Okay shit is going down. Warning for mentions of torture, explicit violence and mistreatment of young children. This chapter and the following are the reason this entire story has an M rating, so please be careful.

If you wish to skip the chapter, I have prepared a summary at the bottom.

Be safe.

Chapter 15

Spider dearly hoped his friend were safe, when he found himself slung over a shoulder and lifted into a helicopter. He remembered calling out to them, and hearing Kiri shout his name. So did Lo'ak and tough he may have deluded himself into it, he also believed Jake had as well.

He was terrified and angry at first when he had been captured, and he couldn't believe his captor was none other than the hated Colonel Miles Quaritch - his biological father.

Years of resentment towards the man only intensified his frustration as he found himself caged after hours of flying and a shouting Colonel. It was not hard to see that the man was incredibly pissed at his men for loosing someone or something.

He struggled against his captors with everything he had, but nothing seemed ever enough, when two soldiers wrestled him into the ground, cuffing his arms. He decided to rebel in any other fashion that he had been able to.

The Colonel was visibly angry and paid no attention to Spider when he refused to speak anything but Na'vi and the handful of very long foreign insults he had picked up from Jake.

He was then handed over to some scientists who had strapped him into their machine with cables glued to his head. They tortured him by pulling and stabbing at his mind. Spider felt like his mind was being torn apart, and he only guessed the pain was comparable to someone having their cue ripped apart. His very soul cried in these moments.

He was sure he was going to die but was determined to fight until the bitter end. At one point his face felt sticky as blood flowed down his face in spades due to a severe nosebleed, and his voice became hoarse from all the screaming. But the skull-splitting headache was the worst of it. The only joy he experienced during his ordeal was seeing the frustrated looks on some of his tormentors' faces. They tried to extract information from him over and over again, but it was all useless. When Spider had been near fainting they realised the whole interrogation was a waste of their time and resources.

The scientists eventually pulled him out of the machine and brought him to a cell with the promise of more, but Spider was already spent. He fell asleep despite his tries to fight of the exhaustion.

The next day, Quaritch came for him and told him there would be no more science. Spider felt embarrassed by how relieved he was. Their machine had failed to extract any information on High Camp or the Sully family from his mind, which gave him unending relief. He had not failed the Sully's. He had not failed his home.

Instead, Quaritch instructed Spider to accompany the soldiers out into the woods on the slight chance he would run and lead them right to the camp. However, Spider knew he could not betray the trust the Omatikaya had placed in him. They had come to trust him to some degree, and he had earned it the hard way. He would sooner die than give their enemies any hint of their location.

The hike through the Pandora forest took a week, and Spider found himself running through some of the more dangerous parts, hoping that the wildlife would kill off some of the soldiers. That plan sadly failed and never before had a gun been pointed to his head more often.

The risk to his own life was acceptable at this point. Jake was not here to ground him anymore, and he didn't give a damn about what Quaritch had to say. The Colonel behaved worse than any animal Spider had ever encountered. Even the animals had higher moral standards than the Colonel, who was vicious, hateful, and deadly to all fauna. His men and women followed him like children, stomping around and making noise, as Neytiri would have said.

Over the time of 54 days, Spider had to spent a lot of time with them. Somehow these people started to slowly become more than faceless monsters that threatened him and his friends. He still hated most of Quaritch's goons, because they were sincerely repulsive beings. When Spider attempted to murder them via hiking route through Sturmbeest territory he even got grounded in his cell for a couple of days.

He found himself marginally warming up to Quaritch, which confused and shamed him. Though Quaritch was grumpy, angry, or annoyed most of the time, he still cared for Spider in a minimal sense. He told his men (and women) off for outright abusing him, gave Spider his jacket as a blanket when they slept outside and changed the batteries on his oxygen supply regularly. While these were small gestures likely done to keep him alive, Spider, who had always longed for a family of his own, cherished them deep in his heart. He knew that his attachment to Quaritch was foolish, but he couldn't really help it.

Spider's attitude shifted as he realised something during one of their hikes. Just the subtlest of movement in the trees, the sense of warmth, a glimpse of gold. They never came close and Spider was glad. He'd prefer to find a solution to this situation with little biloodshed.

Though it still hurt that none of the watching warriors took any action to save him. Was he not truly one of them?

