This chapter will alternate between flashbacks in present tense (like live sports commentary), and the regular storyline in past tense. Sorry it took so long to get it up, but between issues with school and health, and actually drafting this long chapter, I had my hands full. Hopefully, you won't be disappointed.
DISCLAIMER: The story and characters of the original Avatar belong to James Cameron. I take artistic license only for the characters and events that I have created for this story. I receive no monetary gains from this story.
Chapter Four: Blood for Blood, part One
A dead silence fell over the group. The Na'vi sat quietly, waiting for Meira to continue. Said girl was looking down at the floor, wringing her hands as if unsure how to proceed. After about a minute, she took a deep breath, lifted her gaze, and began to tell the story.
"It was almost two years before the great battle for Pandora. The RDA said they had a new test for us: one that would test our levels of ability to fight both with and without weapons. We had learned some unarmed combat techniques from the more tolerant soldiers and Samson pilots. One of them was a woman called Trudy." Meira saw sadness flash briefly in Jake's eyes; Trudy had been one of the Tawtute who had died fighting for the Na'vi, and a close friend to Jake. "When it came to weapons, however, the only knowledge we had was what we had read about in books. We were presented with many different types of weapons, and each of us were told to choose the one that we felt best suited us. Michael chose a spear; Jason chose a quarterstaff; I chose a blade. We were then separated and each made to fight one-on-one with numerous opponents, each fighter stronger than the last. Somehow, all three of us were able to win every fight. The next day, we were called together in one of the training rooms. We were then ordered to fight each other; the winner would lead the other two in a mission to speak with the Omaticaya, or so we were told. What happened next was something I've never been able to forget…"
- Flashback-
The fight begins with the girl and the younger boy; the older boy watches from the side. The black-haired boy makes rapid strikes at the girl; she blocks most with her blade, but three connect: one on the left arm; another on the right leg; the last leaves a shallow gash on her left ribcage. The girl is backed against a wall and the boy tries for a final strike. At the last moment, the girl knocks the spear upward with her blade, while at the same time crouching down and slamming a fist into her opponent's solar plexus. The boy collapses to the floor, the blow having forced all the air out of his lungs. The red-haired boy declares the girl as the winner, picks up the younger boy, carries him over and leans him against the wall.
Now the fight between the girl and the older boy begins. Unlike the first boy, this fighter doesn't go all-out from the start; he bides his time, blocking her attacks with his staff and returning with a few of his own, betting on his opponent's injuries and exhaustion. When the girl begins to tire, the boy's attacks become fiercer, causing her to go on the defensive. One of the attacks slips through and connects with her injured arm, the pain causing her to drop her weapon. The girl is backed into a corner, her blade barely a few meters behind her opponent. The boy brings his staff down on the girl, confident that he can win with a blow to the head. Less than a second before the staff connects with the girl's head, she drops to the floor on her back and, using her arms to push off from the walls, slides between the boy's legs, stopping less than a meter from her weapon. By the time the boy realizes what happened, she has her blade and is taking the offensive. He lunges at her, aiming for the wound in her ribcage. She side-steps the attack, grasps the staff, and wrenches it out of the boy's hands. Pushing her advantage, the girl strikes out, tackles the boy to the floor, and brings the blade to his neck. Realizing that he can't win, the boy concedes defeat. The girl smiles, rises to her feet, and then helps the boy up. By now the younger boy has woken up, and both boys congratulate the girl.
-End Flashback-
Meira paused and took a deep breath. Everyone waited anxiously for her to continue. "As you just heard," she said, "my win against Michael was a simple matter of patience; my defeat of Jason, however, was sheer luck." Jake's eyebrows went up; Meira explained. "My ability to sense intent gave me little assistance in that situation. I could sense their overall intentions, but not what methods they would use to achieve them." She waited for Jake to nod before continuing. "Having beaten both of them, we thought the fight was over; in truth, it was only beginning…"
-Flashback-
Two humans enter the training room: Selfridge, the RDA man in charge of Hell's Gate; and Quaritch, the former colonel, in charge of all the mercenaries and ex-military personnel. Quaritch speaks first. "Well done, little missy. I've seen a lot of female fighters in my time, but I've never seen one become so skilled with a weapon after only two days of learning. Talent like yours would turn the tide of any battle." The praise does not make Meira happy. "With respect, Colonel, while I appreciate your praise, I would prefer, in the future, not to fight in pointless battles. I fight only against those who have wronged me, and I do not kill without cause," she replies, sheathing her blade. Jason and Michael nod in agreement, having picked up their own weapons.
