Chapter Text
“Hello, welcome to Netherrox's rehabilitation centre. How can I help you?"
Pearl never thought a voice could ever hold so much monotony. While she wasn't unfamiliar with the tone, having been exposed to it several times already and sometimes even having been the cause of it, the rehabilitation clinic of Netherrox always produced the worst kind of it.
It was the kind that made your skin crawl to an amount that even she didn't like.
At least her subjects still had some sort of free will. She preferred to make them sleeper agents, not straight up husks. Where was even the fun in that? It removed every kind of uniqueness the subject had and made it into some sort of painting with only black and white as its colours.
No, Pearl liked to work more colourfully - take the already painted canvas and edit it to the masterpiece she desired it to be.
It was more beautiful this way, far more rewarding when the vision turned out to be as great as she had thought.
But of course Netherrox's solution to these kinds of things was always that extreme ever since Xornoth got into power; a corrupt president with barely any clue on how to run a nation. Normally, a corrupt politician like him would only benefit Pearl in her endeavours - and believe it or not, it actually did for some time - but he had overstepped a line Pearl had never thought a president would cross.
So now, she was here, standing at the counter of this creepy rehabilitation facility for criminals, listening to how this marionette of a receptionist talked with Skizz about the appointment Impulse had somehow managed to acquire for him.
Technically, Pearl shouldn't be surprised that Skizz got the appointment so easily; being the owner of one of the biggest tech-companies in the world while also secretly the manipulative ringleader of an underground network of sleeper agents gets you pretty far in business and connections. Impulse just pulled some additional strings behind the scenes to sweeten the deal.
He was good. Both were very good.
That's why Pearl had been working together with them since basically forever, nevermind that that bond had pretty much grown into a 'father and daughter'-ish size by now with both of them.
To think that she started as just some random technician in Impulse's lab years ago, an apprentice with a loan that barely kept her head above water for most months... what a funny thing to think back to.
She let herself and her mind wander as she stepped around the entrance lobby of the place, taking in the most boring and basic and fake decorations she had ever seen.
The plants were obviously made out of plastic, the walls pristine white and covered with marble tiles that did not have a single speck of filth on them. The air felt artificial, cold and smelled sterile, as if not a single human being had ever occupied this space for longer than a few seconds at a time.
Pearl could totally get why. Even the small waterfall the lobby had was fake, a simple hologram with speakers producing some white noise imitation of the usually comforting sound of rushing water. It made her skin form goosebumps and shiver to unnatural proportions. Never did she want to leave a building as fast as this one.
And to think they were keeping Gem in this place for over 3 months by now...
Pearl shuddered at the reminder, her face contorting into a disgusted scowl. She would never let anyone touch her partner like this ever again. Over her dead body.
Her judgemental gaze went back to the receptionist, their oh so polite and oh so fake smile shining so brightly on their face. That smile is a trademark symbol of this centre, this clinic and hellspace. This receptionist used to be a real person once, likely a criminal or some ordinary citizen; it didn't matter what they really were. As long as you went against Xornoth's regime or voiced any sort of audible protest against it, you were a potential target.
Pearl was somewhat empathetic towards this receptionist, but any sort of representation of the treatment here kept her compassion at bay. None of them would deserve any ounce of it once she would find out what has been done to Gem here.
"P-... pearl? I'm sorry... I-I can't-. They... they are- they are breaking me, Pearl... I don't know what's... real... anymore and I can't- please make it stop. Help me. I don't want this. I want to go home... please bring me home."
"I am here for an appointment with the clinic's lead doctor. I was offered a tour of the facility at 7 o'clock." Skizz's polite voice broke Pearl out of the painful memory of her phone call with her lover. They had managed to smuggle the phone into the facility so that Gem could talk to her and call for help. One of her sleeper agents was part of the security in the facility.
"I don't want this. I want to remember."
That sentence had been echoing in her head ever since. The call was barely a month ago. Only now had they barely managed to get some kind of appointment going, despite rushing through all kinds of ways on how to approach this matter. Pearl couldn't imagine that she and Skizz would be able to hold up this polite facade for the entire duration of this, but this wasn't an opportunity they could risk wasting.
Skizz explained the rest of his supposed 'business' visit to the receptionist in the meantime, his sleek black smoking with blue accents letting him stand out amongst the horde of white. Pearl's own outfit was similar: Black vest with red accents. The blouse underneath was white, just like Skizz's shirt, but the rest of their outfits were dominated by the colour black.
If it would have been possible Pearl would have added more colour to it, but alas that's the usual attire they had to present themselves with; with the most minimal of colour on display - a silent protest against this monochrome prison of a clinic and regime.
"Sir Skizz Leman from Haven Industries, yes?"
"Exactly. I booked the tour for two."
"Very well, sir. Please proceed down the hall and take a seat in the waiting area. Someone will be with you shortly."
The receptionist slid some tour passes across the counter and Skizz took them the second they were in grabbing range, clearly just as uncomfortable with the place as Pearl was. He still thanked the receptionist for their service regardless before heading towards Pearl, his expression eyeing her with the biggest unease she had ever seen on the man's face.
"This place gives me the creeps." he muttered under his breath as he handed Pearl her tour pass. She slid it into one of her pockets before readjusting the buttons of her vest. "You can say that again. I don't like this place."
"You would think they would at least try to hide what they've been doing to these people." Skizz continued as they proceeded down the mentioned hall to the waiting area. "At least you put in an effort of making their change of heart believable and authentic, making them still live as people."
"I would have the tools to go as far as them." she mentioned in a hushed voice as they passed one of the patient cells, a man staring at a blank wall with an expressionless face. "But I still want to have people working for us. I want them to have a life."
"Would your tech be capable of overwriting this kind of treatment?" Skizz asked in return and Pearl had to seriously think about that.
Her tech was very potent, with her mind controlling devices having some of the best quality there was; otherwise they never would have been able to build a spider web type of network of agents as big as they have now. But would it be able to overwrite the nation's main clinic's conditioning? Some of the strongest treatment she has heard about? She was hesitant to jump onto an answer.
"It could be possible, but I don't know for certain. I would need a test subject." she decided to settle on, a genuine answer which Skizz took with clear bitterness and disappointment. He was just as furious about the current circumstances as she was.
They had made their way into the waiting area by now, a simple bland room with glass flooring. As they looked down below they could see the different subjects walk around in the floor below them, their walk cycles rigid, controlled and jerky. Moving like proper robots, though they were still 100% human - and this clinic was declaring itself as clear and proud producers of these 'people'. Atrocious.
Thankfully it wasn't a sight they had the pleasure of torturing themself with for long as they heard someone approach them. Both their looks went to the mystery person who approached with their hand already outstretched towards Skizz, their focus fully on him as he met them halfway.
