XXXVIII: Germs (XXIVIII)

The second day brought the same results. Literally. The Nekxtskxe had no luck in finding any sign of the drop ships and the doctors had little new information on the wildfire virus. Jake and Neytiri at least felt better, the medical team had found it safe to administer some drugs for the Na'vi system allowing Jake and Neytiri both to move a bit more and think a bit more during the day. Now they only felt tired twenty two hours of the day. Yawne was doing his best but frankly was doing better from all the rest he was getting. Peyral worked tirelessly to organize the Nekxtskxxe and keep a watchful eye on the 'mood' of the clan and how they interacted with the 'captives' of Hell's Gate. Oddly enough the Nekxtskxe did not harbor ill will nor mistreat their 'guests'. At best they watched the humans and Na'vi interacting with distant interest, at worst they ignored them, it was definitely a good sign that spoke of the future relations between the peoples… but it was not a good sign for finding the Old Order. Near the end of the day when the second party had returned, Yawne sat behind the glass at a short table with Jake and Neytiri sitting opposite him. It was no better talking over a comm.. room to room then via pads, but the pseudo face to face was welcomed.

"…and thus far we don't seem to be making too big an impact on the wildlife. Nekxtskxe don't over hunt, even when celebrating. I'm afraid they have ransacked the gardens here but that's better than ransacking the compound itself, and they did leave enough for replanting. You guys should get by on rations for a while until you're self sufficient, or the Omaticaya can assist I should think. In so long as we don't remain for a month or anything." Yawne sighed, rolling his neck.

Jake was slightly impressed, "Do you really plan on going back with them?"

Yawne shrugged, looking as tired as they did wrapped in his braces. "Well, they're kind of my responsibility. I'm pretty sure Kerusey would probably take over again sometime in the future if I didn't… and besides… if I'm with them they won't become an enemy of the Omaticaya. Who knows, maybe I'll do them some good?"

Neytiri smiled, "You have done much good for them already."

Yawne shrugged again dismissively, "Peyral and I haven't talked about it… what with this, you know, Old Order junk. We'll get around to it though… hopefully…"

"You have made a fine Olo'eytkan, Yawne." Neytiri said strongly.

"I guess…" he said lamely, "But Peyral hasn't had much training with being Tshaik…"

"Do the Nekxtskxe not have ways she may learn?"

Yawne puffed his cheeks out, running his scarred hand through his silver hair, "We've not talked about it… in fact I think she might be mad I became Olo'eytkan…"

Silence drifted between them for a still moment, then Jake looked from one to the other, "You'll get by. If, we can get this order business over with."

Yawne nodded, which turned into shaking his head, "I just can't understand it. But I'm starting to loose hope, It's looking like they did hit orbit to escape and if so there's no sign in the world which will tell us where."

Jake rubbed his chin contemplatively, the silence filled with small beeps of monitors. "Maybe we're looking at this all wrong…" Yawne and Neytiri looked to him, "From the sky I mean…"

Neytiri looked to the floor, "You think we should track by foot?"

"From such a distance?" Yawne blinked.

Jake held out his hand, "Well think about it, when the explosion happened they were right on our doorstep. Even if they landed hours before that would be some pretty hefty travel time and that would require long range fuel and supplies. I'm guessing they didn't think their ticket home would get waxed so soon if at all, therefore, they would need a safe place that was close; and I'll guarantee they expected to have Hell's Gate, why else would they spare quarters and life support? No, they didn't want to wipe us out, they wanted to run us out. Hell's Gate is the strategic focal point for many of the clans, it's close to the Omaticaya, Nekxtskxe, even the Eastern sea clan and the Horse Clan of the plains is tactically near Hell's Gate."

"Prime Real estate." Yawne agreed.

"Right, so I'll bet they settled down and expected us to search by sky, after all, we wouldn't expect them to be so close. They're probably dug in somewhere where they can keep an eye on us, probably waiting for the Nekxtskxe to be forced to return. Like a siege, they wait for us to run out of supplies, hunting, and the Nekxtskxe have to leave or the Omaticaya have to step in, either way they get an opening at either target."

