XXXV: Diamond Eyes (XXIV)

Jake pulled himself to his feet, managing to stand and try to comfort Neytiri but the moment his hands touched Paul's shoulder, Paul's forearms slammed into him, throwing him to the ground with the force of a thanator. Jake grasped in pain, clutching his side even as Norm and Max tried to help Mo'at stand. Jake coughed, trying to call out to Neytiri as Paul's body turned and ran from him back into the hanger. "Neytiri!" he rasped as he forced himself up to his feet. One last look back at the black circle, one last look at hope. Jake ran. He followed the curves of the hallway, noting fallen or pushed over tables or benches and he knew exactly where Neytiri was going. Pained as he was Jake forced himself to move faster even as the sound of cold laughter hit his ears. "Did somebody have an accident?" Mr. Smith, she was going after Mr. Smith. Jake burst into the room just as Paul's body stood over Mr. Smith on his side, visibly shaking with barely controlled rage.

Neytiri, don't…" Jake tried.

"NO!" her voice nearly wailed, "He is to blame for this, the cause of this all!"

"Oh please." Mr. Smith said from the floor, "You only know of my connection and therefore lash out at me because you can't reach the true source of your pain, it's so typical of the service industry."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Paul's tail lashed out, surrounding Mr. Smith's neck and lifted him, chair and all, with ease; holding him aloft despite the much greater bulk.

"Wow impressive! But didn't you come in here to ask me about the ship? How to destroy it? To interrogate me?" Mr. Smith choked.

"Neytiri, please…" Jake coughed, head pounding as the pain in his side caught up with him and took him to his knees.

"No more lies, no more pain and suffering! You have taken the only thing he loved and now his life will be empty! Tell me how to turn it off!" Tears were falling from Neytiri's eyes as she shouted, voice beginning to vibrate unnaturally.

"Neytiri you're better than this!" Jake managed.

"You seem shocked. And here I thought you were so in touch with nature." Mr. Smith smirked, ignoring Jake.

Neytiri glared, with death in her eyes, but she hesitated… finally she slammed the chair down with visible effort, hands on the armrest. "You know nothing of Nature! You destroy it! Fight against it at every turn!"

"Now who can't see anything?" Mr. Smith said triumphantly, "You really don't know anything about nature, human nature; animals who aren't as gifted or blessed as you have always been forced to find different ways to survive, all within nature's boundaries. We survive no differently on your own world." Paul's tail began to constrict, "Like the biggest and strongest hammerhead or thanator, like the fasted and most agile viper wolf or Na'vi…" his face became slightly purple, Jake coughed again trying to clear his head, "but we aren't big and strong, we aren't quick and agile… no we're mean and vicious!"

Paul's body trembled, as Neytiri's eyes starred into the uncaring eyes of Mr. Smith, even as his life was slowly being crushed from him. Then… Paul's tail stopped; Jake looked on, breathing weakly, the black edges creeping in. "You think you are immune, above it all, that life or death holds no fear for you…" Neytiri's voice echoed with a second lower voice. "…but you will know fear."

Nothing happened at first, Jake watched on as the black circles burned at the edge of his visions, Neytiri stared into Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith smiled back without concern… then… his eyes began to widen, his smile fell, his breathing became erratic. Neytiri's eyes continued to stare, hard. "What are you, doing? No… no! Stop! Stop it!" Mr. Smith began to convulse, trying to break his bonds as terror and pain over took his features, Neytiri's double voice let out a slow hum, a deep building vibration from the core of her chest. "Please, god, somebody stop it! Oh god!" but Jake was now unconscious, unable to withstand the pain any longer. There was no one to help him. Mr. Smith writhed, spouting anything he could but Neytiri no longer trembled. The sound built, deepening. "The weapon, half hour recharge! Scramble signal, god please!" Mr. Smith began to wail, his voice rising in an impossible pitch matched in the opposite by Neytiri's constant hum, rolling down the halls. Neytiri's eyes only starred, in silent, unforgiving, concentration…

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Mo'at's voice hammered through the room. Neytiri instantly released, stepping away even as her mother pulled her back; the spell broken. Mr. Smith collapsed, like a rag doll. Paul's body looked from him, to Jake, then to Mo'at.

