Tcelia was clambering upside down, beneath a red, construction-like beam that spanned from one wall of the ship to another. It had been Lo'ak's idea and Tcelia had to admit that it had been pretty smart – this way they could move around the ship without anyone noticing, except of course, if they looked up. Then they'd be screwed, though Tcelia chose not to think about that possibility too much.
Lo'ak had climbed up first, gesturing for Neteyam and her to follow him. As Tcelia had placed her hands on the beam, Neteyam had stopped her, lookin at her wrists with an alarmed expression and asked her if they should find another way. Tcelia had rolled her eyes at him, insisting that she'd be just fine, then promptly forced herself up and towards Lo'ak. At first, the pain had been bearable, but as soon as they had reached the ceiling of the ship and the beam had twisted into a 90-degree angle, Tcelia had almost thrown up from the pain of carrying her entire body weight with her arms. Though her legs were squeezed securely around the beam, the pain from having to stay leveled, tore through her wrists and sent her into spells of dizziness. Though there wasn't much to do other than take a deep breath and follow after Lo'ak who already had scuttled off and was hanging onto the beam 12 meters over the floor of the ship.
Through her haze of nausea, she forced herself to focus on releasing her hand and grabbing the beam further in front of her. Then she let go of her other hand and moved that one in front of the other. It was a grueling process, and she wasn't able to focus on much else as she scuttled along the beam. Having to bite down as hard as she could to prevent letting out a yelp of pain, she made her way along the beam quickly, following right behind Lo'ak. She was sure that if she slowed down, she would never be able to make it. She just had to get it over with. Her movements became almost mechanical - let go, one hand in front of the other, shuffle her legs, let go, one hand in front of the other and repeat.
Beneath her she was vaguely aware of soldiers moving around and yelling instructions to each other. Tcelia couldn't quite distinguish what was being said through her nauseating fog, but she got the gist of it: the ship was sinking, and everyone needed to evacuate.
Someone wrapped their fingers around her ankle gently, and Tcelia startled, twisting to see Neteyam looking at her, his hair dangling freely. He let go of her and gestured for her to look forwards. Tcelia furrowed her brow and turned her head so that she could see what Neteyam had been pointing at.
Having been so focused on just keeping herself moving, she had completely missed that Lo'ak had clambered atop the red beam. Tcelia gritted her teeth as she twisted her body so that she could place both of her hands on the same side of the beam and heave herself up. Lo'ak quickly got on his knees and lowered his body over the beam so that he could wrap an arm around Tcelia's torso, helping her up on the beam. Tcelia was incredibly grateful for the fact that Lo'ak hadn't taken her by the hands and pulled her up - She'd definitely have fainted from the pain if that had happened.
From the top of the beam, they were able to heave themselves on top of a narrow, yellow structure close to the ceiling that spanned in different directions. Slowly, the nauseating haze started to dissipate as her wrists were given a break and she was finally able to notice what was going on around her. Beneath them she could hear voices, specifically one voice that was snapping at someone saying that he knew how a breathing mask worked.
From their vantage point, Tcelia spotted Spider walking between a bunch of guards that were undoubtedly steering him towards a lifeboat.
Tcelia and the two brothers crouched, slowly making their way along the structure. Both Neteyam and Lo'ak were in front of her, following Spider closely with their eyes, weapons at the ready. Tcelia felt incredibly exposed as she followed behind the boys. She felt almost naked without her bow amongst these enemies, and not even a knife in her hand to defend herself with.
At the end of the yellow structure, Lo'ak and Neteyam stopped and waited for Spider and the guards to appear from behind the corner. The second that they were right beneath them, Neteyam leapt down, landing securely on his feet, and deftly striking one guard on the head with the butt of his knife, then shoving another guard away roughly, sending him flying. Lo'ak quickly followed suit, landing beside his brother and knocking out a third guard with the large gun he had picked up earlier. Spider had managed to force a breathing mask of another guard and punch him in the face, dooming him to a painful and slow death. She almost felt sick to the stomach at the thought of it.
Tcelia jumped down after them, landing in a crouch just as another guard aimed his gun at her. Before she could react, Lo'ak had turned and fired his own gun, killing the guard instantly. There was a second of complete silence between the two of them as they breathed heavily at the close call. Lo'ak and Tcelia's eyes were focused on the man that lay dead at their feet, a sense of numbness filling her.
"Bro, come on," Spider urged, breaking Tcelia and Lo'ak out of their spell.
Neteyam placed a hand on Lo'ak's arm, quickly checking if he was alright, "Let's go."
Tcelia forced herself up from her crouched position and followed the boys as they ran to a staircase. But instead of actually taking the stairs, they jumped over the railing, landing smoothly on the floor with a low grunt.
"Thanks guys," Spider said, looking from Tcelia to Lo'ak. But Tcelia didn't have time to respond as two avatar soldiers turned a corner ahead of them, their eyes widening and immediately taking aim at the group of teenagers.
Spider glanced over his shoulder quickly, "Go!" he exclaimed, ducking down and running off to take cover.
