-.-Along For the Ride-.-

"I'm scared for them."

Jake and Neytiri were arguing over what their next move should be, the kids eavesdropping. All except for Gracie, who had lost both her mother and her brother today.

Neteyam had broken away from his own group of siblings to be there for her. "I know," he agreed. "But Auntie Nix and Spider are two of the strongest people I know. For what we know, they are together, they'll make it through."

The adults' argument eventually ceased and Jake came to find Gracie.

She knew what was happening even before he opened his mouth to speak. "You're leaving."

"Yes, we are. It is the only way to protect the Clan. And you should come with us."

"No."

"It's dangerous if you stay here-"

"I'm not leaving! What if they come back and find us all gone? You let them take Spider, and Mum went after them - it's your fault they're gone. You go if you want, but I'm staying right here."

Far away in the RDA base of Bridgehead City, Nix and Spider were separated for the night, but woken early. It appeared that Quaritch was keen on having them close by.

The General was addressing the squad of Recombinants. "Colonel, as discussed, it is believed that you and your team will be perceived as Indigenous and therefore give us an advantage-"

"You've got to be kidding me," Nix cried. "You're really that stupid? Yeah, the weapons and military gear really screams 'locals'."

After that the General kicked her out. Quaritch found her later, offering a tablet.

"What's this?"

"I thought it might help explain what's going on." He pressed the tablet into her hands and pressed the screen. A clip popped up, a man in uniform sitting before the camera.

Miles. The first time she was 'seeing' him in fifteen years.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet you're Colonel Miles Quaritch, only younger, taller, bluer, and not nearly as good lookin'. In two hours I fly a mission against the Na'vi stronghold. The powers that be thought it would be prudent that I do this backup just in case and that means that if you are watching it, I did get my ticket punched." He blinked at the screen for a moment before turning to speak to someone out of frame. "Hey Parker, just what the hell am I supposed to say now?"

"Just remind him how it works." Parker Selfridge, former Head of the RDA, came into frame. Nix had always loved watching Grace tear him down.

"Who?"

"Here-" Parker shifted the camera and held up a little box. "So see this? This is all your memories and personality."

"Right-"

"We're gonna send this back to Earth where you're growing in a lab as we speak-"

"Okay, right, right, I got it-"

"We're gonna imprint you with it-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Am I doing this or are you doing it?"

"Hurry it up." Parker patted Miles on the shoulder and left the frame once more.

"Anyway, the idea is to get the minds of the saltiest on-world operators, like Corporal Wainfleet over there, and your humble narrator, into Recombinant bodies. You're a recomb now, Colonel. Loaded with my memoires and my charm. What you won't remember is my death, because it hasn't happened yet - and it ain't gonna. Well, whatever happens, if you're any clone of mine you'll be looking for some payback, and Jake Sully would be the top of that list. Remember kid, a Marine can't be defeated. Oh, you can kill us, but we'll just regroup in hell. Semper fi." He reached out and ended the video, he disappearing and the screen going dark.

Now that it was over, she wasn't sure just how much of the material she had actually absorbed, too focused on the man in the video.

She slammed the tablet back into his hands. "And what was the point of that?"

"To give you some context."

"Oh yeah, that really clears it up. Great. Thanks."

He sighed. "Don't go anywhere."

Several minutes later a couple other Avatars - no, recombinants - escorted Spider to her, and soon the squad was leading them outside to the tarmac.

Spider-like machines scurried around outside, carrying supplies and building things. Everything had taken a turn since her time with the RDA.

"You okay?" she asked Spider.

"Okay, yeah. You?"

"Okay."

"He gave me a whole 'I'm not your dad, not really' speech."

"I got something too. Did he say anything about-" About us? Him and I? "-About me?"

"Only that you're stubborn and weren't giving anything up either."

Her lips twitched into the faintest of smirks at this. "Damn right."

They walked onto the tarmac and with the whirring of aircraft it became too loud to talk.

That didn't stop Qauritch from shouting orders to them. "Get on the ship! Find a seat and keep out of the way!"

Spider ran ahead, jumping aboard and immediately taking a seat behind the big rifle. "Sweet!"

"Whoa! Hold on there hotshot! Now you listen up: there's a tracker built into that mask-" Q poked the mask for emphasis. "-We hit the ground and you take off, I'll have you back here in two minutes and I will give you an old-school ass-whippin'. Understood? Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Spider quipped back.

"And as for you-" He turned to Nix.

"Let me guess, you'll give me an old-school ass-whipping too?" Spider whirled on her, eyes bugged out. Quaritch just stammered back.

Okay, she was pissed to be here, but she could mess with him.

He headed to the front of the ship, and soon they were airborne.

Nix turned to Spider. "As soon as we're out there, at the earliest opportunity, I want you to take my spare mask, and run like hell," she told him, speaking in a low voice, and in Na'vi, just in case.

Back fifteen years ago, she had come to her boyfriend, Head of Security, with the idea for a sleeker breathing mask. In those several years since then, her scientist friends had helped her develop it, and so far, so good. It had seen many trials and errors before, and she still only allowed herself to use them, for now, in case of any malfunctions. But this was an exception. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

"No! I'm not leaving you here alone with them! Besides, you're the one without the tracker."

"They know I'm not going to leave you, they're counting on us to stick together."

"Exactly! Either we both go, or neither of us do," he insisted firmly.

As frustrating as it was, she was touched that he wouldn't abandon her. "Damn it, kid. Fine, both of us, or neither of us." She gripped his hand and he squeezed hers back.

Soon the cement and metal gave way to green, and it was glorious.

"Oh hello gorgeous!" As soon as they landed, barely even, she dove into the nearest patch of grass, kissing the ground. "Boy is it good to see you again!"

"She's crazy," mumbled Wainfleet.

"Hey! Well this 'crazy' is going to keep you alive out here, so you'd better listen. Or don't, I don't care. See if I care when you end up dead - again."

Q gathered the squad. "All right listen up: Jake Sully's gone to ground. Don't matter. Wherever he is we'll find him, and his batshit crazy wife too."

Nix grabbed a nearby stick and hurled it at his back. "Don't talk about her that way."

He ignored her. "To do so, we go Na'vi, full tilt, all the way. That means we eat Na'vi, we ride Na'vi. Think Na'vi. And that starts with speaking the language," he finished in an anticlimactic terrible attempt at said language.

The two humans exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

"He calls that speaking the language?"

"He sounds like a three year old!"

Quaritch turned away from the squad and to them. "All right, smart asses. You, Smart Guy, just went from being our monkey mascot to official interpreter. And you," now he turned to Nix. "You're our official lab coat."

The two in question exchanged a glance. "And if we refuse?"

"Then that's at your own risk."

"But are you going to listen to what we say? Or are you just going to ignore it and do things your own way?"

"You're the experts."

"Well that's an upgrade from 'Civilian Specialist'. We'll start with the language."

Judging from their blank expressions, they had a long way to go.

Naturally, the movie focuses more on the Sullys' side of things, but here in this story we'll be focusing on this side of things ;)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed as always! :))