"Oh Mother…" she cried with a sob but when she spoke, her voice sang with a ghostly fluctuation, vibrating echo and she no longer sounded like Neytiri. "Oh!"

…

Jake awoke on a gurney, but he was not assaulted by a terrible headache as he'd expected, nor pain in his side. The doctor standing over him scowling answered his question before he could ask it, Jake turned his head taking in all around him; to his right Neytiri's body lay still, like a corpse, with Paul's body standing over it, bare hands on her face. He was petting her hair with a firm frown on his face. "Neytiri?" Jake tried. Paul's head turned to him. No, she was still in there.

"Jake…" but it was not Neytiri's voice, it was a shriek, a vibration, an echo. Paul swallowed hard, as Neytiri had forgotten. Jake slowly tried to sit up, but the doctor put a hand to his forehead.

"I don't think so; you nearly took my head off the first time you were in the body, the next time your on my table, you'll be still." The doctor said sternly. Jake sighed but stayed back. "You've got a hairline fracture on three ribs, amazingly enough they haven't splintered and stabbed into your lungs, but they were able to fold and constrict your breathing. The-" he paused and glared at Paul, "-recent trauma, has compounded the injury. We had to reset your ribcage before your lung collapsed. You'll have to stay in bed for at least an hour before I even consider letting you move."

Jake took his wrist, "We don't have an hour. It takes only a half hour for the beam to recharge. How long have I been out."

The doctor's scowl deepened, "I thought you might say that, you've been under for ten minutes. There's been a team trying their best to make modifications to the ship as we speak, but if what you say is true, a half hour is not nearly enough. But they are trying."

Jake let go, sighing. "…Jen?" it was a whisper.

The doctor glanced at Paul again, "No."

Jake lifted his hands to his forehead, even as Paul dipped his head to Neytiri's. The doctor sighed again and moved away, "I'll inform the team of the time table." He then moved a few feet away, sitting down at a monitor. Not leaving, but giving the two privacy. Jake felt the anguish of a coffin nail forced into his forehead; he remained pressing his palms into his face for a long while, Paul's hands softly moving Neytiri's braids and caressing her temples.

"Neytiri…" Jake whispered, finally. "You can't do this."

Paul closed his eyes, still petting Neytiri's temples. "Then who?" this voice was Neytiri's, with a low and deep hum like a second voice below hers.

"No one. We can hide and wait them out. We'll survive, all of us." Jake lowered his hands.

Neytiri sighed though her teeth, "And each day they could take more and more of my people. I will not give them the chance to land, no chance to set up a base, I will not let them become seated here… the loss of life was too great from last time. I have learned my lesson."

Jake gripped his fists, but didn't struggle against the odd brace around his chest keeping him immobile. "Then maybe the ship has an auto pilot-" then Jake recalled, the thought he'd had before… "Neytiri, you can't anyway." He turned his head to Paul's body. "You don't know how to fly the drop ship, only Paul has that kind of piloting experience now."

Paul never opened his eyes, "I know." he continued to stroke Neytiri's temples.

Jake furrowed his brow, "Neytiri… what are you-?"

Paul didn't look at Jake as he laid his forehead against Neytiris, "I have learned so much of this body, with my practices, I have heard its voice… I knew how to push my emotion onto Sm'th; I am certain I can pull from his mind, the knowledge needed."

Jake's eyes flew open, "Neytiri you can't! I won't let you!" Jake tried to lift him self, the barest motion, but the instant he did a sharp pain violently robbed him of breath and send him on his back.

