Hello, everyone! To start, this story is an AU of Swordtheguy's wonderful fic Long Term Memories. You won't ineed/i to have read it to understand this piece, but I suggest you do because

a) It's excellent.

b) It does improve the experience.

c) I am going to thoroughly spoil it.

Other things to note... this story begins shortly after the events of the episode 'Bismuth', and will diverge from there. Also, there's going to be some uncomfortable depictions of Homeworld slavery, experimentation, and mind manipulation, so if that's not your cup of tea, step out now.

Otherwise... I hope you enjoy!

xXxXxXx

Chapter One

Spinel's first memory was of cold corridors.

When most Gems are made, they pop right out of the ground. Their first experience is of dirt and wind and their birth planet's sky. They take their first uneasy steps to freedom as they become aware of their existence, their purpose, their identity.

When Spinel came out, her hole already had a facility built around it. Pure white tiles, blinding lights. She barely had time to process who she was, what she was, before a rough hand grabbed her by the neck, picked her up.

"Get the gloves on," a voice yelled.

"Cover her up," another said.

"Don't let her touch you," said a third.

"What-!" Spinel tried to cry, but no one listened.

xXxXx

They locked her down and bundled her up, covering her whole body in real fabrics. Every inch of her skin. They didn't want to touch her. Spinel didn't understand why.

Until eventually they brought in a Flint. Handcuffed and shaking and trying to break free. Which was useless, Spinel could tell. There was security all around. There was alway s security.

One of the chief scientists- a Morganite- bent down next to Spinel, as close as she dared come, and looked Spinel in the eyes. "This Flint is a traitor," she said. "You are going to fix her."

Spinel didn't know what that meant. So they explained. She could change people's memories. Get rid of the bad, ugly thoughts in their cores- the ones that made them mean and confused, so confused that they stopped acting the way they should.

It had seemed silly and strange, and Spinel wasn't sure what to do, but there were guards all around, and a sword at her back. So when they pulled the glove off her hand, she placed her palm on the Flint's cheek. Spinel was terrified. The Flint too. The scientists and the guards needed the Flint to be obedient, so Spinel needed her obedient too. Please, be good, she thought. You like these Gems. You're not angry at them. They want to help you, and you want to help them, too.

The Flint calmed down. Started smiling. By the time she was lead out of the lab, the Flint didn't even need handcuffs.

(Spinel had still needed the gloves.)

"Well," one of the scientists, a Peridot, said. "Looks like our project is a success."

xXxXx

They took a scalpel and made a scratch in Spinel's gem.

She screamed and screamed and screamed, and nobody listened.

xXxXx

Spinel lay there, eyes closed, only half listening to the world around her. It didn't hurt, not much, not anymore. It wasn't that bad, she told herself. They'd barely taken anything. It was just a scratch. But still, everything was spinning, and she was dizzy, and it was easier to to just lie there.

"We got the full report back," a voice said.

"Great. What's the analysis say?"

"Well… it's not great, Morganite. Almost everything looks the way it should, but… see here, at this string of code? It looks, well…"

"Yes, I see what you mean. Like the data's been corrupted."

"We've theorized that it's a side-effect of the memory manipulation abilities. To induce such instability in other Gems' code requires instability in her own."

"What effect will it have?"

"We can't know for sure, ma'am. But I'd suspect mutations in the projected form, memory loss, decreasing intelligence. The effect is so minor as to be irrelevant right now, but there's a very strong possibility it might worsen."

The Morganite's voice went quiet for a very long time. Spinel wanted to look, to see what was happening, but she was too tired.

"We need more data. Get the sample, then throw her into suspension," said Morganite. "If she is going to- corrupt , we need to delay it as long as possible. This project took a lot of resources, and Yellow Diamond will not be happy if she breaks in less than a century. For now, let's look into the corruption thing. Maybe we can cure it. Maybe not. Either way, I think it might have some practical applications."

xXxXx

They scratched her gem again, and it hurt, it hurt , but then the pain went away. Everything went away. Instead, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

xXxXx

Spinel never knew what to feel, coming out of stasis. It was wonderful, getting to experience things, even if it was just the lab. To be able to see, and hear, and touch, and talk.

And they didn't hurt her. At least, not much, not often.

They would let her take her gloves off, too. Unless it was for testing, they had only ever brought her out of stasis when there was someone who needed fixing. A rebel Ruby, a confused Calcite, an astray Agate. With her touch, Spinel would remind them of their duties and their loyalties, and they'd always go away so much happier than when they'd come in.

Spinel liked being able to help them. To be useful. But part of her wondered why the broken Gems had been so upset in the first place.

("I don't want to go back! I don't want to be a slave! You can't make me!" a grey Pearl shouted and squirmed as she'd been dragged into the lab. The fear on her face, the desperation, was enough to make Spinel hesitate. But there were still guards all around, and she had no choice).

Worst though was the knowledge, the certainty of the corruption. Knowing it was there, in her very core, her gemetics. Twisting, mutating, changing. Every moment out of stasis, she was a little closer to losing herself all together.

"We're working on a cure," one of the Peridots promised her, but that wasn't enough to dispel the fears.

They put her back into stasis again, and there she stayed for a long, long time.

xXxXx

Stasis wasn't blackness, or whiteness. It was just… nothing. No thought, no thought at all.

But then there was light. Bright, overwhelming, it was in her and around her and it was her….

Spinel came back.

She swayed unsteadily on her feet, bracing herself against the open door of the stasis chamber. Usually someone was there to grab her, to hold her down, to shove on the gloves and the bandages, but now there was no one there at all.

Or, no. There was someone. Or two someones. Spinel blinked the lights out of her eyes, trying to focus on them.

