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Italics: (Na'vi language, or Metkayina sign language, and Jake's inner thoughts)
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An entire year had passed, and the Sky People had been fully settling into the forest of Pandora by then. There were new bases, railroads, and new buildings that were not built the first time around.

Jake was never okay with any of the advancements humans were making, so he took it upon himself to intercept their attacks and strip the Sky People of everything they had. Whether it was weapons, ships, resources, and anything that they could use to get the Sky People to leave Pandora once and for all.

That was what they were doing today. Jake was on his Ikran flying through the jungle with many warriors behind him, following his lead. There had been an alert of a train coming through the forest, and Jake planned to seize the shuttle and stop it from advancing.

As he flew with his rifle, which he had taken from an enemy ship, and with all of his gear strapped to his chest in a jacket. He had green and black paint on his face, that was put on him by you. Speaking of, you flew right by his side, turning back to hold your arrow in the air and yelling war cries to your fellow warriors behind you. It got their spirits up, given that they responded by yipping and cheering as you all neared the railroad tracks.

Eventually, when finally leaving the forest behind and reaching an open space, the railroad with the train was accelerating fast. The warriors on their Ikrans cornered the railcar on their Ikrans by flying above it

While the air team continued to get closer, Jake pressed a button on his coms and relayed the next message. "Ground team, go!" He said, referring to those who were riding up to the train on their Pa'li's. The group had a variety of weapons with them. Some had rifles and bomb launchers, and others remained with their trusty bows and arrows.

The helicopters from the RDA that were riding amongst the Ikrans up in the air, were taken aback by the impact of the fired bombs at the railway, making it explode. The train immediately strayed off course and its sides were screeching loudly against the metal of the railroad, consequently making sparks appear.

Because of the blown-up train tracks, the train itself crashed against the broken rails and the caboose. It was like a domino effect. After one cabin broke off, all of the others went flying and crashing into one another. This left the perfect chance for the Na'vi to raid whatever was inside the train. Gaining leverage.

Having one of the RDA helicopters in sight, Jake dove down from above toward one of them and aimed his gun with a strong battle yell. His canines were fully showing as he screamed, shooting a barrage of bullets at the helicopter, which eventually lost its course and steered off somewhere to crash and implode.

Jake couldn't help but smile with pride as he yipped with accomplishment. He raised his gun in the air, earning reciprocating hoots from other warriors nearby. Looking over at you, Jake knew it was your time to shine. He already took care of one helicopter, and now you will handle the other one effortlessly.

As expected, Jake watched with fulfillment and admiration as you expertly dove down toward the last remaining helicopter. He couldn't help but smile come across his face. He couldn't get his eyes off of you. When you were close enough, you raised your bow and shot your arrow straight through the chest of the gunman that stood on the edge of the aircraft. What you did next amazed Jake to unimaginable levels.

After killing the guy manning the guns, you hooked your feet on the holsters of Aio's saddle, stood up, and stretched your body to shoot your arrow over your head. With incredible precision, the arrow hit the pilot directly through the window, and the helicopter crashed to the ground a few seconds later.

You did a 360 turn on your Ikran and flew back toward the other warriors. Jake's heart leaped at your incredible feat, just when he thought he couldn't fall in love with you more.

The warriors on the ground riding their Pa'li's stopped in their way to witness what you did, cheering for you as they raised their weapons in the air with pride. Looking down at them, still, in the air, you smiled with a laugh. You raised your bow in the air, yipping and hooting back at them.

In no time, the train was completely intercepted and taken down, so the Na'vi proceeded to open the compartments of the train to take whatever they could. They distributed the guns and other weapons amongst everyone so that they could be taken back to their base up in the mountains.

While this happened, Jake dismounted his Ikran and was looking over a small hill, overlooking the rest of the operations to make sure everything went smoothly to the end. He still held his gun tightly in his grasp, ready for any emergency. His eyes scanned the area, seeing everyone was taking whatever they could in their hands from the boxes inside the train. It was truly a jackpot for them.

