Deep breath, in, out, count to ten. One, two-

"He'll be fine whelp. We can use his vehicle to track faster, take the activation device from him."

Deep breath, in, out, count to ten. One, two, three-

"Of course they're reforming, but they're worthless to me now. Not my problem. Let the pathetic humans around here deal with them."

Deep breath, in, out, count to ten. One-

"You can rest and eat when I say you can. How needy can humans be? It's pathetic."

Deep breath, in, out, count to ten. One, two, three four,-

"You can see him when you find the trail again."

Emmet growled as he stopped the truck and hopped out. He walked along the side until he faced the back of the truck bed. Jasper sat there, eyeing him with annoyance.

"What is it?" She said it like a challenge. Probably meant it as one too, she had a way of making every single thing she did a show of dominance. Jerk. "Have something to say?"

Emmet grit his teeth and let out a shuddering breath. "Found something." He pointed to a nearby section of the forest that looked like it had been hit by a bulldozer. A straight path through the trees had been created with the ground torn up and splintered tree fragments everywhere. No earth animal could have done something like that.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"What was that?"

He didn't think he had ever hated anything as much as he hated her. "Yes…Master Jasper."

She just grunted and stood up, the truck groaned as she stood and shuddered when she hopped off. "Find the freak for me human. Be quick about it too or I might start getting hungry for melon."

"I'll need the robonoid."

"So you can call for help the second I'm away? No, go do it the hard way, worm."

Emmet grumbled as he headed down the trail. He thought of his options, but all his ideas on how to escape fell flat when he realized that Jasper had Number Two under tight wraps. She wouldn't let him go easy, or at all. He'd have to play along with her weird hunt until he could figure out a way to get Number Two and him both out of there safely. The trail went on for miles and as he hiked along it he wondered if he could somehow call the others for help. It was embarrassing sure but at this point that was the least of his problems.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't see the hole his foot dropped into before it was too late. Stumbling he sputtered as he looked to see that he had tripped over a massive footprint. Well he was definitely on the right track.

"Find something?" Emmet jumped as he saw that Jasper had snuck up on him. It was creepy how someone so big could move so quietly. He gestured towards the path. She just grunted and pushed him out of the way as she passed by. "Follow, but keep your distance, I don't want your stench anywhere near me."

"I don't want your stench anywhere near me," Emmet mimed in a mocking whisper.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, it was nothing."

"…"

"It was nothing…Master Jasper?"

Another grunt and they continued on their way. As Emmet continued of ways to get out of this mess they came across more footprints. It was double the number of the ones before.

"There are two of them here." That could be helpful, or it could be disastrous. The whole situation was such a headache. "The tracks head in different directions too."

"Then we split up, follow one of them and bring me its gem."

What? "Your letting me go off on my own?"

She was on him in moments, reminding him just how out of his depth he really was as she loomed over him. "If you do anything other than what I said, your friend pays for it. So go, now."

Right, the constant threat of offing Number Two, how could have forgotten. With a sigh he headed towards the forest, following the tracks. Today was not going his way. Honestly this whole trip hadn't gone his way. Although the irony of it all was that he was doing the exact thing he had been training to do, hunting corrupted gems. He was just doing it for a monster instead of his friends. At least it was a nice day.

Fresh snow had fallen overnight and it covered the woods. Every step he took made a satisfying crunch and the little light that made it through the clouds lit up the forest around him. It reminded him of a conversation he had with Pearl once. About why the gems did what they did. They loved the Earth, everything about it. The conversation had gotten a little weird when Steven had come in and begun to sing, the others had joined in too, but the message was clear. It was a nice planet to live. It was a good memory. He remembered it so clearly he could practically hear Pearl humming the song.

After a few more steps he stopped. He really could almost hear Pearl humming the song. Like really…his breathing quickened as he ducked behind a tree and pressed his back to it. He peeked around the tree to see that Pearl was just a few feet away. Humming away and looking around the forest.

What was she doing there? Had they come to look for him? He was flattered, a little miffed they hadn't called first, and terrified at the thought of Jasper seeing that she was here. Would she accuse him of somehow calling the gems? Would she hurt Number Two because of it? This whole situation was getting more complicated by the minute. Before he could decide what to do he heard a small crunch nearby. He looked over and froze.

There prowling within the trees was a corrupted gem. It was a huge beast the size of a truck that walked on all fours. It had a thick white mane of fur surrounding its rocky gaping mouth and was colored a sickly mixture of browns and oranges. The color scheme reminded him a bit of Jasper. It seemed to move without making noise like her too. It didn't seem to have noticed him so far. It looked more focused on…

Pearl

The monster pounced and Emmet's body moved before he had a chance to think. He barreled from cover and activated the arm's blaster mode with a shout. Pearl heard all the noise and turned to see the corrupted gem mid leap get blasted out of the air.

