~~~Superstes~~~UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITING

Operation: Kids.

Jae felt Tuk's gentle, warm breath against his chest as she slowly began to grow tired. Lying across his torso, she refused to fall asleep and continued to play with my hands, spreading Jake's fingers apart and looking at them as if she'd never seen them before. "Daddy," she whispered softly, "do you think my siblings are okay?"

Jake's heart ached for her tiny, sad little voice. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Yeah," he whispered back, "they're tough, just like you." 

"But who's going to protect them if you're not there?" Tuk asks again, genuinely worried. Jake flipped he question over in his mind, having been trying not to think about what the RDA could be doing to them. My kids. "They'll protect each other," Jake responded eventually, "They always will." 

"Because Sully's stick together," Tuk adds, her eyes glimmering with hope.

"Yeah," Jake agreed, "Sully's stick together. 

In the early morning before the sun was up, Jake and Neytiri began preparing for operation kids. They left Tuk with Tsireya and her brother, leaving the marui with five warriors who were ready to fight. Neytiri and Jake had their ikrans, Ronal riding with Neytiri, and Tonowari paired up with Jake. They propelled into the sky, armed to the teeth.

It had been decided that less warriors would be more sufficient in this instance, because if they came loaded with people, they'd lose the element of surprise and stealth. They'd be too noticeable. They planned on grabbing the kids in silence, then leaving. After that, Jake knew the RDA would bite back, so he had a second plan that involved taking them all down for good. 

                                                                                         ~~~ 

It took hours for the smell of blood to dissipate, and even then, the sight of it still smeared across the floor kept memories stirring in his head. Every time Neteyam looked at the crimson stains, he was reminded of the death he caused, the pain he inflicted. But this was war and Neteyam was old enough to understand some deaths were necessary, no matter how harsh. War had been following his family's tail for years--he would not sit back and let it continue.   

He sat against the wall, staring blankly ahead of him. Fe'ya sat on his left, Lo'ak on his right, and Kiri huddled close to him. Instead of awkward the silence was just fearful, tense, as they dreaded the moment those doors would open again. Neteyam was afraid of what his siblings would think of him now. He was afraid that what he'd done was too violent. But if they wanted to survive, they would have to adapt to the fierce conditions of war. Neteyam wished they wouldn't have to, but it was not in his control.  

"Neteyam?" Fe'ya decided to speak, as she fiddled with her Omatikayan top mindlessly. Her big golden eyes were tired, and her hair was rattled and tangled in the braids Neteyam had carefully woven. Orange and brown beads were littered throughout her hair, and there was a brightly colored feather behind her ear. She whispered, "What will we do now?" 

Neteyam's heart wrenched and squeezed tight, squirming inside his chest and dropping into the pit of his stomach. She sounded so scared and fragile, and he knew she depended on him for answers. Considering he'd placed himself in that position of leadership, he wasn't able to back away now.  

"We will face whatever trials come next," he said, "and we have hope." 

Fe'ya nodded solemnly. After another moment, Kiri voiced her worries. "Do we have a plan to get out of here? Or do we wait for Mom and Dad?"