For Data's Sake (C: Amber)

[Paddy]

The sapphire gave a deep sigh as she looked down at the dossier that had been forwarded to her from her associates at the tower. They wanted her to go to the kindergarten. Not only that, but they wanted her to immerse herself in more investigative work around the area. Padparadscha loathed the kindergarten; it seemed that something was always guaranteed to go wrong there. It was a terrible place, but, she'd braved its caverns before. Aside, she'd already agreed to do the job. Perhaps she could play some small part in the research that would eventually crack the case on the mysteries behind corruption. Any data she received here could be sent back to Headquarters to be shared among other investigators, as well as with the tower.


This time, she would be meeting with an amber-- a gem with healing abilities. This did little to calm her nerves, but it was an extra insurance that she was often without. The mission was suppose to be a purely investigative endeavor, but the sapphire knew well how quickly the tides could turn for an assignment such as this, in a place like the kindergarten. Neither of them were soldiers, but she hoped what little combat experience she had would be able to help if something went awry.


With her ship hidden somewhere nearby the crystalline warp pad, she stepped onto it, and reappeared surrounded by the dark stone walls of the kindergarten. Her skin prickled at the empty, cold silence. A thick fog had settled over the air, and she narrowed her eyes at it to get a look around. It seemed she'd arrived before this amber, or perhaps the gem was simply out of view.

[Amber (Evol)]

It took a little while, but Amber managed to arrive at one of the entry points of the Kindergarten. Her wings carried her the distance, and as she softly landed on the ground she took a swift glance around. The Kindergarten was just as vast, empty, and gloomy as it always was; now, just add this horrible fog, and it seemed to be a perfect setting for a nightmare or horror film. And to think that this was where she would have been stationed at if it hadn't been for the ship crash....

It has been quite some time since she's been notified by the tower. She had just been gathering supplies to make her way to Rose's Fountain to collect some of her "magic tears" to see if she could use it in future experiments when she had received the message on the small recently-established communication quarters in the Glass City's center spire. The communication quarter wasn't very much in all truth, but it was enough to do what it was meant for. Truth be told, the small healing Gem was rather shocked that she received such an assignment. It was not often that she was assigned to things, and the mere thought filled her chest with hope and pride. Perhaps her reports were getting somewhere after all~

She emitted a small glow from her Gem to help her through this fog. The glow was small enough to not attract too much attention from unwanted eyes, yet enough to provide her own eyes a bit of rest. She walked around near the different entry points of the Kindergarten until she came to the warp pad -where she predicted her investigation partner would enter from. Most Gems do, after all. She inwardly sighed in relief upon seeing a Padparadscha --the Gem she was assigned with. Amber carefully approached her, taking cautious steps that also seemed sure and confident -renewed with energy, even. "I take it that you're the Padparadscha I'm paired with?" She smiled softly but warmly, as to attempt to help tone down any unease between the two of them. "Name's Amber. Facet 12F6LT, ovoid cut 7XH."

[Paddy]

Despite the care put into Amber's approach, the on-edge sapphire jumped when she heard and caught sight of the figure moving through the fog. Her shoulders lowered when she realized it was the gem she had been meant to work with. She gave a quick up and down to the gem, analyzing her appearance and manner. She compared the behavior of this gem to the many she'd come across before-- she'd been addressed without honorifics by this lower-caste gem. There was no particular reason for her to make a fuss about it, however. It was something she'd grown very use to in her time in this solar system. But, it was still telling; usually, the gems who spent more time on Earth seemed to pick up more casual mannerisms. 

Padparadscha, straight backed, threw up an elegant Diamond salute, then let her hands clasp together before she returned a careful, but inviting smile to the other gem. It was easy to appreciate the amiable aura of her partner in this task. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, comrade. Padparadscha 10C8A 8QE, court of law affiliate and investigator." She cleared her throat and immediately summoned her holoscreen to prepare her documentation apparatus. Her fingers flicked across the screen as she selected a series of settings,"It seems our mutual contractor has an interest in corruption. It's mentioned in the dossier that you have some personal interest with it as well? Seems to be a dangerous line of study, but an important one. I've not studied it specifically, but I do have experience with corruptions and kindergartens." More than she'd like to contemplate on, really. But, there was nothing she could do to forget those grim realities she'd seen.      

[Amber (Evol)]

Amber flushed a bit, disappointed and unbelieving of herself that she had not done the salute, and now the opportunity had passed to do so. Has she really been away from Homeworld influence for that long? What would her Diamond think...?

