Chapter 14

Down the Rabbit Hole

Philip stood close to the ledge overlooking the canyon. Here he was, in the heart of the enemy, trying to prove himself to satisfy some superstitious ritual in order to reclaim his children and most valuable warrior. 'Paganistic bullshit' is what he called it. He was no friend of the Na'vi, nor trusted them in any way, but he knew they were bound by honorary codes. So if they said they would give them back after his completion of his quest, then that, at least, he could half-trust.

Beverly walked up alongside him, overlooking the valley below. "So... you're really going to do it?" she asked.

"What choice do I have?" he said. "I must satisfy the savages."

"Do you really expect them to uphold their end of the bargain?"

"They wouldn't have any moral standards if they didn't. But I agree. I suggest that you and the kids keep your distance with these blues." He pulled out a radio and handed it to her. "Keep this close and out of sight. If anything bad happens, you just call me and I'll come running."

"We've done a pretty good job so far. But you know the kids. They're eager for adventure."

"That's what worries me. Adventure is what got us in this horrible trouble in the first place."

Jake Sully watched from a distance as the two humans conversed. He had no idea what they were saying, but he had a pretty good idea. Jake didn't deny that he had no friendly feelings for Captain McCoy, but he couldn't help but admit that the Captain had a strong moral attitude. It was that characteristic which motivated him to reclaim the human children. After all, one of them was the Captain's son. Jake almost envied him. Philip was a father. Jake was not.

Jake's thoughts were interrupted as he felt four digits slide between his five. He looked down at Neytiri who firmly squeezed his hand in her own. "I fear that if I let go, you will slip away again," she said with solemnly.

"I'm only glad that you made it out of that crash all right," said Jake. "It never ceases to amaze me how much strength you have."

"Jakesully," said another. Jake and Neytiri looked at Fel'Isa who approached. "I wish for you to go with Philipmicoy to the Cave of Sight."

Jake's eyes widened with surprise. "Me?"

"Yes. I feel that he will need your help. He who enters the Cave must face things he fears the most. He will need the aid of a strong heart. A heart like yours."

"Why me?" Jake asked incredulously. "How could I possibly help him? The last thing I think that he would want is to have me around."

"Is it he who does not desire your presence, or you who does not desire his?"

That hit Jake like a rock square in the chest. Jake confessed, though with little guilt, he didn't want to go with Philip McCoy. "He and I are too different," he said.

Fel'Isa's old lips stretched into a mysterious smile. "Dear child. You two may not be so different as you think. My heart tells me that your destinies are intertwined. He is not like other Sky People I have known. You may profit from this journey, Jakesully."

Jake lowered his head as he thought it over. He looked at Neytiri, whom he had barely just been reunited with. Now an old shaman was asking him to leave her again for the sake of some quest that was probably going to end in failure. But then again, it was probably in Jake's best interest that the Captain complete this task, for he and Neytiri's fate rested upon his success.

He stroked his fingers across across his mate's face affectionately. "Nothing is ever fair, is it?" he muttered.

"I have faith in you, my Jake," said Neytiri. "Go with him. And maybe... maybe... we can change things for better."

Jake turned back to Fel'Isa. "Very well. I will go."

The elderly Tsahik smiled. "Good. I am happy."

As they walked over to join the Captain, Robbie and Harmony watched from a distance as the adults conducted their business. Marcus stood next to them. Being a good friend of Fel'Isa, he managed to talk her and her husband to allow Beverly and the kids to walk freely under the condition that he monitor them.

"Why do they have to do this, Daddy?" Harmony asked.

"The aliens and the humans have to do this to prove that Uncle Phil is their friend," Marcus replied.

"I think it's dumb," Robbie grumbled.

"Don't say that to one of the Na'vi, Robbie. You might offend them," Marcus warned.

"Let them say what they want. I don't care," he said as he kicked the ground. He turned to walk back to the hut where they had spent the night. He was going to fetch his pack.

"Robbie, aren't you going to at least say bye to Uncle Phil?" said Harmony.

"No," he said bitterly.

"Robbie!" Marcus scorned him. "I know you and your Dad haven't been getting along. But that is no reason to be so bitter about this. Your Dad is doing something very dangerous, and he's doing it for you. You should at least support him."

