Captivity
"I'm of course glad to hear the first part of your mission has been successful. But that kind of report could have been made over the radio. And the interesting part is I don't recall giving you an order to take prisoners. But perhaps you could remind me of the part of our discussion I am forgetting." Ardmore said in her office back at bridgehead.
"The only other option would have been to shoot them or leave them to starve. Seemed a little extreme." Quaritch replied.
"It might be a better idea to take them in. Re-educate them. Bring them to our side." He offered.
The General sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We have experimented on this concept with TAP. And the fallout from that *brilliant* notion has caused no end of headaches. We may indeed be talking about children at this moment, but they shall not stay that way. And as soon as they reach adulthood they become a liability. It's a big disaster just waiting to happen. I'm not certain why I should tolerate such a risk."
"Mercer screwed up the execution of his plan. We can learn from his mistakes and do better." He countered.
"Can we now?" The General wondered, sounding extremely skeptical.
"Mercer's biggest mistake was training those kids to be soldiers. We shouldn't trust them to be that for us. Not the first gens at least. And we don't need them for that role either. You have Skel suits aplenty, which is close enough. And when you need the real thing you have Avatars and Recoms like us. What you do need are shopkeeps, dock workers, miners, engineers, nurses, bartenders… you know, normal civilian sector workers. I know we could always use some extra hands there." He explained.
There was an intrigued pause, Ardmore's finger tapping her desk, her other hand grasping her chin.
She leaned forward. "Well… it is true that there have been chronic labor shortages that could stand to be alleviated. So far from Earth such issues are endemic. While it might take years before these children are old enough to be put to work, I'm sure Mr. Stringer would jump at the opportunity. And I suppose out residential media team could put a good spin on this, taking care of war orphans and all."
She shrugged. "Very well. I shall discuss this with him, see if he thinks this would be a viable course of action. It sounds like this would be more the business of his department. But if there are any negative consequences because of this I'll be sure to remind you we had this conversation."
"Understood." He said.
"But that brings me to your other prisoners. I'm told they are presently being treated for their injuries before being transferred to a secure facility. Not what I had counted on. Those two I at least expected to get back in body bags. If you bothered to send them back at all. So what gives?"
"This is about the boy isn't it?" She asked when Quaritch didn't reply.
Ardmore shook her head, sighing heavily. "Colonel, I'm starting to become concerned by that boy's influence over you. If he is affecting your ability to carry out your orders…"
"He won't. I assure you." Quaritch cut in.
A pause from the General. "…Yet here you are. Asking for the lives of people you were meant to eliminate. Or am I misunderstanding your intent?"
Quaritch grimaced. "General, I… I would ask you to hear me out. You will find the results are as good as killing them… if a bit more of a song and dance. I would consider this a personal favor if this could be done."
The general regarded him for several uncomfortable seconds. "My patience is being tested. But very well. I'm listening."
"Thank you, General." Quaritch said. Then he paused, shuddering and rubbing his head.
"Everything alright, Colonel?" Ardmore asked.
"Yeah. It's just a lingering headache from… from some kind of seizure that occurred on the flight here. Affected my prisoners too. And my banshee. There were images burned into my brain that make me think you had something to do with this?"
"Ah yes. That business. I do apologize for any discomfort you experienced. Operation Fire Hammer had results that were… unanticipated."
"What exactly was operation Fire Hammer? You destroyed the Tree of Souls?" He asked.
"Indeed. Operation Spearpoint's purpose was to decapitate key enemy leaders and remove the most immediate threat of the Sea Peoples. Operation Fire Hammer was to accomplish the same with the Omatikaya and inflict a broader strategic defeat on our enemy. The effects seem to have exceeded all our projections. Investigation is still underway, but it appears this was felt globally."
"General, you're not at all concerned by the possible reaction to this?" He asked. "You've managed to hurt every non-human being on this rock. Many more might view us as their enemy."
She scoffed. "I expect the results to be more of the demoralizing variety. And your operation has demonstrated the consequences of attacking our interests. And should I be mistaken… I do have a contingency planned."
"But your proposal, Colonel. Present it. I expect a concrete suggestion." She then said.
"Right…" Quaritch said.
Jake woke to the sight of harsh white walls, and an equally harsh artificial light overhead. He sat up to take a better look at his surroundings. He was feeling groggy, hungry and more than a little frail. But he was alive, and he was not alone.