"Yeah, but Jake, a ground search of that scale could take weeks." Yawne pointed, "There aren't any pilots to fly the Sampson, I mean we could fly in supplies by Ikran, but we can't rotate crews. That is a lot of ground to cover on foot."

Jake cocked his head to the side, "Do we have any other option?"

Yawne fell silent, thinking. "We could ask Eywa." Neytiri said suddenly. Both Yawne and Jake seemed surprised to have forgotten such an important link, if anyone knew where something on Pandora was, it would be Eywa.

"Alright who do we, Mo'at?" Jake offered.

Neytiri nodded, "If I am to be stuck in here, though I feel I shall go mad if I must stay another day, Mo'at would be best able to speak with her."

Yawne snapped his fingers, "It's brilliant! I'll try and get a messenger to her right away!"

"It is possible…" Neytiri said offhandedly, "She has already been trying."

Jake looked to her, "You think that might be what she was organizing the Omaticaya for? To search for outsiders with Eywa?"

Neytiri looked thoughtful, "Mother has been alive longer than I and her wisdom is great, she may have known once the Old Order fled, we would need to find them and thought Eywa best to ask."

"But if so, why hasn't she come to us? How long could it take?" Jake narrowed his eyes.

Neytiri closed her own, "I am not certain my Jake, these sky people have things beyond what the RDA had. It could be difficult even for Eywa." Again Jake and Yawne were silent, again the monitors and machines filled it with a steady hum and beeping.

"Only thing for it then, is to ask." Yawne said resolvedly. "I'll get out a messenger to her then, find out what is happening." He stood stiffly and waved to both of them, Jake saluted and Neytiri held up a fleeting hand as he turned and exited. She flopped back letting her tail slowly thrash from side to side as she glared at the Gurney. Jake reached out an assuring hand to her.

"We'll be out in no time." He said.

"I do not know how you stand it." She sighed. "This constant cold, close, silent… as if we lived in rock as the Nekxtskxe."

"Well… I grew up used to it I guess. My room, my apartment, then my quarters when I got here. I suppose that's why the forest and everything was so different, new, and drawing to me…" Neytiri closed her eyes. "If you like I can ask if they'll at least bring in some potted plants for us." Neytiri looked to him, confused.

Jake smiled and tried to explain, but Neytiri only looked slightly angry aside her confusion and Jake figured he'd better stop. Truthfully, Jake kind of enjoyed it. Aside from being dog tired, sick, and-his-genetic-code-imperiled, he liked spending alone time with Neytiri again. It was a welcome change from all the chaos outside, as if the whole world was miles away. He did have to admit after being in the hammock hundred of feet in the air, this little room was a bit, enclosed but still he enjoyed spending time with her and her alone. Even in silence. She had been going slightly stir crazy, and Jake did his best to keep her mind off it by keeping it occupied with conversation. Unless they were both too weak or tired to speak. Most of the hours were spent laying side by side and talking however. The topic weren't very relaxing, but once they'd run over the same ground again and again Jake was able to steer the conversation away to what things could be. After it was all over of course, and it would be, that he was sure of. Besides, if these were his last moments… he like to spend them with her.

The Night brought strange news. Yawne's messenger had not returned yet of course, but the doctors came back. They had made headway it seemed. The Virus, while in its infancy, was like all infants- vulnerable- and for that they had a few theories to test. They couldn't try anything on Jake and Neytiri yet of course, but there were promising breakthroughs at the least. That night, Jake and Neytiri were more exhausted than ever and falling asleep wasn't a problem… but the feverish dreams that came with it were not as soothing as the sleep itself. In cold sweats both of them writhed. In Jake's mind, the space craft with Paul, Jen, and Neytiri flew headlong into the active volcano no matter how fast Jake ran or how hard he pounded on the invisible wall between him and them. In Neytiri's fevered visions, she saw the forest burning as it did during the battle for Pandora. The Pali fled in flames, even the Palulukan could not defeat fire itself. What ever the flowing heat touched, it ate and ate- leaving only black ash which rose upwards into the sky like falling snow in reverse. And the fire had eyes… baleful blaming eyes.