"Let's go, two minutes, people. Let's go," Jake said, pressing onto his coms and relaying the messages to those in charge of each team. Both ground and air alike. There was a time limit because by now, the Sky People were probably aware of the train destruction and were sending reinforcements. So, to that end, it made sense that they raided what they could and then returned without any further conflict than needed.

Meanwhile, Lo'ak and Neteyam were given the jobs of being lookouts and notifying Jake immediately. That way, they were completely out of the line of danger. The two brothers were flying on their Ikrans side by side, passing over the flames and smoke from the destroyed train and railroads. A sudden spark of curiosity came to Lo'ak and he turned to his brother.

"Bro, we have got to get down there!" Lo'ak said, gesturing with his head down to the crash site. Neteyam immediately shook his head in disagreement, looking at his brother as if he had two heads. That was not a good idea.

"No way! Dad will skin us!" Neteyam said, refusing to be a part of his little brother's ideas. He was always stuck getting him out of dangerous situations, and he always ended up taking the blame because he was older.

"Come on! Don't be a wuss," Lo'ak grinned, steering his Ikran downwards to land towards the chaos happening below him. Neteyam's eyes widened at his brother once again heading straight toward danger. It was typical of Lo'ak to do something as impulsive as this.

"Lo'ak! Get back here you- Argh!" Neteyam groaned, having no choice but to steer his Ikran to head down and go after his brother.

Norm was with some warriors down at one of the opened crates, guiding the Na'vi to take the most essential things. "Taking the whole case. We're taking mags, the RPG'S, the stingers," Norm said, helping carry out boxes loaded with supplies along with the other Omaticaya.

When Lo'ak had his Ikran land with an ear-piercing screech, Neteyam landed shortly after him. The youngest Sully brother hopped off his banshee and did not hesitate in taking his bow and arrow with him. Neteyam dismounted his Ikran and ran after his brother, trying to get him to go back to their original tasks.

"Bro, let's go! Come on!" Lo'ak urged, turning around for a second to face his brother while running backward, then turned back around to head straight towards the chaos ensuing. "Lo'ak!" Neteyam called after his brother, but it was like it went in one ear, and out the other.

Lo'ak reached the crowd of warriors that were unloading weaponry from the carts and handing it out to anyone from the tribe. Their theory is, the more they could carry, the more efficient the mission will be. A man that was handing out guns saw Lo'ak approaching and handed him a rifle. "Take it. Take a weapon, kid," He said, and Lo'ak didn't hesitate in grabbing it, raising it in the air and hooting.

Neteyam came from around the corner, concerned that he was seeing his little brother with a gun. Neteyam grabbed Lo'ak's arm and pulled him to the side. "You don't even know how to use it," Neteyam said, but it didn't phase the younger Sully brother as he cocked the gun and prepare to shoot as if he had done it a million times before.

"Dad taught me," Lo'ak said with confidence, aiming somewhere. Neteyam rolled his eyes, doubting how true that statement was. He was skeptical but decided not to question it.

Speaking of which, Jake turned his head as he surveyed the area and his eyes widened when he saw his two sons on an active battlefield, with Lo'ak holding a rifle and aiming it somewhere while Neteyam tried to stop him. He had told his sons to be lookouts from above and to stay away from danger, and seeing them down on the ground made him worry.

Before Jake could do anything, he heard yipping and yelling from warriors behind him, so he turned around to see that there was an incoming ship inbound directly to where they were. It was the reinforcements Jake was expecting. "Gunships inbound! Fall back!" Jake yelled through his coms, and as you saw this as well, you hissed and started running toward your Ikran, mounting it and flying away just as a missile was launched from the ship.

You were able to escape the first blast right in the nick of time on your banshee, but unfortunately, when Neteyam and Lo'ak were running back to their Ikrans, another missile was launched behind them. The impact sent the two boys flying off, along with other warriors in the vicinity.

To prevent another missile from being launched, a nearby warrior pointed a bomb launcher up in the sky and shot directly at the wing of the aircraft, making it lose control and crash into a mountain nearby.