Selfridge gives out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, whatever. Look, you won, so you lead the mission. You'll be briefed in the hanger in one hour. Don't be late!" The three half-bloods begin to leave. "Just a minute, little missy," Quaritch calls out, "There are things we need to discuss with you alone." "Can it not wait until my brothers are seen to?" she sighs, "They are both in need of bandages and medicine." What she says is true: Michael has a broken rib, while Jason has numerous cuts from his fight with Meira. Quaritch smirks at her. "Now don't you worry your pretty little head about that. These boys will be taken care of." Quaritch shouts a command, and suddenly a squad of his men march into the room, wearing exopacks and carrying rifles. The men form two groups behind Jason and Michael. Meira looks at the Colonel with suspicion. "Why are these men here?" she asks. "They're going to escort your 'brothers' to the medical area, just to make sure they don't run into any trouble on the way there," Quaritch answers. Meira shakes her head. "You're a lousy actor, Colonel," she replies. "Even if I didn't have the ability to sense intent, I could still tell that you're lying. First, the speed of the squad's response shows that you already had them standing by when you came in here. Second, exopacks aren't needed to visit the medical area because it's indoors. Third, unless some skxawng let in a predator, there should be no need to carry loaded weapons inside the base. And lastly, if this was really about having our injuries treated, you would have all three of us checked out at the same time instead of separately," she finishes, moving closer to her brothers. "Oh, and one more thing," she adds, "if this was really about choosing a leader, you would have told us face-to-face rather than have our mothers act as your messengers."
Quaritch's smirk has become a frown. Every reason the girl states irks him even more. Her eyes grow wide as she realizes something. "This was never about leading a mission, was it? What you really wanted was to see which of us was the best fighter, didn't you?" She backs up against her brothers. The boys lock eyes for a moment. Michael nods slightly, and Jason takes something out of a pouch hidden behind his back. Meira gives Quaritch a level glare. "What's really going on here Colonel? Don't you dare try to lie to me again!" She grips the handle of her blade to emphasize her words. The soldiers raise their rifles in response. Jason and Michael grip their own weapons firmly.
Quaritch blinks, and then lets out a loud belly laugh. "Looks like the cat's outta the bag! Well, might as well tell you the truth; won't make much difference anyway. We never had any intention of letting you meet the Na'vi. That's going to be left up to the Avatars. You three were just the results of the experiments to see if making the Avatars was even possible. If it were up to me, I'd be satisfied with just that, but the company wants to see an actual return on their investment. They told us to either find a use for you, or dispose of all three of you. So I came up with an idea. We'd trick you into fighting each other over something, set aside the winner, and leave the losers to fend for themselves in the forest. The winner would be used as a prototype for genetically-engineered half-breed fighters to be used if the avatars fail to convince the Na'vi to relocate."
Meira looks at Quaritch as if he's grown another head. "That's the most ludicrous idea I've ever heard!" she shouts. "That's because kids like you can't understand the true genius behind it," Quaritch replies. "In a fight between a human and a Na'vi, the human's smaller size and inability to breathe the planet's air put him at a great disadvantage; superior weaponry is his only trump card. However, a half-breed has better weapons, height nearly equal to the Na'vi, and the ability to breathe without an exopack. That makes them more powerful than the Na'vi. Such soldiers would turn the tide of any battle in our favor." Meira shakes her head. "That's not what I meant, Quaritch. What's ludicrous is that you thought that any of us would actually go along with this scheme. We may be children of two worlds, but that doesn't mean we have to choose between one or the other. We will never help you wage war with the Na'vi," she states, Michael and Jason nodding in agreement.
"I never planned on asking you for your cooperation," Quaritch chuckles. "We were going to put you into a vegetative state and use your body as source material for creating genetically-altered clones, ones without emotions or a sense of morality." "And just how did you expect to keep this from our mothers?" Meira retorts. "They'd start sniffing around in a heartbeat if we didn't return." "We'd just tell them that you were victims of a thanator," Quaritch replies coyly. "If they didn't believe us, we'd show them some of your clothes, torn and bloodied." Meira snorts at this. "Pardon my Japanese, Colonel, but I have to say, you've got to be the biggest baka I've ever met. You're a battle-hungry mercenary who cares about nothing except fighting. Its mad dogs like you that give humanity a bad name. We would sooner die than help you. Right, brothers?" Both boys nod.