…

Jake awoke to a mask on his face, wires on his forehead, and needles under his skin. He felt punch drunk, as if shaken by a thanator for hours straight. He couldn't move numb limbs, nor clear dim eyes, he saw Neytiri close enough but could not reach for her. She looked the same as he. White bodies flowed around them, out of time, a speed without register. A small box above both of their heads kept time in a manner of rising and falling lines. Red, lines. He felt he should be afraid. Felt he should be holding her, but none of it touched him. There was too much happening. Someone turned Jake's head away from Neytiri, looking into his eyes with a light that burned his vision. Something pushed into his mouth, down his throat, and Jake only then realized he hadn't been breathing. He tried to gag, tried to spit out the worm which wiggled into his belly. He tried to blink away the palm fronds as he walked through a jungle where all the leaves were covered in blue blood. He tried to dig under the rocks and find the metal drop ships like grubs. He dodged the viper wolves that snapped at his heels and demanded to know why he had allowed such terrible things to happen to his people.

Yet somewhere, Yawne was playing eclectic guitar with his silver hair teased out and donned in leather chaps. He pointed viciously and screamed into a microphone, "MARCO!" and Jake knew he was suppose to say something back but couldn't find it on his tongue. Something was behind him too, something which watched him. Hungrily. But Jake couldn't turn around to look at it. He couldn't look at it. It began to chase him, he was running over grass and through bamboo poles then leaping over a water fall… but it wasn't water he was falling into, it was fire. Hellfire. Jake burned, and burned, his flesh melting off into goop which pooled around his metal skeleton. Carbon steel. His eyes glowed red like some kind of robotic horror with a skeletal grin. Yawne was there again with a mop, trying to soak up Jake in a bucket. Peyral was throwing people peanuts, and Jake knew it had to be a dream. It had to be a dream… but the fire watched him… it watched him with blaming eyes.

"He's coming around!" Yawne's voice said beneath the water. Jake's eyes flew open. He was surrounded by people. His chest hurt, his breathing was slow… and there was a tube in his mouth. The first thing he did was turn his head, Neytiri was asleep at his side. Yawne smiled with tears falling down the corners of his face, "We thought we'd lost you man."

Jake couldn't respond for the tube, nor could he even wiggle his fingers, but his eyes questioned. Peyral answered. "The sickness nearly overcame you, the doctors had to work very hard."

Yawne gave him two enthusiastic thumbs up, "You both beat the crisis moment, you're out of the woods!" The absurdity of that statement, when the woods were exactly where Jake wanted to be woke Jake up fully to the reality of his condition. He knew what a screw felt like being shoved through eight feet of wood. His insides twisted, his tongue flattened, he'd never felt anything like it. Yawne made shushing motions, "Don't talk, really, you'll just kind of freak out, I don't even know if you can understand me, but you've been out most of the day. They've worked ten hours on you, the virus kicked into overdrive. They did some kind of genetic kung fu, Molotov cocktail voodoo, science magic, experimental unsteady classic knuckle biting, nail whiteing stuff. I mean if it wasn't happening to you I'd love to have watched it on daytime television but as it was we were sitting here for hours just praying to all that was good you'd both pull through and by praying I mean we were flat out on our knees wit-"

"The Doctors say you shall recover." Peyral interrupted as Yawne began to babble.