Knowing that Neteyam and Lo'ak were near the blast, Jake took off running toward them without hesitation to look for them. He would never forgive himself if something happened to them. "Lo'ak! Where are you? Neteyam!" Jake yelled, hoping to get some sort of verbal response from the chaos. Jake was running through the clouds of smoke and damaged train parts, hoping that his sons were alive after a blast like that.

Soon enough, Lo'ak came into Jake's view. The younger Sully brother stood up amongst the debris and dusted himself off while his dad approached him and placed both hands on his shoulder. Jake began inspecting Lo'ak, hoping he wasn't hurt. The Avatar sighed in relief when he saw no open wounds, but still had a look of concern when he realized that Neteyam was nowhere to be found.

"Easy, easy. Are you okay? Where is your brother?" Jake asked frantically, and Lo'ak pointed to the direction where he saw Neteyam last. "He's over there," Lo'ak said, earning a nod from his father. "Get outta here!" Jake yelled desperately, not wasting any moment to go and look for his oldest son, looking through the smoke and debris scattered everywhere.

"Neteyam!" Jake called out for his son, still not receiving a response, as he climbed over a crashed helicopter. When Jake got to see what was on top, his blood ran cold. There were streaks of blood that were in the same direction Lo'ak pointed at.

It still looked like fresh blood, so Jake worried that it was his sons'. "Oh, no..." Jake muttered, jumping over the crashed helicopter and back down to the ground to check the bodies, seeing if any of them were his son's. Jake's heart rate accelerated with every single second that passed by, worried that any of the scattered bodies around him could be Neteyam. If he found him, he hoped he would be conscious enough to go back and get him treated.

He flipped over a couple of bodies until from afar, he recognized a familiar head of hair. Jake rushed over to the body laying on its stomach. Jake flipped the person over and it was Neteyam. The older Sully brother groaned as his eyes opened. He was covered in dirt and had some wounds on him. Nothing too severe.

To make sure, Jake worriedly checked his face and then turned him over slightly to check his back to see if he had any exit wounds, and luckily, he didn't. It was just a couple of scratches that he got, and Jake couldn't be more relieved than he is right there. "Dad?" Neteyam muttered, feeling woozy.

Still, he was exasperated by his sons for jumping carelessly into danger. He worried so much for Neteyam and Lo'ak because they reminded him so much of Jake when he was younger and he simply just doesn't want them to repeat the same mistakes he did. Jake eventually finished checking his son and then turned his head back to face Neteyam with an angry and irritated expression.

"What are you doing here, boy? What the hell were you thinking?" Jake said with gritted teeth, pulling Neteyam to sit up and then throwing his son over his shoulder to carry him back.

"I'm sorry. Sorry, sir..." Neteyam said weakly as Jake hauled him over his shoulder, quickly getting him out of there. He would talk with both of them later. Their lives were on the line today, and luck was on their side for that missile to have missed them just by a bit.

If you asked Jake, he could never express how much fear he felt at that moment when seeing his sons in such a situation. He had genuinely thought he lost them for good. It was one of the scariest moments of his life.

-

The shuttle that was orbiting around Pandora's atmosphere was now where Quaritch and his group of soldiers in Avatar form were residing. The Colonel had his subordinates sit down while he walked around them as he spoke. Their plan would be in motion soon, and he was giving his crew one last talk before jumping right into the action.

"We're not in Kansas anymore. We're going to Pandora," Quaritch started his speech, similar to the one he made to the first batch of recruits that arrived on the planet the first time around. "I know you're all asking yourselves the same question," Quaritch continued as he turned around, and then paused for a few seconds, inspecting the faces of his comrades.

"Why so blue?" The Colonel said, feigning a frown before starting to laugh, making his subordinates chuckle at his joke. The mood quickly turned serious once again, and a few more seconds passed by before Quaritch continued with what he had to say. "For the sins of our past life, we have been brought back in the form of our enemy," He started, remembering what was done with the memories of him and the other soldiers.

As Quaritch explained, many of them were multitasking while listening. One of them was an Avatar woman blowing a bubble nonchalantly with her gum, others were lifting weights, and other Avatars were leaning against the wall. "That gives us their size, their strength, their speed. And with our training, that's a pretty potent mix," Quaritch said.