She was relieved when Padparadscha started talking, the topic shifting from greetings to their actual assignment. "I've had some experience," she admitted, "in studying the Corrupted for healing purposes. No good fighting anybody if we can't understand what turns comrades against each other. She looked away and into the foggy canyons of the Kindergarten. "I was in the middle of preparing to go off to collect some materials for another experiment when I got the call. There has to be something of worth here if the Tower is wanting an extra investigation. Shall we get this show on the road?" She smiled warmly at Padparadscha, though there was some form of timidness dancing in her eyes.

[Paddy]

Her analytical prowess allotted her the ability to see, in the gem's mannerisms and ticks, that Amber was not as comfortable as she wanted to be, though the sapphire couldn't exactly pin why that might be. She supposed it could be the fact that the two of them were about to set out into the dangerous quarantine zone. Part of what set Padparadscha on edge was the prospect of corruption affecting her; without any idea of what caused it or why, it was impossible to say that she could be immune to it despite her status in gemkind society. In fact she probably knew this better than many other aristocratic types, being that she worked in the field.

"Very true, Amber-- corruption could very well be one of the biggest threats Earth has to offer," The sapphire gave a curt nod,"To enlist us specifically, it seems that this job will require some tact. The mineral samples, and physical evidences we need, should be the easiest part," With her documentation roll going, she gestured for Amber to come with her before she would set off down the pathway that lead to the kindergarten floor. "So, to begin, I'll be gathering video record," Her hand gestured toward her holoscreen,"and as you know from the dossier, we'll need samples from inside of some of these cavities. To be thorough I'd suggest that you could gather samples from the top-most strata, given your flight, and I'll get some from the bottom strata," She looked to Amber with a business-like smile,"How does that sound?" 

[Amber (Evol)]

"Great!" Amber smiled softly. Her hands tingled in anticipation; any part of this assignment could yield negative or positive results --or nothing at all. The samples they need to retrieve could just be as harmful to them as facing a Corrupted Gem itself head-on; there could be traces of the virus anywhere, and they need to be careful. Her thoughts drifted to the monsters she was holding in the Glass City; they use to be - no, they are still Gems, just forced to live on the whim of bestial instinct against their wills and broken sanity. She had to risk herself to help them; and, if not them, then she had to risk herself for Homeworld. For her Diamond. For any future Gem in need. Lived can't keep going on like this....

"We should report back at regular intervals," she suggested. "If this place is the source, there's no telling what's lurking out there. We may be collecting our own samples, but we're still in this together." Amber then smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders with a soft nervous chuckle, "Plus, I really don't feel like having Tower agents harping on my gem if something happens to you, hehe."

[Paddy]

She gave a chuckle in response to Amber's attempts to lighten the mood, but the air here was thick with dangerous possibilities, alluded to by both of the gems' nerves. "I wont be far, I trust you wont leave me behind either," She smirked, but her expression sobered as she neared the bottom of the footpath. Her eyes peeled, she looked in every direction before making the first step down onto the kindergarten's dusty floor. Every quiet word or scuff of feet reverberated around the chasm, and it brought back memories of her last encounter with corruption here. She'd barely escaped with her gem in tact, and had embroiled herself in danger for the sake of a gem who ended up being the enemy. It was a sour thought, which contributed to her increasingly somber mood. 

The fog of the morning didn't help either. She hoped that, whatever was here, would have the same impeded vision that they would have. But it was hard to say what the capabilities of corruptions were. She turned to Amber, and looked the gem over. The sapphire was always a bit envious of gems who could fly, though ultimately she was glad for her own powers and position. "Your vantage point will also give us an edge, but I'll be keeping an eye out. This visibility will be an issue, but I'm sure we'll manage," With that, she turned, and made her way over to the nearest row of insets.  

[Amber (Evol)]

"I wouldn't want to go too deep today without much protection, even if by myself," Amber nodded. "There's too much unanswered questions lurking in the shadows with claws at the ready to kill the cat that wanders..." Her mind then imagined a hideous Corruption hiding away in one of the holes, saliva dripping from its maws, its horror only magnified by its strength, viciousness, and relentless torture. She glanced over at Pad, suddenly worried over her well being. She's seen her combat skills before, and she was admittedly impressed, but Pad is just one one flame sitting beside a vast ocean. Amber didn't want to go very far from her, no matter how short the distance. But they had ground to cover, and she couldn't completely neglect her assignment.

"Stay alert," she said softly, nodding, before summoning her wings in slight burst of light. She hovered a bit off the ground, "I'll check the ones in the middle quarter. If there's anything -threats, huge discoveries- send a flare."