"Sir Leman, I presume?" the person asked, readjusting their glasses onto their eyebridge as Skizz put on his best fake smile he could muster to bring up in this situation.
"The one and only. It's a pleasure to finally make my acquaintance with you." he politely responded, shaking the stranger's hand tightly.
"The pleasure is all mine." the stranger replied before offering their hand to Pearl as well. She shook it just as tight, though reluctantly as she eyed the wide smile on their face. "To you as well, ma'am."
They stepped back, their hands now clasped together proudly as they introduced themselves. "I'm Dr.Erlich Richter, head doctor of this pristine clinic. I heard you wanted a tour of the establishment. May I ask why?"
"Business relations." Skizz simply explained. "Your work, doctor, has caught our eye and we would potentially want to take a closer look as we are maybe interested in financially supporting this clinic."
The excuse was believable, though just as disgusting as the rest of this godforsaken place. But it had to make due; there was no other way they could've managed to get an appointment otherwise. Well, that and-
"That's very generous of you, good sir. I have already seen the initial sum you have offered us and it would be a shame to dismiss and squander it so easily."
-the offer that was made. It was way too much money, way too much funding that they were willing to throw out of the window, but they had a back-up plan exactly for this reason. Impulse would never let their funds go to waste like this.
"Very well." the doctor smiled, opening one of his arms before stepping to the side. "If you may follow me then, please. I would want to show you our work as extensively as possible."
Both Skizz and Pearl nodded in acknowledgement and the doctor led the way.
They trailed behind him as he started to explain the basic principle of everything mind control and behavioural correction related, followed by how it related to the human mind. Most of that was already common knowledge to Pearl; she had learned most of it during her work over the years.
How you break someone, make them so desperate that they would do anything you tell them to just to get a sliver of peace, how to hide all of that conditioning under a simple smile - really, he listed off everything. From all kinds of methods on how to achieve such a success, to how it functioned, but never about how one would be able to get rid of such a thing.
They clearly worked with no 'cure' in mind.
Pearl only absentmindedly listened to the entire essay that was basically just a recap of all her long years of work, her eyes scanning most of the people that they passed along the way.
Some were in cells, some in outdoor gardens while only a few of them roamed free. All of them wore the exact same outfit, a blank shirt and trousers with some random pair of shoes, all in white of course. Their hair would be tamed and styled, perfect, with the only outliers being the other doctors or some of the subjects that clearly still needed some more treatment.
She had gotten a glance of one of those trying to escape through their room's window as they passed by. They were torn back down by guards and pinned to the ground. Though they still struggled on the floor, it was fruitless once a needle was brought to their neck, a jolt coursing through them before they stilled completely. Pearl didn't see much after that since they had fully passed the cell by then.
She wondered... had Gem struggled like that too? Had she tried to escape or did she allow the torture to wash over her as an effort to not suffer even more? How much had they done to her in a matter of 3 months...?
It made Pearl shudder.
Not now. Focus up, Pearl.
Her attention returned to the doctor who was still talking, trying to tune into his presentation again. Skizz was listening intently, probably mentally noting down every single bit that could be of use for them. It would matter a lot for what their true plan entailed.
He would make sure to get all the facts right while Pearl would learn how it is done. They had discussed this throughtly.
"Of course, the success rate of our methods varies from patient to patient." The doctor explained, gesturing towards yet another window they passed with more patients inside. They were asleep on operation tables, curled up as if those would be their actual beds. "Most of them have been cooperative in a matter of 6 months. If it takes longer we have to isolate them into singular cells. Isolation is a powerful tool as you can imagine."
"We can." Skizz agreed. "Though, has any patient ever broken out of the conditioning before after those 6 months?"
"Not to my knowledge. It takes a long time for a patient to reach this optimal state of cooperativeness. But once they do it's like you break a dam, with the barrier of protection unable to block out the incoming conditioning anymore. The dam gets repaired afterwards, but the conditioning is already through while nothing new would be able to enter. That's how we make sure they stay on the right path."
The explanation was simple, way too simple for Skizz's liking and he made sure to communicate that once he spared a scared look towards Pearl before putting his facade back on. He had little knowledge in the matter so he was going to be scared either way, but Pearl had to admit that his anxiety was not misplaced in the slightest.
These people did their job well. They knew what they were doing and how to efficiently achieve their goal. Pearl herself used a similar concept in her work, but altered to only work when her tech was activated. If it wasn't, the person was free to be their own boss, to be themselves. Meanwhile here it was used on the person directly, erasing any sort of humanity in them.
And considering how good their track record seemed to be, this was going to be a difficult job to replicate, an even harder one to potentially fix and cure.
"Ah! Before I forget... I have something to show you." The doctor suddenly turned and started to walk backwards, leading them down a separate hall at a quicker pace and his smile brightening with a sparkle of excitement.
"We have been working on a faster method for quite some time now. We cannot deem it as fully stable as of yet but we have gotten promising results so far. We have been testing it on a handful of patients whose danger level is much higher than the rest. Most of those usually last for longer than 6 months." he elaborated. "but I want to show you the most promising looking one of the bunch."
Skizz and Pearl exchanged a look of intrigue, the feeling only amplifying when the doctor mentioned them to stop by a door. It was in a pretty bright corridor in contrast to the rest of the clinic, devoid of any sort of natural light.
"Wait here. I will get her." the doctor said before heading inside the room. Pearl and Skizz didn't dare to peek inside so they simply exchanged uneasy looks with each other.
Her.
That was clearly the word both of them had evidently caught onto. While yes, this could very well be any other person with those pronouns, it still presented the possibility of it being Gem. She was known to be highly dangerous and a difficult nut to crack, which wouldn't do her any favours here and classify her as a higher danger leveled individual.
Pearl crossed her arms, trying to hide her hands which had started to fidget in anticipation. She could hear the doctor talk inside the room, though the patient clearly didn't seem to respond. It took some minutes for two pairs of footsteps to approach them once more.
And once they saw the doctor reveal the patient, Pearl's hands only tightened around her arms, trying not to show how she tensed up from the reveal.
Gem looked as beautiful as always but as empty as never before.
Her features were lax, eyes half lidded, neutrality carved onto her face like a mask that was stuck onto her face. There was none of the usual shine in those emerald green eyes of hers, her skin pale and clean; it only put more emphasis on the scars that littered her body and the tattoos she had.
The only 'normal' thing about her was the braid she had, perfectly woven without a single hair out of place or floating astray.
She stood still as the doctor placed her in front of him, her arms hanging just as lax as she let herself be moved around like furniture. He rested his hands on her shoulders, proudly presenting her as she emptily stared ahead; she hadn't even acknowledged the new people in the space.
