Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter six of "Danger Everywhere." This chapter has some Jake/Neytiri. I decided to give Trudy an avatar form, so she and Norm can spend quality time together that way. Stay tuned for chapter seven.

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Chapter 6: Through the Sky/At Hell's Gate

Jake and Neytiri flew through the sky above the rainforest ten minutes later. Draco and Venus flapped their wings in unison. He squawked, followed by her. Eight tetrapteron appeared alongside them. They squawked and flapped their wings in perfect unison. They went up, down, left, and right. Jake was mesmerized by them. He looked at Neytiri once they were gone.

"Wow!" Jake said with glee. "I've never seen birds squawk and move in unison like that."

"The fkio are some of the neatest birds on Pandora. They look almost Earth-like from a distance, but you notice the difference once you get close to them," Neytiri said with a smile.

"Looking at them on a data pad is nice, but it doesn't compare to actually seeing them in person," Jake said. He looked away and emitted a soft gasp. He started pointing his finger eagerly. "Hey, look at that one, Neytiri!"

Neytiri saw a tetrapteron fly in a circle alongside her, her mate, and the banshees. The tetrapteron flapped its wings to gain altitude. It dive-bombed toward the treetops, pulling up at the last second. She and Jake cheered wildly.

"That was so neat!" Neytiri squealed.

"I can't argue with that!" Jake said, laughing in delight. "It was like one of those jets performing crazy stunts."

"I have never seen a fkio perform such a feat in all my life," Neytiri commented and blinked twice.

"No way," Jake blurted out.

Neytiri chuckled. "I wish I was kidding, but I am not."

"It's like a wise old man once said, 'You learn something new every day,'" Jake replied and moved his eyebrows up and down.

"It doesn't matter where you are. You could be on Earth, Pandora, or some other inhabitable planet," Neytiri said.

"We should take Norm to an asteroid and drop him off. He'd learn about lots of stuff there since he is a geek," Jake joked.

"Hey, you're just as big a geek as he is!" Neytiri teased with a squeak. "You should be dropped off with him on that asteroid."

Jake growled playfully. "Oh, you."

Jake willed Draco over to hit Venus in the side. Neytiri gave him a mock-glare. He formed a teasing smile on his face. She giggled and made Venus hit Draco on his wing. The lovebirds alternated between each other for thirty seconds. The banshees flapped their wings twice. He looked toward the horizon, a soft sigh leaving his mouth. She eyed him carefully.

"It's hard to resist loving beauty such as this," Jake commented.

"It sure is," Neytiri agreed.

"It makes me sad to see what Earth has become," Jake said, his voice quieting to a whisper on the last three words.

"I do not blame you," Neytiri said in much sympathy. "Earth must have been really beautiful before humanity wrought destruction on it."

"It was. To think the RDA was willing to destroy all this for the sake of money gives me the chills," Jake whispered, shuddering somewhat. "Selfridge was so blinded by greed that he couldn't see this world's wealth was around us."

"He could not see," Neytiri muttered with a shake of her head. "Many humans are of a similar nature."

"Jill told me how she and Jim confronted him after Max told them about the destruction of the Hometree. She said they were so mad that he cowered before them," Jake said.

"He deserved to. He could've prevented the war from happening, but he didn't bother. All he cared about was the almighty dollar sign," Neytiri muttered, sighing heavily.

"Everyone is so glad he and his goons are gone. The scientists don't have to worry about them breathing down their backs anymore," Jake said with much relief.

"The People are just as relieved," Neytiri added and twitched her ears.

"I was very impressed when he learned that Max, Jim, and Jill led the charge to take over Hell's Gate. Among the rebels were the other scientists and almost all of the medical team," Jake said.

"How the doctors offered their help to the injured warriors since there were so many was no short of incredible. They assisted in saving a number of lives, including Tsu'tey and Trudy," Neytiri said in awe.

"It's no wonder they decided to stay here when they were offered the chance to return to Earth," Jake murmured, clearing her throat. "Jim, Jill, and the medical team will be there to help with the injured if another war breaks out."

"I hope that doesn't happen, but you just never know," Neytiri said and cleared her throat.

Draco and Venus gave their wings two flaps. They squawked before bobbing their heads somewhat.

"Tsu'tey seems to really enjoy using my methods of training to keep the warrior trainees in line," Jake said, laughing to himself.

"He loves telling mouthy trainees to drop and give him fifty pushups. He finds it satisfying to see them go up and down," Neytiri added, giggling.

"It was the best way to discipline marines who got out of line," Jake commented and gripped Draco's queue somewhat tightly. "The sergeants didn't tolerate backtalk."

"No one should tolerate such a thing," Neytiri said in a blunt voice. "Of course, we've done our fair share of backtalk."

"My parents would wash my mouth out with soap when I cursed or backtalked. It didn't stop me from doing either. Sometimes, I did both on purpose to get a reaction," Jake answered and pressed his lips together.

She smirked. "I did that too."

He sighed in much warmth. "It is good to know we have a bit in common."

