Orignal Chapter
3rd Person P.O.V.
(Steven) What's going on with Spinel?
(Amethyst) And what took you so long?
(Pearl) Well, first, I'm not like Peridot with Homeworld devices. And second, the collar on Spinel is a control collar. It was used on disobedient gems before Rejuvenation was invented. It's primary purpose is to synchronize to a gem with "supposedly" better focus and emotions. Then, when the collar is attached to a gem, they act like that gem but with their own personality. And if my accusation is correct, Spinel is synchronized to Jasper.
(Amethyst) Then, let's get that collar off of her.
(Pearl) We can't. The collar is stuck to her form. Poofing her won't work since the collar is magnetized to her gem. Our only hope to getting it off is to use the remote that the collar comes with.
(Steven) But we don't know where the remote is, let alone Jasper's whereabouts.
(Amethyst) Maybe we can ask Spinel?
(Pearl) That won't work. She won't tell anyone.
(Steven) What else do we have?
(Pearl) I... don't know...
Steven walks into the other room where Garnet was watching Spinel.
(Spinel) Hey, it's Steven! Everyone's favorite human!
(Steven) Has she said anything about Jasper?
(Garnet) No. Just a few bad jokes.
(Spinel) Bad jokes? Those were comedy gold.
(Garnet) Are you going to talk to her?
(Steven) Yes.
(Garnet) I'll give you two some privacy.
She leaves.
(Steven) Where's Jasper?
(Spinel) In space. Somewhere far from Earth.
(Steven) Where exactly?
(Spinel) How should I know? It's not like I know a few things where she's located.
(Steven) What else is Jasper planning?
(Spinel) Earth's demise, duh! And yours, of course.
(Steven) I need actual answers. Not the obvious.
(Spinel) But then you'll might be able to stop Jasper.
Steven sighs. Spinel is smiling, knowing she was in control of the situation.
(Spinel) You look adorable when you're angry.
(Steven) What will it take for you to give me answers?
(Spinel) A negotiation? Hmm... What could I possibly want?
Steven is regretting his decision to negotiate.
(Spinel) Tell you what, if you play a game with me, you'll get answers.
(Steven) What game?
(Spinel) Questions and Answers.
Steven knew she was going to twist this simple game into something horrible. He was going with it anyway, he has no other choice.
(Steven) Fine...
(Spinel) Good! Now, I ask you a question and you answer with "Yes" or "No". Once you do that, you can ask me one question in return! This'll be so much fun!
(Steven) How can I tell you won't lie to me?
(Spinel) How can I tell you won't lie to me? You're gonna have to believe my word, just as much as I believe yours.
(Steven) What's your question?
(Spinel) Were you actually concerned for me when you learned about what happened in the Garden?
(Steven) Yes.
Her pupils shrunk when he answered. She quickly hid her facial expression.
(Steven) Where is Jasper?
Spinel looks at him again.
(Spinel) I don't know. Somewhere not too far from Homeworld. Anyways, do you ever know the pain of cold, dark desolation?
(Steven) Yes...
Her eye twitched.
(Spinel) No! This isn't how you're supposed to play the game!
(Steven) By being honest?
She slammed her fist against the table.
(Spinel) Just ask your question!
(Steven) Are you okay?
(Spinel) Don't waste your question on me! Talk about Jasper!
(Steven) I thought you were supposed to believe my word.
He knew she wasn't expecting him to understand. She was losing control. Even though she was being controlled, she still is suffering from what Pink did to her.
(Spinel) The topic is Jasper, not me!
(Steven) Fine. Why did Jasper target you?
(Spinel) She wanted my injector. But I'm not gonna tell you why.
(Steven) Fair enough.
Spinel took a moment before speaking.
(Spinel) (Stammers) Have you...
Tears were about to burst from her eyes.
(Steven) Spinel?
She slammed her head against the table. She gripped her head.
(Spinel) (muffled) Just go away!
(Steven) Spinel--
She lifts her head up, showing an angry face with tears running down her face.
(Spinel) JASPER'S IN SPACE WITH A PLAN AND MY INJECTOR. NOW GO!
She pushed him away.
(Steven) Spinel, are you okay?
(Spinel) Leave me alone! You already got what you came for...
He wasn't going to push her anymore.
(Steven) I'm sorry.
