Default Settings // Sequel to "Factory Reset"

Chapter 12: Not Without A Fight

Chapter 12: Not Without A Fight

"She said she was going to be here hours ago," Jasper grumbled, pacing through the break room impatient as ever, "Is she even coming?"

Lapis repeated for the millionth time, "We both know- especially after yesterday," Lapis shot a pointed look at Jasper, "That Red tends to do what she wants."

Jasper growled and sat down forcefully at the table. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. We should of never chose her to hijack. It could've been the Sapphire or even that poor excuse of an Amethyst. Anyone but her."

"Why exactly did you pick her then?" Lapis decided to ask, and added with hesitation, "How did you actually do it?"

"At the time we wanted a fighter," Jasper shrugged, "Besides, I wanted to take that fusion down a notch. As for how we did it, we just had to give her an injection. I don't know what it was but we only had two on the ship. It was a top secret serum, not even Peridot knew what was in it. It was fluid and it gave us access to her actual coding, what makes a gem physical. All we had to do was input a few codes of our own...Peridot was really the smart one with all that. We made her our biggest weapon, imputing thousands of fighting styles and strategies."

"And, when her memories started being erased...were you the one deleting them?" Lapis asked carefully.

"No," Jasper admitted, "We sent the codes to Homeworld and some tech wiz must've done it up there. After that, it was only a matter of time before Ruby was nothing."

There was a loud bang outside the door. The others looked to see an angry Red standing in the doorway.

Lapis paled. How much had she heard?

"Red, we didn't realize you were-" Lapis began but was cut off.

"So," Red laughed. "You two were just going to let me play myself like that? Typical."

Jasper stood up with a mixture of anger and...something else. Caution? Or was it fear.

"All that talk about hijacking yesterday," Red continued to laugh. With a quick flick of her wrist, she summoned her gauntlet. "Playing dumb, pretending you didn't know a thing. Great partners you two are. Or, were we ever really that to begin with?"

"It's not like you were suppose to know," Jasper glowered. "Traitor. Trust me when I say we did you a favor."

"I'm sure you did," Red rushed towards Jasper. Jasper sidestepped and summoned her own weapon hardly in time to deflect Red's next move. The smaller gem was relentless and barely left time for Jasper to attack back.

"I don't care who's side I was on," Red threw another punch, "You messed with the wrong gem."

Jasper managed to find a window and threw her own punch, catching Red in the side. As she flew back, Red used the momentum to summon a fireball, shooting it in a large fiery spark towards her opponent. When Red landed on the ground, she melted a bit of the metal floor. 

"You were a mistake at best," Jasper gritted through the pain of the fire attack, "You...were nothing before we made you. You should be thanking us. And you'll be damned if you think you'll be leading this team."

"I miss my version of you Jasper," Red grinned in that infuriating way of hers, "She was funnier." Jasper let out a frustrated roar and rushed towards Red. Red laughed again, "She was a better fighter too."

Red jumped in the air just in time for Jasper to run face first into a wall. Red landed on her shoulders and used her weight to slam Jasper's face into the now superheated floor. Jasper brought herself up and attempted to fling Red off her but Red flipped around and brought Jasper into a chokehold. Grasping for a handhold, Red suddenly clasped onto Jasper's gem. Grinning the same way she had when she fought Peridot, Red gripped the gem and pulled.

•••••

Red found that Lapis had fled the fight once it started, hiding in the hallway where she wouldn't get in the way. Luckily for her, Red seemed satisfied with herself. She tossed Jasper's gem at Lapis who caught it in her lap.

"Well?" Red raised an eyebrow at the blue gem who stared at her poofed ally in shock.

In that moment, a silence filled the underground tunnels, a silence that unwillingly handed over the power of the team to Red.

Words were exchanged between the two but not many. They would start working on Red's plan in the morning.