The Crystal Gems, V.I.L.E., and Adora

It had been about six weeks since her encounter with Coach Brunt and Shadowsan in Poitiers. Carmen had effectively recovered from the crushing of her rib cage by Coach Brunt in what could be called a hug of death. Although Shadowsan had given her a new hard drive, filled with information about V.I.L.E.'s upcoming capers, which had been decrypted by Player, her hacker friend, the two siblings (Zack and Ivy), also on her team, gave her time to rest. Since she hadn't been moving about from place to place, the gumshoes of A.C.M.E, otherwise known as the Agency to Classify and Monitor Evildoers, with Chase Devineaux and Julia Argent as recent recruits, were stumped. Their CrimeNet technology had become useless, especially since V.I.L.E. knew of their existence. As such, V.I.L.E. felt that defeating them was a higher priority than going after Carmen. In that way, Carmen's team had a reprieve since V.I.L.E. had paused their capers. Shadowsan, serving as Carmen's informant inside V.I.L.E., hoped this situation would give her time to mentally and physically recover.

Carmen confusedly looked at her laptop screen. She wondered what was going on.

"So...Player, V.I.LE.'s next caper is in a peaceful town in the state of Delmarva, named...Beach City. I don't understand what V.I.L.E.'s angle is here."

"Red, I don't understand either. But, looking back through these records, while you were recovering, it seems they have been watching the town and its inhabitants for the past 20 years."

He paused, sighing. He thought she wouldn't believe what he was about to say.

"In their reports, they say something about magical powers...and a group that wields them...They seem to be concerned this group will ruin their plans of world domination."

Carmen let out a hearty laugh. She stared at the image on her screen with amazement.

"They...are scared of a chubby kid who gets powers from his bellybutton and his friends? Seriously? Gosh, V.I.L.E. is getting desperate. Regardless, we need to stop them before something bad happens."

Player agreed, feeling the same way about V.I.L.E. It almost seemed like a ploy by Shadowsan so Carmen could prove herself once again.

"Red, I'll book you a private jet from Poitiers to Philadelphia, in the Keystone State. You can get a boat from there to Beach City."

Carmen concurred. While packing her bags, she told Zack and Ivy they were going on a trip. Like all their missions, they would be face-to-face with the evildoers of V.I.LE. Deviating from his normal behavior, Zack voiced his concerns.

"Carm, are you sure you are healed from that scuff in Poitiers? That Coach hurt you pretty bad."

She nodded, ignoring his question. Just as he was about to pester her some more, Ivy dragged him away, telling him they needed to get ready.

Meanwhile...in Beach City, Steven and the Gems were re-adjusting to Earth. While it had been a few weeks since Carmen had fought Coach Brunt, it had been only a few days since they had arrived from Etheria. Adora continued her sword training with Pearl, still enthralled by her new friends. Occasionally, Steven and Connie would attend, but often, Pearl would tell them it would be rude to come and watch her "special friend" Adora sword fight. Steven could imagine what happened between them on the Ancient Sky Arena. He kept an open mind and appreciated that Adora chose to stay with them, since she could be a new friend he could learn from. Just then, he spied a 20-year-old woman walking on the beach, with flowing pink hair draped over her right shoulder. She was wearing a turquoise wrap dress, had on pink lipstick, and pale-yellow ballerina flats, like the shoes that Pearl often wore. She also carried a pair of dark blue gloves. While he didn't mind her walking on the beach, when he saw her launch a small drone, he became a bit suspicious. As he pondered who it might be, instead of going out by himself, he asked those in the Beach House to help him. While Pearl and Adora were at another one of their trainings, Garnet, Amethyst, Peridot, Lapis, and Connie were more than happy to help him confront this mystery woman.

As they walked down the wooden steps to the warm beach sands, the woman stopped, turned, and looked at them with piercing hazel eyes. Some could call her beautiful, by their standards, but this didn't negate the possibility that she was up to no good. Leading the group, Steven approached her, and tried to start a conversation.

"Hi! I'm Steven. I haven't seen you around these parts before. Are you new here?"

The woman smiled almost like a Cheshire cat. It freaked out Steven and everyone else. Taking in what Steven had asked her, she attempted to answer his question.

"Yes. I'm...from Utco, you know, in the West. I'm here today on a mission. I'm looking for a "Steven Universe." Are you him?"

