Aftershocks (closed w. Paddy)

[Paddy]

"Erm...you know," She gave a nervous chuckle,"I guess I just don't get how things work around here," Amethyst went to set something down first, then hesitated just before the edge of the wall. She was reluctant for a few different reasons; she was worried of getting spotted, and aside, she'd never actually picked up the ornery aristocrat, who got very hot to the touch sometimes-- she wondered if the noble would even allow her to do something like that. 6UE just waited on some kind of confirmation of the order from the sapphire, not wanting to get her hands burned or have her ears nagged off.  

But the sapphire didn't give confirmation immediately, she swept her eyes over the group of humans; the mascot and the officer were in a heated debate of some kind while pointing in different directions. As she squinted more closely at the attire of the surrounding humans, some of them seemed to be wearing red as well, though most were different colors, with large numbering and lettering. She didn't stew long on this, and was rather more preoccupied with 7XB's words, interpretable in numerous ways.  

When the quartz assumed that expression, and that tone, she could tell they had something in mind, but she became more concerned as the human posse began to disperse in its search. She wanted the quartz take her over the wall with them, but they seemed to already have a goal,"What about you?" She asked 7XB in a pointed manner while 6UE shored up the courage to carry out the commander's order,"Do you have a plan...?" The sapphire wondered if she already knew the answer to that, and turned to give a short bob of her head to her subordinate. Their judgement was easy to trust; even the boldest of their actions had gotten them out of dangerous situations in the past, or into a level of greater understanding in more recent examples. But even trusting them as much as she did, Padpara still worried-- she recalled something that happened in the city a while ago, to another soldier she'd once known. Humans weren't harmless, as much as they seemed to be.  

Just as the sapphire had been second guessing, wanting to stick with 7XB just in case things went wrong, Amethyst registered her orders and took things into her own hands, "Okay your clarity-- erm...just gonna-- er--" 6UE popped up and awkwardly reached down, grabbing the sapphire around her waist and swinging her back around the wall. She plopped the startled sapphire down next to a large tub of chocolate flavored protein powder, and 6UE sunk down to hide herself, hoping she hadn't been spotted.

[7XB]

“I'm..working through the options,” they admitted to the Sapphire lightly as a means of, perhaps,justifying the fact that they didn't exactly have a well thought out plan, at least not yet- something they were not going to admit in the presence of the Amethyst, but 7XB was certain that the they would be able to come up with something. The humans, as of right now, didn't seem to have noticed them, too busy arguing amongst themselves, but they couldn't bet on that for much longer.

What was it the Amethyst had done to bring such a reaction down on her head? They were going to need to think fast, before any real effort could be mounted to potentially uncover them. “Have Pearl track our location and stand by for extraction,” they said with a narrowing gaze directed, of course, towards the humans, though their voice was aimed behind them. The last thing they needed was for Pearl to show up here, but how were they going to distract the humans long enough?

Their eyes landed behind the gathering group of humans, upon what appeared to be a large..tank? On wheels, appearing as though it were meant to be hauled by one of those human vehicles. Hm, knowing the humans and their lack of proper safely procedure, the contents could very likely be explosive.

The fingers of their left hand spread, a flickering of light igniting to life in their palm..

[Paddy]

The corners of her lips tugged downward as they spoke, and she had her suspicions more or less confirmed. They were putting something together on the fly while she racked her brain for a contingency plan. When they started giving orders, she didn't hesitate to pull up her holoscreen and quickly relayed the message to the pearl, "Done," She monitored her screen, keeping close tabs on it just in case there would be a sudden change in the situation.

Furrowing her brows, she turned to read the label on the tub, and tried to figure out what was going on. She decided the officer must've found out 6UE was, in some way, related to the sapphire she was hunting down. With the accusations of arson earlier now more in the forefront of her mind, Padpara thought more about her recent past encounters in the city. She thought she was keeping a low profile this time, and she was compared to the last few visits she'd made to Empire City, but apparently not enough so.

