vera

words: 20.4k

status: on-going

chapters:

01 — nix

02 — viperwolf

03 — fire

04 — aardwolf

05 — sincerity

06 — kaboom

07 — atokirina'

08 - mole

THE NEXT MORNING ROLLED AROUND AFTER A RESTLESS NIGHT. Nix managed to get a quick shower in before hitting the hay, but her slumber was full of nightmares. She dreamt of the RDA taking over. They wiped out the Na'vi clans, the wildlife, the forest — everything had been colonized. But the one part of her nightmare that sent her jolting awake... they had killed Neteyam.

She had barely known him a week, but the idea of her mother eliminating the Omatikaya, including the Sullys, drove a bolt of fear through her like lightning. She was shaking when she woke, her eyes puffy like she'd been crying.

The first thing she did when she got out of bed was throw cold water on her face in the bathroom. She reminded herself that today was a new day, and Neteyam was still alive. She was supposed to meet with him later. She couldn't let him down.

When she brushed her teeth and changed, she left her room only to be greeted by a blue post-it note on her door. Apparently it was from her mother, ordering her to head down to the bio-lab.

Although Nix was quite hungry from skipping dinner last night, she chose to postpone breakfast to see what the general wanted.

Upon entering the laboratory in the Ops Center, Nix saw it was bustling with scientists, all working in different sections as if preparing for something grand.

Over by the holographic computers stood a familiar face. Thalia Parvin, a doe-eyed ecology scientist who happened to love Pandora just as much as Nix.

"Lia!" Nix called out with a wide smile. She maneuvered around the labcoats and their equipment to reach the older woman.

"Hey, Nix, did you get your mom's note?" Thalia paused her work to acknowledge her.

"I did," she nodded. "You wouldn't happen to know what it's about, would you?"

"I do, actually..." A mischievous look overtook Thalia's face. "Here, I'll show you. Follow me."

A puzzled Nix trailed the copper-haired scientist through the laboratory, skirting the giant microscopes and the plethora of freeze dryers before arriving at an open squared arch. they strode through the arch and down a spiraling hallway that led into another section of the bio-lab.

Nix realized she had never been inside this area before. Blue light reflected off her wide eyes, her chin dropped ever so slightly, stunned by the sight before her.

Three large amino tanks filled with blue suspension fluid took residence in the center of the room, but that isn't what startled her. It was the bodies floating within the tanks — Na'vi bodies, only they weren't real Na'vi. They were avatars.

"Wh—" Bamboozled, Nix pivoted her attention back to Thalia. "What is this? What—" she cut herself off when the avatar body on the far left jerked and twisted.

"You can get closer," Thalia encouraged with a kind smile.

Nix hesitated for a moment, glancing between the tank and the scientist. It didn't take much before her feet began to carry her over. The blue liquid gleamed across her body in reflective waves as she stood beside the glass tank. She felt her chest constrict, losing a little air, as she stared into the face of what looked to be a female avatar. Her features were so familiar almost like she was...

"Is that..." Nix pressed a hand to the glass and turned her head to look at Thalia again. "Is this me?"

Thalia slowly nodded, unable to tell what Nix was thinking or feeling. "Yes. It was made from your DNA."

A frown formed as Nix recalled the day before departing Earth. Her mother had told her that all passengers were required to give samples of their DNA before entering cryo, though she was never given a reason as to why.

Could this possibly be it? To create more avatars? But for what? That was a scientist's program. How is this going to help the RDA?

"We've been given the green light to reopen the AVTR Program," a voice said, as though they had read her thoughts.

Nix whirled, immediately recognizing that it was her mother. She wore her typical military uniform, hands clasped behind her back as she strode over to her daughter.

"But how?" Nix asked. "The program must cost more than it's worth. I thought the goal was to save money."

"Prices have drastically lowered in the past two decades. Government officials have agreed to fund the creation of our avatars," Ardmore explained. "It was originally to broker peace between us and the natives, get them to trust us. This time, we not only renew the program for SciOps but for military personnel as well."

"But I am not a scientist nor a gunman," Nix expressed, uncomprehending. She glimpsed the lifeless avatar body that bore her face. "Why have you created one for me?"

"We hope for ordinary people to receive their own avatars in a few decades from now—perhaps even in a few years," Thalia answered with a certain ardor.

Ardmore gave a prompt nod, showing her agreement. Then she began strolling the room while analyzing the three amino tanks. "I know how much you love Pandora, and I thought why not go above and beyond for your birthday."

Nix stared, unblinking, as she finally registered that this was the gift her mother was referring to last week.

"I know it isn't exactly your birthday yet," Ardmore continued. It was actually five days from now. "But this avatar will allow you to breathe Pandoran air, eat Pandora food, and travel to hostile environments without endangering your real body."

The corner of Nix's lips curled as she recognized that tone — her mother's subtle jab at her sneaking out yesterday and putting herself in danger.

"I don't know what to say," she voiced quietly, looking down. She couldn't help but think about her father, wondering what he would've done in her position.

"How about 'thank you'?" Ardmore suggested lightheartedly. A genuine smile stretched her lips.

Nix stalled as she met her mother's gaze again. She didn't know why she felt so conflicted, but she did. She felt guilty for having this kind of money spent on herself when it could have been put to something else, something that actually needed it. However, at the same time, she felt excitement flutter inside her stomach. For so long she wished to experience this world like the natives did, and now she could. But at what price?

Regardless of her whirling emotions, she didn't want to upset her mother by seeming ungrateful.

"Thank you, mom," she uttered. "This really means a lot."

Ardmore chuckled at her seemingly humble reaction. "How about you take it for a test run today," she offered.

Nix couldn't help it as her eyes lit up. "Really?"

Ardmore glanced at Thalia. "How long will it take to get the avatars out of there?"

"Decanting takes a couple of hours," she informed. "Nix should be able to link with it by noon."

"Great." Ardmore smiled as her sharp, blue gaze circled back to her daughter. "That'll give us plenty of time to eat breakfast and discuss this with Castillo. I'll want him out there with you just as a precaution."

Little dimples formed on Nix's cheeks as she grinned. She'd never felt so eager about something in her entire life. She almost forgot she was supposed to be sneaking out today... almost.

☽◯☾

"Who do the other two belong to?"

Just like Thalia had said, it only took a couple of hours to get the avatars out of their tanks. They were placed on top of long twin beds with wires connected to their arms and white gowns covering their bodies.

Nix was staring through a large glass window into the small room where the doctors were setting everything up for the tests to make sure the bodies were functioning properly.

"That one in the middle is mine," Thalia answered while pointing. "The one on the right is Dr. Baird's—one of the marine biologists. We're hoping to use them for a marine research excursion soon, one that goes far beyond Bridgehead."

"Wow." Nix was still in awe, unable to take her eyes off the avatars. She never thought she would be able to do something like this, and now it was happening all so fast. "This doesn't feel real."

"Oh, it's real alright," Thalia said while turning away from the window. "Come on. Let's get you ready for linkup."

The ecology scientist clambered down the metal steps inside the laboratory with Nix following close behind. They entered a large roundabout inside the room that contained about six link-units, all open and ready for use.

"This one's yours." Thalia patted the one closest to them.

Nix came up behind her, examining the bed. There was green padding inside, squishy like memory foam.

"Go on. Hop in," Thalia urged as she started tapping away on the translucent screen beside the unit.

Nix stared at the bed, anxious butterflies arising in her chest. Cautiously, she moved to sit on the edge, getting a feel for it before sliding her legs on top. She inhaled a calming breath as she slowly lowered herself onto her back with her arms glued to her sides.

"All right, this might overwhelm your sensors at first," Thalia told her while closing the metal gate over her torso. "Just relax, keep your head down, and the connection should go smoothly."

Nix nodded without saying a word as Thalia reached for the lid. She gave Nix a reassuring smile before closing the unit.

Darkness enveloped Nix, save the small lights on the metal gate around her. She felt the unit move backward a bit, stopping with a slight jerk. Her eyes automatically fluttered shut as she waited for the connection.

At first, there was only darkness. She felt nothing. Though a small gasp escaped her when her brain suddenly felt like it had been supercharged. There were bright purple and yellow lights like a veiny tunnel system and then—

Darkness again.

She was still conscious, and it seemed like nothing happened at first. She felt like she was inside her own body.

Slowly peeling her eyes open, she was about to ask Thalia what happened when the blinding white lights above her caused her to wince. Her vision was completely blurred. She tried moving her head and blinking to clear it up, and that's when she saw a doctor staring into her soul. Doctor Evans.

"Nix, can you hear me?" he asked.

She flinched as two sharp snaps sounded beside each of her ears. "Yeah," she murmured groggily. "I can hear you."

"How're you feeling? Nothing hurts? No dizziness or nausea?" Evans questioned as she tried to sit up.

"No," she replied mindlessly. "None."

When she lifted her arms, her eyebrows instantly skyrocketed toward her hairline. The vibrant blue pattern of her skin scared her half to death. She went to check her legs next, the flesh being the same color blue with even darker stripes. She wiggled the appendages, absolutely speechless.

"Distal motor control seems to be good," Evans observed. "Any numbness?"

"No, I can feel everything," Nix breathed out, awestruck.

When she moved her legs off the bed, the floor felt cold beneath her feet and her limbs felt strong albeit a bit wobbly. She tried to stand when Doctor Evans quickly stopped her.

"Hold your horses." He placed his tiny hand on her much larger shoulder. "I've got a few more sensory reflex tests for you, and then you can head out there and have some fun, all right?"

Nix stared at the large window in front of her. A faint image of her reflection was staring right back. Yet, it didn't feel like her. The gleaming yellow eyes, the wider cat-like nose, her pointy ears which reacted to the smallest sounds. She even caught sight of her long tail swaying uncontrollably behind her.

However, upon further inspection, she saw how similar the avatar body was to hers — wispy bangs, her bow-shaped lips. When she forced a grin to inspect her sharp canines, little dimples formed in both cheeks.

This was really her — this was just as much her body as her human one.

"Okay." She nodded as an unfathomable feeling of liberation struck her. "My horses are being held."

She wanted to get these tests over with. She was ready to frolic the forest and explore nature in her new body. To experience Pandora in the way it was always meant to be experienced.

THE SUN HAD SET BY THE TIME NIX RETURNED TO BRIDGEHEAD. She directed Neteyem to land his ikran about a quarter-mile from the kill-zone just to be safe. He helped her down from Kilvan like one would help someone off a horse. And she reconfirmed that she would try to see him tomorrow because he was still so avid about bringing her to High Camp so he could tell his father as well as his grandmother, the tsahìk, about the woodsprites.

Before parting ways, Nix made sure to thank him again for watching over her and for the ride back to the city. She waited for him to take off on Kilvan once more before starting the trek toward her likely doom. There was no way her mother didn't already know she snuck from base. She was already formulating a believable excuse now.

Fortunately, getting past the protective walls wasn't much of a hassle. The cameras scanned her face, saw who she was, and immediately let her inside.

The first thing she heard while walking through the housing zone was whispered murmurs about the Na'vi attack on the science facility, how it was blown to pieces along with several casualties. Nix made sure to keep her head low while making her way to the Southside Industrial Zone.

She had no clue who the survivors were or if they believed this was another resistance attempt on the RDA. She feared what the general might do or say to her for being there when it all went down.

She couldn't stop popping her knuckles as her anxious thoughts got the better of her. And seeing the Ops Center enter her vision sent a wave of nausea through her.

She took her time reaching the building and walked extra slow up the four flights of stairs. She knew her mother would most likely be in her office as it was too late to be holding any meetings but not late enough to sleep.

By the time she arrived, Nix had taken her air-mask off and shoved it inside her bag. Though the set of voices emanating through the cracked-open door of the office caught her attention.

"I don't understand," General Ardmore muttered stiffly. "I sent my soldiers out there to protect the SciOps, and instead you allowed the blues to blow the damn place! Months of experimentations and discoveries have gone down the drain."

"We were ambushed, General," spoke Corporal Lee.

"How did an AMP soldier allow his missile to be seized by the indigenous? They wiped out the facility, including several of my men!" Ardmore exclaimed. "Explain that to me."

"There's no clear answer—" It was Roman who spoke this time. Nix could tell. "—we aren't sure how they learned where the experimentations were transpiring."