He repeated in his head that he already had a family. One that still needed work on accepting him, but he had chosen long ago to stand with them. They were the people he loved and respected, especially one warrior, whom he aspired to be like and one girl, that was his best friend.

He felt guilty for sympathising with Quaritch, given the devastation Neytiri and the clan had experienced during the destruction of Hometree. It shocked him to hear that Neytiri had killed Quaritch the first time to save Jake and end the battle. So much had been lost due to the man he was with now.

So much pain caused by him and his greed or sadism—Spider was struggling, but in the end he would always make the same choice. There would be no real future for him anyway. At least not one he could foresee. Spider would somehow get through like he always had and if it took years more of hard work. Spider would prove himself to them.

He would make it as hard as possible for Quaritch to find anything in their territory, seeking revenge for the pain he caused Neytiri and the Omatikaya.

Miles Quaritch was beyond frustrated with his situation. Learning that his own son had been raised by a clan of "savages," and worse yet, mostly by Jake Sully, had left him seething. The boy behaved like an animal, ignoring orders and destroying everything in sight. He stubbornly resisted interrogation, communicating only in Na'vi or even Spanish? The prospects of locating Sully were looking bleak, so Quaritch was seriously considering alternative options.

To make matters worse, both the ugly twin and Dr. Traitor had fled the field as soon as they found the Sully spawn. Two-thirds of his leverage had vanished, and the higher-ups were expecting results. Quaritch didn't sign up for this game of hide-and-seek.

The boy had proven to be useless, but Quaritch knew that killing him would be a waste. Augustine was familiar with the forest and had likely returned to the clan, who were undoubtedly hiding in an unknown location.

His mood improved the evening before when a scientist who had interrogated the boy months ago provided him with new information. The memories the boy had of the Hell's Gate labs were somewhat inaccurate. There were rooms in his memories that didn't exist in Hell's Gate, which meant there was likely another human-built lab where the remaining humans, that had stayed the first time around resided. It wasn't the clan's location, but it was a start.

The scientist had located the second lab after scouring maps and drone footage for days. They would be the next target.

The helicopter was packed and ready to go, so Quaritch climbed aboard, eager to reach the second base of their enemies. It would be satisfying to see them scream and scramble like the cockroaches they were. Quaritch was angry enough that he wouldn't hesitate to be cruel. These scientists had chosen the wrong side and would pay with their blood if necessary.

Miles Quaritch watched as his men surrounded the building that had been used as an extra lab. They were all mocking the pretty garden they had built with so many different plants. But Quaritch had noticed someone climbing one of the smaller trees - a human girl, not even a teen. A smile spread across his face. He knew that they would spill their guts in no time if they had her. He ordered his team to bring her to him and not harm her too much. One of his men let out a mean snigger before they started to move.

Norm sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen and then at the huge stack of printed pages next to him. After Jake had left, he had started to print out all the books he had compiled for Jake and his classes - a book on leadership training, on charisma, on anything that might have helped Jake throughout the years. It was a small library by the time Kiri was old enough to visit her mother's Avatar on a regular basis. Norm was proud of his and Jake's work, but sad that he now had to prepare it for another chief to use. He had finished the translation some time ago, but was struggling with the binding. Norm had spent so much time with the clan, that he knew they would not like the synthetic leather they could produce with the printer. So maybe he should ask Grace for advice. Even Do'han, the woodworker, had been kind enough to help him with Tom's guitar.

Norm glanced over at the only finished book of guitar notes he had printed for fun. This one would go to Tom, so that he might just play some more Earth classics. Some of the pieces were practically ancient, but Norm remembered the music that Sully would listen to during the time of their Avatar training. Tom had not played that much back then, but when he did, Norm was always listening.

He remembered that Tom had been somewhat of a weirdo back then - a little cold and distant with people. The only times Norm saw him warm up was when he was either studying plants, playing his western guitar, or talking about his brother. His priorities in life were pretty easy to tell.

Norm grabbed the book and started to look through it, chuckling at the many songs that spoke of sibling love. Tom was such a simp. He had added lullabies just to be safe and Tom would be grateful to him in the future.

As Norm sat there lost in his thoughts, the door behind him opened, and he saw Max sticking his head in, searching the room.