Then, the sapphire's sense for the concentration of plasma in her vicinity lit up, and she was alerted to the fact that the quartz was likely about to cause some kind of destruction. Padparadscha tensed up even further, shoulders hiking; she had already called attention to herself before by (and there was no way to sugar coat it) burning down an abandoned building. Knowing the firepower behind 7XB's abilities, she scrambled up onto the tub to try to peer over the wall to see what was happening, and Amethyst took that as her cue to check as well.

Padpara's brows show up as she realized the quartz was about to fire into the crowd, it wasn't immediately apparent to her what they were aiming at, "What are you-- uh!" As soon as the small gem saw the police officer pivot, she ducked and the tub she stood on wobbled. 6UE grimaced and ducked as well, scanning the surroundings for a possible escape route.

The officer noticed 7XB as the group dispersed, and began marching in their direction, narrowing her eyes at their stance and the bright light radiating from their hand,"You!" She called as she made her hasty approach,"You're the one from earlier! I have some questions for you!"

[7XB]

The Quartz cursed quietly under their breath: they had been hoping to set off the explosion before the humans thought to look in their direction, therefore avoid any further suspicion. That was the rub about plans made on the fly, though, they sometimes needed to be changed just as fast. “Keep your heads down. It's gonna get hot..I hope.” they were not even sure the contents of the tank, if there were any at all, were explosive. But with the human making her approach, 7XB had run out of time.

Turning their palm upwards, with fingers spread, they braced their right hand under their left elbow, the white-hot light sputtering like a newborn star as, with a final adjustment of their footing to deal with the recoil, the Quartz let the bolt fly..

The sounds of the world seemed to dim as their home-made comet soared over the heads of the gathered humans, impacting just a handful of seconds later with the heavy metal tank..if they had a heartbeat, that would have been a moment to listen to it, using the moment that it took for their plasma to eat through the impact zone to brace themselves for, hopefully, the impact.

Suddenly there was a bright flash, accompanied by a deafening boom, a shockwave that sent the humans reeling for cover amid a cacophony of vehicle alarms and screaming organics. “Alright!” They said a bit louder than normal, trying to project over the chaos as they turned to face the prone gems, “We should get going,” they nodded in the direction of the pier that lingered in the distance, jutting out over the water and illuminated by those terribly gaudy multicolored lights. “Think Pearl can meet us there?”

[Paddy]

Padparadscha remained crouched where she was, clenched her teeth, and braced herself for whatever 7XB was going to do. Her nerves only continued to prickle, but she'd have to trust them and keep her ears open for their next directions. 6UE too shifted to sit on her heels, ready to bounce up into action if need be, her eyes flickering around to keep an eye on the surroundings.

The plasma she sensed shot off and she lost her awareness of it-- at least, until the air ripped with the sound of impact, and the sapphire's expression and entire body jumped back with shock. She wavered on the narrow ledge between the wall and the cold water below-- 6UE gave a start and stuck out preemptive hand to try to catch her. But Padparadscha didn't seem to notice; she leaned forward and stumbled onto the wall to stabilize. Pursing her lips, she climbed back onto the plastic box, peering over to take in what had happened. She gave a relieved huff; 7XB had a meteoric power at their command, but enough precision to avoid the collateral damage she'd been worried about-- while also providing ample cover for them to make their escape under. She had to wonder why she worried in the first place.

At the voice of the yellow court quartz, 6UE swiveled to look at the sapphire, tempted to grab her and get going right now before the humans could recover, but her brows went up as it looked like the sapphire was already climbing over by herself. It took the small gem a considerable effort to heave herself up onto the thick surface of the stone wall, but when she got there she pursed her lips and plopped onto the edge, giving the scene a sweep of her eyes as she tapped her holopanel,"She'll be there post-haste," The sapphire announced, herself trying to be heard over the noise. She eyed 7XB and gave them a smirk, and stuck out her small hand, implying she needed some help getting to the ground.

6UE popped to her feet, with her plastic tub tucked under her arms, and despite the strong urge to escape toward the pier immediately, she lingered near the sapphire-- remembering very well that today was suppose to be some kind of test for her. Her natural sense of balance allowed her to easily stand on the narrow concrete outcropping, but she placed her hands on the wall and pushed off to swing the rest of her body over it, ready to run if necessary. 