"Yeah! Don't be such a meanie," Harmony added.

"I don't care," Robbie muttered and ran away.

Harmony moved to chase after him, but Marcus held her firmly by the shoulder. "Let him go. There's nothing we can do to change his mind. We should at least go say goodbye to Uncle Phil, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, I guess," Harmony said sadly. "I just wish Robbie and his Dad could get along."

Philip sat next to the pilot of the Samson, staring aimlessly through the window. They had been flying in between the two cliff sides that led deeper into the mountains. Flying alongside, four banshee riders escorted them to their destination. For reasons he could not explain, Philip felt so empty. He was on his way to complete some bizarre mission to satisfy the Na'vi's absurd rituals. He didn't regret it for the sake of the children. What troubled him though was Robbie. Following the negotiations with the Na'vi, he should have right then and there embraced his son as any father would have done.

But no.

Pride had gotten in the way again. The wedge between them was simply too hard for either to get by. And when it was time for their departure, Robbie simply ran off without so much as uttering goodbye. Perhaps it was best to leave it at that. There was nothing he could do to get to Robbie. He recalled during his brief time in school, during his psychology class, that some sons rebelled against the father to satisfy the instinct of being superior or gaining the affection of certain relatives in the family (namely the mother). Not that Philip applied psychology to his daily life, or believed in most of it anyway.

"Captain. Approaching destination. Bearing three hundred meters," said the pilot.

Philip looked through the front window and saw it. Far ahead was a place where the two cliff side walls merged together. The banshees flew downward and the Samson followed. As they began their descent along the rugged cliff walls, Philip could see it. At the point of the merging cliff sides was a black opening standing tall and narrow, like a long, pointed tower.

The Samson continued its descent as it finally touched the rocky ground. The banshee riders landed around them with spears in hand. The Captain pulled on his exo-pack as he stepped out of the pressurized cockpit. Jake jumped out of the open bay of the Samson. The Na'vi warriors approached them. Among them was Ka'Ufu. He was none too pleased that these Sky People would be intruding within a sacred site of cultural importance to the Tompekong, but if it was the will of his parents, then he would obey.

He addressed Jake and Philip with a stern and firm voice. "Your trial begins, Sky People. Be warned, the Cave of Sight is a terrible place for those who enter. Once you begin your journey, you will never find your way out until you pass your test."

"Wait a minute," Philip said concerned. "What do you mean we won't find our way out?"

"Foolish tawtute. The spirits are alive in this place. Once you walk on their holy ground, they grab hold of you in ways you cannot imagine. Be wary. For if you fail, you may never return."

Philip noticed that he said that last part with a slight grin. Clearly this Na'vi would prefer it if they didn't come back alive at all. "Very well," he said. He turned to the two soldiers and his pilot. "You three will wait here for our return. Do not provoke or cause any trouble for the blues. If I find anything here that suggests you did just the opposite, I will teach you a whole new meaning of blunt force trauma. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir," the three replied in unison with a salute.

"You ready, Sully?" said Philip.

"No, but what choice do I have," Jake answered flatly.

Philip looked up at Ka'Ufu. "Okay, big man. Ready when you are."

Ka'Ufu scoffed. "Now we will see what strength you Sky People have. Follow the dark path of the cave for a day. Then you will find a garden that brightens the darkness. Once you find it, you will be at the mercy of the spirits. Take this." He handed Jake Sully a staff with two orbs tied to the top. The orbs were woven together from a silky material and were transparent. Inside were worms squirming around. "A gift from our Tsahik. Those are atangawng. When in dark places, they will brighten and light the way. Now go... and face your destiny," he said with a wave of his arm.

Philip and Jake began their trek, leaving behind their company. Philip gazed up at the pinnacle of the cave's mouth. He felt as if he were passing through the portal of a cathedral. Philip had to admit the sight would leave any man awestruck. The grandness of this planet dwarfed the confidence of any human being, save for Philip. They passed the threshold into the dark depths beyond. Jake held the staff high. Just as Ka'Ufu said, the worms inside began to glow, as did the bio-luminescent dots and patterns on Jake's body. Neither man spoke to the other. The tension between these two was nothing compared to what they would soon be confronted with.

The Na'vi and humans watched as their would-be saviors disappeared into the blackness. One of the soldiers looked up at the Na'vi and asked, "So... you guys think they'll make it?"