Neytiri's face became pained, "You can not stop me. This body grows stronger, and stronger, even as it constantly changes. I have grown in height, weight, and senses… I can feel it, the power, limitless potential… it is all beneath the surface. Eywa has gifted me this tool and I shall use it."

Jake couldn't breath unless he lay flat, he felt his face and neck become hot from the effort. The doctor lifted his head, suspicious. "At lea… least let me… see, if… there's an au... auto pilot!"

Paul rubbed his forehead against Neytiri's, "We do what we must, my Jake."

Jake whipped his head back to the doctor, waving him over. The doctor stood, concerned and slightly angered. "What's going on?"

"Call… team, …autopilot?" Jake rasped.

The doctor narrowed his eyes, looked from Paul to Jake, and then turning. He sat back at the console while Jake tried to catch his breath. The brace on his side held him unnaturally, Jake looked on it and dimly realized there were bolts pressing into his skin. Neytiri's voice continued to whisper in Na'vi, a prayer of some kind. Jake looked to Paul, to Neytiri's body, then to the doctor. Hoping beyond hope. The doctor listened intently, then picked himself up and slowly walked back with a perpetual scowl on his face. "Listen I can't make heads or tails of the jargon they're using, but it sounds like there is at least a possibility of programming."

Jake smiled victoriously to Neytiri, and waved the doctor over, "Wheel me around, I have to talk to them."

The doctor's scowl deepened, but he at least got to the head of Jake gurney and pushed him over to the monitor. Jake hit a few buttons and the comm. signal came through, louder now that Jake turned up the level. "This is Jake, what did you find?"

Surprisingly Norm's voice answered, "Oh Jake! Thank god you're awake, listen, are you serious? You mean we only have twenty minutes before they can fire again?"

Jake tried to recall, "I think it's ten now, but I'm not sure, Smith also said something about a scramble signal, can you guys move the ship into the hanger? The fortification should give us more time."

Norm was silent a moment; "We've trying it now, but the Amp suits are having a tough time; we've also been trying to figure out an encryption Jen was putting through it as she work it's systems, we think there might be a return code in there, but none of us can understand Jen's program; she was seriously techno-gifted."

Jake licked his lips, "Work fast Norm, they could fire any second, get it under cover and we'll work it out."

"Rodger that Jake, I'll- wha, Paul- er, Neytiri, what are you doing?"

Jake whipped his head around. Paul's body was gone. Jake again tried to stand, the pain prevented him, Jake growled and laid flat then rolled himself off the gurney. Once his legs hit, he felt a shock of pain, and had to gasp for air, but he was standing. Keeping his back straight he was able to move, but his breath game in huge gulps, all the while the doctor protested. "I'll sedate you if I have too! You're risking your life in this madness!" Jake threw himself into a half jog, putting most of his weight on his opposite side, which allowed him to breathe easier. He had just made it past Neytiri's body when a sharp jerk on his arm made him stop.

"Look Doctor I-!"

…

Norm spoke over the pad in his hand, watching with a permanent frown as the Amp's tried to maneuver the drop ship. He was just sure any moment the blue light would fall again, and what happened to Jen… "Rodger that I'll-" then he noticed Paul storming across the hanger making a B-line for the ship. Norm nearly dropped the pad as he ran up to him, "wha, Paul- er, Neytiri, what are you doing!"

Paul's body paused, looking at Norm strangely, "Jen?" his voice was doubled, deeper now.

Norm felt his heart wilt, "No Neytiri, she's just gone. I'm sorry." Paul's head bowed, gauntleted hands pushing into his face. "Look, we think their might be an auto pilot code, so you don't have to go through with this. We just need more time."

"There is no more time, anymore." The odd voice said again, tears falling.

"Come on, don't cry, I know you really don't want to leave Jake, any of us. We're your friends, you still have a life here. A good one too; things will be alright. There's still hope!" Paul's shoulders shook, face buried. Norm reached to pat his back, then drew his hand back slightly, remembering. "Well, er, anyway, come on. The Amps have a wench hooked to the ship and we're dragging it in now; supposedly we've only got a few more minutes before the Order fires again, we'd better get inside in case that hap…pens?" Norm began, but paused as he saw Jake stumbling towards them, hand out stretched… Neytiri at his side.