"What-?"

"No talk, fight now!" Emmet roared as the corrupted gem snarled and somehow flipped itself to land on its feet. It was skilled for a monster.

Pearl nodded and she aimed her spear before unleashing a barrage of energy blasts, Emmet joined in and together they decimated the tree line around the gem. As the smoke cleared there was no sign of it, save for a line of footprints leading off into the forest.

"It got away," Pearl said disappointedly. Emmet just hummed in agreement as they looked over the damage they had done to the forest. "We did quite a number on this place, a shame." She turned towards Emmet with her hands on her hips. Her concerned look turned into a stern one. He knew that look. He'd seen it whenever she was scolding Steven. "Well?"

Oh boy. "Well what?" He flinched internally as she raised an eyebrow. Good going, now she was even more peeved.

"You've been out of communications for more than twenty four hours. Peridot and Lapis were beginning to wonder what happened so they told us about your excursion here. The others and I thought it would be a good training mission for Connie and Steven to help look for you and check for the gem activity you reported in the area. So, disregarding the fact that you haven't been cleared for missions, or that you went alone, or that you have blatantly put yourself in harms risk, you should have at least let us know you were safe. What could you have possibly been thinking?"

Great, now he felt guilty in addition to completely terrified. He could only scratch the back of his head and sigh. "Sorry, Pearl. I got so into the hunt that other things sort of just…fell away."

Her stern glare softened fractionally as she sighed. "Well, at least you're safe. You can head back while I find this corrupted gem and then we can-."

"No!" He said suddenly before calming down and taking a breath as he saw Pearls surprise at the outburst. "I mean, I can help. I've been tracking it for a while now. It'd be a shame not to see this hunt though."

Pearl hummed unconvinced. "I don't know…"

Not good, not good, not good. Jasper would be in a murderous mood if she didn't get that gem. He needed to be there to snatch it when they took it out. "Look, I'm sorry. But I promise to stay out of your way and stick to support while we hunt the gems down." An idea suddenly struck him. "You know," he drawled, "I've never actually seen a Crystal Gem capture a corrupted gem before. It'd great to see a master in action."

That got her. He could see her smug grin before she quickly coughed and looked away. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Watching me capture this gem does provide for an excellent learning opportunity. Aright, you may come, but only if you let me handle it."

"Okay."

She nodded and together they followed the gems tracks into the forest. As they walked Emmet couldn't help but worry. Jasper was somewhere in these woods, so were Steven and Connie. This could end very badly. He needed to get his friends out of there, fast.

Pearl seemed to have taken his silence as brooding instead of blind panic. She looked around awkwardly before coughing into her hand. "Well, Emmet, I realize that we have not had a chance to really talk since you joined us."

What? She was really doing this now?

"I know that this has been a trying time for you."

Oh no.

"And that your body going through some…changes."

Was there no mercy in the universe?

"So…I mean…how are you doing?"

"…fine."

They didn't talk for a few minutes after that. It wasn't long before Pearl pulled out some kind of walkie-talkie radio. It was shaped like…cookie cat?

She turned it on and spoke. "Hey you two, I found Emmet. He's fine."

A chorus of voices came out from the talkie before calming down. "Is Number Two okay too?" Steven said from the other side.

Pearl looked at Emmet and he shrugged. Crud, he needed a story, quick. "He stayed back at the town we slept in last night. He's fine."

Pearl nodded and repeated the message. "How are you two doing? Remember, you humans need to eat." She gave Emmet a pointed look as she said it causing him to blush furiously. They kept on looking and Emmet felt his nerves begin to fray.

"Where is this stupid mutant?!" He stomped his into the ground. He wished he hadn't left the robonoid back at the truck. He wished Number Two was safe. He wished Jasper was gone. So many wishes and literally no solutions, it was maddening. He kicked a nearby pile of snow and flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking he saw that Pearl was giving him a worried look.

"Are you alright?"

Emmet looked at her before willing his features to harden before brushing off her hand. "I'm fine." He kept walking forward. Pearl lagged behind. She seemed to be thinking about something. Soon she came forward and walked beside him.

