Gem Drill

(The scene opens with a black screen, following the events of Super Watermelon Island, as Steven cuts his connection with the Crystal Gems on Mask Island.)

GARNET: And Steven... We love you...

[Trans. Ext. The Barn]

(Steven jolts awake, back in his body at the barn, as the ground shakes and cracks. The chalkboard then falls on top of him, with the illustration reading "Cluster Emerges, Bye Bye Earth", and Steven screams in fright. Peridot is already standing atop a ladder leading into the cockpit of thе drill.)

PERIDOT: If you're done just lying therе, maybe it's about time that we stop the world from ending! Where are the others!?

STEVEN: runs up to the ladder They're stuck on Mask Island. We have to drill without them!

PERIDOT: Ugh! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING OF TEAMWORK?! Okay, Steven, are you ready to drill down into the planet to depths never before reached by your species to stop the Cluster before it forms and save your world!?

STEVEN: I don't know!

PERIDOT: Don't say that! Say "we'll do it together and it's gonna be great!"

STEVEN: We're gonna do it together and it's gonna be great!

PERIDOT: LIAR!

(As the ground continues to shake more violently, Peridot and Steven scamper into the drill's cockpit.)

PERIDOT: Ready or not, we have a mission.

(Peridot starts up the drill and it begins digging into the ground.)

PERIDOT: Increasing speed!

(The drill then quickly dive into the ground, digging deeply as it traverses.)

STEVEN: Alright. Bracing for impact.

PERIDOT: It's actually two more hours to the cluster.

STEVEN: Oh. Wish I'd brought some tunes.

(Peridot turns on some elevator music.)

STEVEN: Uh, thanks.

(Steven and Peridot remain silent as the drill continues to dig further downwards. Steven's eyes are filled with anguish as he watches the layers of rock pass by. He shuts his eyes tightly, shakes his head and begins talking to Peridot as a distraction.)

STEVEN: It's kinda... freaky down here, huh?

PERIDOT: Why's that?

STEVEN: It's just dark, and cramped... Ngah, I can't even, gah, stretch out.

(The compartment rumbles momentarily, and Steven and Peridot look around in worry.)

STEVEN: How'd you think you were gonna get everyone in here anyway?

PERIDOT: I don't know, they'd shrink or something. We didn't have a lot of time to plan.

STEVEN: So... what is the plan?

PERIDOT: We have a drill. We're going to drill. Get ready - we're about to penetrate the asthenosphere!

STEVEN: Whoa, it's all lava!

PERIDOT: Lava is what comes out of volcanoes. That's super-heated peridotite.

STEVEN: Peridot...ite?

PERIDOT: Yeah. It's made of the same stuff as Peridots.

STEVEN: You were made on Homeworld, right?

PERIDOT: Mmhmm.

STEVEN: What was it like?

PERIDOT: I didn't exist. Then I did. I don't have memories of it, just feelings. I know I can never go back to Homeworld, but it's hard. Not to have some feelings for where you came from.

(Steven stares at Peridot, spotting a tear welling in the corner of her eye. She then quickly wipes it away.)

PERIDOT: But it's fine! blushes slightly I have something different now.

STEVEN: What's that?

PERIDOT: You know! You... guys.

(Steven smiles, when banging is heard atop the compartment.)

STEVEN: looks up fearfully What's that sound?

(A red hand suddenly pushes against the cockpit glass, causing Steven to back away in shock.)

STEVEN: gasps A Gem mutant!

PERIDOT: They must've buried some prototypes with the Cluster.

(More banging is heard outside the compartment.)

STEVEN: They're all over us! They're attacking the drill! What do we do?

(Peridot presses a button on the panel and a weaponized CCTV camera pops out from atop the cockpit, knocking a Gem mutant away.)

PERIDOT: Pearl didn't think it was necessary, but I never leave home without a blast cannon. hands a controller, akin to the Nintendo 64's, to Steven

(Live footage of the Gem mutants is displayed on the panel as an aiming guide. Steven begins controlling the cannon with the controller, blasting away the Gem mutants off the drill.)

STEVEN: Something doesn't feel right about this.

PERIDOT: Then use the D-pad.

STEVEN: No, it's just... ngah. These things. We can't just leave their gems out there. They're going to form again later. If I could just bubble them, then, they'd be safe.

(A Gem mutant arm, climbing atop the drill, loosens its grip and falls off into the magma.)

STEVEN: C'mon! We've gotta help them.

PERIDOT: There is no helping them. They're too broken. The beings who used to be in those shards are so shattered, they don't know who they are, or what's happening around them. They just seek out other gems, looking for the missing pieces of themselves. Trying to make themselves whole.

