Chapter Text
"Eagle Eye, it's Devil Dog, where are you? Over" Jake's voice came through the earpiece, making Lo'ak flinch slightly. His hands slid slowly down his neck, trying to discreetly find the throat microphone.
"We're in a helicopter" Lo'ak whispers quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the armed men around him. Kiri watches with worry as her brother tries to contact their father and silently prays that it will succeed.
Tuk, sitting between them, pressed tightly against her sister, trying to close herself off from what is happening. Her ears are pinned back and her eyes are squeezed shut.
"Oh, god" Jake swears into the microphone, with Neytiri's startled gasp in the background.
Lo'ak's ears flatten against his head in shame as he waits for further instructions from his father to come and rescue him as always, and then reprimand him afterwards for his reckless behavior.
"Just be calm, don't do anything stupid. We'll get you out–" He can hear the not fake consternation in Jake's voice. In spite of the military officer's stern tone, you could hear that he was really scared for his children.
The connection is cut off before Lo'ak manages to say anything in response. They must have flown too far away, or maybe something inside the helicopter jammed the signal.
"Is everything going to be okay? I'm scared. Are mommy and daddy coming?" Tuk peered up at his sister, hoping for good news. She hugs Kiri tighter, looking for some escape from the armed Recoms.
"Don't worry little Tuk, they'll be here soon." Kiri says this with a trembling smile on her face. She is also very scared.
"Shut up!" One of Recoms shouts at them, silencing the company again.
The atmosphere is tense. Almost everyone remains silent, although it is unlikely that much conversation could be heard in the noise of the helicopter.
All four prisoners sat neatly in a corner, holding each other. Lo'ak placed his palm on Tuk's back in a soothing manner. Kiri hugged her while Spider held Kiri's hand, lightly stroking her knuckles.
It was probably the scariest moment, in their entire lives. After the humans arrived on Pandora, they saw a lot. Fighting, death. But never did they stay high in the company of their enemies.They were hostages to be used against their parents.
"Put these on. Now" One of the men handed them handcuffs, ordering them to put them on their wrist.
As soon as the orange band of handcuffs was put on all four of them, the helicopter touched down. Shouts erupted, demanding they move.
Recoms lined up in a convoy, preventing the captive children from scattering. Weapons were pointed at the prisoners, although the order not to shoot was repeated several times.
Spider let out a hiss as one of the soldiers grabbed Kiri's shoulder, but soon received a shove himself, forcing him to shut up and keep still.
"I didn't think your blue team's first sortie would be so productive, Colonel" Woman in military uniform walked beside the Colonel, satisfied with the result. Her voice is clear and pragmatic.
"Do you have plans for them, General Ardmore, or are you going to let me deal with Sully?" He smirks as he watches the human general. His tail wags slowly as he continues to follow his unit at a slow pace
"If you can lure him out with minimal effort, I give you the green light" The General nodded, giving approval for his actions.
"Thank you, ma'am" Quaritch continues to follow the squad and the four children ahead of him.
After a moment of silence, Quaritch moved his ear slightly and turned to face the General.
"What will happen to the human boy?" Despite the stoic expression on his face, his tail swayed nervously
"Miles Socorro?" A wrinkle appeared on the warlady's face near her eyebrows as she turned to her companion "Let's see how useful he will be to the mission. Since when do you care about his fate?"
Ardmore stared at him disapprovingly, admonishing him only in her head, but she didn't speak her mind.
"If he proves useless, you can play father" She says this dismissively, seemingly uninspired by the fact that the Colonel might become attached to the child.
His ears are pressed against his head, and he doesn't even seem to notice this little action himself. A little action showing his irritation with the wording of that phrase.
The deeper the children got among the human structures, the less daring their actions became. All four of them followed soldiers silently, heads bowed in submission. Holding on to each other, trying to silently support the one standing next to them.
The buildings going up seemed like a maze from which there was hardly a way out. The chances of escaping and somehow miraculously returning to the forest were getting slimmer and slimmer.
Everything seemed to perk up more as the captives were led inside. The scientists watched with interest as the 1st Recom unit held teenagers at gunpoint and led them into the cell.
The white metal walls pressed on the mind. The place looked uncomfortable. The building hid the people inside from the sun's rays and the pleasant wind playing in their hair.
They were getting lower and lower, at least it seemed that way. It was hard to tell where they were, walking down the snow-white corridors that consisted only of walls.
Recoms stopped near a transparent door that opened with a quiet hiss, grabbing the children's hands. Of course it was expected to get resistance. Lo'ak quickly dodged the grip and the man who tried to hold him back immediately received a blow to the face. Immediately another soldier ran up to him and clasped his hands behind his back, preventing him from resisting further.
"God, Brown–" hissed Quaritch, his ear twitching in annoyance as his charges had to double-team the insolent teenager "Those three to the cell"
Lo'ak was pushed into the cell first, where he landed on the floor with a hiss. He looked back at his captors with hatred before his sisters were pushed inside the cell as well.
"Mommy and Daddy are coming for us!" Tuktirey pinned her ears and tried to appear more formidable to her age, in an attempt to protect her siblings.
"They should hurry up" Quaritch frowns as he says it, implying a threat in his words. Even though his accent seems clumsy, it sounds serious enough that none of the kids make jokes about his pronunciation.
Tuk bares her teeth in response before Kiri covers her with herself in a protective manner. She shifts her gaze to her little sister and touches her lightly, trying to calm her down.
"Dismissed" Quaritch waved soldiers off and gestures for Spider to be released. But before the boy can do anything stupid, he grabs his shoulder "And you, boy, with me."
Spider quickly casts a glance at his imprisoned friends before Miles begins to lead him down the hallway. Though the man's grip isn't painful, it's tight enough that it's impossible to get out of it.
"Like hell I'm going with you! Let me go!" Spider resists, trying to remove the blue hand from his shoulder, while shouting curses in the Na'vi language at the same time
Quaritch sighs, leading the boy down the hall. The scientists passing by look back at the colonel and the hysterical teenager, who continues to through tantrums. Recom's ear twitches irritably, realizing that curious eyes are fixed on them because of this child.
"Let me go dammit! You won't hear anything from me until you let them and me go!" Spider continues to curse loudly at his captor, still fighting for a chance to get rid of the hand on his shoulder
"Miles–" Quaritch stops and holds the child with both hands, crouching slightly so their eyes are at the same level
"Spider" Corrects he, which makes Quaritch roll his eyes
"You should calm down anyway" He sighs, continuing to hold the teenager tightly. Spider looks at him with disdain and disgust "Don't make me carry you."
Spider snorts, seemingly humiliated that Quaritch's using his advantages to get the right reaction from him.
"What the fuck do you want" hissed Spider, ceasing to break free from his grip, but still seemingly not ready to peacefully follow orders
"For you to just freaking come with me, is that so hard?" Quaritch sighed, removing one hand from Spider's arm and running it over his face. He's not entirely sure how to explain to Spider why he took him "If you want to avoid torture, you'd better shut up and just stay close to me."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?! I'm not going to stay with you while my friends are locked up! Let me go!" Spider growls and slaps at Quaritch's arm again, in an attempt to free himself
"It seems that in your time living with the locals you weren't taught the trivial respect for your elders" Sighs Quaritch, still in an attempt to placate his human version's teenage son
"And why should I respect you? Because you're the shitty reincarnation of my shitty father? Or because you're older? Are you older at all?" Spider keeps snapping back
Quaritch laps, seemingly convinced by Spider's argument, but he's not about to just leave it that.
"You're generally right" nods Miles, whereupon Spider gives him a still incredulous but surprised look "Look, your parents care about you. Maybe not the way you wanted them to, but still."
Spider sighs irritably, seemingly unimpressed by the topic of parents from a genomodified extension of his father. The teenager looks likes ready to flip him off.
"I'm not your father, just his memories and personality. And in the end it's unlikely he wanted his son to be tortured by his own kind" Quaritch continues to speak, patting Spider lightly on the shoulder
"I don't care what he wanted.I 'm not going to sit still with you while my friends are locked in a damn cell." Spider mutters glumly
"You need to cool down. We'll talk later" Quaritch sighs and frowns, his face taking on his typical cold and stern expression. He rises to his full height before shifting his hand slightly for a more comfortable grip
Tuk sat huddled against Kiri, her tail wrapped around her legs. Kiri sat beside her and whispered prayers, trying not to dwell on the bad.
Lo'ak hissed as his attempts to reach his captors failed. He sat down next to his sisters, his ears down, making him look helpless.
He looked sadly at Kiri and Took, feeling guilty about what was happening. Lo'ak for those... he didn't know, maybe hours of imprisonment, had come to terms with the fact that his father was right about him being a disgrace to the family and putting everyone in danger.
"Listen. I'm not going to talk you into this. Either you do it willingly, or I'm going to have to get the information out of you" Ardmore's voice came over the speakers, addressing the Na'vi prisoners
Kiri fidgeted nervously as the air became more pungent than it had been. She glanced over to Lo'ak, who seemed to be feeling the familiar air meant for humans as well.
"What clan is your father in? What weapons are in that clan's arsenal?" Ardmore's voice presses against ears as she once again addresses in a menacing tone
The teenagers panic-stricken look over their heads as the air becomes more and more pungent. Normally, they could breathe Earth air for long periods of time without even taking extra sips of carbon dioxide; it had only short-term effects in the form of migraines and poor concentration. But now the air seemed different, as if there wasn't enough of it to inhale.
