Shattered Hearts (Steven Universe)

Chapter 13

Peridot hadn't thought that she would be able to run anymore, considering how tired she'd been lately, but she could, and she did. Ben didn't try to stop her, but his words didn't leave her mind. She shook her head frantically to clear it. What did he know, anyway? Nothing, obviously. He'd known her while she'd been desperate for help from anyone. The fact that she'd stooped so low as to request assistance from a human still baffled her. Ben was an idiot, and she should have left sooner. He was making her question her entire existence, and the way she had begun to feel around him disturbed her. Gems weren't supposed to like humans, and she wasn't about to admit that she could be the first besides the clods she was running from. She wiped her mouth with the back of her arm, trying to forget the kiss between the two of them had ever happened.

The sun was low in the sky by the time she made it to a spot with plant cover that was likely to keep her from being seen. She panted and collapsed, her body completely worn out. Peridot spotted something through the thicket that gave her a sudden burst of energy, and the most hope she'd had for rescue in a long time. A tower stretched up towards the sky, one that was purplish blue in color. The communication hub! The green gem ran up to it and examined it, placing one outstretched hand on its side. It was visibly broken, but it could be fixed with the proper equipment. Peridot's gem glowed, and from it came a pale green wrench, along with a few other tools for repairing the hub. Without her flask robonoids, she'd have to do it herself. The gem gazed up at the tower again, and let out an exasperated sigh. This could take a while.

After a lot of movement and alteration of certain parts, the communication hub was up and running. With Peridot's form faltering due to her damaged gem, it had taken much longer than she had expected to finish it, but it was complete at last. The long bars at the top of the hub sparked faintly, and she smirked. Finally. Emerald and the others couldn't ignore her while she used a transmitter of this size and power. Peridot pressed her hand against the machine's side and spoke to it, letting the hub hear her message and begin to send it to Home World. "This is Peridot, transmitting from all frequencies from abandoned crystal system on colony planet Earth. To Yellow Diamond, my mission has been compromised. My escort and informant are gone, and I am now stranded. Please send help!" After the gem completed her message, she moved away from the tower and released a sigh. That would have to do for now, but what of Jasper and Lapis? The two gems that had returned to this planet with her had vanished without a trace. She had at first assumed that they had been killed by the Crystal Gems, but Jasper wouldn't have given them a chance to attack, and Lapis was far too cowardly to do anything. The only other option was that they had retreated to their gems from the crash, although Peridot hadn't seen them in the sand on the beach. Maybe the traitors have taken them away already, she thought nervously. She forced herself to forget about all that and cast a glance at the hub. Hopefully the transmission she had sent out would reach Yellow Diamond before it got to anyone else. It was likely that it wouldn't get to her in time, but she had to hope that it would, because if it didn't, she knew that she would probably spend her last few moments on Earth, felled by the enemies she'd been running from. A distant sound made her turn around. A twig had snapped nearby, but due to how afraid she was of being found, Peridot ran off into a nearby forest, her chest heaving and her heart racing. Her skittish notions were enough to keep her alive now.

Ben blinked slowly, then adjusted his position on the couch in his living room. With Peridot gone, he had no one to talk to, so his tv served as the only thing in the house that was making noise. Thinking about the choices he'd made over the last several months angered him. Not only had he driven away the girl he loved, but he'd assured his parents that he was ready to live on his own. He had been fully prepared to buy a room in an apartment for himself, but his parents had bought him this beach house before he could've objected. He was still in college, so this setup was temporary, but he had had confidence that he could handle it then. Now this felt like a mistake. He was nineteen, and had told his parents he was ready to move out only to feel more like a grown-up. His sister lived with his family still, and he missed her a lot, but going back felt like admitting that he wasn't ready, and he didn't want to do that. He closed his eyes and dropped his remote on the floor, deciding that some sleep might help to ease his misery. The loud crackling of static filled his ears suddenly, and his eyes flew open. Overwhelmed by the noise, he covered one ear and used the other to try to turn off the irritating device. Ben's hand froze in place when Peridot appeared on the screen, looking frantic and troubled. "This is Peridot, transmitting from all frequencies from abandoned Crystal system on colony planet Earth." Ben narrowed his eyes and listened closely. The gem mentioned a Yellow Diamond, and asked for help. This bothered the boy. Was she in trouble now? How had she done this, and why? The message clearly hadn't been meant for him. Ben ran his fingers through his dark hair and came to a decision. He would try to reconcile with Peridot and tell her that he had seen her transmission accidentally. She would want to know that, most likely. The human got up from the couch and hurried away to get changed. I'm coming to help you, Peri, he thought, even if you don't want me to.