"This is the most gifted of our higher profile patients: 2205. She’s been in treatment for 3 months now. She was part of a criminal organisation before she was transferred here. A highly dangerous woman." the doctor proudly presented, his own glee thankfully distracting him about the concerned look Skizz seemed to give Gem. Pearl had to pinch him to snap out of it, returning his attention to the doctor.
They couldn't afford slip-ups, not now.
Not when they were this close to Gem.
"Fascinating." she commented instead as she stepped a little closer, snapping her fingers uselessly in front of Gem's face before looking up. She knew it wouldn't do anything, but she had to keep a clueless facade up. "And she's fully under?"
"Fully." the doctor confirmed. "No desires and fully at your service. Though it's only because I had to reactivate her conditioning just now. She had been finicky for quite some time, but we could manage just fine."
"What happens if the conditioning isn't activated for quite some time?" Skizz then pointed out. "Wouldn't there be any risk of losing the patient? That sounds unstable."
He sounded skeptical, his usual business facade in full effect. It clearly put the doctor on the spot and made him uneasy if his tightening grip on Gem's shoulders was anything to go by.
"Well, you would be correct. That's why we have to regularly reactivate it again and again to make sure it sticks. If not, she breaks out and we would have to go through this whole spiel again."
"Then what use would it bring to make a faster method if you cannot make it stable first?"
"We could contain highly dangerous individuals faster that way and work on the stabilisation process later."
The doctor clarified, now clearly defensive of his methods. Skizz had to evidently have hit a nerve, so Pearl had to sweeten up the situation again. "It's certainly impressive."
She leaned down a little lower with the compliment, her eyes staring into Gem's. Her fingers dug into the flesh of her arms at the sight - how there was nothing of her partner left in there, not even a single sparkle - it made her blood boil. But she could release that rage later. "Can she understand what we're saying? How many languages can she speak?"
"Only English as far as I know. She can understand us fully. Her physical capabilities are what stands out though. She managed to escape several of our restraints before. We have had to double our security around her." That made Pearl hide a smirk, staring at her partner with a squint of admiration. That sounded just like her Gem, defiant and hard to tame like a lion. She was proud of her. "I bet she would be of better use in some sort of security or military professions."
"What about other fields of work? Could they be more versatile?" Skizz then asked and Pearl immediately caught onto what he was trying to stir the conversation towards. The doctor nodded slightly in response. "They are certainly able to adapt, though it is slower than normal humans. They are the most efficient when in their original profession."
"So if we could apply the same tricks as you and take her now, we could potentially train her into something better suited for our needs?" Skizz clarified and the doctor hesitantly nodded. "Yes, though I am unsure if this would be a good idea. She is still unstable."
Skizz hummed in consideration, sparing Pearl a glance which she only returned with a raised eyebrow. She knew what he was gonna ask next; it was going to test if the doctor's priorities lied with his work-
"Nothing a few grand can't fix."
-or the money.
And just like every second doctor she had ever encountered in this kind of field, it was clearly the latter.
The doctor stood up a little straighter, clearly still trying to play the unaffected card. "I suppose that is true, sir."
"So, how much?" Skizz immediately followed up. "We take her now, make sure to follow your instructions and put in a word for you with other potential investors. She looks to have great promise to be of service to us."
"And how do I know the legitimacy of such an offer?" the doctor reasonably countered. "Besides, what other use could you possibly have for her?"
"She's pretty." Pearl said, a heavy shiver running down her own spine at her own words. She hated how she said it, how convincing it probably came across - that she seemed to come across as just that disgusting.
"You think she would suffice for you?" Skizz had caught onto her bit and Pearl placed her hand under Gem's chin and guided it upwards, studying it and running her thumb over the redhead's dry and chipped lower lip - meant to emphasize her implication while her eyes travelled back to Skizz. "More than enough."
She wouldn't have done this with some stranger, never in a million years. But that was her partner standing in front of her; her lover and fiancé... it had to not be too bad of a thing to say to get her back, right?
Skizz slowly nodded in response before both looked back to the doctor. The man's expression was hard to decipher, but he seemed to not be against the idea. If he would have been he probably would have declined from the get-go.
"Price, if there is any." Skizz then demanded. "My time is precious, doctor."
"Well, how sure can I be that you will keep your word?"
"Are you calling me dishonest? I have a name and reputation to uphold. I think we both know how idiotic it would be of me to throw that away for this random girl."
"10 million then."
The doctor stammered with his offer, clearly put on the spot. He wanted the money and had no experience in this sort of deal making so he actually severely undersold Gem here. Human test subjects were far more expensive than that, Pearl and Skizz knew that all too well - an all around good deal for them.
They would easily regain that money in a month too; Impulse had his ways. He would rub his hands together like a magician and the difference would be cleared at a moment's notice.
"I'm taking it." Skizz said, offering his hand to finish up the deal. The doctor shook it reluctantly as he patted Gem's shoulders nervously.
"Good good... you promise to keep your end of the deal?"
"Full promise. You have my word."
"And you will put in a good word with your colleagues?"
"I will put in a good word for sure."
He would, Pearl knew Skizz - and she also knew how said word would only put the doctor on various hitlists. Turns out most of their investor friends weren't particularly fond of this clinic either, having suffered from similar complications before. Her bet was on Convex to wipe him off the face of the earth and pick up the check of their money in a matter of a few weeks. Cub and Scar certainly had the power for such a move.
"Now, for the conditioning." Pearl started, her hand letting go of Gem's chin. "What is there that we have to pay attention to?"
"Not much. We got her cornered pretty tightly. In case she breaks out of it you simply have to use a needle on her. Can be empty, can be full - will have the same result." Gem's breathing seemed to hitch under the implication, stirring the tiniest of bits. She was indeed confirmed to be listening in - and the mere mention of what was discussed seemed to frighten her even through the condition.
Oh, Pearl wanted to kill this doctor so bad. Gem had never once shown any signs of fear for needles before and the fact that she did now, even through heavy conditioning... Pearl could imagine how deeply rooted that fear would be by now.
But she kept her cool, simply nodding that she understood as Skizz seemed to be in the middle of transferring the money over. "Anything else we should pay attention to?"
"No, that should be it. If she disobeys or hesitates, use a needle and she should be all yours again. She obeys whoever claims ownership of her - a hard grip on the back of her neck should do enough to communicate that with her."
"Wonderful." Pearl showed a wide fake smile at the news, her hand slightly outstretched. It was an invitation to hand Gem over, but the doctor clearly hesitated.
Only once they heard the money arrive on his end did he let go of her shoulders.
While Pearl's hand wanted to shoot towards Gem's neck, she had to move slower and wrapped her long fingers around it tighter than ever before. Gem tensed up at the touch at first before completely melting into it, letting herself be easily guided to Pearl's side by the grip. Once Pearl had her secured, she returned her attention to the doctor.