Nervously, not knowing what would happen, Steven began to answer. He prepared himself for any evil or rash actions against him. "

Yes, you're looking at him."

She howled devilishly. A look of satisfaction spread across her face, relieved she had done something right. She put on her dark blue gloves and pulled out what looked like a grappling cable and aimed it at Steven.

"Well...Steven...you are coming with me. I need to bring you back to V.I.L.E. Island to study you."

Steven's reaction surprised her. As the cable began to pass around him, his reflexes kicked in and he put up his pink-colored bubble in defense. The grappling hook had no effect. Angry that she had been foiled so easily, she pulled out a Crackle Rod, using it against the bubble in hopes of breaking it. Again, this did not work.

Connie and Peri stood beside Steven, one on each side of bubble, while Garnet, Amethyst, and Lapis went on the attack. Garnet readied her gauntlets while Amethyst used her electrified whip to entrap the mystery woman, shocking her with electric current. The woman, falling to the ground, had been trapped by Lapis's ice wall. Clearly, she was no match for the Crystal Gems.

Her gadgets a mess, the woman sank to the ground in defeat. Garnet, Lapis, and Amethyst surrounded her, with Connie, Peri, and Steven at the ready. She would soon have a chance to redeem herself, or so she thought. She could see, in the sky, a red hang glider carrying a woman, the same age as her, with a trademark red fedora and coat, her long brown hair blowing in the wind. She recognized this woman as Carmen Sandiego, the top enemy of V.I.L.E. in the world.

Despite the fact she had been defeated by the Gems, the mystery woman chortled. She may have lost but she could still escape. She hoped they would be distracted enough so she could slip away, even as she recognized the challenge before her.

"You can capture me now, but...look up in the sky. It's Carmen Sandiego, the international master thief. Would you let her get away?"

The Gems cackled, as they did not take her seriously. They were astounded when the mystery woman was suddenly encircled by a grappling hook fired from underneath the sleeve of Carmen's coat. Unlike the rest of them, Carmen recognized this mystery woman and her code name. She had attended V.I.L.E. Academy the same time as her. While she did not expect them to meet her again after leaving the island, but like always, she had prepared for a challenge such as this one.

"Silky Snapper. What a pleasure to see you here. I'm here to stop your caper...This ends now!"

Peri bowled over, giggling. She had never heard such a laughable name. It almost seemed comical. Jesting Silky, she made fun of her to her face.

"Seriously, that's your name? It sounds so fake. I could come up with a better name with my finger screens in one minute than a clod like you...that is just sad."

Her face red with embarrassment, Silky didn't know what to say. Not only had Peri made her angry, making her want to lash out in retaliation but she been trapped by Carmen and the Gems. When all hope seemed lost, she had one more trick. Using electricity left over from Amethyst's whip and her crackle rod, she electrified Carmen's rope, even as she suffered excruciating pain in the process. She hoped this would cause Carmen to drop the rope, aiding her escape.

Carmen jumped back, letting go of the rope, while Silky pulled out another gadget. It looked like a small box. She pressed the top and it activated a propeller, allowing her to fly away. As she yelled "this isn't over Carmen, I'm coming for you!" the Gems wanted to knock her out of the sky with their powers. Steven, a sensible person, told them to restrain themselves, which they did, allowing her to escape.

Only Carmen, and her boat in the distance, with Zack and Ivy aboard, were left. Everyone turned their eyes to Carmen, who apologized for making a scene. Steven acknowledged her and as he was about to say something, Pearl came running in, with Adora by her side, each with their own weapons. As Adora stood at the ready with a sword gifted to her by Pearl, the Gem approached, holding her spear tightly. Her voice boomed, pointing her spear at Carmen's head.

"Who are you? And why are you in front of our Beach House?"

With Pearl demanding answers, Carmen was terrified. She told them, fearfully, that she had come there to stop an organization named V.I.L.E., also known as the Villains International League of Evil. While she admitted that Silky had correctly described her as an "international master thief" she did so as a matter of justice, stealing from other thieves, rather than playing a game. Furthermore, she had come to Beach City because of V.I.L.E.'s increased interest in the town and Steven, and she wanted to know why.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl scratched their heads. Spending thousands of years on Earth, they had never heard of V.I.L.E., with Lapis and Peri similarly stumped. Steven and Connie were more welcoming, as they wanted to know more. Unlike the rest of them, Adora, like with the sea horses near Salineas, became entranced. She had never seen someone like Carmen before, with such a unique fashion sense and flowing brown hair. Stunned by what she saw, an unusual fascination, which eluded the rest of them, began. This meant she didn't know what to say to Carmen other than "hi!" and wave her hand sheepishly. She smiled back, making Adora feel a bit flustered. Had she met a new friend? Only time would tell.