"There must be a traitor in our midst," Corporal Lee suggested, rather unexpectedly.

Nix felt her breath catch as she stood behind the door, eavesdropping. Was she too obvious earlier? Lee did look a bit skeptical while letting her inside the facility.

"A traitor?" General Ardmore repeated, her tone wrung with incredulous surprise. "That's a hefty allegation, Lee. You got any proof of this claim?"

"No, General. But only someone on the inside could've freed the beasts."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Roman cut in. "Who knows what kind of tricks the Na'vi have up their sleeves. They could've—"

"And what of my daughter?" Ardmore interrupted without a moment to consider her inferiors' words. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on her, Castillo. I specifically stated that this mission was dangerous—"

As she began to nail into him, Nix automatically pushed the door open to reveal herself.

All three marines snapped their heads to look at her, each wearing different expressions — suspicion, relief, impatience.

"Nix, how did you..." Roman trailed off. The general looked as if she wanted to say quite a few things to her daughter. Privately.

"We'll finish this discussion later," Ardmore dismissed the two men. "And Lee, if there's a mole in our garden, I want you to find it and squash it. Now, get the hell out of my office."

The corporal and lieutenant started moving at her demand. They stepped around Nix who stood in the doorway, both shooting her inquisitive looks for separate reasons.

Once they were gone, Nix eased inside the room, closing the door behind her. Her nervous gaze flicked to her mother, who was standing in front of her desk. Her arms were crossed over her chest, eyes sharp and ready to scold.

"Don't think I wasn't informed about you sneaking into base just now. What's that about, Nix?"

"I didn't mean to worry anyone," she uttered in a small voice. "I just... well, when you stationed Roman out at the facility today, I knew he wouldn't agree with me joining him. But I'd never been out there before. The forest is so vast and I've never seen some of the animals in person and—"

"How did you manage to get over there?" Ardmore interjected. "The facility is too far for walking."

Nix stalled at the question, quickly skimming her brain for another lie. "I, uh, I borrowed a buggy..." she confessed sheepishly, which was technically the truth. She did, however, chose to leave Griffin's name out of it to avoid putting him in the spotlight. "But it, um, kinda got destroyed."

The general lifted a brow, almost like she was impressed by the skill that must've taken, though the emotion was swiftly masked with mild exasperation. "You know the rules, Nix. You know the dangers. What were you thinking?"

Nix looked down at her feet. "...I wasn't thinking... I'm sorry."

"You were lucky out there," Ardmore stated, irate. "You could've been killed by some creature—eaten alive by those ferals."

Nix met her mother's gaze again, an image of Neteyam flashing behind her eyelids. "I was careful."

The general sighed, looking almost conflicted. "You're so much like your father. Always pushing boundaries, never wanting to accept things for what they are..." She paused, shaking her head. "But this... the forest is no place for you in this state. You can't run off like that again."

Nix kept silent, unable to respond. A part of her wished that her father was here instead, though she immediately felt ashamed for even thinking it.

"How did you get back, anyhow?" Ardmore questioned, skeptical. "You said the buggy got destroyed."

"I walked," Nix lied. "I have a compass in my bag. I kept East until I made it back. The forest isn't so dangerous if you know what to avoid."

"Well, you're certainly tougher than I give you credit for," Ardmore admitted, her expression harboring a certain respect for her daughter. "It takes guts to survive in that kind of environment. But bravery without discipline is recklessness."

There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

Griffin's voice echoed in the back of Nix's mind, swarming her with guilt. He was only out there because of her, and he got hurt for it.

"I know. I'm sorry," she murmured. This time her apology was for the engineer.

"Listen, I'm glad you're all right. But don't let me hear about you sneaking off again," Ardmore asserted, placing a cold hand on Nix's arm. "Now go get cleaned up. You reek of smoke and sweat."

Solemnly, Nix dipped her chin. "Yes, General."

☽◯☾

"Stokes is okay. The doctor said he was concussed, but he'll be alright," informed Roman. 

Nix relieved a heavy sigh, the weight on her chest slowly fading. She was so, so grateful that Griffin's injuries were neither fatal or life-altering. If he had died out there because of her, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"That's good," she replied, nodding. "That's really good."

The cafeteria was full tonight, just like it was every night. Nix and Roman were at a four-seater,  sitting opposite of one another with their trays of tonight's special. Though Nix's dinner remained untouched as shepherd's pie was not one of her favorites.

"Was it you?" Roman asked. It almost felt abrupt, but Nix had seen it coming a mile away.

She peeled her eyes from her food to meet the scrutiny of her tired bodyguard. "Was what me?" she feigned confusion.

Roman pushed his tray aside and leaned forward. "You released the animals, didn't you?"

Her mouth parted to spill more fibs, yet Roman could always see right through her. Any slight change in her expression or tone, he'd catch it.

"And the Na'vi ambush? Was that you, too?" he muttered, keeping his voice low. Nix pressed her lips into a thin line, looking anywhere but at him. Roman scoffed while leaning back. "Jesus, Nix. I leave you alone for a few hours, and this is what you do? Blowing up facilities? Wreaking havoc?"

Nix frantically glanced around to make sure no one else heard him. "I couldn't just sit and do nothing while those innocent—"

"People got injured because of your thoughtless plan!" he whisper-shouted. "Some died even—you almost died!"

"I'm sorry for the lives that were lost..." She broke away from his angered gaze. Her hands were clutched in her lap, knuckles popping from how tightly she squeezed her fingers. "But every single person in that facility knew what they were doing. They tortured those thanators and kept so many more locked up—and those who weren't a part of the experiments were still guilty by association for letting it happen. I really am sorry that people had to die, but that's what happens when you start a war."

Her declaration caught Roman off guard. The look in her eye was completely foreign to him. She didn't even sound like the sweet and innocent Nix he knew. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of her. She no longer had any patience for the RDA. They deserved every bit of heat coming toward them.

"Nix..." He seemed at a loss for words. "You—"

"What're we talkin' about?"

Nix looked to her right, eyes lighting up when she saw Griffin had seated himself at their table. There was gauze wrapped diagonally around his head and his cheekbone bore a gnarly bruise from where he had hit the concrete.

"You're supposed to be resting in the infirmary," Nix said despite the smile on her face.

"Nah, a few stitches can't hold me back," he grinned. "Plus, the food they brought me was cold. I wanted something fresh... you gonna eat that?" He pointed to her shepherd's pie. The second she shook her head, he snatched the tray and started chowing down.

"That was one hell of an adventure today," he spoke with his mouth full. "Who knew you were so fun."

Nix bit her tongue to suppress her laughter. She was surprised by his enthusiasm even after busting his head open. Roman, however, looked unimpressed.

"It was stupid leaving unsupervised," he scolded them like he would his own children. "Both of you pinheads are lucky to be alive. You should know better, especially you, Stokes. You're older, yet you let her drag you into this mess."

"I wouldn't say I let her..." Griffin muttered like a scorned puppy.

Nix, however, ignored Roman as she focused in on the table behind him — or rather, who was sitting at it. Corporal Lee was watching her like a hawk while his fellow marines chatted around him. It was clear he had become suspicious of both her and Griffin — but especially her. She knew he thought of her as some naive tree-hugger that cared more about the natives than her own people. But he would never speak of her like that to the general, not unless he wanted his ass sent back to Earth.

Nix would have to be more careful around him.

"Are you going to tell anyone... That I'm the mole?" she asked, her worried gaze panning back to Roman.

"Of course not," he answered without an ounce of hesitation. "But you ought to be more careful. If anyone finds out you were fraternizing with the Na'vi, it'll be a shit-show."

Nix would have to keep that in mind for tomorrow. She wasn't sure how she was going to sneak out again to see Neteyam.

She didn't want to disappoint him by being a no-show, but she couldn't let anyone catch on about her secret Na'vi meetings. She was certainly going to have lots more planning to do if she was going to join the resistance. There was nothing and no one — not even her mother — that could hold her back from that.

EVERYTHING WAS DARK, AN INFINITE VOID. Hearing was the first sense that returned to Nix — chittering of the nearby insects. She inhaled green, leafy scents and felt a soft, mossy texture beneath her body.

Finally, her eyelids twitched as she willed them open after regaining consciousness. Her vision was blurry at first, but then she saw the head of a teal ikran with a brown speckled face peeking into her eye-line.

It squawked upon seeing her wake, and she quickly hauled herself into the sitting position. Dazed and confused, she looked around to find she was still in the forest, only it was darker. That's when the memories came back, one at a time. The facility, the freeing of the wildlife, the explosion—

"You're awake," A voice spoke, startling her.

Her head snapped to her right where a na'vi boy jumped off a wide log that connected two trees. He leisurely approached his ikran that had been watching over the stunned human girl.

When Nix got a closer look at his face, she felt an instant comfort. "Neteyam," she breathed. "What..." she looked around, "happened?"

She fisted the grass in an attempt to stand only for his ikran to knock her back with its head. From the way it fluttered its wings, emitting a cackling type of noise, she knew the mountain bird was simply being frisky.

"I think he likes you," Neteyam commented, sounding just as playful. He placed a hand on his ikran, stroking the length of its neck. "Nìflrr, Kilvan (Gently, Kilvan)."

The banshee inched back about a foot, settling into a comfortable stance. Then Neteyam moved toward Nix, who was on her elbows, and squatted down so he was no longer towering over her.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked, sitting up again. "I remember falling from the aircraft... then nothing."

"You fainted from the... win si—what do you humans call it? The rush?" he questioned, searching for the English word.

"Adrenaline rush?" Nix inquired.

"Yes, that." He nodded, contented. "Kilvan caught you in the air."

Nix glanced at the ikran, putting together that that was his name. Then her gaze returned to Neteyam as she moved to sit on her knees. "Thank you, really. You two are always saving me," she said. "But no one else was hurt, right? Your people—"

"We are all fine," he interjected. "A few were injured but none fatal. The ioang were freed, all of them, and the facility is no more. My father says you did good today."

Nix exhaled a breath of relief, feeling the weight on her chest float away. "I'm glad to have been of help," she whispered.

Her eyes danced around the area, taking in the dim glow of the flora. It wasn't completely dark out, the sun casting a purplish-orange hue in the sky. But it was certainly the latest Nix had ever stayed outside of Bridgehead.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Not long... an hour, I think. It is not usual for us to track time the way you sky people do," Neteyam expressed. "Kilvan was determined to guard you until you woke."

"Oh, well, that's sweet of him," she said, earning a pleased croak from the banshee.

"You think so?" Neteyam tilted his head, a frivolous smile tugging at his lips. His gaze was hypnotic and his smile was enough to make Nix flush. "Then what would I be called for rescuing you so many times?"

Nix gave a slow blink, taken aback. Was he flirting with her? No. He wouldn't do that. He was only teasing her.

"I, um—it's late." She cleared her throat and rose to her feet. "I don't want my mother thinking I'm dead."

Neteyam mimicked the action and swiftly stood to his full height. Nix staggered back as he towered over her once again.

"I will take you back," he offered in a mild tone she could not register.

"No," she shook her head. "You can't get too close to the city. Anywhere near the kill-zone is a big no-no for Na'vi."

"You cannot walk on foot. It is too far." His voice grew firm, sounding quite similar to his father's commanding tone. "I can drop you somewhere close. I w—"

Nix frowned when his words fell short. His gleaming eyes flickered to something above her as if taken by surprise. She tilted her head back to find out what he was looking at, and she wasn't disappointed.

An abnormal amount of woodsprites descended from the sky, moving like jellyfish. Nix had never seen so many at once. And the oddest part was that a swarm of them were floating toward her, trying to land on any open spot across her body.

"Atokirina'," Neteyam muttered in awe.

There has never been much information on the woodsprites. Though Nix knew they were gentle spirits — seeds of the great tree — but they were typically a rare sight. Never had she heard of them approaching humans before.

"Whoa." She held in her breath as they landed along her shoulders and arms. "What are they doing?"

Their bright, white glow reflected off Neteyam's face and body as he circled Nix, taking in the special moment.

"They have chosen you," he voiced calmly, standing in front of her again. "Eywa sees you, little human."

"Chosen? Like Harry Potter?" She repeated breathlessly. When she saw his confusion ignite, she shook her head. "Never mind."