"STOP HIM!" Neytiri's voice cried.

Norm dropped his pad- as if in slow motion, he turned; Paul's body was already running from him, sprinting faster than anything on Pandora had ever moved. In a blur he leaped and kicked first one Amp, then the next, sending both skidding backwards several feet away like tin foil. In a flash his winding tail lifted up the basket of fire orbs, even as his hands ripped the wench hook free, setting them behind him as he got inside the ship -Norm's pad struck the ground. Jake took off, side stepping as fast as his body would take him, even as Norm looked back and forth in confusion. "Neytiri? Jake!"

…

Slowly the hatch lowered, like the final curtain on Paul's life. Jake, despite the pain in his side, was up and climbing onto the ship. "No, no, no, no!" he cried, fist slamming into the glass as the hatch shut. Paul punched the hatch lock, even as Jake beat upon the glass shielding. Methodically he pressed a single button on the portable music player which began blasting a song, then another to raise the volume to ear breaking levels, swallowing Jake's pleas- but the pain in his ears were noting to the pain in his eyes. He hit several buttons next in that same calm and robotic movement. Jake hit with all the force he could muster, regardless of the pain in his side. He continued to scream at the top of his lungs, trying desperately to reach Paul. The drop ship came to life, humming beneath his fingers and rattling. The engines began to burn; Neytiri, Norm and all the other workers watched entranced. Jake held on, shaking his head, trying to get Paul to look at him. His lips mouthing, begging; Paul grinned, that same sorry sorrowful, blood ready smile …he was done… and Jake was thrown as the ship lifted three feet off the ground. Jake stood screaming, but all noise was lost in the roar of the drop ships engines. Launching into the sky the drop ship pulled from his sight like a jumping flea.

Behind Paul, as he bobbed his head slightly against the sheer G forces and his skull nearly splitting from the sudden ascension, the world dropped away. The forests, the trees, the water ways, simple ribbons of green and blue, mixed with darkness and bright lights more vibrant than Vegas could ever achieve- all the promise and paradise of Pandora- fell away behind him as he ripped through the clouds and directly into the darkness where stars burned in silent agony. The lights streamed across his shielding, eyes darkened and face heavy but the grin never faded. The pain and grief found no purchase in his split eyes. His hair stood on end from the absence of gravity, clear droplets pulled from his eyes in perfect spheres, even as red droplets mirrored them from his fangs dug into his lip. Two minutes away from the world below, in the reflection of the shield, the ship appeared; a gigantic dragon fly with bladed angle wings. Lightening flowed from its terrible eyes, charging and licking at the void around it. The ship was massive, even as he neared it, like a gnat charging a metallic dread eagle.

Onward, onward, the ship grew in the glass. Seconds from doom. Closer, closer, head ceased movement, eyes becoming deadly slits. Blame, hate, and vengeance. Vengeance. Vengance! The blue light finally fell, encompassing him, the music hit the final chorus, the spheres spilled out around him glowing with all the fury of Hell, dim in the burning light of his ever so clear eyes... …her…out in space, that untouchable emptiness… looking upon the connection of two machines in silent ice water; stillness interrupted by the blooming of a beautiful silent flower. Leaves of orange and blue, spreading like painted glass, dancing across the darkness as a sunset for all the peoples of Pandora to witness turning night into day for one instant; the great sky flower. Jake screamed in enraged horror, starring upwards from the ground below, tiny in comparison; so small, as the sky was touched by the pain of one soul. Jake fell to his knees, unable to look, Neytiri knelt beside him. Debris entering the atmosphere, night reclaimed the world but to their eyes… stars fell, burning streaks of light blue as the sky itself wept.