I was crying silently as we walked. I was leading him in the wrong way. We had walked for a few minutes before he realised.
"We've gone in a circle." He says, stopping us.
"It's just over here" I lie.
"No, now see... here's your bow" he says, pointing to my bow on the floor.
"That's... not mine" I shrug my shoulders.
"How stupid do you think I am"
"Very stupid if you're wasting your time on me, you should just release me and get on with your day" I said.
"Now that would be stupid."
"You know what" I say and turn to face him. He glared down at me and suddenly I had lost the bravery to confront him.
"Nevermind"
We kept walking for ten minutes in a direction he chose to go in. After a while I was beginning to recognise the area and I knew we were getting close. Quaritch did too because my ears flickered and my tail was restless. I then forced myself to shut down without warning and my avatar fell unconscious.
"God damnit!" I hear as my senses fade out. My vision ends with a blurry Quaritch looking down at me.
I woke up in the cyan jelly bed again. I pushed the roof of it open and threw off the metal sensors and rolled off the bed. I hadn't realised how close we were to my human body that I could hear him in the distance swearing, crouching down I just ran the opposite way. Finally ending the chase.
*An hour later*
*Pant*
I came to a stop, huffing and puffing. My hands on my knees as I bent over to breathe.
"Y/n?"
I jumped back with freight when I heard my name. I looked back to see Norm in his Avatar form.
"Jesus Norm" I sigh, panting.
"W-what happened to you? Where's your avatar?" He asks worried.
"Quaritch has it, he took me and Spider. I got out but I think Spider's still there" I say.
"Where?" He asks.
"His base or something, I don't know what it is but it's not far from Hell's gates" I inform him.
"Shit, uh okay-"
"Where's the Sully's?" I ask.
"They have to leave, they're leaving soon after they appoint a new clan leader" he says, rag drying his hair.
"Shit I need to talk to him" I say then turn to jog off.
"Wait Y/n!" He stops. I turn back to see him.
"You should wait until they're alone, the clan won't really like you in your human form" he says.
"Right, will he come back here?" I ask.
"Yeah there's some things he still needs to pack up" he says. I relax my shoulders a little and walk towards him, sitting on a chair besides him. He takes a seat next to me and rests his arm around my shoulder's, pulling into him. I exhale.
"I don't like him being with them. I know his dad won't let anything bad happen but he's already been mildly tortured by the scientists" I say. Norm looks at me and looks down in sympathy.
"You know I'd protect you no matter what" he reminds me.
"I know"
...
We were silent for a moment in each others arms until I spoke again.
"Did he kill mom?" I asked quietly. I felt him shift uncomfortably.
"She died during the attack but no one saw her go down" he told me.
"When I was fighting Quaritch our hair accidentally connected. I heard warfare and his voice commanding someone to light her up. Then I heard her tell someone rogue one was going down. And that she was sorry" I say. Tears almost in my eyes. He exhaled at my last sentence.
"I guess that's how she died then..." He finally said.
"Do the memories ever lie?" I ask.
"No..."
"Oh"
"I'm sorry I wasn't the best dad" he told me.
"You are, you give me space which is what I value." I smile back reassuringly. He hugs me tighter. A minute later the Sully's come back all teary eyed. I stand up.
(Speaking in Na'vi)
"Hey guys" I greet nervously. Their eyes light up when they see me. Tuk runs over and gives me a hug along with Kiri. Neteyam pat's my shoulder and smiles too.
The three of them scatter, revealing Jake walking towards me like a king.
"Glad you're alright" he says with a small smile. I turn to Neytiri.
"Hey..." I say.
"How did you escape?" She asks.
"I pretended to have a seizure, then when I was being escorted to the sick room I bolted. I was chased but I lost him far from here" I said.
"Well done" she says, hiding her proud smile and walking off to pack some tools.
"Where's Spider?" Kiri asked me. In return I gave her a sympathetic face.
"They still have him...I think"
"You think?" She asks, ears falling.
"Z-dog was carrying him off last time I saw. I couldn't stick around with Quaritch after me" I say.