She observed the creatures that were probably the only thing on Pandora smaller than her. Their tentacle-like appendages tickled her skin, and she couldn't refrain from giggling. When she redirected her attention toward Neteyam, staring up at his face, she could see a light that danced in his yellow eyes. His pupils were large and round, staring right back at her, almost like he was mesmerized.

Eventually, the sacred spirits started to float away like little dandelion seeds. Nix stared in amazement as they ascended the sky once more.

"Come." Neteyam caught her attention by seizing her upper arm. "I will take you to the clan, tell them of what happened here."

Nix could see how keen he was as he guided her toward his ikran. When she spotted her messenger bag hanging across the saddle, she plucked it off, grateful it had also been preserved.

"I can't go now, Neteyam," she told him, slipping from his grasp. "I really need to get home."

She couldn't help but notice the disappointment flash across his face. In realization, she took his hand, clutching his three fingers. "But tomorrow, I can come back. I'll go to that camp... you can take me to your clan then."

Neteyam glanced down at her hand, barely the size of his own. He thought all humans were physically weak, their smaller size made them fragile. But looking at Nix, he realized they weren't weak at all. Someone weak and small-minded wouldn't have gone out of their way to save so many innocents.

"I will take you back," he offered again, though it wasn't really an offer.

Nix pressed her lips together as she knew she wouldn't change his mind. "All right," she nodded.

She released his hand to slip her bag over her shoulder. Then she looked at Kilvan who shifted slightly, waiting to take flight.

"Um..." She glanced between the banshee and Neteyam. "How do I—Oh!"

She let out a yelp when Neteyam clutched her waist and lifted her off the ground, placing her atop the saddle. He snickered at her reaction before hopping on behind her.

Nix felt Kilvan's leathery skin beneath her palms as she steadied herself while Neteyam reached around her to connect his queue. 

She stiffened when she felt his chest press against her backside as he snaked his hands underneath her arms, gripping both of Kilvan's queues in order to steer.

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall," he spoke beside her ear, assuming that was the reason for her sudden tension.

Nix didn't have a chance to respond as he let out a noise that resembled a bird call. In an instant, Kilvan gave an eager screech before taking off.

A high-pitched squeal tore from Nix, her stomach flipping and churning as if she were on a rollercoaster. Her body fell further into Neteyam as his ikran ascended vertically into the air, flapping his powerful wings.

Once they were high enough above the trees, Neteyam made a clicking sound with his tongue, and Kilvan pivoted to fly horizontally.

"Oh, God." Nix exhaled. She gripped the saddle tightly as she looked down and saw how far up they'd gone. Kilvan was now coasting the wind, only flapping his wings to maintain momentum.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" Neteyam asked. "My home from above."

At his words, Nix took in the scenery. The forest was spread out before her like an open sea of green. It was bigger than she could have ever imagined. To her right, in the far distance, there were floating land masses hidden behind thick clouds — the Hallelujah Mountains. On her left, there were great big rock formations, creating godly arches and clipped mountains where the sun gradually disappeared behind the horizon.

"It's breathtaking," Nix awed. Her heart rate significantly slowed as she ignored how high she was, and focused on the welcoming beauty of Pandora instead. "I could get used to this."

"Maybe you will," Neteyam said, and she could almost hear his smile. "Kilvan does not mind riding with you. Isn't that right, boy?"

As Neteyam patted his side, Kilvan squawked like he might agree. Nix giggled while leaning forward to stroke the side of his neck.

"I think I might like riding with him, too."

As they continued flying straight toward Bridgehead, toward the sea, Nix was starting to accept that this was what she was meant to be doing. Saving the wildlife, helping the natives, and accepting all Pandora had to offer.

Going back to Earth wasn't an option anymore. She'd spend the rest of her days protecting her new home if she had to. This was her new purpose.

ANXIOUS CHILLS RAKED DOWN NIX'S SPINE AS SHE PUT ON A CASUAL FRONT. After going over the plan with the other warriors and trading walkie-talkies with Jake, the two humans set off toward the heavily guarded science facility.

Griffin parked the buggy near the loading bay, where the entrance had one man on security, holding an assault rifle. The blond pivoted on his heel when he spotted the pair approaching.

Griffin instantly recognized him, and when to dap him up. "Lee, my man."

Corporal Lee, however, didn't move. He stared Griffin down with a deadpan look. In turn, Griffin brushed a hand through his hair, unfazed by the corporal's impassiveness.

"State your names and purpose." Although Lee knew who both of them were, it was a mandatory precaution.

"Sutton Ardmore and Griffin Stokes," Nix told him, giving their full government names. "We came to fix the glitch in the security cameras. The best engineer was requested for the fix."

Griffin stuffed his hands in his pockets, enjoying the flattery even if it was false.

"And I—well, my mom said I could come as long as I stayed inside the building," Nix concluded, forcing the tremble out of her voice.

Corporal Lee scrutinized them for a moment. Nix feared her lies might not have been so thought out until she heard him mutter something into his earpiece.

On cue, the sliding door to the facility opened with a hissing sound as air was released from the entry hall. "Go ahead," Lee said, granting them entry.

Griffin and Nix exchanged a subtle glance before stepping through the door. It slid shut behind them, suctioning the Pandoran air out before the next set of double doors opened up.

As they eased into the facility, they removed their air-masks, taking in gulps of fresh oxygen. Nix shoved hers into her bag while Griffin slung his around his neck.

"D'you really think I'm the best engineer?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course I do," she said truthfully. "It's why I asked for your help."

"That and 'cause you can trust me," he added smugly, though his grin faded a little. "Shit. I hope Lee doesn't realize that's his buggy I was driving."

"I feel that should be the least of our worries right now," Nix stated as she pulled out her transceiver. She looked around to make sure no one was watching as she held it to her lips. "Devil Dog, we're in."

There was a brief pause before Jake's response. "Aardwolf, state your pos."

"We're heading to the control room. Give us five minutes. Over." Nix put the walkie away before glimpsing Griffin's sly expression. "What?"

"I see the name's catching on," he commented.

"I never said it was bad," she replied briefly, not wanting to lose focus. "Come on, we better hurry."

They set off down the lobby, past the open study, and turned left, entering a narrow corridor. There were several metal doors on each side, each room labeled in regards to biology, chemistry, etc.

When they reached the end of the hallway, the last room on the right had a 'restricted access' sign on the door. Nix peeped through the square window in the center and saw a man sitting in front of a bunch of monitors — security footage.

The man was eating a bag of chips, hardly paying mind to the screens. Though he jolted when Nix tapped on the door.

He quickly stood, dusting the crumbs off his uniform before coming over. "What's the problem?" he voice came through muffled.

"We're here to fix a glitch in the system," Nix informed calmly. The security guard dithered as he stared through the glass window. "General Ardmore said there was a report made earlier."

The mere mention of the general was enough for the man to open the door and let them in.

"I wasn't aware of any glitch," he stated, perplexed. He followed Nix to the monitors which displayed every room and angle of the facility, inside and out.

"One of the scientists made a complaint about a flickering camera in the bio lab... said the electromagnetic waves were messing with his recordings," Nix said, lying out of her ass. She wasn't really sure what she was even saying, but the words flowed out without a doubt in the way.

Covering his mouth with his fist, Griffin let out a cough to conceal his laughter. The security guard glanced at him warily before approaching his desk. There were three small screens set up side by side and eight giant screens on the wall above the desk.

He used his mouse to flick through each setting until he found the bio lab's camera. Nix felt her chest grow tight when there was neither a scientist nor a glitchy camera.

"There doesn't seem to be a problem." The guard panned his gaze toward Nix suspiciously. "Who was it that made th—"

He was cut off when Griffin pounced on him from behind, locking an arm around his neck. Nix jumped back, stifling a yelp with her hand. With eyes as wide as saucers, she watched the guard struggle while getting choked out.

Eventually, the guard fell unconscious, and Griffin set him gently on the ground before releasing him. The engineer exhaled dramatically while reaching into his pocket and pulling out his Lucky Strikes.

"Did you just—" Nix couldn't finish her sentence.

"He'll be alright," Griffin assured while lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

"What about when he wakes up? He's gonna tell the general about what you did," she voiced, rather distressed.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Griffin shrugged it off. Then he motioned toward the monitors. "Hurry. We've got about two minutes before he wakes up and everything turns to shit."

Nix felt her blood pressure spike, and her brain kicked into flight or fight mode now that there was actually a time crunch.

She rushed toward the computer screen, frantically clicking the mouse to find where they were keeping the thanators. She scanned every room until she reached the underground level.

As her gaze flicked to the screens on the wall, her heart nearly stopped beating. There were multiple rooms, multiple animals — not just thanators — all locked up in cages, being used for study.

Each cell held a different creature: Prolemuris, Viperwolf, Stormglider, Direhorse, Austrapede... so many more. They all looked miserable and frightened.

Nix felt sick as she stepped back, trying to process the sight before her. Griffin, on the other hand, moved closer to examine the cages.

"There doesn't seem to be a latch on the cells." The cigarette bounced between his lips as he spoke. "There's gotta be some kind of button or control that can get them all open, right? We won't wanna be here when they get out."

When Nix didn't respond, he slowly turned to face her. Panic set when he saw her attention was stuck on the horrifying footage, tears brimming her eyes.

"No, no, no—you can't cry now, Nix," he stressed. "Wait until after we set them free, alright? We've got to finish this."

"The—these aren't the only ones—I just know it." Her lip quivered as she wiped her eyes. "There's more facilities. That's got to mean there's more animals being—"

"Nix," Griffin clutched her shoulders, "you can't think about that. Saving 'em all is near-impossible. But the ones in here right now, we can still set 'em free. Now get it together."

Nix sucked in a deep, trembling breath as he released her. She nodded before reaching for her walkie again. "We found the thanators but, um, they... there's more."

Static came in before a response. "More?"

"More wildlife," she revealed, gripping the device tightly. "We're going to release them all, and then—" She paused, struggling to keep her composure. "I want you to blow this place. Over."

Griffin initially looked shocked by her brazen demand. And Nix didn't wait for a response from Jake as she put the walkie away.

"The control must be in one of the labs," Nix said as she moved back to the monitor to check the rooms.

"There," Griffin pointed to the bio lab screen. "Look at the remote on that desk. It has too many buttons to not be the one."

"That doesn't mean it's the one—" Nix argued, but she startled when the security guard let out a groan as his body twitched. He was starting to wake up.

"That might be our cue to leave," Griffin suggested. He dropped his cigarette and smooshed it beneath his shoe. "Let's get outta here."

Nix nodded in agreement, and they both headed for the door. Luckily for them, the bio lab was just in reach, residing on the opposite end of the corridor.

They made their way down as inconspicuously as possible with Nix entering the room first while Griffin waited beside the door to keep watch.

Immediately, she spotted the white control with at least sixteen multicolored buttons on it. She swiped it off the desk and rushed back over to Griffin.

"No labels," she voiced, frantic. "Which button opens the cages?"

"No harm in spammin' them all," he said. "This place is about to get blown to smithereens soon enough."

When it came to it, Nix hesitated, afraid there might be negative results. Griffin, on the other hand, seemed to have no fear in the moment. He just took the remote from her and started jabbing every single button — red, green, blue, yellow, didn't matter. They were all pressed.

Instantaneously, the emergency lights began flashing through the halls, followed by loud sirens.

Nix covered her ears at the high-pitched wailing, the red-and-white lights casting shadows across her panicked face. Griffin's head snapped to the door when gunshots abruptly set off, screams and deep snarls subsequently mixing together.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. "C'mon, we gotta go."

Nix felt his hands clasp around her wrists, pulling them away from her ears. She could see the unease in his eyes. It was subtle, masked very well, but still there.

"Put your mask back on," he told her while sliding his over his face.

Nix did the same, securing the band with shaky hands. She swallowed back her fright before following Griffin out of the laboratory.

They stayed hidden behind the corner at the end of the hall. Griffin peeked his head around to make sure the lobby was clear. The doors were wide open and several creatures could be seen escaping the facility.

"Damn. You did it, Nix." Griffin looked at her with a proud smirk. She felt relief as he seized her hand and led her into the lobby.

"Help me!"