"You're… not Morganite," she managed. "I don't know who you are."

"Nope!" said one of the strangers. "I'm Steven! This is Garnet."

They weren't like any Gems that Spinel had ever seen- but then, Spinel hadn't seen a great many. The one called Steven was small and round, with curly hair and a bright smile. The one called Garnet was large, larger than Spinel, all reds and purples and an unreadable expression behind her glasses.

They watched her expectantly. It took her a moment to realize they were waiting for her to introduce herself. She'd never had to do that before. "I'm Spinel."

"Nice to meet you. What're you doing here?" Steven stepped forward, holding out a hand.

Garnet pulled him back. "No. Don't. Don't touch her."

A spark ran down Spinel's back.

"Why… not?" asked Steven.

"She's a mind manipulator. Her touch can change memories and emotions."

Spinel backed away, bumping into the wall, pressing into the sharp jagged edges of machinery. "Who are you?" she stammered. "Why'd you let me out- what are you going to do to me?-"

"Relax. We're not going to do anything," said Steven.

It was a lie. Of course it was a lie. Somebody was always done something to her, nobody would ever just let her be-

Her suspicions were confirmed when Garnet stepped forward, raising her gauntlets up in a clear threat.

"Garnet-" said Steven.

"I'm just going to bubble her," said Garnet. "We'll need to discuss-"

"No!" Spinel shouted, and she made a break for it.

She intended to run and dodge beneath Garnet, past her companion, head for the lab door and never look back. Garnet was too fast, though, and just picked her up by the collar of her tunic.

Spinel flailed out on instinct, bare hand wrapping around Garnet's forearm. You like me, she thought wildly. You like me, you want to let me go.

"That won't work on me," said Garnet.

"What won't work?" asked Steven.

"I believe she was trying to change my memories. Force me to trust her, and release her." Garnet stared down at Spinel, and even behind the visors, her gaze was intense. "But I'm a fusion. I'm too strong for you to override."

Fusion, Spinel thought. She vaguely remembered hearing some of the scientists throw the term around, but she never knew what it meant. She still wasn't sure that she did.

"That's why we need to bubble her. She's extremely powerful, Steven. She can't affect me, but almost anyone else- she could make them believe practically anything."

Steven was biting his lip. He looked unsure. "What is she going to do?"

Garnet went silent. Spinel tried to struggle out of her hold, but the grip was too strong.

After a long time, Garnet said, "There are many possibilities. My Future Vision cannot be completely clear. One possibility is that she poofs me, puts Ruby and Sapphire away in stasis. She erases us completely from your memories, and the others'. You would all carry on your lives not even knowing I existed."

"I wouldn't," Spinel said, but it was a lie. She would, she would, if it ensured her freedom.

Steven's eyes were locked onto hers. "She'd definitely do that?"

"No," said Garnet. "You know there's nothing 'definite' about the future. She might choose not to use her powers at all."

"So… we could be friends?"

Garnet's voice was reluctant when she said, "It's a possibility."

Steven approached very cautiously. Closer, but still out of reach. "Could you really change my memories?"

Spinel nodded. No point denying.

"I can… tell that you're scared. And I know you probably just wanted to defend yourself," he said, and he didn't look scared or angry, but sorry . "But… I don't want to hurt you, if we don't have to. If you promise us you won't use your powers, I'm sure we can work something out."

I promise , Spinel could say, and she wanted to say it. But what came out instead was, "What's the point?"

"Huh?"

"Either way, I'm done for."

"What- what do you mean?" asked Steven.

"You might as well bubble me. Every moment I'm out of stasis, I'm closer to being destroyed."

Garnet held her up, twisting around the tunic so Spinel spun to face her. "Explain."

So Spinel did. Piece by piece. The instability, the changes, the mutations. How she was fated break, to become a monster.

"Corruption," said Garnet, and Spinel nodded.

"Well," said Steven, a tentative smile slowly spreading across his face. "I think I can help!"

"What?" said Spinel.

He bounced a little. "I'm a healer! I can heal corruption. Not… not completely. But I've done it before! I helped my friend get her body and memories back!"

Spinel shook her head. This was too much. "How… how many other corrupted Gems are there?"

"Thousands," said Garnet.

Spinel shivered. She had no idea. She'd thought- she'd been told- that she was the only one.

"If this corruption is really slow acting for you," said Steven, "I think I can keep it from ever getting really bad. And my friends Pearl and Peridot are super smart. Maybe we could all work together to find an even better cure for the corruption."

"A cure," said Spinel. "That's- that's what the scientists were trying to discover." She stared at Steven. "You would really help me?"

"Yeah."

"But… why?'

He shrugged. "'Cause you need help." He looked at Garnet. "Come on. We can't bubble her, just because she might be dangerous. Please Garnet."

She sighed. "We'll need to discuss it with Amethyst, Pearl and the others."

Steven nodded quickly.

"Fine," Garnet said. "Spinel, do you promise not to use your memory alteration powers on anyone?"

Spinel considered.

She'd never asked for her powers. She'd never wanted them. If not using them was all it took, to get her freedom, a future and a life, then…

"Yes. I promise."

Garnet put Spinel down on the ground. Carefully, slowly, drew her hand away, and let Spinel stand freely.

"You walk next to me," Garnet ordered. "Don't try to touch Steven. I'll catch you if you do."

Spinel nodded. She wouldn't try that, even if she hadn't made the promises. Steven seemed pretty much harmless, while Garnet radiated power. She wasn't even sure why the two of them are working together. She wasn't going to risk bringing Garnet's wrath down, just for the loyalty of someone who wouldn't even be that helpful.

She took a few, warbling steps. She was still uncertain on her feet.

Steven gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."