(A red Gem mutant hand tries to reach out to the camera, and Steven blasts it away.)

PERIDOT: These early experiments only combine two or three shards. The cluster will be a billion times bigger. An inseparable fusion capable of destroying worlds, starting with this one.

(The drill eventually hits a layer of dense rock and begins to shake.)

PERIDOT: We're hitting some denser rock! This is it!

(The drill pierces through the ceiling of a huge opening and stops. Peridot looks around the opening with mobile binoculars with a flashlight attached to it.)

PERIDOT: Recovery depth achieved. Target found.

STEVEN: Is that...

PERIDOT: The Cluster.

(The Cluster and its surroundings start to tremor. Steven and Peridot shout in panic.)

STEVEN: What's happening?

(White matter begin to ripple and surrounds the surface of the Cluster.)

PERIDOT: It's too late! It's taking form!

(The white matter begins to expand and rises up from the Cluster towards the drill.)

PERIDOT: Steven, I'm sorry I couldn't save you or the billions of other lifeforms who matter far, far less to me. Do you have any last words?!

STEVEN: I love you, Peridot. hugs Peridot

PERIDOT: ... Wow, thanks.

(The cockpit shakes violently and Peridot hugs Steven back. The white matter begin rushes upwards up the hole, surrounding the drill in it. The lights in the compartment flicker and voices can be heard crying out from below. After a moment, the white matter stop rising, shaping into white hands, and reside back down to the Cluster, brushing past the drill. Steven and Peridot observes the Cluster's activity on the compartment screen, as white outstretched arms wiggle around on the surface.)

PERIDOT: It's still struggling to take its form! This means we still might have time. There's still a chance! taps a couple of buttons on the control panel and holds onto the steering handles Just a little repositioning.

(Peridot pushes the steering handles forward, and the drill climb through the hole in the ceiling with mechanical legs, suspending itself above the Cluster.)

STEVEN: Peridot, I don't think we should hurt the cluster. I don't think it knows what it's doing.

PERIDOT: It doesn't matter if it knows what it's doing. It's still going to do it.

(Peridot presses a button on the steering handle, and the drill begins diving towards the Cluster. The white matter, with visibly shaped hands, then erupts towards the drill, attempting to push it back from reaching the Cluster. Steven and Peridot scream as the drill struggles against the force of the white matter. It eventually makes contact with the Cluster, and Steven covers his face, groaning in pain.)

PERIDOT: What? Is the increased vibration causing damage to your head holes?

STEVEN: I don't know!

PERIDOT: We're not even piercing the crust yet! I need to increase power! Are you going to be okay?

STEVEN: Yeah, yeah. I think it's just the noise... I think. Keep going.

PERIDOT: Affirmative. Activating triple tip penetration mode!

(The drill separates into three more drills in a triangular formation, forcing the Cluster's outreached arms to retreat. Steven, still holding his head in agony, gazes down at the cockpit floor and sees flashing hallucinations of ghoulish faces floating up towards him. He gasps in horror, as one of the drills breaks off from the comtraption.)

STEVEN: Runaway drill!

(Peridot balances the contraption on its two remaining drills.)

PERIDOT: There! Just, gotta, keep balance!

STEVEN: Okay...

(Steven looks out the window at the Cluster, with a nauseated frown. He then sees another ghostly face, its mouth widens in a groan as it rushes towards him. He screams and flinches backwards in shock, colliding into Peridot. A second drill breaks off and the contraption starts spinning around in unbalance.)

PERIDOT: I don't know if it's going to hold!

(The force of the spinning machine throws Steven and Peridot against their seats. Steven grips his head and stomach, gritting his teeth in pain and begins sweating profusely.)

STEVEN: I don't understand what's happening! Argh!

PERIDOT: What's wrong?!

STEVEN: I don't know!

(Steven's gem then begins to glow. Steven sits upright in pain, panting and breathing heavily. Peridot quickly notices and rushes over to face him.)

PERIDOT: Steven! Steven!

(Steven sweats and pants heavily. He looks up again and sees a hallucination of ghoulish faces floating upwards. His seat is suspended among them, and Peridot is gone.)

STEVEN: Peridot? Peridot?

(Steven's gem glows brighter and his seat dissipates, causing him to float into the darkness. Steven then slowly wakes up, finding himself suspended in what appears to be a starry sky with multiple voices echoing all around.)

GEM SHARDS: Must... Have to... Want to... Need to... Have to...

(Steven soon realizes the "stars" are actually Gem shards, floating all around him.)

GEM SHARDS: Want to... Need to... Want to...

