it to constrain the gem and take the weapon at the same time.

[dee]

Peridot chose to ignore Kunzite's comment - who in the stars called a peridot courageous? - and began to move. She knew it was foolish to lead, having no clear view of what her prisoner was doing, but she'd taken Kunzite's cooperation as a sign that she wouldn't be doing anything reckless. It was a foolish miscalculation on her part, and she made a mental note to never trust a prisoner again - especially this one. A whispered apology announced the inevitable and Peridot found herself fighting off a gem far stronger than her. The Destabilizer fell from her grip and she growled under her breath.

Oh, she was going to make Kunzite pay. She sucked in a deep breath, threw a glare at her prisoner, and screamed, "HELP!" Within moments, two jaspers were in her ship. One tackled Kunzite off of her and the other wasted no time in plunging a Destabilizer in Kunzite's stomach. Peridot heard a poof, but refused to look. She stood, eyes on the floor of her ship. "Excellent work," she mumbled under her breath. "Take her away." The jaspers grunted their understanding and took the bubbled gem out of her ship. Peridot remained, her hands clenched at her sides.

After a few moments spent calming herself down, Peridot exited her vehicle to come face to face with Yellow Diamond. Eyes wide, Peridot was quick to bow low. "Y-Yellow Diamond," she greeted, hating the slight tremble in her voice. She looked up and cringed at Yellow Diamond's unreadable face. She followed her superior to her office, head down all the while. She knew she'd failed in the final moments of her mission, and she'd pay for it. She dreaded how.

---

Peridot marched down the hallway leading to where Kunzite was contained. Yellow Diamond's words echoed in her mind, refusing to be silenced no matter how hard she tried. Experiment... Kunzite... Cluster... And Peridot. Peridot found herself in the middle of it all. Yellow Diamond had called it a second chance. Peridot saw it for what it was - her own prison sentence.

She stopped on the other side of the containment chamber - a mirror of where they were before. "Kunzite," she called out to announce her arrival. "I hope you enjoyed your little stunt earlier. Was it fun?"

[Engel]

She should have shoved a hand into Peridot’s mouth to keep her from screaming. The gem had even told her she’d call for backup, so she’d been aware that it was a possibility. Kunzite hadn’t taken the threat entirely serious, because she figured Peridot would end up in trouble as well if she couldn’t handle her own prisoner. It didn’t take long for her to regret that she hadn’t gagged Peridot. Two Jaspers showed up, tackled her off of Peridot and shot her with the destabilizer. She didn’t have much of a chance to react to the latter before everything went dark.

Kunzite woke up in another containment cell, uncertain of how much time had passed since they’d poofed her. It could be days, maybe even months or years. It was difficult to tell time when she was nothing more than a pink gem. It was darker in this prison than on Peridot’s ship too. She curled up in a ball with her back against the wall, and put her head between her knees. What now? Why was she still alive? Were they going to torture her before sealing her away forever in a bubbled gem?

She soon noticed approaching footsteps, and heard Peridot’s voice speak her name. Déjà vu, she thought, as she looked up at the other gem on the other side of the destabilizer field. Kunzite didn’t answer the question at first, rather she responded with her own. “Did you come here to gloat, Peridot? Are you that petty?” She stuck her tongue out at her. “Maybe it was fun for me, beating a weak gem like yourself up.” She shook her head after a brief moment, and turned away. “Nah, I’m not as high on power as yourself. I don’t find pleasure in showing up at someone else’s prison for no reason.”

Kunzite didn’t bother telling Peridot to leave or asking if she had an actual reason to be there. She figured the gem wouldn’t give her an answer, and stay as long as it took for her to get over the fact that she had been beaten. If she did have a reason, she’d probably tell her that anyway, not that Kunzite cared much anymore.