"It's nice isn't it?" He looked at her confused just to see that she was eyeing the surrounding area fondly. "The trees, the snow, and the clouds here on the mountain, I mean. They are all so different yet they fit together so well. It reminds me of why we protect this planet." Emmet didn't really have a response to that, so he just let her continue. "Everything here is so different and changing, what we find to be normal one moment has become something else entirely new the next. Sometimes I find myself a little envious of Garnet. She can see the changes before they happen. Nothing is really new to her. It all just…falls into place.

She took a deep breath as she leaned down to grab some snow. Emmet noticed that it didn't melt in her hand. "And Amethyst has always been so good at going along with the changes. She's always been an adaptable one. Me though, I've never been one to change easily. That's one of the things I admire about humans, the way they changed." She chuckled at that and Emmet couldn't help but smile. He realized that he and Pearl hadn't really had any time to talk. She didn't seem to talk to any humans regularly. Why was she talking to him so openly then? Was it just because he was a part of the team? For the first time in days he felt something outside of stressed fueled panic. Curiosity.

It was also nice to have a conversation like this. "I thought you didn't like humans very much."

Pearl looked at him confused. "I like humans fine, not as much as Rose did, but they're as a part of life as everything on this planet. They change too quickly for my tastes though. A lifetime for them is a moment for us. I never saw the appeal in investing so much time into something that would fade so fast." She gave a small hum. "Sometimes though a human does something that lasts, I still remember how some of them fought with us during the rebellion." She began to look wistful before snapping out of it and looking over at Emmet. "You remind me of some them."

"How is that?"

"Adaptable, I suppose. And very brave for a human, I know you have had to deal with a lot of changes lately. But I'm sure you'll handle it fine. A little training should iron out the process just fine. Steven tells me you'll be ready soon."

"Hopefully, I just want I get to that point." It would be nice. He'd have to live long enough to get that training though.

"We'll see." She sighed as she looked around. "We aren't having any luck at all today are we?" Pearl raised the talkie and spoke. "Steven, Connie, I'm not having any luck finding this monster. We might have to return to the temple and regroup."

Emmet began to panic. This could derail his plans completely. Luckily Connie spoke up. "No, no, we can handle it! We're making great progress. We can definitely take care of this ourselves"

Pearl looked surprised before smiling. "Oh, well you sound confident. Carry on then. And remember Connie-"

"Stance wide, body lowered, I got it ma'am." Connie said.

"Balance is the key," Pearl said in a sing-song voice before lowering the radio.

Emmet frowned as they kept walking. "I can handle this hunt on my own too." He had fought a mutant colossus and horde. He could handle an overgrown cat. But Pearl just gave him a small smile as she shook her head.

"You're still learning. You'll get to the point where you can hunt alone but for now I think its best that you stick with the experts."

A nearby growl cut off any retort Emmet had lined up and together the two crouched and hid behind nearby snow mound. Carefully looking over the crest they saw the corrupted gem walking around a nearby clearing.

"Found it," Pearl said determinedly.

Emmet was relieved, he was also terrified. This was it, he'd need a plan. "What do we do?"

"Hmm, alright how about this, you stay back and watch the exit routes. I'll sneak up and try and take it out."

Emmet nodded, this was perfect. This would be his best chance to get the gem. "Got it, let's do it."

He moved back as she snuck forward. When they were in position she leapt out from cover and stabbed at the monster. They struggled back and forth as Emmet kept behind the tree line and moved accordingly with the fight. He needed to time this perfectly. Pearl slashed and dodged as the corrupted gem batted at her and snarled. Emmet took the moment to appreciate how Pearl fought. She wasn't as chaotic or spontaneous as Amethyst, she moved gracefully and precisely. Every movement counted and not strike was made without thinking. It was like watching a dance, on the icy floor she made it look like she was ice skating too. He felt twang of envy at Steven and Connie. He was learning to improvise and learn on the fly. Meanwhile they had a teacher showing them how to be real warriors.

Suddenly he heard horrible series of snapping and saw that Pearl had dodged the monster. Its momentum and the ice covered floor must have caused it to slip because it slammed into the tree line and was buried underneath the wood. This was his chance. Emmet bolted for the pile of trees. He ignored Pearl's calls and warnings as he leapt on top and began to dig. As he moved an especially heavy log he found it. The corrupted gem was pinned by some tree trunks and moved in a pitiful attempt to free itself. It snarled weakly as Emmet reached down and brushed his robot hand against its furry mane.

As the hair softly conformed against his hand he imagined how soft it must feel. It looked like the softest hair he'd ever seen. He found himself wishing that the hand could feel for what felt like the thousandth time. Just before willing the energy into the hand and sending a huge electrical current into the monster.

