Templeschool

51. The Least Of Many Evils

AN: Okay, this is gonna be another multi-upload! This story is almost over, but we've got a couple more chapters before that.

Everyone watched in horror as the beast continued on his path towards Beach City. Those that had seen the most recent of Twoie's changes now recognized the large horns and spines on the corrupted gem. Greg gripped his shirt above his heart. "That's my son?" He fell to his knees.

"Dad!" Steven ran up to him.

His father was staring at Twoie while he tried to control his increasing panic. "What do we do?" Greg couldn't look away from the monster. He knew his son wasn't doing well, and now he was corrupted. Pearl had explained it as they evacuated the town. The knowledge that his son's mind had fractured so much was heart-breaking.

Garnet walked over to the two and kneeled in front of them. She placed a hand on Steven's head and her other hand on Greg's shoulder. "We'll find a way to heal him. I promise. But first, we need to stop him from destroying the town." Greg and Steven nodded. Garnet turned back to the rest of the Crystal Gems. "Peridot." The green gem jumped to attention. "I have a plan. Can you build a destabilizer barrier?"

Peridot hummed and held her chin in thought. "Well, I could probably do it in combination with some of the materials in the barn. However, there are several metal pieces that I would need to complete the amount of destabilizing rods necessary to create a barrier with a large circumference."

Bismuth smiled and smacked Peridot on the back. The technician yelped as she was thrown forward slightly from the force of the playful hit. "I got you. I have plenty of ores back at the forge and the ability to shape them into whatever you need."

Peridot glowered at her for a second before her mind registered Bismuth's words. "You have a forge here? What are we waiting for? Come on!" She grabbed the broad-shouldered gem by the hand and ran off. Bismuth faltered in surprise as she tried to keep up with the excited technician.

"Meet us at the Galaxy Warp when you're done!" Garnet called out after them. She turned back to Pearl, Amethyst, and Lapis. "Lapis. You have the most important job. It's going to be very taxing. Are you up to it?"

Lapis met her with a determined gaze. "Twoie's done a lot for me. Tell me what you need me to do."

"The rest of us are going to lead Twoie away from Beach City, and to the ocean. When we get there, you will need to use your powers to keep him on the path to the Galaxy Warp. If Peridot and Bismuth aren't ready yet by the time you get there, you'll need to do your best to keep Twoie in place until they're ready." Garnet knew there would be outrage once the others figured out her plan, but she honestly believed it was the best solution. And she didn't need future vision to predict that.

Amethyst proved her right when she threw her hands out in anger. "Wait, so we're just going to trap him?! Lock him up like the humans do with animals?!"

Lapis flinched, her eyes widening in fear. "Wait, there is no way I'm going to trap Twoie! When I was trapped in that mirror, I hated it! I can't make him go through that too!" She clutched at her chest, trying to contain the overwhelming fear and panic that was consuming her. Steven, seeing her reaction, walked over and grabbed her hand. She jumped slightly at his touch but gripped his hand. It helped remind her that she wasn't in that infernal mirror.

Garnet dematerialized her glasses and looked at them. They could see she was struggling with her own plan. "I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but Twoie is half-human. He can't be safely poofed and bubbled like we normally do with corrupted gems. And if we let him roam free, he's going to accidentally do something he'll regret, or the humans will try to step in to solve the problem." The last thing she wanted was for Twoie to get hurt, but there was no way he wouldn't be hurt in this situation. Thus, she was forced to come up with a plan that would cause him the least amount of pain. "Both scenarios are going to have untold ramifications. However, if we keep him contained, it will buy us time to find a way to heal him. It's the best option we have."