Towards Love

23.mission

Neteyam's pov

Two days had passed since Lola's mind transfer happened and she still hadn't woken up. Neteyam didn't leave her side. In the Sullys hut, he stayed seated next to her all day holding her hand, cleaning her face, telling her what was happening at the village. At night, he slept with her, holding her body like a life line. He was afraid that if he let go of her, her spirit would leave her for good and join Eywa. The Sullys were worried about him. If Lola did not survive, they doubted that Neteyam could recover. That was the big drawback of the mates. They felt everything good and bad about each other. He would feel her loss like a gaping hole in his chest. And no one knew when he would heal or if anyone would ever be able to take his place.

Today was the day of Spider's mission. Neteyam wanted to be there for his friend but he couldn't be away from Lola for too long. He had been with her all morning talking about anything and everything, hoping to stimulate her subconscious by reminding her of things she knows. "Tuk has gone to pick flowers, she wants Kiri to help her make crowns. I'm sure she'll give you one when she's done, you'll be beautiful wrearing it. Mom says it's a good way to keep her from worrying too much... Oh and it's Spider's mission today. Dad went to pick the evidence where you hid it. They have a whole plan and I'm very confident they will succeed. You know, he is very invested like it's the mission of his life. I really hope that you'll be awake when they come back. So you can celebrate with us." The boy lowered his head, a touch of sadness coming over him. He was trying to be strong for the two of them, to take all the others' worry on his shoulders. But the truth was that he was scared to death and felt like crying most of the time to get rid of his anxieties. 

The boy heard someone get in the hut but didn't look up. It's only when he heard him speak that he turned around to face him. "Bro, it's time for me to go. I just wanted you to know." Neteyam got up hastily and came to stand in front of Spider. He had redone his blue stripes - Kiri must have helped him - and he had a closed face as if he was already concentrating. "Sure, thanks for coming." He placed his hands on Spider's shoulders as if to convey strength. "You'll rock, I'm sure everything will be fine." They did not say so, but they were both afraid. This was a dangerous mission that could go wrong at any time. Neteyam didn't want to loose his friend after his mate and Spider didn't want to loose his family. "Thanks, I'll do my best." They smiled at each other awkwardly as if it was too hard for them to fake innocence. 

"Spider! Time to go!" Jake's voice came from outside the hut making the boys jump in surprise. "Okay, see you soon." Spider gave Neteyam a friendly pat on the arm and then left the hut as quickly as he had entered. He didn't want to linger for fear of showing emotions he didn't want to show.

***

Spider's pov

Flying on Jake's ikran, the boy was reviewing the plan they had developed over the past few days. Jake would leave him in Hell's Gate just beyond the barbed wire boundary of the base, in an area they had spotted as being unguarded. From there, Spider would have to move as quietly as possible to the ship bound for Earth. He would be armed: gun and knives concealed to defend himself in case of need. Jake would be positioned with other warriors not far from the base, hidden at the edge of the forest. At the slightest call from Spider, they could intervene quickly. 

Spider would have to climb into the ship. The most complicated part would then start. He had to put the USB key in a box, write a title on it that would suggest that it was unimportant so that no one would touch it, but significant enough for Lola's teacher to recognize it once the ship reached its destination. He would then have to escape before the doors closed, otherwise he would be trapped and sent to Earth, a planet he did not know and for which he did not have the codes.

They soon landed and Jake left as soon as Spider's feet touched the ground. He went to hide behind some ammunition boxes, an adrenaline rush paralyzing him for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, the young man started to move towards the ship that he could see a few meters away from him. Each step brought him closer to his goal. The sooner he succeeded, the sooner he would be able to return to his family and enjoy the good meals cooked by Neytiri and Kiri. Thinking about the young Na'vi gave him the strength to resume his progress. 

Hearing heavy foot steps made him freeze. He had almost reached his destination and found cover behind one of the walls of the machine. The entrance was on his left, with soldiers marching in front of it. Once they were gone, Spider sprinted inside. He was in the cargo hold where the goods sent from and to the Earth were piled up. Spider tried to be quick. He scanned the room for a box and found a medium-sized one containing ammunition. He pocketed some of it, then hid the USB key among the rest and closed it. On the label stuck to the lid, still blank, he wrote with a felt-tip pen that was lying around "anthropology research - pilot project". That way soldiers wouldn't care looking inside and the box would have a chance to be delivered to Lola's teacher. The hardest part was done, now he had to go back to the fences for Jake to pick him up. 

Quickly hiding in the shadows of the machine, he took the time to catch his breath. Not to rush or relax his guard, these were the mistakes he could make thinking that the mission was over. He dashed off again and, trying to turn behind a crate to go unnoticed, came face to face with a seated soldier, taking a break. "Shit." They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. Neither of them dared to move knowing what reaction the other would have. Spider then came to his senses and ran away, hoping that the soldier would not follow him. Of course, the man got up and chased him, shouting at him to stop. 

The boy then had the idea of scattering the ammunition he had pocketed earlier, so that it would appear that he had come here in recognition and not to attack the base. The Omatikaya did not need another attack, they had suffered enough as it was. "Jake! Jake someone saw me, he is after me!" Spider had spoken in his necklace, hoping that Jake was ready to go. "Come to the fences, we are here!" The boy was too fast for the soldiers who was trying to put his gun out. He had not come across the smartest one and Spider thanked Eywa for it. Arriving at the edge of the base, Jake was there, waiting for him on his ikran, ready to take off. "Come on big guy, you're almost there!" Spider threw himself onto the ikran and the Na'vi didn't wait any longer. As they flew away, they heard the soldier swearing and firing a few shots hoping to hit them.

Holding onto the animal, Spider was panting due to his effort and the fear that still overwhelmed him. Jake gently stroked his hair to calm him down. "I'm proud of you buddy, I see you." Hearing this sentence from Jake's mouth brought a huge smile to the boy's face. Finally, he was recognized. His shoulders relaxed as if an invisible weight had been lifted.

Author's note
Success  for Spider! Let's hope that everyone else will be proud of him at home :) 
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