Lyle leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. "We have a mission yet?" He inquired, voicing what the others were thinking about. "Indeed we do," Quaritch confirmed, waiting a few seconds before continuing. "Our mission is to hunt down and kill the leader of the Na'vi insurgency. The one they call 'Toruk Makto'. Jake Sully. Not to mention his crazy
wife, Y/n. We have to hunt them down and kill them once and for all. That...is our mission," Quaritch finished, his ears tipping
back at even the mention of you and Jake.

At the Colonel's words, the Avatar soldiers smirked and looked at one another as they started to cheer, fist bump one another, and raise their fists in the air at the mention of their mission. They could not wait to get their plan into action. It just felt too good to be true that they would be getting revenge upon the ex-marine. Seeing the excitement of his comrades, Quaritch smirked and crossed his arms. He swore that he would not let himself be defeated this time around.

-

Back with the Na'vi, the Omaticaya on their Ikrans were heading back to their base and temporary home up in a large cavern in the Hallelujah Mountains. As expected, Jake was leading the group with you by his side and was now flying closer to the aperture of their hideout, away from the Sky People.

After the attack of the Sky People a year before, the Na'vi were hiding among the mountains and remaining hidden. Upon reaching their destination, the Ikrans screeched and roared, already feeling safer as they arrived at their home ground.

Inside, 8-year-old Tuk was having fun running around the base as she held a Toruk Makto toy in her hands, swaying it from side to side, up and down, pretending it was flying. "Attack! Attack! Got ya! Hyah!" She exclaimed, ducking below a group of scientists that were holding supplies in their arms, carrying them somewhere.

"Tuk! Come on now!" The scientist, wearing an oxygen mask said with exasperation, but the 8-year-old was completely unphased as she continue to run around the base with her toy.

Inside one of the huts, Kiri was with Spider as she helped him put on blue paint on his body. They were talking and laughing as the human boy continued to tell his best friend his theories. "I'm definitely faster when I'm blue," Spider said, making Kiri laugh at his words.

"You skxawng," She laughed through her words, continuing to put on paint on Spider. "No, seriously. And the animals respect me more. They don't think of me as human," Spider said in all seriousness, and Kiri found this as the perfect opportunity to tease him.

"Wait. You're human?" Kiri moved to be in front of Spider, placing a hand on his shoulder, asking the human boy with a feign of innocence and shock. Spider deadpanned at his friend, attempting to sprinkle some of the paint in her face, making Kiri squeal a bit. "Ha ha. Very funny," Spider said, with a hint of a smile spreading across his lips as Kiri laughed.

While this happened, the group of Na'vi on their Ikrans made it back through the opening of their fortress and began to land on the edge of the entrance, preparing to dismount their banshees. The familiar sound of warriors yipping and hooting got the attention of Tuk, knowing her parents and brothers were back.

"They're coming!" Tuk said excitedly with a smile on her face, seeing Ikrans fly above her. She didn't waste any time rushing to tell Kiri and Spider. Upon reaching their hut, Tuk rushed to her sister with excitement. "They're coming! Kiri! Spider!" The youngest Sully exclaimed with joy, stopping at the entrance of their hut to see her sister and their friend.

She couldn't wait to see you and Jake again. Tuk missed her parents so much, even if they only left that morning. "The war party is coming back! Come on! Come on!" Tuk said, waving over with her arms for Spider and Kiri to follow her toward the entrance.

The youngest Sully was always excited for the warriors to come back. It was so thrilling to witness it. Seeing that her sister and the human boy were following behind her, Tuk quickly started to run back to where she came from with her sister and Spider close behind.

As more and more Ikrans began to pour through the entrance of their fortress, eventually you, Jake, Neteyam, Neytiri, and Lo'ak all landed back inside the safety of the cavern. Since Neteyam was injured, Jake had placed his son on the saddle of his Ikran while he held him securely until they got back.