Quaritch sighs, "Then I'm sorry it has to be like this." He raises his hand, and the soldiers aim their weapons at the children. Before the Colonel can give the order, the boys take action. Jason activates the homemade smoke bomb he's been hiding behind his back; the room fills with smoke. The children take advantage of the confusion and escape into the hall. They sprint back to the research area, searching for their mothers. They find Grace in the link room, about to link up with her Avatar. Meira and the boys quickly explain the situation, and Grace immediately takes control. She tells them to take as much of the bare necessities as they can carry in cloth sling bags, like food, bandages, and so on. She instructs them to go outside using the airlock for the avatar caretakers; she will meet up with them in her Avatar. They rush to their rooms and grab as much as they can. They regroup and head for the airlock. Once outside, they meet up with Grace, who leads them to a secluded area of the yard. She pushes aside a mass of vines, revealing an old gate that is too short for an Avatar. "This was part of the original base camp of the first exploration team," Grace explains. "Most of it was torn down to build Hell's Gate, but a few remnants like this were overlooked. You can escape into the forest from here. Seek shelter with the Omaticaya; tell them I sent you. You know the general direction of their village; stick together and don't stop until nightfall. If you must rest, climb up into the trees, where the predators can't reach you. I'll come and find you as soon as I can." She takes out an old key, unlocks the gate, and ushers the children through. Before Meira passes through, she looks at her mother and whispers, "Do you know if the 'others' are still out there?" Grace nods. "Yes, and their numbers have increased greatly. If you find them, don't hesitate to earn their trust." Meira rushes to catch up with her brothers. Before disappearing into the forest, she takes one last look back at Hell's Gate and whispers, "…Goodbye, Mother…"
-End Flashback-
Meira paused and took a few breaths. Ma'kel offered her a small cup of water, which she gladly accepted; her mouth and throat were dry from talking so long. Once she finished drinking, she turned her attention to Jake and the others. "Now you understand why Grace didn't tell you anything about me or my brothers," she stated. "The only other person who knew where we had gone was Max Patel, because he and Grace were doing some work together in the link room. Grace made him promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone, not even the other scientists. I'm sure that Quaritch questioned both of them, but my mother was not a woman who gave in to pressure," she smiled slightly, and then looked at Jake. "From your expression, I would say that you're not surprised by Quaritch's behavior." Jake nodded. "The Colonel was not above using a person's weakness or desires to get what he wanted; I learned that the hard way." She nodded slightly, then continued her story.
"When we left the base, the sun was already low in the sky. We barely travelled two hours before twilight forced us to stop. We followed Mother's advice and spent the night in the trees, though I doubt Jason was able to get any real rest, being up so high." Neytiri and Mo'at looked at her questioningly; she explained. "When Jason was small, he tried to climb one of the trees in the yard, but he fell and broke his arm. His arm healed, but the ordeal left him with a fear of high places." The Na'vi females pondered this for a moment, then nodded for the girl to continue. "The night passed without incident, and in the morning we ate a little food and then set out to find the Na'vi. When the sun reached high noon, we stopped in a clearing to eat a small meal. I started to get a bad feeling as we resumed our journey. We managed to travel another hour before all hell broke loose…"
-Flashback-
The three children walk quickly through the forest. The two boys are in front, weapons in hand, watching for danger. The girl flanks them, blade out, looking over her shoulder constantly. She has a troubled look on her face. Suddenly the red-haired boy stops; the others do the same. He puts a hand to his ear, listening for the sound again. Then they hear it, the sound of spinning blades; a Samson is coming. The children run for cover. They hide beneath a patch of red spiral plants until the sound fades away. They start running, not wanting to be seen. They come to another clearing. Jason stops the group again and turns his head towards the sky, looking and listening for anymore aircraft. After a minute, he turns to the others and nods. The children rush into the clearing; Meira still looks troubled. Just as they reach the center, her eyes go wide and she shouts, "It's a trap!", but it's too late. AMP suits and armed men wearing exopacks jump out of the trees ahead. The children try a different direction, but find they are surrounded. They position themselves in the center of the clearing, backs together. "How'd they find us?" Michael asks. "I don't know," Jason replies, "I'm sure that Samson didn't see us." "They tracked us somehow!" Meira hisses.
