Distance, Part 1 (EG Ep.)

"Distance, Part 1" is the sixth episode of the first season in Enchanted Gems, and the sixth episode overall. '''

Synopsis
With Zircon on Ruby's side once more, Onyx goes alone to answer a call in Singletown.

Preview
Onyx: This should be the place. Doesn't look like it's under attack. Masked Man: Glad you could stay with us.
 * [Onyx, with the help of a map, reaches a clearing with a few buildings at the end of it.]
 * [As Onyx approaches the building, a group of four teens dressed in black apparel jump Onyx and pin him down. Onyx breaks free of the hold and pushes them aside, positioning his mallet for a counterattack, when someone knocks Onyx down from behind him. Onyx looks up to see a fifth person, this one apparently in his thirties, wearing a silver mask and tarnished black robes, with an arm outstreched over him.]

Onyx: (dazed) ...What?

Masked Man: (to others) Knock him out.
 * [One of the teens, this one wearing the suit with blue highlights, slams a rod over Onyx's head. Cut to black.]

Plot
Onyx (voiceover): As I remember, the last few days... I'm probably not going to have to go through them again. At least I hope so. I'd hate to imagine anyone deal with this on a day-to-day basis. But anyway, to think the story began with a breakthrough... Onyx: Okay, if this works... (thinks to himself) No, don't want to jinx it. Let's light this candle! Onyx: (gets excited once the list has been checked-off) Oh boy oh boy... (gets off of seat and picks up mechanism, storing it on a shelf) Wait until I get the others to see-- Onyx: No way... (monitor is revealed to have a pop-up message with the number 1,000,000 on it) I would have never thought of one of my video productions getting this many views... Onyx (voiceover): Of course I would get excited at a million views. Any person would. Besides, you know, Psy or something. I thought this was going to be a fun celebration. I had everything planned out. I just needed a few invitees. Onyx: Hi, Ruby. Hi, Zircon.
 * [screen reveals nothing as voiceover commences]
 * [Onyx wires together some hardware in his secret room, connecting it to his supercomputer in confidence.]
 * [Onyx gets in his seat in front of the supercomputer's center monitor and types in some code. The mechanism he assembled starts to light up in an aqua-blue color, then emits a whirring noise. Onyx checks the startup progress on the monitor and then notices a list with green check-marks slowly, but eventually making their way down the list.]
 * [Onyx hears a ping from his computer and in response checks the monitor. His face lights up.]
 * [Onyx is dazed in thought, until he snaps out if it. The following scenes show him making a few party invitations.]
 * [At the end of this, Onyx then picks up a few and leaves his secret room. Scene changes to the lounge, where Ruby and Zircon are preparing for something]

Ruby: Oh, hi, Onyx.

Onyx: Yeah, it's been a while. I had things to do.

Ruby: Well, we do too. We're going off for a while.

Onyx: Oh, I wanted to invite you to a get-together later this afternoon. (pulls out invitation)

Ruby: Sorry, we can't. We have some Homeworld Gem business to attend to.

Onyx: Oh. (shies card away from two) I could come with, if you want.

Ruby: Maybe next time. But right now, it's restricted access.

Zircon: Sorry.

Onyx: (ashamed) That's fine. Homeworld business, I can understand.

Ruby: (as he and Zircon step on the warp pad) Bye.

Zircon: See you soon. Onyx: (holding on to some hope) Maybe the others would still be interested in coming over.
 * [Ruby and Zircon warp away, leaving Onyx alone. Onyx walks out of the temple.]

Onyx (voiceover): I couldn't fault Ruby. Too much behind him. But I thought I could still get a few partygoers. (beat) I thought, indeed. Pyro: Oh, hey Onyx.
 * [Meanwhile, Pyromorphite (Pyro) and Star Sapphire (SS) were walking down a path of rocks by the coast, with waves sifting in below their feet. Onyx runs up to them, and the two notice and stop.]

Onyx: Hi. You busy?

Pyro: Yes, actually. I was going to show Star Sapphire a new training spot. See how it works out.

Onyx: Oh. I just wanted to know if you could come by a party I'm hosting later today. (pulls out invitation)

Pyro: (takes invitation and reads it) Sorry, it's a bit of a hike away. Far from any warp pads. (hands invitation back)

Onyx: (gets back invitation in a bit of disappointment) Oh.

Pyro: Also, there's no guarantee the training spot will work out, so I'm inviting only one person at a time.

