"Ugh, I would get stuck with all worst shifts while
Lars
is just magically out of town and then everything starts blowing up!" Sadie vented to Steven as she heaved wreckage into the dumpster. Steven and Connie collected scraps of charred wood and red stone in a trashbag. Sadie's frustration gave way to a smile, "Thanks for coming on such short notice to help out, guys."
Steven, trying to be optimistic about their situation, smiled brightly and added, "A hero's got to help the town in any way he can! Plus, ehe, when I told Connie what happened she insisted on helping." He looked to Connie, who gave him a thumbs-up. "And at least the Homeworld isn't attacking anymore. They're just..." Steven looked over his shoulder to the looming spaceship, which looked unmistakably like a giant green hand, "...pointing at us."
Sadie wiped her brow and looked up to the skies. Even in the darkness of night, the invasion ship was clear to see. "Yeah, so long as it doesn't come down here and poke us to--"
At that instant, a beam of light lit up the skies and shot down from the pointing spaceship--right at Steven! After a blinding flash, Steven was left huffing for breath, his shield having deflected most of the blast. He looked behind him--Connie was safe behind his shield, but Sadie on the ground. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, Sadie, no..."
Amethyst and Pearl rushed to the crater left from the warship's laser, only to find Steven holding Sadie in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks. Connie tried to explain what happened to Pearl while Amethyst huddled down next to Steven's side. "I can bring her to the hospital. Y'know me, I'm way faster than Pearl." Steven lowered Sadie into Amethyst's arms and the purple Gem took off, her legs growing into long stilts that let her stride far and fast.
Pearl reassured Connie and Steven, "At least we're safe! We should get to some better shelter, who knows how many times that ship can--"
Another flash of light flared from the warship's fingertip. Pearl leaped in front of Steven and Connie, taking the brunt of the blow with her body. She fell to her knees, grinning weakly as she reached out to Steven's cheek, "Don't worry, Rose. I'll always protect you..."
With that, Pearl poofed into her gem form. Steven pocketed her gem and balled his hands into fists, glaring at the warship. Connie looked from one to the other, shakily asking, "Steven, what are we going to do?"
Steven took a step out of the crater, his voice low and tinted by withheld anger, "If they're not going to come down to us, we're going up to them."
He knows my role. Pick a new mislynched sweetiepie.