The human officer had a gaping expression. Just before the explosion, she'd ducked around the corner of a building and dropped to a kneel. Her head whipped back around toward 7XB, then toward the source of the explosion that had rippled through the air and sent everything into confusion. Her eyes widened as the sapphire emerged, followed by the amethyst. With gritting teeth, the officer pulled up her radio and began to speak into it.

[7XB]

The Quartz hesitated for a moment as Padparadscha reached out for their hand so expectantly, though it was due more in part to the stress of the situation than anything, cutting their gaze towards the mass of fleeing humans so brightly illuminated by the raging fire that had burst out of the tank- that very same human was still there, a growl passing the thin line of their lips as a scowl split them.

Diamonds, didn't these organic things ever give up? In a normal situation, the Quartz would have, perhaps, respected the human officer’s tenacity, but at this point of the venture it was highly annoying. He reaching down to seize the small gem, though perhaps not in the way she had planned, essentially tucking her under his arm, “I've got her,” they shouted towards 6UE, gesturing towards the spindly pier in the distance, “let's get moving.” They nodded behind them as well, towards the cop, “cover me.” And then they were gone, their quick walk crescendoing into a heavy gallop before a full run.

[Paddy]

As they picked her up, the sapphire's smirk became more sly. Her plan was put into motion, albeit not quite as she imagined. She wasn't so worried about the humans now, convinced that they were too disarrayed to pay mind to the gems, and she'd never been afraid of a little fire. But, she was in a bit of a hurry to get out of this general vicinity at the very least, before the attention of these organics could be focused. 

6UE remained serious, jumpy and alert. Her brows furrowed a bit at Padparadscha's apparent amusement in this situation, but she kept in mind that the gem was something of a pyromaniac. At any rate she had a job to do and higher ups to impress, so she swiveled to keep her eyes on what was going on in their wake, and gave her vocal confirmation,"Right!" She hollered as she drew her weapon from the gemstone on her hip. Though, she still had to rack her brain about how to approach this situation, or what she could do to rectify the fact that she'd caused it in the first place. Things had definitely been kicked up a notch now, part of her was giddy to be seeing some action, and very curious about seeing the commander's fieldwork as well.

Fortunately for the non-combat gem among them, 7XB had accelerated far passed any speed Padparadscha could reach on her own; she projected that they'd reach the extraction zone before pearl would be able to situate the escape. The ship was incredibly fast, but the trouble was keeping a low profile. It was times like these that she considered the bright pink hue of her cruiser wasn't so ideal. It also wasn't ideal for comfort to be carried in this manner, but as long as she had 7XB right there with her, it was hard to feel anything but confidence in what would no doubt be an effective resolution.   

"Stop! You're all under arrest!" The human called as she scrambled into action, pulling a bright yellow device from her belt as she ran after them and pointing it first toward 6UE, the nearest gem,"Hands up, get on the ground!" 

"Uh-- no?" 6UE called back, not quite sure what the human intended to do with that from this distance, nor how she would engage this enemy while adhering to her patron's more 'hands off' approach. Both quartz had already far outpaced the human, maybe she wouldn't have to worry about it? 

[7XB]

Though they were moving rather fast by conventional standards, even for a gem, 7XB would have been going much faster if they were able, but the sapphic gem tucked under their arm prevented them from spin-dashing towards the pier. Fortunately, the concrete pathway that they were currently pounding across was all but clear, minus some patches here and there of snow, though that was of no concern as there was no real loss of traction.

7XB trusted that 6UE would provide a good enough distraction to allow them to gain some distance, but they did worry somewhat about the other Quartz knowing when was the time to disengage: There was no point in getting there as soon as possible if they had to wait for her. “How..far out is Pearl?” Their voice was ragged and hoarse as they moved, bobbling to and frow to avoid humans, pace slowing, if only just a hair. It would be just as detrimental to their escape if they rushed to the extraction point, Padparadscha in tow, and their escape craft was nowhere to be found. The last thing they need was to back themselves into a corner.

“I hope that Amethyst doesn't get herself captured..savages.” They had never liked humans, and this encounter was only cementing that.