Steven and Connie told Carmen, who felt better and not as terrified, to follow them into their Beach House where they could talk more. Feeling welcomed, she followed Steven and Connie up the steps, telling Zack, Ivy, and Player that there was nothing to worry about. Adora ran alongside, with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, and Peri coming in after her. They all wanted to know more about this woman, the second mystery woman who had visited in a single day! Bismuth, who had been working on the house, damaged during the fighting with Blue and Yellow Diamond, would have been present, but weekends were her time for a break. This meant that, unintentionally, she missed all the commotion around the two mystery women. But, she would meet Carmen soon enough.

As everyone filed into the house, packing it tightly, they were ready to hear to what Carmen had to say. Steven readied his ukulele, and Connie her violin, asking her to sing her story, like Greg did when telling his stories. While she felt a little nervous, she breathed deeply, and broke into song, with Steven and Connie playing their instruments in the background. Listening from afar, Player, Zack and Ivy were taken off guard, as this had never happened before, and they were as memorized as much as everyone else.



In Buenos Aires, I was an infant

As my home burned,

Shadowsan saved me in an instant



I was brought to V.I.L.E. Island, it became my new home

They raised me as one of their own



As I grew up, I learned to fight, to steal

It was all I ever knew

I accepted it as the only thing I could call "real"



When I found a phone, a whole new world opened to me

I knew I wasn't alone

I realized I could be what I wanted to be



Crime school was a unique start

But I realized I had a stone-cold heart

I had no compassion, no affection

I was just a reflection



After I escaped from V.I.L.E. Isle

I created a new style



Carmen Sandiego was born

And I had sworn

V.I.L.E. would be defeated

It would be cheated!



I would be a thief who stole from thieves

For the greater good

I would accept no reprieves

This would be my livelihood



And here I am a few years later

Player, Ivy, and Zack by my side

And you all listen to me wild-eyed



I know now I am not alone

And I have grown...



Everyone clapped and cheered, while Ivy, Zack, and Player were in a state of shock and completely speechless, recovering from how Carmen's voice had soared like an eagle and her magnificent performance. Adora shouted "you go, girl!" enjoying Carmen's performance more than anyone else. While the Gems did not expect this, Adora's display set off Pearl. She had the impression that Adora saw Carmen in a better light than herself, making her jealous. Her self-esteem, as a result, seemed to be declining faster than a speeding roller coaster. She quickly stepped onto the warp pad, wishing everyone goodbye as tears streamed down her face. She could hear Steven shouting "Wait, Pearl, where are you going?" but made no attempt to answer. Like she had in the past, she felt lost, without value or meaning, and thought she didn't have the "relevance" to be influential, even though this belief had no basis.

While everyone else mellowed out, talking to each other, trying to learn more about Carmen, after her beautiful song, Peri could see Steven was worried. She saw this as an opportunity to test her cross-warp location device, snickering with delight, announcing to her "discovery" to all of them.

"I know exactly where Pearl is. Every use of the warp pad feeds back to my tablet, tracking where the warp ends. Its pure science, Steven, and I love it! NYEH!"

"Um, Peri, isn't that a...violation of privacy?"

Peri burst into a guffaw over Steven's comment, which seemed utterly absurd. She scoffed at the fact that anyone would even think that way.

"No, no, no, Steven. That's pure drivel. This is for a good cause! PRAISE ME!"

Steven felt no reason to challenge her further, despite his reservations about this method, and he wanted to know where Pearl had gone, in hopes of consoling her. He was willing to go along with it for the time being. Sighing, he turned to Peri.

"Ok, Peri, tell me where Pearl is. I'd like to see her."

Peri beamed with radiance, her hair becoming an even brighter chartreuse yellow, excited that Steven was willing to give her a chance. She knew that Steven didn't approve of her method, but she didn't care because on Earth she could express herself in whatever way she pleased, and no one could tell her what to do. So, she went on with her spiel.