Robbie sat alone in the hut that served as their temporary refuge. He was playing with his PSP that he had stored away in his backpack. He was in the process of playing Tetris 3D, one of his favorite games. Usually he aced through each level with ease, though he was doing poorly at the moment. Each time he tried to match tetrominoes, he kept misplacing each shape.

He groaned in aggravation as he lost the game yet again. Something was distracting him. Something that tugged and nagged at his brain. It had barely been a few hours since his father's departure. In that time, Robbie wasn't sure how he felt. He was certain before that he didn't care much. Now, however, he was growing more and more restless. Robbie was missing something.

It was happiness.

Why wasn't he happy? It was more than just because they were the prisoners of giant blue aliens. More than just the fact that he was far from home. He was so desperate to explore and see the forest with his own eyes and now that he was here, he wasn't so thrilled anymore. The forest was not what he expected it to be. It was filled with dangers that he could have never imagined.

Something stung his neck and he slapped it. A huge, crushed bug was pasted across his hand. Robbie rubbed the revolting thing on the ground, eager to remove the sticky thing from his palm.

That was one reason why he was desperate to go home. The strange little creatures that crawled and swarmed out here were enough to drive one mad. Nothing could give him more pleasure than the security of the indoors. How he longed for a nice, juicy burger, a fluffy bed, and nice clean toilet to properly relieve himself. That was especially one of his larger problems. Robbie didn't feel comfortable doing his personal business without a bathroom. He just hadn't been trained for that.

What was really troubling him was the absence of his father. At first, Robbie thought he couldn't care less what his father was doing, but now he was desperate for the company of his parents. How he wished his mother could be hear to scoop him up in her arms and sooth him with her Japanese songs or his father playing catch with him as he used to do. Whatever happened to those good times? Maybe if he took up Willy's offer to play ball instead of following his father, he and Harmony wouldn't be in this mess.

Wait a minute, he thought. That was it. He didn't need his father. It was his friends. He knew that Beverly, Dodgers, Harmony, and Marcus were here to give him company, but that just wasn't enough anymore. The problem was his friends were all the way back at Vatican's Royale while he was stuck out here.

Robbie sighed in helpless defeat. What was he supposed to do?

Beverly and Marcus entered the hut.

"Robbie, have you seen Harmony?" said Beverly.

"No," Robbie muttered.

"Where could she be?" Marcus said with worry.

A young Na'vi boy ran through the village. "Mokii, wait," his friends called to him from behind.

"Come on," Mokii said to them. He was rushing to find the Sky People that had arrived from the other night. His friends, Tsima, Halapi, On'du, and Kala followed close behind.

"Mokii! We shouldn't be doing this," said Kala struggling to keep up. Like Mokii, she was eight seasons old. "Our parents said that we must stay away from the Sky People. That they are bad."

"I don't care," he said stubbornly. "I want to see them. The adults have told us all their stories about the Sky People, but we never even seen them before."

"We've seen the dreamwalkers," said Halapi. He was just slightly older than Mokii and very strong for a child. His father trained him each day to make him a strong hunter.

"I don't want to see the dreamwalkers. I want to see a real Sky Person."

Ever since their arrival, Mokii was desperate to see them. Like the other children, Mokii barely got a glimpse of them when he tried peering in between the adults. The tales that the adults shared about the Sky People fueled the children's imagination.

Mokii and his friends passed by several houses until they came to the hanging gardens. The hanging gardens sat on a wide terrace of several thousand square meters where the Tompekong grew their vegetation. Unlike most tribes that resorted to mostly hunting and gathering, the Tompekong had resorted to farming for generations. Primitive in certain respects, but affective. Like the layout of their village, the gardens very much resembled the terraces of Machu Pichu.

They could hear giggling. Mokii followed the laughter until he came to the edge of the garden. Concealed by several bushes, he and his friends ducked low as they peered through. There along one of the paths they saw one of the little Sky People playing with the strange hairy creature. She laughed as the creature rolled and jumped around with her.

"Look at her hair," said Kala.

"Very shiny. Very shiny," said Tsima. She was only four seasons old and was still learning to speak.

"Be quiet, Tsima," Mokii scorned his little sister. "She'll hear you."