"The oxygen level in this room is rising with every minute. And you'd better start talking before any of you suffocate" Ardmore presses the microphone again before addressing the prisoners
Quaritch glumly watches the proceedings with Lyle as Ardmore continues to approach the children with more questions. A cruel choice of torture, giving the Na'vi a taste of the relationship between the people and the local atmosphere.
It was his choice to watch this interrogation. I wanted to get a firsthand account of if Sully's kids would come forward and say something about their father.
"How many other traitors are with them? Answer me, it won't stop until you tell me everything. How far away is their camp?" Ardmore continued to question in a cold tone. It was obvious that Sully would return for his brood and he would swoop in with a war.
"Stop it, stop it," whimpers Tuck, feeling the breaths coming in hard
"Answer me or it won't stop. You will lose consciousness, we will wait for you to wake up and it will happen again. Do each other a favor, don't make each other suffocate" Ardmore went on implacably
"Go to hell" swears Lo'ak, feeling weak in his body. He was already the reason his sisters were in danger now. The worst thing he could do is expose his parents to her yet
"I can't promise that all three of you will stay alive. If someone dies during this torture, I don't care, I have the other two. Answer me" Ardmore's voice seemed torture itself, stern, without a shadow of hesitation
"Oh Eywa protect us" Kiri whispers, taking Lo'ak's hand in hers and hugging Tuk
Eyes darkening, Ardmore's voice just seemed like an unintelligible mess of threats. Breathing is ragged, and the ground feels like it's about to fall away. Everything is spinning.
A plea. Inhale. A curse. Inhale. Answer me. Inhale m
Kiri is the first to pass out, she falls to the floor, her eyelids fluttering slightly before she is finally unconscious.
"Kiri!" Tuk leans over to her and grabs her hand, pressing it against his cheek.
"Damn it, Kiri, don't pass out!" Lo'ak yells and shakes her by the shoulders. He struggles to wake his sister up, though his limbs feel like lead.
Ardmore watches indifferently as the Na'vi prisoners fall unconscious one by one. All three of them are practically lying on top of each other. Not a single question has been answered during the interrogation.
"Reduce the oxygen content to acceptable levels" She commands before stepping away from the one-way window. The scientists quickly got to work, moving sliders on the hologram, making the air suitable for the Na'vi to breathe. Still not enough for them to fully recover and feel weak during their confinement.
"Wash them off and change them into prisoner clothes" Ardmore continues to give orders about the prisoners.
Notes:
This came out a little darker than I intended;-)
It was originally supposed to be more comedic, just a story about a bunch of marines trying to keep track of kids, but it came out the way it did:^)
Chapter 2
Notes:
A bit of child abuse on Children's Day, I didn't plan it, but it happened. Well at least it's that day in country I live
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Neytiri clutched her bow tightly in her hands, the wood digging painfully into her fingers. Her tail flicked from side to side, the rage raging inside her body making her move fast and sharp. Anger bubbled up in her chest as she tightened the saddle on her Ikran. She let out a low hiss, feeling her whole body shake with rage.
Paint dried on her face, the typical battle coloring she wore to wars and hunts. The strokes are quick and uneven, some of the paint smudged as she quickly gathered herself. She didn't have time to prepare for battle. The lines drawn on her face, a plea to Eywa for protection, as well as a reason to hold her head high, not letting herself choke in fear.
"Baby, wait, what are you doing, stop," Jake’s voice was raw as he caught up to her, his arms locking around her waist before she could mount. He dragged her back, step by step, away from the edge of High Camp.
"Ma'Jake, you know what I'm doing," Neytiri's voice shakes, her muscles tensing as she tries not to cry as she utters her words. She looks into her husband's eyes and Jake's ears stick to his head in shame.
"Baby, listen, they'll gun you down before you can even get close," Jake hugs her tighter, muttering. His fingers gently stroke Neytiri's back, slowly tracing over each stripe.
"I cannot stand here while my people—my family—are in the hands of demons!" hissed Neytiri, her tail whipping furiously behind her back, "I promised my father to protect my people. And now my children are in the hands of the Sky People!"
Her words become a cry of despair before she begins to cry, her forehead pressed against Jake's shoulder. He rests his chin on the top of her head, inhaling deeply of the familiar scent. Guilt is eating him up inside and all he can do is stare at her bashfully .His guts get treacherously tied in a knot as he tries to calm Neytiri down while his children are actually in danger.
He knew she was right. He felt it himself. If he'd put aside his common sense and given in to the rage that bubbled in his veins, he'd be ready to go in with his bare hands, fighting and killing anyone who came between him and his son and daughters. But reality was cruel. No matter how Jake tried to get there, ikran or pa'li, once he was in kill zone, he'd be shot. He'll be a corpse even faster than he'll see those who kidnapped his children.
"Baby, listen, they don't want kids, they want us. We'll do them a favor if we die before they let the kids go. And then..." Jake's voice shook as he realized he can't find the strength to say it. Words stuck across his throat like a sharp root you can't swallow or expel, though it scratches at the walls of your throat, "They'll get in touch and then we'll take the kids,"
"You're Toruk Makto–"
"I stopped being him when Toruk left," Jake presses his forehead against Neytiri's, his eyes full of sorrow and pain, "I can't lead the people to slaughter, not again. It'll be alright, they won't hurt kids while they're waiting for us,"
Jake knew he was lying, and so did Neytiri. A human trait he couldn't get rid of, one that stayed with him as much as an extra finger. He knew the horrors of war and it wasn't always down to honor, where you only fight your equal, leaving out women and children. Maybe Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk would be alive until their parents arrived, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't be harmed.
Neytiri cried, until her throat ached, as if her body was torn from lack of actions. She screamed and sobbed, praying to Eywa for the safety of her children, that the demons wouldn't take their lives. It seemed to last forever. Jake's heart ached to see his mate like this. Grief-stricken when he couldn't help. She limped in his arms, only letting out quiet sobs as her body shook like she was cold.
Jake took her gently in his arms, holding her and carrying her toward the shared dwelling. He whispered softly into her skin, trying to rock and soothe her, to let her rest.
"Please take care of your mother," Jake sighed, wrapping Neytiri in a blanket before tucking her in and entrusting her to his son
Neteyam nods silently before sitting down closer to his mother and taking her hand. It was probably the first time he had ever seen his parents like this. Broken with grief. He himself had been. He knew he should have stayed with them instead of going with his parents. It had been selfish and stupid and now his younger siblings were in big trouble.
They were forbidden to go to former battlefields, and he hoped for the prudence of at least one of them. But now they had been captured. He hadn't kept track of them, and now his entire family was in danger. Neytiri gripped his hand tighter, not letting her son drift off into self-recrimination.
Water ran down her body as Kiri was pushed out of the shower, followed by Tuk. Two Recom women shoved each of them into a set of orange clothes that all prisoners were supposed to wear. Her sister stood carefully behind her, holding tightly to Kiri's palm.
"Pack faster, we don't have all day to do this," Z-dog snapped, jabbing Kiri’s shoulder again.
The clothes were uncomfortable and restricting her movements, despite the fact that they hung on her like a sack. The uniforms were made to fit a standard Na'vi adult size, not a teenage body. The uniform worn by Tuk had originally been made for a human but Walker had simply cut a hole for the tail when the girl had mentioned that she couldn't wear it.
The material of the garment was rough, and seemed to rub against her skin every time Kiri moved. The pants came to the floor, causing her to stutter and step on the fabric as she walked.
After the first interrogation, they were practically dragged here. She didn't remember how it happened, she didn't remember much especially after she passed out. Her head ached madly as she was grabbed by the shoulder and brought here. All of their personal belongings had been taken away.
Clothes, knives, songcord. Little Tuk fought desperately for this important item against Z-dog as Kiri slowly came to her senses. The scientists took all the things that had been taken away and then hosed the girls down with water, washing away all the dirt.
Regret twisted in Kiri’s chest. She had never cared for combat, unlike her brothers. Jake’s self-defense lessons had been enough for her, and she’d always fumbled with blades, clumsy compared to Neteyam and Lo’ak. Now she felt even more stupid and ridiculous as the two women easily pushed her around as they wished, and she couldn't resist letting them do what they wanted to her and her sister.
"Boss, we're done," Walker pushed both captives inside the cell before closing the door.
Quaritch stood there for a while longer before both girls were brought in. He watched Lo'ak sitting in the cell with his side vision as his tail swayed slightly in annoyance. The boy looked very much like a traitor, at least the Jake that had been in the human-Miles' memories. It seemed a DNA test wouldn't have been necessaryd even if Sully's offspring had one less finger.
"Are you okay?" Lo'ak mutters worried as his sisters are once again in the same cell with him. He has a bright bruise on his face, and he himself is sitting in the same orange clothing as Kiri and Tuk.
There was no response. It was hard to explain what they were feeling right now. They were battered, they had been dragged around as much as they wanted, but in general they were alive.
Perhaps the beginning of this heart-to-heart conversation is ruined by the fact that Quaritch stops by. The door slams shut behind him as he looks at a bunch of kids with a cold face.