"Right again, little missy!" The children turn towards the voice. Quaritch, smiling, materializes out of the forest, holding up a small electronic device. The device's screen shows three blinking dots close together; Jason's eyes grow wide with realization. "Tracers!" he blurts out. "Bingo," Quaritch sneers. "Because you were so expensive to the company, the three of you each had a special device implanted in your right shoulder. It lets us monitor your life signs and brain waves, along with a tracer to make sure you didn't get lost. Once Selfridge finally got the signal codes, finding you was a piece of cake." The children are shocked; Quaritch chuckles. "Of course, we never planned to tell you about it; even your own mothers don't know. The devices were implanted in secret while you three were being grown in the tanks. All signs of the procedure were fully healed by the time they let you out." Meira glares at Quaritch. "It doesn't matter, Colonel. In order to clone any of us, you need us alive, and we would sooner swallow our own tongues than become tools for your warmongering. Right, brothers?" "Right!" the boys answer in unison. The children draw their weapons and move closer until their shoulders touch. Hidden behind their backs, the three braids connect together, allowing them to share their thoughts. 'Michael, in my pouch there are two high-powered grenades taped together,' Jason says mentally. 'When I move to draw their fire, pull the pins and throw it at the soldiers to the north. Once it explodes, sprint through the opening and get Meira out of here!' 'Absolutely not!' Meira replies, 'I'm not letting you throw yourself to the wolves just for me! We stick together through thick and thin, remember?' Jason gives a mental sigh. 'I'm sorry, little sister, but I'm afraid I can't keep that promise any longer. However, if I am to meet Eywa today, at the very least, I want my death to accomplish something.' 'But Brother…' Meira tries to retort, but Jason cuts her off. 'You both know I was born with a frail heart. I can tell when it's strained, and the events of yesterday and today have pushed it to its limit. Please, little sister, grant me this last wish.' The young girl is on the verge of sobbing; the braids disconnect.
At the same time, Quaritch gives his men the order to advance. Once the troops have gone five paces, the boys put their plan into action. Jason charges the units closest to him; Michael uses the distraction to throw the grenades. The explosion blasts a ten meter-wide gap through the troops. He and Meira dash through the smoke and confusion into the forest. She turns her head in time to see Jason fall to the ground as he is hit by multiple shots. "BROTHER!" she screams; the two children run further into the woods. Michael lets out a shrill whistle; a new creature jumps out of the brush. It is another human creation, the result of experiments combining Earth horses with Pandoran direhorses. The creature has the physical appearance of an Earth horse, but also possesses the direhorse's size, strength and tsaheylu. Michael connects his braid to the antenna hidden beneath the horse's mane, and then lifts Meira up onto the horse's back. He jumps up behind her, and they gallop into the trees. They ride for about an hour, and then stop to let the horse rest. The two dismount and sit beside a tree. Michael starts a small fire, takes out his knife, and then tells Meira to take off her shirt; she looks at him in shock. "We have to get that tracer out of your shoulder," he explains, "and there's only one way to do that." She grimaces, but does as she's told. He gives her a length of wood to bite on, then holds the knife in the fire for a few seconds while feeling her shoulder for the tracer with his hand. Finding it, he takes the sterile knife and makes a horizontal cut over the area. Holding the wound open, he digs the tracer out with the knifepoint, and then throws the device into the fire, where it melts in the heat.
Michael takes a first-aid kit out of his bag, and with gentle hands cleans and bandages the girl's wound. He then reheats the knife and removes the tracer in his shoulder as well, destroying it just like Meira's. Before he can bandage his wound, Meira jerks her head up with a gasp. "Brother," she says, "I feel a murderous intent approaching, tainting the air with the scent of blood." The boy nods. "The colonel is having to change his game plan. He was able to ambush us the first time because of the tracers; he can't do that again now that we've taken ours out. He's probably heading this way, following the last confirmed signals." Michael thinks for a moment, and then he stands up. "In that case, we need to change our tactics too," he says, lifting Meira to her feet. "Hold still," he tells her, and then tears off the bottom hem of her shirt and wraps it loosely around his bleeding wound. "Brother, what are you…?" the girl stammers, dumbfounded. "I've got an idea," he says, "but we'll need the others to make it work." He then twitches his ears. "Ah, here they come now." Meira blinks in confusion, then cocks her head, listening for the sound that Michael hears. Then she hears it, the thunder of hooves moving through the trees. Less than a moment later, out of the brush comes an entire herd of horses like the one the children have been riding. There are horses in many different colors and markings, mostly adults, with a few foals trotting alongside their dams. The herd comes to a stop in front of the two; the children's horse steps forward.
