Chapter Text
Miles had been saved.
The boy—his boy—had saved him.…
He still didn't understand. Thoughts and questions were racing around in his mind as he tried to process it all.
Miles thought he had died, killed by Jake Sully, but the boy—his son—had saved him, pulled him out of the water, even if he had no reason to.
Miles had hurt the boy, terribly hurt him.… He would've understood if Spider had let him die. Hell, he would've wanted Spider to let him die. If there was one thing Miles had learned in his time with the Marines, it was that you never gave in to your pity for the enemy. Even if it was torturous not to.
And while Spider did give in, Miles couldn't even be mad about it.…
Miles hissed in agony as he mounted Cupcake. She screeched, stretching her neck and wings as Miles slid into the saddle.
He clutched his ribs, pain stinging his body with every movement. They were broken for sure. It was impossible that he got out of this fight without any major injuries. He'd been chewed up and spit out, as much as he hated to admit it.
This time, Jake Sully had won.
When Cupcake took off into the sky, with Miles on her back, he was finally able to take a look down at the battlefield. The shipwreck was still burning, and he could see debris at the bottom of the sea, the water being as clear as glass.
Here and there, fires were still burning, and Miles could see oil leaking from the wreck.
It then dawned on him that he had failed. He had failed big time. He hadn't just failed the General and the RDA, but most importantly, Spider. He had failed his son, the only person he truly cared for.
He didn't catch Sully; he lost Spider to that damned traitor again, and now, he was all alone—his whole team was gone.
As Cupcake circled over the deserted battlefield and Miles inspected the burning wreck of the massive ship, he didn‘t feel the need to seek revenge for it. He didn‘t feel the need to see Jake Sully six feet under. He didn‘t feel the need to destroy everything in his path and take what he wasn‘t given.
He felt nothing.
He felt nothing besides the need to find Spider. He just wanted to hold him close and never let him go. The boy was all he had left. But Miles knew Spider would be better off with Sully. Sully already had four kids; he knew how to be a dad. Miles didn’t.
Maybe the real Miles knew how to be a dad, but the Miles now—the Recom Miles—didn't. He had no clue about parenting. Everything he did, he did because it felt right, not because he knew it was, in fact, right.
Cupcake screeched in hunger, and Miles sighed. Maybe they should keep their eyes open for something to eat. He felt his own stomach grumbling, so he circled Cupcake back toward land in hopes of finding somewhere to hide and something to eat.
Miles didn't know how long he and Cupcake had been flying, but once he was sure that he was far enough from the Metkayina, he landed his ikran.
"Good girl," he muttered as he patted her neck, carefully scanning his surroundings. He was in some kind of forest. It wasn't as thick as where the Omatikaya lived, but pretty damn close. Trees stretched high into the sky, and all sorts of plants littered the ground.
Instinctively, Miles reached for the knife he kept on his hip, but his hand grasped at thin air. His eyes snapped toward his hip, and indeed, his knife was gone. He must've lost it while fighting Sully.…
Miles cursed, "Shit."
Then he patted himself down, searching for any weapon, but he couldn't find anything. Again, he cursed and turned back toward Cupcake to see what she had in her saddlebag.
For self defense, all he came up with was a combat knife, a rope, and an axe. Besides those, he found another shirt, a metal cup, his combat boots, and some RDA rations.
He stared at his little collection for longer than he probably should've. There wasn't much he could do. He had a knife and an axe. Sure, he could maybe make use of the rope as well, but for how long? It wasn't as if it were super durable. He would have to make do with what he had.
Miles sighed and took the knife, sliding it into place at his hip. Then he pulled off his tactical vest and his tank top. He'd have to bury the vest and wash the top. He couldn't leave more hints of his survival than absolutely needed. If Sully found him now, Miles would be a dead man.
He grabbed his axe next, starting to dig a hole. He threw in his vest and covered it with earth and a few leaves. Now it looked as untouched as before.
Then he walked toward Cupcake and mounted her. "Let's go, girl," he muttered. "Time to find some food."