Like Water || Neteyam

Chapter 9: Home

Norm ensured the link beds, especially the ones linked to yours and his human bodies are loaded onto Mingxia's Samson aircraft before rushing off again to find Max. As humans who choose to remain loyal to the Omaticaya, it is a bold move for them to give up all they have in Hell's Gate and to migrate to the mountains, and also a very challenging one. You offered to help them move their lab and science supplies, yet was simply told by Norm to stick with the Sully kids, for you were still getting used to your avatar body. 

Amongst all this chaos, Jake is beyond stressed when he finds that the process of evacuation was going a lot slower than expected. After all, there are eight tons of blasting compound in this building alone which need to be transported to High Camp.

You and Neteyam on the other hand began helping Neytiri pack with the other kids. You wanted to search for Spider, but Norm had warned you to not wander off on your own, since Hell's Gate is a complete mess right now, and he couldn't risk you being separated from the others. You worried for Spider the most of all the children, you knew the McKoskers have chosen to stay back at Hell's Gate, meaning they chose to surrender to the RDA. As their foster son, Spider would surely be told to stay behind with them, but for obvious reasons, neither him nor Kiri would take to this very well, you could already imagine.

Neteyam was the first to catch sight of Jake as he came this way to ensure that his family are ready to get going. He rushed to his side before Jake even had a chance to speak.

"Dad, do not send me to the high camp like a child, I'm ready to fight."

You sighed and exchanged worried looks with Neytiri, both of you knowing how eager Neteyam has been for all these years to prove his own capabilities, and how he truly yearns to help his father in the upcoming battles.

"Forget it boy, you're going to the mountains with everybody else." Jake answered firmly, placing a hand over Neteyam's shoulder. "Son, I need you to take care of your siblings and Ira while your mother and I are on the mission. We can't let what happened at the war council happen again. Keep them safe."

"No sir..." Neteyam wanted to argue further, until he felt a hand pull on his arm. He subconsciously turned and look down, until he realized you were in your avatar body, which meant you were no longer half his height. This change is still so new to him, it will take a long time for him to get used to. Then again, it's not like he will never see you in your human body. Perhaps when you get to high camp, you would fall asleep and wake up once again in the tiny body that he is used to. Either way, he would be delighted to teach you the Na'vi way of things when you are ready, he knew you had always dreamed of becoming a part of the people, just like how his dad did many years ago even before he became fully Na'vi. Only right now, that would have to wait, because there is a war to prepare.

"Wait a minute, where's Kiri?" Jake glanced around, just realizing that his second eldest is missing.

"She left." That was all Lo'ak had to answer, he didn't need to say more for you all to know where Kiri would have gone off to.

As all of you looked around for her, soon you heard her and another familiar voice talking to each other.

"Max says I have to stay with the McKoskers."

"Nope, you gotta stay with your family. That's me, Spider. War orphans have got to stick together."

"Yes sir."

You could just hear the joy in Spider's voice, how happy he was to hear that Kiri has made the decision on his behalf. If only things were so simple...

"Guys..." you were the first one to rush over to them, and from Spider's look, you could tell he took a moment to recognize your avatar body, now standing much taller than him and even an inch or two taller than Kiri.