VARGON

~~~~~~~~~

She wanted to die.

It was either death or this never-ending torment. She hoped her body would just give up under the overwhelming lights flashing directly into her eyes, invading her mind against her control. The Neurosect had managed to get Kayla to pass out several times over the course of the interrogation, and each time she woke, there was the underlying threat of her heart finally giving out under the neurological pressure in her head. Kayla's strength has given out on her every time she tried thrashing around; her wrists cut up from where she tried pulling them out of her metal restraints. Even her screams fail her, hardly any sound past a whimper escaping her cracked lips and sandpaper throat. 

Ardmore and her tall blue lackeys have been hard at work asking her questions, either demanding the whereabouts of her brother or where he might strike next. After a while, Quaritch orders Wainfleet and Mansk to report back to Bridgehead, and Kayla tries focusing on their heavy footsteps as they leave.

Throughout the interrogation, there are words she knows she's supposed to understand, but over time, they mix in with her other learned languages and the sounds of the scanner, until eventually, she could hardly focus on anything other than one thought.

'Your name is Makayla te Suli tsmuke te Toruk Makto.'

The sound of something powering down fills the room, and Kayla can suddenly feel her limbs again, her skin prickling as if the electricity to the machine had suddenly released her muscles. She starts panting as the lights to the scanner begin to slow and dim, the restraining mask on her face losing power and releasing the muscles around her eyes. Kayla nearly sobbed when she regained the ability to blink rapidly again.

"Where is Jake?" Ardmore continues without interruption, looking down at her captive with boredom.

Gulping in deep breaths even as her teeth chattered, Kayla bites back the bile threatening to come up, all the while feeling hot and cold all at once, her body trembling with confusion. She feels blood start to drip from her nose as she eventually manages to focus back on Ardmore, swallowing to try and quench her dry throat, "Can you ask me something else for a change? It's getting boring."

The general's patience flared as she firmly turned to her labcoats, "I don't have time for this. Up the voltage."

"General. If we do that, there's no guarantee she'll survive."

Kayla wheezes quietly in her attempt to laugh, her ribs screaming in protest, "Then all my juicy secrets die with me. No Jake, no avatar..."

Ardmore slowly turns back around, peering down at Kayla with an expression that unsettles the corporal. With relaxed wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, her former general looked far too calm for someone who had just been given an unsavory ultimatum.

"I don't need your avatar," Ardmore finally replies, surprising Kayla and even Quaritch with her statement, "Sure, it's a costly loss, but Amrita from one baby tulkun would cover that loss and make several avatars all at once."

Kayla's strength returns just enough for her to let out a deep snarl that usually sounded ten times more threatening in her avatar body, "You sick bitch-!"

Ardmore reaches out and presses a button on the side of the Neurosect, a high-pitched sound similar to a dog whistle screaming out as she activates the electricity once more, watching Kayla's entire body grow abruptly stiff as the current forces her muscles to lock up. Kayla lets out an abrupt scream, strained from use as she tries to clench her teeth, but her body refuses to follow her command. Ardmore's thin lips curl up in one corner as she finishes her thought.

"To be honest, the only reason why I would've wanted your avatar back would be so I could see what would happen once I trigger your kill switch."

Kayla's ears burn, her first hint that she heard something she was supposed to grasp. She struggled for a moment before she managed to replay the words in her head, her eyes flicking to Ardmore, "My... what?"

The older woman seems far too pleased to explain, "Call it an insurance policy. You see, no thanks to your traitorous brother, we decided that any avatar we created after him will have a means to an end if they so much as think of betraying the human race again."

Kayla didn't miss it out of the corner of her eye; the way Quaritch's ears twitched at this new information, his expression and posture still conformed even as he slightly tilted his head with interest. 

"It's a simple switch, according to my scientists," Ardmore continued, "I push a button, and the moment there's any sign of brain activity, the avatar is triggered into an episode resembling a seizure and dies from sudden cardiac arrest. The heart stops, lack of oxygen goes to the brain, and then certain death. Even if you did escape and sync back into your avatar, you're risking death the moment the control center back at HQ catches any signs of brain activity. Part of me is a little curious, so if you somehow link back to your avatar, I'm thanking you now in advance for quenching my curiosity."

Kayla can hardly process that information as the electricity quite literally fries her brain, making her wish, yet again, that Neytiri was here so she could shove an arrow through her head and put her out of her misery.

Ardmore straightens her uniform casually, "Now. Back to the matter at hand. Where is Jake Sully?"

Her attempt to snarl turns into a weak gurgle in the back of her throat, "You can go ahead and kill me."

A huff of impatience escapes Quaritch, pushing himself away from the wall he was leaning against, "We don't need her intel, General. Given how fast Sully and his goons responded when we cornered their kids, we've narrowed down our search to only a dozen islands close to the area of the latest battle. Just give me a ship, and I will go out there and bring you back--"

"I gave you a ship, Quaritch," Ardmore snaps, raising her voice for the first time in the midst of the interrogation, causing Kayla's brain to pound against her skull, "Now look where it is! It's at the bottom of the ocean! How many resources will I have to waste on you before you finally bring in our guy?"

A deep glare, filled with deep envy and unresolved hatred, crosses Quaritch's scarless face, "You brought me out here twenty-six trillion miles for a single mission. A kinetic hardkill op against one guy. I ain't backing off."

Ardmore appears undeterred, standing tall even when the Recom stood taller, "Then by all means, go be useful somewhere else. Scorsby will be just getting cleared from his physical therapy. Maybe go and form your next battle plan with him. Let him know you want to risk another ship and crew for your manhunt."

Quaritch's jaw visibly shifts, his scowl and piercing eyes looking daggers down at the general standing at his waist height. From what Kayla could see at her angle, it almost looked as though the colonel was planning a mutiny. But then, she blinked, and the moment was over, the tall Recom simply turning away and walking out the door.

His feet are loud even without boots, and Kayla does her very best to focus on each one, counting in her head. One... two... three... four... five...

The sound changes, and it now echoes from a distance. Around a corner, just like Wainfleet and Mansk. Her exit is down a hall and to the left...

~~~~~~~~~

The forest reminded Tonowari of the one he calls home back on his island.

And yet, it felt more dense here, and not a mangrove tree in sight. No marui made out of winding roots that plunge down deep into the water. Instead, the roots dig deep into the ground, obstructing the path Norm Spellman led him down in his avatar form, moving slowly and as quietly as a prowling nantang. 

The dreamwalker makes a motion with his hand from where he stood ahead of the reef olo'eyktan, then freezes. Tonowari wisely does the same, even if he wasn't close enough to see what Norm was seeing. The male Metkayina followed each of Norm's movements and followed every instruction. He was wise enough to know that, even though Norm was technically human, this was much more his environment than it was Tonowari's.

Norm crouches down behind a tree and then motions for him to follow. Tonowari does his best to hide his large form behind the ferns, but it was proven a struggle, especially when his skin was meant to blend more so in rippling water rather than the deep blue night of the forest. From here, his face crumbles with distress as he finally sees what caused Norm to be alert.

The man-made fortress, while massive and an atrocity to everything Tonowari and his people stood for, looked as though it was beginning to return to the Great Mother's domain, overrun by many plants and not posing much of a threat. The fortress known as Hell's Gate, where Jakesuli says he originated from when he first came to this world. 

Surrounding one particular building, not far from where Norm and Tonowari hid, was completely surrounded by Sky People. Not just on foot, but in their metal suits, both big and small, with blinding lights casting overhead and scanning the surrounding perimeter. 

Norm ducks back when the light nearly hits his face, taking a deep breath before focusing on the larger warrior beside him, "Now, remember, she won't look like herself. She looks different in her human body, so you won't recognize her. She needs one of these."

He presents a child-sized mask from his belt. Tonowari's ear twitched when he recognized the face covering the Sky People wear. It's small enough to fit in Norm's large hand as he presents it to the reef chief, showing small parts of the mask to demonstrate how it works, "Put this over her face before taking her outside. You can't just slip the mask over the face and be done. Without activating it, the mask will only release puffs of air. You need to regulate the pressure of the oxygen here and here, or else Kayla will suffocate. This scenario, of course, would only happen if she weren't capable of putting the mask on herself."

Tonowari nods along to everything the dreamwalker says and manages to follow every instruction once Norm has him repeat everything and show all the bells and whistles of the mask. Once satisfied, Norm slings his rifle from over his shoulder to rest snug in his arms while peering through the foliage toward Hell's Gate.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Jake's signal."

~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes, these punks make it too easy for him.

He's barely hiding in the treeline, Hell's Gate just within his grasp, while an RDA grunt does his routine patrol right within arm's reach of the former avatar. It's just one guy, mask and gun, idly whistling to himself. A rookie.

Neytiri crouches beside Jake, her eyes trained on the soldier like a predator to prey, knife gripped firmly in her hand. A few yards to their right, they know Tarsem and his group are waiting for the signal, and then further to their left, Norm and Tonowari are waiting for the right moment to sneak into the facility. 

Jake patiently waits, even as his heart pounds angrily in his chest, silently praying that nothing in his plan goes wrong in the hopes his sister won't be harmed. He had watched Quaritch storm out of the building not long ago, tail whipping angrily behind him. A deep sigh of relief expels from Jake's lungs when the Recom mounts his screeching ikran and takes off, flying off into the night. That leaves one less obstacle in their way.

When the patrolling rookie turns and marches back around to his hidden position, Jake can't afford to second-guess himself, knowing that this might be his only chance. He darts out and bear-hugs the soldier in his massive arms, pulling him back into the brush, crushing the man's larynx in his hand to ensure the bastard couldn't scream for help. The rookie can barely struggle, not against pure Na'vi strength. Jake holds him by the neck while Neytiri darts to crouch in front of their captive, hissing deep in her throat while she holds her knife to the human male, watching him squirm beneath her gaze of pure hatred. 

Jake gives the soldier a moment to analyze his situation before bending his head down to growl low in his ear, "If you value your life, you'll send a message to General Ardmore."

Neytiri's added snarl shakes the soldier's bones, her bloodthirsty glare reflecting on his mask as it fogs with breaths of fear.

~~~~~~~~~

"General, we have a situation."

A man's strained voice sounds over the radio, dragging Kayla's and all the labcoats' attention to the device as Ardmore turns away to press it to her ear, "Go ahead."

"Bridgehead is under attack! Reported numbers of ten thousand Na'vi are flooding our gates!"

Kayla keeps whatever was swelling in her chest to herself, using her weakened strength to keep a straight face as Ardmore spins back around, barely contained fury stretched thin over her wrinkles as she peers down at her captive. The scientists murmur among themselves, fear underlying their muffled voices. Ardmore's gaze snaps up to her labcoats, keeping a grip on the situation by firmly placing orders without a stutter.

"Keep her here. If Sully thinks she's at Bridgehead, then he's going to die for nothing. Lock her up and continue the interrogation tomorrow. Force food and water down her gullet to make sure she stays alive until she spills the beans."

The general barely gives Kayla a second glance before turning to two of her officers, pointing to one, then the other, "You, you're with me. You, you're in charge here until I get back."

Kayla watches Ardmore leave with one other soldier, silently counting their footsteps in her head. Their strides are shorter than Quaritch's, but she manages to count two pairs of boots that take at least ten footsteps in sync with each other before they eventually fade out. Same as before. Down the hall and to the left. 

Her gaze flicks back to the soldier who remains, his posture firm as he stands over the scurrying scientists, his eyes slowly scanning the room. He keeps his fists to his sides, his pistol strapped to his right hip.

~~~~~~~~~

Jake and Neytiri hold firm and keep their eyes locked on Hell's Gate without blinking, breathing heavily with anticipation as the former keeps a tight hold on the rookie soldier, who looks confused as to why he hasn't been let go yet. His captors remain silent, not even paying attention to him. All they could do was wait with bated breaths, hoping that their bait had worked.

Within minutes, their labor bears fruit as they witness the AMP suits and footsoldiers falling back to their gunships, hustling and shouting at one another while clambering on board. The engines start as two smaller figures exit the facility, Jake's ears pinned back as he follows Ardmore's movements with steady eyes until she disappears into her own aerial craft, the biggest of the bunch, an assault ship.

Only some of the ships rise into the air, while two single Kestrals remain running idly on the ground, a small squadron of soldiers surrounding it, and the entrance into the building with trained weapons. The small number of Sky People appear to be staying behind. 

He waits until Ardmore is airborne and gone from the treeline with her small trail of flying ducklings, then Jake effortlessly snaps his captive's neck and tosses the body aside, motioning Neytiri to follow him back toward their ikran, "Let's go."