"This is Akuma, the leader of the herd," Michael says, patting the big, black stallion, "and that is his mate, Sundancer," he adds, pointing to a palomino mare; Meira realizes the mare is carrying a foal. "I want you to go with them, and get away from here," Michael says. "Meanwhile, I'll lay a false trail for the colonel to follow. I'll meet up with you once that's done." "But how will you make them follow your trail?" she asks. "Quaritch will know it's a trick when he finds only one set of shoeprints." "I've already thought of that," he smiles, pointing to the torn hem of her shirt wrapped around his wound. "Quaritch doesn't know about the herd; they got loose before he got here, and none of the scientists ever told him about it," he smirks at this. "When he gets here and finds the herd's tracks, he'll think that we ran into a herd of direhorses, you got injured, and now I have to carry you; that's where the shirt hem comes in," he continues. "Quaritch will know it's yours, since you always like to wear blue shirts. Once the blood soaks in, I'll tear this into pieces and snag them onto razorpalms and other sharp plants as I go, making it look like they were torn off as I carried you through the forest." Meira nods in understanding. "Also," Michael adds, "for extra measure, I'll find something to carry that will put more weight into my step and make deeper footprints, just like if I was actually giving you a piggyback." Meira nods again. "I understand," she says, "but please be careful." The boy nods, and then takes off into the bush.
The girl makes her way over to Akuma, connects her braid, and, with a little help from a fallen tree trunk, climbs onto the horse's back. She takes one last glance in the direction that Michael ran, then she looks forward, grasps the stallion's thick black mane, grips him with her knees and gives him the mental go-ahead to move the herd. He paws the ground, lets out a harsh neigh, and then takes off at a gallop with the herd right behind him and Meira holding onto him for dear life.
-End Flashback-
Meira stopped, took a breath, and looked at her audience. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we will have to finish the story tomorrow," she said with a sigh. "The night is half gone, and it's becoming a struggle just to keep my eyes open." Jake nodded, and then turned to his son. "Ma'kel, do you still have that spare hammock in your alcove?" he asked; the boy nodded. "Good. I want you to let Meira sleep there tonight; let down the vines so she's not seen. Tomorrow we'll decide how to introduce her to the People, after we've heard the rest of her story, that is," Jake instructed. "In that case," Meira spoke up, "could one of you help me stand up, so I can take off this cloak? I've worn it all day and I need to air it out, otherwise it will start to smell." Ma'kel moved to help her. "Where did you get such strange clothes, and why do you wear them?" Neytiri asked. "I made it from the hides of yeriks, which are extremely hard to hunt without bow and arrows," Meira answered. "It helps me blend in with the forest, unlike my pale skin, which is far too easy to spot."
Having been helped to her feet, the girl reached up and untied some strings on the front of the cloak. That done, she then proceeded to pull the garment down and off each shoulder before dropping her arms, letting the cloak pool around her feet. Now everyone could see the rest of her body. She wore a very wide strip of some unknown blue cloth wrapped around her well-developed bust as a top, and a knee-length wraparound skirt of the same material hung from her waist. Her body was cloud pale, like her face, marked only by a horizontal scar on her right shoulder and a leaf-shaped marking on her left shoulder, blue like the Na'vi's skin. A worn, yet sturdy pouch was tied to her waist, and some strange weapon, slender like a staff and longer than her braid, was strapped to her back.
Slowly, she took off the weapon and held it out to Jake with both hands. "For the moment, I think it's best to leave this in your care, Olo'eyktan," she said. "I shouldn't use it here, and I don't want it falling into the wrong hands." Jake nodded and took it from her. "What sort of weapon is it?" Neytiri asked. "A very deadly one," Jake answered coldly. He grasped the hilt, and then looked at Meira; she nodded knowingly. "Everyone step back!" he ordered, which they did. He began to slowly remove the weapon from its sheath, pausing when about a hand's width of gleaming metal was revealed. He took a shallow breath, then in one fluid movement pulled the weapon completely from the sheath, revealing it to be a long blade sword. Jake looked it over, noting that it was extremely similar to Japanese samurai swords that he had seen in museums back on Earth: strong enough to slice through bone, yet lightweight and sharp as a razor. "Is this the blade you spoke of?" Jake asked, sheathing the sword; Meira nodded. "Where did you get that mark?" Ma'kel asked, pointing to the blue leaf. "Oh, that? I've always had that. It's a birthmark," she replied. "My brothers had them, too. Jason's was a crescent moon, and Michael's was a paw print."
Having hung the cloak, Ma'kel walked over to Meira, turned around, and then got down on one knee. "My alcove is just a few branches above this one, so it will be easier to climb if you are on my back," he explained. She nodded, then crouched down and put her arms around his neck. He grasped her legs, stood up, and walked to the entrance. Jumping out onto a branch, he quickly made his way up to his alcove. Once inside, he placed the girl in the lower of the two hammocks, and then went to let down the vines at the entrance. Having done that, he came back to see if Meira needed anything, only to find her fast asleep. He closed the opening, and then climbed into his own hammock. He fell asleep, dreaming of the golden-haired girl that slept beneath him.
Japanese words:
Baka: idiot
Akuma: devil (I may be stretching it a little, but aku does mean "evil.")