"Have you seen Maya?" Max asked, furrowing his brow.

"I told her to come get you so you could put her to bed, but she hasn't returned after three minutes." Norm pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sharp breath as he set his book down.

"I'll go look for her in the garden. Chances are high she snuck out again." He sighed and stood up from his chair. "Chances are she's trying to get back to the clan. She was so excited when you went there last time." Max facepalmed.

"That girl will be the death of me one day." Norm sighed as he made his way to the garden.

"I'm sure you wouldn't even mind much," Max replied, following after Norm. They put on their oxygen masks and opened the door to the brightly self-illuminated garden. The plants and bugs emitted an ethereal glow, casting soft greens and pinks throughout the area. They scanned the garden, searching for Maya, and eventually found her hanging from a small fruit tree, laughing at her annoyed father's expression.

"There was a Grincar! We can give this to the weird lady in the clan. I bet she'll be happy," Maya boasted, holding a bluish beetle in her hand. Grincars were typically used for medical purposes by the Omatikaya so Mo'at would actually be able to use it.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Maya. You can give it to me, and I'll wrap it like a present," Max said as Norm attempted to help her down from the tree.

"I don't wanna go down! I'll come down when we go back to give the present," Maya declared, only sticking her hand out for Max to retrieve the beetle. Norm nodded patiently.

"I'll have to ask first if I can bring you back. You know I need to change to my Avatar first and then come and get you on my Ikran. I'll ask them early tomorrow," he said. Maya put on a stubborn face and remained in the tree.

Max clapped Norm's shoulder before heading back inside. "Hey, there's a book on my desk. Could you wrap that too? It's for Tom," he called after his colleague, who only nodded. He turned back to his daughter, remembering what they had been arguing about earlier.

"Without permission, Mo'at won't be happy to see you, you know. Even with your present," Norm warned, but his daughter only pouted.

"Very early in the morning? And you won't be lazy?" she replied, to which Norm nodded his head.

"Very early in the morning. Now come on, love. It's your bedtime, and you know I won't leave you out here. May I also remind you that I forbade you from coming out here alone?" Norm was used to Maya's demanding nature and barely heard her response when something moved behind him. He turned around to see the disturbingly happy face of an Avatar in the dim light of the night. An Avatar clothed in human clothes and holding a gun.

"Sound advice there." He sneered right in Norm's face.

Norm barely had time to process what was happening before he found himself tackled and pinned to the ground. A sharp snap echoed through the air as his arm broke under the pressure of his captor's grip. The pain was excruciating, but it paled in comparison to the sound of his Maya's screams ringing in his ears.

Miles Quaritch, newly reborn and as ruthless as ever, leered down at Norm.

"I remember you. You're Sully's friend," he sneered. "Tell me where he is."

Norm's heart sank. He knew Quaritch would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He looked over at Maya, held by one of Quaritch's men. She was terrified, but unharmed for now. He shushed her, telling her to be brave.

Quaritch leaned in closer, his grin sadistic. "I could make this easier for you," he said.

"Just tell me where your friend is hiding. I promise I won't hurt you or your daughter."

Norm gritted his teeth, seeing through the man's lies. "Don't fuck with me," he spat, hatred and pain etched on his face. But Quaritch only grinned wider.

"Well, you leave me no choice." He signalled to his men, who dragged Norm and Maya to a waiting helicopter. Norm's broken arm throbbed with pain as he was shoved inside, his hands chained to a metal rail. Another shout of pain escaped him as his arm was jostled and Maya clung to him, tears streaming down her face. He promised to protect her no matter what.

As the helicopter took off, Norm couldn't help but wonder what fate awaited them. His chances of survival were slim, as were Maya's. He knew Quaritch wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted, but he couldn't betray his friend. He had to find a way to warn Jake and save his daughter before it was too late.

Half an hour later, Max notified the clan, calling for Tom.

"Quaritch has Norm and Maya," he said.

"He took them!"

Tom's mind reeled. This was a nightmare come true. He had to act fast to save his friends and family from the clutches of this ruthless man.

He paced back and forth in his cell, trying to figure out what could have caused Quaritch's mood to improve so drastically since the previous night. The man's grin had been disgustingly smug when he brought Spider back.