Neytiri crows, letting it echo throughout the trees as she sprints toward Sa'ata. In answer, a symphony of several whoops and hollers grows louder and higher. By the time Jake and Neytiri mount their bonded banshees and fly up, Tarsem and his warriors have started to burst out from the treeline astride pa'li, charging toward the small squadron of soldiers left behind with earth-shattering war cries that drown out the gunfire that spits rapidly in their direction. Jake and Neytiri quickly dive down to join the fight, covering fire from above while the propellers from Max's old Sampson, Rogue Two, can be heard coming from the opposite direction, trapping the ambushed Sky People. 

~~~~~~~~~

The chorus of war cries could be heard from inside the facility, the ringing in Kayla's ears only strengthening the hope that had been gradually growing in her chest. She watches as the only remaining guard bows his head to focus on the listening device in his ear before glancing up to inform the scientists what is going on,

"There's a small party of rebels outside."

"What?" Many of them exclaim with panic and fear.

The suspected lead scientist is bolder than the rest as he angrily shouts, "We should call the General back here!"

"Didn't you hear?" Another pitches in, "Bridgehead is under attack, and that must remain her top priority. She left a squadron behind for us, so relax. We'll be fine."

A younger and calmer young woman sits in front of a monitor while analyzing the layout of Hell's Gate, "There's an old bunker we can take shelter in while the suits handle the traitors and savages outside."

The guard firmly nods, "Let's go. Take the prisoner, too."

Two of the scientists step up to the scanner, reaching around to disengage the metal cuffs around Kayla's ankles and wrists, removing the mask that held her eyes open. Together, they firmly hold onto both of her elbows and assist her from the slanted slab she's spent many hours on at this point, their movements slow even as the others are anxious to get out of here. 

Kayla takes one step on solid, cold floor before she feels her legs give out and crash her whole body down into the cement. Something snaps as her eyes suddenly roll back into her head, her frail body seizing up and thrashing all her limbs violently in short, uncontrolled convulsions. The scientists all collectively gasp and rush forward to hold down her limbs to keep Kayla from hurting herself in the midst of her seizure, but the guard snaps and pushes them all aside.

"Move! Get out of my way!"

He manages to get through and forces the scientists to back away and give Kayla some space. The guard inspects her for injuries as her movements finally slow down until they eventually come to a halt, her eyes closed. Pressing two fingers to her throat in search of a pulse, he turns his head back to the scientists, "Alright, she's stable. I don't suppose any of you have training on-!"

BAM!

The scientists all scream as the sudden loud noise triggers the guard's brain matter to splatter in red against the nearest wall while his body slumps to the ground, his gun holster empty. Just as fast, Kayla gets to her feet, unfazed, and the guard's pistol held firmly in her hands as she points the weapon at the crowd of scientists, her eyes coldly trained on her next targets, the pale skin beneath her nose still smeared with blood. They all begin to trip over each other while barely taking their eyes off the gun, huddling together like a flock of scared sheep in the corner of the room.

"Wait wait wait!"

"We're unarmed!"

"Don't shoot!"

"We're just scientists!" 

"Yeah," Kayla agrees, her voice completely shot, making it impossible for her to speak louder than a whisper. Her top lip curls up into a snarl, "But you sick fucks still tortured a child."

Her hands and heartbeat are all collectively steady as she opens fire on the small crowd, ignoring their screams as they try to escape or shield their bodies with only their hands. In quick time, they all drop to the ground like flies, piled over one another. Even then, Kayla doesn't stop firing until the gun starts to click loudly with an empty clip, slowly lowering her aim as her eyes scan over the bodies, ensuring that not a single one is still moving. She turns and crouches over the guard's body, retrieving some extra ammo before stumbling over to the control panel. She's watched those labcoats hunching over this screen for hours, paying no mind to her as she screamed and pleaded for her life. Now she wants to see what all the fuss was about.

Notes on her interrogation race down the screen as she scrolls through. No notable information, so thankfully, Kayla never gave them anything actually vital, just memories of before her time on Pandora. Regardless, she scrolls through and deletes every single note, erasing that life as much as she could so it will eventually die with her. Using the codes on one of the dead scientists' badges, she's able to access a few other files that they had transported here from Bridgehead. Adrenaline pumps in her veins as she hears an explosion outside, ducking her head for a moment when the crumbling building shakes all around her, lights flickering overhead. Kayla tries to scroll through the files as quickly as possible, her heart pumping in her chest when she recognizes that it's her own file that they had transported here along with the Neurosect scanner. Noted recently on her file is an order from Ardmore: to destroy all of this information once her interrogation is complete. No loose ends, and no one else getting any more ideas of betraying the RDA.

The grin curling onto Kayla's lips felt malicious while catching Ardmore's mistake, "Skxawng."

She types in keywords such as 'avatar', 'switch', and 'kill switch' into her file, and many highlighted comments pop up wherever said words are mentioned. Darting her eyes over the screen, she frantically searches for an answer, hoping that the solution would be there. If she had the means, she would download all of this information for someone smarter like Max or Norm, but instead, she comes up empty for any information regarding where her avatar's kill switch is and how to disable it. Apparently, that wasn't crucial enough to catalogue.

"Fuck this," she snarled, prying open a panel in the monitor, digging her bloody nails into as many of the wires as possible before tearing it all out, hoping that would delay them long enough.

More gunfire and explosions go off, along with flashing red lights now bathing the entire room, blaring loudly and ringing in her ears. Steam and gas are beginning to seep through, and Kayla quickly deduces that the air from outside is getting into the sealed-tight room. She frantically dives for the dead guard on the ground, wrestling with the exopack and rebreather he had hooked onto his belt before prying it free and frantically securing the mask over her face. She's sure to fasten it appropriately and even snags a normal leather belt from one of the scientists' perfectly pressed khakis, wrapping it around her own waist and securing her pack and new gun holster to it. With her loaded gun in hand, she slips out of the room, and as she suspected, there are exit signs down the hall, indicating to the left. 

She doesn't run, her cold feet padding along the metal floor, sticking to one wall and carefully peering around each corner before she moves on. The halls, however, are large enough to fit avatars and even AMP suits, so she felt small and frail in her state. Feeling too open and exposed, she climbs up onto some toppled crates pushed against the side of the hall and reaches up, painstakingly unscrewing the large vent in the ceiling, her fingertips now split open and scraping raw against such corroded metal. With a strained grunt, she pulls herself up into the now-opened vent, her limbs cold and shaking weakly in protest. Taking several deep breaths through her filtered air, Kayla pushes herself up onto her feet once she realizes the vent is big enough for a fully grown human to walk through. Well, that's awfully helpful.

~~~~~~~~~

The itch to dive into the fray was strong, but Tonowari held back and remained in the shadows as the Omatikaya fought off the small group of Sky People that remained, with Toruk Makto, Neytiri, and Max in the gunship slowly picking off the metal suits and flying machines. Norm's feet shuffle anxiously in the dirt, waiting, his eyes fixed on the doorway, which is currently being shielded by an AMP, firing up at the two ikran and gunship flying above it. Despite his orders, Norm doesn't take any chances of Jake or Neytiri getting hit, so he brings his rifle up and quickly aims, firing several rounds straight into the AMP's glass canopy to get to the RDA soldier within. When the hunk of metal collapses forward, Norm motions Tonowari to follow him.

"Now's our chance, let's go!"

Tonowari can't afford to hesitate, rising from his hiding place and closely following behind Norm, his spear clutched in his hand. With the Sky People too preoccupied with the Na'vi attacking from the front and above, they pay no attention to the two lone Na'vi who slip into the facility right behind their line of fire. That is, until one soldier in a Skel Suit noticed and managed to break off from the fight to follow.

The floor inside is cold and smooth beneath Tonowari's feet, hissing quietly under his breath. Apart from some vegetation making its way into the building, most of the walls are still colorless and sterile, but the flickering lights in the ceiling are what make the atmosphere all the more eerie. Norm's breath is labored while taking his datapad out, revealing a blue-lit map on the screen, "Alright, there's only a few places they could've taken her that haven't succumbed to the elements yet. Follow me."

~~~~~~~~~

Kayla hears a voice below her, a specific, unique voice that has her heart jump when she recognizes it. Norm.

Unfortunately, there's no vent opening right beneath her, so she quickly moves down the air shaft to find one. Her heart is beating loudly in her ears when she sees light on the floor ahead of her, quickly kneeling down above the next vent opening to painfully remove the screws once more.

Tonowari's head looks up when the sounds of small footsteps trail down from right above him, but nothing is there. Norm also heard it, his ears twitching in the direction the footsteps were disappearing, "Did you hear that?"

Kayla nearly sobs with relief, wishing her damaged throat would allow her to scream so her friend could hear her. She raised her fist to angrily pound against the vent, but quickly froze when she saw movement below her. A Skel Suit stands just beneath the vent, and the soldier controlling it is aiming his AK down the hall where Norm's voice came from.

"Hey!" The bastard roars, "Traitorous skum!"

Norm and Tonowari spin around, but neither of them is fast enough to draw their weapons with the rifle already trained right at them. Time slowed as the soldier aimed, and when the single gunshot rang throughout the hall, even Tonowari could admit he had flinched. He quickly turned to Norm, thinking maybe he had been hit, but the dreamwalker was looking back at him with an equally baffled expression. Neither of them was injured. 

Looking back at the soldier, they watch the corpse drop the rifle, cringing when all that could be seen through his mask was a splatter of blood. His head slumps forward, but the stiff suit keeps him standing upright, and the confusion in both surviving males' minds is quenched when a vent latch suddenly swings open with immense force right above the murdered soldier. With bated breath, they both watch as a human female slowly climbs down, hanging off the ledge of the vent by her hands for a moment before she gets her bearings and safely drops down, though she stumbles when her feet hit the ground.

She's small. Smaller than Tuktirey or Spider in comparison. Squished beneath her breathing mask is short, unkempt hair and a bloodied nose, her pale body beaten and bruised beneath simple shorts and a tank top, her bloodied hands shaking violently at her side. Tonowari's eyes scan the female Sky Person until his gaze falls on her hip, held by a belt that didn't fit her, where he caught sight of a small, metal weapon with an unclipped holster.

Instinct kicks in, and he raises his spear, and Norm quickly rushes forward in an attempt to shove it out of his firm hand, "Wait, stop! It's Kayla!"

The olo'eyktan froze, his gaze snapping to Norm for confirmation before slowly turning back to the small figure standing ahead of them. Her shoulders rise and fall rapidly, struggling to catch her breath and keep her footing. Tonowari doesn't know how to react to the small, frail figure in front of them that doesn't at all resemble the strong and fierce woman he knows. Out of all the things that felt strange to him, the storm-colored eyes looking back at him with an equally shocked expression was the strangest. 

Kayla was panting, her vision a little dizzy from jostling herself when she jumped down from the vent, trying to keep her bearings. Her stomach rolls with nausea for a moment, but she forces it down, her ears ringing while her eyes try to make sense of what she was seeing. Norm looked the same. Despite being in his avatar form, he looked normal in this human-like setting. Even with some of the Olangi adornments he wore, he still wore shorts, a shirt, and a vest.

The Na'vi male next to him, however, was not a normal sight in this kind of setting. The harsh light above her is a cold contrast against the rippled stripes along the cyan skin, his paddleboard tail taking up the majority of the hall behind him as it swayed. Even if these halls were built to fit decked-out AMP suits, it still looked far too small for someone as broad-shouldered as Tonowari. It all just looked wrong.

Which, for a moment, made Kayla believe she was hallucinating.

She swallowed some filtered air, but it burned in her lungs as if she had been holding her breath underwater. Blinking several times to ensure she wasn't losing her mind, she glances between Norm and Tonowari several times while trying to make sense of the almost comedic scene in front of her. Seeing them standing next to each other made her realize just how short Norm was.

"What took ya so long?" She managed to wheeze out quietly, a brief smile flickering on her lips before her eyes rolled back and her knees gave out underneath her.

"Shit-!" Norm cursed while rushing forward, managing to catch Kayla in just three long strides before her head could hit the ground. Tonowari's reaction was stalled, but he shook out of his initial shock and took action, rushing forward to inspect Kayla as Norm held her up.

"She's unconscious, and she looks paler than normal," the dreamwalker states while closely looking over Kayla's limp form.

Movement rushes forward in the corner of Tonowari's eye, and this time, he reacts quickly, raising his spear and throwing with a deep snarl.

The spear embeds itself into the chest of another soldier driving a Skel Suit, pinning him to the wall leading out of the building. Norm curses once more, dumping Kayla into Tonowari's open arms so he could grab his own gun and aim it in front of himself, "Go! Get her out of here, I'll cover you!"

Tonowari reflectively held Kayla tighter when he was startled by how weightless she was, frightened that she might slip through his fingers and drop. She was barely the same size as his arm, and she was cold to the touch. Compared to carrying her dreamwalker's body, she was alarmingly frail.

"Jake, we got her!" Norm pressed his fingers to his throat, "We got her, let's go!"

Jake peers down from his position flying above the chaos, quickly spotting Norm with his rifle, firing into the fray from behind the Sky People as Tonowari speeds out of Hell's Gate, carrying something in his arms that doesn't give Jake a lot of comfort.

He presses his own fingers to his comms, "Fall back, everyone. Rogue Two, provide cover until ground team is deep into the trees. Make sure we're not followed and meet us at the rendezvous for pick up."

Swinging lower toward the battle, Jake and Neytiri do their best to provide both Norm and Tonowari cover as they race back to the treeline, while Tarsem and his warriors take up the rear to provide a protective wall astride their direhorses. Max flies at a higher altitude, retreating backwards to fire down into the crowd of remaining RDA, keeping them back even as the rest of the rescue team has completely vanished beneath the tree canopy.

Jake flies above the treetops and eventually loses sight of ground team, continuously looking back over his shoulder to make sure no surprise armada was suddenly giving chase. Seeing only Max in the gunship, Jake takes a deep breath and presses his comms, "Alright, we're clear. Rogue Two, touch down to pick up Tonowari and then meet us back at High Camp."

"Copy that."

He and Neytiri branch off and veer right, going a different route from their party in case they are being followed. Max flies to the planned coordinates of ground team's rendezvous and safely lands, keeping the blades running as Tonowari carefully climbs inside with Kayla still unconscious in his arms. Norm and the rest of Tarsem's party ditch the pa'li and call for their ikran. They take to the skies, and Max shortly follows them back to the Hallelujah Mountains, relying on the banshees to guide him without the instruments. 

~~~~~~~~~

Ronal sat inside Mo'at te Pohatsua Oma'ite's marui, keeping herself busy by inspecting her fellow tsahik's herbs, and the older woman happily obliges, explaining where each one originates in her forest and their purposes. Mo'at does this to distract Ronal after finding her pacing outside, watching from the mouth of the cave in search of the rescue party, her hand resting over her rounded stomach. The Omatikaya tsahik tells stories to fill any silences that come after each herb, even going as far as telling stories about Neytiri's childhood, unaware of some of the disagreements Ronal has had with her daughter in the past. Ronal doesn't say anything, but Mo'at's stories about Neytiri amused her to a point she briefly forgot her worries.

That is, of course, until a horn echoes throughout the cave and Ronal is quick to sit up straight, her eyes darting to the entrance of the marui. Mo'at's movements are slower, but no less alarmed as she explains to the Metkayina tsahik, "They have returned."

Ronal stubbornly helps herself up to her feet even when Mo'at hovered, storming out of the tsahik tent and toward the landing zone, clear signs of a crowd already forming around groups of ikran and a single gunship. Many Omatikaya are smart enough to move out of the way of the reef woman's approach, and she wasn't afraid to shove past some when Mo'at wasn't quick enough to announce her presence to her people. Ronal's eyes looked nowhere but at the metal ship she had seen her husband disappear on when the rescue party initially left. Ignoring the banshees and other warriors who look worse for wear, she moves through them and forces herself to wait at a distance while the ship's rotars started to slow down.

Eventually, Tonowari crouches low to squeeze out of the ship, only standing to his full height once his head is clear from the rotars vacinity. Relief soothes Ronal's heart for only a moment once her mate caught sight of her, then her eyes look down his body for any injuries. He carried something in his arms, or rather someone. 

Ronal's eyes are fixed solely on the Sky Person, and conflict immediately takes over her expression. When imagining what Makayla might look like as a demon, Ronal's imagination didn't prepare her for this. She was so... pale and small. Weak and lifeless. Her hair... there wasn't a glow or even a speck of health to it, dull and dry like plant roots. Of course, Ronal knew that the Sky People didn't have sil or tanhì, but to see her intended without any of the traits she was used to seeing on her face and body was jarring. Compared to her Na'vi-like form, Kayla's birth form was colorless.

Tonowari doesn't take his eyes off of Ronal, able to read each of her expressions and feeling the exact same way. His train of thought is interrupted, however, when Toruk Makto shows up out of thin air, standing in front of Ronal, blocking her view, and his eyes already set on the body in the olo'eyktan's arms. Behind the yellow eyes of a hardened warrior, Tonowari saw fear in Jakesuli.

"Shit," Jake muttered under his breath, his brows pinched and eyes wide when he finally looked away from Kayla. He briefly glances at Tonowari before he's back in the role of a leader, waving for his brother-in-arms to follow him, "Come on, quickly. Bring her over here."

He leads Tonowari and the others toward their allied Sky People's metal homes. Ronal moves to follow with determination in her eyes, but both Mo'at and Neytiri step in her way, the former explaining in a low tone, "Sky People cannot heal by our hands."

Ronal paused, her eyes finally peeling away from Tonowari's retreating back to look to Mo'at in confusion. Norm stops briefly when he catches the reef woman looking a bit distressed and further explains, "We have a weaker immune system than the Na'vi. Any sort of heavy medicine you give her might kill her."

The Metkayina tsahik's ears pin back in further distress, but Norm doesn't have time to unpack why. As Max hops out of the gunship, Norm is rushing him over with a wave of his arm, "Max, get in there and prep for surgery. I'll be in shortly."

He jogs toward the Longhouse to disconnect with his avatar, and Max races to the bio-lab trailer to catch up with Jake and the others. Neytiri doesn't pay attention; her focus is mainly on Ronal. She watches as the reef woman forces herself to stand back, looking almost... helpless, as if reality had just set in for her. The rose-colored glasses had lifted from Ronal's eyes as Jake would most likely say if Neytiri described it to him, and without them, Ronal had to face a reality she hadn't thought of until now.