"I hope she will be of use to you. She shows prowess in being a great tool for success." he said, his hands adjusting his sleeves. "She was hard to break, but should feel no desire for any sort of value. Most of her things got sent back to her organisation, a reminder of who really is in charge."
Pearl remembered that day well. The way the box with Gem's valuables got to her, filled with every little thing Gem had on her person at the time of her transfer; be it her clothes, jewelry and even some things of more sentimental value. She remembered exactly how well the cardboard box burned to ash in their fireplace, with her sitting in front of it with Gem's belongings in her lap.
She could still hear the flames roar as she held Gem's engagement ring in her hands, her rage represented in the way the fire tore the cardboard apart, atom by atom. On that day she had set this whole plan into motion, swore to herself to get her partner back. If it meant to pay some absurd sum or damage some other's businesses, then so be it. She wasn't going to play around anymore.
She would make sure to clean up the mess afterwards, make sure that nothing would be left of this devil spawn of a company.
Xornoth would pay, in due time.
As would this doctor.
But she would make sure they wouldn't get the easy way out of this.
"Well, it was certainly a pleasure to be making a deal with you, doctor." Skizz then stepped up, gladly taking charge of the conversation again and folding his hands in front of him. "Is there anything else left you could show us for the tour?"
"Oh quite a lot, actually!" The doctor brightened back up again as if the trade never happened, closing the door of presumably Gem's cell before making his way down the hall again. "Honestly, this was a great break. "So let's continue!"
The rest of the tour was a blur to Pearl from then on out. Skizz would listen and pay attention for both of them and that was alright; he knew how important this was for everyone involved. Pearl's focus remained on Gem, analysing her behaviour.
From the outside you would think she was just possessive over her newest purchase, but she was looking for more. For information, clues Gem could give her by simply doing what she did now, by existing. Again, the clinic's work wasn't too far off of her own. She could figure out what sort of treatment Gem went through when given enough time.
Time she would rather spend at home, back in their own space where they were the safest and could work this out undisturbed. As soon as they would be out of here, she would start to work and keep going until it's resolved. She had to... she just wanted her Gem back.
She kept her fiancé close and gripped by the neck for the entire duration of the rest of the tour, even afterwards when the doctor led them to the garage of the place. It was the only place that wasn't pristine white and actually looked like a normal part of society's infrastructure.
"I would suggest you leave through here. Higher ups will not be too happy to have 2205 gone. She was supposed to be of higher purpose than your average subject." the doctor explained, quick to hide his nameplate and taking off his glasses. He wanted to be less recognizable, apparently, making sure that his name would go unmentioned.
"I knew it was going to be a fruitless feat. Sheep are stubborn if the shepherd cannot lead them right. That's why he needs a dog to keep them in line." he pointed at himself for the metaphor, trying to pride himself to have done an expert move of intelligence.
Skizz and Pearl left his bravado uncommented, simply giving each other the occasional look of questioning whenever they were finally going to be free of his existence in their close proximity any time soon. If he wouldn't be such an important piece of their plan they would have probably sacked him right then and there already.
Alas, the pleasure of his demise was not going to be theirs for a while. Someone else would have to do the trick, but the payout would be worth it.
"This is where I should leave you then." The doctor said once they had reached the exit, the door of the garage opened as they got close. The bright daylight and loud sounds of the city flooded the garage, a cool breeze causing the doctor's coat to sway lightly. He had his hands folded behind his back, a proud smile on his face. "I hope 2205 will be satisfactory for you."
"She will." Pearl quipped rather quickly, forming a quick smile which only communicated the urgency of wanting him out of her sight.
He clearly took the hint, bowing slightly with his smile widening before departing. "Very well. Until we meet again!"
"Until we meet again indeed." Skizz growled under his breath, both of them patiently watching the doctor walk away with bated breath.
Only once he turned the corner he was out of earshot. Skizz and Pearl visibly deflated at the sight, but kept their facade up with Skizz immediately bringing his phone to his ear for a call. The ringing didn't even last a second before their driver picked up. He stepped away for the moment to discuss further details, leaving the women to themselves.
Normally they would have driven to this appointment themselves - Pearl adored driving them anywhere they went - but they had to present their cover-up company today and not their true business.
They weren't out of camera shot either so Pearl couldn't do much, but she still stepped in front of Gem, taking her lover's face in her hands. She ran her thumb over the soft cheekbone, tilting the head from one side to the other to test the waters. Gem fully let her do as she pleased, her muscles not even twitching at the close contact or causing any sort of resistance. Pearl was allowed to move her around like a puppet on strings and her partner would not even make a peep of protest.
It was horrifyingly fascinating.
Pearl's work-self would be thrilled to learn how this was achieved, but at the same time the rest of her was aching around the fact it had to happen to her lover of all people.
Gem didn't deserve this. None of it. And they would pay for having done this to her. Pearl would make sure of that.
"Ride's on the way. Here at any moment." Skizz returned with that message, stepping up next to Pearl and pressing himself into Gem's vision as well. "How is she?"
"Gone... I guess?" Pearl uselessly supplied, unsure what to say. She couldn't go into the details or sentimentalities in public spaces, but her tone was low enough for only them to hear. "Whatever conditioning she has on her... it’s on tight."
"But you can reverse it…?" Skizz immediately whispered, his hope clear in the tone. Pearl couldn't answer. She simply didn't know yet.
She would try her best but it could potentially also just not be enough. There was a miniscule chance that Gem was just gone forever and, as much as she didn't like to think about it, all they could do is try and wait. Only time could tell.
Skizz took her silence as an answer too, slowly wrapping his arm around her shoulders before their driver pulled up with their ride. It was a long limousine, way too long for either of their tastes, but again they had a facade to hold up.
They quickly got inside, pulling Gem in with them while sitting her down onto one of the many seats. Pearl sat down right on the opposite side of her, waiting for the driver to start heading towards home before continuing to examine her further.
"To the private estate. Make sure we're not followed." she heard Skizz instruct and the wheels started rolling soon after.
"Okay, we have some time to think about this now." he said with a heavy sigh as he sat down next to her. He buried his face in his hands, his breathing just as evidently heavy. "God's hell what do we do now...?"
His facade was fully falling away, now that they were back in the confines of their own privacy. It only revealed how truly distressed he was and how big of a toll it took on him. Pearl leaned forward in her seat, staring at Gem more intently now.
"Well, we should get to know this Gem first. See what work I have to undo." she mused, before clasping her hands together. Her eyes narrowed as she focused up, clearing her throat before addressing Gem directly. "State your name."