SS: Don't worry, Onyx. There must be someone willing to go with you.

Onyx: Probably...

Pyro: We'll be back soon. SS: (to Onyx as they leave) Save some cake for when we get back! Onyx: (to self) I know, I know, people have their things to do. But they can't be inconsiderate, right? They know I'm having a party. Maybe they'll come by. Besides, I haven't asked everyone. Maybe I could still get some company. Onyx: Hi.
 * [Pyro and SS leave]
 * [Onyx waves, then sulks and walks off]
 * [Onyx sees Citrine and Emerald with hiking gear, then lightens up and approaches them]

Emerald: How are you?

Onyx: I wanted someone to come by for a party I'm holding.

Citrine: Can't.

Onyx: What is it this time?

Citrine: It was Diamond and Ki's turn to help Jade with one of her expeditions, but they got lost. We just received word.

Emerald: Might take us a few days to find them. Sorry.

Onyx: (feels sorry for asking) Yeah. No problem. (leaves) Onyx: (to himself) Yeah, I know everyone has things to do... But this hurts. Ever since I came here, I haven't been seeing anyone as often as I would have liked. (beat) What happened to me? I used to be a traveler, an adventurer. Now I'm stuck here building for the future. But at the cost of mine? Really? Onyx: (looks on) What the...? Onyx: (reads) To anyone who receives this message, we need your help. Unknown forces have swamped our base and we can't hold out for long. Our base is located in Singletown at this address... Onyx: I guess I'm the only one who can do this. Onyx (voiceover): I remember very well what I thought back then. I thought, screw them. I'll just have to prove my worth like everyone else. And I know I can. But maybe I should have reconsidered. Onyx: This should be the place. Doesn't look like it's under attack. Masked Man: Glad you could stay with us.
 * [scene changes to Julian's secret room, later that afternoon. Tables and chairs with party decorations, plates, and utensils were strung about, but Onyx was lying back in bed, blowing a party streamer in exasperation. He takes it off and ponders.]
 * [Onyx picks up a distant buzzing sound from outside the room, and Onyx gets up and leaves. He enters the hallway to see it's coming from Ruby's lab, and Onyx enters to find a monitor flooded with mission details.]
 * [Onyx approaches the monitor]
 * [Onyx prints out the mission details and takes a look at them]
 * [Onyx deletes the message posted on the monitor and runs out of Ruby's lab. He gears up and then sets out for Singletown.]
 * [Onyx, with the help of a map, reaches a clearing with a few buildings at the end of it.]
 * [As Onyx approaches the building, a group of four teens dressed in black apparel jump Onyx and pin him down. Onyx breaks free of the hold and pushes them aside, positioning his mallet for a counterattack, when someone knocks Onyx down from behind him. Onyx looks up to see a fifth person, this one apparently in his thirties, wearing a silver mask and tarnished black robes, with an arm outstreched over him.]

Onyx: (dazed) ...What?

Masked Man: (to others) Knock him out. Onyx (voiceover): That was probably the first time I had to regenerate. Onyx (voiceover): I didn't recall hearing anything from outside. I was basically in the dark all alone. I wasn't even really there. I couldn't see my hands or really... be. But then I realized, "I just got hit in the head by those guys. What am I even doing here?" After a while of wondering, I realized that I am still alive, and that I needed to get back at them, and so something inside lit up and I began to regain my senses, and... Onyx (voiceover): And I realized the hard way that my clothes were part of my last form. Onyx (voiceover): I tried a few more times (with clothes on, mind you) but they were on to me. They knew. Onyx (voiceover): It was a matter of time before they used my abilities against me. Masked Man: (approaches Onyx) I was worried you wouldn't show.
 * [One of the teens, this one wearing the suit with blue highlights, slams a rod over Onyx's head. Cut to black.]
 * [Events happen as the voiceover describes]
 * [Meanwhile, one of the teens, this one wearing the suit with red highlights, was standing beside a table examining Onyx's gem when it started glowing. He let go in reaction, and the gem created Onyx's form.]
 * [Shocked, the teen in black and red repeatedly smacked Onyx in the head with a nearby wrench until the moment where Onyx turns into smoke, and cut to black.]
 * [Scenes of Onyx trying to bring himself back, only for someone to knock him out again. Back to black.]
 * [Charged particles fill the black void, resulting in a white flash. Afterwards, Onyx is seen dangling from a chain somehow hooked to his gemstone, with the surrounding tissue glowing faintly. Onyx desparately grabbed the chain with his other arm and flailed around.]