She wasn't capable of healing Makayla when in her human body. And then, her thoughts drift further than that. Back home, at the reef, is a human boy she intends to bring into her family, and she has no means of being able to heal him if he ever gets hurt.

She had been so distracted by her inner turmoil that she hadn't noticed Mo'at and Neytiri stepping away in favor of Tonowari stepping in, placing a hand on his mate's arm to pull her out of her thoughts. Ronal blinks before gazing up at her husband, her hairless brow ridge furrowed with concern, "Why are you not with her?"

"Their healing marui made of metal is not meant for someone of my size," Tonowari answered, "Their healers are with her now."

The tsahik sharply exhales, still distraught from the way her forehead tattoo shrinks in size as she looks away. She feels his hand encompass the roundness of her belly, a small warmth within such a cold cave. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she accepts the comfort and rests her hand over his, opening her eyes again once she feels more composed.

"Tell me what you saw out there."

~~~~~~~~~

Jake stood at the window, looking into the bio-lab trailer as several of the humans surrounded Kayla, looking so small on the stretcher they set her in just on the other side of the glass Jake stood in front of. He hardly blinks, keeping his expression pensive and grim as they work on cleaning her up and inserting a couple of IV drips. After a little while, Norm, back as a human, walks over to the window and hits a button on the side of it, opening a communication speaker for Jake to talk into.

"What's the damage?"

"X-rays show that her ribs are cracked but not shattered or puncturing a lung. She won't need surgery from what we can physically see, but we won't know any more until she wakes up."

Jake sighs heavily, partially relieved that Kayla wouldn't have to go through surgery. His eyes flick over to her still form on the stretcher as his voice quiets, "What do you think they did to her?"

Norm's jaw moves for a moment before following Jake's gaze, his voice and expression solemn, "My guess, besides physical torture, they used the Neurosect scanner to get information out of her."

He can feel Jake's eyes on the back of his head, so he continues to explain his reasoning, "She... is expressing similar symptoms that Spider described to me when he went through the same kind of interrogation. Now... I don't know how long the kid was under that thing, but given that Kayla looks far worse, I'd say they probably did more to her than they did to him."

The heaviness in Jake's yellow eyes doesn't go away, guilt weighing on his chest while his ears flick in the direction they hear someone approaching. Both he and Norm greet Tarsem with the hand gesture for respect. Once Jake saw the look in the olo'eyktan's eyes, he dreaded asking the question.

"How many men did you lose today?"

"Four warriors, Toruk Makto."

Jake winced with his eyes, glancing at Norm behind the glass when he lowers his head for a moment of silence, respecting the fallen. Jake takes a moment before inhaling deeply, trying to form as much gratitude as he can muster to ensure the lives sacrificed today were not in vain, "Thank you, brother."

Tarsem nods with an aged look in his eyes, not appearing as young as he once did when he was just a warrior under Jake's leadership. The burden of olo'eyktan weighs heavily. Jake exhales through his nose, his eyes fixed on Kayla's sleeping form before looking between Norm and Tarsem, "This stays between us. When my sister wakes up, no one tells her. She would never forgive herself."

"Kayla?"

All three pairs of eyes, human and Na'vi alike, turn back to the stretcher. There, they find Max and Jocelyn hovering over their patient, and slowly, the woman on the stretcher starts to move, her face scrunching in discomfort, her eyes too heavy to lift.

"Kayla," Jocelyn breathes out with relief, her voice quiet and teeth shining in a warm smile.

Jake finds himself taking a deep breath that he didn't realize he was holding, while Norm jogs away from the window to rush to Kayla's bedside. Tarsem leaves to go and inform the tsahiks, leaving Jake alone to feel helpless while standing on the other side of the glass. It was hard to see his sister from this distance, and with the few humans surrounding her bed kept shuffling around and blocking his view. As Kayla starts to slowly move a little more, her friends are patient, and they do their best to encourage her to be careful.

"Easy, easy," Norm warns quietly as he and Jocelyn stand on either side of Kayla's bed and help her sit up, "Take your time."

She made a weak noise, her eyes struggling to open from how bright everything was around her. It takes time for her to focus while there's a low ringing in her ears, the voices all around her echoing and making her head hurt worse than it already was. Kayla groans and finally manages to open her eyes.

For a moment, her friends could all see it. A brief moment of confusion. Then, Max moves from one side of the stretcher to the other a bit too fast, and his shadow briefly covers the light above her head. 

Kayla's heart nearly stops as the light above her flashes, the scanner slowly starting up for another round of agony.

Norm never saw it coming, staggering back when Kayla's knuckles managed to slam into his cheek, pain reverberating in his skull from the impact. Chaos erupts, and Max and Jocelyn quickly try to dive forward and stop Kayla from ripping the IV needles from out of her arms.

"No, don't!"

Kayla shoves Jocelyn's chest and seizes the opportunity to try again. She's not Ardmore's guinea pig anymore. She refuses to let her little minions poke and prod her until she's full of nothing but scars and holes. She successfully rips the needles out, gritting her teeth as blood drips out in their place before kicking Max's gut and leaping off the stretcher. She noticed the thing was on wheels and shoved it into her pursuers as they all recovered from her attack, then she dove for a medical tray and grabbed the first sharp object: a scalpel.

She had been so fast that Jake had blinked and nearly missed the whole thing, horror and confusion wracking through his brain while watching his sister attack her friends like a wild animal, dripping blood from her arm and backing herself up into one corner of the room, scalpel poised in front of her for protection. She finds herself surrounded by Norm, Max, and Jocelyn, each of them bruising or bleeding in some way, shape, or form, their hands up to show they're unarmed once they saw her makeshift weapon.

"Whoa! Waitwaitwait-!"

"Kayla, hang on--"

"It's okay--"

"Get away from me!" She screeched, the sound ringing in their ears as it bounced off the metal walls.

Jake grits his teeth, calling through the window, "Guys, get her to calm down--"

"We're trying--" Norm tried to say.

"Calm her down, or I'll come in there and do it myself--"

"Dammit, Jake, just give us a minute!" Norm snapped as he briefly glared at the window, "You're not helping!" 

Spinning his head back around to their little stand-off, Norm keeps his hands up while slowly taking a single step closer, "Kayla, it's me! It's Norm Spellman! You're safe. You're back with the Omatikaya."

Several minutes pass in that room with only the sound of Kayla frantically breathing, her eyes wild while snapping her gaze to each human face that surrounded her. None of them speaks, and none of them moves, keeping their hands up in her view while she white-knuckles the scalpel in her hand. Something blue moves in the peripheral of her vision, her eyes briefly look in that direction before looking back to the people she deems a threat. She paused, however, when that flash of blue stayed in her head, slowly jogging a memory. Sparing a few extra moments to look longer, Kayla turns her head just enough to focus on that blue in the corner of her eye.

Jake is already looking back at her, brows furrowed while his ears pin back to his skull, the locs falling over and hiding them from view. His gut turns uncomfortably from the way his sister looks at him... as if she had no idea who he was. 

Kayla slowly turns back to the humans surrounding her in that room, her breathing slowly evening out, but she still kept her guard up, scapel held in front of her for protection. When focusing her gaze on Norm once again, she stammers, "Wha... What happened?"

Norm's muscles relax a little, seeing some form of recognition in her eyes. He keeps his voice low and gentle, "Ardmore put you in that neuro scanner. Same one they used on Spider, only we think they upped the power on you. Or kept you in longer, which is why you're feeling confused."

Pieces were visibly falling into place behind her stormy eyes, the tightness in her face slowly relaxing. She catches her breath for all of two seconds before she's frantically looking around with her eyes, "Spider... Spider-- Where-?"

"He's fine, Kayla. Hey, look at me," her eyes move back to Norm while he keeps his expression open and with a small smile, "He's safe. He's back in Awa'atlu. Kayla... everything is fine. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe now, just-- Just give me the scalpel."

Her gaze moves down to the weapon in her hand, brows furrowed with confusion when she doesn't remember when she had grabbed that. Her knuckles slowly return to their normal color as her grip loosens, all the while Norm slowly takes his time to get to her, step by step. Their eyes stay locked, unwilling to blink, as he slowly reaches his hand out to hers.

The scalpel slips into Norm's grasp without a fight, and everyone else collectively sighs in relief, even Jake. Kayla's arms fall to her side, the cold of the room seeping into her skin and making her shiver. Her shoulders scrunch, her head bowed, giving off the impression she was even smaller than she really was. 

Her breath shakes, teeth chattering as she tries to focus on forming words, "Norm... it hurts."

Norm's eyes flick down to her bleeding arm before focusing back on her face, "I know."

"I can't-- can't-- make it stop. My head-- Make it stop--"

Confusion flickers on everyone's face, a weight sinking to their stomachs as Kayla raises her hands to press her palms against her eyes, eliciting a sob from her throat.

"Heyheyheyhey," Norm's alarmed tone is still soft as he takes that last step forward and grabs her elbows, "It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

Tears spill down her cheeks once Norm pulls her hands away from her eyes, her lip quivering as she lets out a small whine, "I wanna go home... I wanna go home, please..." 

Jake's breath catches in his chest, and it gets stuck. Those familiar words repeat in his head, haunting him, mixed with both his son's and now his sister's broken voices. 

Norm, none the wiser about the meaning of such words, tries to comfort Kayla, "You are home, Kay. You're safe."

She shakes her head, regretting it when the room spins around her, a rising feeling growing in her stomach when she tries to even out her breaths. Impending doom is the only thing she feels, her shoulders beginning to rise and fall rapidly when she begins to panic. It overwhelms her, envelops her, and then finally, sucks her into the void, causing her eyes to roll back.

"Kayla-?"

Her knees give out, and she collapses like a sack of potatoes. Norm is quick to grab her but struggles to hold her up when her body begins to convulse and seize. 

"Oh, shit. Watch her head, watch her head." Max urges as he and Jocelyn spring forward to help. 

Jocelyn is the one who manages to clasp her hands on either side of Kayla's head, holding it steady while the rest of her body shakes uncontrollably, noting the bit of drool spilling out of the corner of her parted mouth. Her skin was dewy with sweat, and when Max peels open one of her eyes and shines a small flashlight, they all notice that her pupil was dilated and unfocused. 

"Definitely a seizure," Max confirms and nods back over to the stretcher, "Let's lay her back down." 

Jake felt helpless behind the glass, watching as his human allies returned Kayla's twitching body to the stretcher. Starting to pace anxiously, his mind ran rampant, feeling his skin prickling as if there was something he should be doing, but can't think of it. 

"I want to go home..."

"I wanna go home, please..."

His vision tunnels, the words still echoing in his head, both in Kayla's and Neteyam's voices. His chest tightens, shortening his breath, his hands shaking at his sides while flashes of their helpless, innocent faces haunt his mind. He couldn't save them. All they wanted was to go home, and he couldn't even manage that. He killed his son. He killed his sister--

"Ma Jake?" 

The tunnel in his vision recedes, clearing his sight. His skin feels warm beneath Neytiri's hand as she steps up to him. Her large eyes scan his expression, concern pooling in those yellow orbs, as if she had just woken him up from a nightmare... and maybe she had. Jake managed to take a breath, brows pinched and ears lowered in shame as his eyes met hers. It was plain as day on his face, and she could see it so easily. He was afraid.

Neytiri fears the worst, given her husband's reaction, "Is she alright?"

Uncertainty was not a good look on Toruk Makto, his eyes shifting between the glass and her hand on his arm, "I don't know... she just had a seizure."

"What?"

~~~~~~~~~

When they heard that Makayla had seized similarly to Kiri, the Metkayina clan leaders hurried over to the med bay along with Mo'at. Jake and his woman were already there, standing in front of a clear wall that separated them from the Sky People inside the metal marui. On the other side were the two male tawtute that helped rescue Kayla, no longer wearing their masks as they were safe in their bubble of breathable air. As they peer further in, both Ronal and Tonowari see a haunting sight. Behind Norm and Max was a sickly pale, small woman, unconscious and lying in bed. Among her skin and bones are multiple wires sticking into her frail body, mainly her arms and some in her nose. They were hooked to a machine that drew different-sized lines and made a strange noise. 

Jake spares a glance at the two Reef people before returning his gaze to the glass, "What's the damage, Norm?"

"She has several broken ribs and is fatigued," Norm explained to the small group of Na'vi, his arms crossed and shifting his legs, "She's malnourished, has bruises all over, along with cut-up wrists and fingers--"

"And who knows what other mental damage that was likely caused by the NeuroSect scanner." Max finished.

Norm nods, sparing a glance back at the other scientist before leveling a grim look at Jake, "From what we saw earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if Kayla is prone to epilepsy from now on," he carefully informs, before a dark look falls over his eyes, "And it doesn't help that she wasn't properly caring for her human body anyway--"

Jake visibly bristles, thrown off by this new information, "What?"

Ronal and Tonowari's ears perk up with interest, growing more concerned considering how distraught Jake looked. Mo'at remained firm, but Neytiri's tail raised behind her with alarm, her eyes downcast while thinking about Kayla suffering the same ailment as Kiri. 

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" It was hard to ignore the sarcasm in Norm's voice, "The reason she lost all that weight and looks sickly all the time isn't from Quaritch or any form of torture. Kayla hasn't been breaking her link with her avatar as often as she should, and it drove her human body to start to rot essentially."

Max noticed the upsetting look deepen the wrinkles on Jake's face, so he tried to soften the blow, "Norm--"

But Spellman wasn't catching on, "Why do you think I kept her and Spider here for three weeks?"

The air is heavy from this revelation, with Jake, Ronal, and Tonowari staring at Norm as if he had butchered a young yerik right in front of them, dread wafting through the air while the news sinks in.

Jake's the first to snap out of his shock, eyes darting over to the shorter man behind the glass, "Max?"

In response to his name, the scientist lets out a quick, heavy breath, "It's true. Kayla was suffering from headaches, weight loss, dehydration, and nausea long before any of this. She kept saying that she needed more time."

"Sound familiar?" Norm's voice bore a flat tone while staring straight-faced at Jake.

The intended jab at Jake's character wasn't lost on the former avatar, wincing lightly at faraway memories of a time he was desperate to continue with his neuro link. A time when he was acting irrationally because he felt as if the world was ending, and he still needed to tell Neytiri and her people that their Hometree was going to be destroyed.

It shakes him to think Kayla was feeling much of the same, expecting some impending doom and putting herself on the line because of it. Typical Sully.

"So what'll happen to her now?" He asked.