They jolted when a male scientist came running down another slender hallway. His white coat was bloodied and his cheek and pants were covered in scratch marks. More gunshots ensued — from both outside and inside.

"Help—" The scientist hollered as three viperwolves bounded the corner, chasing after him.

"Don't look." Griffin tried shielding Nix from the scene but it was too late.

The viperwolves pounced on the man, knocking him to the ground. His agonizing screams pierced her brain as the pack latched their teeth into him, ripping him apart.

As if things couldn't get worse, a familiar roar echoed across the facility. Louder than the sirens, fiercer than the viperwolves. Nix's blood ran cold.

Slowly, she turned toward the corridor she'd just exited. A panther-like creature entered her view from the other end. Its sharp canines were on display, making her heart pound rapidly as it began stalking toward them.

"We save their lives, and this is the thanks we get?" Griffin mumbled as he locked eyes with the hungry thanator. "Come on!"

Nix yelped as he barreled toward the exit, yanking her with him. She heard the thanator's growls and padding feet trailing a bit too closely behind.

As soon as they made it past the exit, they were bombarded with the overwhelming sight of Na'vi warriors riding atop their ikrans, shooting arrows at the RDA soldiers, protecting the fleeing fauna.

Nix and Griffin didn't stop running. They continued until the buggy entered their field of vision. They were almost there—

The blast wave of an explosion blew them backward. Nix cried out as her hip and shoulder smacked against the concrete. A rouge missile had destroyed their vehicle.

The ground rumbled beneath Nix as she attempted to push herself upright. Her ears were ringing and her vision blurry. She thought she saw something approaching her, something big... something animal.

She tried blinking her eyes to clear the blur. It was hard, but it eventually worked. But then she wished she hadn't when she saw the same thanator.

She scrambled backwards to get away, only to bump into Griffin's unconscious body. Her lips parted into a silent gasp as she saw blood leaking from his forehead.

Her focus darted back to the thanator as it was creeping closer, crouching low, ready to pounce. A fearful whimper escaped her. A scream bubbled up in her throat when a giant AMP leg kicked the creature away.

Its body flew several yards, emitting a drawn-out whine. Although it almost killed Nix, she was relieved by its expiditious recovery as scampered toward the trees.

"Damnit, Nix!" The man in the AMP shouted. She quickly looked at him and realized it was Roman. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

There was a Samson aircraft behind him, waiting for takeoff. Roman swiftly unlocked the top to his AMP suit while simultaneously unbuckling himself. He then climbed down, and rushed to help Nix up.

"No, wait—" She moved toward Griffin, grabbing his shoulders. "He hit his head."

"Help me get him to the aircraft," Roman demanded.

Together, the two of them lifted him up and began shuffling toward the large ship. Thankfully, there were no doors attached on either side, allowing them to ease Griffin inside.

Roman sat him upright, securing him with a seatbelt before rushing to the other side with Nix hot on his heels.

"Fly this bird!" Roman shouted at the pilot as he climbed inside. Nix stepped onto the landing ski just as the aircraft started to rise. "Get in!"

She reached for his hand to pull herself in when the ship surged upward, rocking slightly. Her body wobbled, eyes widening as she looked down to see they were already high off the ground.

In her peripherals, she saw black smoke rising and crackling fire coming from the facility. And then, an ear-shattering explosion set off, louder than any she'd ever heard.

The blast wave, however, caused the aircraft to tilt on its axis, the vehicle flying back several feet. Nix lost her grip, unable to hold her weight as her hands clammed up due to the pressure and heat.

Roman's voice was the last thing she heard before she fell. "Nix!"

MURMURING, CHATTERING, REVERBERATING CAWS — Nix could hear it all from where she sat in the miniature resting camp that was built high up in a stairfoot tree. The brown cushion beneath her was quite comfortable as she kept to herself in the corner, recording the surrounding wildlife in her journal. 

There was a wide stream down below that currently harbored a family of austrapedes (a mix between a flamingo and ostrich, for reference). Though they didn't have any feathers, just tough orange skin with purple stripes.

Nix was fully engrossed in her observation as they weren't a common species to spot, especially not anywhere near RDA bases. Austrapedes are gentle mammals — similar to the Pandoran monkeys. They frightened easily, and humans were just about one of the noisiest creatures on this moon, which is why Nix was trying to avoid too much movement.

Spider and Lo'ak, on the other hand, were not on the same page. They were chatting up a storm, recalling a memory of when Lo'ak became an ikran rider. And from what Nix gathered by listening in, it took him two attempts to tame an ikran whereas his sister, Kiri, had just waltzed up to hers and asked it to be her friend.

The only ikran currently in the area was perched on the branch of a nearby tree, and it belonged to Lo'ak. Nix couldn't help but admire the creature. He was a beautiful blue color with brown-and-purple markings, and he gave off a more ludic energy than Neteyam's ikran. He even let out a high squawk as if sharing Lo'ak's excitement during the recounting of his iknimaya.

Though, unfortunately, the blaring noise startled the austrapedes. Nix grimaced as the flightless birds flapped their little wings rapidly before scurrying down the riverbed.

"Hey. Bro." Spider suddenly nudged Lo'ak. "We haven't heard from Neteyam in a while. You think he's okay?"

"I don't know..." Lo'ak paused, glancing at Nix. He then leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice. "Säsyepit peu txo fìpol? (What if this was a trap?)"

The air seemed to shift, the mood instantly souring at his question. Nix let out a small sigh as she closed her journal and shoved it inside her bag. She rose to her feet, pulling the strap over her shoulder as she turned to face the two boys.

"I may not be able to understand you, but I do know how to use context clues," she said in no particular manner. "I know you think you can't trust me—I wouldn't either if I were you, but I really do just want to help the wildlife here. I don't agree with what the RDA is doing. That's why I came out here. To save the thanators."

The two of them shared a contemplative look. "Oengal oe fpeiyìl poeti tsun mivong (I think we can trust her)," said Spider.

Although Nix couldn't understand him, she knew he'd said something at least remotely positive from the assured expression he wore.

"Eagle Eye, you there?" A muffled voice came from the radio technology around Lo'ak's neck.

The boy quickly responded, pressing some kind of button while he spoke. "I'm here."

"What's your 20?"

"We're at the old camp..." His voice faded out as he moved through the twelve-foot opening in the tree trunk. The interior had been hollowed out, creating a pathway from one side of the platform to the other.

Nix and Spider exchanged awkward glances as the na'vi boy left them alone.

"I like your stripes," Nix observed the blue paint across his body which made him seem like he was cosplaying. "Did you do them yourself?"

"No." He looked down at the fading color on his arms, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Kiri did it for me."

"Kiri," Nix mused. She had read that Kiri was also one of Jake's children, and after hearing the tale of how she acquired her ikran in such an abnormal way — at an age much younger than usual — Nix was intrigued. "She sounds nice."

A ray of warmth reflected across Spider's face. "She is—"

He was interrupted when Lo'ak came back over, seemingly in a rush. "My dad," he paused in front of Nix, "he wants to speak with you."

Her eyebrows rose, dread filling her gut of what was to come. Of course she was scared. This was all happening so fast, and now the olo'eyktan wanted to talk to her of all people. But she reminded herself that that was a good thing. This was a necessary deed to save the wildlife, even if she was putting herself at risk.

"Okay," she breathed out, nodding. "Lead the way."

☽◯☾

Nix was a cheetah gliding through the forest, or at least that's what it felt like with Griffin driving Corporal Lee's buggy at the speed of lightning.

After Jake Sully expressed his urgency to meet with Nix, she was informed by Lo'ak that a group of warriors were gathering near the SciOps facility out west. They were to meet with them there, but Nix wasn't about to take another ride on an ikran. That was much too high for her liking. Instead, she radioed Griffin, who'd been waiting patiently at the drill site like she asked him to.

When he pulled up at the camp, he was completely bamboozled by the fact that there was a na'vi boy with her and another human boy cosplaying as one of the natives. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she opted to fill Griffin in on everything during the fifteen-minute trip to the laboratory. She told him about the thanators and Neteyam — how he rescued her from death twice in a week's span.

Now, a rumbling silence filled the buggy. They were almost at the facility, and Griffin didn't seem at all bothered by her association with the Na'vi — or maybe he was, but decided to keep his disapproval to himself.

Craning her neck to look up at the sky, Nix saw Lo'ak's ikran gliding through the air above the buggy. Spider, much to his dismay, was ordered to return to high camp as his help wouldn't be useful in this particular situation. He would only get in the way.

"Curve to the right a bit," Nix directed as she fixed her gaze on the pathway ahead of her. "We're just about there."

"I wish you would've told me this secret mission involved chumming with the enemy," Griffin stated, sounding just a little stressed. "I didn't peg you as the double-agent type. Working against the RDA—against your mother?" There was a brief pause, which worried Nix. She didn't need another scolding right now but, to her surprise, that's not what Griffin was thinking. Instead, he said, "That's pretty badass."

She was holding the metal bar above her head, unable to see his face. However, his tone was enough to let her know he was impressed

"I'm sorry for bringing you into this," she apologized. "I don't want you getting in trouble for me, but I didn't know who else to turn to. All I want is to put a stop to the experimentations on the animals here. And I think the Na'vi are willing to help with that — at least I hope they are."

A slight pout formed on her lips when sudden laughter emitted from Griffin. It was lighthearted and amused. "You don't gotta apologize," he said. "I don't mind going rogue sometimes."

"Yeah, but this isn't exactly an—" she cut herself off when she spotted a group of blue warriors ahead. They were among the trees, gathering around the hidden clearing as their ikrans perched themselves atop high branches.

"Jesus," Griffin muttered. "What've you gotten us into Nix?"

She already asked herself that question numerous times but came up answerless. "I thought you liked going rogue."

When the buggy rolled to a stop a few yards away, Nix took in a deep breath to calm her thrumming heart as she climbed out of the vehicle. She waited for Griffin to do the same before starting a slow approach toward the Na'vi.

Her tan army boots padded quietly against the forest floor, whereas Griffin wasn't so graceful with his steps. A dead branch crackled beneath his foot, garnering the attention of the native group.

Several blue ears twitched and rotated before the warriors spotted them. Immediately, a bout of hisses and snarls ensued, a few even holding up their bows and spears defensively.

"Mawey, na'vi." A gentle, accent-coated voice spoke. "Tawtutel lehrrap ke kaw'it (The humans are not dangerous)."

Nix watched as they cautiously lowered their weapons, though remained tense. Then Neteyam stepped through the crowd, and she felt the slightest bit of relief permeate her stomach.

"Come," he beckoned her.

Nix glanced at Griffen who appeared to be frozen, his face an abnormal shade of white. "You go ahead," he ushered her. "I'm just gonna hang back here."

"You sure?"

"Go on." He nodded, shooing her with his hand. "I'd rather keep a safe distance between me, the blue people, and their pointy sticks."

Nix shot him a grateful smile. She knew he was probably scared shitless being here, but he did it anyway. That meant so much to her.

With that, she turned toward Neteyam who outstretched his hand. It took a couple of quick strides to reach him, and when she did, she very hesitantly took it. She felt his fingers brush her wrist — they were triple the size of her own — as he led her to his people.

In the center stood Jake Sully in all his glory. Beside him was a deep blue ikran that seemed a tad larger than the rest. Nix couldn't help but feel intimated by his presence, and she avoided eye-contact with both him and his banshee.

"This is Nix," Neteyam introduced as he released her hand. "The one who warned me about the sky people and what they have done to the palulukan."

"Nix," Jake repeated as if familiar with the name. "The general's daughter?"

Nix finally lifted her head to meet his yellow gaze. Her eyes widened slightly, taken aback by his authoritative demeanor. He was much taller than his son, though his eyes held the same benevolence as Neteyam's.

"How'd you know?" she asked softly.

"Ardmore mentioned you once—a year ago. She thought we could come to an understanding for the sake of both our children," Jake explained, straight-faced. "She lacked sincerity."

Nix noted his speculative expression as he silently questioned whether or not she was the same. She was young, yes, but that didn't mean she wasn't old enough to make her own decisions. She wanted to prove him of  her earnest.

"I-I love my mother but that isn't a quality we share," she expressed, visibly nervous. "And I, um, I know what she's doing is wrong. All I want is to prevent more suffering. This is my home now, too... I want to protect it... just like you."