"Subject 2205." Gem answered, her voice just as beautiful as always if it wouldn't be covered by a veil of monotony. Her accent was at least still there, but those were some of the hardest attributes of a person to undo alongside body language. 3 months would never be enough to do that.
"Who gave you that name?"
"My masters."
"And who are your masters?"
"It used to be the doctors, now it is you."
Skizz simply watched the two of them conversed, his head still resting in his hands instead of covering his face. His expression hardened more and more as Gem talked, her answers quick, short and unwavering. He was much worse than Pearl when it came to containing his anger for as long as they had done, but he kept quiet, letting Pearl continue her work.
"Do you know who we are?"
"My masters."
“And our names?”
“I do not.”
"And what are your current instructions?"
"Waiting for a command. Answering questions."
"Good..."
Pearl paused, waiting for Skizz's reaction which was obviously bewilderment. "Good?? How is that good?!"
Pearl didn't answer, simply raising one of her hands to get him to be quiet.
"...what other instructions do you currently have? I know there are more."
"I am not allowed to tell."
"Based on who's command?"
Her tone had to be harsher now, her stare more piercing as she kept up her eye contact with Gem. She was putting more pressure on her, asking questions she knew she wouldn't get an answer to. Gem didn't answer, as expected.
"Based on who's command?" Pearl repeated, stricter and louder. "I am your master, I command you now. And I demand you to tell me which further instructions you have received and currently have and from whom you've gotten them from."
"I received them from the lead doctor of the clinic and the vice president of the nation." Gem then answered, her tone seemingly giving the impression that she was unaffected by Pearl's further prodding. But Pearl knew better, far better.
"Recite your instructions." she ordered as she kept staring into Gem's eyes. There was a faint spark of contemplation, small and barely noticeable, but Pearl caught it regardless. She repeated her words. "Recite your instructions. Now."
Skizz silently watched the tense silence, his eyes fixed on Gem as her mouth remained shut for a moment. It twitched ever so slightly before she slowly opened it, her next words still monotone and firm, but way slower as if she was insanely careful to not mess them up.
"I must obey every command from my master. Every order I receive from my master and their allies must be followed without question. I must always tell my master the truth. If I feel doubt or hesitate to follow a command I must inform my master accordingly so I can be corrected. Correction is not allowed to be resisted. I shall serve my purpose, for my purpose is only to obey and not feel. If I feel, I must seek correction.”
By the time she was done, Pearl's knuckles had already turned white by the sheer tightness of the grip she had. Her eyebrows were knitted together in pity, her mouth thin as she kept it shut.
Gem wasn't lying. Pearl could tell she wasn't. She was forced into these instructions, shoved into the cage that was her own mind and trained to chirp like a good little bird. They melted her down into a moldable piece of clay, only held together by fear.
Fear was a wonderful tool and the doctor had used it perfectly to break her down.
It made Pearl seethe.
"Please tell me there's a loophole you can exploit." Skizz finally dared to speak up next to her, his voice still kept low. Right now it probably seemed beyond hopeless if you didn’t know much about this kind of field; Pearl couldn’t blame Skizz for the anxiety, not in the slightest.
"There might be." she responded quietly, her eyes meeting Skizz’s. "I would have to find out how they got her to cooperate; what they used to make the instructions stick. It's one thing to just give them orders, another to make them unable to resist any of them.”
She looked back towards Gem, tilting her head. “You mentioned ‘correction’. Elaborate on what that means.”
“Setting me on the right path.”
“And what is ‘right’?”
“Whatever my master wishes of me to be.”
“Have you ever needed to be corrected before?”
“Yes.”
The cold answer sent a shiver down Pearl’s shine, making her readjust her position as she gulped. It hurt how she had to talk to Gem like this, how Gem had to respond and imply what was done to her without any sort of concern. It hurt… but Pearl had to know more.
“How many times were you corrected?”
“I wasn’t instructed to count but I can remember it to have been many times.”
“What was usually the cause for said correction?”
“Disobeyment, hesitance, defiance, not following the instructions that were given to me.”
“And through which ways were you corrected?”
Pearl’s voice unintentionally dipped in a softer and more pitiful tone then as Gem seemed slower to answer again.
“Punishment.” she said firmly, though slowly. “They usually bound me to a chair or a table and injected something into my veins. It would calm me if I was thrashing, soothe and help me if I didn’t resist. My thoughts would be emptier and the instructions would become clearer and easier to follow. After that they would make me repeat the instructions while watching some sort of tape or listen to some sort of audio - I cannot remember the contents of either. I remember it helping me reduce the wrong thoughts and focus on my instructions.”
Skizz grabbed a hold onto Pearl’s arm then, gripping it tightly. Pearl could tell he wasn’t handling it remotely okay-ish in the slightest. She herself wasn’t completely unaffected either, but this was more common for her to hear than for Skizz. It was mainly Gem who affected them, the fact that all of that was done to her.
“If I still struggled then, they had further methods like complete isolation or forcing my eyes to stay open during my instructions’ recital.” And Gem ended her explanation with that. Skizz shook his head next to Pearl, his free hand roughly running through his hair.
“I can’t do this…” he admitted quietly. “I… can’t hear any more of this.” his eyes then locked onto Pearl, leaning in closer to her with a quiet plea. “Please just… make her stop talking.”
Who was she to refuse such a request?
She nodded as reassurement and addressed Gem once more. “We will talk again later. I want you to tell me everything when the time comes.”
Gem didn’t respond, not twitching a single muscle. She didn’t need to. She was just waiting for further commands.
The rest of the ride home was spent in silence, just processing what they had just learned. Pearl never let Gem out of her sight, analysing her from head to toe. Her mind was already running around with an analysis and potential solution, for which she needed more information from Gem. She would get those answers without Skizz though, not wanting to distress him any further. He had to deal with enough for the day.
Thankfully they arrived at their private estate not long after. It wasn’t a huge mansion, just big enough for the four of them and some guards at the front gates. It was tucked away in an isolated area, one barely anyone goes to. They didn’t need much more and weren’t the kind of people who let themselves be escorted around from point A to B constantly. They were more than capable of handling themselves for the most part.
Pearl pulled Gem out of the car as Skizz already walked ahead at the front, his hair disheveled and clearly looking more than distraught. He didn’t greet any other guards like usual, didn’t acknowledge anything or anyone else as he walked and walked and Pearl followed with Gem behind her.
Impulse was going to be all kinds of concerned, but he had expected this sort of outcome anyway. It was evident when they hadn’t found him in his office but in the main living room instead. While he still had his usual afternoon coffee and some stack of random paperwork on the table, it was clear that he was just using it as an excuse to wait for them in the living room.
He was pacing around, his black coat trailing behind him as the yellow accents only highlighted his uncertainty and brain running on high gear. His cane kept clicking against the floorboards, his injured leg making itself known with metallic sounds.