Neytiri winked at her mate. They willed their banshees to fly a little faster. Draco and Venus chirped obediently and flapped their wings three times.

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Three tetrapteron flew above Hell's Gate. They went downward and landed on a branch near the middle of a tree close to the front fence. They observed two colonists working on a Samson's engine. They spotted Norm and Max coming toward it. They stopped not far from it. They slipped their hands inside their pockets and cleared their throats.

"It's a nice morning to be outside," Norm said while rubbing the back of his neck with both hands.

"It sure is," Max agreed and chuckled to himself. "Look at those colonists hard at work on that Samson."

"It wasn't long after the RDA loyalists were banned that you decided to play around with one of the AMP suits. You used a remote control to make it do the moonwalk," Norm replied, a snicker leaving his mouth.

"If only I could have made it do backflips," Max joked.

Norm slipped his hands inside his pockets. "That would have been really cool. Michael Jackson was known for his dance moves, including the moonwalk."

"I know, right?" Max responded while rubbing his hands together. He opened and closed them to flex his fingers. "He was one of a few singers who could sing and dance well simultaneously."

"You have to have incredible endurance for that," Norm pointed out matter-of-factly. He held his arms out in front of him. He moved them back to stretch them out. He put them at his side. "It is not easy to keep up with doing two things at the same time."

Max frowned. "Michael would be so sad at what Earth has become, especially in the ocean. It is mostly barren now."

Norm nodded in agreement. He decided to take over as leader of the Avatar Program with Max as his right-hand man after Grace opted to stay with the Omaticaya permanently. He managed to retrieve his avatar with the help of surviving warriors. Other than a shoulder wound, it sustained no other injuries. He amazed when he heard how Trudy narrowly avoided being killed by Quaritch. He visited her every day as she recovered from her injuries. He even watched her do physical therapy alongside Tsu'tey with Jim Kaplan and Jill Riley several times.

Norm and Trudy began dating not long after her physical therapy was completed. Grace revealed to him that she had an avatar created for the latter in secret a month later. He was uncertain about her driving an avatar due to her lack of training at first, but he relented when he remembered how Jake got the hang of his so quickly. He joined her in her linking with her avatar for the first time three days later. He was happy she had little trouble controlling it. He spent weeks showing her how to move around in it.

Norm and Max watched three hellfire wasps fly around them. The wasps went up, down, left, and right. They headed to another tree close to the fence and landed on the trunk just below the middle. They crawled down before taking off into the rainforest. Norm and Max looked at each other with soft chuckles. They snorted quietly.

"Those wasps were a big hurry," Max said while running his hands over his hair twice.

"They sure were," Norm agreed. "Those buggers are the size of sparrows. Earth's wasps were way smaller."

"The sting from a hellfire wasp is rarely fatal, but one from a swarm can be," Max mumbled, cringing badly.

"You told me you watched Selfridge try to swat hellfire wasps away from the control room while he was golfing outside a few times," Norm pointed out.

"Yeah," Max admitted. "He would use his golf club too. He believes insects are just ugly things. I see them as beneficial to the environment."

"Me too," Norm commented and crossed his arms. "They can be annoying when they get in your clothes, especially ants. I remember playing a game called Ants in the Pants when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun."

"I remember playing that game as a kid too," Max replied, a soft chuckle leaving his mouth. "In a twist of irony, I got actual ants in my pants after one game."

Max couldn't help but laugh. He enjoyed hearing about twists of irony in everyday life. He could not count the number of times he experienced such a thing. He knew his friends were the same way.

"Bugs are few and far between on Earth now," Norm mumbled with a frown. "Humans may not become extinct right away, but it will happen. There is no stopping it."

"What the Na'vi went through reminds me of what the Native Americans went through. Both groups had their lands invaded and stripped for resources. Many were killed in attempts to resist the invasions," Max explained

"It's not right to destroy another land or world just because yours is dying," Norm said bluntly. "The natives have a right to defend it."

"Thank Eywa that Selfridge is gone. He was getting on my last nerve bragging about how much money was being made from the mining," Max grumbled and made a retching sound.

Norm hissed and gritted his teeth. "It is enough to make anyone sick. He may have shown remorse at the destruction of Hometree, but it was too late. He deserved to be booted off Pandora."

"I flipped him off after we captured him and his associates," Max admitted, a smirk crossing his lips. "I even said 'Fuck you.' I wanted to moon him after that, but Jim convinced me not to."

"I would have laughed if I had been there to see you do those things," Norm said with great pride.

"Don't show too much pride, Norm. It will bite you on the ass," Max warned while holding up a finger.

"Ha! I am not scared of that at all," Norm said, standing tall and proud.

"Look at you standing tall and proud," Max commented and made a funny noise. "Jake said you did that in your avatar form and claimed you were a living god. Then you tripped over your own feet."

"It was not my finest moment. That is for sure," Norm said, giving a shrug.

Max waved his hand toward himself. "Come on. Let's get go get some coffee before you link with your avatar."

Norm and Max headed toward the building. The tetrapteron took off into the sky while squawking loudly.