"According to my calculations, the warp pad last deactivated in...the Strawberry Battlefield, a couple of minutes ago. That must be where she is. I'm sure of it!"

With that, Steven stepped on the warp pad, warping to the battlefield, which sat in the Great Scandinavian Republic, or G.S.R. for short. It was a place the Crystal Gems had once fought the Homeworld Gems during the Gem War (alternatively called "The Rebellion") thousands of years ago. Now it had been overrun by butterflies and wild strawberries. This contrasted the death and destruction wrought there over the years.

When Steven arrived, he couldn't see Pearl anywhere, but he could hear her singing softly and mournfully in the distance. Clearly, Amethyst and Garnet, who had joked many years before, that Pearl couldn't sing, had been proven wrong. Following the sound of her voice, he could see her on top of a hill, crying. Unlike the last time, when he had to chase down Pearl across a set of boulders and almost died, she resigned herself to his presence. While she continued to cry, she sat in a meditative pose, trying to relax herself and regain her composure. Her self-esteem continued to be low, but her tears began drying off her face, the breeze blowing them away like rose petals floating through the air.

Steven approached, apprehensively, putting his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. Pearl hugged him back and told him her deepest fear: a loss of friendship and connection, a worthlessness in the world itself.

"Steven, what if Adora likes this 'Carmen' better than me...what if she just discards me like a useless piece of junk and...leaves me behind?"

Steven did not expect this. Of course, he couldn't forget the past interactions of Pearl and Adora in Mystacor and the underwater archive outside Salineas, while he, and none of the other Gems, were aware of their nighttime embrace near Plumeria. Adora's choice to relinquish her powers as a magical princess and join them on Earth, a huge sacrifice on her part, had been forever imprinted in his memory. Even so, he hadn't expected Pearl's reaction. He knew that Adora, by coming to Earth, had the ability to start a new life. But, did the same apply to Pearl? Did her interaction and closeness with Adora change her outlook on life and the world? Was she done thinking about the past, and wanted to be a "new Pearl" all about the future and without a plan? The possibility terrified Steven even more than how had been chased by a police cruiser near Ocean Town, but as her friend, he did his best to understand her.

"Pearl, you are wonderful. No one is going to leave you behind or discard you. Adora is adapting to Earth, finding her footing, experimenting. This is a constantly changing planet where you can express yourself in whatever way you see fit, something we should all embrace."

Pearl calmed down, realizing that Steven's logic was sound. They walked to a nearby warp pad and soon returned to the Beach House. Everyone had been waiting apprehensively for her return and welcomed her back. She told them all that she felt better now, with Steven nodding in concurrence. No one wanted to pry into her personal feelings, so they accepted the situation as it presented itself. Pearl walked over to Adora and began to hug her, an embrace she accepted, as they both saw each other as equals despite their age differences.

As the sun went down, Connie left to return to her home not far from Beach City, where she lived with her parents, while Peri and Lapis retired to the bathroom, as they didn't have a permanent place of residence yet. In the meantime, Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet went into their respective rooms in the Crystal Castle. Before he went to his loft bed, Steven prepared the couch so Adora could sleep there, and gave Carmen an extra sleeping bag and pillow to use, so she could sleep on the floor. Everyone said their good nights and hoped for a wonderful day to come, with Carmen comforting Player, Ivy, and Zack before falling asleep.

The next morning, the sun's rays shined through the Beach House, signifying the new day had begun. Steven got up and prepared to make breakfast for everyone, not only to continue accustoming Adora to Earth but to welcome their new guest, Carmen. As she stretched her arms and woke up, about to go to the bathroom and freshen up, not remembering that Peri and Lapis lived in there, Steven's presence startled her.

"Hi, Steven, what are you doing up this early?"

Steven smiled, telling her that breakfast for all of them would be finished shortly. He continued, saying he was glad she had come, albeit unannounced, the day before. As she pulled out her phone and began to talk to Player about her fight with Silky Snapper, the possibility of a new caper, and more, her interactions fascinated Steven. Even though he had used a cell phone for a while, since he played video games from time to time, he wondered about this "Player" she had been talking to. Waiting for a pause in the conversation, Steven asked her about this mysterious person he had heard her talk to.

"Carmen, who is this "Player"? Is he a video game player? A friend? Is that his real name?"

