IKIGAI / Jake Sully

35

You don't know I've paid a price

"I need a name." Jake says

The man doesn't speak. Bloody, cold and so much smaller. Jake has forgotten how small a human frame is. He wraps his hand in cloth not to protect him but to protect the man from out right dying on impact.

"All you have to do is give me the name and all of this is over"

Don't try to pry

"Sir, it's going on a week I don't think he will give us anything" a man informs Jake

"Keep trying"

Girl leave those lights alone

"Commander, he...is refusing food and water at this point...he will die before giving us a name"

Jake sighs with annoyance in his eyes. Running through a hundred of options.

"Sir...what should we do?"

"Get medic in to start an IV. If he won't willingly we'll force it. Collect water and have Norm purify it."

Signed in blood

"I need a fucking name!" Jake shouts hitting him

And the man just laughs. "You think...you will break me. I'm a marine just like you. I am trained for this. Keep it up. I will die for my country"

Jake knew he was right too.

I'll never tell

"Start a feeding tube if he won't eat. We can't lose him" Jake orders the medic team who just nod.

Right my wrongs, I never will

He was getting desperate now as he walks by Norm who is speaking to his family on earth.

"Tell Jake we said Hi! Love you!"

"Love you guys too!" Norm says and turns to see Jake "Oh I didn't see you there. My mom and dad said hey"

"How are they? Feels like it's been forever since I talked to them"

"They're good. You know they'll never get over me missing Christmas and thanksgiving"

"Ever think about visiting?"

"Earth is 4.37 light years away. By that time I get back they'll probably be on their 5th holiday."

"Well atleast it's something. I know your family is a soft spot" Jake says

and suddenly...

His mind coming up with an idea....

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"Can you get in touch with anyone from earth?"

"I mean yeah if you know the person like a phone number. Why?"

"I use to work for special ops. I have a team down there."

"Special ops? Like what like black ops?" Norm ask

"Kinda. That's how we'll get the name."

"How? Wha?"

"Everyone has to have some type of thing and when I was in special ops. We would look into their background, jobs, if they had a parking ticket, owed money to someone to extract information and the most common one that made people give up anything is their..."