"We need to get him dad" Lo'ak told his father.
"We have to lay low, you know this" he responds to his son.
"Where are yous going?" I ask.
"To the Metkayina clan overseas." Jake told me.
"Aw shit. What are we doing?" I ask Norm.
"We might have to stay here, they won't accept an Avatar" he tells me.
"But-" I whine.
"He is right" Neytiri tells me.
"Why don't I come in my avatar body? Jake's just the same? I can keep my human body here and act as communication" I suggest.
"I don't know if we can get away with that" Jake says, looking to Neytiri. They think for a moment and start muttering to one another, ending in Neytiri huffing and turning away.
"...Where is your avatar Y/n?" Norm asks. I had to think for a moment. Then my face turned to an 'oh shit' face. Norm looked at me and so did Jake, they realised and rolled their eyes.
"Oh Y/n..." Jake said, placing his hand on his forehead.
"If I'm lucky Quaritch just left it." I say, trying to add sugar to the shit.
"Or slit your throat..." Neytiri added, earning a defeated sigh from me.
"Aight, well I can only try and connect to it" I say, surrendering my hands. We all look at each other before Norm stood up.
"Right, let's get you to Hell's Gate" he says and we leave immediately.
............
(At Hell's Gate)
Norm booted up the link bed quickly, explaining to the others what's happening. As I walk through the lab I tap on Grace's blue tank which holds her unconscious avatar in it as a hello which is what I always do. I hop into the bed and lie down. Norm looks over me before he pulls the roof down.
"If you're in danger, get yourself back to us, don't worry about your avatar. We can always make a new one but you have- to- stay- safe" he tells me. I nod my head and he lowers the roof.
*Whizz*
Colours shoot everywhere through an astral tunnel and my ears are filled with white noise as I'm at the end.
My eyes sting with pressure. I keep them shut and listen carefully. I feel a hard, cold surface beneath me. My body is stiff and it hurts to breathe. As I listen I can feel my ears moving, I'm trying my best not to let them have their own mind. I'm even tempted to seizure out again, but perhaps they won't fall for that now.
I begin to very slightly open my eyes. Everything's dark so I'm guessing I'm in the forest...but I don't feel connected to the nature, this place feels foreign...and alien to me.
My eyes focus and open a little more. I'm now seeing I'm in a dark room. It's the base again that the Sky people own. I feel like I'm being watched. I fully open my eyes now. If I was human I'd not be able to see but I can see better in my Na'vi body.
I sit up and shimmy off what feels like a table. I fall to the ground with a thud. I cringe and stand up quickly.
"Y/n?"
I pause.
"You there?"
I crouch and follow the voice until my hands press up on glass. I see a shadowed Spider figure.
"Spider?" I ask whispered.
"Are you alright?" He asks. He's on the other side of the glass in a big room that's separated us.
"Yeah, are you? Have they hurt you anymore?" I ask.
"No... The Colonel hasn't let them" he says.
"Good...good. Where are they now?" I ask.
"In the main room making a plan I think" he says, looking at the wall behind him.
"They're listening aren't they?" I ask.
"Think so but I'm sure they would've come in if they knew you're awake" he says.
"I need to go, I need my avatar body." I say in Na'vi.
"I don't know how you can escape, I've tried but there's no way. They've reinforced the doors and windows now" he replies in the same language.
"Damnit." I sigh. Then I hear the hiss of the door open and the lights beam on my face. I stand up quickly and pretend I wasn't doing anything.
Quaritch enters, having to bend down to get in the door way. I smile brightly at him. I'm not as scared of him in this body, it's just a shell for me. He gives me a slight confused look as he tilts his head a little, but none of the less he smiles faintly too, his ears falling as he does.
"What you so dandy about?" He asks, taking a breath out from his mask.
"Seeing you of course" I smile, tilting my head too and holding my arms behind my back, leaning on one leg.
He comes closer and my ears involuntarily pin back a little, I feel my eyes flicker in uncertainty.
"Hehehe...so um...why am I here?" I laugh nervously.