With a snarl it vanished with a poof leaving the large gem behind, Emmet quickly grabbed it with his human hand and changed his robot arm to gun mode. Now for the next part of his impromptu plan, he hoped that it'd work. He aimed the cannon at the side of the hole and fired multiple times. The blasts sent debris and ash everywhere creating a small smokescreen. When it cleared he had hidden the gem in his jacket and there was now am opening clear through to the outside of the hole. Peal ran up and pointed her spear only to find nothing.

"What happened?" She asked as she inspected the hole.

Emmet shrugged and kicked at the surrounding sticks in feign frustration. "It got away, I fired a few shots at it but it managed to escape. I'm sorry." The last bit came out more pathetic than he had wanted. The guilt of his lying was weighing him down way more than he had realized. He began to shiver and saw that it had begun to snow. It was coming down hard.

Pearl pursed her lips and let out a sigh. "I'm just glad you weren't hurt. What were you thinking? Charging in like that could have gotten you killed."

"I guess I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to help."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "You can't help if that thing eats you. So next time, stick to the plan, alright?"

Emmet nodded. "Sure thing, teach."

Pearl seemed to like the nickname and gave Emmet a small smile before noticing the snow. "Oh dear the weather has really taken a turn hasn't it? I better check on Steven and Connie."

She went off to make the call leaving Emmet to catch his breath and tap the gem under his jacket. How fast would this thing reform? He didn't want it in his jacket when it did. He needed to get it to Jasper, quick. Where was she anyway?

Pearl came back to him in a panic. Emmet felt a chill run up his spine at the sight of her fear. "They found the other corrupted gem, they're in danger."

Emmet nodded. "Go, I'll be right behind you. I'll keep to air just in case."

Pearl looked conflicted before nodding. "Okay, stay low, this weather is getting worse by the minute. Land if it gets too rough and I'll come find you once I help the others."

With that she bolted off and Emmet activated propeller mode. He took off and flew after Pearl, keeping her in view as he hovered above the trees. The storm was getting worse though and it was getting harder and harder to keep in the air. The wind buffeted him and every foot forward caused him to swing to the side. Having enough he just landed and took cover underneath a tree. He'd have to wait for the Pearl and the others to come get him. He realized that the arm could probably access the walkie-talkie radio's frequencies and began to work on that as the snowfall became a flurry. The area around him began to fade away in a screen of white as he hurried to try and get the right frequency. Soon enough though there was the sound of snow crunching underfoot nearby.

Emmet looked up. "Pearl, is that you?" No answer, Emmet felt his senses heighten as he felt the prickles of fear. "Steven? Connie? C'mon guys answer me, this isn't funny." After a few moments the sound grew louder and a shape appeared through the white. It was large, too large, and Emmet felt his hopes crumble. "Oh, it's you."

Jasper came forward, a sneer on her face as she crossed her arms. "Did you do what I asked?"

Wordlessly, Emmet pulled out the gem and tossed it over to her. She caught it mid-air and examined it. "Good, this one will do nicely."

"Are we done then?"

Jasper snorted. "Not even close, worm. This is just a start. Let's go." She began to walk away, gems in hand, before Emmet stood up.

"I want to see him." Jasper stopped for a moment before she kept walking, Emmet hurried after her. He pushed against the heavy winds and snow, trying to ignore the freezing cold that cut through the jacket. "I'm serious."

"You're in no position to make demands, worm."

"And you have no idea where to go next without me." That got her to stop. She turned to face him and he only had a moment to enjoy the small victory before being slammed against a tree.

"Was that a threat?"

"It's a fact," he choked out, "I want to see him."

She snarled before dropping him. He gasped for air, which didn't help much as every gulp felt like he swallowing a handful of sharp icicles. Looking up he saw Jaspers gem glow and she seemed to reach into it before pulling out a shivering Number Two. Emmet felt relief mixed with his fear. But before he could tell his little buddy everything was going to be fine another light blurred his vision. When he looked again Number Two was gone.

"You saw him, let's go." Jasper said as she continued walking.

Emmet felt rage, unbearable rage as he gritted his teeth. The anger bubbled and he lashed out slamming his robot arm into the tree he was leaning on, snapping it in half. He felt his anger fade as the tree collapsed, it was replaced by despair. He looked back in the direction Pearl had run. Wondering if there had any chance to have had them help him. If maybe it would have been smarter to have come clean earlier and have them all face Jasper together. It wasn't the first time he had thought what-if. He knew it wouldn't be the last. But what mattered is what he would do now.

He brushed himself off, turned around, and began to trudge after Jasper through the snowstorm.