"She's very tiny. Smaller than even Tsima," said On'du. He was just a season younger than Mokii and the most troublesome.

On'du parted the bushes to step through. Halapi pulled him back by his shoulder. "Stop, shkauwng. You'll scare her."

On'du groaned. "Oh, but I want to see her."

The orange creature seemed to notice the disturbance they caused and dashed into the garden. "Dodgers, come back," the little girl called after him. She chased after him into the garden.

Mokii hesitated not a moment and also gave chase. No way was he going to lose his chance to meet one of these Sky People.

"Mokii, wait!" his friends called after him.

Harmony ran through the large garden to catch up with Dodgers who was running away from her. Why would he run? What was there to be afraid of? As she moved deeper into the garden, she looked around herself to see where she was. The plants that grew here were as tall as a Na'vi and with some sort of purple fruit or vegetable on them. She looked around desperately to find her furry companion.

"Dodgers, you bad boy. Come here now," she shouted. Something rustled to her left in the long green stalks. "Okay, Dodgers. I found you." Something came out, but it wasn't Dodgers. Harmony's eyes went wide as a tall blue person emerged from the stalks. He was almost twice her height, but judging by his size, Harmony knew he was a Na'vi boy. Harmony suddenly felt extremely frightened by this towering figure.

The boy advanced on her, but Harmony squealed with fear as she dashed in the opposite direction as fast as she could. She didn't look back but just kept going forward. Eventually she emerged from the tall stalks and into a field of large pink fruits growing out of the ground. Harmony tripped and fell into the dirt. She could hear the pounding of feet as the boy was approaching. Harmony scrambled on hands and knees as she ducked behind one of the large fruits. After waiting a few seconds, the pounding of feet stopped. Curious, Harmony slowly peaked her head above the pink fruit and saw the face of the Na'vi boy staring back at her.

Mokii gazed at the little girl with wonder. He smiled a little at her and walked around the fruit to get closer. But for every step he took, she took another one back to stay on the other side of the fruit. He tried moving the other way around, but she moved in the opposite direction again. Why was she avoiding him? Maybe he scared her.

His friends emerged from the foliage to catch up with Mokii. They stopped where he was and gazed at the little tawtute. On'du tried to approach her, but Harmony rushed behind another large fruit.

"Stop! You're scaring her," said Kala. "Let me try to speak to her." Kala stepped closer to Harmony, keeping a good distance so as not to scare her. "I see you," she said in her tongue. Harmony just stared at her timidly with her blue eyes. Never had Kala seen such strange yet beautiful eyes. Her words were obviously not working. So she decided to employ the language that Marcussteinbeck had taught. "Hello," she said in English. Among all the children that had learned the language, Kala was the best. Though it required some improvement. "I friend."

Harmony slowly stood up, looking at the alien girl. She slowly walked closer to her. The alien girl smiled. Harmony smiled back, though not as enthusiastically.

"I Kala," said the alien girl patting her chest.

"I'm Harmony," Harmony replied.

Kala laughed. She pointed to her other friends. "We friends." The others came over. They surrounded Harmony as they inspected every detail of her. Harmony felt so puny compared to these giants, despite the fact that they themselves were children. One of the smaller ones among them came closer to Harmony and touched her hair, stroking it with her finger tips. She giggled as she said something that Harmony didn't understand.

"I... I don't understand you," said Harmony timidly.

Just then, an adult approached. Neytiri had found the Na'vi children chasing something and caught up to see what it was. She saw Harmony surrounded by the Tompekong children. "Are you alright?" said Neytiri.

"I'm okay," Harmony said nervously. "Can you tell me what they're saying?"

Neytiri smiled. "The little one says you have pretty hair," she said.

"Oh! Thank you," she said.

Neytiri translated her thanks to the Na'vi children. Seeing that they had the use of a translator, the children began asking Neytiri to ask Harmony so many things. "Calm, children," Neytiri ordered them. "First I must bring her back to her friends. They are worried about her. Then you may ask her your questions." Neytiri crouched down and extended her arms to Harmony. "Come little one. I will take you back to your friends."

"What about Dodgers?" Harmony asked worried. Just then, the little ape came dashing over to them, screaming his mischievous chuckles. Harmony stepped forward to get him, but he chuckled and ran back across the field. "Dodgers, come back."