"Oh yeah, yeah, you're going to be fine, just fine." Yawne seemed to be trying his best to restrain himself from hugging Jake. Jake closed his eyes in thought, letting his ears do the talking as they pointed toward Yawne. He tried to swallow becoming uncomfortably aware of the tube down his throat. …someone was trying to light a match under his Queue… Jake startled awake to find Yawne sitting beside him, talking. By Yawne's position and his voice he'd been talking for hours. "-ay the scientific name so everyone is just calling it the Hydra for now. Also, the ground crew hasn't located anything yet there either, we've broadened the search to a vocal net of contact thus far but there are only so many miles you can cover in a day." Jake couldn't open his eyes, nor move his ears though he heard Yawne all the same. What time was it? What was happening to him? To Neytiri? It felt like a train was leaving without him, but the train was his body. The eyes were there again, but this time… they were Tsu'tey's eyes; blaming him.

Jake managed to open his eyes this time, seeing Peyral sitting beside now. She was holding a pad and had dark blue circles beneath her sharp eyes, her heart shaped face was slightly heavier now… with worry. She was humming Jake realized, a low song from the Eastern sea clan. What time was it now? With a slow realization Jake found himself waking for the third time, and being tired of the whole game. He firmly opened his eyes, seeking whoever would be beside him. It was Mo'at. Jake lifted his eyebrows in surprise as she watched him; she in turn reached out and touched Jake's face. Her hand was soft but cold, until Jake realized it was his skin which was hot. Someone was singing in the room, a high song of distant trees and seeds, of rustling leaves and the peace of falling rain drops. "You have rested long enough Jakesully. Two days have passed you. Two days without word of your prey, though you were ambushed by a mighty predator, the hunt must continue. You have escaped Jakesully, it is time for you to wake." Jake saw the eyes behind her; Eytukan came forward into the light behind his wife but as he stood there, watching him, the eyes burned… hating him.

Jake sat up. "Jake!" Yawne, Peyral, and even Neytiri sat clustered around his bedside. Jake licked his lips, finding no tubes, no wires, only blankets. Neytiri gripped his neck, burying her face deeply but before she could say anything Yawne launched himself forward and hugged her and Jake hard, "Eywa we were so worried! The avatar body didn't react so well to the medication as Neytiri's genuine body did and you relapsed for half a day even though the doctors said they cured you and the virus was gone your body was still weak and might not pull through because it had been so drained and stripped of nutrients and things by the medication and the virus eating away at the muscle tissue and we tried to make you comfortable but you kept talking about the watcher in the rye and the fires and we tried to ice you but you still kept getting hotter and hotter and screaming about the fires-" Peyral pulled Yawne away, silencing him with soft words as he swallowed back his constant tongue. Neytiri's voice replaced his.

"My Jake." She said simply, gripping him hard, tenderly. He returned the embrace. She felt real to him, more real then anything had ever felt. He smelled the gentle scent of her hair, his fingers gripped her supple shoulders. She was whole, real, and there; this was the truth in his arms and he knew he dreamt no more.

"Is he responsive?" The doctors voice behind them. Jake tried to clear his head, letting the slow swimming motion of the water in his brain settle.

"Jake can you understand me?" Neytiri probed. Jake narrowed his eyes and tried to speak, his tongue felt thick. He nodded instead. "Yes, we think so."

The doctor came forward then, no longer dressed all in white. "Jake, we have some good and some bad news for your. I'm not sure you're up for it, but you need to know it and understand it as soon as possible." Jake blinked, the swimming began to turn into a kind of swirl. He looked at the doctor pointedly, prompting him on.

The doctor seemed to understand, "Alright, if you an understand me, listen closely… you are still infected with the Wildfire virus." Jake felt a ball drop into his stomach. "As you can probably guess you are no longer contagious. We learned it only passed to Neytiri in a dormant stage, but activated once her bodily systems tried to shut down. However, after fully reconstructing much of her system it simply shut down; we theorized it was due to her being a Na'vi. As we've come to understand the Wildfire virus was originally intended to target human DNA and human DNA alone, wiping out all humans on Pandora and sparing the Na'vi. Therefore we believe it was only able to pass on to Neytiri due to the advanced state of the virus in Paul, however, this infant strain in Neytiri was its most basic form and therefore had no receptors to the Na'vi DNA… she is out of danger, but you, are not." The doctor waited to see if this all sunk in, Jake furrowed his brow in contemplation.