She covered her ears. He opens the door with Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst having concerned looks on their faces.
(Amethyst) What did you do?
(Steven) You don't want to know.
(Pearl) Did she say any useful information?
(Steven) Jasper used the collar to get Spinel to give her control of her injector. She plans on using it, probably on Earth. What's the status on Peridot?
(Garnet) The healing water didn't work. Maybe you should take her shards to the Diamonds?
(Steven) I'll see what they can do.
Pearl hands him the shards of Peridot. Before he left, he said,
(Steven) Keep an eye on Spinel. Make sure she doesn't harm anyone, or herself.
He goes into his room to get the communicator to call the Diamonds, one of them at least.
[Communicator] (Yellow Diamond) Steven, what do you need?
(Steven) Do you or any other Diamond's powers helps restore gem shards?
[Communicator] (Yellow Diamond) Well... probably. Bring the shards over and I'll see what I can do.
He hangs up and gathers his armor.
On Homeworld
Yellow Diamond's room
(Yellow Diamond) With my new powers, I can piece together a gem's shards but not heal them.
(Steven) Will the gem reform?
(Yellow Diamond) Yes, but they'll be very fragile. I've done extensive research on a gem whose been shattered and reformed under my influence. So far, my powers is enough to allow the gem to reform. But if that very gem is put enough force against them, they'll shatter again.
(Steven) Can you reform my friend?
(Yellow Diamond) Sure. But be careful with her.
He hands her the shards of Peridot. Yellow carefully puts the shards together, emits a spark from her fingers and touched the gemstone. Peridot was reformed.
(Peridot) What the--? Steven? Yellow Diamond? What happened?! Ow!
(Yellow Diamond) She'll feel great pain when moving the wrong direction.
(Steven) Can you stand?
Peridot tried to stand but she quickly fell back down.
(Peridot) OW! I-I can't!
(Steven) I'll help.
He picks her up carefully.
(Steven) I'll explain on our way back.
He goes to leave but stops to before he left the room.
(Steven) Thanks, Yellow.
(Yellow Diamond) Don't mention it.
He left.
On Earth.
Steven was carrying Peridot to his Livingroom.
(Lapis) Peridot!
(Peridot) Hey, Lazuli. Please don't touch me. Not that I don't want you to, my form is very sensitive.
(Steven) Where do you want to sit?
(Peridot) Anywhere is fine.
He sets her on the couch.
(Peridot) Steven already told me everything.
Steven placed a communicator on Peridot's lap.
(Peridot) Ow!
(Steven) I have a plan. I'm giving you this communicator I can contact you or the others when I can.
(Peridot) What are you going to do?
(Steven) I'm going to find Jasper's ship so I can get the remote so I can get the collar off of Spinel.
He left.
In space
Steven had his suit in space mode (where he has a glass dome around his head while he has his armor on). He was inside the roaming eye to use to scout the area. Spinel said Jasper's ship was near Homeworld.
He doesn't know if she was exactly honest but her trauma certainly broke through the collar. He's using the device Yellow gave him to track the ship. Luckily, it gives him a blueprint of what the ship has and multiple ways to get inside it.
That one gem he saw with Jasper was Emerald. He seen her when Yellow Diamond disbanded her armies, she didn't look happy when she heard the news. He read her profile and she looks the type of gem who would have equipment like that collar.
If anyone were to have the remote, it had to be her. He lands the roaming eye on top of the ship and activates the gravitational pull on it (Basically, it's a magnet to any object and will stay stuck to it until it's removed by force or if the pull is turned off). He activates the same mode on his suit which allowed him to stick to the ship.
He goes outside and takes a moment to get used to the chill of space. He carefully navigates around the ship, checking the windows, counting how many gem rebels he sees, etc. He finds Emerald in the engine room, reading a report from a peridot.
He spots an entrance on the ceiling of the room which he can crawl through the ventilation to get to. He opens the cover by force and crawled through it. As he crawled, he can hear Emerald and the peridot.
(Emerald) How is the power core?
(Rebel) Perfect condition. Though, it wouldn't hurt to do a maintenance check. As well as we should check our defenses. We're currently vulnerable to any breaches since Jasper took her anger out in here yesterday when you got back after losing that spinel.
(Emerald) Blast! How bad is it?
(Rebel) Jasper obliterated the generator for the weapons system. Shouldn't take more than 7 days to repair.