Her face turned a little red, she had not been expecting this question. From what she could tell, Steven seemed like a nice person, but she didn't want to tell much about herself. While she could reveal a bit, no one would know her full and true nature but herself. It had been a way for her to cope and protect herself from harm.

"Steven, Player is my friend. He's into tinkering with computers and technology, you know, hacking. He's helped me out of sticky situations, and I owe him a lot."

Steven's eyes lit up, amazed. He had the perfect idea. After asking Carmen if she wanted part of his "together breakfast" (consisting of a tower of waffles covered in whipped cream, syrup, and popcorn, garnished by a strawberry), which she declined, since she only liked healthy foods, he put the breakfast in the fridge. He knocked on the door of the bathroom, waking up Peri and Lapis, telling them that there was something he'd like to show them. Grumbling about getting up so early, Peri came to the door, slowly opening it, wondering what Steven wanted, with Steven shouting "Carmen's friend is a hacker!" This excited Peri as much as Steven. She told Lapis they needed to go to the "Peri-Shack," as she called it, near the Crystal Temple. A bit tired, Lapis told her that she might join in later, as she wanted to get a bit more sleep. While Garnet continued to sleep, as did Adora, the commotion woke up Pearl and Amethyst. They didn't know why Steven had (unintentionally) rustled them from their slumber. In unison, both Gems inquisitively asked about the commotion.

"Steven...what is it? What's all this noise about?"

While Steven apologized for waking them up, as that had not been his intention, Peri declared they would be journeying to the "Peri-Shack" to which Amethyst tittered. The name seemed silly, but Amethyst respected it. Patting her on the back, she remarked, "Peri, that's why I love you so much, you are such a nerd" to which Peri nervously smiled. Carmen wasn't completely sure about this but had been reassured by Steven it would be fine. She asked Player if he'd like to meet her new friends from the Beach House, to which he agreed. He hoped this didn't throw them off their mission and she told him it would not.

Getting to the shack, Peri welcomed them, as they all sat down on wooden benches. She relished the opportunity to show off her technological prowess. Little did they know, but in the same small shack, Lapis and Peri had been thinking about starting their own TubeTube show. Peri asked Carmen if it would be OK to plug in her phone into the room's technology system, to which she agreed on the condition that her phone would not be damaged. Everything worked perfectly: Player showed up on a huge screen mounted on a wall in front of them. Before Pearl, Amethyst, Steven, or Carmen could say anything, Peri spoke first.

"Hey, I'm Peridot!...also known as Peri...I've heard you like hacking computers and systems...that's so cool! Is there anything you'd like us to help you with?"

This candor and offer for help weren't something Player had anticipated. But, he accepted it because apart from Ivy creating Carmen's gadgets, he was the only one who knew the ins and outs of technology on their team.

"I'm glad you asked! We've been tracking V.I.L.E. and all evil deeds across the planet. We had a tip that they were planning some heist in Beach City, but we can't figure out what it is, just yet. If you could help us solve the mystery of why they came here, that would be great!"

Peri understood everything he said but the word "heist." Even after her binging of Camp Pining Hearts and her detailed, extensive fan fictions, shipping certain campers over others, she had never come across this word. She told Player she'd have to excuse herself for a second and brought Steven outside the shack.

"Steven, I have something to ask you. [sighs] What does the word "heist" mean?"

Steven let out a hearty chuckle, surprised that Peri didn't know this, even after her wide-ranging consumption of human culture. Without wanting to embarrass her, he whispered, telling her that a heist is robbery or hold-up, similar to the word "caper," the latter generally referring to an illegal or criminal act, although it seemed unlikely that what V.I.L.E. had in store could be called a heist, as it seemed like more of a caper. Peri understood and thanked Steven for his help.

Stepping back into the shack, she admitted that while her technology was a bit antiquated, she could help this hacker friend of Carmen with this mystery. She first thought about what Beach City had that others did not. Sure, other beach towns had restaurants, bike shops, amusement parks, music stores, theaters, visitor centers, donut shops, public libraries, lighthouses, candy stories, public parks, car washes, inns, pizzerias, shirt ships, storage facilities, hot dog stands, and private residences. Even towns had their own abandoned warehouses, brooding hills, abandoned quarries, mini golf courses, wooded areas, and nearby beach homes. One thing distinguished all these beach communities, whether Ocean Town, Surf City, Sea City, Aqua Town, or Bayburg, from Beach City: The Crystal Temple, the longstanding headquarters of the Crystal Gems.