"I believe she speaks the truth," offered Neteyam.

Jake's eyes swept over his son, considering his stance for a moment before circling back to Nix.

"And you'd betray your mother for this?"

Nix shook her head, as though he had her mistaken. "The only person I'd be betraying is myself if I didn't do this."

His eyebrows pressed slightly at that. It seemed her words very transparently now, and on some level, he could relate. At one point, he was human just like her and in the same position of having to choose between the sky people and the Na'vi. He made the choice to protect his people and to save his clan. Sometimes he forgets he is no longer human. But he would never forget the feeling of belonging. Perhaps that is what Nix was looking for.

"Alright, kid," he stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder, "Then we could use your help getting inside the facility."

Nix let out a small breath. The thick bubble around them, full of tension, had finally popped. She glanced at Neteyam and saw his face painted with gratification. The sight eased her nerves and made her smile.

In that moment, a whooshing sounded from behind the crowd. Everyone turned as an ikran landed in front of Griffin and the buggy. It was Lo'ak.

The young warrior unlatched his queue, hopping off his banshee as he came over. "Dad, I scanned the perimeter like you asked. There are five AMPs patrolling the building, six soldiers with assault rifles, and two missiles on either side."

The mere mention of missiles caused Jake to grimace. Nix knew they needed to figure out a way to get around them without drawing attention. Destroying them would cause too much noise.

"What if I went inside?" she offered thoughtlessly. Her voice came out rather quietly, and if it weren't for their great hearing, Jake wouldn't have caught it.

He swiveled to look at her, his dubious expression enough of a question.

She knew what she was suggesting was insane. If she got caught, her mother would never forgive her — or worse, she'd be locked up, probably have someone watching her at all times. She'd never be able to leave Bridgehead again. But... saving the thanators meant more than playing it safe.

"I'm the general's daughter," she reminded. "I dunno, maybe I could say I'm there to relay a message from her to gain access to the office—they keep spare keys to everything in there. I can find the one that unlocks whatever cage they're keeping the thanators in while you ambush the SecOps."

"You sure you're up for it?" Jake asked, like there was any other choice. "Once you're inside, we can't protect you."

"I'm up for it," Nix affirmed. "Whatever it takes to help."

"The brave tawtute," Neteyam spoke teasingly. "Coming to the rescue."

Nix gazed at him, noting the way his mouth curled in confidence. It was a nice smile, she thought.

"Alright, then we gotta act fast," Jake said, stealing her focus again. "You get in, get the thanators out, and leave. No lollygagging. We'll handle the rest."

Nix took in his words and felt his commanding tone. It reminded her of her own father. For once, she felt a sense of belonging, like this is what she was meant to do.

Her father would have told her to do what felt right, and in her heart, she believed this was it.

NIX MAY HAVE UNDERESTIMATED TIME WHEN SHE LEFT TO SEARCH FOR NETEYAM. Of course she knew that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. However, she hadn't expected to wander the forest for almost two hours with not a single sign of any blue, eight-foot-tall na'vi.

"Aardwolf, come in." The walkie inside her bag went off, emitting Griffin's voice.

Nix fished the device out and static came from the receiver as she held the button down and asked, "Aardwolf?"

"It's your codename," Griffin informed like it should've been obvious. "It's better we don't use our actual names on radio. You never know who could be listening."

"Makes sense," Nix agreed, not having thought of that. "So then, what's your super-secret codename?"

"Serpent scale."

She giggled at that, finding it a tad silly. "I think yours is cooler than mine."

"But yours fits you," he countered.

"You think?"

"Aardwolves are sort of timid, y'know, prefer to avoid attention and all that. But when threatened, they grow freakishly loud and protective, just like you."

"Are you calling me a freak?" she asked, her tone made a playful accusation.

"What? Nah—Nix, I—"

"I like it. Aardwolf is nice," she cut off his rambling with a soft smile. "So why'd you hit me up?"

"Just checkin' in."

As Nix was about to respond, she came to a halt when a sudden noise sounded from her left. Either shuffling or crunching, she couldn't be sure until she heard it again — it was definitely the sound of giant leaves being crunched.

"Okay, well, I'm all good here. I'll talk to you in a few," she frantically whispered into the walkie before shutting it off.

She put the device back inside her bag before deciding to track where the echoing noise was coming from.

It took slow and calculated steps to avoid drawing attention to herself. She learned many months ago that being quiet in these forests could save your life. She was probably not a swift and nimble as the Na'vi, but her stealth had definitely improved on Pandora.

Coming up behind a purple, ten-foot octoshroom, she used the massive fungi to conceal her body. And when the crunching sounded again, she leaned over slightly to peek at whatever was causing it.

To her surprise, it was a hammerhead titantothere — one of the largest land animals on Pandora.

It was even bigger than the octoshroom she hid behind, its height a whopping twenty-one feet. This lone animal appeared to be munching on some leafy greens, but Nix knew there were more. They always traveled in herds, so its group must not have been very far.

Though fascinated, she immediately caught herself  holding her breath. If even a single sound was made, the titantothere would become aware of her presence. Their long-distance vision wasn't so great, but they made up for it in their acute hearing.

Unfortunately, Nix didn't seem to have all her facts straight as Titantotheres also have a strong sense of smell, and it had sniffed her out from the moment she'd appeared.

The creature pivoted on its six legs and emitted a warning cry. Her eyes blew wide as it raised the multicolored flaps above its head, signaling that it did not want conflict but would attack if needed. It was just a bluff, which dimmed just a small portion of her panic. She had wandered upon its territory, of course it'd become defensive.

Gradually, Nix began to back away from the octoshroom though not without cursing herself for being so curious. She retraced her steps to avoid tripping over any vines or interlinking tree roots or giant plants that puff out icy-cold air.

She knew she was in the clear when the titantothere finally turned away, its colorful fan falling back behind its head.

She allowed herself to breathe again, though that relief lasted maybe a whopping five seconds when something let out a deep, rumbling growl from behind her.

Her veins prickled like ice as each individual hair stood up on her arms. Her heart skipped several a beats as she slowly spun on her heel. The sight before her nearly caused her to swallow her tongue as pure terror shot up her spine.

A thanator.

I'm dead, she thought instantly, deader than dead.

Thanators are the fastest, the fiercest, and the scariest predators among the forest. Running would not help Nix nor would climbing up a tree like she did with those viperwolves. She was done for — everything was prey to a thanator, even Na'vi.

But this one still had its neural queue. It wasn't a feral. It was just hungry. And now she had become its next meal.

Or so she thought.

A distressed cry tore from her throat when something dove down and swept her off her feet. Her body suddenly felt weightless. It was until she looked down that she was way too far from the ground. When she looked up again, the wind began to sting her eyes from how fast she was soaring through the air. The sound of wings flapping behind her only induced more panic as she turned her head to find her bag in the mouth of a mountain banshee — or formally known as an ikran by the Na'vi.

The ikran flew toward some kind of wooden platform high in the canopy. It almost looked like a treehouse. Nix didn't have much time to ponder on it when she was abruptly dropped, not very gently, onto the platform, landing on her hands and knees.

She winced at the pain that radiated through her joints. Wind clawed at her lungs and she needed a moment to recover and allow the throbbing to wane before pushing to stand on her feet. She had no idea if this was a rescue or a kidnapping until she looked up and saw the ikran had landed on a wide branch, its rider disconnecting his queue as he hopped off. Neteyam.

"Bro, who is that?"

Nix's gaze snapped toward her left to see two boys standing near an unlit fire pit. What startled her was the fact that one of them was human dressed in Na'vi cloth.

"She looks like you, Spider," the na'vi boy teased, bumping his arm.

The human named Spider rolled his eyes. "Not all of us look alike, you know."

"You sky people aren't very bright, are you?"

Bemused, Nix's focus bounced back toward Neteyam as he confidently approached.

"The forest will swallow those who are alone and unsuspecting. Your tìktseri will result in your death," he spoke, face alight with amusement. "How many times will I have to save you?"

"Tìkt...seri?" she echoed, uncomprehending.

"It means unawareness," Spider translated.

Nix studied him for a moment, taking in his blond locks and brown eyes. He did not look familiar. However, the na'vi boy beside him did. She'd seen holographic pictures of him just like Neteyam. Then it hit her... he too was one of Jake Sully's children.

Lo'ak.

Remembering why she was out here in the first place, Nix stepped toward Neteyam. "I came to ask for your help."

"My help?" Neteyam sounded surprised. "What could the little human need my assistance for?"

"There's a facility not far from Bridgehead—eight miles out west, I think," she informed urgently. "They are capturing thanators, experimenting on them, turning them feral."

"Feral palulukan?" Lo'ak asked, his eyebrows raising.

"Yes," Nix nodded. "They are sending more military personnel out there as soon as they can—to protect the scientists and to kill the thanators." Her tone was plagued with trouble as she looked toward Neteyam again. "You... I need your help—your people's help to destroy the base before they can hurt any more wildlife. There are many SecOps there but if you remain hidden in the trees, we could ambush them."

Neteyam looked at his brother, then Spider. The three shared speculative glances.

"Nga fpängìl piveng poe tìngay? (Do you think she is telling the truth?)" asked Lo'ak.

Confusion etched itself upon Nix's face. She was starting to regret not spending enough time learning Na'vi. She tried at first, but ultimately slacked off after a few weeks. She just never thought she'd need to as interacting with the natives was highly unlikely, and she certainly never expected to be interacting with the Omatikaya clan leader's children like this.

"Oel fpìl nìftxan (I think so)," Neteyam said, returning his attention to Nix. "Why are you telling us? We are your enemy."

Nix shook her head, disliking that word. "I may be one of the sky people, but I do not hold their values. I've cherished Pandora as if it were my own home... you are not my enemy."

Neteyam's pupils blew wide again, just like how they did last week after he saved her from the viperwolves. Although his yellow eyes were sharp, the emotion held within them was of gentle nature.

Nix could tell he was conflicted, that perhaps he didn't want to view her as the enemy either. Yet humans have proven themselves untrustworthy time and time again. His mother has only ever spoken ill of them, saw them as demons. But his father was born of the sky people, and he proved himself honorable — became Toruk Makto and olo'eyktan.

After a long bout of silence, Spider spoke up. "Maybe we should tell Jake," he suggested to the boys, apprehensive.

"He's right, bro. C'mon—" Lo'ak ushered, but Neteyam caught his arm.

"No, I will get Dad. You stay and watch over the human," he ordered before circling back toward his teal-patterned banshee, leaping gracefully onto the saddle.

The three on the platform watched as he let out a powerful command, and his banshee took flight once more. Nix trailed him with her eyes, squinting as he soared above the trees, the sun blaring from behind the mountain peaks.

"You think she has a name?" Lo'ak mumbled to Spider, not so discreetly.

Nix pivoted slightly as his question garnered her attention. He was observing her like she was some kind of bizarre species.

"Obviously, idiot," Spider replied, keeping his voice low. "We all have names."

Intrigued by this strange girl who somehow knew his brother, Lo'ak inched closer to her. He gripped the beam beside him made of bamboo — Nix noticed he had five digits, unlike Neteyam who only had four.

"So, what do they call you?" Lo'ak inquired.

She glanced between him and Spider, her nerves flaring up in the presence of strangers. She awkwardly fiddled with her bag as she found herself huddling in the corner near the interior of the tree. There were cushions and sacks of food inside. A resting place perhaps. Honestly, if it weren't for these two boys eyeing her suspiciously, she might've popped in for a quick nap.

But alas, she decided to answer the question, both briefly and polite.

"Nix."

AN ANTICIPATORY WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE General Ardmore informed her daughter of the birthday gift she was to receive soon. Nix had always loved her birthday from the moment she was old enough to properly understand them. Every year, her special day was spent with Cian — her father — at her place of choice. Sometimes it was an amusement park or zoo or escape room, then they'd would go home, eat cake, wait for Frances to get off work, and finally open presents.

When Nix was thirteen, her father gifted her the leathered journal she now uses religiously. A few pages were full of sketches and little factoids of Earth animals — she always preferred recording information on paper rather than electronics — though the rest of the book belonged to the Pandoran wildlife.

