⥤ Chapter Twenty-One : Where Ends Meet ⥢
Tuk is swimming in the water, still focusing on her family. She dives down to avoid being seen.
Ao'nung catches up to her, dragging her back a little and scolding her in sign language, "Go back, it isn't safe."
Then, a sinking object hits his shoulder. A gun. He moves Tuk back in the water, putting her behind him for safety. He looks up seeing figures on the ship.
He can make out a small, blue figure being held by a taller one dressed in human clothing. Ao'nung knows this is the enemy. He quickly swims to grab the gun, and tries to aim it.
Just as he sees Quaritch holds his hands up, Ao'nung fires, unaware that he was surrendering Kiri.
Quaritch is shot, and falls back to take cover. Jake pulls Kiri and (Y/N) aside, unaware of who fired.
Neytiri goes to raise her arm again, intending to kill Spider regardless. But Tuk distracts the mother, coming to the surface and shouting, "Mom!"
The mother and daughter are excited to see each other, but it is brief. As she's distracted, Spider shoves Neytiri to the side enough to slip from her grasp. He joins his father in hiding.
Ao'nung drops the gun, letting it sink in the ocean. He swims over to Tuk, surfacing making sure she's okay. The mother reunites with her, and hugs her tightly.
"Are you okay?" Spider asks his dad, who is happy at first to see the teen is safe.
"Miles," Quaritch tells his son. But his mission blinds him from a safe escape with his son. He pushes Spider aside, and gets up to taunt Jake.
"You don't want to finish this?" He says. He comes out of hiding with his knife ready.
Tuk and Kiri are with their mother, slowly stepping into the sea. They urge their father to leave it alone, wanting to leave.
Lo'ak is nearby, his original plan to be a getaway of sorts. He was supposed to wait for Kiri, Jake wanting his daughter and son to safely escape back to Neteyam and Tsireya's location.
But the gunshot alarms him. He guides his ilu around the perimeter, finally arriving to the scene. Neytiri motions for her daughters to get on with Lo'ak. Neither of them move very fast though, as they are all begging Jake to come with.
(Y/N) sees Jake's expression. She tries to gently grab his hand, pulling him along. "He isn't worth it, Jake."
Spider comes forward, standing beside his father. He has a knife ready, similar to Quaritch.
"I'll always be out there, hunting you. I will never stop, until I kill you and your family." Quaritch's words send Jake over the edge.
Jake turns around, pulling his knife out. "Let's get it done."
Him and Quaritch begin to fight one another. Neytiri pleads for him to stop, for the safety of her kids. She turns to once again tell her daughters to leave with Lo'ak. Ao'nung resurfaces on his ilu, offering to help as well.
Water spills into crevices as the ship continues to sink. The water spilling in swipes Tuk off her feet, swallowing her. Without hesitation, Neytiri jumps in after her. Ao'nung goes under the ship, telling Lo'ak he'll find them.
"Mom!" Kiri shouts, before Lo'ak reaches for her hand to escape. He turns to reach for his love. But she herself is drawn into battle.
"You're nothing without that Avatar." Spider taunts his sister. "You're not built for Pandora. You are not Na'vi!"
(Y/N) lunges toward him, the two falling into another hole that is quickly filling with water.
"(Y/N)!" Lo'ak shouts. Him and Kiri look to one another, figuring out how to save their loved ones.
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Jake and Quaritch duke it out as the ship takes them under. Water quickly fills the area around them. When the air runs out, the two reach a stalemate. Both can't hold their breath, and they lose consciousness.
Lo'ak searches for his father, finally finding him beginning to sink. He quickly rushes to him, and brings him to the surface. Once above water, Jake is able to breathe, spitting out water and grasping for his son. He's happy his family is safe. And now Jake has that peace of mind, as Quaritch sinks further into the ocean.
Meanwhile, Neytiri and Tuk climb and crawl within the ship, as every area fills up with water. The young girl is scared, and so is Neytiri. But the mother prays to Eywa and holds her daughter close.
Ao'nung finds them. However, the increasing darkness makes it difficult for them to find their way out of the ship.
Kiri, on the other hand, connects to the glowing wildlife that swims in Pandora's oceans. She brings them to the ship, lighting her way to her mother and sister. Ao'nung is kind of shocked by the glowing fish following Kiri's command, but he's just happy to be guided the way out. They all escape together.
Everyone reunites on the rocks with Neteyam and Tsireya. The eldest brother is still weak. Tsireya has tried to tend to his wound the best she can. The two are happy to see everyone is okay.
But Lo'ak notices (Y/N) is missing. He meets Kiri's worried eyes, as she's the only one who knows the danger (Y/N) could be in. (Y/N) is no longer in an Avatar, and has no opportunity to be saved by returning to her human self anymore.
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(Y/N) and Spider fight within the ship. But (Y/N) needs air, seeking an air pocket to be able to breathe. Spider still has his oxygen mask on, able to breathe whether he is under or above the water. He begins to panic though, being trapped within a sinking ship. He leaves the fight to escape.
With him able to breathe and find a way out, (Y/N) knows she has no choice but to follow her brother. The twins somehow come to an agreement, working together to find a way out together.
"I thought I had found my brother."
The two hold hands as they navigate their way out of the ship, the twins' only comfort in the dark being each other.
"But as I said before: brothers get lost. And Spider .. Miles .. was too far gone."
The night sky can be seen, letting the twins know they've made it out of the ship. But, while still underwater, Spider spots his deceased father floating. The body descends into the ocean, and Spider feels crushed. He lets go of (Y/N), tears falling from his eyes.
He looks to his sister, whose body is adapting to being underwater for quite some time now. Spider's eyes change expression as he's angry at his father's passing again, angry that he has no Avatar, and confused on (Y/N)'s new features.
"What the hell are you?" He asks.
(Y/N) holds hope that Spider can still be saved, that the brother she knew can still be found. She signs, not caring if he would understand her or not. "Family." Her eyes plead for him to resurface with her. She points upward.
Spider's mask begins to beep, as it is running out of oxygen. He's heartbroken by losing his father, after finally getting to know him and growing close to him. He's mad that (Y/N) ruined his Avatar. He doubts Kiri would forgive him for anything, let alone shooting Neteyam. Spider is too lost.
He goes after his father. (Y/N) refuses to give up on her brother, and swims after him. She tries to bring him out of the water, but he fights her grasp.
When they run out of air, the twins lock eyes. They're scared and know it's the end – the end of their friendship together, and the end of possibly life.
(Y/N) goes first, her lungs burning as she can't hold her breath any longer. She loses consciousness, and begins to float away. Spider cries even more.
With his last few breaths, he goes after his father. Despite swimming after him, his father sinks further into the darkness of the sea. Spider can no longer see him, and he can't hold his breath anymore.
Then he, himself, sinks into darkness.
as tempted as i am to leave this as a cliffhanger, i will be posting the rest of this story tonight. i love how it all turned out though and i hope you do too!
thank you!