Darkness.
Cold and devoid of any type of sound. The only sound that was audible in the darkness that surrounded everything. It was near endless, with no sign of light or any other type of margin that would signify an end or a beginning.
Total darkness.
Except...as time went on...a new light began to emanate high above. The light began to grow, brighter and more vivid. The coldness now turned to warmth as a form of life began to expand every corner of the darkness that was once dominant.
Once the light reached peak brightness...a soothing voice echoed from above.
Wake up...
...
...
...
WAKE UP...
Asim gasped awake, as if someone had just punched him in the back. He tried looking around, but his respirator was covered in what seemed to be a thick layer of...moss? And the most important part...was that the respirator was broken, exposing him to the poisonous atmosphere of Pandora. He reached with one hand, touched his visor, and tried to move, now feeling that his entire body was covered in moss and some plants. Asim tried moving again and this time he pulled himself from the moss that encased him. His hands reached automatically to his respirator and cleared it, touching the gap that was the opening in the glass.
Asim breathed once, twice, and...didn't feel like he was going to asfíxiate from the poison that was all around the air or that his lungs stung. It felt like regular air that he could breathe, which was strange. Now that he realized that this was happening for real after determining somethings, he calmed down and looked around as sound started to return to his ears. And to see more clearly, he decided to take off the damaged respirator off his face and head.
The entire forest of Pandora surrounded him where he sat, the sounds of the creatures like insects and animals blaring across the endless expanse of the jungle. Asim looked around the place where he sat to determine that there was no one or nothing hostile nearby. Once seeing that there wasn't any danger, Asim sighed and groaned as he began to move and stand up. He felt weak from having slept an undetermined amount of time, and then stopped when he looked at his body.
Something long that looked like an arrow was embedded in his abdomen, piercing right through his black protective suit and armor that was still covered in moss. Asim panicked a bit when he saw it, and examined it some more to determine how deep it went. When he looked back, he saw that the tip of the arrow on the backside where it came out was broken. This was a relief, as he didn't have to worry about that part coming out back again. The only thing that he worried was the pain that it would involve taking it out.
Asim began to breathe slowly as he gently reached for the arrow piece that was embedded in his body with both hands, making a mental countdown before swiftly pulling it out. He let out a sort of gag/gasp as he felt the sharp pain of the stick being pulled out from his abdomen. Some blood started to trickle out from the wound hole in his body, coating the moss and suit. Sometime later the pain started to decrease, and slowly started to heal Asim felt. Then he looked at the arrow he had removed from his body and examined it. Now that he looked at it closely, he immediately began to remember what it meant.
The arrow was by the natives of the world that called themselves Na'vi. Shot from bows that could pierce even the strongest of armors, and were coated with a neurotoxin that stopped heart function in one minute. Asim had just pulled one out from his body, and even if it went through him the toxin should be enough to paralyze him. And yet here he was in the middle of nowhere...breathing the poisonous atmosphere of Pandora, surviving a fall...and not having suffered the effects of the deadly arrow. Asim tried to remember what has happened, and everything came rushing back to him like a large wave of water.
Fighting, battle, gunshots, war cries, and death all around. And then...a promise to get back to those he considered family...only to fall from a great height and...
Asim clutched his head as the memories finally soothed down. After the first minutes of waking up and examining his state and surroundings, he realized that he was alive and somewhat alright. Now he needed to find a way back to safety to figure out what has happened while he was unconscious and how much time he had passed out.
"What the hell..." was the first words that Asim said after who-knows-how-long he had been out before he started to take his first steps. Asim surveyed his surroundings one more time, trying to orientate himself before starting to carefully walk across the forest. As he walked through the forest floor, he continued to watch around him for any dangers as he didn't plan on letting his guard down. Although, he also started to observe the diversity of what surrounded him from miles on end. He checked his equipment from his armor, as well as his weapons that were still intact(a knife, some flares, wrist grappling hook, and his pistol; the rifle must be somewhere else, but there was no time to look for it). Once ready, he continued walking onwards across the forest.
The trees ranged from medium size to building size, blocking the majority of sunlight that passed through the foliage. Some insects buzzed around and across the air as well as some other creatures up in the trees that Asim was slowly starting to identify. The air was hot and humid, making him sweat in no time even if it didn't bother him or hinder his steps.
And it was fresh. The air of the Pandoran forest was fresh.
It gave him a small sense of relief after what has happened, which still lingered in his mind for later as he continued walking towards a place he can overlook the land. The plan was simple; find a landmark that he could remember that can lead him back to the base, try and reach out to his team if they were still alright, and figure a way to survive the hostile planet with what they could find. He only hoped that they were still alive and well, as well as Lily...
"What am I thinking? Of course they are safe. Kentaro made sure of it." Asim said to himself as he continued walking across the forest floor while keeping guard. Kentaro was specialized in long range shooting, and another trait was his knowledge in botanical science and medicine. Mikhail was heavy weapons manager, as well as heavy lifting and combat. Emeralda was skilled in espionage, with the additional skill of multitasking in many areas. Then Shaka the scout, who was skilled in close quarter combat like the rest while carrying cultural heritage with pride. And Lily, the one who gave emotional support to everyone despite her young age. Together with Asim, the unstoppable soldier, there was almost nothing that could stop or separate them.
Well, right now they were separated. But soon they will all be reunited soon. Asim was sure of it.
Asim was so busy thinking about it that the snapping of branches brought him back into reality. He crouched down and turned around quickly towards the source of the sound. His eyes darted around, examining any detail that could give away the presence of a creature that could make that type of sound. While he was on guard, he slowly reached for his weapon as he prepared to draw it out and aim to whatever came at him. The forest around him still made its natural noises as he concentrated on the other unfamiliar sounds that his ears detected. There were many, and he could feel across his skin and hairs that several of those were already following him. The temptation to call them out was high, but he knew that doing that would gain the attention of other unwanted things given his state.
Soon he could see several pairs of eyes watching him from the foliage, lime-green against blue skin and darker shades of stripes hidden behind the green leaves of buses and branches. Those eyes were fixed against the presence of Asim that wasn't part of the forest, who stuck out like a dark and dirty shape.
Those were the presences of na'vi stalking him and preparing to attack
When Asim darted his eyes around while keeping still to scan for more of them, he realized that there were more than he could handle. With limited ammunition, and a knife that he could use to his advantage, he knew that his options were small, and that there was no chance at surviving given the wounded and energy-depleted state he was in. So, analyzing his options, he came down to one logical option. One that had the higher odds of survival despite his advantages and the fact that it was something a super soldier like him would never do.
That one was to flee...
And just in time as he watched time slow down and an arrow come out from the foliage, whizzing through the air. His senses and quick reflexes soon activated, the pupils in his eyes widening, before he bent to the side as the arrow missed its mark and embedded itself on the tree behind him. Asim took one look back at where the arrow had come before quickly turning around and sprinting off into a clear directional path.
Leaves and other plant life brushed against him as he tore through the forest floor, jumping over or sliding under fallen tree logs and roots as he ran as quickly as his body could. The sound of the natives ululating and hooting echoing across the forest were heard, meaning they were hot on his trail and nearby as Asim knew that they were onto him. An arrow wizzed by him, missing him a few centimeters from his legs as he continued to run. While he was faster and more agile thanks to his training and rapid-adapting body, he knew that he would soon run out of what energy was left and the na'vi would catch him.
He needed a plan to send them away, fast. Or else they will puncture him with more arrows than he would survive.