And when she turned fourteen... well, her father died a month before her fourteenth birthday. But her mother swooped in and presented her the trip to Pandora. A better life, is what she called it.

For her fifteenth birthday, she originally wasn't expecting anything at all. But now she was aching to find out what her mother had hidden up her sleeve.

Currently, she was in the Ops command center after just having served breakfast to the hungry Marines before their early morning shifts. It gave her the chance to secretly listening in on the general, who was going over plans with her operating forces.

"Gentleman, our latest intelligence reports indicate increased thanator activity near our base eight miles west." Ardmore stood at the head of the conference table, gesturing to the holographic map projecting above the table. "Due to our SciOps experiments, these thanators are becoming more hostile."

"What are you proposing, General?" asked Corporal Lee. He was the rugged blond-haired, blue-eyed leader with a rotational team of four to five marines. General's pet is what his subordinates called him behind his back.

"We need to bolster our protection immediately, and recapture these feral thanators," Ardmore said, resolute. "I want additional perimeter sensors and a rapid response team on standby. We cannot afford any breaches."

"What about the research team?" Lieutenant Roman Castillo asked, leaning forward in his seat. "Shouldn't we consider relocating them somewhere safer?"

General Ardmore shook her head. "Relocation isn't an option. We need to ensure their safety without disrupting their work."

Nix came over with a steaming pot of coffee and began to refill empty mugs around the table. As she did so, the general tapped a button on the remote control, highlighting several points across the holographic map.

"We'll deploy extra patrols in each of these areas," she said. "We also need to establish a fallback point inside the facility where personnel can retreat if outer defenses are compromised."

"Understood, General," Colonel Delgado stated after taking some notes. He was one of the more laid back officers that commanded a regiment of over three-thousand marines. "I'll coordinate with the engineering team for the reinforcements and the tech division for the upgrades."

"Good." Ardmore nodded, pleased. "And one more thing—I want everyone briefed on the latest data about these wild beasts and their behavior. The more we know about these creatures, the better prepared we'll be."

"We'll organize a briefing session this afternoon. I'll make sure all units are updated on the new protocol," Corporal Lee affirmed.

"All right, stay vigilant gentlemen. Let's execute this plan with precision," General Ardmore concluded. "Dismissed."

As everyone started gathering their things, Nix quickly set the half-full coffee pot on the table and approached the general who was preparing to leave.

"Mom?" As she was about to place a hand on her mother's shoulder, she hesitated. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest, quietly encouraging herself to ask about the plan. "What, um—what are you going to do with the thanators... a-after you... capture them?"

"Well, we can't have them running amok and slaughtering our scientists, can we?" Ardmore asked, a smidge amused.

Nix did not like what that smirk of her mother's alluded. "You're going to kill them?" she presumed, her voice featherlight.

Ardmore released a dreary sigh. "I know you care for these hostiles, but they're too dangerous. For the best interest of everyone, they need to be put down."

When Nix didn't respond, too preoccupied with her racing thoughts, General Ardmore took that as the end of conversation and left the room.

"Nix," Roman called. "Nix."

She snapped out of her daze, and slowly turned to face him, though she couldn't help but focus on the holographic map still open on the table behind him.

"I think it's better you don't tag along today. This isn't an ordinary mission, and I don't want you out there with those feral creatures lurking about."

"Yeah..." she murmured. "Sure."

Roman noticed her zoning out. "Hey, you all right? You've normally got more pep in your step."

"Hm?" She blinked, finally looking at him. "Oh, yeah. I... I think I'm just gonna take a nap. I was up before the sun."

A look of skepticism swept across his face, but he said nothing more as Nix spun on her heel to leave. She was, in fact, not going to take a nap.

If no one else cared, if no one was willing to do anything, then she needed to be the one to step up and help those poor thanators. It wasn't their fault they've turned feral. During experimentations, the scientists will remove their kuru — the neural queue that allows them to connect with Eywa. When that happens, the animals are left with only the desire to kill. It's no longer about the hunt between predator and prey. It was pure, endless destruction. And a void where Eywa once was.

☽◯☾

The workshop beside the airfield was humming with activity. Nix entered with her air-mask slung around her neck and her messenger bag over her shoulder, attempting to look inconspicuous as she scanned the busy engineers.

Spotting the man she was looking for, she made her way toward the welding area, nearing the masked figure working on some complex-looking device.

"Griffin," she called, raising her typically soft voice over the loud, whirring machines. It took a couple of tries for him to actually hear her.

Turning off his blowtorch, he pushed his helmet up to reveal his face. "Nix," he greeted, pleasantly surprised. "A special visit from the general's daughter? I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No," she shook her head. "Do you have a minute?"

"I got a couple," he replied while fully removing his helmet and setting it on the table.

Nix tried not to ogle as he ran a hand through his messy raven locks. He was certainly a sight for sore eyes. Most women on base would probably kill to spend a night with him. Though Nix did find him handsome, he was a bit too old for her.

Forcing herself to stay focused, she strolled to the other side of his station, gesturing for him to follow. They stood in the corner where it was more secluded.

"I was wondering," she spoke lowly, "if you could sneak me out of here."

It looked like his body started lagging for a moment, his brain needing some time to register her request. "Outta here... as in outta Bridgehead?"

When she nodded, he couldn't help the laughter that escaped him. "You're messin' with me, right?"

"Why would I do that?" Nix stared at him, genuinely confused.

"You might as well tell me to light this fire under my ass," He rattled the blowtorch in his hand, "'cause that's what your mom'll do to me if she ever found out."

"I understand that, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," she expressed fervently.

Griffin lifted a dubious brow at her. "What business d'you got outside of base?" He crossed his arms. "Doesn't Castillo take you out there anyway? Why not ask him?"

"He's busy today," she stated without further explanation. "Please, you're the only one I trust who can help me. There's something important I need to do. No one else can know."

For about a minute, she stood under his scrutiny, awaiting an answer. His usual dreamy eyes were now unreadable, his face lacking any emotion.

However, when her brows involuntarily pressed together like a pleading puppy, Griffin let out a theatrical sigh and withdrew a pack of Lucky Strikes from his back pocket.

"Alright," he muttered, placing a cigarette between his lips. Nix jolted as he used the blowtorch to light it. "We'll use one of the old service tunnels. They're less monitored."

"Won't we need an aircraft to get out?" she asked, scurrying behind him when he started toward the automotive area.

"Nah, we can take a buggy," he said as he approached an old rustic-green one. "I'm sure Corporal Lee won't mind us borrowing it. I told him it needed to be repaired so I could install a mod into the radio."

Nix eyed the vehicle half amused, half concerned. "What kind of mod?"

"One that plays funky disco music whenever someone says the word 'fire'," he admitted with a devious chuckle.

"I—um, I'd think that's dangerous, no?" Nix questioned, considering how often those sort of words were used among the military, specifically during battle.

Griffin shrugged, unbothered. "It only lasts about twenty seconds—give or take."

"Right..." she drawled. That was enough to get killed. "Anyway, if we're going to do this, then we better hurry. I'm kinda on a time crunch."

☽◯☾

The hardest part about sneaking out of the base was avoiding the patrols. Fortunately for Nix, this wasn't the first time Griffin had left without authorization. He knew the city's less monitored routes like the back of his hand.

He had set a timer to temporarily disable the security cameras and sensors, so when they reached the main gate, their buggy made it through the kill zone without notice.

Nix felt her body relax when the vehicle finally disappeared through the trees. They were following a bumpy path to an oil rig southwest of the main city with Nix giving instructions to Griffin every so often. Just like he knew every inch of the city, she was the exact same with this particular forest.

"I don't wanna assume, but this isn't your first time sneaking out, is it?" Nix asked from the back. The unfortunate part was that the buggy was only a one-seater which placed her in the most uncomfortable position between the turbo and the single seat.

Griffin glanced at her over his shoulder and she saw half his smile. "Damn. I made it too obvious, huh?"

She giggled. "Only a little—" A bump they hit cut her off, causing her to grimace. She clutched the metal bar above her head extra tight. "Where do you go when you leave?"

"Oh, y'know, here and there. I'm usually collecting old shit the RDA left behind years ago. I use 'em for my projects," he revealed cheekily. "Plus, this moon is massive. There's more to explore than what's between those city walls."

Nix's gleaming eyes sparked with interest. "You like to explore?"

He grinned in response. "Occasionally."

Nix wanted to ask if maybe he could take her with him next time, though she hesitated as the thought of being an inconvenience was stronger than her curiosity. She bit her lip and chose against it.

Instead, she stayed attentive on the path ahead, and when she spotted the giant drill sticking out above the canopy, she pointed left. "Go that way."

"But that's off track," he stated, perplexed.

"I know. I don't want to go to the drill site, just near it," she told him before gripping the bar with both hands as, without further question, Griffin made a sharp turn.

She had been directing him to the area near the viperwolf's den she located last week.

While formulating a plan to save the thanators at the city, a small part of her was hoping she'd return to the place where she met that na'vi — Neteyam — and he'd be there. Of course, it was unlikely to happen, but he was the only one she knew that had the forces to help her. No one in the RDA was willing to go against the general. They were all either too afraid or just didn't care.

As a single individual, Nix would never be able to get anything done on her own. But if she were to inform the Na'vi, they could gather enough people to rescue the wildlife and stop the experimentations — at least in that specific base.

Nix felt it was worth the risk of coming out with no military protection. However, she wasn't willing to risk Griffin which is why she'd go the rest of the way on her own.

"Stop here."

Griffin immediately slammed on the brakes and his eyebrows twitched as he looked around.

"You know we're in the middle of nowhere, right?" he asked as she began climbing out of the buggy. "Hold up—where are you going?"

"It's a secret," she replied, planting her feet on the ground.

"What do you mean 'a secret'? I'm not lettin' you go off alone," he declared while unbuckling himself. "If you die, both Castillo and the general will formally execute me. I guarantee it'd be somethin' painful too, like taking my exo-pack and suffocating me to death or feeding me to those damn thanators."

"So it's not the fact that I could be putting myself in danger you care about... you just don't want to get in trouble?" Nix feigned a look of hurt.

"No, that's not what I meant. I—"

She stifled a laugh as he instantly backpedaled. "I'm just teasing you," she admitted.

Griffin cocked a brow, not accustomed to her jokes. She was usually all shy and stammering.

Digging through her bag, she pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Here, take this."

"And this is for?" He held it in his grasp cluelessly.

"To contact each other," Nix said cheerfully. "You can take this buggy to the drill site where it'll be safe. And every ten minutes, I'll radio you to let you know I'm okay. But if I do get into any trouble, I'll say the code word and you can come get me."

"What's the code word?" Griffin inquired, flicking the transceiver on.

"Hm." Nix thought for a moment. Then a whimsical smile pulled at her lips. "How about fire?"

At that moment, a staticky noise shot through the buggy's radio and Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees cut on at maximum volume.

"Jesus!" Griffin exclaimed, reaching for the knob to turn it down. His face crinkled with laughter as he looked at Nix, and saw her grooving, albeit stiffly, to the music. "Very funny."

"Hey, now you know it actually works," she said playfully. "But the real code word should be 'moonpetal'."

"You're really gonna wander out there on your own? With no protection?" he questioned, finally accepting how serious she was about this. "We've made it this far, why not let me come along?"

"Because I'm on a secret mission," she said again, readjusting the strap of her bag. "Besides, I have a few things in here in case of emergency. I won't be totally unprotected."

Griffin simply gazed at her, unsure whether he should be impressed by her courageousness or appalled by it. "There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity."

"You think I'm being stupid?" she asked, her tone was light yet harbored no offense. Sure, this could be totally idiotic, but who else was going to do something? The Na'vi cannot get near a single SciOps base without help from someone on the inside. And most of the RDA soldiers weren't keen on helping the 'hostiles'. It was now or nothing.

"Can't tell yet," Griffin confessed. "But I've realized you're not what I thought you were, y'know—" be gestured a hand at her with the walkie, "all mousy or whatever."

Meek, is what he meant. It was what her mother called her when she was young — Nix had overheard it during an argument between her parents.

'She takes after you in that like, too easily imposed on,' Frances uttered to Nix's father. 'Weak'

Nix didn't want to be viewed as weak or meekly. And she certainly didn't think her father was either. He died honorably in war... she thought, perhaps, she wouldn't mind sharing the same fate one day. Dying doing the right thing.