"Get on with it." Yawne pushed.

The doctor seemed subdued, but continued "What I'm trying to say is the virus is confused by the cross of DNA; we believe the resistance never expected the Avatars to take on a life of their own and instead die after their drivers were slain, however, that doesn't mean the virus has shut down. Right now it is trying to latch onto the human receptors in your DNA but is being prevented by the Na'vi twist to them. Because your body is an Avatar, a combination of human and Na'vi DNA, we've had far more trouble flushing the Wildfire virus from your system. In Neytiri it simply stagnated, or rather burned itself out once it fulfilled its purpose but could not fulfill its second stage. We have further theori-"

Yawne sighed loudly, "They were able to treat the symptoms but not the disease, you're still sick, Jake. It's now trying to change you so it can kill you."

Jake felt Yawne's words hit him like a wrecking Ball, with a swollen throat his rasped, "How long, do I?"

"We don't know how long the virus will remain inert in confusion, could be days, could be years…" Yawne frowned.

The Doctor placed his hands behind his back, "Aside from that you're perfectly healthy, as long as we keep abating the symptoms you should be able to function normally." Jake looked at his hands, it was true, he felt fine… yet at the same time he couldn't help seeing the veins in his hand, pumping traitorous blood through his heart… waiting in ambush…

"We found them." Yawne said suddenly in a clipped voice. Jake looked up.

Neytiri shook her head, taking Jake's hand, "We believe we have found them." She corrected. "Mo'at has spoken with Eywa, but…" Neytiri's eyes darted away, Yawne remained silent, she looked back to Jake. "…Eywa is, confused."

Jake narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Mo'at has found a place, burned to the very last, a great lake of dead silence where once the voice of the forest spoke-"

"Obviously where the drop ships landed." Yawne injected.

Neytiri scowled, silencing him again. "But we do not know for sure, something is wrong."

"What?" Jake was getting annoyed.

"Everything is dead, my Jake, everything. The very soil itself has been burned." Jake tried to imagine it but Yawne shook his head and actually rolled his eyes.

"Look Jake, it's obvious they landed, and then clear cut everything back. Stupid destructive humans, what else did you expect? They don't know or care about Eywa so they would have no qualms about destroying a huge swath of jungle and thereby give away their position."

Neytiri grimaced, "You do not see, even Hell's Gate with all the cold stone and dead space around it has life. Moss, flowers between the cracks, and tiny spots of life in the air you breathe, in the soil itself."

"Wait, do you mean bacteria?" the doctors said absently.

Neytiri didn't know the word but Yawne jumped in again, "Listen, I've been talking to Eywa too alright. What else am I going to do?" he tapped his temple, "I know what she saw but it doesn't matter, so what is there is a lifeless hole in the jungle? It just means they used sterilizing equipment to settle in, they're murderers, bacteria and doesn't mean anything to them. It's has to be the Old Order Jake, and now we know exactly where they are!"

Peyral looked slightly angered by Yawne's interruptions, but Jake understood, he was eager to get it over with. After three days of nothing, they finally found their prey and now… the real hunt began. "How soon?" Jake said strongly.

"Can we launch? Today if you want, I can have the entire flight leave in an hour." Yanwe said powerfully. Jake nodded beginning to swing his legs around to stand, Neytiri stood first.

"What do you think you're doing?" the doctor scrambled around to the other side, he looked aghast, "We had to inject some experimental drugs that may trick the virus into returning to its dormant state allowing you to flush it out just like in Neytiri's system, but we can't just stick you and let you run all over creation; you may feel fine but the Wildfire virus could accelerate again at any time, you might relapse, you have to stay here under watch so we can treat it- If you leave to go flying around we won't be able to help you if complications happen!"

Jake bowed his head, "Either help me, or get the hell out of my way." The doctor blanched, Neytiri gripped his shoulders, gravely worried. Jake took her hand over his shoulder and looked to the distance with hard eyes. "I've rested long enough."