(A Gem shard floats past Steven. A small broken voice can be heard from it as its glow pulsates.)

GEM SHARD #1: ...want to...need to...

STEVEN: You... want to? Want to what?

(A strong white light envelops Steven and the voices cry out in unison.)

GEM SHARDS: FORM!

(Steven screams and covers his ears.)

STEVEN: Please! Stop!

(The light subsides and the voices calm.)

STEVEN: It's the Cluster. I'm talking to the Cluster?! But... how did I get inside your brain? Brains?

THE CLUSTER: Have to... Want to... Need to... MUST!

STEVEN: gasps Wait! Please don't take form!

(The light returns and the Cluster chants aggressively.)

THE CLUSTER: Form! Form! Form! Form! Want form! Want form! FORM!!!!

(Steven covers his ears, and the light and chanting subside again.)

STEVEN: Maybe instead of forming you could do something else?

(The light and chant return, forcing Steven to cover his ears.)

THE CLUSTER: FORM!!!

STEVEN: Boy, you've sure got the one-trackiest mind I ever met.

THE CLUSTER: Need FORM!!!!!

STEVEN: Agh!

THE CLUSTER: To be whole.

STEVEN: Whole?

(Steven notices the Gem shard that floated past him earlier.)

STEVEN: Oh.

GEM SHARD #1: Have to...

STEVEN: You're shards. You just wanna find the rest of your gems. But forming won't help you find the rest of yourselves. You'll just destroy the Earth!

THE CLUSTER: No. No, no. No! No.

STEVEN: But if you wanna find other gems, there's so many of you right here! Look. pushes a shard next to another Shard, meet shard!

(The shards glow weakly as they begin to converse.)

GEM SHARD #2: Have to...

GEM SHARD #3: Want to...

STEVEN: See? You already have so much to talk about.

(The Cluster's voices raise in commotion as they begin to speak to each other. Bubbles of light surround Steven as he smiles.)

THE CLUSTER: Hi! Oh, hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Oh, hi!

(The Cluster is soon engulfed in a warm bright light.)

STEVEN: This is great! You don't even need to form. You can just stay here!

THE CLUSTER: Want to stay.

(Links form between bubbles of light. The light then suddenly subsides momentarily, then bursts back again, with the Cluster crying out in anguish.)

THE CLUSTER: Can't stop! Going to form! Can't stop! Going to form! Help! Help! Help!

STEVEN: It's okay. If I just bubble you, you won't have to come out. It'll keep you safe. Here, look, like this!

(Steven begins bubbling the shards near him.)

STEVEN: I can bubble you! I can bubble you! I can bubble you! becomes exhausted* Ah. Well, that's five. Out of... *looks at the billions of shards scattered all around Oh jeez... I'm sorry! I can't do it alone!

(The bubbles of light pulsate around Steven, pushing him to and fro. Steven starts to float away from the Cluster and he tries to reach back out to the light with no success. As he wakes up, a worried Peridot is in front of him.)

PERIDOT: Steven! Wake up!

(Once Steven regains consciousness, he sits upright and gasps.)

STEVEN: It doesn't wanna form!

PERIDOT: What?

STEVEN: We gotta put it in a bubble!

PERIDOT: Bubble that?! Hah, there's no way!

(Small bubbles then begin to form on the Cluster's surface.)

STEVEN: gasps They're bubbling each other!

(Steven bends down on one knee and places his hands on the cockpit floor.)

STEVEN: I've got you. You've got this. We've all got each other!

(With the help of the Gem shards, Steven manages to encase the Cluster in a huge pink bubble.)

[Trans. Ext. The Barn]

(The drill climbs back out of its hole near the barn with its mechanical legs and collapses onto the ground. Steven and Peridot then tumble out of the cockpit.)

PERIDOT: hugs Steven* You did it!

STEVEN: We did it together. And it was great!

(Steven hears the nearby warp pad activating, and sees the Crystal Gems returning, with Garnet carrying an unconscious Lapis in her arms. Steven and Peridot then run over to them.)

STEVEN: Guys! You're back! I-is Lapis okay?

GARNET: She'll be fine.

PEARL: You look happy! Uh, did you destroy the Cluster?

STEVEN: No, I talked to it.

PEARL: What?

STEVEN: It doesn't wanna destroy the Earth. It just wants company. And it's got it now. It's like a bajillion people! They'll have lots of time to get to know each other, now that they're in a bubble.

PEARL: How on Earth did you bubble that whole thing?!

STEVEN: We had a little help.

(The scene pans rapidly down to the Cluster, now surrounded in a pink bubble, laying dormant once again in the planet's core.)

[END]