Both scientists exchange a solemn glance before Max silently volunteers to give the difficult news, "We won't know until she wakes up."

~~~~~~~~~

He shouldn't be mad that he didn't know about Kayla's condition.

It's not like he had seen her in human form for some time. Jake couldn't have possibly known that she had been neglecting her true form in exchange for driving her avatar around with the rest of them. 

And yet... There were all those times when he remembered she refused to break the link... because his family needed her. Many nights of staying awake after Neteyam's death, soothing his wife or his children when it should've been his job. Kayla had done all of that for him. Those moments happened a few too many times, and suddenly, Jake feels guilt eating away at his gut. Perhaps, deep down, he had known that she wasn't necessarily in good shape, but he let it happen because she was there for his family when, mentally, he wasn't. He was selfish.

Things became a blur for a moment. It was so strange to think that earlier today, he was planning a mission to save his sister, and now, he's keeping an eye on her unconscious form, unwilling to sleep himself. He had encouraged Neytiri to leave and be with her mother, while also coaxing Ronal and Tonowari to rest after such a trying day. Eventually, Ronal caved because of her pregnancy, and her husband dutifully followed, internally exhausted from the taxing rescue mission. Jake managed to convince the pair that he would stay here and let them know if anything changed. He had done so to test them, in a way, to confirm what Neytiri had told him. When they expressed gratitude while also hesitating to let Kayla leave their sight, her brother pointedly turned away while clenching his jaw. He wasn't entirely sure why he was mad about that either.

Knowing he would be here for a while, Jake managed to squeeze himself into the lab and sat before a monitor, his knees bent and head low to avoid the ceiling while looking through mission logs and catching up on everything the clan had been up to while he was gone. Their war efforts have been successful so far under Tarsem's rule, so he felt sound in his decision to name the younger Na'vi his successor. Skimming through the files, he didn't find anything interesting. Outside the mission logs, picked up RDA chatter, and the occasional scientist discovery, he thought he was going to start nodding off.

That is, until he saw a video with Kayla's human face as the thumbnail.

Curious, he selected it, and it was like stepping back through time. His sister was sitting in front of a camera, looking healthier, elbows on the table while looking bored, talking directly at the lens,

"Okay... this is... video log..." Kayla's recorded self looked around for numbers before scoffing, "Ah, hell, I'm not doing that. It's not like this is going to be used for science observations or military data like Jake's. The timeline is this: it's been three days since my brother took his family and left the Omatikaya."

Jake's eyes squint at the date in the top left corner of the screen, confirming her statement while she continued, "I've been keeping myself busy with driving my avatar around and trying to work my way up to my rite of passage. Ickneemia, or something like that. I'm still learning the language. The reason I'm so anxious to get the ball rolling is because I need a banshee, and if I can get a banshee, then I can fly and cover more ground to find Spider."

It's like all his failures were coming back around to smack him in the face like the boomerangs they were. The video log was a reminder of how badly he failed Spider that fateful day. Kayla's recording shows her absently biting the skin around her thumb.

"The kids are counting on me to find him while they're gone, and I'd hate to fail them. I'm hoping for their sake -and Spider's- that the kid was unharmed and still kicking." Her gaze turns more grave, her eyes dark in the bad camera light, "I'm worried for him. I'm worried about what Ardmore is capable of. The general is a stone-cold bitch, inside and out, and I can't imagine that my former boss was ever good with kids. If Ardmore is as incapable of empathy as I fear, I could only imagine what harm that could mean for Spider, and honestly, it's been keeping me up at night."

Despite the topic, the video log felt... nice. Almost like Kayla was sitting directly across from Jake and telling him all about her day. She's seen leaning her head back, her eyes tracing shapes up at the ceiling while distractedly confessing the thoughts she's kept to herself, "He doesn't deserve to be brought into all of this. He's just a kid. Back home, he would be learning how to drive a car right now. He's supposed to be worried about an upcoming math test or how to shave without cutting himself. At least, that's all the shit I worried about back then, including the shaving."

Jake laughed lightly, shifting uncomfortably from her boldness.

"--Instead, Spider's been dragged into a war that isn't his to fight... all because no one cared enough to protect him. Maybe that's why I feel the need to keep an eye on him. I know what it's like to be abandoned by family before I'm hardly considered an adult."

The smile on Jake's face immediately drops as Kayla tilts her head back down, staring more at her nails than at the camera. She was deep in thought, hiding away in her mind, dissociating. Her expression was aged and haunted, while no doubt thinking about one of Jake's biggest failures regarding her. 

She blinks and visibly shakes the thought away, her mood slightly uplifted while her eyes dart back up to the camera, briefly flashing a half smile, "Anyway, this is Kayla Sully, signing off."

Kayla reaches over, and the video ends, leaving Jake in total silence. He slowly lets out a breath, feeling sick as his eyes dart over to the makeshift hospital space in the corner of the room, where his sister is now hooked up to machines and looking like she had been mauled by a truck, eyelids closed for who knows how long.

Black slowly lightens, revealing a soft, green glow with dots.

"-ayla!"

The muffled shouting suddenly clears as if her head had been lifted out from underwater.

"-ey! Kayla!"

A blinding white light blinds and blurs her vision before it's spared by the silhouette of a man who hovers over her.

"Kayla! Get up!"

"... Norm...? What's happening?"

"We're being evacuated. High Camp is compromised. We gotta go!"

It was all one large blur, almost like a dream. Kayla felt as if she was only witnessing the events and not entirely a part of them. Norm wretched her out of her link gurney so fast and panicked, making her head swim and her stomach flip uncomfortably. She was ready to empty said stomach's contents before Norm pulled her to her feet and shoved a breathing mask and a communication device into her hands.

Before she knew it, she was outside, feeling the cold of High Camp's caves seeping into her skin. Still loopy and nauseous, she stumbles around and bumps into both humans and Na'vi as everyone runs around like an ant colony, rushing to evacuate just like their practiced drills. Kayla looked over her shoulder to see that Norm was no longer by her side in the midst of the chaos, but she tried not to panic, her mind grasping at straws and trying to remember what to do if this situation ever occurred.

She remembers that all avatars must be abandoned and the drivers must run to find a Na'vi warrior with an ikran to help them fly down the mountains. Forcing her feet to move, Kayla stumbles into a young warrior she vaguely remembers to be a childhood friend of Tarsem, called Tivek. The young Na'vi recognized her, exchanged a few hurried words with her, and in just a few short seconds, Kayla was clutching onto the neck of Tivek's ikran and flying out of High Camp like a bat out of Hell.

Swarms of ikran were flying the coop all at once, completely obstructing Kayla's view of the clear blue skies. As practiced, many banshees scatter and group together, while others split off to either face the threat or lead it away from their home, something that Kayla had once seen Ao'nung and his friends do astride their ilu back at the reef...

Tivek was one of the taronyu who was assigned to play the offensive role, and so he turned his ikran to separate from the pack, so to speak, moving to take on the threat. Kayla held on for dear life, closing her eyes when the sudden movements of the flight made her stomach drop. Her surroundings suddenly shift as the sound of gunfire rings out, followed by Tivek's shouting and his ikran's roars that sounded suspiciously familiar to a squealing pig about to be slaughtered.

Kayla knew she should open her eyes to see what was happening, but by the time she gained the strength to do so, her fingers slipped from the ikran's neck.

Whoever said that falling is much like flying needed to be fed their own fingernails.

It wasn't one of her initial thoughts when she was bucked from the banshee, but it was one of the many thoughts that followed when she finally opened her eyes, a scream stuck in her throat and refusing to escape as she fell through the sky. The ground was still too far down since she was easily hundreds of miles up in the air where the floating mountains resided, but that didn't make Kayla feel any better about her current predicament.

"Shit shit shit...!" She managed to get out, water forced from her eyes due to the winds whipping in her face.

Her fall went on forever, the imminent danger still far away, given her long descent. Kayla finds herself with enough time to breathe and try not to panic, elevating her body like a skydiver.

A spark of hope is born in her chest when she hears an ikran's screech. Turning her head to the right, she sees one in the distance, beating its wings heavily to get to her as fast as possible.

"HERE! I'M HERE!" She screams desperately over the wind, her throat tightening in protest.

As it gets closer, the form of a rider takes shape. Kayla's fast breathing practically pounds in her ears as she tries to stretch out all her limbs to look as noticeable as possible. Watching the approaching ikran more closely this time, Kayla felt her blood cool and her hope fell as she recognized the riding gear when the beast got closer.

Both banshee and rider were sporting military gear.

All Kayla could do was helplessly fall and hope that her pursuer wouldn't have the flying skill to catch her. Unlucky for her, he did.

Quaritch's ikran folds in its wings and dives toward her at full speed, Kayla's heart leaping to her throat at the sight of black talons and teeth when it gets too close. She finds herself closing her eyes, waiting for the impact to happen. She would rather relax her body and see the darkness behind her eyelids compared to the sight of an ikran ready to devour her in three bites, as terrifyingly beautiful as such a creature can be.

But the end never came.

Instead of talons or teeth, Kayla feels a large hand wrap around her neck, clenching roughly to use as leverage, pulling her in, and slowing her fall.

She has just enough time to open her eyes and make a small choking sound before her airway is completely cut off, Quaritch's grip around her throat only tightening further. With the strength of a Na'vi, it didn't take long before his grip was enough for Kayla's vision to spot and darken, the last thing she sees is his stone-hard eyes and brute expression before passing out.

~~~~~~~~~

A muffled ringing in her ears slowly pulls her back to consciousness. Kayla could first feel her brain pulsing against the inside of her skull, seemingly trying to escape. It made opening her eyes considerably difficult, feeling that same pulse pushing against her retina. She felt a cold metal pressed against every inch of her back and legs, making it safe to presume she was on a table, and for some reason... she couldn't move.

Muscles began to remember their function, and then her eyelids slowly lifted. A blinding light glared down at her, driving the confused woman to slam them shut once more and groan, only to realize her throat was dry and her voice had caught before it could escape her lips. When she goes to lift her hand to her mouth, a wave of dread flips in her stomach when Kayla's hand doesn't get far once the restraints make themselves known on her wrists and ankles.

Kayla opens her mouth to shout and yell for help, only to stop herself when her ringing ears begin to pick up the sound of another voice.

"Patch me in to the general."

It's faint at first, but the voice grows louder as if drawing closer, or perhaps her ears were just beginning to clear up and the source had been nearby all along. Kayla even holds her breath to listen more closely, only for her ears to pick up a second voice.

"Colonel. You better have a good explanation as to why you haven't reported back since losing your team."

That voice, much more familiar than the first, makes Kayla's skin crawl and feel cold against the metal slab she was restrained to. Finally moving her head to look around, she finds the source of the voices. For obvious reasons, she didn't like what she saw.

His large back was turned toward her, but with strong, avatar shoulders covered in military gear and a close-shaven head apart from his kuru. Kayla immediately recognized Quaritch. Her stomach was in knots, her mind having forgotten how small she was in this human body, compared to her avatar that had managed to take on Quaritch previously. Seeing him rise in height in comparison to the table she was strapped to didn't give her good odds.

"Had to go radio silent so the enemy didn't detect my signal," his drawl became clearer as the ringing in Kayla's ears dissipated, "'Sides, the mountains kept scrambling what little instruments I had left."

The voice she had just heard before Quaritch, the one she thought was familiar, came from a radio the blue colonel held in his hand.

"The Hallelujah Mountains? I hope to hear some good news."

Ardmore.

"I got more than good news for you, General. I got a highly valuable prisoner for you. I got your missing corporal," Quaritch shifts his torso until he's looking just over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Kayla's in a way that made the hair on her arms rise, "Makayla Sully."

He thinly smiled with only one corner of his mouth, unsurprised to see her awake and responsive. The silence in the room was heavy as the radio softly buzzed, both Recom and human barely blinking amid their staredown. The radio buzzed a little longer, and for a moment, Kayla had wondered if the connection had been lost.

"... Switch to a private channel, Colonel."

Kayla's stomach clenched at the tone of Ardmore's voice, tight and muffled as if the general spoke under her breath with what sounded like growing anger. Quaritch made a small sound that sounded like 'affirmative' before clicking a dial on the top of the radio, holding it up to his face as Ardmore's voice returned, "What is the meaning of this?"

Quaritch grins while speaking into the radio, his eyes never leaving his hostage, "Turns out your little test subject was never missing or killed in action. Merely in hiding. 'Gone rogue and helping the war criminal, Jake Sully."

"How did you obtain her?"

"Baited her out of the hive, and even better, managed to get her in her human form. She's hardly a threat, but I thought she could be useful to us."

With all of Kayla's senses now fully functioning once more, all she could do was glare defiantly up at Quaritch from where she lay.

"Do you think she'll talk?" Ardmore gruffly ponders.

"She will... if we used that fancy tech you got back in your lab."

Another long pause before Kayla's former boss spoke, "... I will grant you access to our neuroscanner. I'll bring a squadron and the device to your location. We do this off-site and with limited personnel. I can't have everyone under my command believing they can turn tail and run as this traitor did. It would be chaos."

"Naturally," Quaritch agreed with underlining vanity, "I've already sent you my coordinates, but I don't think you'll need them."

There's a faint beeping on the other end of the radio channel before Ardmore's voice patches through, "Copy that, Colonel. You can expect our arrival at 0600."

"Copy that. Colonel out."

The radio is switched off, so tiny in the hands of an imposing Na'vi-looking man. Quaritch's full attention returns to his captive, to whom Kayla refuses to look away, her defenses up.

"You know, I used to run this place," he says casually while looking around at the clean, sterile room they resided in, "Some spots of the joint I hardly recognize. All the... plants and twigs and dirt have taken them over. But rooms like this? Untouched and familiar? 'Feels like coming home."

His grin plus his words clue Kayla in on her whereabouts. Remembering the files she had read and what little of Quaritch's past she had dug up from either Jake or Norm, Kayla took one look around what could only be a small interrogation room and surmised that she was in Hell's Gate.

Kayla tried to ignore the blinding fluorescent bulbsabove her, managing to finally find her words after briefly licking her lips and looking around. "How did you know which human to grab?"

"It's not that hard to gain access to your file," his thin smile shifts into something akin to annoyance, "and after having to deal with you like a thorn in my side back on that boat, I'd like to know who and what I'm dealing with."

Quaritch lifted a datapad from a nearby table, and from the other side of the translucent screen, Kayla could see a picture of her own face staring back at her.

"Corporal Makayla Sully," he reads off, "Born 2130, youngest of three, lost both your parents when you were sixteen, and joined the Marine Corps when you were eighteen."

Kayla paused to look at the picture for a moment, barely recognizing the long, healthy hair and flushed skin. She forced her eyes to look away, darting up at the avatar hovering over her as she spoke casually, "Yeah, so?"

"It's funny," he shrugs, "Must be quite the coincidence that you enlisted the same year one of your brothers was killed and the other left for Pandora."

Something uncomfortable rolled in her stomach, a small instinct in her gut that told her that something was wrong aside from the obvious kidnapping. She felt as if gravity was holding her down on that interrogation table, her muscles and bones like lead as she caught the knowing smirk on Quaritch's thin, blue mouth.

