Tcelia was abruptly awoken by a loud noise, causing her to jolt upright. The rough rope binding her wrists dug into her skin as she instinctively tried to move away from the source of the sound, managing to pull a grunt of pain out of her. She was becoming extremely tired of the whole being captured aspect of it all. Her eyes flickered over to where the noise had come from, her whole body rigid and ready to fight.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could make out the shape of Spider next to her. He looked equally startled, and she could see the guilt in his eyes as he reached out to touch her shoulder, his eyes wide, "Shit, I'm sorry Tcelia," he hurried, "I was trying not to fall asleep and I jerked and accidentally kicked the lamp away-"
"Hey!" someone yelled, "English only, I don't want to hear that Na'vi nonsense." Tcelia narrowed her eyes, her sight slowly adjusting to the dark. The soldier that had accompanied Spider down here, was standing off to the side, leaning up against a large crate, polishing a knife tauntingly, probably trying to come off as intimidating.
Trying to ignore the soldier's taunts, Tcelia leaned back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut, her legs splayed out in front of her. Her head was pounding, and she could feel a throbbing ache on her cheekbone.
"It's alright, I'm fine." She sighed, reassuring Spider who had still been looking at her with a guilt-ridden expression. Tcelia had promised herself that she wouldn't fall asleep. In fact, she hadn't even thought it possible with everything that was going on. Perhaps the punch to the face had affected her more than she had thought. Her cheek still burned from when Quaritch's hand had made contact with her skin, and she was undoubtably going to have a very nice bruise to prove it.
"How long was I out?" She asked Spider, afraid of the answer she would receive.
"Barely four hours. I wanted to let you sleep." She could hear him chuckle dryly, "Guess I managed to mess that up though. It's four in the morning."
Tcelia swallowed, tilting her head down so that she could drag a hand over her face. Then she looked up at Spider. He had adjusted himself so that his back was leaning up against the wall as well, though he wasn't close enough for them to touch. She thought back to the hand that had been reaching for her shoulder, though she had never felt the weight of it on her body. Perhaps Spider had been ordered not to make any physical contact with her.
"Thank you." She whispered, "For staying with me."
Spider's eyes softened, "I would never leave you. Not like this," he shook his head minutely, "Not if I didn't know if you would be okay."
Guilt shot through Tcelia like a lightning bolt, numbing her senses completely. Suddenly tears threatened to spill, and she swallowed hard, words welling up in her throat, words that she had longed to say ever since they had left the forest behind. "I am so sorry," she managed to choke out, "I am so sorry that we didn't come for you, that you have been here, with them," she sneered in the direction of the guard, "for so long."
"Don't apologize," Spider began, lifting his hand as if he wanted to reach for Tcelia, but then in the last moment remembering that he wasn't allowed to. He let it fall, letting it rest in the space between them. "I understand why you left. Jake needed to protect his family." There was no bitter tone to the statement, which only made Tcelia's heart hurt even more.
Tcelia scrambled for words to say to the boy, to assure him that he was a part of the family. But she knew they would be empty words, and it would probably only hurt Spider more if she lied. They both knew that Jake would never have left Neteyam, Kiri, Lo'ak or Tuk with the RDA and moved away. Even though the kids had bonded and become a family with Tcelia and Spider, it was not the same for Neytiri and Jake. Jake and Neytiri were not truly their parents, even though Tcelia forgot it sometimes. Tcelia even doubted that Jake would have come for her if she had been the one taken by Quaritch and his goons.
But Tcelia had to tell him something, anything to lift his spirits, "Kiri is alright," she said softly, slowly placing her hand on the ground next to Spider's so that their hands were inches from touching. "She misses you a lot though." She paused briefly, remembering the conversation she'd had with Lo'ak on the beach after having fixed Norm and Max's thermometer. "We all do."
Spider's gaze, that had been resting on their hands, shot up to settle on Tcelia. "Kiri is alright?" he repeated, voice laced with relief.
Tcelia nodded, smiling softly. Despite everything, she was glad she could bring him some good news. She was desperately trying to ignore the throbbing in her head as she focused on Spider. Then she remembered someone else.
"Ao'nung!" she exclaimed, her head swiveling to the side to search for him. Relief shot through her upon seeing the boy still lying next to her. He was still unconscious, but Tcelia could see his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. "Has he been awake yet?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Ao'nung's sleeping face looked troubled, as if he was experiencing something unpleasant in his dream.
