Chapter Text
Tick Tock Tick Tock
The grandfather clock kept ticking and ticking and ticking. It was starting to drive Isaac mad. He didn’t need to go to sleep. But he tried his best anyway. But it just wasn’t working because of the damn clock. Where even was that clock?
It had been a long few weeks of clean up and more wet work. More corrupted gems threatened to overthrow Beach City in the background. The Crystal Gems were all scattered, so someone had to make sure their home wasn’t destroyed. They were still being hunted by Homeworld after all.
But it all worked out. There were no more imminent threats to clean up and Ruby and Sapphire were finally getting married. Isaac wanted to attend but…well, they all thought he was dead, so it wouldn’t seem appropriate. Also he didn’t get an invite. It is very rude to attend a wedding uninvited.
But at the very least he could at least spy on the wedding. He knew both of the brides, and the other gems, he really wanted to see how his friends had changed, how they were happy without her. Without Rose.
He saw some pictures earlier, but after a while…it just made him sad. His friends were doing so well, he just wanted to be there to say hi. But he couldn’t. The guilt started to rip him apart, so he tried to lie down, get some sleep.
It was just so so hard to actually fall asleep.
Then he heard the alarm.
Red light filled his room, filled the entire ship. It was like it started screaming.
Isaac jumped up immediately. Finally something to do. The horns in the ship kept screeching, echoing throughout the entire facility. People around him kept running, getting to their stations. They had prepared for this time and time again. And yet Issac wasn’t exactly sure what they were dealing with at the moment.
Eventually, he got to his station. He was approached by one of the soldiers he had served with thousands of years ago, Weimar.
“What’s the situation?”
“The diamonds. They are here.”
Isaac’s eyes went wide. “What?!”
He started to pull up the camera footage on the display in front of him. He panned through the different cameras he spent months spreading around Beach City. The main street seemed to be intact. Good, it wasn’t necessarily a world-ending disaster just yet. He panned to the camera in the temple...and saw that Greg was inside, watching…Cat Steven? Was that the cat’s name? But still nothing outrageous.
And then he panned to the camera on the lighthouse. And there was Blue Diamond’s ship on the beach, and in the distance, Yellow Diamond’s ship fighting…wait, was that the Cluster? How was it holding it’s own against a Diamond ship?! And with it’s arm alone!
The beach was in ruins. A barn had crashed into it, and a fight was taking place against Blue Diamond. All of the gems were there. Even Lapis, who had left almost a month ago.
Isaac’s hands trembled. This was it. The worst case scenario.
His soldiers, his friends all looked to him. “What do we do boss?”
Isaac took a moment to think. He looked at his chest and could faintly see the scar, the brand still present. He’d been waiting for this.
The words started to stumble out of him, like it was instinct. “Okay, here’s the plan. We’ve prepared for this, so we stick with our base teams. Firefighters, go into the town and make sure everyone is evacuated and safe. Bring what you need but keep it in your world, do not make a scene. Strikers, ensure that there are no homeworld gems lingering around. We want to be sure that nothing else can go wrong. Company, provide overwatch. Try to see if there’s anything else we need to worry about on the horizon. And Guardians, stay here. Make sure nothing goes wrong and nothing comes our way. And…Weimar…”
“Protect her, please.”
Weimar smiled softly and nodded. “Done.”
One of his other soldiers, Sasori, spoke softly with concern in her eyes. “What are you going to do?”
Issac grinned. “I’m going to go to that lighthouse, and finish this.”
“Are you crazy?! You’re going to do that alone?!”
“Shouldn’t you wait until our gem partners are in position? I’ve already called them in, and what about her? Shouldn’t our asset be here for this? She has as much personal investment as any of us!”
The clamoring was panicking Isaac. Making him more nervous than he already was. But he kept his smile even and calm. “I can do this. Quick and easy, without any worry. Besides, we don’t have time to deliberate, Steven is in danger! They all are! Besides, the…asset doesn’t need to be awake for this. Just let her rest alright?”
The others nodded begrudgingly and soon, they sprung into action. They charged into the Barracks, grabbing weapon after weapon after weapon. Issac observed and noticed the vehicles everyone took. Helicopters, Motorcycles, Trucks, Homeworld vehicles they had procured, everything was fair game. He smiled at the sight. Maybe the worst case scenario could be prevented.
However the panic burned within him yet again as he looked back at the cameras and saw the temple was completely trashed. And that Yellow Diamond’s ship had crashed on the beachside. The team was celebrating, but Issac knew, he knew that it wouldn’t end at that.
He ran to his room and armed up. He grabbed a couple of rifles, revolvers, machine guns from the shelf and stuffed them in his head. Anything that could be useful for a fight like this. C4 charges, incase it all goes to hell. No major explosives…he didn’t want to ruin Steven and the lives of his friends. And thank god for it.