"I think you know exactly why I'm here. Where's your father" Quaritch hisses low, not intending to deal with the insolence of teenagers like he had in the woods. His ears are pinned back tightly as he wrinkles his nose in annoyance.
Lo'ak stares at him as if a sarcastic remark toward the Recom man is about to slip from his tongue, but he still holds his ground, staring defiantly into the yellow eyes of his captor. Lo'ak's tail whips furiously to the floor, showing he's a second away from telling him to go fuck himself.
"Answer before things get ugly," Quaritch face looks serious and embittered as the kids continue to remain silent. He takes a step closer to the group of children, looking down at them.
"So what are you going to do? You gonna shoot us?" A barb comes out of Kiri's mouth, causing him to look at her face. The girl doesn't wear the face of Jake's avatar, much less the face of his crazy woman, but when she looks at him, he feels like someone from his memories is smiling at him.
"I can do that,"
The words gave away the familiar bitterness on his tongue. He couldn't figure out who she reminded him of, but they didn't seem to get along.
Before anyone can react, Quaritch's strong arm grabs Tuk by the shoulder, forcing her next to him, and holds her queue, making her to stay put. His free hand ends up on his hip, from where he snatches his gun and then points it at the girl's temple.
Tuk doesn't seem to have fully realized in time when she feels the cold metal against her head as her life is threatened. Lo'ak hisses, staring at them, his ears pinned to his head.
"But I would prefer the first bullet to be in your father's forehead. Answer me," Miles is still holding Tuk as he looks coldly around at her siblings. He presses the barrel tighter against her face to put pressure on them.
"Let her go, you batshit lunatic!" Lo'ak yells at him, but is quickly silenced when Quaritch's finger flinches slightly on the trigger.
"I have no reason not to kill your sister. So you really should start talking,"
Quaritch swears out loudly when Tuk's elbow lands between his legs, causing him to lose his grip on her queue and catch his breath. She quickly slips out and runs into Kiri's arms. They embrace each other and the older sister slowly winds Tuk behind her back, protecting her.
"You won't be able to hide your daddy for long. Either you tell me that, or General Ardmore will get it out of you. I care little what becomes of you, she cares even less," Quaritch looks annoyed after the hit to the balls, glaring at the kids.
Tuk hisses back at him from over Kiri's shoulder.
"You should stop being stubborn if you want to keep your skins intact," He extends his arm, aiming somewhere between Kiri and Tuk
"God damn it," Spider yells and throws things at the walls in an attempt to protest. He growls and pounds his fists on the wall in frustration, "Let me out, assholes,"
He's been protesting since he was locked in here. He was locked in this cell away from his friends, and the only people he saw were Recoms, who brought him various things. It usually didn't end well, and all he did was throw things at the fake Na'vi. He was sickened at the thought of being treated normally when his friends were out of place. He hated this pretended kindness.
"Boss says you need to be fed, kid," Lyle finds himself inside the cell, holding the standard RDA lunch kit in his hands. A slight chuckle plays on his face as he watches this tantrum.
"You can both go fuck yourselves," Spider hisses before throwing a plastic plate left over from last night's attempt to bring him dinner.
Lyle stepped aside slightly, letting the plate clatter against the wall. He shrugged, placing the food meant for a teenager on the table.
"Look kid, Miles pulled out of the shit, if Ardmore wanted to, she'd skin you," He looks at Spider, who still isn't happy with his company and is one step away from hurling something else, "So eat before you get your ass kicked,"
Spider snorts, his eyebrows drawn down to the bridge of his nose as he stares at his interlocutor with contempt. He felt no gratitude for this 'saving his hide', for in the end he was banned here. Far away from those he truly considered family, with a bunch of blue artificially made assholes instead.
"I'm not eating that," Spider looked at the food container indignantly. It didn't look appetizing, and he didn't want to accept anything from them. His stomach was slowly starting to turn from hunger, but he didn't want to take anything out of their hands.
"Alright, keep up your hunger strike, kid. Boss will be in to see you a little later," Lyle smiles at him, waving a hand before bending slightly to fit through the doorway.
Spider turns in his direction and calls him a "hairless bastard" in a whisper in response, but his expression changes as he realizes who he's talking to. He wasn't eager to communicate with Quaritch; the two previous attempts had ended horribly. Both times those private conversations had ended with Spider being dragged somewhere against his will. First the helicopter, then this damn room. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been here, but he was sure it was long enough to hate this place.
They put him in here and treated him like a guest, not a prisoner. Spider had been kidnapped, like his friends, but he wasn't treated as such. They tried to feed him, constantly, while he wasn't sure if his family had eaten. And he was angry because his family could suffer while he was treated differently. For no reason, he's as Na'vi as they are.
The few scientists and guards on the doorstep were a surprise. Both for Spider, who had only seen the Recoms the whole time he'd been locked in here, and for Wainfleet, who seemed unaware of this visit as well.
"George Rogers. General Ardmore sent me to prepare the boy for a private conversation," the man in the white coat extends his hand in a gesture of introduction.
Lyle looked skeptically around at the scientist, who hastily removed his hand and muttered something to himself. The smile was still on his face, as if a nerve in his face had been pinched from the politeness he was playing.
George continued to stand in the doorway, rocks on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets and watching the three guards quickly cross the room before they grabbed Spider. The boy didn't give up and the first one to approach was instantly punched in the nose with a fist. Spider twisted around as he continued to fight the men, kicking and punching them everywhere he could hit. Amusing sight to see how teenager easily fighting off three soldiers.
Spider fought well for his age. The three soldiers had clearly underestimated the teenager who had grown up among the Na'vi. By their standards, he could be a full-fledged warrior by now, as was evident in the fight. His knuckles were covered in blood after he had punched one of them in the face several times. He hissed, trying to get rid of the hands on his body, preventing himself from being pinned to the ground.
"Need a hand?" Lyle looks at George and when he gets an approving nod goes to help the soldiers, pulling Spider off the ground, leaving him dangling in the air, "Chill, kid, you don't need any more trouble than you've got,"
He hisses, jerking his legs in the air and clawing at Wainfleet 's skin in an attempt to get him to drop him. He didn't stop fighting, dealing as much damage as he could until he was shaken violently in mid-air. Spider growls some commonplace at the Na'vi, but stops twitching, just staring angrily into Recom's face. It was humiliating. Most of the Na'vi he knew could just pick him up and carry him like he was a child. And when it was used against him to calm him down and drag him to the right place, it was annoying and hurtful.
"Thank you, Corporal Wainfleet ," George turned on his heels and headed out into the white hallways, expecting to be followed.
The manner of the scientist's gait was amusing and a little odd, which made Lyle throw a glance at Spider, pointing out this funny picture. Spider was still angry, though he couldn't help noticing that George did walk oddly. He snorted, not wanting to laugh in that position. He didn't know the man, but he definitely looked pleased, almost bouncing as he walked as he led Spider to an unknown location.
Spider hissed angrily as Lyle intercepted it and spun him around in mid-air before throwing the teenager onto his shoulder. He went back to thinking about how annoying it was when you could easily be lifted into the air. He was now hanging out on his shoulder, glaring viciously at the floor. He quickly came to the conclusion that the floor here was boring compared to the ground of Pandora's forests. There were many complex root systems, different plants. It was as if everything was woven together in a complex unique pattern. The ground here was steely and symmetrical, which was jarring if you looked long enough.
He pulled himself up, sensing that Lyle was doing something. He held Spider with one hand and brought the free one to his neck, holding it near the throat microphone. Spider watched his every movement intently, especially the movement of his ears as he pressed his finger to the button and spoke briefly.
"Boss, General's taking kid"
Notes:
I finally got my hands on this fanfic as well. I'm writing another one and a chapter for day off
I thought it would be funny if Kiri and Recom Quaritch didn't get along like their predecessors ;-)
Also I'm a big fan of TPN so the "hit" scene was inspired by that
My health has deteriorated a bit, from which I now carry an inhaler. I feel like a Na'vi who needs extra breaths of air :^)
Chapter 3
Notes:
Spider swears a lot. Really a lot and rudely, he doesn't like Ardmore.
Also I think tw vomit and violence
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Boss, General's taking kid"
Quaritch's ears perk up when he hears Lyle's message. His interest in getting information out of Jake's kids quickly fades as his hand reaches for the throat microphone. It wasn't in his plans and no one warned him about it.
Ardmord didn't have as much interest in Miles Jr as she did in caught Na'vi. She seemed to care little for the fact that there was also a boy who happened to be caught along with Sully's offspring. Quaritch thought she'd have enough of the natives and the boy would be safe because he was a member of the human species. Naive.
"Kid? Damn it, Lyle, where are you?" Quaritch growls, pressing his fingers against the microphone. His attention shifts from the three Na'vi to the information where the boy was being dragged.
"We're closer to the Sci-Ops campus," comes a voice from the earpiece.
Quaritch curses to himself and his thoughts dart about how he can get to the research wing quickly. It was always a difficult place to get into, and he rarely went there of his own. Only when orders came in to check on the condition of that big expensive body.
"What happened to Spider?!" Eldest daughter of Sully shouts to him. She looks worried after realizing who he's talking about. He can see fright in her wide yellow eyes as she moves toward Quaritch in an attempt to find out what's going on.