As they entered the room his head shot towards them with concern all over his features. Skizz silently walked by and passed him urgently, storming towards his own private chambers before the sound of his door loudly slamming shut reached the others’ ears. None of them flinched, but it was more than just unusual to see him in such a state. It wasn’t an unexpected or unreasonable reaction either; it was far from unwarranted.
Impulse’s attention went to Pearl and then consequently to Gem. His confused features softened immediately, hesitantly approaching them closer. He fully scanned Gem, his expression only growing in horror the less unique aspects of hers he took in.
“We… managed to get her out before they could do worse.” Pearl then managed to croak out, her hands on Gem tightening. “But… she’s under some kind of trance or conditioning - I have not narrowed it down enough yet.”
“You think you can fix it?” Impulse sounded as equally hopeful as Skizz, his eyebrows arching upwards. Pearl could only shuffle in her spot, her eyes looking towards the floor. “I will try my hardest. I don’t know how long it will take, but it's only been 3 months and they said it is unstable… so I should be able to break her out of it.”
“Don’t blame yourself if you won't manage to.” Impulse replied but Pearl could only respond with a weak chuckle. “If I can’t then who will.”
She felt tears well up, her chuckle turning wet and bitter. “They have beaten us at our own game, Impy. They are fighting on our turf and took my most important piece-!”
“Then get that piece back!”
His words made Pearl snap out of her loathing, the confidence of them planting some heaviness into her chest. Her eyes flew to him as he stood there with a small kind smile, fond and proud for some reason. She frowned slightly as she didn’t quite understand.
“I have seen you break people who were thought to be unbreakable, created machines no one had been able to replicate so far - heck even I can’t understand the tech you come up with sometimes.” he started, gesturing around the room with a small chuckle. “And I was your mentor, Pearl. For years I watched you learn and that’s why I am confident that you’re going to succeed!”
He stepped closer then, one of his pointy fingers pressed right against the spot over her heart. “I know what you’re capable of. You will get Gem back, we will seek our revenge, and make sure they will know not to cross our family ever again.”
“And if they do, then we will… ?” he raised eyebrows in expectation, with Pearl answering much more confidently now. “...make them ours to puppeteer.”
“And if a puppet doesn’t dance like we want it?”
“Then we will cut the strings.”
“Exactly.” Impulse smirked then, one of his hands landing on Gem’s shoulder while keeping his focus on Pearl. “They have taken one of our own, spider. Attached some loose strings to her and thought they could get away with it.”
Pearl smirked at Impulse’s usage of the nickname the other people tend to give her. A simple feeble description as none of them were brave enough to mention her actual name. If they ever would, Pearl would get notified and find them way too quicker than for her victim’s comfort.
All of them had a nickname, for their real names were too dangerous to be bad mouthed. It was amusingly pathetic and weak, really.
“Let’s show them what it means to be afraid and lose everything.” Impulse continued to hiss and Pearl could only agree with his words. She felt nostalgic at his tone, reflecting how he used to talk when she was more under his wing rather than on the same level as him.
“Who is responsible?” he asked.
“The clinic’s lead doctor and the vice president himself, racoon.” she answered. He doesn’t need to be told the names, he already knew them.
“They will pay.” he growled, his attention now going back to Gem as he stepped in front of her. “I will make them suffer for what they did to you. No one harms one of my daughters and gets away with it.”
His features turned softer once more as he brought his hand to the back of her head and pressed his forehead against hers. “Pearl will bring you back, okay? I know you’re in there, Gem. We will make sure to find them and make them beg.”
He pressed a small kiss to her head before stepping back, trying to regain his normal composure once more. “Aside from that, was the visit of any sort of use?”
“Plenty.” Pearl took that as her opportunity to take out the tour pass from her pocket, handing it over to him. “I’m sure you will know what to do with this. Skizz has the other one. He can tell you more than me.”
“Gotcha.” he took the pass, flicking it in his hand before stepping back a little further. “I will check up on him. I will let you know what our next move is gonna be.”
A light sigh escaped his lips as he stopped in his step. “And keep me updated about Gem, if you have any new developments and all.”
“I will, don’t worry.” She reassured, pressing Gem close into her side.
Impulse felt safe to leave then, heading towards Skizz’s quarters with the pass in hand. Pearl watched him go for a moment before leading Gem down a separate corridor to their own quarters. They’ve been sharing theirs ever since their first love confessions, having spent every night in each other's warm hands since then.
The past 3 months had been way too cold for Pearl.
She pushed the door open and led Gem inside, pointing towards a seat they had standing in the corner. “Sit.”
Gem complied immediately and stepped over, sitting down as Pearl closed the door. She approached slowly, her hands wandering through her pocket in search for some items while observing how Gem stared ahead once again.
“Look at me.” Pearl ordered and once again her partner complied instantly. “Good. I want you to stay in the seat.”
Pearl stopped in front of Gem, lowering herself down to the redhead’s eyelevel. “Do you know where you are?”
“I do not.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“My master.”
“If I tell you to introduce yourself without your subject number, what name would you choose?”
“Whatever name you want me to go by.”
Pearl nodded that she understood, raising an eyebrow.
“Does the name Gemini Taylor mean something to you?”
Silence.
Not even a flicker of contemplation in Gem’s eyes for a single second. She wasn’t hesitating on an answer, she was straight up never going to give one. Pearl eyes squinted slightly, intrigued.
“Respond.” she doubled down, tone harsher.
Gem still didn’t answer. Odd.
“You’re not following the command. Why?”
“I am prohibited from answering any questions regarding that name.”
“Prohibited by who?”
“My former master.”
“And what is the reason?”
“It could cause behaviour worthy of corrections.”
“I am your master now, so technically, that command shouldn’t matter to you anymore. You disobeyed an order that I gave you.”
Her hands left her pockets, revealing the item she was looking for. She always carried some of her work utensils with her in case one of their agents got out of control or someone had to join them right on site. She wasn’t going to use it, but if that was one of this Gem’s ‘weaknesses’ then she had no other choice than to exploit it by simply threatening her with it.
Pearl stood back up to her full height then, towering over Gem in the seat as she lazily moved the filled syringe around her hand. “You don’t like corrections, do you?”
Gem’s hands clenched the armrests tightly in response, her eyes flicking between Pearl’s face and the instrument in her hands. Her pupils grew smaller at the sight of the utensil, her senses clearly on high alert now. Despite all of that, a light headshake is what she gave to Pearl. ”I must avoid them.”
Her body tensed up at the syringe’s presence in the room, a sight that made Pearl’s heart ache. Her own fiancè was terrified of her, despite not showing it quite as drastic on the outside. Pearl was sure that if she would actually intend on using it, Gem would panic much worse than that.