"Get comfortable, Sully. I think it's about time we got properly acquainted."

~~~~~~~~~

It was common for the children to be quickly forgotten once the adults all stood over them and started talking. Spider was used to it out of all of them, being the smallest and once invisible. 

He wasn't necessarily blocking out the conversation, but his focus was mostly on Kayla, or, technically, her avatar. His eyes kept closely watching her for a sign, anything that might indicate that she's still in there, somehow, and just resting her eyes despite Jake's insistence that her consciousness is elsewhere. 

As he's watching over the woman who has slowly become his guardian, Kiri is kneeling on the opposite side of Kayla's body, anxiously humming under her breath while her fingers fidget with the slowly growing songcord strung around the unconscious avatar's belt loop. One particular bead on the cord catches Spider's eye. 

A familiar red and wooden bead that he remembered carving himself and fitting into his hair when he was younger. Spider faintly recalls taking the bead out recently in exchange for more appropriate wear for the Metkayina clan, but hadn't seen the bead since. 

Something in Spider's chest seized, the room closing in, and the warm air of the ocean choking him slowly. His eyes dart to Kayla's resting face, the face of someone who wanted him to be a verse in her song.

The world spins on despite the boy's inner turmoil. If Jake was concerned, he had skillfully masked it behind his soldier persona, still speaking to Norm through the radio, "Send Max to us so he can pick up Kayla's avatar."

"I can do it."

"No, I need you to form a search party and hopefully pick up a trail by the time I get there."

"Wait, you're coming here? Isn't that what Quaritch wants?"

"I don't care. This isn't just anyone that Quaritch can possibly torture and get nothing out of. This is Kayla. She knows way more information than most. If he gets through to her, there's no telling what Quaritch might do or if he'll tell Ardmore. The Sky People could rain down on this very village within a day if Kayla talks."

Silence fell over the marui, and Jake had to focus on his facial muscles to avoid wincing at the look Neytiri gave him. Of course, no one would want Quaritch or Ardmore to learn their whereabouts, but the insensitive tone in Jake's voice was not lost on his mate. 

Norm's silence was an indication that he heard it, too, and when he responds, it's in a solemn, firm tone, "You got it. Over and out."

The radio cuts off, and Jake immediately fixes his gaze on his mate, "Neytiri-"

Her back turns from him, immediately grabbing a bow she has quickly fashioned as a replacement for her father's, "You are not facing that demon without me."

His ears lowered, her eye avoidance a clear sign of disapproval. Angering her further would not help the situation, so he doesn't argue and silently accepts. He moved to grab his gun but noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Ronal and Tonowari were talking quietly among themselves, and when the olo'eyktan noticed Jake looking in their direction, his mouth ceased movement and straightened his posture to his full height. Ronal does the same, determination in her eyes, while her mate steps forward to address Toruk Makto. 

"We will go with you, Jakesully."

Briefly stunned by the volunteer, Jake finds himself speaking automatically as if he were talking to one of his sons, eager for a fight, "There's no need. Besides, you know nothing of our forests."

Tonowari's eyes, hard and fierce, narrow, "Your sister is Metkayina now. She is one of us."

Ronal snarls low in her chest, "If you are capable of learning our ways, then we will learn yours to bring Makaylasully home."

Jake's confusion visibly deepens in his frown, taking one look back at Neytiri to see if she would back him on this. She, however, just looks expectedly at him. Once again, as if waiting for him to come to his own conclusion. He turns back to Ronal and Tonowari, taking a breath in before he could form a reply.

All it took was one inhale, and something clicked into place. Jake's left ear twitched, eyes briefly squinting while trying to solve a puzzle in his head. He has a sinking feeling when he catches a familiar smell-- the smell he detected on Kayla the last time they spoke.

His eyes narrow on the Metkayina leaders, their gaze unwavering. They don't blink or look away, and for some reason, it irritates him. Like they have no shame and dare him to say more.

The long, sullen silence fills the air of the marui with an intensity that none of the kids dared to break, holding their breath as they await Toruk Makto's decision. Jake lets the silence linger long enough before he sighs heavily through his nose before returning to his communication device, switching channels, and bringing the mic to his mouth, "Max."

Within a few moments, the static gradually changes to a familiar voice, "Jake? Don't worry. Norm has kept me in the loop, and I'm on my way in the gunship."

Jake grimaced, eyes darting over to the clan leaders before sighing heavily, "... I hope you have room for two more. We're bringing some extra help."

~~~~~~~~~

Max was arriving in an hour, and so two of the ikran were saddled and ready, eagerly nipping at each other as their claws dug into the wet sand. Neytiri goes around them, inspecting each strap and tightening anything she deems too loose. The whole clan had gathered to watch them depart, worried expressions shared all around as they witnessed even their olo'eyktan and tsahik prepare for the journey. 

"Rutxa," Tonowari summons a Metkayina, and they step forward, the one Jake remembers seeing Kayla interact with more than once. "You and your brother will watch over the village in our stead."

Jake surveys Ruxta's dutiful nod and stern features, missing someone approaching him until Spider stands just at his feet. The teenager looks up through his breathing mask with all the resolve he could muster in his young age, a makeshift bag slung over his shoulder.

"I'm coming, too."

Jake blinks out of his thoughts and looks down, taking one glance at Spider before shaking his head with a quiet voice, "No. That's just what Quaritch wants."

"Exactly. Maybe he'll come out of hiding if I'm there. We can lure him out and grab Kayla-"

"-Kayla would skin me alive if I allowed you to come with us." Jake half-heartedly smiles, placing his hand heavily on top of Spider's head, making sure the teenager was looking him in the eyes as he spoke, "You would be doing her a favor by staying here, where it's safe. She wouldn't want you anywhere near danger, especially when we just got you back."

Spider opens his mouth, ready to continue arguing. Jake braces for impact until a flash of long, tightly curled hair appears beside the boy in the blink of an eye, hovering over him.

"I will need your help, Spider," Tsireya, the angel she was, immediately calming the dispute with her hand curling over Spider's elbow, "with making sure that Lo'ak doesn't do anything foolish."

They all know it's a poor attempt to be persuasive, but it is proven effective as Spider's shoulders sag and the fight in him follows suit, at least smart enough not to argue with Tsireya. Spider keeps his head down and steps back to give Jake some space, and so the former Marine takes his cue to leave, nodding to Tsireya with gratitude before moving over to his ikran. 

The hour closes in, and from a distance, they see a small speck that could be nothing other than Max in the rogue gunship. Those who were departing quickly made their final goodbyes to their children. Tonowari exchanges small words with his son and daughter before moving on to Spider, the human boy brooding silently to himself until the chieftain stood over him. Tonowari waits until he can see the boy's eyes underneath his mask and nods down to him while trying to muster his best encouraging expression, gently patting the boy's shoulder. The warmth of the Metkayina chief's hand nearly engulfed Spider's entire shoulder and arm, but it had a weight and gentleness that felt oddly comforting to him. The olo'eyktan moves past him, and the tsahik takes his place. Ronal takes her time pretending to adjust the strap's tightness on his breathing mask, lingering in a tense silence that matched her aura, before she finally meets his eyes. 

"We will bring her back."

It was a small assurance and not very gentle in Ronal's voice, but Spider appreciated her attempt nevertheless. He nods, and she steps away to join her mate further down the beach, where he stands next to Jake and Neytiri while watching the gunship draw closer. Spider ducks his head away, softly glaring down at the sand between his toes.

Tuk abruptly runs out from the crowd to her parents, worriedly tugging on her mother's arm with a trembling lip, "Mama..." 

Neytiri's firm resolve immediately softens, bending down to her youngest child and pulling her into the tightest hug, one she hoped Tuk could cling to in her memories at the Spirit Tree while she and Jake were gone. Kiri soon joins the hug, and Neytiri holds her girls a little tighter. 

Jake watches the interaction with a solemn expression, trying not to look as if this was goodbye. Movement shifts in the corner of his vision, turning his head to find Lo'ak slowly approaching him. The boy hesitates, as if debating on approaching a hungry thanator, which Jake tries not to take offense to. 

He holds out his hand and rests it on Lo'ak's shoulder once the boy drifts closer. When Jake opens his mouth, silence follows. Words fail him, and something in the back of his mind somehow holds him back from giving orders. It was frustrating. He tries to think like Kayla and do what she would've done. Instead of giving orders and expecting Lo'ak to blindly follow them like a good soldier, Jake gently lists off reasons as to why he should listen to him.

"Son, if there is ever a time when I need you to really listen to me, it's right now. Do not come after us," Jake gives Lo'ak's shoulder a small squeeze to keep his attention, "I mean it. I need you here, looking after your sisters and keeping an eye on Spider. Please. Not just for me, but for your aunt. You know her, and you know that she would never forgive herself if something happened to you because you were trying to save her."

Lo'ak carefully watches his father, still hesitant and weary of him. There's a long, sullen silence, father and son stuck in this loop of uncertainty between each other. Lo'ak takes a deep breath and nods once, his voice quiet, "... Okay."

"Swear it." Jake couldn't help the strain in his own voice; the thought of losing another child was putting pressure on his tone.

Lo'ak swallows then nods again, "I swear it."

~~~~~~~~~

When Quaritch mentioned she should get comfortable, she should've known it would entail one of the most common interrogation methods... making her uncomfortable.

It was a textbook stress position, binding Kayla's wrists and raising her arms up to suspend her from the ceiling of the room. It was convenient for her avatar captor as the arrangement brings the human female up to his height. Whether it was intentional or not, the four walls were bland, cold, and isolating, causing her body to shiver to the point her bones ached and her teeth chattered, wearing only the top and shorts she had worn in her link gurney that morning.  

It was still early. If she had to guess without even knowing how long she had been unconscious, she probably hadn't been missing for a full twenty-four hours yet. It isn't much of an observation, but it's a small comfort in this cold room. So far, all her captor had done was shine lights in her face and occasionally push her just enough to make her body sway from her wrists' confinement. She felt like a stuck pig in a butcher shop.

Quaritch stays leaning against the wall with his arms folded, chuckling, "Gotta say it's kinda nice to whip out the old tactics."

"Happy to help." She grumbled.

"Yeah? 'You willing to talk then? Or do you think you're buying your brother time to come and save you?"

She flashes a small glare, "I'm not stalling. You and I both know he's not coming."

Their tense conversation is interrupted by movement in the doorway. In walks two other avatars Kayla briefly remembered seeing before. The one with the broken sunglasses on top of his buzzed cut, his name lost to her, while the other was bald. Her gut turns at the sight of the latter, recalling a description Spider had given her before, along with a name.

Quaritch looked to the entrance, "Took ya long enough."

Lyle Wainfleet unzips a pocket in his vest, unfazed, "Place is clear, boss."

"That's not right. Jake's not stupid enough to abandon this place completely. Mansk, do another perimeter."

Quaritch doesn't even wait for Mansk to leave before turning back to the dangling human female, "Now you can be quiet for us all you like. It won't matter. We'll just soften you up, and Ardmore's little machine will break your silence."

Kayla has to force herself to pull her glare away from Lyle, having the gall to look unimpressed at Quaritch, "I know. Spider told me about your... little torture device. He's told me a few other things, too," her eyes slowly glide over to Lyle, a deep snarl forming on her small lips, "like who shot Neteyam."

Lyle tilts his head, frowning in confusion, "Who?"

Something dawns in Quaritch's gaze before the muscles in his face slacken into a grim, solemn expression, "Ah... so that was his name? Sully's boy?" 

"He was just a kid-"

"-who killed one of my men."

"He was fifteen years old, you son of a bitch!" Kayla spat while abruptly struggling against her restraints, looking as if ready to tear out Wainfleet's throat, grunting like a wild animal.

Lyle watches her struggle for a while, a flash of something briefly passing through his eyes. She unfortunately blinked and had missed whatever emotion hung there before Wainfleet's gruff voice broke the silence, "He wouldn't have died- Hell, he wouldn't have even been born if Sully hadn't betrayed his own kind."

"'You willing to do the same?" Quaritch adds.

It felt like a slap to the face, being asked a question that, to her, held the most obvious answer.

"My kind?" The words feel like ash in her mouth as she scoffs with distaste, "My kind killed my planet. My kind screwed over my family, drove my parents into drinking. My kind alienated and took my brothers away from me, one way or another. Because of my kind, I never got the chance to watch my brother's children grow up. Because of my kind, my nephew is dead. My kind is well-known for killing each other already, so what Jake and I have done I would actually consider to be what they call 'in character.' You should tell me your secret, Colonel."

Her captor's brows furrow, "Secret?"

Kayla's teeth gnash together, "To how far your loyalty stretches before it snaps." 

Quartich visibly hardened, "So your loyalty goes to these animals?"

"'Only animal I see is you."

"Not the feral who held a knife to a boy's throat?"

"Her name is Neytiri, and you held a knife to her daughter's throat!" She snaps, jaw clenching with barely contained rage, "What she did to Spider was horrible, but violence is the only language you're able to speak, and Neytiri knew it. You had her son killed, and she lashed out in desperation. She would've done anything to ensure she didn't lose any more children. That's not an animal. That's just a mother trying to protect her babies. Wouldn't you have done the same?"

He waves away the question with a scoff, "I have nothing in common with that woman."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Both Wainfleet and Quaritch's ears twitch as if her voice irritated their hearing, "Spider told me what you had been doing during those months he was traveling with you. He taught you the ways of the Na'vi. Have you learned nothing from it? You ordered Jake to learn from the Na'vi all those years ago. To learn is to understand, and to understand is to realize that what you are doing here is wrong. That's why Jake betrayed you. That's why I betrayed Ardmore. It's nothing personal."

"Personal?" Quaritch straightened, "Who said anything about personal?"

"I was there," Kayla jeered, "I heard what you said to Jake that day out on the water. How he betrayed you and how you wouldn't hesitate to kill his own kid."

He firmly shook his head. "Personal is betraying people who took you under their wing just for some local tail. That's why Jake betrayed us. Are you like your brother, Sully? You gonna find a nice piece of tree-hugging ass and then turn your back on mankind?"

She offers a crude, insincere smile, "You've clearly never had local tail before."

Her method of provoking left something uncomfortable to turn in her stomach, the feeling only growing when both Recoms sneer with sharp teeth and upturned lips, the leader of the two ducking his head down to meet Kayla's eyes, "If that's the case, why don't you tell us where they are, and maybe we'll go get some."

"I'll see you in Hell first."

"Alright, then. On to a better question. Where's the boy?"

"Oh, now you ask?" The laugh that bubbles in her parched throat felt flat, "I honestly didn't think it would take you this long."

His eyes darken, "Where is he?"

"He's at home."

"And where's home?"

"Here's a better question. Why do you want him back so badly?"

Quaritch's face shrivels to something exasperated, "He's my son."

Kayla slowly drops her amusement and mocking tone, her eyes unblinking while looking straight up at the avatar before her with a dangerous glint in her orbs, "You don't deserve him."

The colonel's expression gets stuck for a moment, the only indication that he wasn't frozen was his tail casually swishing behind him. Kayla continues to speak from her chest, "He's a good kid. A kind soul. Not a single cell in his body represents you in any way, shape, or form. I won't let you squash his spirit. This world is his home. It's all he's ever known. He loves the forest. He loves the ocean, the animals, and the Na'vi. He loves this world. He loves it all, and you're threatening to take all of that away from him. If you take that from him, you'll be killing him. What kind of father kills his own son?"

"I ain't killing nothing." The colonel finally snaps out of it, lips pulled back in a snarl, "The kid's been brainwashed by those savages. He belongs with his own kind."

"You really should look in a mirror," she emphasized with her own human-like snarl, "You're not his kind either. Call it whatever you want, you're still trying to take him from everything he loves. I won't let you."

The human captive leans back in a soft sway, managing to get a better breath in while her arms shook from the gravity, "So if you want him, you'll have to kill me first."

Quaritch's fist is fast, a blur of motion before Kayla feels a harsh blow to her gut. She lets out a strained wheeze, the air knocked clean out of her. Quaritch rolls his shoulder a few times, briefly satisfied with the way Kayla groans like an injured animal while spitting down at her, "And who do you think you are to him, huh? You're not the boy's mother. She died fighting Jake and his band of savages. She's dead because of traitors like you, Sully."

Kayla coughs for a considerable amount of time, her throat raw and scratchy. Rolling her lips to try and regain any bit of moisture, she makes a daring move by smiling, "Aw, Colonel. Who knew you had a heart? I wouldn't have guessed, considering you were responsible for the death of a fifteen-year-old boy."

His frown deepens, and Wainfleet's expression doesn't look amused anymore, the reminder making his tail twitch with irritation. Kayla expressed feigned concern while looking between the two avatars, "Do you seriously think Spider would ever forgive you? After killing Neteyam? Spider was his friend, you know. They had known each other their whole lives. They grew up together... and you killed him."

Quaritch makes a point to roll his shoulder again, "I'm getting bored, Sully. Tell us where the kid is."

"At a bar mitzvah in Canada."

The quick whiplash she received from the sudden punch to the face was jarring, the lights above her multiplying and stretching while she tried blinking out the dots in her vision, shocks prickling the back of her neck. The pain was instant, cracking through the front of her skull like jagged lightning bolts. Kayla forgets how to breathe for a moment, too stunned to think of what to do. The only sensation she could register was the small brush of warmth that, for a moment, felt comforting in such a cold room. It wasn't until she felt it running down the swoop of her brow like water droplets that she realized the warmth was from blood.

Quaritch pulls his fist back, and there's not even a mark left on his knuckles, his skin a little tougher compared to a human's. It was obvious he didn't use his full strength, as Kayla faintly recalls being able to kill RDA grunts with a single blow while she was back on that sinking ship. He shakes his hand like it's nothing, "You think you're protecting him by being a smartass. Hell, I bet you think you're raising him. Like you have any right. Is your name on the birth certificate?"

She grunts, finally remembering how to breathe as she raises a bleeding eyebrow, "Is yours?"

His grin stretches, faintly reminding her of a hyena she once saw in a documentary back on Earth, "You're funny, Sully. Quick-witted and full of attitude, like your brother. Or, one of them, at least."

Her brows twitch, and her throat visibly bobs. Quaritch's voice turns mocking, "Oh... did I strike a nerve?"

Wainfleet already has his hand stretched out, providing a datapad once Quaritch reaches back for it. The colonel taps the screen a few times before listing off what he finds, "Dr. Thomas Sully. Killed by gunshot. Is that what they told you? Did you even bother checking the body yourself?"

Disoriented eyes narrow briefly up at him past the blood running through her lashes, "I wasn't there when they cremated him."

"'Suppose that makes sense," Quaritch, the bastard, lightened his tone and expression to feign innocence as he mouthed on, "They were in such a hurry to sweep the evidence under the rug. Had they given Jake even a moment to examine the body, he would've seen the knife marks and not a single bullet hole in sight."

She felt woozy and lightheaded, so for a moment, Kayla wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. The muscles in her face struggle to remember to remain firm and unflinching while her ears struggle to pay attention to Quaritch's little monologue, 

"People hardly communicate these days. Higher-ups didn't bother telling the suits who hired Jake how his twin died, so it's a good thing he didn't even bother checking, or else the whole scheme would've gone up in flames. Not that he's smart enough to do so. You, however, I suspect, would've at least been sober enough to ask."

Still unsure of what he was fully saying, Kayla tried to provoke him to explain further, "... You're lying."

"I remember Selfridge drunkenly bragging about the genius of it all. 'How we needed a guy on the inside."

Quartich grimaced at a faint memory playing back in his head, "But Dr. Augustine, that bitch, ran such a tight ship that we couldn't even get a hair through the door without her being on Selfridge's ass about it. So we infiltrated, and lucky for us, an avatar-trained scientist was getting ready to leave Earth to come to Pandora... and he just so happened to have a marine for a twin brother."

Cold. It rushed through her bloodstream, and she lost circulation in her toes and fingers. Kayla's eyes widen as the information loops on and on in her head, blood pumping in her ears until all she could hear was her own rapid heartbeat. 

Quaritch watches as the realization sinks into her face and simply states with a shrug, "So RDA did what they had to do."