"I may be self-conscious sometimes... but I'm not weak. I can do this," she declared just as the disco music cut off.

Surprise flashed behind Griffin's eyes, not expecting to hear such conviction in her voice. "...I never thought you were," he spoke earnestly. "Go do what you have to. I'll wait for you for as long as you need."

His typical humorous tone had been replaced by palpable sincerity. Nix felt relief in having at least one person by her side, even if he had no clue what she was getting herself into.

"Thank you," she smiled softly. "I'll be back soon."

A SELDOM EXPERIENCED WOULD BE THE SOLAR ECLIPSE BACK ON EARTH. Pandora, however, had them daily — for eight minutes to be exact. Nix found it fascinating that the moon's orbit around Earth was a twenty-eight-day cycle whereas Pandora — being one of fourteen moons — only took twenty-six hours to orbit the plant Polyphemus which was just slightly smaller than Jupiter.

Outer space — the universe, even — was such a vast concept that not many had the ability to fully comprehend. Nix thought herself lucky to not only have experienced the workings of one planet but two. That is why she would never take her time on Pandora for granted. She wished to learn as much as she could and cherish this new world that is now her home. Because she knew that as long as her mother was here, she would never be able to return to Earth.

It was a sad thought that took permanent residence in her brain, but right now, it was the last thing on her mind. The eclipse was one of her favorite times to explore the forest which, at the moment, was exactly what she was doing.

Per usual, she had strung along while Roman worked another shift of guarding one of the eastern drill sites. The day had gone as it typically did, and Nix stayed close by like she promised. But she couldn't help herself when she spotted something more special and rare than an eclipse on her home planet.

A viperwolf.

What was strange about it was that they hardly ever came near RDA bases, and they instinctively moved in packs.

Even though Nix knew Roman would have another fit if she disappeared on him again, she couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to follow it. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

As she rushed deep into the forest with her journal and bag, the sunlight began to wane. It set off the mesmerizing bioluminescence, igniting everything in brilliant blues, greens, and violets.

Nix stared down at her feet, grinning from ear to ear as each step she took caused a green ring to ripple around her boots. Tiny woodsprites floated above her as she traversed a path of anemonids that glowed teal at the top with a blue, spiky stem. She tapped each flat surface of the carnivorous plant, noting the slight sticky feel (a substance that allowed it to entrap insects for nutrients).

While tracing the viperwolf's footsteps, Nix reached a blue leafy bush that the animal had jumped behind. She slowed to a halt, settling in a crouch before pushing back a few leaves to see what was concealed behind the flora.

To her surprise, there was a shallow cave that contained a small family of viperwolves. A mother feeding her three pups and two other adults feasting on something that appeared to be old meat.

Nix quickly retrieved her journal from her bag to take notes of the pack. It seemed the one she had been tracking was out searching for fresh food to no avail. That had to be the only explanation on why it strayed so close to the drill site. She wished she would've brought something edible for the carnivores, but she only carried fruits in her bag—inedible to humans but it was in case she ran across any herbivores in need, which happened to be a lot in areas the RDA occupied.

As she flipped to the viperwolf section of her journal, the soft noise of paper rubbing against paper captured the attention of one of the feasting wolves and its head snapped to peer at Nix through the bushes. For a split-second, she felt her heart come to a stop as the animal's lips curled into a snarl, revealing its sharp canines. Suddenly, it pivoted its body to stand in a protective stance, shielding the mother and her pups. The guttural noise it let out only drew the attention of the other feasting adult.

Slowly, Nix rose to her full height as not one but two viperwolves had their fierce green eyes set on her. They weren't sapient like most species on this moon, and they evolved to have predatory drive towards humans, which she could understand. She wouldn't put it past them to be hungry enough to try and eat her. Honestly, even if they weren't hungry, they'd still end up attacking her. Not even the Na'vi were safe from their kill-drive.

Scoping her surroundings for a swift escape, Nix found her only option was up. It would be futile to try and outrun a six-legged creature that was the size of a tiger.

Without breaking eye contact, Nix carefully backed herself against a giant root of a stairfoot tree. The two viperwolves, in turn, started stalking forward. When she felt the moment was right, she spun around and grabbed the lowest orange ring to hoist herself up with one hand while the other was gripping her journal. She used her forearm to push herself up, grimacing from the effort.

The second she had turned her back, the viperwolves pounced. Her brain screamed at her to climb faster as she used the layer of moss for traction, pressing her boots against it to mount the first massive branch. She didn't even bother with looking down. The sound of snapping jaws and coyote-like barks was enough motivation for her to haul ass. Besides, this wasn't the first time she has had to flee a predator in these forests. She almost believed herself to be lucky or perhaps it was good karma from a past life coming to play in this one.

When Nix made it about mid-way up the tree, using vines and the orange pads, she stood atop a large bough and looked down at the viperwolves. She should've been fine from where she was, right?

Wrong.

One of the viperwolves threw its body against the tree, gripping the bark with finger-like claws, and started ascending, albeit shakily.

"I didn't know they could climb," she muttered frantically to herself. She'd have to write that down... if she survived.

The slitted pupils of both wolves were locked onto Nix as though she were the tastiest-looking prey they had seen in a long while, like a hexapede or a sturmbeest or something. And just as she was about to reach for the next vine to resume her escape, a whooshing sound followed by a loud thunk stopped her.

Her eyes caught sight of an arrow that missed one of the viperwolf's head by an inch. The tip looked to be coated in some sort of sap — whatever it was, it made both animals flee after just one sniff.

A yipping sound ensued, then leaves shuffling until suddenly, a young na'vi leapt into view. After shooing the viperwolves off, ensuring they were truly gone, he sheathed his longbow behind his back. He then wrenched his yellow gaze up to Nix, and she had to stifle a gasp. She recognized him — it was the same na'vi boy from yesterday.

"You can come down," he said to her; his voice carried a slight accent. "They are gone."

Nix shook her head, hugging the tree like a koala. "They might come back."

The na'vi let out a strange noise, and then he swiftly ascended the branches like it was nothing. Nix stared unblinking as he reached the same bough as her, though he was much faster. She'd never been so close to a na'vi before. She had to crane her neck to look up at him as her head merely leveled with his waist.

"You should not be out here alone," he crouched down to meet her height. "My people aren't as merciful as I am. They'd have allowed the pack of nantang to feast on you."

"Why?" She slowly released the tree and turned to face him, clutching her journal tight to her chest. "This is the second time you've spared me."

"You submitted," he said simply.

Nix gave a confused frown. She recalled when she put her head down, but that was simply out of acceptance and fear.

The na'vi tilted his head, noting the brown book in her hand. Without much thought, he plucked it from her grasp and stood to his full height again.

"Hey—" Nix tried to snatch it back.

However, he turned his back to her and started skimming through it. The journal looked like a small phone in his three-fingered hand.

"So, the little human is curious about the great mother," he said, intrigued.

Nix assumed he found the page marked, Eywa, with two question marks. Of course she knew of Eywa. She understood that the Na'vi viewed her as God or Mother Nature or both. But she doesn't know Eywa like they do. She can't connect on the same level as them.

Jumping to snatch the book, Nix failed as she slipped against the moss. Thankfully, she was caught by the arm and rightened.

"I'd like to learn more... but I've seen nothing of her," she told him.

"You cannot see her," he laughed. "She is all around us... in this utu, in the nantang, in me."

"Like one great conscience?" Nix asked as he returned the journal to her which she immediately tucked into her bag.

"Conscience?" he repeated, not quite understanding. He seemed to be more fluent in English than most Na'vi, though it was clear it wasn't his most-used language.

Nix studied him, taking in every little detail and feature. The white bioluminescent freckles on his face were glowing in the twilight. His eyes were sharp and curious. The rider's visor he wore on his forehead was weaved of hide and bone.

"Who... who are you?" she asked, soft and hesitant.

He stared down at her, just as seemingly fascinated with her as she was him. "The son of Toruk Makto," he answered with such pride that Nix almost didn't register the name.

"Toruk Makto..." she muttered, processing until shock overtook her face. "You mean Jake Sully."

Before any more could be said, pounding footsteps echoed through the forest. In the distance, Nix heard Roman shouting her name.

"You have to go," she told the young na'vi in a panicked whisper. "The RDA's coming."

"I am not afraid of the sky people or their machines," he declared intrepidly.

Nix glanced toward the direction she came from as the land began to tremble with each footstep. "I'm afraid for you," she said desperately. "Please, I don't want any bloodshed."

His pupils dilated slightly, and for a second, he said nothing. He simply observed her as the sunlight started to peak through the canopy, illuminating half his face. Nix thought the intensity of his gaze might've burned a couple of holes through her.

Fortunately, he broke from the trance and leapt toward the neighboring tree, climbing higher and further away. Nix heard another yip, then soft beating wings. She looked into the sky and saw a banshee taking flight above the trees.

She let out a relieved breath as the na'vi boy managed to slip away before Roman arrived. And when he did, he did not look happy.

"Nix! What the hell are you doing up there?" he demanded. "Get your ass down here!"

"I dunno... I'm a little scared to with that tone," she murmured to herself, afraid of what he might tell her mother when they got back to the city.

"I swear," Roman scoffed, "it's like you do this to me on purpose. You want me to die of a heart attack, don't you?"

"Not at all," she uttered truthfully while making her way down the tree, one slow step at a time.

"Jeez." He sighed heavily. "One of these days, you're gonna run into a native, and I can't promise I can save you then."

"Yeah..." she looked up at the blue sky again. The eclipse was finally over, and the bioluminescence within the forest had faded out. "One of these days."

☽◯☾

After lots of begging and pleading for Roman not to tell her mother about her insubordination, he finally agreed. But this was her final chance. He couldn't risk his position just so she could frolic in the forest like a hippie. According to literally everyone, studying and feeding the dying wildlife wasn't nearly as important as her safety or the work the RDA was putting into saving humanity.

Back at Bridgehead, Nix was inside the Ops Centre across from the airfield. She'd gone into the control room where about twenty people were listening to General Ardmore give out orders in front of the display screens — something about invading the Omatikaya camp in the Hallelujah Mountains, which they've ceaselessly failed at.

Ignoring the war-talk, Nix walked up to one of the empty stalls and typed in the name Jake Sully. A hologram full of descriptors popped up, including the names of each of his children: Tuktirey, Kiri, Lo'ak, Neteyam.

Nix swiped through images of each of them until she found the one that had saved her earlier. She scanned his full name — Neteyam te Suli Tseyek'itan — though there wasn't much information on him or any of Jake's children for that matter.

"You recognize him?"

Nix jolted after hearing her mother's voice. She whirled and saw the general standing a few feet away with her hands behind her back, inspecting the hologram.

"N-No," Nix lied, clicking the screen off. "I just wanted to see the faces of those responsible for destroying so many of our sites, you know, in case we come across them."

Ardmore nodded, not thinking much of it. She knew her daughter wasn't capable of anything secretive or dangerous. She was about as innocent as it got.

"Your birthday's coming up—"

"In two weeks," Nix interjected, moving away from the stall. "I know." She regarded all the workers inside the room who were focused on their given tasks before glancing back at her mother.

"I got you something," Ardmore revealed, surprising Nix, whose eyebrows shot up. "What? You assumed because we aren't back home that I wouldn't manage you a gift?"

"No, I—I just wasn't expecting it." Nix tried to fight the smile tugging at her lips. "What is it?"

"You'll have to wait and see," Ardmore said with a crafty arch to her brow. "Now, I've got work to do. I'll see you at dinner."

Nix watched in silence as her mother exited the room without another word. From the self-satisfied expression she wore, Nix had a feeling she wouldn't be getting such a simple present this year. Frankly, she was quite afraid for what her mother had in store.

THERE IT WAS, HIGH IN THE CANOPY — a Pandoran monkey... prolemuris... syaksyuk — whatever you wanted to call it. Hanging from the bough of a tall stairfoot tree with its six limbs, it observed Nix with curious amber eyes. Some say the Na'vi evolved from prolemuris just as it was believed humans evolved from monkeys, albeit that factoid had been debunked.