Peri gasped in horror. Looking at what Player had discovered, she put together the pieces. V.I.L.E. wanted to, from what she could gather, harvest the energy from the Crystal Temple for their devious schemes. Since these evildoers were not gems, they couldn't access the rooms for Pearl, Amethyst, Rose, or Sardonyx, but they could, through some methods, get to The Burning Room or the Crystal Heart. In the files he could find, was a video from Dr. Gunnar Maelstrom, a Doctor of Psychology who teaches at V.I.L.E. Academy, practices psychiatry, and is a dedicated criminal mastermind. In the video clip, he whooped like a hyena, and began speaking.

"We have an opportunity to turn V.I.L.E. into a super force, wiping out those scum of the Earth, A.C.M.E., and with it, probably Carmen Sandiego. This place has all the energy we need for the ultimate weapon, an endless supply. Coach Brunt, Countess Cleo, and Dr. Saira Bellum will be pleased. Every day we come closer to total world domination. This is only the first step. No one can stop us now, not even Carmen Sandiego!"

This talk unnerved Player and Carmen, feeling almost paralyzed, as all the heists they had foiled before had been for rare documents, like copies of the Magna Carta, precious coins, famous paintings, and so on, but never anything at this scale. Seeing they were scared and didn't know what to do, and before Amethyst, Pearl, or Peri could say anything, Steven did his best to inspire them, telling them they needed to be "strong in the real way" and would prevail in the end, no matter what. His talk put a smile on their faces and took them out of their funk. They were ready to plan. Carmen remembered something: she had put a tracker/camera on the Silky Snapper. Activating it, Player plugged it into Carmen's technology. It showed a location out in the Atlantic Ocean. Even though it was a wild guess, Pearl threw it out there, acting like she knew what she was talking about.

"Oh my, that's the Sea Shrine...er, where it usually is. We better get there right away!"

Carmen noticed a nearby ship. She could hear Silky Snapper talking about getting drill heads for their operation, remarking the place to get them "wasn't that far" from the Crystal Temple.

This made the plan of the evildoers clear: they planned to steal drills from the Prime Kindergarten in Mipsia and use them to drill into the Crystal Temple, stealing the "power source" for themselves, for the "ultimate weapon." Neither the Gems nor Carmen and her gang of fellow thieves cared for A.C.M.E., but rather thought of the consequences if this plan of V.I.LE. ended up being successful. The plan was simple. Lapis, Carmen, and Peri would head off the V.I.L.E. ship near the location of sometimes present Sea Shrine, while Amethyst and Garnet would fight off those trying to steal drills from the Prime Kindergarten. In the meantime, Steven, Adora, and Pearl would stay behind, possibly getting help from Bismuth and Connie, defending the Crystal Temple itself. Even though this plan required waking up Lapis, Garnet, and Adora, the commotion had already woken them up, so they were ready to help and defend their home. Amethyst and Garnet warped to the Prime Kindergarten, while Peri, who Lapis carried, her water wings flapping in the wind, were en route to the area where the Sea Shrine sometimes existed. Carmen followed them on her hang glider, telling Zack and Ivy to be at the ready if they needed help, giving them her coordinates.

Arriving in the Prime Kindergarten, Amethyst and Garnet could see chains tied to some injectors, with V.I.L.E. henchmen trying to dislodge them, one operating a crane of some type. Amethyst whispered to Garnet that she was going to "kick their ass," while Garnet told her to be calm, stating that dislodging even one injector would give these evildoers an advantage in drilling into the Crystal Temple. While Pearl had told them not to use their Gem powers on humans, they had no choice in the matter, as these people were threatening their home and way of life, as you could call it. After one henchmen had finished talking to Dr. Maelstrom, glad at their progress, suddenly their chain had a weird blue glow to it, looking like an electric current. Before he knew it, the whole machine had become electrified. He jumped out just as it exploded, saving himself, with the other henchmen coughing at the black cloud in the air. When the smoke cleared, he could see Amethyst and Garnet standing on top of the wreckage, shouting "stop your destruction at once, before we have to hurt you!" The henchmen, terrified, began to run. Amethyst wouldn't let them get away that easily. Not knowing what they were doing, most of them ran in a pack, together, allowing Amethyst to trap them with one of her whips. One straggler, the man who had escaped the crane before it become rubble, didn't escape, as Amethyst's second whip brought him in. In order to ensure that her whips were not used, Garnet pulled the chains off the crane to tie up these evildoers. To complete the cycle and lessen the violence, Amethyst shapeshifted into a baseball bat, which Garnet wielded, hitting the tied-up humans with her full strength, shouting "you're outta here!" While Amethyst felt a bit sore from the endeavor, the evildoers were gone, flying through the air at a fast rate of speed, and covering a wide distance. The Crystal Temple had been saved from the drills of injectors but...the fight wasn't over yet.