Onyx: Very funny. For Notch's sake, where am I?

Masked Man: Now why would I tell you that?

Onyx: Someone did send a distress signal.

Masked Man: And yet you were the only one who showed up. You want to know why?

Onyx: Enlighten me.

Masked Man: We used an encryption method not recognized by any international standard. A bit of risk-taking, but looks like we got lucky.

Onyx: So let me guess: You want to experiment on me.

Masked Man: You clearly aren't human.

Onyx: And you're very comfortable hiding behind a mask.

Masked Man: People need secrets.

Onyx: Which is the reason corrupt people like you exist. Now getting back to the question: Which country do I have to blame this time? America? Russia? China? North Korea, maybe?

Masked Man: None.

Onyx: Mercenaries?

Masked Man: Let's just say, a team I stumbled upon had some real growth potential. (The four teens approach behind the masked man.) I suppose you met these four.

Onyx: Hardly.

Masked Man: Let's keep it that way. It'll make less complications for the both of us. (takes out buzzer) Enjoy your stay. Onyx (voiceover): The next few days were terrible. Onyx (voiceover): They would wake me up against my will and restrain me as they tested me. They drilled as much as they could out of me, and when I tried to refuse, especially about the other gems, they would punish me. Pain of all sorts. Even severed off my limbs a few times. Of course they came back. The guy didn't give me a choice; he woke me up as soon as I shut off. Onyx (voiceover): And the truly terrifying thing was the teens didn't seem fazed by it. There were four, each wearing black with highlights, and they seemed on and off during my stay. The one with yellow highlights seemed to be the second-in-command. Don't know; she sure seemed authoritative. The one with red was a bit more laid back and carefree... except he still worked and his work was effective. Natually so. The one in the blue was the more analytical one, and he seemed to look at the masked guy as a mentor. As for the one with pink... she was pretty self-cautious. There were a few times where she and I were alone where she would say something I don't understand, but when the others were around, she was very careful with what she had to say. Onyx (voiceover): One night though, the big guy in charge wanted to wake me up again, and I did not want to put up with him again. I resisted as hard as I can. That's when I started to feel burning. I didn't check to see if I was active again, but the pain was too unbearable to resist anymore. And that's when it all went wrong. Masked Man: Okay, you desperately need to control yourself. (pushes a button) Masked Man: You have no idea what creatures like you did to my life. Do you have any idea how many years I waited for this? Onyx (voiceover): The lone fact that I made it out alive was miraculous. Onyx (voiceover): I have no idea what happened the next few days after that. To be continued...
 * [The masked man pushes down on the buzzer and Onyx blacks out again.]
 * [events depicted as described]
 * [more events]
 * [After those events flash, a new scene begins. The masked man comes in to the compound alone and turns on the lights. He sees the vault where Onyx was stored and proceeded to push a button on the control panel next to it.]
 * [The masked man impatiently pushed down on the button waiting for Onyx, and Onyx's form came out in a flash of light. The masked man covered himself, and when he recovered, he noticed a semi-luminous humanoid inside the vault, barely resembling Onyx. The creature banged against the vault door.]
 * [Electricity crackles through Onyx's feral form, making him break down the door and rush across the compound, slamming the masked man's mask off in the process. Onyx lays sight on an exit and breaks out, only for a chain to envelop the arm where his gem lay. He looks to see the formerly masked man holding the other end twenty feet away.]
 * [Onyx grabs the chain and throws the man around with it until he lets go. Then Onyx runs off through the forest, leaving the masked man to deal with his bruises.]
 * [Onyx rushes out of the forest and onto the beach.]
 * [Onyx loses consciousness and passes out on the sand, reverting to his normal form shortly afterward.]

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Onyx
 * Ruby
 * Zircon
 * Citrine
 * Emerald
 * Pyromorphite
 * Star Sapphire
 * Teen in black and red (name not given, debut)
 * Teen in black and blue (name not given, debut)
 * Teen in black and yellow (name not given, debut)
 * Teen in black and pink (name not given, debut)
 * Masked Man (name not given, debut)

Production Notes

 * This episode was intended to air after Conversion Protocol, but the writer was asked to write it for earlier in the season.
 * It was also intended to air as Episode 5, but was moved to Episode 6.