~~~~~~~~~

Every hour spent flying over the ocean is another hour Kayla is missing. 

Jake tried his best not to exhaust his ikran, while also keeping in mind Neytiri flying beside him and the gunship flying just behind them. Max keeps a safe distance, keeping a close eye on the fuel intake, worried about all the extra added weight to the aircraft. While the gunship always carried avatars, no problem, two Metkayinas were a different story. They were larger, broader, and had stronger tails that most definitely could knock a human out cold if not completely snap their necks with one thwack. Ronal had curled herself up around the head of Kayla's avatar, trying to be small even with her rounded stomach. Then there was Tonowari, who was easily one of the biggest Na'vi males Max has ever encountered, and so the scientist did his best to fly as carefully as possible, not wanting to make this flight jarring for his passengers. 

When the cliffsides and vast jungle closed in, Neytiri's heart ached, a bittersweet moment to be home again, but under dire circumstances. She and Jake take the lead on the flight, making sure to communicate with Max with their throat mics while also using them as a way to reassure the Metkayina leaders if they appear wary or suspicious about this journey in a Sky People ship. Before long, the Hallelujah Mountains emerge from the clouds, and Neytiri yips to caution all flyers as they weave through the large masses. Ronal and Tonowari could not help but watch the mountains fly by, in awe of the rock fixtures that easily minimize the floating boulders that encompass the Cove of the Ancestors. 

Jake's impatience finally pays through as they fly into the cave system of High Camp, their presence made aware to the Omatikaya by the familiar echoes of the horns. It felt as if they had never left as crowds of Na'vi and humans alike formed a crescent around the landing zone, calling out for Toruk Makto and their returning friends. Jake leaps off Bob's back before the ikran can even touch ground, marching forward even as Max takes his time to safely land the gunship.

Neytiri seems just as eager, leaping off her own mountain banshee as her eyes land on the one face she had been desperate to see, feeling like a child again, "Ma sa'nok!"

Mo'at doesn't wait for her daughter to come to her. Instead, the old tsahik is uncharacteristically running to Neytiri as well, meeting her halfway and embracing her child as tightly as she could. Both women began to sob the moment they were reunited at last, both relieved to see one another and sharing the grief of a loss they had not gotten to share. 

Jake sees a familiar face parting from the crowd and walking up to him, but doesn't waste time with greetings, "Tell me something good, Norm."

"Tarsem sent out a search party hours ago once Tivek and Kayla didn't make it to the rendezvous," Spellman, in his avatar form, reports as he and a few other familiar faces surround Jake: Tarsem, Jocelyn, Txe'la, and Meui.

"And?"

The new and young olo'eyktan looks as if he was channeling his grief into anger, "That demon shot Tivek's ikran down and left my friend to fall to his death after taking Makaylasully."

Norm solemnly nods while further explaining to Jake, "Tivek and the ikran's bodies were recovered. No sign of Kayla."

Jake's jaw tightens, trying his best to keep his face blank of emotions, apart from giving Tarsem a squeezing hand on his shoulder in a silent apology for his loss. 

He looks down at the female scientist present among the circle, "Do we know if he took her to Bridgehead?"

Jocelyn shook her head, "It's not mentioned in any of their transmissions."

"That doesn't mean anything," Jake pinches the bridge of his nose for a moment before looking around at his gathered allies, "So... what happened? Give me the rundown."

"Scouts spotted Quaritch and his ikran surveying the Mountains a few days ago."

"Did Kayla know about this?"

"She did and made me swear not to tell you," Norm replies, "She wanted you to just forget about it and worry more about your family."

Jake's furrowed brow deepens while he hastily looks around at the cave, "So, how did he find High Camp? Why haven't you relocated?"

"Because I don't think Quaritch actually knows our location. He just had an idea of where to look, and since he's traveling by ikran, our scanners never picked him up, and he likely just mapped out the area since scanners are useless up here."

Max, who finally joins the group after landing the gunship, cuts into the conversation, "It's likely why he flushed us out before going after Kayla. Once we left the nest, he swooped in and grabbed her."

Ronal and Tonowari had cautiously followed Max from the gunship but did not join Jake's group of allies, the male Metkayina carrying Kayla's avatar in his arms. They both look around, catching every pair of eyes that look at them, the Omatikaya walking around and giving the reef Na'vi a wide berth. The cave floor is cold beneath their wide feet, their bright colors dampened by the surrounding dark and rock walls. It is clear they were out of place, and they both felt it, being observed like strange new creatures. 

The crowds of Omatikaya part ways for their tsahik, and both Ronal and Tonowari lay eyes on Mo'at, closely followed by her daughter. They note how Neytiri stood taller among the other Omatikaya, her movements loose and less defensive, her eyes tracking them in a way that could make anyone feel as if they were trespassing. 

"My mother," Neytiri introduced the Metkayina leaders to the older Na'vi woman standing beside her, "Mo'at, the tsahik of the Omatikaya." 

Mo'at and Ronal share similar greetings, while Tonowari could only nod with his arms still occupied holding Kayla. Mo'at's eyes dart to the unconscious avatar immediately, stepping before Tonowari and barely blinking at the intimidating height difference. Her hands press against Kayla's face, inspecting her with methodical fingers.  

Meanwhile, Jocelyn's attention is brought to her datapad, looking down at it and looking back up at Jake, "We got something."

All Na'vi, avatar, and human eyes land on her, and she quickly explains, "One of our motion sensors at Hell's Gate was just triggered."

Max gently takes the datapad from Jocelyn's hands, furiously typing something while the others speak around him. Tarsem does not look convinced.

"Could be anything. Could be an animal."

"But it would make sense," all eyes turn back to Jake as realization dawns on his face, his gaze quickly looking around, "Let me see a map?"

The group moves into the war tent, where Norm is able to project a large map of known Pandora landscapes in the center of their circle. Max remains distracted on his datapad while Jake moves around the map using the controls.

"Hell's Gate is just east of the Muku River... and didn't you say that you lost Kayla's radio signal halfway to the rendezvous point? It's a bit of a stretch... but Hell's Gate is a helluva lot closer to those coordinates than Bridgehead."

While it's logical, Norm is still cautious, "But we don't know if it's Quaritch."

Max makes a victorious sound when he discovers something on his screen, "Except that I'm also monitoring Ardmore's radio chatter and just received this-"

The volume of the datapad is turned up as all ears tune in to a two-way radio conversation, both voices very distinct and recognizable.

"Colonel. You better have a good explanation as to why you haven't reported back since losing your team."

"Had to go radio silent so the enemy didn't detect my signal. 'Sides, the mountains kept scrambling what little instruments I had left."

"The Hallelujah Mountains? I hope to hear some good news."

"I got more than good news for you, General. I got a highly valuable prisoner for you. I got your missing corporal. Makayla Sully."

"... Switch to a private channel, Colonel."

The signal is abruptly cut off, and Max winced when he was unable to recover more, "Damn. Lost it."

"Shit," Jake flinched, "Ardmore was supposed to be kept on believing Kayla was dead."

"Now that she knows, she's likely gonna want to interrogate her."

"Meaning that she'll likely order Quaritch to bring her to Bridgehead."

"If that's the case, then our window to extract Kayla before that happens is closing in," Jake immediately turns to two of the Na'vi men in the corner of the pod, "Txe'la, Meui, you will scout ahead."

While they respect Toruk Makto, Txe'la and Meui wait until Tarsem nods with approval before they start to move. Jocelyn watches them leave with concern in her eyes, hidden behind the glare of her breathing mask when she turns back to Jake.

"And then what? We move in once they report back?"

"As long as Quaritch stays in Hell's Gate, we'll have a better chance at grabbing Kayla before he transports her to Bridgehead. Let's gather any warrior willing to fly with us. Even if Quaritch is just one guy, I'm not taking any chances."

Jake's eyes meet the avatar standing across from him, "Norm, while I lure Quaritch out, I need you and Max to go in there to get Kayla."

"Jakesully." All eyes turn to the opening of the war tent, and Jocelyn has to move several steps back so as not to crane her neck up to the tallest Na'vi she has ever seen. Tonowari practically took up the whole archway of the tent, no longer carrying Kayla's avatar form that he had left in the care of the tsahiks. 

His blue eyes meet Jake's yellow with a firm expression, "I will join you."

Jake's brows furrow, searching Tonowari's face as if he had grown another nose. It doesn't help that the suspicion brewing in Jake's gut regarding the Metkayina clan leaders continues to grow. After a moment, he simply shook his head, repeating similar words Tonowari once said to him, "Your skills are useless here. Unless you have an ikran, you won't be able to attack from the sky."

Tonowari's emotions remain firm and unwavering, "Then I will attack from the ground. I have legs."

It almost would've been comical to see Tonowari's sarcastic side if it weren't for the circumstances. Sully opens his mouth to argue further, only for Norm to step in.

"Jake." Norm waits until Sully's eyes meet his, "Max might be more useful raining down on the gunship. I'll need someone with me watching my back while I grab Kayla."

It's... logical to some extent but still not imperative. From a marine's point of view, Tonowari still holds a disadvantage as he has not yet experienced the inside of a human base, even if said base was supposedly abandoned. But then, from a Na'vi and a leader's point of view, Tonowari feels responsible for someone he claims as a part of his people. 

However, Jake had a sinking feeling that this had nothing to do with Tonowari's duties as Olo'eyktan. 

Looking over at Norm, the scientist is already looking at him the same way Neytiri had been earlier, as if Jake was supposed to be grasping something he didn't see that was swinging in front of him. It was starting to feel irritating that apparently everyone appeared to know something he did not... but he knew that his injured pride wouldn't help the situation.