The moment you dismounted your Ikran, Tuk came running towards you with gleaming eyes. "Mom!" She said, hugging you by your midsection as you embraced the side of her head against you. "Tuk, Tuk, Tuk..." You said, happy to see your youngest daughter again. You missed her dearly, and, you thanked Eywa that she allowed you and Jake to come back in one piece to your children and everyone else.

Once Jake had helped Neteyam off of the banshee and helped him stand, Lo'ak landed next to his father's Ikran and hopped off. The two brothers could tell his father was angry about the decisions they made in battle today.

"Fall in!" Jake said in an authoritative tone, turning his back on his sons as he walked forward, then turned back around to face them. Neteyam and Lo'ak sent each other nervous looks as they prepared themselves to be reprimanded. You watched from afar intently, still holding Tuk close to you.

"You're supposed to be spotters. You spot bogeys and you call them in. From a distance!" Jake said, emphasizing the fact that they did the complete opposite of staying away from danger, but rather straight towards it. As always, Neteyam was taking the heat for the problem that Lo'ak started, looking down at the floor. He was the older brother and had bigger expectations to adhere to.

"Does any of that sound familiar? Get in here!" Jake said with pure frustration, seeing Lo'ak standing a bit far back, so he gestured with his hands to get closer. He knew he was being harsh, but it was only because he wanted to protect them and they were so close to being killed out there today. "Jesus, I let you two geniuses fly a mission and you disobey direct orders," Jake continued, but then noticed Kiri's presence behind Neteyam.

"Kiri, can you go help your grandmother with the wounded? Please," Jake asked, with a bit of a softer tone, but the authority was still there. Kiri shook her head and gestured to Neteyam. "My brother is wounded," She said, wanting to help him first before anyone else.

"Just go, please? Tuk, go with her! Go!" Jake said, urging his two daughters to go help Mo'at. Tuk was checking if Lo'ak had any injuries, looking over his arms to see if he was okay. Kiri rolled her eyes and started walking back towards their hut, grabbing Tuk's hand gently and taking her back to help.

Once they were gone, Jake turned back to his sons some of the heat from his frustration was wearing off, but he was still angry. Before Jale could say anything else, Neteyam started to speak. "Sir, I take full responsibility," The older Sully brother started, and Jake nodded in agreement before continuing to speak.

"Yeah, you do. That's right. Because you are the older brother, and you gotta act like it," Jake said, and Neteyam lowered his head. Lo'ak looked at his brother as their father continued to reprimand him, feeling guilt starting to seep inside of him for getting Neteyam in trouble. He was the one who tried to talk Lo'ak out of doing something stupid but ended up taking the blame for the situation again.

With a sigh, you walked up to your two boys and stood behind Neteyam, looking at Jake with an expression that conveyed to your husband to go a little easier on them. "Ma Jake, our son is actually bleeding," You said, looking at Neteyam's back since you were standing behind him and had a clear view of his injuries. He had various cuts and bruises.

"Mother, It's-It's fine I-" Neteyam started, but cut himself off, and Jake looked at his oldest son, knowing deep inside that he had been a little harsh this time around. It was just his emotions talking for him, and his fear of losing them both. Jake wasn't thinking straight.

"Go and get it patched up. Go on, dismissed," Jake said, looking away from Neteyam. You carefully held your son's shoulders and began to lead him toward the medical hut. Passing beside Jake, you cupped one of his cheeks and pressed a quick kiss to it, and you could feel his tension and anger easing just with your touch. You looked at each other for a few seconds before you walked past him and lead Neteyam to the huts at the far end of the cavern.

Once Jake was left alone with Lo'ak, the ex-marine sighed deeply before speaking up. "You do under that you almost got your brother killed," Jake said, seeing Lo'ak with a guilty expression written all over his face. "Yes, sir," Lo'ak said, looking away from his father. A few seconds passed before Jake spoke up again.

"You're grounded. No flying for a month," Jake said without hesitation, and Lo'ak was about to protest but stopped when he realized his attempts would just be futile and pointless. Spider, who was tending to the Ikrans nearby, heard this conversation and awkwardly looked away. He wouldn't want to be in Lo'ak's shoes right now. The human boy turned back to the banshee in front of him and pretended he wasn't just listening in.

