**THIS IS AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE**
Pearl has no idea where she was. She woke up in a pit surrounded by a group of complete strangers, with no memory of her past. She quickly learns that none of the other Hermits know either, only that a group that th...
Wednesday came again, and by midnight Gem was storming up to her cottage. From a distance she had seen what had happened to Ren. And she was pissed.
The Watcher was already inside by the time she burst in.
"She lives! I was about to send Hugo for you." The Watcher said, voice dripping with sarcasm and warning.
"Why didn't you tell me that knife restored memories?" She snapped.
"Did it now?" The Watcher said dryly. Gem glared at him.
"It drove Ren mad, seeing it all at once. Why?" She said. The Watcher sighed.
"Because he's been in experiments ten times as worse as the Empires Experiments. He was in ones based off of the idea of last man standing. In all three he died gruesomely, and so did his friends. Pearl was actually the winner of this last one we conducted right before this round of the Hermit Experiments. Now, which Hermits went down this week?" He said. Gem sighed tiredly, and plopped into an armchair.
"Xsumia, Impulse, Cleo. Bdubs got away, but I got off a shot to his leg. He's most likely dead. And Ren is immobilized. Sir." Gem reluctantly reported. The Watcher wrote the names down, shaking his head.
"Xsumia and Bdubs are still alive. Bdubs is trapped in the woods, wounded, and Xsumia is being cared for in Boatem." The Watcher said, shaking his head with dissatisfaction. Gem winced. He pulled out a file, and opened it.
"We've done a study, and found that Boatem is the biggest threat to our security this round. Take out all of them except Pearl. Mumbo and Scar are working on bases around, and Grian is mining. You won't have to worry about him anymore. He's not coming back." He said, smirking. Gem looked up, frowning.
"Why?" She asked, but The Watcher didn't answer. He just looked at his watch.
"Oh, look at that. I'm almost late. This meeting is over. Oh, and this coming worldwide storm should help cover you." He said, and vanished in a pillar of light.
"Storm...?" Gem said, looking out the window. And sure enough, lightning flashed on the horizon.
"Oh. THAT storm," Gem said faintly.
. . .
(Pearl POV)
I woke to screaming wind and what sounded like a hurricane blasting away outside. I shot up, grabbing my axe.
"The hell? Is there a bloody war going on out there?" Xsumia barked from the corner.
I slipped out the door, and was immediately greeted with winds that almost blew me over. The horizontally blowing rain felt like sandpaper on my bare arms. Already soaked through, I burst back inside.
"Well?" Xsuima pressed. I ignored him, wrapping myself in the tarp. I shoved my beanie back on, and for the second time plunged outside. I could barely see in front of me through the mist.
"Mumbo?! Scar?!" I screamed, and my voice was snatched away by the wind. The grass was already under a few centimeters of water, and I could faintly hear the waves slapping against the surf like artillery cannons.
Sudden light blinded me, making me hold my arm up.
"Swaggon!" My mind yelled, relived.
"Pearl! Get your ass up here!" Mumbo screamed. I forced my way against the wind, determined not to get blown away by the hurricane winds. I found the ladder, and wrapping my arms around it, started climbing up.
Suddenly a pair of hands pulled me up, and a thick copper door slammed shut with a horrible sounding grind. My breath heaved as I lied down. Mumbo collapsed next to me, panting. We lay there for a moment.
A silver cat jumped on me, meowing.
"Jelly, you rascal, get off Pearl!" Scars voice came from behind us. Smiling, I pet Jelly. She meowed one more time, and scuttled off towards Scar. I sat up. Scar, sporting his red top hat and a new red dress suit cradled Jelly, smiling. Ren sat huddled in the corner, mumbling something about a desert war and tan sand turned red. Mumbo stood, frowning.
"Where's Gri?" He asked, sending a jolt through me. I shot up.
"Scar, we gotta get to the southern cave, now!" I yelled. Scar nodded, rushing up the stairs with Jelly. The Swaggon quickly lurched forwards.
"Pearl? Where's Grian?" Mumbo asked. I ignored him, and pressed the watch button.
"Grian, are you ok? There's a hurricane up here." I said, panicking. After a moment he responded.
"Um, in bit of a pickle here." He yelled over the sound of rushing water. Mumbos eyes widened.
"You went MINING!? Why didn't you TELL ANYBODY?!" Mumbo roared into his own watch. I could practically hear Grian wince. After a moment he responded.
"I did tell someone. I told Pearl." He said. Mumbo gave me a harsh look. I shrugged helplessly.
"Aw, shit... guys, don't come after me. I can see the rising water. The way I came is a river now... gotta find another way out." Grian said.
"Gri!" Mumbo screamed.
"There's a light... I'm swimming towards it." He said, followed by a splash.
"Grian, don't-!" Mumbo said.
A few tense minutes passed before he responded, gasping for breath.
"Made... It... Bite me, Mumbo... you're never living that down." He said. We breathed a sigh of relief.
The Swaggon suddenly lurched to a stop, and Scar rushed down.
"Here. I blocked off the water flowing into the cave." He said.
"Hey, the waterfalls gone. Huh. Anyways, I'm deep in the mountains. Snow's everywhere. I'm gonna try and hike back to Boatem. See ya soon. I'll keep you updated." Grian said, followed by a static crackling. A little red dot appeared on a map in my map. Mumbo, Scar, and I exchanged a look. Scar rushed back up to the cockpit.
"We're coming, Gri..." I whispered.
. . .
(Grian POV)
I ripped the rippling silver emergency blanket from my pack, wrapping it around myself. I tossed my helmet, and it quickly disappeared into the bizzard. I grabbed my little spade and started digging a pit. I looked at my watch, watching as the Swaggon began to move. I smiled slightly.
"See you guys soon..." I whispered and nailed a tarp over the pit. Shivering, I slipped in to wait out the storm
. . .
Gem watched from a distance as Grian dug his pit. A grim feeling sat heavy in her chest. She knew tomorrow she would have to kill him. She lied down on her belly, aiming her sniper to watch. The moment she had a clear shot, she would take him down.
Here's a meme for you suckas before you move on:
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