[Paddy]

The imagery in Amber's words didn't do much for the sapphire's nerves, but she found it to be a rather poetic way of putting the circumstances they were under. This amber seemed to be an interesting one, and the sapphire found herself wondering what kind of word-craft the gem might make when under less pressure. At the rest of what Amber had to say, she gave a quick nod and summoned her sample-gathering tools.

"Right, the same goes for you," She said, mostly for good measure. She'd only known this gem for several short moments, on top of the stressful first-encounter they'd had in a rather precarious position-- it was hard to say what she might do, or what her motives really were. For now, she decided she could trust this gem as a fellow investigator and M-Tower associate.

She rubbed her hands together, and took her scraping tools into her hands before taking a few short steps to her first target; an average sized hole, from what she could tell. Being no kindergartner, and with no level of expertise with what to look for in that regard, she assumed that many of the cavities would be similar to this one in composition. She scanned the interior, picking out the different layers of rock she would focus on. Then, the sapphire ducked away into the dark hole, and made her way to the very back, where she leaned down and began to scrape flakes of stone into her sample jars.  

[Amber (Evol)]

Amber warily stepped her foot into one of the upper cavities. She stood at the mouth of the entrance for a moment, one hand on the wall, both eyes staring dead into the face of darkness. An uneasy feeling crept over her the longer she stared. Anything could be found within these holes. Sighing softly and quietly, she conjured a soft glow from her gem and wings to give her some illumination. It provided some dim orange light, and she began to feel a lot better being able to see what was in front of her face now. This hole stretched pretty deep, but judging by the struggle marks from the Gem of whom this hole had birthed, it couldn't be very deep -could it? She never claimed to be too knowledgeable on Kindergartens, despite originally having had been assigned to one.

A rustling sound, like pebbles rolling down a rocky slope, whispered echoes in her ears. Amber froze, tense, glancing about though finding nothing out of the ordinary -yet. On current account of feeling as if she were being watched, Amber summoned her bow and arrow. Little good it would do at close range, but she could at least use the arrows to stab something. She cautiously stepped deeper into the hole, her stomach twisting as her thought went to the sapphire she was assigned with. Was she okay? Should Amber go check? They wouldn't get anything done if she kept stopping what she was doing because she would constantly fret.

Another rustle was heard, closer this time. Amber stared wide-eyed into the darkness of the cavity. Her grip on her weaponed tightened. Something was... moving in the darkness... She took a step forward--

"AH!" Amber stumbled back as loud squeaks were heard and the leathery flap of wings echoed throughout the cave. She fell upon her rear end, stabbing the arrows blindly in the air. It was only a bat -a normal Earth bat- screeching and flocking to the clouds outside. Amber panted, trying to calm herself, heat rushing to her face as shameful and embarrassed blush took over. She stood herself back up and resumed wandering. "Get a hold of yourself," she muttered as she began collecting samples.

But the feeling of being watched remained.

[Paddy]

Completely enthralled by what she was doing, the sapphire meticulously made her way, inching across the interior of the cavity to fill her sample jars with glittering flakes of igneous stone. The amount of focus she allowed the task would've sapped the entirety of her attention, if not for the troublesome prickle at the base of her nape. Her flow interrupted, she stopped as she was in the middle of closing up another filled sample. She swiveled her shoulders around to get a look outside, but all she saw was fog. 

"Ah!" her partner's voice echoed from the walls of the kindergarten. Padpara jumped, the grip on her sample loosened and the jar slipped to the ground. Luckily it was made of shatter-proof technology, but she had already left it in the dust as she dashed out into the fog. She hesitated for a moment as white mist curled around her, seeming to thicken despite the climbing morning heat. Then, she peered up to where Amber had indicated she would go. 

"A-amber?" She called up,"Is everything okay?" Consciously she knew that it was, perhaps, not a good idea to fill the still air with her voice. There were certainly corruptions around here, and the noise could attract them. But, she wasn't about to leave her partner without backup if something had indeed happened.

The eerie ambiance of the kindergarten alone was enough to make her uncomfortable, but there was another unsettling notion bothering her; the same tingle on her neck she had when she knew that eyes were on her.

[Amber (Evol)]

Amber looked over her shoulder when Padparadscha had called up to her. What was she doing calling up to her like that?! Amber quickly made it to the mouth of the cavity and peered over the ledge. She waved to the Gem below showing that everything was alright. Her face seemed to warm in embarrassed blush. This was an important mission! She can't leave her partner worry alone like that! Words from many, many years ago on Homeworld materialized and bounced around in her head just then, words telling her how incapable she was of being a real functioning Gem.

