Used to be abused - Steven Universe

Burden upon ones shoulder (4/4)

I glanced over trying to make out what the commotion was all about. A gem hollered from the other side of the room, "Everyone, get to the viewing area and lock all entrances or exits, we are going for total lock down on this subject Immediately!", Although I didn't see her though and surely she didn't see me.
All the elites slowly drained out of the room through the exits as the Quartz soldiers at the back followed from behind. As this concurred, I ran to the cart hiding myself from being caught while most of the gems in the room had already gotten out. I looked at the test subject seated on the chair worrying of what would happen but she instead gave a calm look.

Her arms and legs being strapped on the seat showed no sign of distress, however, her head position just looking straight upwards was really unnatural looking. Footsteps and muffled conversations occured coming from the observation window at the side of the room. They were all gathered in there seeming to observe the gem persistently being calm but cautious.
For a while the room was in total silence. The only sound was coming from the gem panting and inhaling heavily. It was really an uncertain situation and I was clearly trapped from getting anywhere for help. Little pitter patters came up here and there and the loud ventilation started to accompany the silence but all else was really quiet. I too observed the gem with a pounding and feared heart but I didn't expect for something remarkably disturbing to happen. The gem awoke from her state of paralysis. She looked around spotting the beady eyes laid on her, the cold stare and her deformed smile gave chills up my spine as the darkened part of her face promptly quivered. She turned her head sideways as I soon realised that she was now looking at me giving the same expression. Her smile dropped to a... malicious, look... now blankly being very creepy.

The crowd of gems got confused as they continued typing on their screens recording the event. Muffled statements could be heard from them,
"The subject appears to be.... with a slight readjustment.... currently developing ridiculous behaviour....".
I pushed myself back a bit as I hid the half of my face behind my arms, she just glared at me. I was horrified and a panicking mess by now, her dark shadowing eyes loomed at my direction as a withered, distorted voice spoke,
"How odd... it seems that I'm not the only one who is going through this phase of the test. Who are you?...", the gem asked having a sinister like intention behind her tone. It was clear that she was talking to me but I kept quiet knowing that she was being observed.
"Heh, you know they won't notice right? No need to worry of getting caught, there were more than you who attempted this." She added. I looked at the observation window to see the crowd of gems nowhere to be found as we were left alone now.
Eventually, I found some courage to anxiously ask her, "wait, wh - what do you mean by that?"
She titled her head to me, "Well, considering the age of this project, it's no surprise that  suspicions were on the rise. In fact, no longer than a few cycles ago, a Diamond came to....... visit....." she lowered her voice at the end of her sentence.

"I of course had to stay here ever since I agreed to that ridiculous offer! Sometimes the things I do for her is just never enough isn't it?..." she exclaimed raising her voice on some of her words.

There was a brief moment of silence as she faced away looking angered but I continued on questioning her,
"You said that this project started for quite some time now, but, Blue Diamond initially demanded this project not too long ago, so, how can I be sure of what your telling is true?..... hukh... why am I even talking to you?", I said sighing.

She faced me, having a concerned face.
"Hey, so uhh, something troubling you?" She asked.

I only said, "I - it's nothing..." as it was none of her business to be involved in.

The silence was back but she spoke again breaking it, "You know, you don't deserve to feel that. The pain you feel, she doesn't seem to be treating you as well as how you do to her, so, why do you condone to endure like this?"

She confused me with that, "What are you even talking about? you have no idea what your blabbering!" showing a bit of my confidence.

"Well, what about this..", all of sudden I was blinded by flashes of light and I lost control of my vision. I was somehow transported away from the test room. As I remembered it, I was at my diamond's court room when we had just finished a trial for a guilty client. The sentence for her had been made as my diamond with no care bothered none of their pleads. I looked around and gasped in shock while a voice echoed in my head,
"see this, she doesn't even care for that gem and look at just how absurd she is towards of what she just done, thinking lightly of the situation!" It was the gem's voice.

"Huh, wh- where, what happened? What did you do?", I didn't get an answer but I assumed that this was an ability she possessed.
I saw my past self, walking over to my diamond presenting her with the screen of reports she had ordered me to fetch. I mumbled to myself, "what the heck?!.." as I watched this recent event that I let myself forget a while back. My diamond looked at me displaying a tiresome look as she shoved the screen away to the side being horribly ignorant of my work.
"Ugh, Pearl! I told you to get the files regarding the injectors! To what level of specification do you want me to give you all the time?!", She fumed at me.

"You put effort gathering those files only to get nothing but an aggression. Don't you just feel betrayed?, disrespected? Unhonoured?" The gem spit her points.

"I am a Pearl! My diamond expects great service from me and I failed to commence my duty to her just that one time, besides, at least I don't talk behind our leaders back and rebel against their thoughts!" I tried to prove her wrong.

"That one time huh...", the scene blurred out and manifested itself to another memory. We were now at a colony, this was when my diamond was in the middle of launching an attack.
Her Entourage and aristocrats from homeworld were sent out to command the fight while she and I stayed back in the Base.
It was as I remembered it, an Aquamarine was in a disagreement with my Diamond. I backed up a bit  from the scene just in case things got a little too... out of hand at the time.

"But.. My Diamond, I really think that we should place our concerns elsewhere besides our failing wars. The Sapphire for told that this was not going to-..", the Aquamarine started.

My Diamond spoke cutting her words, "Please. Aqua. Your trying my patience, I don't care of what that, Sapphire, for saw! I have sent a fleet of Quartz soldiers and they are now on their way as we speak to stopping this predicament in which you apprehend. We will succeed no matter what and if striving for failure is what you desire then I don't think you should ever have been in my court in the first place! Just remember that I will only be clear to of  your vulgar assumptions once..",
With no hesitation the Aquamarine interrupted,
"Bu - but my Diamond, I must ob-.." she stopped as an angered look was placed upon her.
My diamond squinted at her, now being disgusted of this opposing thinker, she glared back down to her screen as she was still in the middle of contacting a commander.
The Aquamarine bowed, "I.. I.. will, be off now.. My diamond.." with another final bow, she fluttered out of the room looking disappointed.

  "I don't get why your showing me these memories. I can remember them perfectly, unless you think I can't", I said looking up assuming to where the gem was at. "Ugh, I don't have enough time.. oh uhh I mean, just wait until it happens!" She oddly proclaimed.

I started to realise that she seemed to know what happened next in my memories as she was the one who wanted to prove something to me that caused her to dip into my memories in the first place. She was being very suspicious for knowing,
"hey, how do you know about my memories and know to when things are gonna happen in them? I get that this might be some sort of ability that you posses but how do you know about them, how do you know about me that caused you to think that I am in a state of... abuse? This is none of your business to know."

She replied with an "Uhh.."
I got off track from what I was originally tempted to do in the first place, the past image of my Diamond reminded me of her questionable state again.
Just when I wanted to holler back at the gem, an explosion occured. Much like what I expected, a band of traitors infiltrated the base and had the intention to shatter our gracious leader.