Chapter 28: The Mission
No one seemed to notice Red's absence from the Kindergarten. Bismuth was busy repairing an injector, dismantling it, then building it again. Lapis was away in her designated room, wondering how on earth she was going to explain to the Crystal Gems what she had witnessed. And Jasper...well, she didn't have the conscious mind to wonder where Red could be. Instead, she prowled through the Kindergarten aimlessly in search of something to attack.
Maybe that's why Red had never liked them. Sometimes it seemed like the only gem who ever cared about Red was Sapphire.
"You can't be serious."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Red ignored the figure who appeared next to her. The mindscape Sapphire stared at her judgmentally.
"She doesn't actually care about you."
"Maybe," Red said quietly. "Is it so hard to believe she might?" She turned to look at the Sapphire but she had disappeared. Shaking her head, she stared down at her gem. It was time she got answers. Double checking that she was alone, Red summoned the Memory Tablet.
"You showed me what I needed before," Red gripped the stone harshly. "I need your help again. I need to know why I'm here. Why was I made? My coding, it isn't loyal to Homeworld. If I'm not made for them...what am I for?"
For a moment nothing happened, nearly discouraging Red. Then, without warning, a bright light emitted from the stone, completely engulfing her.
Blinking in the harsh light, Red's eyes adjusted. Physically she was still in the Kindergarten but mentally she was somewhere else entirely. She was in a memory.
Her surroundings were green and metallic. She seemed to be standing just outside a control room, possibly of a ship. The hallway she stood in was dark and shrouded her figure. She could barely see into the room from where she was but if she moved more she'd expose herself to the two gems she was watching.
"What do you mean we aren't going back to Homeworld?"
"I said," Jasper clarified, "We aren't going back yet. There's a difference."
"But we already captured the Crystal Gems!" Peridot exclaimed. "Why would we not immediately report back to Homeworld to put them into custody? They're going to go on trial for treason."
"Forget all that just for a second!" Jasper growled, slamming her fist on the table. Peridot backed away from her. Jasper sighed and changed to a quieter tone. "Can you keep a secret Peridot?"
"A secret? Like what?"
Jasper looked around for anyone listening before leaning towards Peridot. "I could be shattered for telling you this...but I'm under direct orders to make sure this mission goes exactly as planned."
"Our mission is to retrieve the Crystal Gems," Peridot frowned.
Jasper shook her head. "That's what Yellow Diamond told you?"
"Well, not personally...it's still an order given from her authority. Her authority is ultimate Jasper. If someone has given you another mission it can't override this one."
"This mission can," Jasper said gravely. "Can I trust that what I show you in this room will stay in this room Peridot?"
"It doesn't sound like you have a choice," Peridot said, "But yes."
Jasper walked over to the other side of the room, causing Red to duck behind the wall. If she looked in the room, Jasper would see her no doubt. She was stuck there. As much as she wanted to look, there was no memory of doing so and couldn't.
"Where did you get that?" Peridot's voice was shaky.
"You know what this means?" Jasper asked. "Good. Then you know that any actions I preform, no matter the severity, will be excused under her authority."
"That may mean you're exempt from law," Peridot sounded nervous now, "But that doesn't explain how in diamonds name you got it."
"How else? She gave it to me in a dream. She said-"
"Jasper this is serious. This is White Diamond you're talking about. If she visited you then...then-"
"Peridot calm down." The sound of footsteps was heard and Red risked a glance into the room. They were back in their first positions. Red tried to get a glimpse of what they were talking about but Jasper was empty handed.
"What...what was your mission?" Peridot asked.
"There's two phases. The first involves the cluster. We have to make sure the Crystal Gems stop it from forming."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but we have the Crystal Gems on our ship, thousands of miles away from the cluster."
"I know," Jasper looked at the control panels, "That's why we sabotage this ship. We make sure they escape- I'm not happy about it either but hear me out. Once they escape they're going to need someone to tell them about the cluster." Jasper stared at Peridot expectantly.
"Me?!" Peridot gasped. "No way am I helping those clods-"
"You will," Jasper glowered. "White Diamond fortold it."
Peridot was quiet for a moment. "You said there were two phases."
Jasper nodded. She placed a hand on the control panel and a secret compartment opened revealing a glowing white tube.
"What is that?"
"I'm not sure," Jasper admitted. "But I was told we were going to need it."
"For what?"
"Hijacking."
"I've never heard of it," Peridot shook her head.
"I didn't expect you to. There's hardly any records of it anywhere. I'll fill you in on the details later." Jasper put the liquid away carefully. "Look. It's not pleasant. You're not going to like doing it. And no matter what, we can't tell Homeworld about any of this. Nothing gets to them, understand? We have to do all of this ourselves."
Peridot nodded. "I understand. Who exactly are we doing this to?"
Jasper looked at Peridot and then glanced at the doorway. "Were going to have to do a test run first. It's why we captured the gems in the first place. And...it sounds like we'll have to test it out first on the gem spying on us, just outside this room."
Red felt an involuntary shiver of fear run down her spine and apparently wasn't going to wait for more. She felt herself running down the hall, or was it running?
Jasper was following pursuit, gaining on her easily. She saw the orange gem grin as Jasper grabbed her by the arm and slammed her into the floor. The last thing she saw was Jasper's hand being brought down towards her face. Red, however, noticed one small detail.
On Jasper's forearm was a glowing white diamond.
Her vision was fading, as was the memory. Red was able to hear only one more bit of information from Jasper before fading out completely.
"If it works on this one Peridot, I want to do it to the Ruby next. It'd be nice to take that fusion down a notch."
Red's eyes shot open and she gasped for air. She was lying on the floor of the Kindergarten. The stone laid next to her. Hastily, she grabbed the stone, staring at it in reluctance.
"That...that didn't answer my question..." Red stuttered. She felt beyond frustrated. She felt hopeless. Her hands were shaky as she held the object. "Why am I here?!"
The stone sparked in her hand and she dropped it. Her left arm was searing in pain. Red gritted her teeth and clamped her eyes shut to keep from screaming. When the pain resided after what felt like forever, Red gingerly looked at her arm.
It looked the same as ever but seared into it was a familiar, glowing white diamond.
Red choked back a sob. "I don't understand...I don't..." She grabbed the stone and chucked it promptly at the wall. It didn't even chip. In fact, the wall was the one to dent.
"I can't just be some failed science experiment," Red shook her head. "There...there has to be more. I can't be the second choice, I have to have been made for more, for something. Show me more! Show me one of my memories!"
Nothing happened. Defeatedly, Red placed the stone back in her gem.
She slid down the corridor wall and say there for some time, contemplating everything she was shown, rubbing her arm as the mark slowly faded away for the time being. Deep down though, she knew she couldn't stay in the hallway for much longer. After all, she had a bag to pack if she was going to be meeting Sapphire tomorrow.