Regardless, Nix was downright enthralled.

Undergrowth covered her boots and tickled her hands as she reached for her leatherback journal and flipped it open. She'd been perched against a thick, mossy tree root while studying the adorable creature. There were already a few notes in her journal describing its features: blue-green skin, webbed arms, rotating ears.

But now she was keen on recording its behavior in an area that was seemingly dying — until a sudden whooshing caught her notice.

Nix craned her neck in time to see the prolemuris swinging down from a vine. It landed on one of the sturdy orange pads circling the tree like a ring. The creature blinked at Nix, its nostrils flaring as it rapidly sniffed the air.

With it up close, she could see that it was a slightly cross-eyed... and there was a baby on its back.

The prolemuris flinched when Nix abruptly shifted to open her messenger bag. She shuffled around for something, a soft smile playing at her lips when she found it. She withdrew a fruit much bigger than her hand, pink in color, and slightly heavy. Slowly, she extended it toward the prolemuris as an offering. It tilted its head in response, examining the fruit with its binocular vision.

It was no surprise how gentle the creature was while taking the offering from Nix. The prolemuris were one of the more placid of the wildlife here.

One bite into the fruit was all it took for delighted chittering to ensue from the tree dweller. Nix giggled as the creature swiftly ascended the tree again with her baby, sharing the rest of the sweet treat in the canopy.

As Nix resumed journaling her observations, a deep rumbling could be heard in the distance. She sucked in a breath, trying her best to ignore the sound while being well aware of the source.

About half a mile south of her current location was a drilling site.

In the last ten months since humans returned to Pandora, the RDA have built a plethora of oil rigs all throughout the forest. The automatic machinery was created to extract unobtainium from below the moon's surface, which, subsequently, was sent back to Earth and used for energy. The problem was, these massive drills put out extensive amounts of pollution that will ultimately destroy the environment as well as the wildlife within it.

Nix had stumbled upon far too many dull, lifeless bodies — some she recognized, some she didn't — of the precious forest animals she'd study. The pollution sucks the life out of them, decaying their home and food sources. It was frustrating being so powerless, being unable to put an end to the death and destruction of a world so vibrant and harmonious. And the fact that her mother was the general put Nix smack dab in the middle of it all.

All she could do was make the most of her research and try to provide for these creatures as best she could with the supplies she had.

As the pulsating drill continued harvesting, her eyes locked onto the prolemuris. It had finished the pink fruit, giving the last of it to its baby. Though Nix noticed the way its body suddenly grew rigid. One of its ears twitched like it heard a noise.

The creature's gaze pivoted about thirty degrees to its left, honing in on something in the trees. Nix followed its line of sight, turning her body a little to the right. Her hazel eyes danced across the canopy, scanning for the object of the tree dweller's focus.

And then she saw it, on a mossy limb of a tree, a blue, striped figure — a na'vi.

The whites of her eyes expanded, and her pen struck the forest floor as it slipped from her grasp.

The na'vi was staring right back at her, and though her vision wasn't nearly as good as the prolemuris, she could tell from the attire worn that he was a male. But it wasn't his presence that frightened her. It was the longbow pointed at her, arrow drawn and all, that made her heart hammer violently in her chest.

This is it, she thought, These are my final moments.

It was a renowned fact among the RDA to never be caught alone by a na'vi, especially without a weapon. Worst-case scenario, say your prayers 'cause you aren't making it out alive, is what General Ardmore said upon arrival.

Maybe Nix should've taken her mother's words more seriously... but up until now, she had never even seen a na'vi in person. Most were too frightened to ambush drill sites on their own.

It felt like an eternity of whatever was happening between Nix and this particular na'vi. She felt like she'd been caught in an unprovoked staring contest, and the na'vi was determined to win.

Releasing a shaky breath, Nix placed her hands over the glass of her air-mask and lowered her head. She might as well accept her fate. There was no point in putting up a fight. The second she moved, the arrow would fly and she'd be dead.

However, that fate never came.

A little crease formed between her eyebrows as she looked up again and found the na'vi had disappeared. She glanced around the area, perplexed. There was no trace of him.

"Nix!" A troubled voice called from behind her. "Nix! Where are you?!"

Not only had the na'vi vanish, but the heavy pounding of AMP machinery had scared off the prolemuris and its baby.

Nix quickly located her pen and shoved it inside her bag alongside her journal just as her bodyguard, Roman Castillo, showed up.

"Jesus, I've been looking all over for you." His voice was muffled behind the giant robot suit he wore. "Your mother will saw my nuts off if anything ever happens to you—" he paused, noticing her paler than usual face. "What's wrong?"

Nix shook her head as she rose to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Nothing. I'm all right."

She decided it'd be best to keep the rare Na'vi sighting to herself.

"You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost." Roman had a machine gun clutched in his large metallic hands. Nix hated seeing them and she hated hearing them even more.

"Yeah." She nodded, slowly making her way over to him. "I'm just tired. And hungry."

"I got an hour 'til my shift's over. I can take you back to Bridgehead then," he said as they set off toward the drill site.

Each site required SecOps to safeguard the area from the Na'vi resistance. They've already destroyed quite a few bases in the past couple of months, resulting in a hefty loss of unobtainium. Since then, the general has upped security protocol, making na'vi ambushes less likely to occur.

"What're you doing out here anyway? You are supposed to stay near the site, not disappearing to frolic with those freaky-looking critters that never seem to be around when I'm near," Roman said while scanning the tree lining.

Nix shot him a sideways glance. "That's because they're afraid of this—" She tapped the leg of his metal suit. "You always scare them away."

"Hey, I'm just following orders. I gotta look out for you even when you sneak off without telling anyone." His expression was lighthearted, but Nix could see the stress beneath his eyes and the lines that splayed out from the corners.

"Sorry..." she mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I just get excited when I spot them. There are so many animals, sick and dying, only the healthy ones come out."

"I get it," Roman said, his voice capturing a certain earnestness. "I don't like this any more than you do, but I'm in no position to challenge the general. We can only do what we can... which will be nothing if we're dead. Get what I'm saying?"

Nix lifted her head to gaze at him steadily. She recognized one of his fatherly lessons when she heard one.

"I do."

"No more sneaking off, alright?" He narrowed his brows into a stern look, though it only made Nix's lips curl up. "I can't protect you when I don't know where you are."

"I understand," she nodded. "I won't sneak off without telling you first."

Boy, was that the biggest lie she had ever told.

☽◯☾

Bridgehead City, the largest base the RDA had ever built — even bigger than old Hell's Gate — was protected by nineteen-mile defensive walls and lots of firepower. And within those walls, a cacophony of construction noises were at a constant.

Nix felt disinclined to leave her own quarters whenever she was back in the city. The loud, unnatural sounds were headache-inducing, and the oddly shaped hexbots — AKA the builder machines — were creepy to look at.

Nix clutched the strap of her bag as she maneuvered through the airfield. The area was full of jets and other terrestrial vehicles going through maintenance. She was on her way to the new Ops Centre that recently came online thanks to the unobtainium energy source. General Ardmore would likely be inside, responding to reports or handling the other security operation stuff that Nix rarely paid mind to.

"Yo, Nix!"

She turned her head toward the scorpion gunship levitating a few feet above the ground. The rotator blades blew her long, sleek hair back. As she brushed a few mahogany strands and out of her face, she spotted one of the younger and rather attractive engineers standing atop one of the landing skies. Griffin Stokes.

"Nix!" he shouted again, waving a hand to get her attention.

"What is it?" She came closer, straining to make her voice louder over the helicopter noise.

"Tell your ma these bad boys are ready for takeoff!" He patted the gunship. "They should be able to take 'em out to the hallelujah mountains without much difficulty now."

Nix scanned the aircraft curiously. It didn't look much different. "You fixed the shields?" she asked, raising her voice louder than she liked.

A dimpled grin stretched Griffin's lips. "Do they not look fixed?"

Nix felt her cheeks flush at the engineer's teasing. "N-No, they do," she stammered, shaking her head. "I'll let my mom know."

Without another word, she turned and started speed-walking toward the tall building a few yards away. She heard Griffin's laughter from behind her after shouting a 'thank you' at her.

It didn't take long for Nix to reach the Ops Centre, where she felt relief in tugging her air-mask off and getting rushed with cool air-conditioning as soon as she stepped inside.

There was a narrow, white staircase on her right that she started up. Her mother's office was on the top floor of the four-story building. She only saw her once a day — if that — as the four-star general was a very busy woman.

But Nix tried to make the most of it, especially in the early mornings when she'd serve breakfast for the Marines before their shifts began. Though, she mostly did it for the compliments — she'd been dubbed Gordon Ramsey's reincarnate.

Arriving at the office, Nix softly tapped her knuckles against the door before entering. "Mom?"

General Ardmore was sitting at her desk, reviewing reports on her computer. The sun shone through the windows behind her, casting a yellow halo across her backside.

Hearing her daughter enter, she looked up from the computer screen to briefly acknowledge her. "Good. You're back in one piece."

"Did something happen?" Nix noted the disgruntled expression she wore.

A moment passed before Ardmore heaved an exasperated sigh, leaning back in her chair. "It's those damn Sullys," she griped. "Just ten minutes ago another one of our oil rigs was destroyed."

Nix frowned — not because she was upset the Na'vi resistance was wiping out the RDA bases but because when her mother was in a bad mood, everyone felt it. "Which one?"

"The one out south... you were just there," Ardmore replied, grimacing. "Those savages could've killed you."

As Nix moved to sit down, an image of that na'vi male she encountered earlier flashed behind her eyelids. He had his bow pointed at her, yet for whatever reason... he spared her. Perhaps that is why he was there — he wasn't alone because the rest of his group was dismantling the drill site.

"They aren't savages, you know," Nix quietly reminded. "They're just trying to protect their home. Just like we would if the roles were reversed."

Mild contempt flashed behind her mother's eyes. "Their home?" she repeated. "I know you have a soft spot for these natives, but we have a mission here. Those sites are crucial to us. Our home is dying."

"I know." Nix looked down at her lap to avoid her mother's stern gaze.

"Nix, believe me, I tried to make things work with them." Ardmore attempted to soften her tone, yet it still somehow came out cold and firm. "I offered an arrangement so we could all live harmoniously, but Jake Sully chose to slaughter our men instead. They cannot be trusted."

Ten months ago, while Nix was still in cryosleep, General Ardmore had contacted Hell's Gate before the starships' descent to land. She offered sanctity to the humans who chose to remain on Pandora fourteen years ago. Most agreed to it.

However, Nix was told that the Omatikaya Clan leader took a dropship into space where he attempted to blackmail the RDA into returning to Earth by threatening to blast trillions of dollars' worth of unobtainium left on Pandora. Ardmore proposed a treaty with him, but he blew the refinery at Hell's Gate anyway. A fight broke out aboard her ship, and several of the crew members were killed. Fortunately, the most Ardmore suffered was a broken arm — an act committed by the Clan leader's mate, Neytiri — before escaping.

That is why Nix's fear of the Na'vi when she first arrived wasn't so irrational. The stories told of them were brutal and frightening. With due time, however, she had seen enough cruelty from the RDA to know that humans were just as vicious.

The Na'vi were simply fighting to preserve their land, not because they were bloodthirsty savages. It was noble and brave.

"Compromise isn't always viable," Ardmore expressed, pulling her daughter from her thoughts. "And someday, this will be home for us too. For all of humanity. You need to understand that sometimes sacrifice is necessary. It's for the greater good—our greater good."

Nix scoured the depths of her mother's deep blue eyes. In her own way, she truly did believe she was doing the right thing. The unfortunate part was the way she decided to approach it.

"I understand..." Nix mumbled, picking at the loose skin around her nails—

She internally scolded herself to stop doing that and abruptly stood, wishing to flee the tense atmosphere. "I'm gonna grab something to eat. You want anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

Nix nodded and spun to leave, though when she heard the clacking keyboard as her mother resumed whatever it was she had been doing, Nix turned to face her again. "I almost forgot. Griffin said the gunships were ready," she informed.

"All right," Ardmore replied, vision locked onto her computer screen. "Thank you."

Nix knew that was her mother's way of dismissing her. She bit down on her bottom lip as she headed for the door.

For the greater good, she told herself as she exited the office.