He takes a slow, deep breath, then nods in defeat, "Alright. Tonowari is ground team."

~~~~~~~~~

At this point, Kayla's torture progresses. The Recoms have reverted to methods she lists off in her head as her own way of dissing the Marines for not being creative and doing everything by the book. Once they got tired of her sarcastic replies, they started shouting, which quickly led to beating her when they got bored with that, too. They were always striking around her abdomen, her skin prickling from feeling so vulnerable and exposed with her arms strung up over her head. She knows they were still holding back. They weren't using their full Na'vi-like strength, or else she would've been dead by now. The waterboarding came later, closer to what she assumed was nighttime, as the room had gotten colder. When they realized Kayla was strangely talented in holding her breath, they moved on to starvation and sleep deprivation, all the while leaving her in the wet clothes as the temperature slowly dropped.

She wasn't even capable of hugging her own arms to warm them, teeth chattering with stuttered breaths while her restraints rattled with every violent shiver. Determination to wait out their tactics was the only thing keeping her from giving in. Two things can happen if she waits. Either the Omatikaya will rescue her, or Ardmore shows up, and all torturing will cease before the general comes up with a more effective method. 

"Eagle's landed," Wainfleet reports when he and Mansk return.

Speak of the Devil and she shall appear.

Quaritch scoffs while glaring down at Kayla, taking a couple of breaths through his oxygen mask, "Maybe the general will get better results. Cut 'er down."

The pained groan that escapes Kayla's throat is triggered by the feeling of her arms finally being brought down from hanging over her head, muscles burning beneath the skin as Mansk brings her down from the ceiling. She's back on her feet for all of two seconds before Kayla's swarmed by two RDA soldiers the moment they pile into the room. Sky People.  They grab both of her arms and drag her backwards, leaving her to stumble and unable to struggle as her arms begin to feel prickly while they regain feeling. She's on her back, restrained to the metal slab once more, while more soldiers and people in lab coats file in, most of them carrying heavy machinery and equipment in their arms. No one even looks at her as they get to work on setting up shop right away.

The stream of humans filing into the room dwindles, Kayla's eyes watching the door and unable to help that small churn of dread in her gut when General Ardmore walks in from around the corner. She looked the same as always, with a tight face, hair, and attire. Not a single imperfection in sight. Kayla gets a more face-to-face view of her former boss when a labcoat approaches her restraints and fiddles with the controls, raising the metal slab Kayla was lying on using hydraulics, then tilting it upward a little until Kayla's more vertical than horizontal. 

Ardmore waits until the hydraulics come to a complete stop before addressing her captive, cold eyes barely blinking while staring into Kayla's, "You failed to mention you were a turncoat, Corporal."

Kayla's face briefly twitches with irritation before letting out a scoff, "Yeah, well, you failed to mention my brother wasn't actually dead."

She glares around at all the people and the equipment slowly coming together to form a massive machine, "So what was it, then? Did you recruit me to lure him out, or was I just plain irresistible?"

Ardmore breathed a laugh, but there was no humor in it, "Perhaps you're not as perceptive as the colonel says you are. It's true. You're not special or the soldier I claimed to need for the Avatar Program. You don't even fit the qualifications to drive an avatar, much like your brother. Jake Sully is a threat to mankind's continued existence on Pandora, so I thought that possibly waving his only living relative in front of his nose would bait him out. It wasn't personal."

"Nothing's personal for you," Kayla agrees while her eyes briefly dart to Quaritch standing in the corner, "Can't say the same about your present company."

"The Recoms are relentless because of their drive for revenge. They'll ensure Jake's capture or expected death by any means necessary. It's why they're reliable."

"And yet, there's only..." she makes a point of looking around, "Three of them left?"

Ardmore thinly smiles, "We can make more avatars. 'Money isn't exactly an issue for me."

"Hm. I take it Amrita really pays the bills, then," Kayla comments offhandedly.

"So you do know about that. I wondered."

Ardmore begins circling Kayla's metal slab like a shark, and the latter tries to look unfazed by this as she comments, "Could spend those millions of dollars on rehousing humanity on some other planet, yet you're wasting it on brewing more assholes in a lab."

"It would prove efficient if our lab results prove that humanity can withstand long-term neural links between their bodies and their avatars."

Ardmore paused her small rant just as she stopped right in front of Kayla, her head slowly tilting back in her captive's direction, "Speaking of which-" 

The general moves fast, her arm a blur, but Kayla feels the impact in her own stomach, used like a punching bag. She groans and leans forward, unable to curl her arms or legs around herself to protect her vital organs, wheezing from the air getting knocked out of her. Ardmore doesn't even have to straighten her uniform as she gracefully regains her posture, her fist returning to her side, "Millions of dollars wasted on your avatar, on all that research, only for you to abandon ship and take all of those answers with you-"

Kayla sucks in a sharp breath of air, and it burns her lungs, "'Thought you said money wasn't an issue for you?"

"-Answers that could potentially benefit human life here on Pandora." Ardmore leans closer, hovering near Kayla's face while lowering her voice, "Don't you owe it to the innocent human lives back home? Shouldn't you have a god-given responsibility to ensure humanity's survival?"

Quaritch's tail flicks in Kayla's peripheral view, the corporal throwing in his own two cents with a more solemn tone, "They need that research, Sully."

The struggle to find air freezes in time. Slowly, Kayla's pained expression morphs into a glare now pitted against the Recom in the corner, "If what you said about Tommy is true, then I don't owe any of you fucks a single thing. You talk about betrayal and failed to mention that you sons of bitches were the first ones to stab Jake and me in the back!"

"In Tommy's back, technically."

Quaritch might have well have just let go of the leash with the way Kayla tries fighting and thrashing against her restraints, snarling and shouting as if she were feral and ready to tear his throat out.

"General," a labcoat waves to Ardmore, "Primed and ready."

Ardmore sternly nods before her cold eyes dart back to Kayla, "It doesn't matter whether or not you think mankind deserves retribution. We'll get what we want out of you, traitor."

Kayla feels her restraints briefly tremble as a group of scientists pulls her metal slab backward until it fits directly below a machine that looms over her head. Once her captive was looking up at it, Ardmore explained the imposing piece of technology.

"This here is the NeuroSect. Originally, it was designed to be a medical device to monitor brain activity and detect cancer cells, but we've since utilized it to extract intel. It's one hundred percent lethal when someone is subjected to it for hours due to exposure to radiation. It could potentially cause brain damage at best, and death at worst."

Kayla's throat tightens, a brief memory of how Spider described the device they used to torture him chillingly matches the device surrounding her head like an oversized halo, comprised of a very delicate rotary imaging array and glowing green as a labcoat presses a button to turn it on.

"Typically, one could use this to look into a patient's dreams if they're asleep," Ardmore continues, "But I want results, and to do that, I need conscious individuals, so we fashioned these eye guards for the machine."

Before she could blink, an overly large blue hand pushed and pressed Kayla's head back against the cold slab, nearly encompassing her whole head in Quaritch's palm. Kayla is almost tempted to thrash enough to possibly try biting him before another scientist moves to the other side of her and places a mask-like restraint over her eyes.

Ardmore nods approvingly, "The guards around the eyes shock the muscles in your face, causing them to freeze up and forcing your eyelids to stay open. Hardly anyone can withstand this fine piece of machinery. Using radiation, it uses invasive mapping of one's prefrontal cortex, which a human being uses to process visuals. Words can be said in order to extract intel from a given subject."

Kayla tries to blink, but a soft buzz pricks at the skin around her eyes, leaving her lids to freeze against her control. She swallows thickly as her eyes move to Ardmore, almost in disbelief at just how cruel this other woman can be, "You strapped a kid to this?"

"Like I said: hardly anyone can withstand this. The kid was an exception," Ardmore gave a small expression of intrigue. "He was remarkably resilient to its effects. My scientists would love to get their hands on his brain again sometime."

Kayla's mouth tightens, gritting her teeth behind her lips before stiffly attempting to glare at Quaritch, "The people you're loyal to torture children for information. I wouldn't go wasting your breath trying to defend them."

Ardmore purposely stands in front of Quaritch, blocking Kayla's line of sight to him as more scientists go around inspecting the machine as it runs to ensure it's working, "Just form a thought, and we will see it. It shouldn't be hard for you."

The machine starts whirring, slowly at first before gradually picking up speed, blinding lights flashing over her vision. Over and over. It was nauseating, and the worst part about it was not being able to close her eyes. It was a nightmare she couldn't wake from.

Just to try and shake out her fear into something tough, Kayla takes quick, hurried breaths before spitting, "Kiss the darkest part of my a--"

Pain stabs through Kayla's skull before she can finish her sentence. Searing, indescribable pain. She was fairly certain Neytiri could drive an arrow through her head, and it would hurt less. At least an arrow would be quicker. A cry of agony escapes her lips without meaning to, followed by groans as she tries to fight the invasion in her head, gritting her teeth.

Unable to close her eyes, she's forced to memorize the small grin Ardmore expressed, "Where's your brother, Corporal?"

~~~~~~~~~

He felt like he was trespassing, even after all this time, like it was the one place he never felt like he truly belonged. 

The Tree of Souls glowed beautifully over Jake's head, as bright as ever. It was strange to think about how much has changed in all these years. People were born, or people had died. Nature grew stronger or weaker, mainly around the time the Sky People left and then came back, yet the tree remained the same. 

He knelt at the foot of it, head bowed in shame, while he hesitantly spoke, "I need some help... again."

He slowly pulls his tswin braid out from behind his back, bringing the tendrils up to the nearest glowing vine that still reminds him of fiber optics to this day, and letting them intertwine, "Show me how I can save my sister. Give me some sort of sign... please."

The sentience of the tree was quiet, and yet the wind through the vines sounded like soft whispers, woodsprites gracefully dancing over Jake's head. He struggled to wait, his ears perked up at all times to try and catch the faintest of words, but nothing came of it. There was no time to wait for hours on end. Kayla's window was still closing in, and Jake wanted to be ready to leave the second Txe'la and Meui returned. He sighed heavily and started to lift his knees up from the ground before the vine his braid was entangled with began to glow brighter than all the rest. Jake stumbled back to his knees, feeling as if the wind was knocked out of him, his pupils struggling to focus. The ground is pulled out from underneath him, and his vision tunnels down into something he was familiar with. 

He was pulled into a memory, only it wasn't like the ones of Neteyam he often sought when visiting the Cove of the Ancestors. 

He wasn't sure how much time had passed once he woke up in the VA hospital in Venezuela. He'd guess it was about a week before they transferred him to a location closer to home, back overseas. It had been months since he last set foot on American soil... and now he would never be able to physically do so again.

The only comfort he had at the time was those weird dreams he had; dreams of flying over jungle trees he didn't recognize, so fast he could never take the time to truly study them. Unfortunately, sooner or later, he always had to wake back up.

The hospital they transferred him to was cleaner, but old. Jake ignored the fact that the morgue where his folks' bodies were carried in was just three floors below his room. He wasn't there for a full twenty-four hours before Tommy was racing in as if coming to rescue his twin. When Jake made a quiet joke that at least people would be able to tell the two of them apart now, neither of them laughed.

The brothers exchanged small talk once Tommy settled into the foldable chair in the corner, avoiding the elephant in the room for the time being. Jake asked about Avatar training, to which Tommy mentioned making a new friend named Nate or Norm and how they were both learning the Na'vi language together.

"It's very complex and tedious. Norm's a bit too formal with the words," Tom huffed a small breath of laughter. He looked as though he had come here straight from work, in his ironed button-up shirt and nicest pair of jeans he owned, his short hair gelled and parted off to the side. Jake no longer had the heart to call him a nerd, especially when being a nerd helped him make an honest living.

Tom hadn't noticed Jake's eyes straying away from him and continued to chuckle absently, "He's convinced the Na'vi are royalty and so very articulate."

"Hm," in typical Jake fashion, he wasn't quite grasping what his brother was saying anymore, always eventually drowning Tom's ramblings once they'd gotten too long. Jake's gaze focused solely on the door of his room when he heard faint voices talking right outside, likely two doctors contemplating an upcoming surgery together.

"Any idea how long I'll be here?" He changed the subject, finally addressing what they'd both been thinking.

Tom looked up and followed his gaze to the door, his light attitude sobering a little as he explained what he was told over the phone before coming here, "Doctor said it'll be a slow recovery. Lots of meds and physical therapy. They'll let me bring you home once your arms are strong enough to... to..."

Jake stiffly nods with deep, ghostly eyes, practically glaring at his legs covered beneath the typical hospital blankets, "To push the wheels of my sweet new ride."

"At least you're alive, Jake."

Tom hadn't even hesitated to say it, which only meant he had likely been rehearsing it in his head in case the conversation finally curved to this part. Jake simply scoffed and moved his eyes to glare back at the door, wanting to will someone to walk in so he didn't have to feel his twin's watchful gaze practically digging through his skull.

One glance at the clock and Jake changes the subject once more, "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be picking Kay up?"

Something akin to dread drops in his stomach when he notices the way Tom subtly shifts in his chair as if uncomfortable, "She's on her way right now."

Jake sucks in a sharp breath, "Why'd you tell her where I was, Tom?"

A shadow passes over the scientist's eyes, "Because she was told at school that her brother was blown up. I needed to reassure her over the phone that you were still alive."

"I don't want her to see me like this."

Tom scoffs, "You can't hide from her for the rest of her life."

It was something the marine heavily debated while anxiously awaiting his baby sister to arrive. She was... what, seventeen now? He nearly felt sick at the thought of it, realizing he had missed her birthday since he was stationed in an active war zone, where time and date were hard to keep track of.

"Did she have a party?"

"She... kinda rebelled a little and went out with her friends instead. 'Said that it wouldn't be the same anyway. She was really hoping you'd be home by then."

Jake opened his mouth to make a snide remark before a commotion was heard outside and the door to his room was sent flying open, rattling the hinges. Jake clenched his jaw at the sight of Kayla. Nothing about her had changed. Ripped-up jeans, a hoodie, and a side braid that Jake could've sworn was only to her shoulders, now it was near her stomach. The respiratory mask she had painted her favorite comic book character on the front now dangled around her neck as she came storming in with her backpack over one shoulder, out of breath and with panicked eyes, mascara smudging down her cheeks as fresh tears formed the moment her gaze landed on the figure sitting up in bed.

Her backpack was sent sliding across the floor as she bolted to the bed, arms outstretched, as a sob escaped her throat, "Jake!"

He braced for impact, and she managed to constrict her arms around his neck, using that momentum to climb up onto the bed and hold her brother close. She was shaking drastically, crying into his shoulder as all of the panic and uncertainty that she had felt on the way here finally drained out.

Jake forces himself to relax and softly pats her shoulder, a small flicker of a smile briefly appearing over his mouth, "Hey, kiddo."

She hiccups, "I thought you were gone--"

"I'm okay," he's quick to stomp down her dark thoughts, despite having uncertainties of his own. Jake doesn't hesitate to change the subject once more when it feels as if the pity in Tom's eyes would suffocate him, "It's gonna be okay. How'd ya get here?"

Kayla takes a moment to catch her breath and relax, pulling out of the hug to wipe her tears and smudged makeup out of her eyes, "Train."

He gives her a sharp eye, "We talked about this."

Tom finally pitches in with a small huff, "She was fine, Jake."

Jake's narrowed eyes fix on his twin from across the room, "You're supposed to be going with her."

"How? I have training nearly fifteen hours a day. I'm already gone by the time she has to get up for school, and she's already home before I clock out at the end of the day."

The fact that Jake is one to talk when he's been gone for months hangs heavy over the air. No one says it, but they're all thinking about it. He's no better when it comes to providing for his sister. However, no one wants to mention his deployment since now it looks as though he won't have to worry about leaving ever again.

Regardless, Kayla rolls her eyes, a typical teenager who thinks she's fully grown, while grasping Jake's hand, "I have the taser you got me. And the knife. And the pepper spray."

She then wavers, unable to help the way she looks at him with big, concerned eyes, "Are you going to be okay?"

He tensed, his expression flat along with his voice, "I lost my legs."

"But... but they can help with enhancements, right? Physical therapy?"

Tom takes a deep breath and shakes his head, "Our insurance won't cover it, Kayla."

"Bullshit! His insurance should cover it," she hissed while whipping her eyes over to her other brother, then returning to Jake, "You lost the mobility in your legs while on active duty!"

"It's not as cheap as prosthetics," Jake explained, even though his gut churned, "We're talking about enhancements that would revive dying tissue and nerves. We're talking about something as big as helping me walk again. They won't cover it. I was hardly useful to them before, and I still wouldn't be useful if they helped me now."

No one denied his statement, but it still hung heavy in the air, the slow realization that this would be Jake's life now, forever changed in one of the worst-case scenarios aside from death... a part of Jake wondered if death would've been easier.

Kayla, unaware of Jake's thoughts taking a dark turn, tried to smile, her eyes casting over at the wheelchair in the corner of the room, "... At least the ladies will love you."

Jake scoffed, his thoughts momentarily forgotten as he shoved her face away, "Whatever. I was always able to pull more chicks than you, kid. Always have, always will."

Light surrounds the edge of his vision, and Jake is gently pulled out of that memory, his eyes blinking to adjust to the soft glow of Eywa's beauty. However, he doesn't feel fulfilled or satisfied with his answer, slowly breaking his connection to the Spirit Tree while staring down at the ground with disappointment.

"Ma Jake?"

His ears flick in the direction of Neytiri as she approaches, his eyes remain fixed to the ground, "... I don't know why she showed me that memory."

"Then think. Our Great Mother wouldn't have shown you if it wasn't for a reason."

He grimaced, "All I saw was a reminder. The reason why I'm a terrible brother."