He doesn't have time to deal with these kids right now. He grabs her hand and tosses her aside, growling and rising. With long strides, he ends up at the door before he's behind it. His tail thumps against the walls as he speeds up in frustration. One of the men nearby asks if everything is alright, but Quaritch hisses, ignoring him.
Some kind of animal feeling consumes him as he pushes another Sec-Ops member away. He forgets about the service, about the children of the man he hates. Kid taken without a word to him. He was dragged away for questioning without saying a word to Quaritch, with the fact that he was going to participate in every interrogation.
Everything was shimmering all around. Spider clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the mechanical noise and the green flashes around his head, as well as Ardmore's nasty voice. He stared at her hatefully, and she seemed to share his dislike. Behind her back, George stands like a cowardly Yerik fawn, handing Ardmore a holographic tablet.
The brain-reading machine slows down, its lights no longer flickering so quickly before his eyes. Spider lets out a quiet sniffle, relaxing for a second before Ardmore brings the tablet with his friends' picture right up to his face.
"These are Jake Sully's kids. We know you know them, so don't even try to lie to us," Ardmore’s voice was a blade, honed and merciless. She let the silence stretch, watching as Spider’s gaze raked over the photograph..
Spider growls, considering the way his friends are photographed. Through the glass, scared and huddled together, holding each other's hands, trying to feel safe. Involuntarily, memories slip from his brain, remembering how he Kiri and Lo'ak had escaped into the forest and gotten lost, making them sit side by side huddled together after the eclipse, trying not to freeze and die of fright in the night forest.
The bright memory was quickly overshadowed by the fact that the bastards in white coats had gotten what they wanted. They'd violated one of the most precious moments of his life, using it to confirm that Sully's children really meant something to him.
Ardmore sees him hesitate and switches the picture, but there are already all three lying unconscious, even little Tuk. Even though he's still having a hell of a hard time focusing on one thing after the car, the image digs into his brain, making him clench his hands into fists.
"You cocksucking assholes, what the fuck are you doing?!" Spider spits out insults in the woman's face, wriggling around in the mind-reading machine. If he had the chance, he would gladly kick her in the face.
"I need information. And either you give it to me or they do. So it's easier for everyone if you just think about the floating mountains and the clan," Ardmore stubbornly holds the tablet in front of his face.
"Go fuck yourself, you're all monsters!" Spider screams and closes his eyes tightly, not wanting to see what those bastards did to his friends. He hated them all. Memories from his childhood involuntarily surfaced in his brain and Spider hated himself for not being able to control it, "Shut up! I don't know anything and I'm not going to tell you!"
"This is bad. Really bad," Ardmore switched from photos to video - footage of an interrogation where the young Na'vi were clearly suffocating in their prison. Spider clenched his eyes shut and growled, refusing to watch. "Look. You need to understand what your silence is costing them,"
She observed Spider twitching against the restraints, fighting the machine. Her gaze flicked to the scientists who seemed to be making progress in extracting something from the wild boy's mind.
"Stop! Go to hell, leave them alone! You can fucking kill me in this machine, but don't touch them!" Spider shouted, desperately trying to erase those split-second images from his memory - images of those he loved, who he considered family, suffering because of these monsters.
"You made your choice," Ardmore's voice remained unshakable and cruel as she ordered the machine to maximum intensity.
Spider muttered more curses under his breath as the green lights flashed before his eyes again. But he didn't care - they could scramble his brains all they wanted. It was better than what they'd done to Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuk.
His temples throbbed as if being crushed, though technically the device barely touched his face, merely holding him in position. He gritted his teeth, stubbornly ignoring the pain. Like hell he'd make this easy for them. Even if they managed to extract something, he'd make sure they wasted precious time.
He tries not to think at all. He doesn't want these demons knowing his most cherished, happy memories. His loud cursing turns into agonized screams as he keeps resisting. Ardmore's voice becomes less important, not even worth spitting at, when darkness creeps into his vision. The only proof he's still conscious comes from the green spots that persist even behind closed eyelids.
He knew humans didn't believe in Eywa. He knew they violated the Three Sacred Laws. But this... this was a violation of the very idea of tsaheylu. Forced neural bonds existed among the Na'vi, but were rare and almost never necessary. A taboo practice, seldom spoken of.
Humans couldn't even form bonds with their own kind. Creating this machine seemed like one big mockery of Na'vi culture.
Spider gasped, mouth gulping air as hyperventilation set in. His face felt wet, cold and clammy when he let out a pained groan, desperately sucking oxygen. He could feel dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Spider didn't remember when he'd started crying hard enough for tears to fall like rain.
Something wet trailed from his nose. At first he didn't understand. He tried focusing on any sensation to determine if he was still crying. Understanding came when his tongue burned with a metallic taste.
He swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth, refusing to think about how he must look. Just had to hold on... He didn't know how long he needed to last to buy time for his friends. Just until they threw him out.
Whether in response to his thoughts or the blood, his stomach twisted and vomit rose in his throat. Now his mouth held not just copper, but a disgusting acidic taste. Spider swallowed hard, opening his mouth to gulp air before breaking into violent coughs. His throat burned raw from screaming at Ardmore and all the other assholes in the room.
Spider couldn't keep screaming anymore - just wheezed and coughed, trying to endure the unbearable pain. His head felt heavy and itchy, like some nantang was digging into his skull. His brain pressed against his skull from inside, like it might explode any second and paint the room with his thoughts.
"We've got a decent copy of his orbitofrontal cortex."
Spider barely hears what the scientists are saying. He catches George's voice and maybe some others before Ardmore barks at them that intel comes first, then they can poke the boy with their instruments all they want later.
A ringing in his ears. The scientists' chatter and Ardmore's shouts grow fainter. The noisy NeuroSect turns into white noise, drowning out the nasty buzzing. Last time he felt something similar was when he fell from a tree because of Lo'ak - his ears rang for a while then too. His brother thought it was funny at first, but when Spider fell from height and hit his head hard enough to crack his mask, Lo'ak immediately grabbed him and ran to the scientists. As Norm said, he got a concussion. Nash McCosker yelled at him for a long time after that and locked him in a room, saying no one should worry about Spider.
Spider sniffled and felt anger at himself rising again. He'd made up his mind - they wouldn't get a single memory about his friends. They could take what he thought about the sky people, whatever, but he'd keep his loved ones' memories safe from them.
He felt nauseous again, barely holding back from vomiting all over himself. He never imagined he could feel this awful. Spider let out another choked sob, going limp in the restraints.
He used to think the worst way to die would be suffocation; his mask breaking, Pandora's air burning his lungs. Even though he hated precautions, hated how they marked him as different, the fear of choking on Eywa'eveng atmosphere still haunted him. Right now, he'd choose that death in a heartbeat if it meant feeling the wind on his face one last time. Instead, he was dying in the steel claws of the NeuroSect.
His head lolled back as far as it could go, body slack, only the machine's restraints kept him upright.
Spider heard shouting, scientists cursing, before the NeuroSect powered down. His eyelids felt like lead weights, too heavy to lift and see what was happening. Then, a large hand gripped his shoulder, followed by a low hiss of someone as the restraints loosened their hold.
He collapsed forward the moment his body was free. The sudden movement sent another wave of bile rising in his throat. His face was a mess, blood from his nose smeared with tears and spit across his chin. His breathing came in shallow gasps, pupils blown wide and unresponsive to light.
Blinking hard, he tried to focus on whoever was holding him up. His gaze drifted sluggishly to the blue hand on his chest. Five fingers. Had to be one of the Avatars.
Maybe it's Norm. Or Jake. He stares blankly at the blue hand for a while, struggling to process what's happening. The overhead lights stab his eyes. Spider tries to open his mouth, to say Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuk are in danger, but all that comes out is a broken cough before he's vomiting again, mostly on the floor and his rescuer's shirt.
A cold sweat breaks out across his skin, and Spider feels disgusted with himself. Weak. Pathetic. He just puked up the nothing left in his stomach. Tears glisten in his eyes from the foul taste in his mouth.
"Easy, kid."
Spider tilts his head back, trying to meet the avatar's gaze. He squints, struggling to focus on the familiar face. Quaritch.
He shudders in the man's grip as another wave of nausea hits. His whole body trembles against Recom's hold. He doesn't even fight it, though he's made his hatred of being carried painfully clear to the entire squad.
"Mind explaining this, General? We had an agreement," Quaritch throws a look at Ardmore, his ears flattening as their eyes lock.
"I could ask you the same, Colonel," Ardmore surveys him, pure disappointment written across her face. He interrupted an interrogation for this feral child who was just screaming obscenities at her minutes ago.
Several scientists have gathered, having followed Quaritch when he stormed toward the NeuroSect room after learning Ardmore ordered the boy's interrogation. One of the women in a white coat moves to place a rebreather mask around Quaritch's neck but awkwardly backs off under Ardmore's glare.
He grabbed the mask and took a gulp of carbon dioxide. He'd made that mad dash from the prisoner containment chamber to one of the labs in under twenty minutes without taking a single proper breath of the right atmosphere.
Quaritch gently wiped Spider's face with his thumb, clearing away the bodily fluids left from the torture. The boy flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, pressing closer to the Recom's chest. Despite being well-built for a human, right now he looked fragile, like a soaked puppy.
