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Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers or Avatar.
He woke up in the unit gasping. He pushed at the cover and it released him with a squelchy whoosh. He grabbed his pant leg and started the arduous process of moving himself into the wheelchair. Unfortunately his presence was not unnoticed. Max, the doctor who had given him and Spellman their first tour rushed over.
"Dammit Stark!" he groused, "What happened? Where's Natasha? I though you would be like Grace and the others? Where's the avatar? Medical called and said you all were missing! Are you okay?"
"Whoa hold up," said Tony. "Yes I'm fine. We're all fine. We were out there trying to find out what's wrong. Anything new with Grace and the others?"
Max shook his head. "Nothing."
"Aright I need to get to my computer," said Tony trying to maneuver around Max. Max blocked his way. "What's going on out there? Is the avatar safe?"
"Yes, it's safe. We're not entirely sure and I don't want to say anything until I'm sure so I need to get to my station." Max let him go but followed. Tony decided to make the most of his presence.
"What's going around here?"
"Full military lockdown," Max replied. "The whole lab is in lockdown too. They're not letting us out until Grace and the others come out. They think we're helping the Na'vi. They haven't sent out a replying force though."
Tony nodded as he stored away the information. He reached his work station and quickly accessed his workstation. From there he hacked the databases and then created a search to find his needle.
"What are you doing?" asked Max frowning.
"Looking for someone," said Tony shortly, "Now if you'll just run along and let me work that'd be great."
Max frowned but Tony turned a particularly hard stare on him and he retreated still looking suspicious.
It took Tony about two hours of hard hacking before he got a name. Arman Zola. Is name hadn't been on the passengers' manifest. It had been on a separate manifest, listed among the cargo. He was a brilliant scientist with specialties in a number of fields and lots of experience with experimentation and mad science. It was the perfect candidate.
It also told Tony that the top brass did indeed know about him because there was no other way he could have been sneaked in to Pandora. No one could. It would also explain why the Colonel Miles Quaritch, hadn't launched a reply assault on the Na'vi, which would be his norm as his hatred of the Na'vi was a well-known thing.
"They made a deal," he muttered to himself, "One of the Na'vi betrays their people and helps them. They would get the unobtainium and maybe later if they get the device, they could destroy the Na'vi. Clever. But how clever is this Loki'odi?" He shook himself and then went to find out what he needed to know, "Where are you Dr. Zola?"
Dr. Zola was apparently in cryo. Tony blinked and then said, "Well let's go meet a Zolaicle." He wheeled out of his workstation and found Max.
"So, Max," he started, "I need your help."
Half an hour later three of the scientists had thrown up. Medical came to get them, along with four soldiers. The four soldiers were tazed with makeshift tazers and the doctors were apologetically restrained. Max and Tony and another tech made their way frantically to the cryo chamber.
After several hair-raising turns they made it there and then had to search frantically to find the right chamber. It took them about five-too-long- minutes to find it.
They pulled it out and hit the deforesting series, to start. The display blinked and showed them: 15 minutes to completion.
"You've got to be kidding me," Tony groaned, "These things are supposed to be faster."
"This is deep freezing," Max told him, "That's the fastest it can go."
"Well we really don't have that kind of time," Tony deadpanned.
"I'm sorry," said Max, hands flickering over the controls, "It really can't go any faster. Not if we want him to be able to answer any questions we have."
"Great," said Tony, sarcastically. His four hours were ticking down and it was only a matter of time before the Colonel found them.
The fifteen minutes stretched out so long it felt like they were just waiting to fall into an abyss of doom. Finally though there was a smart little chirp and the cover of the cryo chamber let loose a hiss of cold air and lifted off.
Max and the tech pointed their guns at the figure inside as Tony rolled up to it leaned over, smiled and said, "Come on sunshine, wakey, wakey. You have less than fifteen seconds to become coherent. If you aren't in that time I will shoot you. Ten seconds now."
The figure inside blinked bemusedly at them and then tried to rise out of the chamber. It failed and Tony watched dispassionately.
"Are you awake yet?"
There was a pause while the little man seemed to gather his bearings and then he said, "Yes. Yes sir I am. How may I be of assistance?"
"You can start by telling us how to destroy the device you created to use in the Tree of Souls and you'll tell us how to do it without harm to us or to Pandora."
Arman Zola smiled. "Ahh so it has been put to use and worked as well as I'd hoped."
"Answer the question," Tony said, hard as iron.
"Once inserted into the tree it is impossible to remove without suffering a fatal electrical shock. Insulation will not work, the whole Tree will give this shock and any insulation present will burn. It is a far greater power than any imagine. The device cannot be destroyed. The remote, yes, but the device itself, the worldslayer? Niet. It will stay, stay, until Pandora screams and is destroyed. But other remotes can be built so that it is always under subjugation. The plan was never meant to fail."
He smiled sneakily, happily. He was a bona fide psycho Tony decided. Still, it was a shock when he suddenly jerked and red blossomed on his chest. Tony lifted up his eyes to see the Colonel coming from the other direction, his gun already aiming.
"Give it up Stark," said the Colonel, "You and all your tree-hugging bastards are under arrest. We don't need you anymore, this planet is under our control and there isn't anything anyone is going to do about that," he sneered, right in Tony's face.
Max and the tech still tremblingly pointed their guns at the Colonel and his men but Tony motioned them down. No need to get themselves killed. He only hoped now that the others wouldn't really come for him if he didn't return.
Natasha followed Thor'odi through the almost silent Pandorian forest. He led her through it with almost absent ease, barely leaving a trail behind. An hour had passed before they came upon a set of several large rocks covered in several patches of iztarang.
"Careful," Thor'odi said to her, "I am still not sure it is safe."
"I know," said Natasha, "but Barton has eaten some and it hasn't affected him. Perhaps once it is separated and inside me it will not be affected."
"Perhaps," he said but still readied his large hammer. Natasha smiled; she appreciated the sentiment. She scurried up the rocks and set about finding the most isolated patch of iztarang. She soon found one and carefully dug it out, taking care to keep the roots intact and then said, "Here goes," and put the plant down her throat and swallowed it whole. She gagged as she had to swallow it down in portions, slowly lowering it into her throat. When the whole thing was down, she gagged some more, fighting to keep it down, her eyes watering.
She finally straightened up, feeling sick. She hopped off the rock and came down beside Thor'odi.
"Let's head back," she told him, "Barton said the after effects of this aren't pleasant."
He nodded and then led her back. Half an hour later, the effects started to hit her. The nausea was first, coupled by light-headiness. She staggered and kept going. Then the cramps started, first in her stomach. Then a burning seemed to light up in her chest. A few minutes later it had settled in her lungs. Then her lungs started to cramp. Thor'odi who had been helping her along when the second set of symptoms hit, finally decided he wasn't about to listen to her protests anymore and hefted her into his arms.
She glared at him through watering eyes and tried to tell him she could make it back but he gave her a serene look and said, "It is fine to be brave but not fine to be foolish." Then he leapt along the branch, before she could reply.
When they returned to the others she was half-unconscious with a full blown fever. The last thing she knew was Barton's hand on her forehead saying, "Breathe 'Tasha, just breathe."
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