Chapter 7

One of the people

"You allright, Jake?" Opal asked, looking at the videolog she just made. She saved it, but made absolutely sure the RDA would not have any access, or at least Quaritch didn't.

She continued comparing samples, looking up from her notes as the silence went on.

"Jake?" The ex-marine sighed, wheeling his wheelchair to Opal.

"It's just...I feel like there is the true life and here, well here is the dream." The blonde stopped in her tracks, humming as she thought for a moment.

"To be honest, i have been feeling like that for a while." Opal admitted, sighing as she turned to Jake.

"The world out there is so beautiful and alive and fresh air and back home... just thinking about returning to dying Earth. God, it makes me sick. "

"But, I do have a friend, someone i called family for a long while still there, so..."

"You feel as if you have no choice to return." Opal nodded.

"But for you...it has to do with Neytiri, doesn't it ?" Jake was silent but she could see it in his eyes.

"Jake, that is asking for trouble!" His friend

exclaimed.

"I know!" He said, raising his hands as if he wanted to give an explanation. "I just...I cannot help it."

Opal nodded. "If you go down that path, you have to be prepared for the consequences."

"But for what it's worth, I have your back, no matter what."

"Thanks, Opal." She smiled, suppressing a yawn. "That's what friends are for, right?"

She returned to her bunk, ready to fall asleep.

The betrayal in Peyral's eyes was the worst.

The sneering of Tsu'tey she could live with.

It was true they had gotten a bit closer through the weeks following the incident with the stuck hunter. Yes, he still called her skydemon and threw jabs at her skills, but she knew it was meant as a joke, more out of habit now than hatred. Opal could laugh with it now, returning his jabs in good humour.

She would not call them friends per se, but there was a friendliness there that had not been there before. With time, who knows, they might become friends instead of mere acquantances.

Anyway, back to the point.

Bile rose in her throat as the disappointment that fluttered through her

bond with Mowan and the oppressed silence of Peyral as she was carted off with Jake and Grace, made her feel guilty and scared and sad all at once. That feeling hurt like a bitch.

"Peyral, please! You need to leave!" Opal pleaded, tugging on her bound hands.

"They will attack Hometree, bows and arrows will do nothing. Leave!" Opal screamed at Eytukan, but it fell on deaf ears.

Opal kept screaming at them to leave as the incendiary rounds were shot at Hometree, the giant tree starting to creek and shudder, bigger and bigger branches falling down to the ground.

"No,no,no!" Opal screamed, Jake tugging in the bonds as he pleaded at Neytiri to free them, to not leave them behind.

The rest of it was a blur. She remembered Jake tugging her and Mo'at along, as well as her grabbing Grace by the hand.

And then...Total darkness.

She woke up in a cell, disoriented and aching.

"What happened?" The blonde croaked, sitting up as Norm helped her sit up. "Quaritch happened." Norm grunted.

"It's my fault." Jake admitted. "No, no. Quaritch used us, all of us. Can you blame yourself for a chance to walk again? To breathe fresh air?!" Grace said. "We are all

to blame."

"Maybe but sitting here won't help, will it?" Max said, opening the door to their cells.

"Take these masks and follow me. We are getting the hell out of here." Trudy whispered, signing to them to follow her.

Opal made up the rear, eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Okay, Trudy has fired up the engine. Go, go, go!" Jake whispershouted as they started running towards the helicopter.

The sound of metal hitting metal followed them. "They are shooting at us!" Grace screamed in disbelief.

"Go, auntie. I am right behind you!" Opal screamed, pushing the woman ahead of her.

Something seemed to pinch Opal's side, a grunt leaving her lips as she climbed into the helicopter.

"We made it! Hell yeah!" Norm shouted, raising his hands in the air in celebration.

"Opal, talk to me." Grace said, seeing how pale Opal was and how hard she had it to breathe.

"Shit, Opal got hit!" Jake shouted. "Norm, get me the medkit!"

Norm affirmed it while Grace and Jake helpen Opal lie down. "Breathe through your nose and stay awake." Jake ordered,

putting another bandage on her rapidly reddening side.

Grace squeezed Opal's hand as the sound of the wirring blades of the helicopter became static.

Time turned meaningless, Opal falling into a semi-awake state, Grace's hand squeezing hard everytime she seemed to drift off.

"Where are we going?" Opal muttered through dry and cracked lips, as Grace peeled off her bloodsoaked clothes, leaving her in nothing but a thin shirt and her underwear.

"It's a surprise." Avatar Grace smiled. "Stay awake and you'll find out."

Opal nodded, but the pain in her side was turning numb. And somewhere, she knew that was not a good thing.

She saw all sorts of lights, and the People, all chanting.

Peyral walked fast as she held her friend, so unbelieveably small in her human form, the sense of betrayal she had felt long forgotten. They could hash that out when Opal was not on the brink of death.

The fragile blonde was transferred by Peyral to another pair of arms, Jake carrying her avatarbody right behind her.

"Tsu'tey?" Opal asked as she looked up, said warrior looking down his nose at her as he carried her to the Tree of Souls.

"You got stuck with the least appealing job, huh?" A small grin cracked on his lips, but he remained silent.

Opal felt herself fading away, her sight fading as the Tree of souls became a blur of colours.

"Don't go dying on me now, skydemon." Tsu'tey grunted, Opal blinking up at him. "Who am I going to sneer and jab at otherwise ?"

A soft snort left Opal's mouth, a bit of blood dripping down her neck. " You might have to find someone else." She whispered.

"Never." He gently said, finally putting her down. To her shock he did not leave, brushing her matted blonde hair out of her

face, his hands a cool relief to her heated cheeks, warm with fever.

"Our Great Mother will help, Jake Sully." Mo'at said, Jake looking down at Opal, whose eyes were closed, face nuzzling into Tsu'tey's cool hands.

"Grace!" Jake called the scientist, the avatar crouching down next to Opal's human body, grabbing and squeezing her hand. "Hold on, Opal. Just for a little while longer."

Neytiri sat next to Opal's avatarbody, looking up at her mother.

"Plead and pray for Opal, so she can leave her human body and wake up Na'Vi and walk among the People as one of us!"

Peyral shared a look with Jake and Tsu'tey, putting her hand on Opal's forehead.

Her friend looked small and sickly, the shirt she was wearing red with blood and her blonde matted hair sticking to her back and forehead. Peyral brushed her matted hair away from her forehead, Tsutey's hands having moved to Opal's shoulder, trying to rearrange her body so the Tree of Souls couls connect to her body to begin the transfer. She was extremely warm to the touch, a high fever making her shiver. Opal moaned in protest, but fell silent when the seeds of the Tree of Souls made contact with her skin.

To think they had last seen each other on bad terms. If Opal did not make it, she would never forgive herself.

"You can do it, niece." Grace said, squeezing her hand some more.

" You have to fight, Opal." Jake said, a frown marring his face. But Jake had his doubts Opal could hear him. She seemed far off, already on her way to pass through Eywa's eye.

"You have to fight." Jake's voice faded away as everything became dark.

It was the last thing she knew in a long while.