Turning his head he saw Neytiri next to him, still asleep. He saw all their clothes and belongings had been taken, both of them instead wearing orange jumpsuits with short sleeves and pant legs that ended just above the knee. No shoes, no socks. Some sort of black devices around their wrists and necks. But that wasn't what really caught his attention…
Remembering how awfully torn up she had been when they had been captured, he was astonished to note her face and body were completely fine now. On closer inspection there were hair thin lines of red where her wounds had been, in most places so faded they had all but disappeared. Looking down and rolling up his pant leg he saw the bullet wound was gone, with not even a scar left behind. He had to check both legs just to be sure. But nothing. And his side was no longer hurting. How was any of this…?
Oh… that's right. He had very little memory between Awa'atlu and here. But there were faint memories of people in white coats working on him between dozes of sedative. It was not what he had expected but… apparently their doctors had fixed them up. Their medical knowledge could certainly do this, if they bothered to use it.
There were… other memories too. Unexplainable flashes of fire, bright lights and pain that had cut through even the haze of the sedative. The vague sense that something indescribably wrong had occurred while he had been unconscious. But those memories were so unpleasant he instinctively shied away from them, trying not to think about them. They weren't very clear anyway, the sedative having rendered the images blurry. Something told him he didn't want a clearer recollection.
"Wait… all their things had been taken!? Then that would mean…" He suddenly realized, hurriedly giving himself a pat down. His ears drooped as he failed to find what he was looking for.
"It's true then. They took it. Which probably meant they had taken hers too… oh no." He understood.
That was the time Neytiri started to stir as well.
"Mmmmh… Jake?" She asked her eyes opening.
"I'm here." He said, gently helping her sit up.
"Where are we?" She asked, eyes moving around the white surfaces around them.
"Bridgehead most likely. Don't know beyond that. I just woke myself. No one's come to see us yet." He replied.
"Bridgehead…" She repeated nervously. She was quick to note her absent injuries, gasping in surprise. Noticing her attire came immediately after:
"What the…? What have they got me wearing? Where are my…?" She wondered. Then she turned frightened, searching herself frantically. "Hold on… where is- nonono, where is it!?"
She put her hands on her head. "Oh no… no! They took it. The songcord! My songcord!"
"Yours too?" She guessed. He nodded glumly.
She let out a shout of grief and frustration. "Damn them! Damn them all! The bastards! They STILL aren't satisfied with what they've done. Still they have to take more…"
"Look… we'll get them back. When we get out of here we will find them." He told her. Even to him the words sounded hollow. But what else was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to tell her their songcords were probably in a trash bin somewhere? Or in the best case on their way to be sold to some rich persons private collection.
Their discussion was interrupted by the cell door opening. Jake's eyes widened as he recognized the person entering. Ardmore. The human military leader, and most likely the mastermind of every damn thing that had been going wrong lately. When he saw Neytiri slowly stand up into a low crouch, a dangerous expression on her face and her tail whipping back and forth, he realized she was thinking the exact same thing.
"Neytiri, wait, don't!" He warned as she suddenly yelled in anger and charged straight at Ardmore. But before she could reach the general there was a loud electrical buzz and Neytiri collapsed to the ground, shouting in pain and clawing at the device around her neck.
"No! Stop, please! Please…" Jake pleaded, moving as close to Neytiri as he dared without ending up like her. Ardmore glanced at him dispassionately, then took a step back. The buzzing sound stopped and Neytiri was left gasping for air on the ground. Jake went to her and gathered her up on his arms.
"The devices on you are set to inflict discomfort to you if you attempt to approach me. Much closer than that and you will be rendered unconscious." Ardmore told Neytiri coolly. "I suggest you relax Mrs. Sully. You're not in control of this situation."
She tilted her head. "Hmm. I see the cloned tissue grafts have settled in nicely. A day or two and it should be impossible to tell you were hit with a grenade at all. In your case I'd call the treatments an exorbitant waste, though I am pleased that our staff remain committed to their medicinal oaths." She commented, while Neytiri glared at her.
"What about you Mr. Sully? I trust your leg and rib are fully healed as well?" Ardmore asked.
"Cut the crap. What do you want with us?" Jake said angrily.
Ardmore smirked. "I have come to inform you of your sentence. It seemed appropriate to do so in person, seeing as we have been opponents for more than a year now."
"So what will it be? Line us up against the wall and get it over with?"