"You could've played dollhouse all you wanted if the kid was useless, but we needed intel," Ardmore's voice was sharp, and Quaritch caught the undertone, she wasn't scolding him like a child, but like a soldier who'd broken protocol. "Not only did you interrupt the Na'vi children's interrogation, but his as well. And let's not forget you threatened scientific personnel along the way."
Quaritch watched her, taking in every accusation. Ardmore wasn't wrong, he had overstepped, and he'd known exactly what he was doing. Including when he'd shoved past Sci-Ops staff who tried to stop him or force a rebreather on him during his charge down the halls.
"Apologies, ma'am. This kid's got more to give than this. I'd like to take my own shot at him," Quaritch studied Ardmore's expression.
She continued to coldly observe the Colonel and the boy in his arms. Despite prolonged torture, they had failed to extract the data they wanted. Spider had resisted desperately, forcing the scientists to sweat even to create a partial brain scan.
"You have time until the scientists decode his scan," Ardmore sighs in disappointment, unwilling to indulge this situation. Though she respected the human version of Quaritch, and his recombinant had proven itself well enough, "But this doesn’t exempt you from reprimand. Return to the interrogation,"
Quaritch’s ears droop as he exhales in relief, rising from his knees, still holding Spider in his arms. He exchanges a glance with Lyle before his attention returns to Ardmore.
"Thank you, ma’am. I won’t let you down,"
Ardmore doesn’t respond, only pressing her lips together in irritation as she watches the two recoms leave the room. Her brows furrow before she shoots a stern glance at the scientists now huddled around the hologram.
Quaritch steps out, still holding the kid tightly, practically crushing him in his embrace, unwilling to let go. Spider looked painfully frail, even though by human standards his body was well-developed. He lightly pats his cheek, hoping he’d come around.
"Hey, kid, you good?" Quaritch looks at him, his usually stern features softened with concern.
Spider winces and groans, showing signs of life, but focusing and speaking seem to take effort. He presses a palm against Quaritch’s forearm, trying to push himself up slightly.
"Easy, easy. I’m gonna take you to medics, and Lyle’ll stay with you. Just got somethin’ I gotta finish," He rubs Spider’s back and adjusts his hold, trying to make him more comfortable.
"No, no, wait–" The kid whimpers, his voice weaker than before. Spider hesitates as Quaritch turns his face toward him, their eyes meeting. "Please… leave them alone,"
Quaritch’s ears twitch slightly, and he frowns, not intending to grant the request. Spider bites the inside of his cheek, wrestling with his conscience.
"I’ll tell you everything, just don’t hurt them," Spider blurts the words out as fast as he can, before he can falter mid-sentence. He knows the Omatikaya will hate him for this, but he couldn’t bear his friends being tortured until the RDA got what they wanted. They wouldn’t be able to sneak up on High Camp anyway, they wouldn’t pull off a surprise attack. Being hated, likely exiled from the clan forever, was a small price to pay if it meant the torture of his friends stopped.
Quaritch notices the hesitation on the teenager’s face. Until now, the kid had refused to say anything, he wasn’t sure if the interrogation had gotten to him or if something else had changed his mind. Though Spider made it clear he was doing this for Sully’s offsprings first and foremost, not because he was scared for his own skin.
"Alright, then. Medics’ll check you out, and we’ll talk," He was glad the medical bay wasn’t far, they were still in the Sci-Ops wing anyway, "Just gotta change first,"
Spider’s face flushed with embarrassment as he realized he’d actually ruined Quaritch’s shirt. He let out an awkward grunt, avoiding looking at the stain.
"That’s gross," Spider muttered.
"Yeah, it is," Quaritch huffed a quiet, dry laugh, leaving Spider slightly disoriented. He’d expected anger, not this.
Jake slightly ducked as he entered the biolab and grabbed a rebreather, heading toward the communication device. He raised a hand in greeting to the scientists busy with their work. When he met Norm, he gave him a slight hug as a greeting, but his face quickly took on a serious expression.
"Did you manage to reach the Western Frontier?" Jake scanned the comms center with his eyes.
"Oh yeah, Alma Cortez responded. She was surprised you wanted to make contact," Norm replied, leaning over the holographic display and quickly tapping it to prepare the call. They had to encrypt as best they could to prevent the RDA from tracking either resistance base.
Jake brought the rebreather to his mouth and took a deep breath. His eyes ached from the bright light after a sleepless night. He couldn’t sleep, knowing his children were hostages. He didn’t know what to do. They had to act – an attack on the camp was inevitable. Each of his children knew where their home was. And he would never forgive himself if they, at the cost of their lives, buried the secret of High Camp’s location.
As a Olo'eyktan he had to think about how to relocate undetected. They needed to move the clan and a lot of scientific equipment without anyone noticing. But as a father, he could think of nothing but getting his children out of Bridgehead.
"We got a connection. The rest is up to you," Norm nodded, stepping back to give Jake privacy for the call with Alma.
The dial tone and the hiss of the rebreather blended into white noise, his ears flattening slightly. He willed someone to pick up, his tail flicking impatiently behind him.
Then, abruptly, Alma appeared on-screen – seemingly caught off guard by the video call. And, to his surprise, she wasn’t in her usual avatar body with its signature topknot. Instead, she was in her human form, something he’d only seen once before, back when she and a handful of other scientists from the Western Frontier had chosen to stay on Pandora permanently. Every other time, she’d been in her avatar.
"Didn’t expect to hear from you, Jake Sully. It’s been months," Her tone was neutral, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Their communications were usually just routine reports – not sudden calls.
"Dr. Cortez,"Jake began, keeping his voice measured. "We intercepted some RDA chatter. Sounds like things are going well on your end," He was stalling, easing into the real reason for the call. The RDA had been pulling back from the Western Frontier ever since the Grinder Facility Omega was destroyed.
"They are. We wouldn’t have taken out half their outposts without Sarentu’s help," Alma replied, her expression shifting as she gave a quick status report. Things were clearly going better for them.
"Yeah, I heard some RDA project runaways have been giving them hell," Jake's face grew serious. He knew the Western Resistance had gained the support of the lost clan. And he knew they were tech-savvy enough to slip into Bridgehead undetected. More importantly, they had someone who could get them inside. "That's why I'm calling. My kids are in danger, trapped inside Bridgehead, and I know your warriors are the only ones who can get them out."
Alma fell silent, weighing Sully's words. He was essentially asking her to send the Sarentu into Bridgehead on a rescue mission. She hesitated. Though the children no longer held the same warmth for her, Alma had no desire to send them on a suicide run. She shook her head, unwilling to drag them into this.
"I don't speak for them anymore, Jake Sully. They're their own clan now, they make their own choices. I can't force them," She paused. "Rìnri will probably want to help you, but you’ll have to ask her yourself." The truth was, Rìnri had turned out even more battle-spirited than her late sister, Ahä'ri, always ready to charge into the impossible. But Bridgehead was a fortress. "The Sarentu are at the Spires of Clouded Forest right now,"
"Thank you," Jake replied wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose, a lingering human habit. "I'll head there with my wife,"
"Good luck," Alma said, her expression sympathetic, before the call cut out.
Jake pressed the rebreather to his face again, holding it there longer than necessary, as if hoping the rush of carbon dioxide might ease his pounding headache.
It would be a long journey if they went after the Sarentu. Even flying nonstop on their ikran, it would take days to reach their destination. It was far away, but they had no other choice.
He stepped back, shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had someone to leave in charge of the clan, but the relocation issue still loomed. Either way, they needed to move before the RDA struck.
"How'd it go?" Norm peered at him, watching as Jake scowled, staring blankly into space while piecing together a plan.
"Neytiri and I are heading to the Western Frontier. Tell the pilots to prep a Samson, just in case." Jake wasn't sure if his mate would agree to travel by human aircraft, but he figured it might be faster. "I need to gather the clan,"
He stepped out of the lab, his tail flicking restlessly behind him, betraying his tension. The elders wouldn’t want to move the clan again, but he’d deal with that later, once his children were safe.
"Ma Jake,"
He met Neytiri’s eyes, as exhausted as his own. Tear tracks still marked her cheeks. She’d spent the night jolting awake from nightmares, crying out their children’s names.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, seeking comfort for them both. Jake told her he had a plan to get their kids back, anything to stop her from charging into battle, cutting down soldiers before they could take her too.
"Baby, I know it’s hard... but we have to go far," he whispered, his hands steady on her shoulders.
Her face twisted in pain, her heart constricting at the thought of leaving the clan. She'd spent most of the morning with her mother, Mo'at. The Na'vi grieved together - being torn from the clan now felt like an unbearable torment.
"I know, baby, I know. We just need to reach the Clouded Forest. There are people there who can help us get our children back," Jake murmured into her ear, his hand rubbing comforting circles along her back. The Sarentu were their only chance to resolve this without rivers of blood. His plan was simple: only three would infiltrate Bridgehead - himself, Neytiri, and that legendary Sarentu warrior who'd already crippled so many RDA outposts. And even then, he and Neytiri would just be providing cover.
"Oh Jake, you know I would do anything for our children," she whispered. Though her piercing yellow eyes still looked glassy with grief, somewhere deep within them flickered sparks of resolve and fury.
"You're strong. You're brave. We'll get them back," Jake kissed her temple, pulling her tight against him.