But Lo'ak, the idiot, stood his ground, aiming his gun at the avatar. Though he didn't get a chance to shoot at him as Neteyam grabbed his arms, pushing them down and shoving Lo'ak away and towards where Spider was running towards.
"Go, go, go!" voices and gunshots filled the air as they ran towards cover, the bullets bouncing off the metal wall that they had dived behind.
"Give me that!" Neteyam grunted, yanking the gun out of Lo'ak's hands and aiming blindly around the corner, his finger squeezing the trigger as he fired off shots. The sound of multiple gunfire filled the air, echoing off the metal walls.
Neteyam paused for a split second, quickly glancing back at Tcelia and the others, yelling at them to run, before pivoting back to face the oncoming enemy. Tcelia could feel the adrenaline surging through her veins, making her feel alive and alert despite the danger. There was no way she was going to leave Neteyam behind.
"Come on, this way!" Spider's urgent voice cut through the chaos, urging them to follow him towards the large moon pool. Lo'ak sprang into action, running after Spider. Tcelia's heart raced as she watched the two boys jumping over the railing and plunging into the water with a splash, seemingly unscathed. She let out a relief breath despite their precarious situation and shuffled closer to Neteyam.
"Tcelia, go!" he yelled over the gunshots, the urgency in his voice betraying his fear as he kept his eyes trained on the enemy.
"I'm not leaving you!" She yelled back feverishly. Suddenly a human soldier hurriedly turned a corner ahead of her, his gun aimed straight at them. Tcelia acted without thinking, grabbing Neteyam's knife that hung by his side and hurled it through the air. The knife sliced through the air with deadly accuracy, finding its mark in the soldier's neck. Tcelia felt a jolt of shock as she watched the soldier fall to his knees, his hands frantically clawing at the knife embedded in his neck. But Tcelia wasn't given much time to process the fact that she had just made her second kill as another soldier emerged from behind the corner.
"Neteyam!" She exclaimed. Neteyam immediately turned his attention to her, noticing the soldier instantly and in one swift motion, he swung the gun around and pulled the trigger, unleashing a burst of bullets. The soldier fell to the ground, lifeless.
Across the moon pool, more guards appeared, cutting off their possible escape through the water. Tcelia looked around desperately, spotting a ladder to her right that disappeared into a tunnel-like yellow metal structure, making it impossible to shoot at them as they climbed.
"Neteyam, this way!" she yelled, swinging herself up the ladder, ignoring the burning pain in her wrists as she climbed. She was sure that the only thing that was keeping her going at this point was the adrenaline that coursed through her. Tcelia glanced down, seeing Neteyam closely following behind her, using his gun to cover their escape. Tcelia's heart was pounding in her chest as she raced up the ladder, the metal around her vibrating and ringing as bullets hit the outside and bounced off.
She finally reached the top and pulled herself up onto the platform, her hands gripping the open metal floor-hatch tightly. She could hear the chaos and gunfire echoing through the ship as she yelled at Neteyam to hurry up. Finally, he heaved himself up beside her and she quickly pulled the hatch down, the sound reverberating through the ship as hurried to turn the handle. But just as she began to tighten it, a sharp pain erupted through her body, nausea filling all of her senses. The darkness threatened to pull her under, but Neteyam was beside her in an instant, easing the pressure on her wrists as he grabbed the handle and used his strength to tighten it completely.
Then she could feel his cool hands on her cheeks, "I'm here, just breathe," He murmured hastily, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones soothingly, "You'll be alright, I got you."
She allowed herself to close her eyes and breathe in roughly. Tcelia trusted that Neteyam had checked for any imminent danger before sitting beside her. She didn't doubt for a second that if he had thought they were still in danger, he would have picked her up and made a run for it.
She hated feeling this helpless and pathetic, unable to even tighten a handle without almost passing out. The constant nausea made it even worse, threatening to take her out every time she put even a slight pressure on her wrists. Her stomach churned as she realized how completely helpless she was here, aboard a freaking sinking ship. Her inability to fight or even just escape could cost Neteyam his life. That wasn't something she was going to allow to happen.
Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. Tcelia almost wanted to close her eyes again as she was hit by his intense stare, his eyes filled with a state of brokenness as he looked at her. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity she had never seen before. His eyes, usually filled with strength and determination, were now filled with vulnerability and fear. It was almost as if he was looking at her as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world. His eyes were so filled with emotion that Tcelia found herself wanting to look away but at the same time completely unable to. She could see the pain and worry etched on his face, and it made her feel both comforted and uneasy at the same time. It was as if she was seeing a new side of Neteyam, a side that he had never allowed himself to show her before. And it was both beautiful and heartbreaking.
She blinked, forcing herself to realize that this wasn't exactly the best time for gazing intensely into his eyes. Steeling her gaze to assure him that she was alright, she cleared her throat, "I'm fine," she said, though her voice was weak. "Let's go."
Getting up from her seated position, she looked around and saw that they were in a dimly lit corridor, with pipes and cables running along the walls and ceiling. The air was thick with the smell of enclosed air, and the sound of alarms blaring in the distance made her head ache even more. She knew they had to move quickly if they were to have any chance of surviving. They had to find a way off the ship before it sank.