[Paddy]

"She may be taking cover, on stand by until we reach the zone," She said, her voice jostled from the movement. At their next words the sapphire frowned. She didn't like to think that Amethyst could be captured; not only would it be another straw on the heap of reasons to reconsider her decision to take on a full time entourage, she had some concern for 6UE-- especially after the guilt she'd accumulated for essentially ditching the purple quartz. She tried to turn and get a look back, but it was hard to catch sight of what was going on behind them. Before she hadn't really dwelt on the possibility that 6UE could be incapacitated; it was, even after the things she knew humans were capable of, still hard to think that they could have any kind of sway over a gem, especially a gem built for combat against the universe's foes. "Let's hope that wont happen, but if it does we'll need a strategy," Padparadscha continued, tilting her head and keeping her voice strong so 7XB could hear her,"Humans are certainly primitive, but they're still the more savvy of the organics on this planet. I've seen the damage they can do with my own eyes, they can be savage indeed," She hoped the situation wouldn't escalate, but that's all she could do.

6UE kept her pace while eyeing the running officer, who kept her yellow weapon trained on her, but she couldn't imagine what the little piece of human tech would do to a gem. The human looked more frustrated now than she had all night, and 6UE had been avoiding this one for much longer than she'd like. She was beginning to feel frustrated herself; what made this little organic think she could take on a near full-sized gem soldier? Even now that the gem had back up, this human wouldn't leave her alone, in fact she just seemed that much more determined. 

The human pressed her hand down on the trigger, and two wires shot out from her weapon. Before 6UE could squint her eyes at the glinting metal shot into her direction, she was pegged by the taser-- and shocked, waves of numb, prickling, tingling bolted through her and she stumbled back. "Fuh!" Amethyst's eyes were wide, but she remained upright and all in one piece,"T-that all you got?!" The soldier called, her mouth a bit numb as she swung her sword up to cut the cords. Her teeth clenched, she was real tempted to show this human a piece of her mind, but for now she had an extraction zone to get to and tried to keep herself moving at a similar pace. The officer's jaw dropped, and she tossed away the taser, reaching for something else in her tactical belt.  

The cry of sirens blasted through the air, swiftly closing in on the site of the explosion from what seemed to be all directions.

[7XB]

The quartz gem drew to a halt at the mention of a plan- Padparadscha right: they would not be able to escape without Amethyst. A timely look over their shoulder told 7XB that, at least for the time being, that the other quartz was not very far behind, but farther behind than they would have liked. “Step lively, 6UE, before they call for reinforcements!” No doubt she would see it as the Commander being nitpicky and unnecessarily critical, but that was the only way 7XB knew, and their intentions were good.

The very same has been done to them when they were much younger, and has helped forge them into the soldier they had become in the centuries since.


Soon the concrete beneath their feet gave way to salty, water-logged planking. Each and every one groaned beneath their immense weight, though to the credit of the humans they seemed to have built this odd landing to support greater weight than themselves.

But..where was Padparadscha's ship, was it cloaked, or had it yet to arrive? Now the quartz was beginning to fear they had outpaced themselves..

[Paddy]

At the sound of the sirens coming closer, 6UE flinched, knowing from her very recent prior experience that there were more officers where this one came from. When 7XB's voice hit her ears, the purple gem frowned, and despite her urge to resist taking her eyes off of this unpredictable enemy, she realized that back up was likely already on its way for the humans; they were right, the three of them needed to get out before things got more heated. But, where was the back up for the gems?

The situation on Earth's surface was always capricious and difficult for the small gem to interpret or plan for; one minute everything was quiet, and the next, it sounded like a whole brigade was descending down on them. Padparadscha, also recognizing the sounds of police sirens among others, took on a more grim tone as the situation began to sink in for her,"Their ground cruisers are what broadcasts that sound, their reinforcements are on the way," and speaking of reinforcements, her eyes flicked across the horizon and around the sky above them. Her ship was hard to hide, and she had to consider the possibility that something might be holding pearl back; what that could be, the sapphire had no idea. She brought out her holoscreen to check on her servant's progress-- but nothing had been relayed since the last contact."The only thing I can think of is that she's staying undercover until everyone is in the zone," But the sapphire determined it would be more efficient to have the ship appear now, and sent another message to her pearl. Her eyes slid back to spot her body guard continuing to try to contend with this determined human while making a retreat. She had no intention of leaving 6UE behind, but it would sooth her mounting anxiousness to have the mode of escape within sight.