Jake kissed her again, this time on the forehead, before continuing the conversation. His palm slid gently along her arm before interlacing their fingers. Neytiri lifted her head, knowing this wasn’t all he had to say.
"I know you hate it, but we’ll have to take the Samson. It’s the only way we’ll get there fast enough," Jake’s ears drooped guiltily as a low hiss tore from Neytiri’s throat. She did this every time he acted too much like a human, and her patience for it was thin.
"For the children," Neytiri looked deeply displeased at the thought of boarding a demon ship instead of riding her loyal ikran, but she forced down her disgust. Her tail twitched restlessly.
Jake’s heart ached whenever his words caused his mate pain. He couldn’t forget how, even after their victory, she still had nightmares about losing someone else. Especially during her pregnancies, she would toss and cry out in her sleep. Losing their children to the Sky People was her deepest fear.
And he was asking too much of her, to set aside the heart of a mother and act only as a warrior. He saw the fury and anguish in her eyes. He knew she would kill until their children were safe. But right now, they needed patience and a clear head if they were to have any chance of getting them back.
"Come on, baby, we need to tell the others we’ll be gone for a few days," Jake pulled her into a light embrace, guiding her toward the center of High Camp.
Notes:
I think this chapter came out later than I planned..... But that's not the point. I've been moving, working and sorting things out, and I've finally gotten around to continuing to play AFOP.
Speaking of which, yes I have added a crossover with AFOP. I have plans for Sarentu to appear in this fanfic(^^)
Chapter 4
Notes:
tw obviously not sexual nudity without graphical description and of course violence
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Quaritch stood in the bathroom, rinsing the vomit stain from his tank top with cold water before grabbing the hem and yanking it over his head, leaving his torso bare. He eyed his reflection skeptically before tossing the tank top into the laundry bin for soiled uniforms.
His thoughts kept circling back to the kid. Spider had promised Quaritch he’d tell him anything he asked, repeated it multiple times, too, either for emphasis or just to keep the Recom’s attention fixed on him.
He grabbed a fresh T-shirt from the Recom supply, pulled it on, and adjusted the rebreather still hanging around his neck. The RDA logo marked the front, while the back boasted the bold Recom insignia. Quaritch couldn’t deny it made him look a little more casual.
After a quick pivot, he found himself in the medical wing where Lyle and Spider were waiting. Before leaving, he’d handed the kid off to the on-duty medic for first aid. His tail gave an impatient flick as he ducked slightly to fit in the doorway.
Spider sat on the medical cot across from the petite medic, who gently took the half-empty cup from his trembling hands. The kid was still shaking slightly, his eyes red and puffy from crying. Lyle stood nearby, giving the Colonel a nod as he approached.
"How you holdin’ up, kid? Heard you kept your cool pretty good," Quaritch said with a faint smile, lowering himself to one knee in front of Spider.
The boy’s gaze flickered uneasily from the medic to the blue clone of his father, shoulders hunching slightly. He still wouldn’t meet Quaritch’s eyes – his expression caught somewhere between guilt, fear, and simmering anger.
"What's it to you?" Spider shot back, the words sharp but carrying a thread of genuine curiosity beneath the bite.
"Guess you’re feelin’ better already," Quaritch noted, his half-smirk widening into a full grin. The kid was back to his usual snark, which was a damn sight better than the hollowed-out look he’d had earlier. "Doc, what’s the verdict?"
The Colonel tilted his head up toward the medic. She scrolled through her holopad before pulling up the report.
"No significant physical damage. Recommended rest, no heavy mental or physical exertion. Monitor for adverse reactions, periodic neurological check-ins," She swiped to another screen. "We’ve got no prior data on NeuroSect overuse, so observation is our only option for now,"
Quaritch's ear twitched in irritation at the thought of his son becoming a medical test case. A deep furrow formed between his brows from the lack of clear prognosis. The whole situation was spiraling out of control.
"What do you need to know?" Spider spoke again, maintaining a slightly hostile tone. He sat hunched over slightly, hands gripping the fabric of his loincloth. His teeth dug into the inside of his cheek, nearly drawing blood.
"Where's Jake Sully,"
Spider didn't answer immediately. He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. His eyes shone with regret and doubt about betraying the Na'vi. Tears welled up but didn't fall, his face burned with shame.
The boy felt his stomach twist into knots. Again and again, he came back to the same conclusion: he'd rather die than reveal the Omatikaya's hiding place. Spider wanted to die before speaking. But he wasn't alone.
"In the Floating Mountains," Spider muttered guiltily, barely forcing the words out. His brain screamed at him to shut his mouth and tell the blue bastard to go to hell, but he swallowed hard and continued, "They're inside the Floating Mountains,"
Spider felt like he might throw up again. A cold sweat broke out across his skin. His fingers went numb. He'd actually said it. He'd just revealed where the Omatikaya and the Resistance were hiding. He wanted to die. He'd betrayed his people. They would die because of him.
A quiet sob escaped him as he remembered the cruel words from his childhood: "You'll always be just like your parents," He was. Because of him, Na'vi would die. He could only hope Jake or Neytiri, or whoever spotted them, would be quick enough to take out the squad before they got close. The Sky People's ships were loud; any Na'vi would have time to notice before it was too late.
"Here," The medic gently pressed a cup of water into his hands.
"Thanks, Ruth," Spider took a long gulp before forcing a weak smile in gratitude.
Spider felt pathetic. His stomach twisted into knots, while his eyes and cheeks burned with guilt and self-loathing. What a disgusting way to save his friends. He was saving them at the cost of other lives — he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. His heart hammered against his ribs, the pounding echoing through his body, ringing in his ears.
He felt nothing but contempt for himself. Spider couldn’t come up with anything better than giving up the High Camp to save his siblings. They’d probably be furious when they found out. All he could hope for was that when the truth came out, they’d just kill him. He didn’t want to be left behind and hated. He didn’t want to be alone, but he knew that after what he’d done, there’d be no forgiveness.
He flinched when Quaritch’s large hand landed on his shoulder. The man gave it a light, almost reassuring squeeze, which only made Spider’s stomach churn again.
"Good job, kid. Can you be more specific?" The Colonel offered him a slight smile as he spoke. His blue hand remained firmly planted on Spider’s shoulder.
"I don’t know coordinates or anything like that," Spider muttered, averting his gaze and trying to shrug off the touch. But the fingers dug into his skin, gripping tight and refusing to let him pull away. "There’s a cave system in the Floating Mountains. It’s hard to reach by skyship,"
Quaritch looked thoughtful, processing the flood of new information. The RDA knew Sully's base was somewhere in the mountains, but no one had considered the intricate cave systems inside them. The magnetic fields had always prevented accurate scans of the mountains and their interiors, something Jake had clearly taken advantage of.
He gave Spider another pat on the shoulder and stood up. His satisfied expression only made Spider sink deeper into misery. It felt like a punch to the chest, knocking all the air from his lungs. He could feel his chest heaving rapidly before his body was wracked with tremors.
"Well done," Quaritch praised him before turning to Lyle. "We'll need a war council to coordinate the attack plan,"
Spider glared hatefully at the Colonel's back, restraining himself from telling the bastard to go to hell. The fucking asshole acted like Spider had talked just because he wanted to, not because Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk's safety was on the line. Rage simmered inside him. He would've gladly died rather than say anything, but then these bastards would have gone after his friends. He was used to being the scapegoat - he could handle it.
"Alright kid, tomorrow you're leading us for peace talks. Departure at six. The medic will take care of you," Quaritch said before leaving the infirmary.
"Fuck you," Spider hissed back, his anger boiling over. "I'm not doing this,"
Quaritch froze in the doorway, his expression turning cold and stern. His tail lashed behind him in irritation, he had no patience for teenage tantrums.
"That's an order," he said, but Spider cut him off.
"Go to hell, I don't take your fucking orders,"
Quaritch's ears pinned back against his skull, his jaw tightening until the muscles stood out. He took a deep breath.
"Listen here, kid, I don’t think you wanna be handed back to the science team while they pry Resistance intel out of that skull of yours," His voice was flat, icy. Spider flinched. "Or maybe I should have a chat with your little friends first, see if they’ll lead me straight to their old man?"
Spider just hissed in irritation, cursing under his breath. He wanted to say more, but now his siblings' lives were on the line again. It infuriated him that they could be so easily manipulated, just by threatening his friends to extract information.
He winced painfully as another wave of agony shot through his head. Spider slightly curled up on the hospital cot, pulling his legs closer to himself.
"Alright, I'm glad we could come to an agreement," Quaritch says, giving him an encouraging smile. The boy feels himself shaking with anger towards Recom and his own helplessness.
Spider watches him leave. Oh, Eywa, how he wanted those two blue assholes to just go away. For the ugly blue copy of his father and his bald buddy to just get lost and leave him alone. He hugs his legs and buries his face in his knees, holding back tears.
"Can I help you with something?" Spider flinches at Ruth's words and feels a light touch on his arm.
He slightly pulls away and bristles, ready to jab at her with a sarcastic remark too – that the only help he wanted was for someone to rescue his friends – but he just takes a deep breath, steadying himself. Ruth was the first person here who treated him normally, without demanding anything. And the boy immediately felt ashamed that he had wanted to be rude to the medic.