"No, not yet." Spider sighed, "Although I did check on him after you fell asleep. He should be alright; he's just got a bump on the back of his head." He paused briefly, "It's probably the trauma that has him passed out by now."
Tcelia was still looking at Ao'nung, another bout of guilt filling her entire being. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep, so open and unlike the smug Ao'nung she had come to know and even care for over the past few weeks. Tcelia let out a shaky breath as she shifted her position, careful not to disturb Ao'nung's rest. She couldn't believe how quickly everything had gone wrong.
"It is all my fault," Tcelia whispered. "I was the one who agreed to go outside of the reef. If I had only listened to Neteyam, we wouldn't have been captured. Ao'nung wouldn't be lying here, and the Sullies wouldn't have to flee for a second time."
"It's not your fault-" Spider began to reassure her but Tcelia cut him off quickly.
"Please don't." she shook her head, finally looking over at Spider again. He had adjusted his position and was now facing her fully. His eyes shone with empathy. Tcelia hated it. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault. I know it was. And that's a responsibility I'll have to live with for the rest of my life," she chuckled drily, "However long that may be."
"Don't say that!" Spider hissed, leaning closer to her. "No one is dying. We'll find a way out, I know it."
Tcelia managed a weak smile and adjusted her position so that she could sit more comfortably, the small sliver of self-pity that had occupied her mind leaving instantly upon seeing the hopeful look on Spider's face. "Don't get me wrong, bro. I will find a way for us to escape no matter what. I will go down fighting."
"Hey! What did I say about speaking Na'vi." The soldier yelled again, glancing up from the knife he had been polishing for at least an hour. Tcelia and Spider's gazes locked for a second before they both rolled their eyes at the guard. A smile broke out on Tcelia's face as she leaned her head back against the wall.
Spider leaned over ever so slightly, lowering his voice, amusement glinting in his eyes, "That knife's probably his only friend here, that's why he takes so good care of it."
Tcelia glanced at the soldier before a smirk tugged on her lips, "He probably sleeps with it in his bed every night."
Spider snickered, "He's probably got a name for it and dresses it up in small, knife sized clothes and-"
A loud commotion cut Spider off and both of their heads snapped in the direction of the loud noises. Five Avatars, led by Quaritch, marched around the corner of one of the crates, passing the soldier that had been leaning against it. He straightened up immediately, ready to receive orders, precious knife tucked safely into his belt. The Avatars made their way directly towards Tcelia, Spider and Ao'nung. Tcelia realized with a start that it had gotten a lot brighter than when she had first woken up, and she could now clearly see the colonel's smug smile plastered across his face.
"You've got company." Quaritch drawled, his eyes fixed on Tcelia, "It seems as if the two of you," his eyes flickered to Ao'nung quickly, before looking back at Tcelia and cocking his head to the side, "were more important than you were letting on."
---
The vast expanse of the ocean stretched out before them, the lapping of the waves crashing into the tulkun, making it difficult for Neteyam to steady himself. Rotxo and Lo'ak were already frantically pulling at the tracker that was embedded deeply in Payakan's skin, trying to get it out, but to no avail.
"Come on, bro!" Lo'ak ushered them as Tsireya crouched down beside him and placed her hands on the harpoon to help pull it out. The device beeped as if counting down the seconds before the ship would be on them. The beeping noise, mixed with everyone's panicked orders and yells, and accompanied by the ship's hasty approach, filled Neteyam's mind with a strange sense of calm. This would have to be him who was in charge. He was the oldest, there was no one else to look to orders from. He was the one who needed to be calm and in control, just like his dad. Neteyam quickly made a split-second decision.
He roughly grabbed Lo'ak's upper arm and practically forced him away from the tracker, causing him to stumble slightly. "Call dad!" Neteyam yelled at his younger brother. When Lo'ak hesitated, Neteyam pushed him again, "Just go – do it!"
Returning his attention back to the large tracker, he tried to ignore the panic he felt as the ship neared them, pulling at the red metal. It wouldn't budge.
"It's getting closer!" Tsireya yelled desperately, adjusting her position so that she could place her foot on the tracker, using all of her body strength to push. Behind Neteyam, he could hear poor Tuk whimper as Payakan let out a noise of distress.
Neteyam could vaguely hear Lo'ak calling for help in the background as Rotxo and Tsireya's groans of exertion filled the air.
"Brother!" Kiri yelled and Neteyam looked down to where his sister was, holding on to the side of the tulkun. Her eyes were huge with panic as she extended her arm, clutching a rope in her hand. Neteyam understood instantly.
