1
"Why don't you just shut down and head back Augustine?". Evelyn looked up at Grace and sighed, "I'll look after your second body. There is just no point in both of us staying out here". Grace turned and smiled at Evelyn, those large eyes showing the fatigue that she felt inside.
"I could just go for a few hours sleep", she replied, "Only if you're sure". Evelyn slowly rose to her feet and walked along the massive tree trunk, stretching her legs and arms as she moved.
"Positive, now bugger off", she turned back around and motioned up towards the sky, "At least it's not raining any more".
Grace went to reply, that soft look suddenly evaporating as she leapt to her feet and pointed to the area behind Evelyn. "EVELYN!", she yelled, making the Major spin around with her sword in hand. Another large tree lay just beyond them, those massive, sprawling branches touching those of the tree they had taken refuge in. Standing defiantly in the tree was a Na'vi warrior, one that Evelyn recognised as one of the attackers several months before.
She moved backwards towards Grace, "GO!", she ordered, placing her hand on one of Graces.
"Evelyn, I can't leave you alone!", she exclaimed, her eyes darting from Evelyn to the warrior before them.
"That's an order Augustine!", Evelyn yelled, positioning her feet so she could prepare for the coming attack. "GO!", she ordered again. Grace knew there was no point in arguing and that her being there was a distraction that Evelyn could not afford to have. She slowly sat back down on the trunk and closed her eyes, severing the connection between her consciousness and the Avatar.
'I have to get her help', she thought as she reconnected with her body. 'I can't leave Evelyn out there alone'.
2
Miles stormed into the main control room, pulling his shirt on as he walked over to the coms centre. Grace was motioning to several points on the holo-map and she glanced nervously up at him as he moved towards her. "What the hell is going on?", he barked, sending everyone except Grace scurrying away. She locked her strong eyes with his and furrowed her brow, "The Major and I were ambushed. She ordered me to leave". Grace steeled herself for the coming onslaught, knowing full well Miles would not be impressed that Evelyn had been left alone.
"Where is she?", he hissed, turning his attention to the map. Grace pointed to a position several clicks away from Hells Gate, "Right here. I can go back out but". She stopped mid-sentence as Miles turned his angry gaze towards her.
"What you will do is shut the hell up while I go and get the Major", he said firmly, turning quickly on his heel to leave the room.
"You can't fly out there! It's dark and you said that flying at night was a no go!", Grace took several steps towards him, hoping he would see sense and wait for daylight. Miles ground to a halt and spun around to face Grace, "Well when I get back I will be sure to give myself a stern talking to for breaking the damn rules!".
3
Evelyn curled herself up tightly as she lay concealed within the thick roots of a massive tree. While she had managed to over-come the initial attack, the Na'vi had been persistent and was far stronger and fitter than her. Evelyn had been trying to evade the Na'vi warrior for at least an hour and was starting to grow wary. And one other thing concerned her. Her instincts told her that he was not alone, that somewhere in that vast canopy above were other natives and this only served to make her surviving the situation even harder.
At least now Evelyn knew the first attack upon her and the other SecOps team was not without reason. Their focus then had been on her and this time was no different. Graces' Avatar had remained untouched, still safely tucked away at the top of that massive tree. Evelyn released a small hiss, 'They talk about being open minded and accepting the world around them, but the second someone different turns up those blue bastards prove that they are no more than savages'. Evelyn sighed and moved in 'the damp dirt, trying to ease the cramp that was slowly creeping up her side. 'Hey Evelyn, come to Pandora, it'll be a blast!', she thought angrily. 'You'll get swiped at by massive predators, treated like a lab-rat and the natives will try and kill you!'
'I'm going to have to have a good chat with Miles when I get back to base'!, she thought bitterly. Evelyns attention was drawn to movement just beyond where she lay and she instantly recognised those long, blue legs as they strode confidently through the jungle. Evelyn knew it would only be a matter of time before they found her and that her chances of survival were minimal. S'crew this. If I'm going to die, I do it on my own terms, not like some snivelling child hiding in a corner'. She carefully pulled her sword out, holding it tightly against her chest as she pulled herself out from the roots.
'And if I go down, I'm taking as many of those freaks with me as I can'.
4
Miles slid down the long rope that dangled from the chopper, firing his weapon at the two Na'vi below him. He landed heavily on the ground, that shuddering landing not deterring him as he strode forwards. The two warriors turned quickly to face him, releasing several arrows in defence which Miles dodged with ease. Miles starred fiercely at the two Na'vi, the rage he felt deep within now overwhelming and surging him onwards. He looked fervently around, trying to find any sign of Evelyn in that dense jungle, hissing every time he saw none.
Miles quickly moved aside as yet another arrow flew past him, missing him by mere inches. Everyone at the base had thought he was insane to only go out with a exopack and had told him that an AMP suit would have been more suitable. But Miles knew better. Yes, the AMP suit would provide more protection, but they could be incredibly cumbersome and in such a confined area his best bet was a more simplistic approach. With only the exopack he would be able to conceal himself if necessary. Miles pulled his side-arm from its holster and threw down the now empty rifle, taking careful aim at the Na'vi warriors as he approached.