6UE just kept following the rest of the group toward the pier as quickly as she could, but still didn't want to take her eyes off of the human, who seemed to be pulling out another weapon of some kind, and wanted to be ready for it. If it was just another stun gun, then Amethyst hoped she'd be prepared enough this time to prevent any damage, to herself or otherwise. The officer's hand stayed on the object as she ran after-- then changed course, diving behind a garbage bin and leaning out, bracing her arms to point the barrel of her weaponry down toward the gems on the pier as Amethyst back peddled onto the creaking wooden surface.  

The sapphire didn't immediately spot it, but when she did, her eyes snapped wide open,"Gun!" She blurted and tried to wriggle herself loose, her mind rushed into a buzz of panic as she tried to figure out what to do to help defend her comrades. She knew from past experience that these weapons were hard to counter, and the effects could be devastating-- and she wasn't altogether sure whether her quartz entourage knew what to expect. "Ranged piercing projectiles!" She continued with her laconic, panic driven explanation. 

First responders had already begun to arrive at the site of the explosion, trying to quell the flames and the panic. Others tore around the corner of the street, lights flashing and sirens wailing, skidding to a halt and blocking the roads. Other officers began to scramble out of their vehicles and take cover behind them while situating their own engagement strategy.    

[7XB]

The whining, incessantly rising and fading noise of the sirens bolted atop these human vehicles was beginning to really eat away at their nerves and, with no extraction yet in sight, they only seemed to be growing closer, tightening like a noose around their location. The quartz doubted that whatever transports they possessed could traverse the pier, but Padparadscha's sudden outcry startled them into a much more present state of being, letting the small gem tumble

'Piercing projectiles? What?..’ And then they saw it, the haunting glint of bare steel in the moonlight, a ring which no doubt made up the barrel of some manner of handheld ballistic weapon. Primitive, but deadly.

“Amethyst, get down!” they turned on their heels towards the other quartz as a 'bap’ cut through the air like a rawhide whip, whistling past their ear, though by the time they brought up their hand to cover it there was another shot, and they stopped as an electric-like pain passed through them.. straight through their lower left abdomen. "6U..E.."

[Paddy]

Padparadscha dropped unsteadily to her feet and gained her barrings just as 7XB pivoted toward the other soldier. When the clear quartz's words cut the air, her body erupted with panic-- and the first shot zipped passed. In the next instant, she realized her warning had been too late. All color drained from her face, eyes focused entirely on the gem she'd spent the evening with, and the wound that had struck them through. She shook as if the frigid wind were getting to her, lips fell open as she hesitantly reached for them,"s-sev--" Her small voice cracked and wavered.


6UE hit the deck as soon as she was ordered to, shifted to take what little cover the railing could offer, and locked up with a tight grimace on her face as the shots rang out through the air. She kept her eyes on the enemy, but her hard expression grew into alarm as she heard the gem begin their next order. Above anything here, Amethyst's job was to make sure the sapphire got out of here without a scratch, and she imagined 7XB would remind her of as much. The soldier gave a quick nod for the wounded veteran, "Your clarity, we need to bail out, now," She said, taking on a serious tone that seemed uncharacteristic to the sapphire, who was use to seeing this gem goofing around. The quartz's indigo eyes shifted to the water, then back to the enemy, still braced for her next shot. 

"No!" The gem uttered, fists clenching, waves of hot and cold emotion blasting her psyche as she tried to find a plan, but the undercurrent of guilt occluded productive thought. She should've been prepared for something like this, her ship should've been here by now, she shouldn't have sent 6UE off-- she shouldn't have provoked that human officer in the first place, after her petty attempt to get back at 7XB earlier. She should've done anything but what she did. Paralyzed, she could only stare at 7XB with moisture brimming on her eyelids, dread twisting in her as she tried to push herself to act. Everything happening was her fault, she needed to rectify the mistakes somehow. 