"Now, see to the Ikrans," Jake said, and Lo'ak nodded begrudgingly. "All of them. And get that crap off your face," Jake finished, walking away from his son, leaving Lo'ak by himself. Once he was alone, everything that just happened registered in his head, and he groaned softly as he rolled his eyes, heading towards the Ikrans behind him.

Later that night, the Sully siblings, Spider, Mo'at, and Neytiri were all inside the medical hut. Jake sat outside, fixing small tweaks in his gun while you were standing behind him and looking inside the hut where everyone was. You walked around to get a better sight of your children, your mother, and your sister all helping to tend to Neteyam's wounds.

Mo'at was sitting behind your son, preparing a special concoction of a remedy that she knew worked wonders. Lo'ak stood beside Spider, standing over the oldest Sully sibling, while Tuk was helping Kiri across to make a special blend that will help the wounds heal faster.

"Aw, you want a kiss on the boo-boo?" Spider teased Neteyam, seeing how he was hissing as his grandmother applied the remedy to him.

"Give him this," Kiri said to Tuk, handing her some water to give to Neteyam, and the smallest of the Sully's quickly complied and made her way over to her brother, who accepted the water with a smile. Neteyam ruffled Tuk's hair afterward, making her giggle and laugh. Her being the youngest and him being the oldest created a special sibling bond between the two. Tuk loved her big brother.

"I would use yalna bark," Kiri suggested, walking over to her grandmother with the medicine made of the said bark.

"Oh, you would? And who is Tsahik?" Mo'at asked, seeing Kiri approach so that she could sit beside her. "You are, grand- Move," Kiri said, momentarily turning to Lo'ak to get him to move back, to which he rolled his eyes as he moved away, and then continued to speak with her grandmother. "You are, grandma. But yalna bark is better. It stings less," Kiri said, seeing how Neteyam was flinching and hissing at the remedy being put on his fresh wounds.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Neteyam hissed, closing his eyes tight, wanting the process to be over with already. "Mighty warrior," Kiri teased her brother, and this made their aunt Neytiri chuckle, while Kiri applied her own medicine made by her from yalna bark on him, and it seemed to work wonders because it didn't hurt as much as the first one.

You were still outside looking into the hut, sighing gently at the sight before you. Your eyes softened at your children helping out one another as they laughed and joked. While you keep your back turned to him, Jake shifted his gaze to look at you for a second before turning back to fix his gun. He knew you had something to say, but were holding back.

"What?" He sighed, and shortly after, you began to speak with your back still turned to your husband, given that you had your focus on your family interacting with one another. "Jake...you know that Neteyam and Lo'ak try to live up to you. It is very hard on them," You started as you finally turned your head to look at him, and Jake sighed deeply, continuing to give maintenance to his weapon.

Feeling like you weren't getting through to him, you started walking towards him and kneeled before your husband. "I know," He said, but today was more about their safety, rather than them trying to prove themselves.

"You are very hard on them, my love. It's not easy for them," You said, keeping your voice calm and collected. At your words, Jake halted what he was doing for a few seconds as he turned to you. "I'm their father. It's my job," Jake said, locking the mechanism of his gun into place so that it was ready and fixed.

"This is not a squad, Jake. It is a family. Try to understand how they feel, and put yourself in their shoes," You said gently, sliding your hand to intertwine with his, locking them together.

Jake understood what you were trying to tell him, and he was trying his damn best to keep them out of danger and protect them, but today just showed how easy it was for you and him to lose your sons. It could happen in the blink of an eye and there wouldn't be anything the two of you could do about it. Jake was silent for a few seconds, putting his gun on the ground before putting his other hand over yours.

His expression showed how truly vulnerable he feels. His eyes were teary, and his eyebrows furrowed together. His ears tipped back before he spoke again; "I thought we lost them," Jake whispered, his eyes becoming glossy, lips quivering slightly, and suddenly, everything made sense to you. It all came into place.