He looked at the large rectangular safe next to his bed. He considered it. It was his weapon after all. But he couldn’t. He needed range for a fight like this. So Isaac instead picked up the sniper rifle from the top of the safe. He modified it himself.
This…
This could kill a Diamond.
He faltered for a moment. He put the sniper down, resting it on the bed, and walked into the restroom. Isaac looked at himself in the mirror. There were so many scars. On his face, his nose, his chest…that large scar on his chest. It was barely perceptible but he always saw it. Always. His straight hair was still pink, his skin tone was just the same.
Isaac sighed and grabbed the bandages from underneath the sink. He wrapped them around his arms without so much as looking at them. He wrapped it smoothly, without any breaks or gaps. He tried to make sure they were Just another daily routine, right?
Once he was done, he ran outside and grabbed the sniper on the way out. He used the ships warp-pad. The temple’s warp was no doubt broken, and it would certainly lose the element of surprise if he just walked out the front door of the broken temple. So he used one just on the outskirts of beach city.
Isaac dropped in and saw the panic Beach City was under. Horns filled the streets, it was like the world was ending. And maybe it was. The Firefighters should have been doing their job, and yet Issac couldn’t help but panic. What was happening?
He started to frantically run through the city. Years of training and yet he was panicked just as much as a rookie. It had been years since he’d seen Beach City in person. He wanted to see the sights, appreciate a donut, and just relax on the beach. But now the world was coming undone. All because of the Diamonds.
It was always the Diamonds. They ruined his life, the lives of the gems, of his…of his friends. Blue emotionally abused any she came into contact with, Yellow was a military tyrant, he didn’t even want to think about White.
And Pink…Pink’s the reason his life is in ruin. Why so many of his friends have been hurt.
All because of the death of a Diamond.
All because of Rose Quartz.
He’s been cleaning up their mess for thousands of years. And now here he was. About the stop them from ending the world.
Maybe this was a call to action.
A call to stop running from his past.
Well, what better way to stop running than to literally kill what ruined his life.
He made it to the top of the mountain, next to the lighthouse. The arrival was clean. No one saw him, no one suspected him. Just an ordinary pink…person…running in the streets. These guys must have been really used to the weirdest of the weird.
He took the sniper from out of his head. Issac started to point it at the beach but nearly dropped his gun at the sight. Both Lapis and Peridot were poofed. Steven was knocked out. Both Yellow and Blue were fighting against all of the gems. And they were giving it their all, but it was a losing battle.
He could almost faintly hear a young voice screaming in his head, saying something about showing who he really is. Wait what?
He was scared. This is what he has prepared for for years, but he was scared.
Isaac took a moment to do what he always did. He looked at his bandages. At the scar on his chest. This is why he was fighting, this is what he was fighting against, this is what five thousand years of hell was all for.
This was it.
No more running.
He picked up the gun, slammed the magazine in, and pulled the cock and handle back. A .50 caliber sniper mixed with gem tech. It should do the trick.
He aimed right at Blue Diamond’s gem, right at her neck.
But they weren’t attacking…they were just leaning over Steven.
Isaac couldn’t hesitate. He had to stop hesitating.
He put his finger on the trigger and started to pull…
Until Steven woke up.
He woke with a gasp, as all of the gems, Diamonds included, stared right at him.
Isaac should’ve pulled the trigger tight there.
And yet he put the gun down and took out a pair of binoculars. He needed to know, he had to know what was happening.
Just as he looked through it, he heard it. Clear as day. Blue Diamond said it.
She looked at Steven and said it.
She called him Pink.
Isaac gaped. Why would Blue call Steven Pink? He had his Mother’s gem but that had nothing to do with Pink Diamond.
Sure, Rose was a part of Pink’s court but…
Wait, if Rose killed Pink how did no one spot her? Where were the other members of her court? Only people who should have made it through to kill her was Pink Diamond herself and her…Pearl.
Oh no. No, no, no, no, NO!
He couldn’t breathe anymore. He dropped the binoculars and stood at the edge of the mountain. No one saw him. No one ever saw him.
Was it really that simple? Did Pink just…fake her death? The person she served for years…that was Pink Diamond?
Was it all a lie?
Years of fighting, of suffering, of dying and shattering. Of innocent humans and gems. People like Lapis, like all of the Corrupted Gems, like his best friends, like everyone he had ever loved…people like himself.
All suffered for a lie.
Isaac collapsed to the ground. Panic filled his being, his entire existence. It spread right from his core to the rest of his body,
His family was murdered
His friends were killed
His body was ruined
All because of a Diamond who disguised as a friend.
Was that all Rose was capable of? Making others suffer?
It started to make sense now. It all clicked in his head.
