Atonement

1 - Square One

No.

No no no no no...

Not this again! This can't be happening again! I thought... I thought we were done with this. I thought I was done with this! This is my fault. I knew they saw me. What have I done?

Thoughts and feelings flooded Steven in the suffocating darkness, as he struggled to form his bubble, or his shield, or something! Even a coherent thought would be acceptable at this point!

But attempt after desperate attempt, nothing was working.

There was a static in the air, one that pulsed through Steven's skin like a continuous chill. Something told him this was what was keeping him from using his powers. And, he was so panicked at this point, he didn't think he'd be able to use them successfully anyway.

Steven was curled up in an uncomfortable ball, inside of some sort of sack. Typical.

He could tell it wasn't made of any solid material, more like a solidified plasma, or something like that. He didn't know. He didn't care.

Whatever this situation was, it must've been a way for the universe to laugh at him. It offered a half a year of freedom, not even a whole year, before snatching the liberty away from him.

Again.

The boy continued to squirm and struggle, until someone jolted his cramped containment with a sharp jerk.

"Stop wiggling around in there! It's no use anyway," the voice said, irritable and quirky.

Steven glared into the darkness, but did stop moving, after one last indignant kick from inside the bag. It was no use. His kidnapper was right. Dread set in and Steven sighed with a growing sense of doom.

Everything was suddenly seeming all too real, as if reality was just beginning to set in.

He laid back, the jouncing of his kidnapper carrying him over their shoulder in a bag in no way comfortable. Not like anyone cared. It was far too late to do anything now.

Steven's heart ached painfully with disbelief. Overwhelming memories, fresh and sour, unburied themselves and forced their images to the front of his mind.

The gravity around him became heavy again, and it was evident to Steven that the warp pad had reached its destination. His breath hitched, and his weak attempt to struggle was, once again, easily ended.

His capturer was thunked forward, now on solid ground again, and the human was desperately trying to come up with any way to get out of this. But, it seemed like his luck had run short.

Suddenly, he was tossed to the ground with a painful clunk.

This was it! This was his chance to escape! Or, so Steven thought. Trying to fish his way out of the silky, freezing bag, he realized the opening was all sealed up. Why did everything have to be magical? For once could someone use an object that was normal in some way? Why did he have to be a gem? Thus far, it'd only caused trouble.

While the boy was wallowing in his own despair, and sharp sound rung through the air. Like the twinkle of bells, something was shattered into a million of little pieces.

Steven's face paled in horror, as he realized quickly that his kidnapper had smashed the warp pad behind them. The only warp pad that lead back home from where he knew he was bound to be: the Galaxy Warp.

He remained in a state of rising, silent shock and fear, and once more he was hoisted over the shoulder of some strong person. Well, evidently a gem.