A soft touch against his cheek guides him to look at his woman, one of her fingers gently tracing the imperfections on his cheek. Neytiri bore pity in her eyes while her voice grew gentle, "Even if Makayla thought that, she still loves you."

Jake doesn't agree nor argue since he didn't have the energy to fight. A small scoff escapes him, "You sound like Ronal and Tonowari. Using her first name so formally."

Silence follows, though he didn't expect her to entertain his attempt at lightening the mood. She knew him well enough to know that it was just his method of reflecting. Jake watched something cross through Neytiri's eyes. Contemplation. Hesitation. It was as if she wasn't sure whether or not to speak her mind, but in the end, her husband's ignorance is what convinced her that he needed to be bluntly told instead of hinted at.

"Ma Jake. They are not saying 'Makayla.' They are saying Ma Kayla."

Jake's eyes briefly squint, his mouth opening to retort that they both sound the same, but then... there it was. Neytiri watched as his face morphed into realization, and she couldn't help but faintly smile as she explained, "They are pxey mates. It is rare but not unheard of. Sometimes a mated pair brings a third or fourth into their tsaheyl si, or more than two individuals fall into it all at once. Sometimes, two pairs of mates become four."

His mouth opens and shuts multiple times like a fish, almost too stunned to make a sound. He looked at his wife with disbelief as if she had grown a second head. His initial thought was to shoot down her observation because how does that make sense? Then, slowly, he recalls all of the signs that he had caught just within these past twenty-four hours. The Metkayina clan leaders' concern for his sister, the way they speak her name, or are quick to volunteer in bringing her back. The most obvious sign was their scents that he remembered catching on Kayla's form.

He swallows thickly, "... I didn't know that."

It was almost a shocking scene to see Neytiri grin so smugly, "I did not want you getting any bright ideas. Toruk Makto is mine and mine alone."

Laughter startles them both when it escapes Jake's lungs, the sound so foreign after these trying few months. Jake beamed at his woman as if she held the stars for him, stepping closer until he pressed his forehead to hers, "You're the only one for me."

"I know," Neytiri whispers into the small space between them, her eyes sparkling with contempt, "But your sister belongs to two."

Two. That shouldn't come off as strange to him. It wasn't uncommon for polyamory relationships back on Earth, and Jake had even been friends with those who actively practiced it. It's just another thing to wonder where they all might be now in life and if they're doing well. He could use their advice right about now on the amount of trouble his sister had found herself in. 

"Yeah, okay," he sighs heavily, "But did it have to be with the clan leaders of the Metkayina?"

Neytiri gives him an amused look, her reply lost to the wind as a shout from afar drowns it out, "Jake!" 

Both he and Neytiri whip their heads around to the hillside leading down to the roots of the Spirit Tree. Norm emerges from that hillside, looking rushed and on a mission, "The scouts are back."

~~~~~~~~~

It's hot.

Nauseatingly hot. The spin of the scanner made her dizzy and short of breath, all the while, the heat of the machine bearing down on her metal slab nearly mimicked a stovetop. Kayla thought she was being cooked alive from the inside out, starting with her brain. They have been at this for a couple of hours now, her throat now raw from screaming, too sore to make any noises louder than a whine. She had dug her nails into the palms of her hands from clenching them into fists too hard, dried blood caking beneath them, while she tried to fight the searing pain in her head.

"Where is Jake?" Ardmore continues to demand firmly.

She focuses more on how she feels rather than the general's questions. She's sore and bruised and warm, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head when she's unable to shield them from the spinning light. The labcoats are somewhere behind Kayla, analyzing a protruding hologram of her brain scan activity, murmuring to one another as they debate. With none of them exclaiming that they've found the information, Ardmore continues to verbally drill into Kayla's head.

"I asked you a question, Corporal."

Corporal. That's her. Corporal Makayla Sully of Earth. Focus on that.

"Corporal."

Focus.

"Corporal-"

On that.

Her vision blurs and grows spotted with dots. If her head hadn't already been secured to the table, it would've rolled to the side when she blacked out, her last thought being what would happen to her human soul if she died on Pandora.

Instead of an answer, she's brought to a location. Kayla blinks, confused, while looking around and then down at herself when she realizes she is no longer restrained. While inspecting herself, she took note of the grass beneath her feet.

It was yellow.

"Let's go. We're Oscar Mike."

Her head shoots up, heart leaping in her chest when she feels her fight or flight instinct kick in. Her body betrays her and stands perfectly still as a group of soldiers walks past her, unaware of her presence. Kayla briefly wondered if she recognized that voice, then her eyes drifted to the front of the formation, and her heart dropped to realize it was her voice.

The Kayla in front of her stood stiff and firm, her impassive expression aging her beyond her years. She wasn't looking directly at Kayla, but rather ahead to where she and her garrison were marching. She was wearing her utility uniform as if ready for battle at any second, complete with the rolled-up sleeves and boots she had forgotten all about ever since becoming accustomed to life on Pandora. Beneath her utility cover cap that barely shielded her eyes, her long hair was pulled into a tight bun and stayed in place with gel. 

Looking around, Kayla finally recognized the place she had herself dreaming about. She remembered being stationed at this place for several weeks and recalled slowly growing crazy, seeing the dead grass stretch for miles from all sides of their base of operations. The sky always looked hazy here, and sported the same dead, yellow colors as the grass. The Kayla in uniform looks left and right while stationing her garrison to stand straight in their assigned position, waiting for their commanding officer to arrive.

Watching herself in her marine element, Kayla couldn't help but pity the woman in front of her. This was the woman who believed that by joining the military, there was hope for her to eventually be shipped out to Pandora. This was the woman who still hoped of seeing her brother again.

The general... what was his name again? Paublo? Pedro-? Her superior officer finally made his appearance, stepping out of the base and crossing the yard to meet the garrison. With him was a uniformed man, taller and aged, while he kept his cap tucked under his arm.

"Sully." Her general addressed.

The voice itself triggered a memory, and slowly, Kayla began to watch this scene with panic in her eyes.

No, no, no. Not here. Anywhere else but here. Somewhere else--

The Kayla in uniform steps out of formation and salutes, but her general looks solemn, hesitating for a moment before stiffly nodding his head. "At ease, Corporal. The rest of you are dismissed." 

Kayla sucks in a sharp breath while watching her garrison march off in perfect formation, faces of men and women she used to fight alongside, and now hardly remembers their names. These were faces of people she considered family because it was the only way to survive out there, and now they're just a distant memory. Her eyes dart back to her past self, her gut churning uncomfortably. This girl had no idea what was about to hit her.

Her general motions to the officer standing next to him, "Sully. This here is Sergeant Roberts. He... has some news for you."

Kayla's eyes expectedly turn to Roberts as she has to relive one of the worst moments of her life. Past Kayla patiently waited as the officer rolled his lips and spoke in a deep and low voice. It almost sounded sympathetic.

"As a representative of the Marine Corps, it is a heavy honor to inform you that your brother, Corporal Jake Sully of the United States Marine Corps First Reconnaissance Battalion, was killed in action on the front lines of the war on Pandora, August 23rd, 2154. He was killed in the midst of a conflict between our troops and the moon's indigenous lifeforms. I wish to express my deepest sympathies for your loss."

Kayla watches herself receive the news with pity. The woman in uniform remains frozen both in body and face for several moments as if the news had not yet sunk in. Then, there's a faint twitch of the eyebrows. Kayla knows what's going on in her own head. It was fighting her on what to do and say. Should she keep up appearances in front of her superior officer? Should she react like a human?

In the end, Kayla's voice comes out small and unsure as she finally blinks, "... Okay. Thank you. Um-- May I be excused?"

Her general nods, "Of course. Dismissed."

Kayla watches herself stiffly march away, but she knows her pace is much faster than what was technically regulated. She was retreating to the base, but didn't go inside. Instead, she vanished from view behind the building where she knew no one would see her. Kayla didn't have to follow her to know what was about to happen. Her grief will come out ugly and unhealthy. She'll scream and lash out... resulting in her with a broken hand and arm when she inevitably slams her fist into the brick building.

The view changes, and Kayla finds herself standing in much healthier, kept grass. Looking around, her throat tightens at the sight of the gravestones lining up and down rows by the hundreds. Looking down, she sees a fresh grave right at her feet, where a new marble stone has been placed, but not a body. After all, there was nothing to bury.

Kayla looks up to see herself standing right in front of her, eyes sunken in and face pale, but otherwise as smooth and as firm as the stone she was glaring down at. She now wore her formal service uniform, and her right arm was sporting a new cast in a navy blue sling that stood out among her khaki attire. The service had just ended, and everyone else had packed up and left. Tucked under Past Kayla's left arm was a folded-up flag meant to resemble her dead brother's service for this country and, ultimately, this world. She barely even blinked as she stared down at the grave, carved with Jake's name and now placed right at home beside Tommy's and their parents. Too busy staring at the stone that refused to give her comfort, she failed to acknowledge another officer approaching her, dressed in the appropriate attire for a fallen soldier's funeral, despite never knowing the deceased.  

Kayla glares at the Past Ardmore as the general stood beside her grieving self, hardly missing a beat with her proposal, "Do you want to avenge your brother's death?"

Perhaps she was too lost in thought, but eventually, Past Kayla's brows furrowed, and then she turned to the stranger standing beside her, searching for clarification, "What?"

"I can help with that," the woman continues, keeping her hands behind her back since both of Kayla's were not available to shake, "General Frances Ardmore. I'll be the lead military personnel on the next flight out to Pandora."

Kayla nods absently to acknowledge the woman's status, but is too tired to put up a persona that cares. Her voice was rough and uncaring, full of sarcasm, "Good luck with that, General. From what I heard, you're going to need it."

"I don't need luck, Corporal. I need heads like yours," Ardmore gestures to the grave at their feet with her head, "The last of your family is dead. There's nothing left for you here now."

Kayla visibly breathes in deep, exhaling tiredly while the general continued, "What I'm offering is a chance to have some good old-fashioned revenge, along with a new planet to call home. You can start over... but only if you say yes. Help me build a better world for our species, and I can help you bring the lifeforms responsible for your brother's death to justice."

The wheels were visibly turning in her head despite the grim look on her face. Past Kayla glares ahead of her at nothing, but the Kayla who was looking back at her still felt uneased by it, as if she could see her future self. For several long moments, no one says anything until Past Kayla exhales through her nose, "Just how dangerous is this place?"

A flicker of amusement flashes in Ardmore's thin smile, "More dangerous than any tours you've done on this planet, I assure you."

"And we're gonna try to make it our new home?"

"With your help, it could be possible. Our shuttle leaves in a few days. I'll need your answer before then."

Ardmore produces a small card from her pocket and slips it into Kayla's cast before walking away. Kayla stares down at the card for some time, then glances back at the grave. The Kayla watching this memory already knows what the other is thinking. It's not a hard decision. She would rather die than visit this grave ever again.

She doesn't need to see what happens next, remembering how she impulsively cut her hair short right before she took a bag to the shuttle the day of departure. Instead of going into cryosleep like the majority of the flight crew, Kayla was ordered by a doctor to remain conscious so her broken arm would heal before they arrived on Pandora. She took that time to read, flipping through books on Na'vi culture and languages, including one written by Dr. Grace Augustine, who managed to make Kayla exhale a laugh with a few of her jabs at men's stupidity. While it wasn't much to go off of, Kayla tried teaching herself the language one syllable at a time. Once her radius bone had healed and her knuckles were no longer swollen, it was time for some physical therapy to regain her muscle strength. For the first year of their flight to Pandora, Kayla remained awake and mobile until she was given the all-clear to enter cryo, unaware of what her destination would mean for her future.

One moment, she was waking up, orbitting around Pandora, then the next, she was walking around in her new avatar body, reuniting with Jake despite not recognizing him at first. Kayla looks back at the memory and doesn't regret hugging her brother instead of punching him like she initially wanted to. She tries to hang onto that memory of the only and last time she hugged her brother... because there was probably never going to be another opportunity ever again.

~~~~~~~~~

Kayla wakes, and the first thing she notes is that she's not dead, but she almost wishes that she was. Her eyeballs burned from being held open, and not only was the NeuroSect still running, but the labcoats were in her face and shining small flashlights in her eyes to wake her up.

"Test subject is conscious again."

"Alright," Ardmore looked as if she hadn't moved a muscle since Kayla blacked out, eyes still narrowed at her prisoner, "Let's continue."

Kayla's eyes couldn't produce tears despite her growing anguish, dreading another round of this torture, another round of memories she didn't want to relive. She can't look away from the spinning lights, wishing they were purple instead of this sharp green so she could fool herself into thinking she was surrounded by Eywa, as crazy as it sounds.

"Rutxe."

All motion in the room stops upon the small sound, all eyes and ears fixing onto one person: Kayla.

"What was that?" Ardmore frowned.

The captive didn't look as though she heard the general, softly muttering to herself as if reciting a prayer. All the labcoats look to one another with curiosity. Had they broken this woman's mind?

"Rutxe. Eywa, rutxe," Kayla whimpered.

Finally, Ardmore realizes what's going on and turns her head up to Quaritch, "What is she saying?"

Kayla still doesn't appear to be fully aware of what was going on around her, lips quivering while gazing up at the spinning lights above her head, her throat dry as she pleads with someone who isn't there.

"Oe have nìteng nìpxay Na'vi pesu kin oe, rutxe!"

Quaritch's eyes narrow while his mind slowly interprets the language, and fortunately for him, Kayla continues to cry that same phrase over and over again, so he eventually is able to catch up. Once he's cracked the code, his posture stiffens, a weird, unsettling feeling weighing heavily on his shoulders as the words now translate to English in his head.

"I have too many people who need me, please!" 

~~~~~~~~~

Txe'la and Meui return from their scouting mission with good news; at least for Jake and his rescue party. They report that instead of Quaritch taking Kayla to Bridgehead, Ardmore had brought a small convoy over to Hell's Gate. 

When they list off how many men they saw, Jake still looked concerned, "Did you hear any chatter of Ardmore bringing any more men?"

"Not that we could hear."

Max raises his eyebrows at Toruk Makto, "You think she'll order another convoy to follow her?"

"She'd be exposed at Hell's Gate otherwise. It's a risky move to go to Quaritch instead of having him go to her."

Jocelyn hums in thought before nodding, "Ardmore plays by the book. Maybe she wants everyone to still believe that."

"You think she's interrogating Kayla off the record?" Norm asked.

She shrugs, "In case any of her men might get a bad taste in their mouth? I'd do the same thing if one of my officers betrayed me. I wouldn't want the rest of them to get any bright ideas."

Jake makes a faint note to never get on Jocelyn's bad side before reeling everyone in with a firm, steadfast voice, "Alright, so that means that we still have a window we need to make before Ardmore calls for reinforcements. Remember: air team distracts while ground team sneaks in, grabs Kayla, and gets out. Let's move!"

He claps his hands together, and Tarsem hollers a small war cry. The party parts in order to grab their weapons and move out. When Tonowari goes to follow Norm, he feels a strong tug on his elbow. Turning back, his eyes immediately find Ronal's as she looks up at her mate with faith and determination.

"Bring her back."

~~~~~~~~~

A/n: So as of right now, next chapter will definitely be a struggle for me since I've tried to sit down and write it multiple times, but it just never clicks. I think as we get closer to Avatar 3, I'll have motivation and a better idea on how I'll try to blend this fic into the canon events of Fire & Ash, but I think I have at least two chapters of this fic to still write before we're all caught up. Stay tuned! Thank you to all those who have been so incredibly patient and supportive.