All of them. All of his brothers in arms, all of his friends, the people he loved. They were all products of Pink Diamond’s failures.
And Steven?
He dragged himself back to the edge of the cliff and saw him.
He saw the look in his eyes as the Diamonds and the Gems started to hound him.
He was just as lost and haunted as he was.
Steven Universe was just like him.
He made a promise then.
A resolution.
Isaac Orion Sterling was done running.
Pink Diamond created an endless cycle of death and suffering.
And no matter how long it takes, he will end that cycle. No matter what.
No matter what.
“WHOAAAAA!”
This again. Just one second of distraction and he was on the dirt, his motorcycle with it. Thankfully the bike hadn’t come apart, it had survived much worse in the past, but still.
Isaac needed to be more careful. He’d dosed off before, but never while driving. Most of his crashes were because of distraction, his emotions controlling him. Not sleeping.
…Maybe…
No. Couldn’t be. And besides, it didn’t matter.
Didn’t change a thing.
“Hey boss! Are you okay?”
His earpiece buzzed. And with a groan he pressed it. “Fine, fine.” His face of embarrassment turned to focus. “Everyone in place? Is Crescent with you guys?”
The man on the other end laughed. “Crescent is fine. She wanted to go with you, remember? Anyways, most of the teams are in place. We’re on our way.”
“Good…good. I’ll be there soon.”
Isaac pulled his motorcycle off of the ground and triggered the brakes. He checked the digital compass on his wrist. About ten to fifteen more miles. That was manageable.
He got on the bike and revved it, and soon drove into the distance. The sun was starting to rise. Even in this dirt filled wasteland it still looked beautiful.
Damn shame what was about to happen.
He reflected on the dream he had. Has it really been fifteen years? Fifteen years since his whole world turned upside down? A lot has changed in that time, sure.
Steven Universe had brought peace to the whole universe. Seemed fitting considering his name.
Despite all of the circumstances that drove Isaac, he was still happy about what the kid had done. He did the impossible.
And now the whole world was filled with homeward settlements. It started with Little Homeworld in Beach City, and then it spread like wildfire! Took a lot of convincing to the United Nations, but they were eventually okay with the settlements, and the increased gem population. Now Connie Maheshwaran and Steven were ambassadors of the gem people, and they were doing a damn fine job of it. It was kind of amazing how gems integrated with the society of his planet. He even served with some gems during his tenth run in the military.
Spinel tried to attack the Earth. Destroy it and kill the Crystal Gems in the process, Steven included. Isaac considered acting, shattering Spinel like he should have shattered Blue Diamond. But then he realized how similar the two of them were. So he hesitated.
And that poor kid, Steven. He finally snapped, his connection and anger towards his mother consuming him…driving him to corruption. He should’ve done something but he couldn’t. He hesitated.
He is done hesitating now.
A lot has stayed the same too. Most of the tyrants in Homeworld, people like the Diamonds, those that ruined the lives of so many gems and humans were still alive. They haven’t answered for anything.
It’d be one thing if they changed for the better and stayed that way. But some of these people still carried hatred for the Crystal Gems. There was still attacks on peaceful gem settlements from these people, these gems who despise Era 3 and crave for the old ways.
The old ways. What a joke.
The old ways would just lead to all of them becoming pawns yet again. Oppressed by god-like figures with no care for life and death and love and birth and peace and war on the planet Earth.
And Issac would not let that happen.
He could feel the engines of the air team blow on his trench coat. It was all coming together. Every team should be in place. Firefighters, Guardians, Company, all hands on deck for the beginning of the operation.
Eventually, the target was in sight. Isaac checked the bandages on his arm. They were clean with no sign of damage. Good, he couldn’t afford distraction.
He stopped the bike right outside the settlement. It was a series of buildings, almost like a neighborhood. There weren’t that many places left for homeward settlements, so they had to settle right in this land of dirt and dust.
Fitting.
He powered through the electric Era 2 field. They never did figure out the kink about humans being able to breakthrough. He looked around and saw that the buildings were blocking his view of the main street. He climbed on top of one of them in order to get some view of the situation.
Isaac made it to his destination and took out the sniper from his hair. There were tons of the gems in the city center. Peridots, Lapises, Aquamarines, Agates, even some Amethysts, all gathered around a Kunzite, a gem dedicated to interrogation. They were burning an effigy of Steven Universe. They were still connected to the prime Little Homeworld, and yet all seemed to have a hatred of Steven Universe.
Well, something had to be done.
He looked around. None of them saw him, but he was able to spot the air ship just out of reach, the sniper team all in positions, the Firefighters dedicated to causing unrest and disaster, blowing up the buildings. The Company dedicated to breaching the walls and eliminating those who dare fought. And the Guardians for eliminating all communication.
All of this to send a message.
They were armed and ready for war.
And they were done running.