Jake knew how Neteyam and Lo'ak felt trying to live up to their father, it was not about him not understanding, but more about how concerned Jake was for the safety of his children. He could never truly protect them from every danger of this world, and that terrified him. Jake feels like he has to be harder on them because he doesn't want them to get hurt, just like they did today.

Without another word, you leaned forward and embraced your husband. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek before tucking your head in his neck. As he always did, Jake put his head on your neck, placing a soft kiss on your nape as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

Jake instantly felt comfort seep through him st the simple gestures like these that you did. It was moments like these that never failed to put him at ease, and after 15 years, you always managed to help him see things a lot more clearly than he did when he felt under pressure. He wouldn't trade what he had with you for anything, and now, he will fight even harder to return to the peace he and his family had only a year before.

"We can do this. You can do this," You reassured him, softly running your hands up and down his back. Jake didn't say anything else but only hugged you tighter. That was exactly what he needed to hear, and you never failed to bring him back to reality, giving him the strength he needs to continue.

After finishing tending to Neteyam and letting him rest, Tuk stayed behind with his older brother while Lo'ak, Kiri, and Spider were walking around the cavern and through the huts the other Avatars were in.

"Hi, there," Spider said, waving over to Norm, who was in his Avatar form brushing his teeth. "Hey, Spider" He replied, putting a towel around his neck, then swinging it to hit Spider's legs with it. "Your ass is mine," Spider laughed, jumping over the towel, and seeing Norm put it back around his neck. "I'm right here," Norm said playfully, following along with his banter with Spider.

Once the other scientists saw him, Kiri, and Lo'ak walk through the tent, female scientists took notice of this. "Avatars only. Go around!" The woman said, and Kiri mocked the scientist by mimicking her in a high-pitched tone, doing little hand gestures.

The trio eventually passed through the Avatar zone and reached one of the small base units. "The blue stripes don't make you any bigger, bro," Lo'ak said with a small chuckle. They started climbing up the stairs opening the door and heading inside, making sure to seal the door so that oxygen can be preserved inside.

"Yeah, well I can still kick your ass," Spider replied to Lo'ak. Once they were inside, the human boy was able to take off his oxygen mask, given that there was no toxic air inside this base unit. When coming around the corner, the trio could see scientists overlooking the Avatar drivers coming out of their links as their pods opened.

"Yeah, haha. Real hysterical, guys. You know what really sucks, though? You can breathe Earth air for hours, and I can only breathe your air for like 10 seconds," Spider said, seeing Kiri and Lo'ak take masks that let them breathe Pandora air every now and then. Na'vi could breathe human air for a long time, but they still at some point need a mask to help them breathe regular human air.

"Yes, monkey boy. That really sucks," Kiri started with a fake pout and sad tone, but then she smiled saying; "For you," She laughed, reaching over to try and catch Spider, but then she turned around to check out something in a monitor behind her.

As Kiri had her back turned her back to Spider, to keep their playful banter going, the human boy grinned as he eyes Kiri's tail. He pulled on it slightly, startling her as she turned around, but then saw it was Spider so she hissed at him playfully as he hissed back. The two then noticed Max was standing behind them, overseeing a few experiments.

"Hey, Max," Kiri greeted the scientist, waving over to him. "Hey, kids," He waved at the trio with a warm and welcoming smile. Spider walked over to Max and fist-bumped the boy, and Lo'ak walked over to do the same.

While the men talked, Kiri strayed off to another part of the lab, which was where Grace's Avatar body was. It was still in the giant tank chamber, keeping her comatose body stable. Kiri proceeded to jump on top of the tank, with one leg on either side, looking down at her mother. "Hi, Ma..." Kiri whispered with a soft smile, leaning down to press her cheek against the glass and hugging the tank.

After that, Kiri made her way down and headed over to the monitor in front of the tank chamber where Grace was in. This is something Kiri loved to do, so she played old video logs of her mother and she would watch them for hours on end. Kiri would never get tired of seeing them and hearing Grace's voice.