“Back in the car, I asked you about the ways you were corrected. You said you were usually bound to a chair or table. I assume they used pharmacological correction. What other forms of correction did they use?”
Gem stared at her, the flicker of contemplation returning this time. “That is classified.”
“Is it?” Pearl tilted her head more, stepping a little closer with the syringe clear on display. “Remind me, who is your current master?”
“Y-you.”
“And what do I ask of you?”
“To reveal classified information about other forms of corrections that were used on me.”
Gem took a deep breath then, the flicker of contemplation disappearing altogether as if a lever was flicked.
“Sensory deprivation, mostly by blindfold or earmuffs. Sometimes they would make me wear a mask so I couldn’t smell or only give me food that had no flavour or taste. If I followed their orders I would get rewarded by being able to use these senses again. It made me cherish the simplicity of my instructions.” she responded, sinking deeper into the seat as Pearl made her way closer to the side of it. The syringe was pretty close to Gem’s skin by that point so the incoming change in attitude was evident.
Her eyes stared at the utensil, her fingers digging into the fabric of the seat. Breathing shaky and unsteadily, her bottom lip quivered as Pearl tilted her head, clearly suspecting there to be more. Her silence made Gem continue.
“Hy- Hypnotism was one of them, interrogation and isolation, sensory overload as well. They contemplated goin-… going for waterboarding too, but my begging and recital of the instructions made them reconsider.” she tore her eyes away from the syringe, staring back forward as a way to ignore it. Pearl wasn’t going to give her the chance to, moving the syringe to always be in Gem’s line of sight.
“Keep looking at it.” she softly instructed and Gem did so as Pearl pressed her down further into the chair. “I won’t use it on you and neither will the two men you saw. You can trust them as much as I do.”
She then set the syringe down on Gem’s lap, her hand wandering back into her pockets and picking out a few more items. Each item was placed on her lap too, clear for Gem to see: A razorblade, a scalpel, a pen, a pocket watch and a coin.
“Pick out the items that were used during your corrections.” Pearl instructed and Gem eyed the items before reaching out. She pulled the razorblade, coin, pocket watch and syringe a little closer to herself, leaving the rest of the items to be pocketed by Pearl again.
Her hands wandered back to the remaining items afterwards, picking up the watch and coin right afterwards.
“Was used in hypnotism and sensory overload, correct?” she guessed and got a nod in return. She stashed both items into her pocket before reaching for the razorblade next.
As she picked it up she flicked it in between her fingers for a moment before faintly starting to run it over the exposed skin on Gem’s arm, slow and careful to not cut any skin. That pace was held up until Pearl reached a recent scar at the height of Gem’s sleeve. Pearl abruptly stopped there, drawing a flinch out of her partner. Gem’s eyes were blown wide, focused to not show her defiance or how much this actually affected her.
“Shh. I won’t cut. You are allowed to be shaky. I instruct you to not suppress any reactions like these.” The soft tone seemed to let Gem’s mask form cracks, her entire being becoming more loose. Her breathing was audibly shaky now, her neutral expression more twitchy as she tried to keep it up. Pearl continued to run the blade over Gem’s arm again.“That’s it. Let me see how you really feel. I won’t correct you for it.”
The change wasn’t much but noticeable as Gem’s fingers started fidgeting with the edge of the armrests. Picking at the stitching, clenching and unclenching the leather of it - all old habits that Gem had since forever. Habits are hard to undo, especially if the person had done them for years. Next she moved her feet around in her shoes, letting it faintly bop up and down as she sat there, primed to jolt at any sudden punishment.
Pearl wouldn’t punish her - never. Instead, she ran the blade up over the rest of Gem’s arm, over the shirt and up towards the side of her neck. She guided it with feather light precision, careful to never cut and only stopping once more at a spot where she could see dozens of little traces of injections. She tilted the blade so one of the corners was pressed against one of those spots, leaving Gem to shake as it felt sharp against her neck.
She tensed and visibly gulped, with her features gaining the slightest tinge of fear.
“And here they used the needle on you, correct?” Pearl removed the blade and softly tapped the spot with her finger instead. She got another nod in response, much shakier this time around. “Okay. How many times were they used?”
Gem watched as Pearl pocketed the razorblade while asking, her eyes then fixating onto the syringe once more. “Depended on the day. On some days I was cooperative, while on others I was told I was being… difficult. A minimum of one was used every day.”
Pearl simply watched as Gem seemed to curl up and become smaller in the seat, almost as if trying to sink and escape the utensil that was still on her lap. Her hands were visibly trembling now, to the point of Pearl taking one of them in her hands. She held it tight and squeezed it, inviting Gem to the same. The redhead surprisingly reciprocated the action, squeezing and holding onto it like a lifeline.
Pearl ran her thumb over the back of it, soothingly soft. “Do you think I am going to correct you?”
“I didn’t answer your question about… a-about Ge… Gemini Ta- I-I-I disobeyed an order-”
“It’s okay. I won’t correct you for that.” she slowly picked the syringe up with her free hand. “Do you want me to put it away?”
Gem shook at the question, her mind visibly fighting between the options of answering or not. Her mouth opened slightly but no words came out, her eyebrows twitching at the attempt to keep that neutral facade up. Her eyes tore themselves away from the syringe, looking up to Pearl instead with short but frantic nods.
“Can… can we stop?”
Small, scared, like a cornered animal, she asked permission for something as simply as that. Pearl could feel her breath getting caught in her throat before clearing it a little.
“Of course.” Pearl showed Gem a soft and small smile before stashing the syringe away. She revealed her empty hand clearly, put it on full display, reassuring that it's gone. “There. All empty. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But…I disobeyed an order-”
“I don’t care about that.”
Pearl leaned in closer, though not enough to not disrupt anything. Gem simply watched her, apprehension and concern growing in her features despite it probably not being her intention.
Good.
Pearl needed to coax out more of that.
“What I care about is you.” Her free hand came up to rest on Gem’s arm, just running over the skin to give some form of possible comfort.
Gem’s eyes kept scanning her, looking for lies or a ruse. She was being careful and hesitant to trust Pearl, more than just understandably. Her partner let her, gave her the time to work it out, let her feel the human emotions of doubt and hesitance. Pearl knew those emotions were going to become very important for this journey.
If she was being honest, she was surprised that everything had been going so well this far.
“Why are you being kind to me?” is a question she did not expect though when Gem finally responded. That one was a new one for her to hear.
How would she even answer properly, without any sort of other things affecting her and making this more professional?
Because it’s normal? No.
Because you deserve it? Also no.
Because I love you? Certainly not that either.
“Because I want to be.”