Harmony gave chase. The other kids joined the pursuit. Neytiri laughed joyously. The sight of children playing together brought warm feelings to her heart, even if some of them were alien. It made her think of what it would eventually be like playing with her own child when the time came. Neytiri followed the miscreants.

Robbie, Beverly, and Marcus turned their heads to the sound of a screaming ape and the laughter of children. They ran outside to see what the commotion was. Dodgers came running on all fours followed by Harmony and a handful of Na'vi children. The Na'vi children stopped as they came face to face with the other humans. Neytiri came jogging from behind the group.

Dodgers and Harmony came running up to Marcus. Harmony threw her arms around him with a smile wide on her face. "Daddy, you're not going to believe who I just met! I met alien kids today. Look, look," she pointed to the Na'vi.

Marcus smiled. "Well, I'm certainly glad that you met some new friends." He walked up to the kids with Harmony clinging to his side. "I see you," he said.

The children instantly recognized his voice. "Marcussteinbeck?" Mokii said incredulously.

"Hello, Mokii," said Marcus. "I see you've met my daughter."

The Na'vi children's jaws dropped. "That little one is your daughter?" said On'du.

"She's so cute," Kala giggled.

They finally took notice of Robbie as he slowly came forward. "Is that your son?" they asked.

"No, no," Marcus laughed. "That is the son of my friend. He is called Robbie."

Mokii stepped closer to Robbie. The two stared hard at each other. Mokii chuckled to himself. "You small," he said in English.

Robbie took that very personally. "Who are you calling small, blue?"

"Robbie!" Marcus scorned him. "We don't call people names. And most certainly not people you've just met. Mind your manners."

Robbie groaned. "Okay, okay. Sheesh."

Mokii's ears perked up as he heard a strange sound. It sounded like the faint chirp of a bug. He noticed it was coming from a little black box in Robbie's hand. Mokii stared curiously at it. He pointed to it, eager to know what it was.

Robbie looked down at his PSP that he still had. The alien boy seemed unusually fascinated by it.

"Robbie, he wants to know what that is," said Marcus.

"What? This? This is my PSP," said Robbie holding it up for Mokii to see it better. "You play games and stuff on it."

Mokii gazed at the flickering images on it. What a strange object it was. Mokii's friends also came forward to see the strange little black box.

"Here, I'll show you how to play." Robbie began his game of Tetris 3D. The Na'vi kids watched in fascination as different shapes and colors appeared on the screen. Even Neytiri was curious about the funny, little gadget. Robbie showed them what the point of the game was and how to use the buttons. He was hesitant though to let them play with it for fear that they might break it. Tsima danced excitedly as the little box chirped and beeped.

They must have been standing in that position for many minutes until Marcus finally ended the fun. "Alright, children. Let's not stand around all day. You had better go back to your parents."

"But we don't want to go back to our parents," On'du whined.

"We want to know more about the Sky Children," said Halapi. "Please, Marcussteinbeck."

The Na'vi children all pleaded.

"Alright," Marcus finally yielded to their wishes. "But when the sun sets, you must all go home." They cheered with joy as they moved into the hut.

"Doctor Steinbeck," Beverly finally spoke in. "I don't think that is wise."

"Sergeant, will you relax? They're just kids. You should join us. It might do you some good."

"No thanks," she muttered as she walked away.

"Sergeant," Marcus called to her. "Don't think it was only hard for you. It was for me too, but I learned to let it go." Beverly just walked away, paying little heed to his words. Marcus sighed frustrated. As stubborn as the Captain, he thought. What would it take to get the message into her head? Marcus retreated into the hut with the kids.

"Why do you not wish to join us?" Neytiri asked her. "The Sky Children are very fond of you. It would make them happy if you were with them."

"Don't you talk about the kids as if you know them," she said pointing a finger at Neytiri. "I've known Robbie and Harm far longer than you."

Neytiri was incredulous at what the little woman just said to her. "Why are you so bitter?" Neytiri hissed. "You should show respect."

"What do you know of respect? And remember... I'm watching what you do with the kids."