Now, Kiri was doing just that and standing in front of the monitor with an unerasable smile while she watched an old log that her mother recorded. "Maybe I'm just losing it out here, but I see real evidence of a systemic response on a global level. I can't...I won't use the word 'intelligence', since it's, um...maybe 'awareness' is probably a better word" Grace said on the video, and Kiri watched on, absolutely mesmerized as she pressed her mask to her face every few seconds to breathe.

Unknowingly to her, Spider was standing behind her, watching the girl intently with wonder and admiration. He has always been entranced by Kiri, and the soft smile the girl had on her face as she watched her mother's video made his heart leap.

"It's as if the entire biosphere on Pandora is aware and capable of this cognitive response. Oh, crap. I can't say that. They'll crucify me" Grace laughed dryly on the video, trying to get back on track. Kiri eventually turned around and walked over to the tank again, leaning her arms on the railing to look at her mother.

Spider turned around as well, seeing Lo'ak come around the corner to stand next to the human boy. The young Sully brother looked at the monitor for a few seconds before turning to face Spider. "So, who do you think knocked her up? Pretty sure it was Norm," Lo'ak chuckled, making Spider laugh and agree.

"Totally," Spider said with a laugh, but as soon as Kiri heard those words, she turned away from her mother to face her brother and the human boy in front of her with disbelief that they would say such a thing.

"You do not deserve to live," Kiri said, her attitude turning serious all of a sudden. "No, no. Think about it. He's the teacher's pet. He's out at the lab with her all the time," Lo'ak continued, and Spider started to smirk at the conversation. It was too amusing for him.

" I would kill myself. I would drink acid," Kiri said, not amused by their behavior. Spider continued to look at the monitor and started laughing when he spotted something. "Bro, you're right! He's like in every shot," Spider pointed out, seeing how Norm was coming up to stand behind Grace and look over her shoulder. "Look, look! He's giving her looks!" Spider said as he started laughing, but Kiri didn't find it funny at all.

"Hey!" Kiri spoke up, making Spider turn to her and see the hurt look on her face, and effectively, that made him stop laughing altogether and look down.

"See, I'm thinking their two Avatars together, out in the woods, all alone..." Lo'ak started to say teasingly, and Kiri laughed as she pushed her brother back, not too hard. "Gross!" She chuckled, beginning to play fight with Lo'ak.

"Guys, I mean, sometimes it's not so great to know who your father was..." Spider started, and at his words, Kiri and Lo'ak stopped what they were doing to look at their human friend wordlessly. The mood changed very quickly the moment he said that. Kiri and Lo'ak felt pity for their friend, and couldn't imagine how hard it must be to know that your father was someone as horrible as his.

Spider awkwardly looked away and hopped off the railing of the tank, turning away from Kiri and Lo'ak. "Whatever. I don't even remember him," He muttered while sensing Lo'ak coming to stand behind him. "No, Spider..." Lo'ak started to say, trying to comfort his friend.

"Spider..." Kiri started, coming up behind the boy to stand behind him and put her hands on his arms. "You are not him..." Kiri reassured him, trying to help him remember who he truly is, that who his father was did not define him.

As they spoke, the said man who is Spider's father, just happened to be Quaritch. He was already on an aircraft on his way to a military base set up somewhere outside the Pandoran forest. He had sitting alongside his subordinates, with a mask on his face to breathe from and his eyes closed.

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I cannot believe that this chapter is 6.7j words long- But I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless! I have so much planned for this sequel, and I cannot wait to write it all :,)

I'm trying to get this book done before March because that'll be my busiest month for my senior year, but even I dont finish by then, Ill still update regularly because I committed to this book and Im writing it until the end 🤍 Im not giving up on it shshs

Anywho, hope you guys liked this chapter and since the weekend is coming up, there may be back-to-back updates coming so stay tuned!

I don't have a whole lot to say for now, but don't forget to vote and comment! I love reading and replying to them so much, they truly make my whole week <3 They give me so much motivation to continue!

Anyway, bye for now! See you guys in the next one! I hope you guys are as excited for the rest of the story as I am!

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