"Oh, that is certainly tempting. Even at this stage. But the Colonel has made a request that another solution be applied." She explained.
"Quaritch?" Jake asked, not believing his ears.
"It is rather clear he is asking on behalf of another. It is an odd boon to ask as far as such things go. But just as I make a point to reprimand incompetence or sloppiness, I reward good performance. And he came up with a rather workable idea. Mr. Stringer and I both agree the RDA can afford to indulge the good Colonel.
"So what will you do?" Jake asked, bowing his head.
"Your sentence is banishment. Our engineers are building two cryo capsules in your size. Once complete you will be placed inside… and delivered to Earth. Lightyears way, you will cause not trouble for anyone here." She explained.
Jake's head shot up, his eyes wide. No. Not there…
"Earth? Rrta? You'll send us… to your world?" Neytiri gasped.
"Correct. But no need to concern yourself with sightseeing. The rest of your natural lives will be spent in cryosleep, in a penitentiary facility there." Ardmore said.
"You will be fetched when the time arrives. Until then you shall remain here." She concluded to the devastated expressions of Jake and Neytiri.
"Wait. What about our kids? What shall you do with them?" Jake asked just as Ardmore was about to leave.
"…I would answer that, except I haven't the fairest idea what happened to them. My troops never reported finding any signs of them." Ardmore replied.
"And I suppose that is fine by me. The ones I wanted to be dealt with have been dealt with. To my knowledge your kids aren't a threat to our operations at this time, even if they are alive. So they are free to stay out of our way. If they do not go out of their way to change that calculation there is no reason to pursue them. Take that for whatever consolation it will be for you." She continued, then strode out through the door, which was locked behind her.
Several more days followed. Days spent in boredom, blending together. For a time this white room became their whole existence. The lighting of their cell never turned off completely, only dimmed slightly during nighttime, making it that much harder to tell the passage of time.
They did what they could to relieve their boredom. They talked and sang the songs of their people, though they had to do both quietly. The guards disapproved of noise, and were quick to shut down any perceived disturbance. They had discovered to their regret that their restraints could also be triggered remotely from outside their cell.
Their nights they mostly spent together. And this despite the fact they knew they were being watched by cameras in all four corners of the room. They knew they might not have much time left. Much had happened for which they both needed consolation. And there were few sources of genuine joy in this sterile hellhole they were trapped in. So they would give each other what comfort they could, while they still had the chance. Let the Sky People have their show if they cared to. After a while the cameras didn't even bother them that much.
Jake also racked his brain for a way to escape. His dreams were filled with fantasies of outrageous escapes, both of them laughing at the furious expression of the General as they made their getaway. But eventually he always had to wake up to realize he did not have a workable plan.
There was nothing useable for an escape in their cell. Two foam mattresses to sleep on, which they had moved together on the first day to have a single large bed. A toilet and a tap for clean water, both built for their size and both firmly attached to the wall and floor. A few plastic cups. Other than that their cell was bare. There were no windows and only one door. A big, bulky thing made entirely out of metal. It had not been opened a single time after Ardmore's visit. A tray came through a hatch at the bottom of the door, with two plastic bags containing the white sludge that was their food. The empty tray and bags were collected through the hatch three hours later.
Whereas he had been looking for escapes… Neytiri's response had been very much the opposite. Jake was worried about her. After her initial outburst it seemed like she had lost hope. Cut off from the Forest and even the Sea, the sense of helplessness was eating away at her. When they weren't doing something together she had shown little initiative for anything. She slept inordinate amounts of time, sometimes for most of the day. At other times she sat curled up in one corner or the other, staring at the walls.
Of all the hurts they had suffered, nothing pained Jake like seeing her this defeated. He had thought it could never happen. That it was impossible. His beautiful wife, a fierce warrior and a fiercer mother. He was doing what he could to cheer her, but this felt like a problem that was beyond his means to fix.
At least they had been allowed to stay together. He felt they would have both gone mad if they had been separated.
"Where is our food?" Neytiri asked one day. "They are usually so punctual. Do you think they forgot?"
Jake gave a contemplative hum. He had noticed it too. Neither one of them found the food they were given particularly tasty, but it was still one of the highlights during their monotonous days.
"There might be another reason. It's recommended that you shouldn't eat anything six to twelve hours before cryo. Having frozen food sitting in your guts for years on end is thought to be bad for your health." He then suggested.