"WHERE IS SHE?!", he roared, smiling as several bullets hit their mark making one of the warriors fall back. The remaining Na'vi warriors eyes glanced to an area to his left, then back to Miles, now only metres away from him. Miles released several more shots as he quickly followed the Na'vis gaze. At first he saw nothing, but as he looked closer he saw the two feathered ends from arrows rising above the foliage on the ground. Evelyn, he thought wildly, returning his focus back to the Na'vi. "You blue bastard!", he yelled, now running at speed towards his foe.
The warrior seemed unsure of what to do, that familiar thumping sound of an AMP suit landing on solid ground instantly making up his mind. Miles continued to fire as the young warrior ran into the jungle, vanishing into its dense fauna in seconds. He heard a groaning noise and pressed on his communicator, "Take care of this son of a bitch", he ordered, turning to face his Lieutenant who was walking over in the AMP suit. "Yes sir", he replied quickly, that massive robotic arm saluting as he made his way over.
Miles turned and ran over to where he had seen the two arrows, pushing through that dense undergrowth as he desperately tried to reach Evelyn. As he entered a small clearing and sighed as he saw that small figure lying on the ground, two arrows protruding from her side. All around her the ground glowed, her soft skin taking on an almost luminous green tinge as she lay there. Miles knelt down beside her, his eyes running over the two arrows and searching for any other injuries. Evelyns soft breathing echoed through the jungle and Miles sighed as he pulled several swabs from his bag, Thank god, she's alive.
"Evelyn", he whispered softly as he placed the swabs around where the arrows had penetrated. The Major moaned and raised her hand up, trying to brush his hand away from her body. "Evelyn, it's the Colonel", he paused and brushed her hair away from her face, "It's Miles". Evelyns eyes flickered open and she looked up at him, a soft smile appearing on her face as she stared at the man before him. "You came", she gasped, gently placing her hand on his face.
Miles offered her a reassuring smile and gently scooped her up, "Of course I did Evelyn. I always will".
5
Miles sat by Evelyns bed, starring down at that pale and still figure before him. Once again he had nearly lost her and Miles was determined this would be the last time. "It's a miracle she survived", one of the Doctors had said, "That toxin on the arrow tips should have killed her". They had paused and cast a nervous look over to one of the monitors, instantly filling Miles with a sense of dis-quiet.
"What aren't you telling me?", he asked firmly, setting those fierce blue eyes on the Doctor. The tall man brought up Evelyns chart and flickered into life, clearing his throat as he handed it to Miles.
"I'm so sorry Colonel, but she was pregnant and", he paused again, taking several steps away from Miles, "the child didn't survive".
The Colonel stood up, clenching the device so tightly it cracked, shattering the image before him. "Does she know?", he asked, trying desperately to maintain his composure.
The Doctor shook his head, "No Colonel sir. Her body changed so much after the introduction of the Na'vi DNA, she would not have known until after a medical". Miles returned his attention back to Evelyn and took her small hand in his, "Get out", he spat angrily, "Get the hell out!".
The Doctor scurried quickly from the room, leaving Miles alone with Evelyn and his thoughts. "If it's the last thing I do", he whispered quietly, "I'll get every one of those blue bastards and make them pay".
6
Evelyn slipped down from Stonewalls back, giving him a gentle slap on the side as she walked in front of him. She gave him a thumbs up and smiled as the massive Thanator seemed to react to her positive signal. He gently nudged her with his snout, letting out a quiet huffing sound as Evelyn moved away. It was clear that this predator was happy at the extra time she had spent with him and Evelyn had enjoyed the chance to teach him a new group of hand signals. Yes, she missed being out on patrol, but orders were orders and Miles had been clear.
Evelyn was just too much of a target for the Na'vi, who clearly viewed her as more of a threat than anyone could have imagined and placing her on patrols with others would mean endangering their lives. It was a risk Miles just wasn't willing to take. He had made the decision to have her train all new arrivals in hand-to-hand combat, something that Evelyn had proven herself more than apt at. Of course there was the fact that Miles was trying to protect Evelyn more than anyone else. The attack had affected him more than she would have ever thought and Evelyn felt certain there was more behind his decision than he had ever let on.
"Oh well", she said brightly, returning her attention back to Stonewall, "It just means I get more time with my boy!". The Thanator snorted and clawed at the ground, sending a shower of dirt over Evelyn and making her laugh. "You my friend are not living up to your namesake", she walked over and placed her hand on his head, gently rubbing the area between his eyes. "And, it's time someone went hunting", Evelyn signed for him to head into the jungle and pulled away, giving him a firm gaze.
What must I look like?, Evelyn thought, a small smile appearing on her face. Some small human ordering one of the deadliest predators in existence to go and eat!. She watched as Stonewall slowly made his way into the dense jungle and smiled broadly. Yes life here was dangerous and she had nearly died, but Evelyn could not imagine a more magnificent place to be. Finally, Pandora was starting to feel like home.