Grabbing the rope immediately, he shoved one of the ends into Rotxo's hand, "Wrap it around the tracker!" he ushered, then dove into the water, the other end of the rope in his own hand, calling upon an ilu.
Earlier that morning, as the sky had just started to lighten with the approaching dawn, Neteyam and Lo'ak quietly slipped out of their pod. The night had been tense and restless, with no one able to sleep. The warriors came back from the spirit tree later than Neteyam had thought they would, which set back his plan quite a bit. Or perhaps calling it a plan would have been too generous. It didn't entail much more than 'leave when no one is watching'.
But still, an hour before dawn, judging by the planets' positions in the sky, Neteyam and Lo'ak had slowly made their way down the walkway. Neteyam had been concerned that someone would have spotted them and asked them where they were going, but that hadn't happened – obviously no one would have been paying attention to two Na'vi teenagers going for a swim. Neteyam almost felt stupid for having believed that someone would have been keeping an eye on them with everything going on. The two brothers had basically strolled down to the ilu saddling station without anyone batting an eye at them.
But just as they had been about to leave, two other young Na'vi appeared from the shadows. It was Rotxo and Tsireya, who had spotted them from a distance and come to investigate. At first, they tried to dissuade Neteyam and Lo'ak from their plan, pointing out how dangerous it was. But the two brothers were determined to go, and when they refused to back down, Rotxo and Tsireya insisted on coming with them.
This had caught both brothers of guard, causing them to hesitate for a moment, looking at each other quickly. "You are not coming," Lo'ak had said firmly, slipping the saddle over his ilu's head.
"My brother is right," Neteyam had also begun, speaking rather impatiently. "It is too dangerous."
"My brother is aboard that ship too," Tsireya had countered, her jaw set in determination. She had jutted out her chin, a fierce look steeling her gaze, which painfully had reminded Neteyam of her.
"I'm going, whether you like it or not." Beside Tsireya, Rotxo had crossed his arms to show that he was agreeing with her.
Neteyam had swallowed as he remembered the sick feeling of relief he had felt when Ao'nung also had been captured. The relief had only materialized because it had meant that the Metkayina would have wanted to fight as well, but still, it was wrong, and repressed guilt had coursed through him.
"Fine," Neteyam relented. Lo'ak's head had snapped to look at Neteyam in disbelief.
"What?" he had hissed, "You can't be serious-"
"We don't have time for this," Neteyam cut him off, "They have already decided, Lo'ak. We need to go now."
Once they were outside the reef, Neteyam realized that he had no idea where either Payakan or the RDA ship was or how to find it.
Luckily, Lo'ak seemed to know where he was going and took the lead, steering them away from the reef and out into open water.
It wasn't until Lo'ak had spotted Payakan and they were nearing the tulkun that something else had gone wrong. Suddenly Kiri and Tuk had appeared by his side.
Neteyam's heart had sunk as he saw the two younger Na'vi approach. "What are you two doing here?" Neteyam asked, trying to keep his voice low and calm.
"We heard what you were planning yesterday," Kiri replied, "Lo'ak really needs to learn how to whisper."
Behind Kiri, Tuk had stood up on the ilu, balancing by holding on to Kiri's shoulders. Her little face was set in determination, "We couldn't just sit back and do nothing. She is our sister!"
Neteyam had once again heard her voice. She was screaming at him to turn back, to not risk his siblings' lives nor his either, that he was being stupid and reckless, that this wasn't him. Another voice spoke up in the back of his mind as well. It was his dad's disappointed tone, scolding him for bringing his siblings into this mess. Neteyam knew what both his dad and she would have wanted. It would be for him to turn around the group and go back immediately to where it was safe.
But that was where her imaginary voice was wrong. This was him, whether she liked it or not. And as for his dad, Neteyam was far past the point of worrying about disappointing him.
"Stay close to me." He had insisted, naïvely thinking that he could keep them safe.
That was when Lo'ak had shouted his name, pointing to Payakan's side where a tracker was protruding from, and Neteyam's world had collapsed around him.
Now he was breaking the water's cool surface, grabbing onto the ilu that had approached him, his heart in his throat as he fastened the rope around the loop in its saddle.
"Bro, hurry up!" Lo'ak called over his shoulder and Neteyam resisted the urge to yell at him that he was doing the best he could. The ship was getting dangerously close, and it dawned on him that he was in way over his head. He wondered if she would ever forgive him for this. He doubted it. He doubted that he would ever forgive himself.