When a seemingly lifeless boy is saved by a girl.
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Ma'vona was once a beloved member of the Kame'tire clan, known for their profound understanding of Pandora's flora and unparalleled healing skills. Their expertise was so great that they could heal...
♪ Jake enters his avatar world by James Horner ♪ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter Forty: The Cold Breath
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"Then they’ve moved them," I interrupted, my voice low but firm.
I turned to face Richard, my golden eyes narrowing. "You said you disabled their systems. Could they have anticipated this and relocated them before we even got here?"
Richard paused, his lips tightening as he considered the possibility. "It’s… very unlikely," he admitted reluctantly. "But not impossible. If they had an alternate plan in place—"
"Stop theorizing and figure it out!" I barked, stepping closer to him. My heart pounded against my ribs, a storm of dread building inside me. The thought of Neteyam—of the Sarentu—being moved to some other cruel corner of this base sent a chill through me. I couldn’t fail them.
Richard exhaled sharply, his fingers flying across his tablet. "Give me a second," he muttered, his tone clipped. "I’ll check for any alternate holding areas they might’ve—"
A sudden noise interrupted him—a distant clatter echoing through the corridor. All of us froze, our ears twitching toward the sound. My hand tightened instinctively on my weapon.
"Did you hear that?" Tso’lek whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Yeah," I replied, my gaze fixed on the end of the hall where the sound had come from. "Stay sharp."
Richard hesitated, glancing between his tablet and the corridor. "I’ll keep working," he said, stepping closer to a nearby wall and hunching over his screen. "You two—check it out."
Tso’lek and I exchanged a glance before nodding. Moving in unison, we crept toward the sound, and our footsteps deliberately light on the grated floor. The dim overhead lights flickered intermittently, casting shifting shadows that played tricks on the eyes.
As we rounded the corner, my stomach clenched. The corridor stretched ahead of us, its walls lined with more cells, but the faint metallic scent in the air felt stronger here, mingling with something acrid. I signalled Tso’lek to stay close as we advanced.
Another noise—a faint shuffle—came from a room to our left. I raised my weapon, motioning for Tso’lek to cover me as I approached the partially open door. My breath was steady, my movements deliberate. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside.
The room was small and sterile, filled with equipment I didn’t recognize. The source of the noise became apparent as a thin wire dangled from a console, swaying slightly as if recently disturbed. My eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of life, but it was empty.
"Nothing," I whispered, stepping back out to where Tso’lek waited. His expression was tense, his eyes darting toward the corridor behind us.
"We’re wasting time," he said, his voice low. "If they’ve moved them, we need to find out where. Richard needs to—"