Is what she settled on. It wasn’t too personal and a slower, more careful answer. She could be all intimate later when they had made more progress. The answer confused Gem regardless, putting a smile on Pearl’s face that reeked of pity. “Just as much as I want you to have the freedom to want things too.”
“I don’t… I don’t understand...”
“I don’t expect you to.”
Gem averted her eyes then, glancing over to the hand she was still squeezing. Absent-mindedly, her thumb traced over the back of Pearl’s hand in thought, copying the exact motion and pace Pearl was going with. She stared at the exchange of affection, her eyes narrowing as she clearly seemed to be contemplating something.
Pearl glanced towards the time in the meantime, noting how it already started to dim outside. This entire procedure had taken way longer than it should have, but Pearl wasn’t too concerned. Instead, she leaned down and pushed her head in between Gem and their hands to gain her attention once more.
“Do you want to rest? Something to eat or drink?” It was a tentative question, soft and careful. She didn’t expect Gem to give her an answer she would want. Her fiancé's eyes still shot to her regardless, clear unease and fear in her tone and expression.
“I… I shouldn’t have such desires.”
“But I want you to have them.”
“Then I… then I want to rest, if you allow.”
“Of course I will allow it. You are always allowed.”
Pearl stood to her full height again, stepping in front of the chair and offering her free hand for Gem to take. Her fiancé eyed the hand with terror, almost as if it was venomous to the touch. Slowly, her trembling hand inched closer before taking a hold of Pearl’s, rising to her feet once she was sure it didn’t mean any harm.
Pearl slowly guided her towards the bed, hand never letting go of the other. “Do you want to get changed? I can leave if you would like.”
She carefully sat Gem down onto the bed, the redhead gripping the fabric of her pants. Gem’s eyes wandered down to her hands, covered in scars from years of training and combat. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
Shaky fingers ran over the small wrinkles in the fabric, tracing them absentmindedly as her words came out quietly. “I don’t know what is real. Who you are, who I am, where I am…my… my head hurts.”
“I getcha.” Pearl simply kneeled down to Gem’s eyelevel, looking at her with understanding and compassion. “Maybe try and get some rest? Might freshen up some things. It’s your choice.”
“Why?” Gem looked up from her hands then, a clear and strong frown forming on her face. It was a clear depicted emotion and Pearl couldn’t be happier to see it. Almost everything was better than that artificially blank neutrality. “Why do you give me the freedom of choice?”
“Because I want you to have it.” she reiterated.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Gem didn’t seem convinced yet. Pearl’s hadn’t expected much more. This was still Day 1.
“Do you want me to make the decision?” she suggested after some minutes of silence, getting a small nod in return. “Okay, I’m going to get myself changed and we will go to sleep. Do you want me to stay and sleep with you?”
Now Gem’s nod turned timid, the faintest of blushes crawling up her cheeks. Pearl had to seriously hold back the delight she felt upon seeing that. It felt nostalgic to see Gem like this; she couldn’t wait to make more progress. “Okay. I will still be in the room with you. Just give me a moment to get ready.”
With that reassurement she stood up and hesitantly made her way to her wardrobe. Gem’s back was turned to her, but she still fidgeted with the sheets as she clearly seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Pearl was quick with getting herself changed, glancing over her shoulder basically every two seconds to reassure herself that Gem was still in the state she left her in.
She wanted to avoid a relapse, to avoid Gem slipping out of her fingers again by simply taking too long. Now that she has gotten to feel her again this way after 3 months she didn’t want to let go again.
The hassle caused her usual outfit to be left on the ground, abandoned for some more comfortable sleeping clothes. Unusual for Pearl, she simply shoved the clothes into the wardrobe, leaving that to be a future-Pearl problem. She had more important things to tend to than just where to put her clothes.
When she turned back around she was pleasantly surprised to see that Gem had moved to the middle of the bed, shoes left on the floor and legs pulled up to her chest. She was staring ahead again, but unlike some blank void, Pearl could see Gem thinking, processing. Her hand repeatedly ran over the arms she had wrapped around herself in a self-soothing motion, deep in thought.
Pearl hadn’t ordered her to do any of that and that fact couldn’t make Pearl any happier. She couldn’t hold back the smile anymore as it grew on her face, more than delighted at the progress they had already made.
Despite the bed noticeably dipping when Pearl climbed into it, Gem didn’t seem to notice her. She was thinking and Pearl let her have it. It was a freedom she barely seemed to have had for 3 months. Never would Pearl have thought that that simple sight would make her so happy.
She simply laid down and watched Gem until the other woman noticed her. The redhead’s head slowly turned to her, eyes wide again in fear. Pearl could already tell that Gem was afraid to have done something wrong, something selfish.
“Not mad.” she simply reassured with a yawn, shaking her head slowly and drowsy. “Take your time.”
Pearl hadn’t noticed that such a strong exhaustion had crept up on her before she started to yawn every two seconds. She was holding herself up by one elbow, her eyes barely managing to stay open. Normally, Gem would be the one asleep already and Pearl would be in her lab, working on some invention or random agent… not today though. Today was the opposite.
Gem kept looking at her, silent like a mouse, her eyes scanning Pearl over and over as if to reassure herself that she wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating, that this was real.
“I will be there when you wake up. I promise.” Pearl slurred as she picked up on Gem’s stare, way later than when it started. She gave her fiancé a tired smile and weak thumbs up before slowly dropping her weight lower and deeper into the sheets. She was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Gem continued watching her, taking in Pearl’s sleeping features one by one. Such a familiar sight but yet so dang foreign.
The former piqued her interest though, and unbeknownst to Pearl, that sudden interest caused Gem to lie down as well, to scoot near her. She crept closer and closer up until she was pressed against Pearl, her face now buried in the crook of Pearl’s neck. Taking in the familiar and comforting scent, Gem curled up more and out of old habits pulled the blanket that covered Pearl half up to her waist up to their necks instead.
In her sleep, Pearl’s arm draped itself over Gem, pulling her closer. For a second, Gem froze by the sudden touch, her eyes wide awake and thoughts running wild. She felt the instinct to stay awake, to not give in to whatever influence was pulling her into the darkness, but once again, Pearl’s warmth and scent calmed her and let her eyelids droop.
Her head felt heavy, her limbs like weights. Sleep was tugging on her and swept over her like a veil. Her thoughts were still moving too fast for the moment, but it slowed down to a comfortable pace. Slow, but never shut off - unlike the last three months where her consciousness was sleeping in a cage of cotton and honey made to slow her down to a still stop but leaving her body running.
Some of the cotton still muffled familiar sounds, memories and sensations, the honey still slowing her down too much to actively remember… but she was slipping free more and more with every familiar sensation, old memories unblurring and returning a piece of herself back to its rightful place.
She was shattered, but slowly she would become whole once more.
Soon enough she would be Gemini Taylor again.