1

The team from SecOps followed closely behind the Avatars as they made their way through the dense jungle. Miles was on point, surprising everyone when he refused to use an AMP suit on his first excursion. He strode confidently through that thick foliage, his rifle ready to fire should the need arise. Evelyn walked beside one of the Avatars, her eyes peering intently at the world around them, looking for any sign of movement. "You're heading close to Na'vi territory", Grace had warned them before their departure, "And with things somewhat strained between us and them, you need to be extremely vigilant".

Evelyn shook her head, at this point in time all she was concerned about was the wildlife, most especially the Thanators. These massive, purple and black creatures were a deadly predator. Even the Na-vi feared them, staying clear of their territory when possible. She quickly glanced up, aiming her weapon towards a flurry of movement in the trees, relaxing only when she realised that those blue monkey-like creatures were no threat.

"Easy Major", Miles voice pipped over the radio, "Keep your cool". Evelyn looked up at him and gave him a thumbs up as she pressed on the transmit button on her communicator, "Sorry Sir".

"Excuse me Major", the Avatar beside her tapped Evelyns shoulder and she looked up at him, somewhat annoyed at the distraction.

"What is it?", she replied coolly, cursing the fact that the controllers name had vanished from her memory.

"I'd like to take some samples here, if that's ok", he asked, gazing down at her with those massive orange eyes. Evelyn pressed down on the com button, "Colonel Sir, my Avatar would like to get some samples here. Could I please have confirmation that that is ok".

Miles turned back to face her and motioned for one of the other team to take point, "If that's what poin-dexter wants to do, that's fine, but you aren't babysitting by yourself". He turned to one of his men, "Keep heading towards the rendezvous point, we'll be close behind you", he ordered. The young man saluted and continued on his way with the rest of team into the jungle. Miles moved confidently over to Evelyn and the scientist at her side, his eyes flicking from side to side as he approached.

"Make it quick tall boy", he said firmly, taking up position a few metres from where Evelyn and the Avatar stood.

"Will do Colonel", he replied, quickly extracting pottles and a needle from his small satchel. Hurry up bluey, Evelyn thought as she looked around them. It felt as though a million eyes were peering at them, waiting for the prime opportunity to strike at the three of them.

"This place is an accident waiting to happen", she said to herself, turning slowly towards where Miles was standing. She watched as he scanned the area around them and found herself thinking about what it would be like to be married to such an extraordinary man.

Movement just to his left instantly caught Evelyns attention and it only took seconds for her to realise what lay concealed behind that thick group of bushes nearby. "MILES!", Evelyn screamed, "LEFT! THANATOR!". Miles moved quickly, but not quick enough, for the massive predator flew from its hiding place and hit the Colonel, sending him crashing to the ground. Evelyn watched in horror as Miles' gun flew from his hand, landing several feet away. She turned quickly and threw her rifle at the Avatar behind her, "Cover me!", she ordered firmly as she pulled her long blade from its sheath.

Evelyn sprinted over towards Miles who had pulled his hand gun from its holster and fired wildly at the creature that stood over him. She saw the Thanator swipe at him and heard Miles yell in pain. Still he did not give in and continued to fire blindly at the Thanator while clutching at the side of this face. In moments Evelyn was next to them, her sword raised over her head as she approached. She brought her sword forward, dragging that sharp tip along the side of the predator making it roar and quickly back away.

Evelyn pressed her communicator, "Colonel Quarictch is down!", she yelled, positioning herself over Miles' body, "Get your damn asses back here asap!". The Thanator slinked back, those massive black teeth exposed as it released a low growl. Evelyn spread her legs, trying to keep herself stable for the impending charge and raised her sword over her head, "Come on you slick bastard!", she yelled. That huge carnivore ran forward and Evelyn knew that if she faltered it wouldn't just be Miles who would be injured.

Once again she struck at the Thanator, a slick film of dark blood now running down the silver blade of her sword, towards the hilt. Evelyn wiped her hands on her shirt, desperate to get the slippery substance off so she could grip her sword better. 'Damn it', she thought, quickly looking down at Miles, 'If I can't hold the damn sword I won't be able to hit that ugly bugger properly'. She tightened her grip around the hilt, cursing out loud as the sword kept slipping from her hands. The Thanator eyed her cautiously and released a loud growl.

Evelyn looked back down at Miles and sighed, 'I don't care if it gets me', she thought, 'but it sure as hell isn't getting him'. Evelyn dropped down, her sword still in hand, and used herself to cover Miles just as the sound of the Thanator running towards them once again filled the air. She felt the ground underneath them tremble as that massive predator grew closer and Evelyn found herself hoping that either it would miss or the Avatar controller would finally open fire on it.

"Major!", one of the SecOps team burst out of the jungle, skidding to a halt as he opened fire on the charging Thanator. Evelyn heard the predator release an ear piercing screech and felt a sharp jolt as it hit the ground nearby. She lifted her head up, staring in disbelief at the slowly dying Thanator before her. "Major", the soldier ran over to her, "Are you injured mam?", he asked firmly. Evelyn shook her head and turned her gaze back down to Miles, her heart sinking as she saw the extent of his injuries.

Three large gash marks ran across his face, his blood slowly trickling down towards the ground beneath. It was not the injuries that filled Evelyn with so much concern, it was the massive crack in his exopacks mask that terrified her. She knew that the toxic atmosphere of Pandora was slowly seeping in and it would only be a matter of minutes before Miles was dead.

Evelyns instincts kicked in and she took a deep breath before pulling her mask from her face. She placed it firmly onto Miles' and locked it into place. Evelyn pulled her first aid kit from her bag, extracting several small swabs and pressing them against the gaping wound on his face. Miles' eyes flickered open and he gazed up at Evelyn in horror, "Your mask", he gasped quietly.

"In all due respect Colonel, shut up!", she said firmly, motioning to several of the men to come over. She turned to face the Avatar, still fixed in the position she had left him in, "Get your butt over here!", she ordered.

It took only a few short steps for him to reach her and Evelyn stood up, snatching her rifle from his hand. "Pick him up and head out to the extraction site", she hissed, looking up at him with a fierce gaze, "And when we get back to Hells Gate, watch your ass!".

2

Evelyn knelt down beside Miles, her hand pressing down on the swabs over his face, "How long until we get back to Hells Gate?", she asked the Captain. He turned to face her from the cockpit, hesitating for a moment as he gave her a confused look. "Captain! How long?!", she ordered firmly. "Major, we are 10 minutes away".

Evelyn shook her head and looked back down at Miles, "1st day out and you have to go and get slashed", she said softly. She moved closer, placing her lips next to his ear, "Yes, Colonel Miles Quaritch. I would be honoured to be your wife". Evelyn lifted her head and smiled as Miles opened his eyes, those blue eyes filled with the strength and determination that she had grown to love so much.

"Evelyn", he gasped, raising his hand and placing it on her face, "How?".

Miles' brow furrowed and he ran his fingertips over her cheeks, that familiar touch filling Evelyn with a sense of ease. She placed her hand over his and squeezed gently, "How what, hot stuff?".

"Mask", he sighed, pressing his hand against her soft skin, "Mask". Evelyn felt confused by his comment, uncertain of why he would be concerned about her mask. She shook her head, "It's fine", she said gently, tapping on the mask over his face, "See, not a crack in sight".

As she finished the sentence Evelyn realised what Miles meant and that feeling of confusion became overwhelming. She moved her hand from his and ran it across her face, 'My mask', she thought. 'How the hell am I still alive when I have no mask?'