Dumbfounded by her employer's response, 6UE could only remain put as the officers called out through a megaphone,"Stand down! You're surrounded!" It was only then that the amethyst realized, among the noise of the area, that there were crackling explosions in the distance-- colorful blips of light appearing in the dark sky, somewhere over the city. The airspace hadn't been clear.

[7XB]

7XB’s right hand found its way to the wound on instinct, crossing across their body as 6UE passed them, a bolt of pain firing through their frazzled synapses as fingers made contact. It was only a physical wound, yes, but an unusual and painful one, yet the Quartz did not fear for their life as Padparadscha seemed to, though they were relieved to see 6UE stepping up in case..the worst happened. The bullet embedded in the wooden-railing behind them, they glanced downwards to assess the damage.

There was no blood, as was to be expected by a being made of hard light, but there was a lumenous, mercurial ooze that clung to their palm for an instant, like plasma, before it burned away- the very same non-newtonian substance could be seen in their wound. Diamonds, it hurt!

“Savages,” they murmered through gritted teeth, eyes lifting to the offending human, the fearful creatures now amplified their voice, “savages!” The Quartz gem’s vision began to narrow, fingers curling into their palm as sound faded away into a dull, throbbing ring. Though the burly gem was glad it had been them, nothing could hold back the rage that welled up in them at the thought of what could have happened had they not let Padparadscha down mere moments before.

The thought was too much to bear..and then the Quartz was gone, gone in a flash of blades and splinters that set them dashing towards the barricade of human vehicles, leaving a trail first of sundered, smoking wood, then concrete, in their wake as they did so.

If these humans thought they had them on the run, they were mistaken.

[Paddy]

It hadn't been enough to take down the grizzled quartz, but Padparadscha continued to shake as she reached for them, her mind swimming in a thick mire of guilt, doubts, and shock. Her hand came to a full stop as they muttered, then she jumped as their voice belted toward the enemy. She had seen them angry before, but their manner betrayed an aspect of them she had yet to see; there was an uncanny quality to this wrath that seethed from every movement in their musculature. Her lips fell open as she tried to push her own words out, but before she could find any words, 7XB flew into the offensive, leaving the sapphire reaching in their wake as they plunged head-first into the fray.

How close she came to being the wounded one didn't register for her; the thoughts in her mind continued to spiral as the gem she spent the night bonding with tore away from her, far from her sphere of influence or range of defense. Even if they could level the whole scene in minutes, even if they could take a hundred bullets and still keep at it, she didn't want to allow them to, but couldn't do anything to stop them. Frustration heaved itself through the fog, her skin prickling as her internal temperature rose. 

6UE's brows shot up as her fellow soldier leaped into action. She had an urge to get out there and watch their back, but something told her that the other quartz wouldn't have left a rare and fragile sapphire gem in this situation had Amethyst not been there to cover for them. Though she wasn't sure what to expect at this point, she was sure that was the right answer. 

"Ugh!" Padparadscha's exasperated expression caught Amethyst's ears, but the soldier tried to keep her eyes on what was going on out on the street-- until the sapphire marched passed her, alongside the shredded planks and concrete, toward the action.


"Y-your clarity! We should stay back and try to get in contact with--" 

"I'm not inclined to take your suggestions," She threw her hands back as if tossing something away, and began to draw forth an amalgam of liquid light from the ether, washing the area with heat as it began to coil around her. 6UE already knew before she was cut off, it was a futile effort, though the last thing she needed was to incur the wrath of either of these gems who were her superiors, an markedly intimidating when pushed. It was a rigged game; Padparadscha would be angry with her if she got in the way, and 7XB would likely get on her case if the aristocrat ended up in the line of fire. 


As the enraged quartz barreled toward them, panic sent most of the humans scrambling to get out of the gem's war path, stumbling for nearby cover-- others were brazen enough to pull up their weapon, but they had only seconds to decide where they would go or how to counter. The officer who had been hiding behind the trash bin gaped, a hand went to her forehead as she tried to grasp what she saw, but pulled her grit together and brought both of her hands back to her weapon, taking aim for the
clear quartz as they sped toward the blockade. The sapphire spotted her, and raced out to get within range, 6UE doing what she could to shield the gem.