Neteyam and Tcelia looked at each other for a second before Tcelia shrugged, "Might as well," she said and began to make her way down the corridor, pulling Neteyam along by his arm. Tcelia noticed that he left the gun lying on the floor, undoubtedly empty of ammunition.
"Why couldn't you just have listened to me and gone with Lo'ak and Spider?" he murmured, "Then you wouldn't have been in this stupid mess."
"Yeah, but you would have." She replied instantly, "And there was no chance that I'd actually leave you behind, you know that."
"Wait, let me get this straight," he said, furrowing his brow, "You force me to leave you behind but when I tell you to do the same, that's not an option?"
Tcelia nodded, "Sounds about right," Shooting him a coy half-smile she continued, "And anyways, you came back for me, so it doesn't really count."
"What doesn't count? The fact that you forced me to leave you," Their steps echoed in the dimly lit corridor and they were walking quickly, desperate to put some distance between them and the metal hatch where they had come up. Still, Neteyam's voice was light as he replied, probably as eager as her to make the situation seem less hopeless, "or me telling you to leave and you staying anyway?"
"Yes" She replied cheekily, squeezing his arm before letting go, sending a slight wave of nausea her way. It was infuriating that such a little movement could manage to bring her such discomfort, but she could live with it, as long as it didn't get as bad as it had just before when it had threatened to pull her into darkness. The constant burning pain at her wrists was easier to ignore, she even welcomed it a bit since it took her focus away from her throbbing head and cheek. Damn, she felt pathetic.
"You know I'd always come back for you," Neteyam stopped in his tracks and grabbed Tcelia by her upper arm, halting her and spinning her to face him, "Tcelia, you have to know that."
Tcelia was surprised by the sudden desperation she was met with in his eyes, his voice equally persistent as if he couldn't bear the thought of her thinking that he'd ever leave her behind.
"Yeah, I know," she smiled at him softly, not deeming it necessary to tell him that she wished that he hadn't, that she'd much rather have him and his family safe instead of them all being in this mess. Though that wasn't Neteyam's fault. The Olo'eyktan and his mate probably hadn't taken it very nicely either that their oldest son had been kidnapped. And besides, she couldn't blame him for something that she'd have done in a heartbeat as well if the situation had been different and Neteyam had been the one who had been taken. "I know you, Neteyam." She pulled him along once again, "Now, come on, I've already spent more than enough time on this ship."
Before Neteyam could respond, the lights flickered and went out, leaving them in complete darkness. Tcelia's heart raced as she stumbled forward, her hands groping for something to hold onto.
She felt Neteyam's strong grip on her waist, steadying her. "Stay close to me," he murmured. They continued walking, their eyes straining to see in the darkness. Tcelia's head was pounding, and she felt like she was going to be sick any moment. She tried to push the nausea down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Their feet shuffled across the metal floor, the sound echoing through the long corridor.
After what felt like hours, they finally saw a faint light up ahead. As they got closer, they saw that it was coming from a door that was slightly ajar. Neteyam pushed the door open, revealing a small room filled with equipment. Tcelia's heart sank as she realized that this was the engine room, probably with an emergency battery that kept the light on and not a way out as she had hoped it would be. As they moved deeper into the engine room, Tcelia spotted a large metal hatch with a similar handle to the one that had been on the floor-hatch.
"We'll just have to keep moving," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she began making her way towards the door. Neteyam nodded, his eyes scanning the room for any possible escape routes and Tcelia could see the tension in his muscles, indicating that he was more concerned for their situation than he was letting on. At last, he followed her over to the hatch where she was waiting for him, not wanting to open it herself and forced into another spell of nausea.
Tcelia watched as his muscles in his arms tightened as he spun the handle, then slowly opened the heavy metal door.
He quickly peered out, checking for danger, "We're clear," he said as he walked through the door, Tcelia quickly following. They had emerged into a large cafeteria filled with empty tables and chairs. Suddenly, there was a loud clang, and the ship jolted violently, throwing Tcelia off balance. Neteyam caught her before she could fall, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
Tcelia's heart raced as she regained her footing, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger. The clang had sounded like something had hit the ship, and the violent jolt had made her fear the worst.
Neteyam's grip on her tightened, and she could feel his muscles tense as he listened for any sounds coming from outside the cafeteria. They stood frozen for a few moments, waiting to see if anything else would happen.
When nothing did, Neteyam slowly loosened his hold on her, but kept a protective arm around her. "We need to keep moving," he said, his voice low and urgent. "Whatever caused that, it's not safe to stay here."
Just as he had spoken, a loud roaring noise came from the passage they had just come from. Tcelia and Neteyam froze as they watched water surge into the cafeteria, sloshing over the edges of the tables and chairs, almost knocking Neteyam and Tcelia off their feet as it surged through the door. The sound of rushing water filled the air, echoing off the walls and drowning out all other noise, filling the room at an alarming rate.
Neteyam's grip on Tcelia tightened briefly as they looked at each other, panic mirroring in each other's eyes. Then Neteyam shoved her forwards, yelling at her to run. She needed no further instruction, taking off with Neteyam right behind her as the water continued to surge through the door behind them.