"Can I just be alone?" Spider asks awkwardly, still fidgeting on the cot. "And I want a shower,"
Ruth nods in agreement and extends her hand to help him up. Spider grabs her hand and stands, before his vision goes dark. He sways slightly and squeezes his eyes shut before coming to his senses.
The guy takes a step after her and continues walking, following the winding corridors of the Sci-ops campus. Ruth shows him the patient shower, and Spider examines it with interest. There's not just a shower here, but a bathtub too, which genuinely surprises him. He knew bathtubs existed, but he had never bathed in one, as Hell's Gate was only equipped with shower stalls.
He nods and steps around the corner, hiding from the medic. His body feels heavy, and Spider trudges toward the shower stall, barely lifting his feet.
"If you feel unwell and need help, please call me," Ruth says, still staying around the corner. "Would you need clean clothes?"
"No," Spider grumbles, pulling off his loincloth and turning on the water before practically collapsing onto the floor.
Warm streams pour down on his back like hail, drumming against his skin. He presses his knees to his chest, curling into a fetal position. He coils up, trying to shut out the outside world and feel safe.
Spider just lifts his gaze, watching the droplets fall onto the tile. He feels his body shudder before he begins to cry. Hot tears stream down his face before he starts sobbing. His shoulders shake, and he hugs his legs tighter. No matter how hard Spider tries to shut himself up, he can't hold back the accumulated pain.
He feels so dirty; he wants to wash off the blue stripes. He can't consider himself Na'vi after revealing such a thing. What a pathetic creature he is.
The guy forces himself to rise from the floor before running his palm over his arm, trying to scrub off something invisible. Spider traces a finger along one of the stripes. He still feels nauseous, but the thought that these were drawn by Kiri slightly calms him.
He runs his hand over the other blue stripes and just lets out a heavy sigh, thinking about his friend. Spider didn't know how long he had been here, but he hadn't seen Kiri since they were separated. He missed her.
"What a load of crap," he curses, rolling onto his other side and closing his eyes.
He hoped that his shitty stunt, helping the Recoms, would at least somewhat protect Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuk. Oh, Great Mother, if his betrayal was in vain. Spider curled up, suppressing another sob.
He lay on the cold tile a little longer, listening to the falling drops, trying to imagine it was rain drumming on a huge leaf under which he could hide in the forest. But the sound of the shower wasn't like that, nor were the splashes of water hitting the hard floor.
Spider gathered his strength before returning to a sitting position. He grabbed the soap from the shelf and began scrubbing his skin, even overdoing it a bit. His blue stripes had faded slightly, but the paint from the Spartan fruit still held firmly to his skin, giving him some subconscious comfort.
Kiri's heart was pounding loudly, seemingly coming back to itself after their kidnapper shoved her aside and disappeared around the corner, his tail lashing angrily. She had no idea what the hell had just happened or why the Colonel, who had just been threatening them, had abruptly changed his plans and left. But a wave of anxiety washed over her with the realization that whatever had happened was connected to Spider.
The human cursing faded as some of the scientists rushed after the Recom, trying to calm him down.
"Let's go, let's go," Lo'ak's voice snapped Kiri out of her thoughts as his hand landed on her back and practically pushed her through the open door. Her brother kept hurrying her, forcing her to her feet.
"But Spider," was all Kiri could manage, taking quick steps.
"We'll find him and all escape together. Tuk, keep up," Lo'ak replies confidently, taking his younger sister's hand and leading them along the wall.
Kiri presses herself against the wall, walking right behind her siblings, her tail twitching anxiously. It was slowly dawning on her what madness they were committing right now. They were currently sneaking through a human base that even the most experienced warriors weren't permitted to approach.
The realization sent shivers down her spine, causing a tingling sensation on her skin. What they were doing now was a sure path to doom. Kiri bit her lip, trying to suppress the rising panic.
"This is suicide!" Kiri blurts out, trying to process what's happening.
She continues to slide along the white corridors of the Bridgehead, feeling herself trembling slightly. Maybe they won't be killed, just returned to their cell, but Kiri couldn't know for sure.
Suddenly, Lo'ak yanks her, forcing her to turn a corner, and presses a finger to her lips, simultaneously covering Tuk's mouth. The little girl looks surprised, her ears perk up, and the reason immediately becomes clear.
The sound of boots echoes on the floor, and two soldiers holding rifles pass in front of them. Both men are walking, surveying the mess in the corridor.
"I didn't think the Colonel was a complete psycho," says one of the soldiers, the taller one. He looks slightly irritated, shuffling his feet on the floor.
"He's always been like that; he acted like an asshole even before he turned blue and huge," the second one retorts, shrugging.
One of them snorts and mutters something under his breath, nudging scattered papers aside with the toe of his boot and heading closer to the cell where the Sully children had been held.
"Stay quiet," Lo'ak whispers and takes a silent step toward the soldiers.
Kiri curses under her breath and gives him a disapproving look, but her brother completely ignores it, silently following the two men. She has no choice but to hug Tuk, squeezing her four-fingered hand.
The soldier stops at the door, and his eyes widen upon noticing the absence of the prisoners. He quickly exchanges a glance with his partner before raising his hand to his radio.
"Well, fuck,"
In an instant, Lo'ak is behind the soldier and strikes him in the back of the head, knocking the man out before he can contact the others. His body goes limp almost immediately, and the young Na'vi grabs him, using him as a shield against the wild firing from the other soldier, who seems not to have fully grasped what's happening.
Lo'ak shoves the soldier aside before grabbing the other one during his reload. He seizes the second soldier, shaking him, causing the magazine and rifle to fall from his hands. With a powerful motion, he slams the soldier into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
It all happens quickly, too quickly, and it seems even Lo'ak himself doesn't have time to process why both Sec-ops employees are lying unconscious at his feet. He breathes heavily, catching his breath, before crouching down to take the soldier's communication device and grabbing one of their rifles. Lo'ak grabs them by their clothes and throws them into the cell before returning to his sisters.
Kiri stares at him as if asking, "what the hell was that?" Her tail lashes behind her back in astonishment at her brother's recklessness. Tuk looks frightened.
"Let's go, we need to move before they notice," Lo'ak says, stepping forward and holding the human-sized rifle in his hands. Despite its awkward size, he holds it confidently.
Lo'ak moves like a blue shadow, leading his sisters through the tangled labyrinths of Bridgehead. His bare feet make a different sound on the hard floor compared to steps on forest clearings. This forces him to put in extra effort to be quieter. His ears listen to everything around, trying to catch every footstep.
Cold sweat rolls down his back as they press against the wall in yet another corridor, trying to remain unseen. No one expected there to be so many people here. They have to stop often, too often, to let people in lab coats or more military personnel pass.
"This way, come here," Lo'ak says, darting into another corridor and crouching opposite a ventilation shaft. His nails desperately scrape at the screws before he manages to break and push aside the iron grate enough to squeeze inside.
Kiri gently taps Tuk on the back, urging the girl to run after her brother. Lo'ak climbs into the ventilation shaft first, then helps Tuk get inside. Kiri listens to the chatter on the radio's earpiece before peeking around the corner and immediately pulling back behind the wall upon seeing approaching blue figures. She doesn't have time to see if they're Recoms or Avatars, but it seems it doesn't matter. Her pulse quickens, and she closes her eyes, hoping they'll pass by.
She stands motionless until the sound of footsteps fades in the distance, and only then does she dare to open her eyes. Clear. She quickly dashes to the other side and hurriedly climbs into the ventilation shaft, so clumsily that she catches her side on a sharp edge, leaving a red mark on her skin.
Kiri hisses but ignores the pain and the torn prisoner uniform, crawling deeper into the ventilation. It's tight inside, even too tight; it feels like she might get stuck any moment. All she can see is Tuk's back as she follows Lo'ak.
"Copy. The prisoners have escaped, two of ours are unconscious,"
The voice crackles in the radio earpiece, and Kiri lightly taps Tuk's leg, trying to get her siblings' attention. All three stop, waiting for news.
"They've realized we've escaped," Kiri whispers, continuing to listen to what the soldiers are saying over the radio.
"Fuck, what a crapp," Lo'ak curses, earning an indignant look from Tuk. In any other situation, she would have started lecturing him and threatened to tattle to their parents about his bad language, but now was not the time. "We need to find where Spider is and get the hell out of here faster,"
Kiri nods in agreement, and they continue crawling. She probably had never been so glad that they could breathe the human atmosphere for so long.
The iron labyrinths of the ventilation shafts gave way to a wider room, with several more openings leading into it. Some were blocked, some interconnected. They managed to get off their stomachs and crouch as Lo'ak tried to figure out where to crawl next. His nose twitched, catching the scent of familiar air drifting from a covered vent.
His nails began to scrape, dismantling the filter before tearing it out and allowing the different atmosphere to burst into the ventilation shaft. His lungs filled with the familiar air, and after many hours, he was able to take a full, deep breath.
All three leaned against the tin walls of the ventilation shaft and caught their breath, taking greedy gulps of air. It was damn better than the mixed air they had been given in their cell.
His head began to spin from the saturation, and Lo'ak leaned back. His disheveled braids fell onto his shoulders, allowing him to relax for just a second.