[dee]

Peridot's hands clenched at her sides as she kept her eyes on Kunzite. Despite herself, she found that the other gem's words never failed to get under her skin. Petty. She frowned. Weak gem. She took a step forward, fully intent on-

On what, exactly? Peridot didn't even know. She blinked, attempting to see through the haze of childish rage that had overcome her for some reason unknown to her. Her eyes fell on the floor and was that... Were her hands shaking? She released her hands from the fists they'd turned into and allowed a ragged breath to escape her lips as her hands continued to shake. Weren't her limb enhancements supposed to help her exude confidence? Where was that confidence now when she needed it the most - when she was in front of an imprisoned gem that seemed to have made it her life's mission to push and push and push Peridot to the edge.

Green eyes disappeared behind tightly closed lids as Peridot attempted to compose herself. Falling apart in front of someone that was a traitor to Homeworld. Ha. She was sure if the jaspers could see her now, they'd be laughing at her incompetence. She really was a weak gem - there was no contest to that. Weak. Hadn't Yellow Diamond shown her that moments ago? Failed to see a simple retrieval mission to the end, was sneered at her and Peridot remembered feeling as if her limb enhancements were nonexistent. She remembered feeling so small and wishing that she'd be small enough that Yellow Diamond's glare couldn't be directed at her anymore.

Releasing another shuddering breath, Peridot finally opened her eyes. A quick glare was tossed in Kunzite's general direction before she averted her eyes. "I-I apologize for that slight miscalculation on my part. My system must have encountered a bug." The lie was obvious in her voice, but she hoped to the stars that Kunzite wouldn't comment on it. That was the last thing she needed right now. She cleared her throat and steeled her gaze as she met Kunzite's eyes again.

"I assure you that my appearance here was not for naught. I am here to rehabilitate you into society. The Diamond Trifecta has deemed you worthy of another chance - your final chance - to rewire you allegiance to them willingly." She eyed Kunzite meaningfully. "Should you accept our offer, you will be moved to a different facility where your movements will be less restricted. You would be allowed to roam around a designated area, albeit with heavy security and a collar that will release a shockwave strong enough to poof you should you attempt to escape. Upon good behavior, more freedom will be granted to you."

She paused for a beat, letting her offer sink in. "Should you refuse, your gem will be smashed in a public execution."

[Engel]

Kunzite half-expected Peridot to enter the cell with her at one point when she stepped forward. The other gem didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Peridot changed her mind pretty quickly though, perhaps realizing that she needed some kind of weapon if she wanted to exert her anger on Kunzite. Clearly she couldn’t put up much of a fight either way, and she almost told her to go find some more gems to assist her if she wanted to beat Kunzite further into the ground than she already had.

She noticed Peridot’s hands shaking. It was the first time she’d seen the gem show any physical signs that all of this was getting to her. Kunzite should feel content, this was what she’d been trying to do since they’d met, but all she felt was sorry for her. A strange pity. Could it be that Peridot was as much of a prisoner as Kunzite? Only in a figurative prison, where the cell was built from social norms and expectations that the gems in Homeworld put on her. Did she genuinely want to do any of this, or was she blindly following orders?

The lie Kunzite was told gave her the impression that she might have stumbled on something resembling a truth with her new way of looking at Peridot. She didn’t know what to say in response. There was a thought telling her to ask if Peridot was getting old and feeble, but she didn’t voice it. Besides, they were both old by the lifespans of other species.

She scoffed when Peridot explained her situation to her. “Why would I want…” On second thought, if she was alive there was still a chance she may escape. It may be very small, but it was larger than the odds she faced if she didn’t at least begin to pretend that she was co-operating. They definitely would have her gem smashed publically. She was surprised that they hadn’t already done it actually.

“What’s your part in all of this?” Kunzite asked, having changed her mind about openly showing that she would be unrepentant until her death. Maybe if she made nice with Peridot she could use her to escape Homeworld. Maybe she could convince her that she was wrong, that the diamonds were evil, as impossible as it may sound to convince someone who’d been brainwashed for so long.

“If I accept your offer, do we get to spend more time together? I don’t have any friends on Homeworld anymore, and it would be a pleasure to get to know you better.” Kunzite batted her eyelashes, figuring she’d overdone it, but it had been very easy to get under Peridot’s skin with snide remarks so far. She was curious whether flattery would work just as well. “Fine, I accept.” Not that she had much choice if she didn’t want to give up.