But before she could slide back into the cavity, there was another sound from within. Amber tensed as the sound was much louder than it had when it had only been the bat. She slowly looked behind and gasped as a long streamline-bodied Corrupted crawled upon the ceiling, raising its body from the surface like a snake and growling. This cavity really was deep....

The Corrupted spread its face-pinchers and revealed a wickedly fanged mouth, screeching loud enough that Amber could feel her own Gem vibrate. The world seemed to spin and she began seeing double. Panicking, Amber summoned her wings and jumped out of the cave, "No nope no! Not anymore," she called down to Padparadscha. "Corrupted inbound!"

The monster crawled out of the cavity, hissing and screeching. If it wasn't dealt with soon, it could attract the attention of a dozen other Corrupteds, maybe more. Amber looked back up at it, summoning her bow and arrow, though everything still seemed like a doubled-over blur.

[Paddy]

There was a moment of silence, her shoulders rose with the tension. Then, Amber finally peered over the edge, and the sapphire's shoulders sank down as she was given a moment of relief. She swallowed, then peered around in the fog. It was too open, anything could come from anywhere. She felt safer back where she could see each wall an arm length around her. The small gem took her strides toward the cavity.

But before she reached her place of relative safety, she heard an unnatural screech that caused all of her tension and more to surge back into her. At her partner's words, she whirled to look up and see the other gem leap away from the creature. The sapphire was shocked, immobile as she tried to register the sudden change. She managed to will herself into action as the creature burst out of its containment; her katar took shape in her hands, and she conjured a ring of plasma that swirled around her, ready to strike out or defend on cue. She gripped the handles of her weapons, and grit her teeth-- the thing was much too far out of her range, but she couldn't leave Amber to fend for herself. On top of that, the thing was making quite a ruckus, its clamoring and growling echoing through the mist. 

It would be difficult to strategize between them, but again she found herself glad for Amber's capability of flight. She would have to keep her words minimal, and let her actions do the talking for her. The super-heated substance grew in mass around her, and she threw it down into the ground in order to create a pit-trap. She hoped that Amber would get the idea, she seemed to be a quick-thinking gem. Now she would have to find a way to lure the corruption into the trap-- without compromising her partner.    

[Amber (Evol)]

The further Amber flew from the Corrupted, the more of her senses she regained. She looked down at where Padparadscha was, noticing the pit-trap. She recalled their previous encounter up in the mountains. She knew Padparadscha had quite the ability with her powers, even being able to trap a Snow Monster and keep it in place. Perhaps that is what she wanted now: to trap the Corrupted so they can further deal with it then.

Amber looked back at the monster. It was very lithe and agile, hosting a very long streamlined body. It was not a hulk of a creature; where it lacked in strength was made up for it by its speed. If the Gems would get too close, its shriek could stun them. That was fine. If they could trap it, then they could deal with it from a distance quick in a combined force.

The monster scaled down the rocky wall, saliva dripping from its mouth. The bright color of the burning plasma had drawn attention to Padparadscha, though it seemed to not have forgotten Amber's presence. So, it stood back, observing the two, waiting for a move to be made by either with a low growl rumbling in its throat, ready to turn it into another stunning or summoning shriek.

[Paddy]

Her eyes tracked the creature as it descended the vertical cliff, then paused, as if it had made some revelation or change in thought. This was something she hadn't anticipated. Of all the corruptions she'd seen, never had she come across one that would keep itself at bay in this manner. Normally, the things would charge headlong at any movement-- but this one seemed craftier. Or, perhaps it was simply deciding which direction to charge into first. It was impossible to say what was going through the thing's mind, but there was a spark of something unsettling in its eyes that Padpara couldn't quite pinpoint.

Nonetheless, she couldn't let the corruption's disturbing appearance nor its apparent thought processes to throw her off. The two of them would need to act quickly and deftly in order to prevent a worst-case scenario from unfolding, which she dearly hoped they'd be able to do. The creature's capture would have to be ensured if they were to be victorious, so Padpara ran into the center of her trap, continuing to keep it blistering hot. She flung her arms around, trying to taunt its vision. Still out of her immediate range, she knew that it would be able to avoid any attack she send toward it, but whatever she did would be good enough to get its attention.

With that revelation, she pulled a piece of her plasma up. It stretched and curved into itself, then hardened to form something of a cannon-ball, kicking off noxious fumes as it floated between her hands. Then, she squinted up at the corruption, and shot her projectile out at it. It zipped upward as quickly as she could make it go for the first six feet, and hoped that momentum could carry it the rest of the way-- or that it would be at least threatening enough to call the thing's attention to her specifically.