"So… it could be almost time?" She asked, taking his meaning.
"It could, yeah." Jake confirmed somberly.
Neytiri drew a shuddering breath and sat down closer, her shoulder rubbing against his. He draped his arm over her.
"Jake… what does it feel like? This… cryo? She… Ardmore said that we would be asleep. Is it like that? Dreaming?" She asked.
Jake shook his head. "Not quite. You don't dream in cryo. You just close your eyes and open them immediately after in your destination. You might not think any time has passed at all, except you're not feeling well when you wake."
She sniffed. "Only… we won't wake. They won't let us. We'll just stay like that… what, forever?"
"Sleeping forever, without ever dreaming… that's like death, isn't it? Only, not in truth." She continued, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
"What if… if we just sleep on forever and never really die, how will we go back to Eywa? What if Earth is too far away and our spirits never find their way back?"
"We might never see our children ever again. In any life, ever." She said, starting to sob openly. "Jake… I'm scared."
"Shh… it's okay, baby. We'll be alright. Somehow. We'll be all right…." He said, holding her a bit closer, his own voice cracking.
They spent some time huddled together, sobbing quietly. Then they started as at long last the door of their cell was opened again. A pair of Skel troopers stepped through, armed with cattle prods.
"Get up. Now!" One of them ordered sharply.
Slowly, hesitantly, Jake and Neytiri got on their feet and approached, staying close together. After cuffing their hands to their front, the Skel troopers led them past the airlock of their cell. Four more Skel troopers awaited on the other side.
"Cowards." Jake thought contemptuously. Even with all these precautions they still felt the need to outnumber them.
Their procession was led down a corridor, past what several more cell doors, and finally through another set of doors into an entrance hall. For the first time in many days they could see the outsides through the widows, narrowing their eyes at the sunlight streaming through.
In the center of the room two cryo capsules waited, open.
"Get in." A trooper said, pointing.
They took a step towards their pods. But suddenly Neytiri flinched and took a step back.
"Hey! Get in!" The trooper shouted angrily, giving Neytiri a shove towards her pod. But she backed away again, shaking her head, her expression scared.
"What are you doing!? I said get in there!" The soldier shouted, his cattle prod crackling dangerously, the other soldiers tensing.
"Wait, wait, please. Let me handle this." Jake said. The soldier looked at him for a moment, then took a step back.
"Neytiri, baby, look at me. Look at me." He said, cupping her face with his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But we have to. You need to be brave now. You've always been that. Be it now. One more time."
She shuddered, but eventually managed a nod.
"Come on. Get a move on." The soldier said insistently.
"Stop it. We heard you. We're going." Jake said angrily over his shoulder.
They got to their pods and laid down inside. Once they were strapped in the hatches were closed, a hiss and a click as they locked. Then a low hum as the cryogenic process began. Their final conscious thoughts were of their children and what might have happened to them…
Spider was sitting in a lobby of one of the airfields terminals, staring out the window. Outside there was the white and black bulk of a Valkyrie shuttle. Its cargo ramp was open, showing the interior of the hold. Several crates and containers were waiting to be loaded onboard. Of particular note were the two oversized cryo capsules.
This was as close as he was allowed to get. He was permitted to walk around the public areas of Bridgehead. Though even then not alone. He gave a sideways glance at the guard standing a respectful distance away. Wherever he went, a guard went as well. Not always the same one, but he was getting to know their faces.
He had tried to go and see Jake and Neytiri. He had made it as far as the entrance to the prison where they were held. There he had been turned away no matter what he had tried to say or do. Even Quaritch could not help him there, especially now that he had returned to continue his mission. Ardmore was perhaps the only person who could have gotten him in. And frankly, given past experiences, he was scared to go anywhere near her. At least he had been able to find out the time of their departure from Stringer.
He sighed heavily as he saw the dock workers start loading the capsules onto the Valkyrie. This had not been what he had had in mind when he had set out to save them. He had tried to change this, but his room to negotiate had run out.
"I'm so sorry about all of this… sorry I couldn't do more." He said in a low voice, his thumb rubbing the two songcords in his hand. He had made sure to take them during the ride here, for safe keeping. They would be his to look after for now, until they came back and he could return them. He hoped wishing for their return wasn't a delusion.
He waited until the Valkyrie was fully loaded and lifted off. Then he slowly stood up and walked away.