"I don't like you being able to be two places at a time, ideally I'd like both bodies here. So you're gonna turn yourself in. Your real body" he says, pointing to myself.
"Literally why? Like I don't see why you need me, I hardly even talk to the Sully's" I lie, beginning to get stressed.
"Is that so?" He grins cunningly.
"Yes, you only want me because I'm an English speaking Na'vi who can speak as well in the Na'vi language. I say.
"And you know the Sully's, you're like family to them"
"If that's so then why didn't they come save me?" I ask confidently.
"Well they did suprise attack us" he told me.
"Because you had their kids" I said. He paused for a moment.
"Let me show you something" he said and he stepped aside from the door, holding an arm outside of it. I hesitated before moving, I glanced back at Spider before I walked up to Quaritch, watching him as I passed.
We walked down the corridor, he followed close behind me, keeping a hand close by my back. I could feel the heat radiating from him, his head breathing down my neck with his tall frame. He took me in a room full of scientists, they all looked at me like I was an atomic bomb.
He then proceeded to show me what their technology can do. I was mostly distracted by the large orange holographic machine in the middle of the table which Quaritch stood on the other side of. It made his skin glow up when he looked down at it. He gave a small smile and his ears twitched whilst he studied what the orange display was showing, it looked like neurons in a brain. I couldn't help but think he looked quite different...
He looked up and I quickly looked away nervously. My ears giving it away and my tail swishing.
"So...where do I come into this?" I ask, heat rising to my cheeks.
"Nothing, just showing you what you could have if you stayed with us" Quaritch says with a smile, pointing to all the machines and technology all around us.
"So...?" I ask, shifting my head and squinting my amber eyes at him.
"So you can go" he says. I pause for a moment to process if it's true or not. My ears prick up and my tail rises. I couldn't help but smile.
"Can Spider go too?" I ask. He twists his face in thought for a moment before he speaks.
"No"
"Then can I say goodbye to him?" I ask.
"Alright, sure" he says then he steps away from the orange light and holds his hand out for me. I come around the table and walk past him. He opens the door and I walk in, seeing spider in the other part of the room still. Quaritch stands at the doorway. I look back, realising I'm gonna have to speak Na'vi with Spider.
I bend down to his height.
"They're letting me go but you're not allowed to come with me" I say. He stares for a moment, before his face screws up.
"Why?" He asks.
"Why?" I turn around and ask Quaritch for him.
"Because there's no point keeping two people who can do the same" he says.
"What? No! Keep me instead that's not fair" I suggest.
"No, you're harder to keep a hold of"
"It's because he's your son isn't it? and I'm the daughter of the pilot who betrayed you isn't it?" I asked.
"He's not my son" he said then he walked over to me. I whispered to Spider quickly "I'll find you". He then grabbed my upper arm firmly and dragged me up.
"Hey!" I huffed and stood up myself. He pulled me out the door and we began walking down the corridor. He dragged me like a parent with a naughty kid acting themselves. We got to the large entry door where it shut and a bunch of air filters went off before the other side opened to pandora. He gave me a small push and I stood on the grass that separated us. I turned around and faced him. He looked down on me.
"Miles..." I spoke softly. I couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion towards him. When I was a child I really liked him.
"Hmm" he grunted.
I raised my hands and came a little closer to him. His ears went back in uncertainty and his chest rose a little.
"A goodbye for old times sakes? I don't want to leave on a bad note" I say, rather cunningly. He inhaled and diverted his vision from me before looking back into my eyes.
"Alright" he says. He didn't move his arms though. I accepted it anyways and come closer, hugging him around his waist and pressing myself tightly onto him. I felt his breathing steady a little and he dropped his arms slightly so his hands rested on my back. He didn't really know how to react so he just stayed there.
I let go and backed away, smiling at him.
"Oorah" I smiled. That's what him and Lyle always said to me when I'd have to go home with my mother. I gave him a little fist up sign and his ears went back, he actually looked like I twanged a heart string. Which was satisfying to me, I mentally have one up on him now. I walked off into the distance until he couldn't see me anymore, but I don't know how long he stayed at the door for. I didn't care to look.