"Let's go, we need to find Spider. They probably aren't keeping him in cells with Eywa'eveng's atmosphere," Lo'ak says, gathering all his strength and moving toward another ventilation shaft that, according to the signs, was used for ventilating rooms with Earth's atmosphere.
They crawl through the dimly lit shafts again, trying to contain their tension. Below, they can hear the sounds of soldiers' footsteps, all aimed at searching for the escaped fugitives.
Suddenly, the corridor below begins flashing red, and a woman's voice, slightly distorted by static, comes through the speakers. Panic erupts in the corridors as people run for their exopacks.
"Attention, atmosphere leak. Immediately don your exopack assembly and proceed to areas equipped with emergency ventilation,"
The voice repeats this without pause as boxes shatter in the corridors, from which scientists pull out masks for emergency situations.
"They'll probably bring Spider out too, we need to keep watch," Lo'ak commands and moves further along the ventilation shaft before breaking out another grate and dropping into an empty laboratory where the siren is blaring. He helps Tuk down and slowly moves toward the doorway, keeping the rifle at the ready.
Lo'ak's head poked slightly out the door as he watched the scientists moving in a uniform crowd in one direction. Their father had taught them about evacuation. When the Sky People returned, Jake immediately moved the clan to a place with escape routes, explaining how to quickly get out of High Camp with minimal casualties.
"We need to find out where they're going, Spider must be with them," Lo'ak comments, stretching his neck to see as much as possible.
"Are you insane? This place is huge! We can't just follow them," Kiri half-whispers angrily at him, still trying to talk her brother out of foolish decisions.
"You wouldn't go anywhere without him anyway, you two are together so often it's nauseating," Lo'ak teases her and slips out the door, scouting where the evacuation groups are heading.
Kiri's eyes widened in embarrassment, and her tail flicked behind her back. He really was teasing her right now. Kiri struggled not to roll her eyes, irritated by Lo'ak's antics.
"Let's go, Tuk-Tuk," she says affectionately and clasps her sister's hand, trying to mimic Neytiri's movements. It was well known that Tuk calmed down fastest in their mother's embrace.
Tuk let out a pitiful whimper, tired from the constant tension in her muscles. Since being captured, she hadn't been able to sleep, and the mixed atmosphere gave her a constant headache. Running through the corridors was a special kind of pain, making the little girl squeeze her sister's hand even tighter.
"Fuck!"
Lo'ak jumps back slightly and yells at his sisters to retreat, squeezing the trigger of the rifle. With a loud sound, a burst of fire erupts, hitting the wall and seemingly one of the Recombinants. The sound of curses is heard as they retreat from the line of fire Lo'ak has opened.
He starts running down another corridor, covering his sisters, and occasionally returning fire at the Recoms. There are three of them: a woman and two men.
"Run faster!" Lo'ak shouts over the whistle of bullets, helping Tuk turn a corner and find brief safety. "Go hide, I'll distract them."
"Lo'ak, are you out of your mind!" Kiri shouts back at him, grabbing his arm and pulling her brother along. "We're not going to leave you with them!"
"Sully sticks together!" Tuk declares proudly before tugging on her brother's pant leg, forcing him to move.
The three of them run headlong down the corridor. The worst-case scenarios spin in their heads, maybe they'll hit a dead end and just get shot. Three blue figures dash through the corridors under red lighting, constantly turning. Kiri and Tuk run together, Lo'ak behind, occasionally firing back at their pursuers.
"This way!" Kiri dashes into one of the laboratories as another hail of bullets rains down on them.
Lo'ak grabs the heavy door and, throwing his weight against it, forces it shut. His heart hammers against his ribs. This was a completely different feeling compared to being on raids. He feels his fingers going cold, and his mind refuses to do anything but fight or run.
"We need to go," Kiri says this and quickly checks on Lo'ak, who is breathing heavily, leaning against the door. Eywa, it was a miracle none of them were seriously wounded.
"Yeah, yeah," her brother mumbles, nodding, still in a state of shock. His muscles are tense under the influence of adrenaline.
He now follows Kiri, encouraging Tuk as they bend down to pass through a lab assistant's room meant for humans and exit through another entrance. Lo'ak grabs his younger sister under the arms and helps her climb over a table, then deftly leaps over it himself, incidentally knocking some documents to the floor.
As soon as Kiri peers out the door, she turns with a loud cry, shielding her siblings. Bullet marks appear where she was just a second ago.
"Oh shit!" Lo'ak curses and grabs the door to close it. He shoves one of the tables against it to barricade themselves. "I don't know, fuck, look for a ventilation shaft,"
The young Na'vi continues blocking the door by any means necessary to buy some time. He checks his rifle. He had 13 rounds. His tail twitched behind his back as he hissed in irritation.
Lo'ak gripped the weapon tighter, covering his sisters as they struggled with the ventilation shaft to get back inside. The metal on the grate didn't give in immediately, but Kiri managed to bend it enough to make space at least for Tuk.
Their ears perked up at the sound of breaking glass. The window in the laboratory shatters loudly before a Recom appears in the room. His name must be Lopez, but at that moment, it doesn't seem so important. Lo'ak pulls the trigger again, and all 13 bullets fly toward the man.
He curses before throwing the empty rifle at the Recom and dropping to his knees, helping his sisters deal with the grate and filter. Lo'ak doesn't even know if he hit the enemy or where. His fingers grab onto the iron, getting numerous cuts.
He yells when a strong hand grabs him by his queue and yanks him back, pulling him away from the ventilation. Lo'ak hisses and tries to fight back, kicking at the air, barely containing the pain. He looks into the face of the female Recom, Walker, and curls his lips, baring his fangs.
A pistol barrel is pointed right in his face, making Lo'ak fall silent for a second as he tries to come up with a plan. One move, and he's a dead man.
He's saved only by Kiri, who throws some kind of book at the woman's face, which immediately scatters into many pages. Walker looks surprised and lets go of Lo'ak's queue to aim at Kiri with both hands. He doesn't need more than that before he sinks his teeth into her calf, making Walker scream in pain.
Lo'ak continues to struggle with her, forcing Walker to fall before kicking her in the stomach. For that, he instantly gets hit in the cheek with a rifle butt. His head spins, but he doesn't lose consciousness. He keeps fighting, scratching and biting, trying to remember everything his parents taught him.
The female Recom pins him to the floor, making him flip over and pressing him down. He continued to struggle desperately. Lo'ak didn't understand how he still had the strength for it; it must have been the adrenaline forcing his body to move. His face hurt from the hit, there would probably be another bruise. He bites Walker's arm again before someone else shoves him away.
"Thanks, Brown, this savage is insane," Walker says, trying to catch her breath as Brown twists Lo'ak's arm and forces him to lie on the floor.
The Na'vi still keeps fighting, though unsuccessfully. His tail lashes at their sides, but he can't do anything as the other Recoms approach. Lo'ak just lies there and watches as another man pulls Kiri away from the ventilation shaft before cuffing her too.
He sees Tuk squeal in fear as strong hands grab her by the shoulders and pull her out of the ventilation shaft, scraping her body against the damaged grate.
Lo'ak is breathing heavily when they finally release him to put on the cuffs. He hisses and growls, trying to get free of them, but a gun is shoved in his face once again. His tail is thumping against the floor, and his ears are flat against his head.
"Do not fire. We need all three of them alive until tomorrow, you hear me?" comes the voice of the Colonel, who looks furious because of the Sully kids' stunt.
The Recoms answer him with a military "Sir, yes, sir," before the barrel pressed against Lo'ak's head is removed. All three of them are still being held, despite being shackled.
"Damn Sully's brats," Quaritch hisses, surveying the scene of the fight. Two of his men were lightly wounded, the dual-atmosphere ventilation system was wrecked, and all of it because of three kids. "Take them to a cell. I need a photo of all three of them, and get them ready for tomorrow's flight,"
Notes:
Aah, I've been busy as I was quitting my last job and looking for a new one, so like all fics it's been such a long update! And I wanted for all fic to have 3 chapter, before I write other. Also if you want to see me more, I have Tumblr where I post wips and fanarts i-cant-fkn-spell
And more, I need you guys to choose someone from Sully kids (Lo'ak, Kiri, Tuk) for next chap!
Leave comments if you like my work and read others on my profile because I'm very slow at writing updates! It's a little hard for me to simultaneously write a story and try to translate it into a language I can't speak fluently.
Zarscar on Chapter 1 Fri 23 May 2025 07:12PM UTC
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VulcanRider on Chapter 1 Sat 24 May 2025 01:51PM UTC
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VadimGoeke on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 08:44AM UTC
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VadimGoeke on Chapter 2 Sun 01 Jun 2025 08:57AM UTC
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VulcanRider on Chapter 2 Sun 01 Jun 2025 11:12AM UTC
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Ygrattai on Chapter 2 Sun 01 Jun 2025 10:00PM UTC
Last Edited Sun 08 Jun 2025 06:44PM UTC
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Matti208_m on Chapter 2 Sun 08 Jun 2025 05:50AM UTC
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Ygrattai on Chapter 3 Mon 01 Sep 2025 09:54PM UTC
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Ygrattai on Chapter 4 Mon 01 Sep 2025 10:52PM UTC
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SarHav3 on Chapter 4 Tue 02 Sep 2025 04:15AM UTC
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Ygrattai on Chapter 4 Tue 02 Sep 2025 09:42PM UTC
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