Neytiri watched as the dark-skinned woman walked toward the ledge of the cliff side, staring into the distance. Some great and terrible anger burned in that woman's heart. Neytiri knew that most Sky People had no love for the Na'vi, save for the few that had remained at Hell's Gate, but this woman was just outright resentful. It was clear that she bore a deep loathing, but for what reason Neytiri couldn't fathom. She decided, though, that it was not her place to tread where she was not welcome. So she left it at that. If Beverly Hopkins wanted to be bitter, then let her be bitter. Neytiri could have just as easily not cared at all, but seeing a person filled with such anger was enough to break her heart, no matter how horrible a person they were. And Beverly Hopkins, despite her attitude, was not a horrible person. If she was, she would have no love for the children.

Na'vi were not strangers to anger before the arrival of the Sky People, but rage was considered an unclean trait. Neytiri had come to know anger and despair through the loss of her sister and father, but never rage. Such feelings were unholy to Eywa. So Neytiri did the next best thing she could think of. She offered a prayer. All loving Mother, as much as she may not like me, nor I her... please calm her anger.

Beverly stood alone, overlooking the canyon. When would the Captain return? Would he return at all? Waiting in this place for the unknown, surrounded by the enemy, was unbearable. These Na'vi were backwards in every sense off the word. She just couldn't bear the thought of Robbie and Harmony commingling with those savages.

All except for Neytiri... maybe.

Neytiri was not like most Na'vi that Beverly had encountered. The Na'vi Beverly had met were quick to use their bows and arrows, even during diplomatic missions. They had no love for humans. Na'vi could tolerate humans to an extent, but tolerance and sympathy were two different things. Neytiri was different though. She seemed more patient and understanding than most Na'vi. Indeed, Beverly noticed how drawn to the children Neytiri was. They were still alive because of her, now that Beverly thought of it. Beverly would be thankful. Yes, she would be grateful for that... but she could never trust Neytiri.

Beverly could not trust Na'vi. She had had enough experience with them. She had lost her squad because of a battle with them. Normally she would have called it a casualty of war, but not with these savages. They were simply too unsophisticated. And that is why she had to stay on her guard. The thought of losing the children was unbearable. She couldn't let that happen again.

Bodies lay everywhere on the forest floor. Blood flowed from human and alien bodies like a river of death. The smell was nauseous enough to make a man pass out. Amid all the chaos, though, only two survivors remained from this calamity.

Sergeant Hopkins gently cradled a woman in her arms, her rifle lay to her side. The wounded woman's blond hair was matted with blood. "It failed," she croaked. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Quiet. Don't try to talk," Beverly urged.

"How could the negotiations have failed?" she cried. "We were supposed to stop the fighting... bring peace..."

"You must stop talking, Doctor," said Beverly. Beverly felt her shiver within her embrace. She was cold. That wasn't a good sign.

"Why didn't Quatrich listen to me? How could they do this? The clan trusted me. I was their friend-" the Doctor coughed up blood.

"Doctor, please! You must save your strength. Help is on the way." If only that help could come faster. The Doctor's blood flowed out of the bullet wound in her gut. Beverly crammed a damp, red rag against the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Beverly, thank you for always being by my side. I know you thought my efforts were futile... but you were always there. We're not so different. We're just two people trying to do our duty. Oh, it's cold."

Beverly pressed her body against the Doctor to keep her warm. Damn it, where the hell was the rescue team? "That doesn't matter anymore. Just save your strength."

"Yes, it does, Bev," the Doctor smiled beneath her bloodied hair that covered her pale face. "I'm afraid... afraid that... if I don't say it..." She gently lowered her head as if to rest.

"Stop talking like that and stay with me! Come on. You've got to stay awake. The chopper will be here soon."

"We both know... that's not true... oh, so tired..."

"Just hang on. For God's sake, just hang on," Beverly pleaded. Where the hell was that rescue team?

"Bev, I want you to promise... promise me..."

"What? For Christ's sake, what?"

"Please... promise me..."

If only those soldiers hadn't interfered. If only those savages weren't so thickheaded. If only things had happened they way they were supposed to, then maybe she could have saved her.

Beverly fought back the memories. The last thing she needed was to get soft in the most hostile place in the universe. She clenched her fists. "Fuck you," she snarled angrily. "Fuck you, Quatrich. Screw Selfridge. And screw the goddamn RDA! I don't do anything for you! I do not of it for you!"