In the meantime, Lapis, Peri, and Carmen arrived near where the Sea Shrine sometimes existed, when it wasn't underwater, hiding from the view of the nearby V.I.L.E. henchmen. Silky Snapper thought she heard something but continued to work with nearby henchmen to set up a huge cannon on a floating island. Carmen recognized it immediately, as it looked like a huge crackle rod, likely one of Dr. Saira Bellum's newest toys. Due to the direction it was pointing, she surmised that its first test would be firing upon Beach City itself! As the cannon began powering up, Lapis, Peri, and Carmen readied their counterattack. Just then, they saw what looked like a fireball coming through the sky, at a fast speed. It struck the floating lab of Dr. Maelstrom, Imaginarium, sitting in the ocean nearby, a cross-between an aircraft carrier and a battleship, in the bow, creating a huge hole. The "fireball" had been the henchmen from the Kindergarten, and they laid upon the ship's deck injured, with their arms and legs broken. This distracted Silky, telling the henchmen on the floating island to protect the cannon, swimming toward the ship, hoping to help in any way she could.

Once Silky had swam far enough away, Lapis, Peri, and Carmen began their attack. They knocked out the henchmen and took control of the cannon. Through their combined willpower and force, they turned the cannon around, as it continued to charge. Seeing this, Silky shouted "no, no, no!" as a blast from the cannon shot out, heading for the damaged ship's bridge, where Dr. Maelstrom sat with a wicked smile, not expecting the ship's complete destruction. The massive explosion that resulted caused a huge tidal wave, moving in the direction of Beach City. Lapis used her powers to redirect the water to wash over the ship's wreckage. Scanning for lifeforms, Peri and Carmen watched from the floating island. Peri's scanner picked up a few life readings. They could see Silky and Dr. Maelstrom, along with the injured henchmen. Maelstrom called for "the cleaners" to rescue them, but his voice had become so faint they couldn't hear him. Silky pulled out a waterproof gadget and pressed its big red button. A raft appeared. She shouted "you haven't won yet, Carmen, the battle isn't over!" While Peri and Lapis wanted to pursue them, Carmen convinced them not to, telling them that letting these evildoers go was the right decision...this time around.

Afterwards, Lapis, Peri, and Carmen approached the cannon, emblazoned with the words "Bellum Crackle Rod Cannon" on the side. The henchmen, they had knocked out cold, hadn't woken up yet. Carmen had an idea. She told Zack and Ivy to come and meet them. Coming in their speedboat, Zack and Ivy arrived at the floating island, loading on the henchmen, whom they tied up so they didn't escape, and the cannon, so it could be further studied. While this weighed down the boat, Zack could still drive it. Carmen asked if Lapis and Peri wanted to join them, saying they could motor back to Beach City. Smiling, both Gems concurred. After Lapis and Peri introduced themselves, Zack, finished tying up the henchmen, told Lapis that her use of water was "awesome." Ivy didn't know what to make of Peri, calling her cute, to which she said, "I am not!" defiantly. Moving to the front of ship, Zack took the wheel and steered the boat forward, while Carmen, Lapis, Peri, and Ivy relaxed, sitting in the back. The day had been won, but...at what cost?

Lightning crackled in the distance, as rain poured down the windows of V.I.L.E. Academy. Dr. Maelstrom, his arm in a sling because of the injuries he sustained from the Imaginarium's destruction, looked out the window and smirked. Using his other arm, he opened the window, drenched in the downpour, shouting loud enough for anyone to hear and waving his fist wildly:

"You haven't won, yet, Black Sheep! I have just begun! If it's the last thing I do, you will go down in flames and Steven Universe will be mine for the taking! Just you watch!