Steven breaks through cover above Emerald and the peridot. He lands on the peridot, knocking her out, and grabbed Emerald, holding her against the wall.
(Steven) Where is the remote for the collar that was placed on Spinel?
(Emerald) I don't have it!
He punched the wall, leaving a huge crack next to Emerald.
(Steven) Where is it?!
(Emerald) I-I don't have it, really!
Steven applied more pressure, about ready to poof her.
(Steven) Do not lie to me...
His voice was low. He was going to start shouting but her next answer stopped him.
(Emerald) I'm not, Jasper has it. I wanted to hold on to it but she insisted to have it. I gave it to her when the collar was placed on the spinel.
(Steven) Thank you...
He sounded like he was forced to say that before tossing her to the side. He leaves the room the same way he went in. Once he reached on top of the ship, he contacted Peridot.
(Steven) We have a problem. Jasper has the remote.
[Communicator] (Peridot) Wait! Jasper has it?
(Steven) Yes, why do you sound surprised?
[Communicator] (Peridot) (laughs) Oh, this is too easy. Ow! It hurts to laugh.
(Steven) Why?
[Communicator] (Peridot) Because laughter causes me to move and since my form is--
(Steven) No! I mean, why did you say it was going to be easy?
[Communicator] (Peridot) Jasper never holds onto things. She only keeps an item on her for like a few minutes before handing it off to someone else or leave it lying around. Trust me, she's done it multiple times when I was with her when we captured Lapis.
(Steven) Emerald said she doesn't have it.
[Communicator] (Peridot) Then, Jasper must have it wherever her room is.
Steven hangs up. He thinks he remembers seeing a room where Jasper is located in. He shimmies around the outside of the ship. He eventually found Jasper's room, and Jasper too.
She's reading a report. The remote was on her workbench. Steven steadily opens the window quietly and was close to the workbench.
He reached for the remote and picks it up carefully. He heard footsteps approaching the door. Steven goes back outside just before the door opens roughly with Emerald panting.
(Emerald) Where's the remote?!
(Jasper) What happened?
Steven stayed just outside the window so he could listen to this.
(Emerald) Steven intruded the ship, requesting the remote! Where is it?!
(Jasper) It's right over-- OH, NO!
For once, Steven cracked a smile.
(Emerald) I TOLD YOU TO LET ME HAVE IT!
(Jasper) SHUT UP AND FIND IT! WE CAN'T LET HIM GET TO IT!
Steven climbed to the top of the ship, hearing thuds and objects clattering. Before he went back into the roaming eye, he placed a tracker on the ship.
Back on Earth
(Spinel) Y'know what I think?
(Garnet) What?
(Spinel) I think you actually liked my jokes but you won't admit it.
(Garnet) Spinel, you've made direct insults about fusion, Pink Diamond, and Era-3 for 10 minutes straight.
(Spinel) They're just jokes, sheesh! Tough crowd...
Garnet rolled her three eyes. Steven came into the room.
(Spinel) Oh, why is he here?!
(Steven) I got it.
(Garnet) You did?
(Spinel) Got what?
Steven reveals the remote. Spinel's eyes widen.
(Spinel) Oh, no! This ain't coming off.
(Steven) Hold her.
Garnet roughly grabbed Spinel and held her in an awkward position. Steven points the remote at the collar and the collar comes off.
(Spinel) (gasp)
She stopped struggling. She lifts her head up and looked confused.
(Spinel) Steven? Garnet? What's going on? What happened?
She rubs her eyes.
(Spinel) Did I faint or somethin'?
(Steven) Do you remember what happened?
(Spinel) I... I think so... I remember being tied to a chair and Jasper puts a collar on me. Then, I dreamt about attacking you...
(Steven) That wasn't a dream. That actually happened.
Spinel's memory was fully recovered.
(Spinel) Oh... Garnet I am very sorry for those bad jokes. And Steven I'm sorry for pushing you earlier.
(Steven) It's okay. Do you know what Jasper is planning?
(Spinel) She wanted control of my injector. I gave her the controls of it. She said she needed it for a project she was working on.
(Steven) Hopefully, they won't get the chance. I placed a tracker on their ship. One thing left to do is this.
He drops the remote next to the collar and crushed it with his boot.
(Steven) Now, let's inform the others.
End of Chapter 42