Infinity Train Book SU: Gem Shards (Steven Universe AU)

Chapter 6: The Abandoned Car

"So you MADE a school? I just go to one and only that exhausts me!" Hailee yells.

Steven laughs before saying, "Yeah, it was a little rough at points, but it was worth it in the long run, I needed a place to help the uncorrupted gems learn how to live on earth."

"Can other gems board the train, or is that just an us thing?" Hailee asks.

"Honestly, a few days ago I didn't even know I could board this, who the hell knows?" Steven responds.

"Okay, but who was Pearl's original master if it wasn't pink diamond?" Hailee asks.

"I have no idea," Steven asks.

"And what was in that chest in lion's mane?" Hailee asks

"I mean it's kind of a long sto-" Steven says before being interrupted.

"And what about the origins of the diamonds? How did they all come into existence, are you all supercomputers? How does a gem get light to condens-"

"Okay! Clearly I don't ask enough questions, Jesus Christ," Steven interrupts while laughing. "Maybe once we get out of here we can figure all that out."

"I wonder if we can see each other when we leave, we both live in two different places, we'll have to find away to see each other again after this," Hailee nonchalantly responds.

Steven's face goes white as he begins to realize this, as soon as he helps Hailee, she'll leave him. 

"I've already lost too many people, I can't lose her" Steven thinks to himself. He begins to think about ways he can stay in touch with Hailee after they both leave the train, but his mind goes blank.

"Yeah Umm...well umm...We'll figure something out, don't worry, this won't be the last time we see each other," Steven nervously responds.

"Okay, I'm sure you can figure something about, being half supercomputer and all," Hailee teases.

"I'm not a supercomputer!...or maybe I am?...I don't know, stop giving me an existential crisis!" Steven jokes, laughing with Hailee.

Steven and Hailee approach the entrance to the next car. He begins to open the door, meeting much more resistance than usual, struggling to twist it open. He eventually twists the handle far enough for it to open, only to be met with a big wall of plywood covering the path. He puts his ear up to the plywood to see if he can hear anything from the other side, only hearing silence.

"Umm, that's strange," Steven thinks. He attempts to push the plywood out of the way, but to no avail. Hailee attempts to help Steven, but neither of them can get past it.

"Umm, so are we just supposed to skip this train car?" Hailee asks.

"I have no idea." Steven responds, "Here, let me try something, step back for a second. This might get a little messy." 

Hailee, trusting Steven, steps a few feet back from the door. Steven then creates a bubble around his fist, and punches the plywood. The plywood splits into two before flying a good twenty feet away from the door and into the train car.

"Whoa, that was awesome, do it again!" Hailee shouts with excitement.

"If we find any more plywood, sure, but I think this plywood has had enough," Steven replies with a laugh.

Steven and Hailee walk into the next train car, which appears to be an abandoned train station. Inside are train tracks filled with wood and stone debris, with train cars sporadically scattered about, most of them being off the track. They're strewn about as if they had been abandoned here for years. Vines and small bushes are beginning to cover the train cars, slowly decaying them into the growing layer of dirt beneath them.