Suddenly, Spider's head shot up as he heard loud cries outside his cell. He heard unclear shouts of men as they passed by his room and the heavy slam of the door to the cell next to his own. The cries continued but were now more muffled by the thick wall separating the rooms. His stomach churned when he recognised the voice of a young girl among the screams.

The men continued to shout and then another kind of scream could be heard. One of pain, this time. It was a man's voice, and Spider felt like he knew him. Every couple of minutes, he heard another cry from the undoubtedly tortured man. Time slowed with each scream, seconds trickling by like hours. The girl had gone quiet now, so much that he could no longer hear her.

The other men continued shouting out questions and insults, and the tortured man's screams quieted down to hissing. Then the door was slammed again as the other men left. Spider couldn't hear anything from the other room except the soft hissing. Maybe it was shushing? Was he comforting the girl?

An hour later, the other men returned, and the door was slammed shut again. The girl began to cry, and there was more shouting, hissing, and screams of pain before she screamed the only word he could understand: "Monster."

One man laughed, and Spider was pretty sure it was Quaritch. Then there was the most soul-piercing scream that left him frozen in horror.

He heard the door open for another time, and the crying girl was again moved past his own cell. Her voice was already hoarse from all her crying and screaming, but he recognised her voice, which was clearer now. It made his guts constrict in a way that he had to bow over. Vomit spilled to the ground as his eyes stung with tears. He punched the wall over and over until his knuckles were red with blood and he had to vomit again. Spider screamed in pain, but not from his hands.

It was Maya.

He couldn't hear anything from the room next to him anymore.

Because Norm had stopped screaming.

Hours after Norm and Maya's abduction, there was a bloody shirt and a note nailed to the fruit tree in the garden.

"Dear Tom," the note said. "If you want to see your friend and his girl again, come to the hanger tomorrow alone. 0800 hours pronto. We will kill anyone who comes with you and then the girl.

Love, Quaritch"

Several warriors had to hold Tom down as he thrashed against their hold, demanding to be released. Max was crying by the side as he held his friend's bloody shirt. There was too much blood.

Tanu'ley wakes up as she feels Tom moving beside her. She had held him through the night, softly singing until he fell asleep in her arms. Now, as the sun was about to rise, Tom got up and moved without his usual grace to gather some things. He collected his guitar and the book, a gift from Norm that Max had given him yesterday, which he gently placed in her waiting hands. She gave him a slow blink.

Tanu'ley laid the instrument and book down to rummage through her small box of belongings and took out a small flask of leather. She motions Tom to sit down before her and opened the flask to squeeze out some pitch black paint, which she applied to his face in two dark stripes going down his forehead, over his eyes and down his cheeks. It was a sign of mourning, tears of soot, and she knew the paint had some healing properties, but the effect did not show on Tom's face.

Tom gently raised his hands to the side of her face and gave her a long, soft kiss. He didn't speak, but she could understand him better without words.

Tanu'ley gave him another slow blink and watched as he rose off the ground. He pulled his visor down to his eyes, puts on a slim bracelet of light blue plastic pearls, and threw on a leather shirt used for longer flights. He left his knives with her, but wore the double sheath around his waist.

As Tanu'ley watched, her love called for his Ikran and mounted the beast without weapons, without hope, and took off into the blood-red sunrise.

Summary:

After Spider is captured and tortured for Information on the location of the clan or the Sully's Quaritch takes him out to the woods, where he tries to get the soldiers killed by luring them into dangerous territory. The plan fails and gets him grounded a couple times. He notices some growing affection for the colonel but crushes that feeling soon after- he is Omatikaya in his mind.

Quaritch finds a clue on an extra human lab for human residents of Pandora. He decides to check it out and finds Maya playing in the garden. They abduct both Norm and Maya.

Spider listens to Norm being tortured and killed while Maya has to look. He gets sick and really angry.

Quaritch writes a blackmail note to Tom, to come out of hiding for Maya's life, the next day Tom takes off into the blood red sunset, while Tanu'ley lets him go.

More problems start piling up and we go into the "rising tension" part of a story. I gave my best to integrate a lot of tension, so I'd be glad to hear what you think.

This makes for my second rather rude break of genre here and believe me it won't be my last. Hope to keep you on our journey here.