Pandora Trials

Chapter 5

Suddenly a banging of fists against iron drummed in Ninat's head. She dropped to the floor. Her vision started to blur into shapes and she could faintly hear Zutec shouting and Anyilra trying to shake her awake. She felt a sharp pain in her torso, it was unbearable. Truly unbearable. Like a worm was burying in, under her skin and eating her from the inside. She wanted to cry out but she couldn't scream, she couldn't move. She saw blood oozing from a wound, it was small but it ran deep, a shot wound for sure. She was struggling not to throw up the remaining food in her stomach. She could feel herself being picked up with strong arms, probably Zutec's. She almost screamed out, as if it wasn't painful enough the pain intensified again. He started running, pounding footsteps followed, that would be Anyilra. Then she heard more thumps and bangs coming from the door. Her head fell limp and her eyes finally shut, Zutec's cries dimmed to silence and she thought she was dead. Everything was black, she felt like she was lifted into a standing position, she felt around hoping for a light. When she turned around she could see a figure, a beautiful Na'vi woman. She was holding out her hand, it was a perfect blue, white dots looked like stars on the back of her hand, running up to her arms and through to her beautiful face. She was perfect, a God.

"You can let go now. The pain will all go away. Just come with me." The voice was gentle and soft. Ninat had remembered Dr.F's teachings on a Na'vi god named Eywa. This must be her. Who else could it be with her skin as blue as the ocean.

She started to move towards the body when a sudden shock made her eyes open. She saw Zutec's handsome face, he was beaming down at her, he was shouting, his voice got louder and louder.

"You're awake! Anyilra! Ninat's awake! Come quick!!"

Ninat could hear Anyilra running towards her, she was laying on a lumpy bunk again. She lifted her head and looked at her torso to see bandages wrapped round her middle.  That small movement drained the little energy she had left and she let her head drop back.

Zutec was stroking her head, "It's over now. It's over." He was whispering in a husky gentle voice.

Ninat managed to smile up at him, he leaned down and kissed her gently then moved away quickly. He smiled again.

A few hours later everyone was sitting around the table with a bowl of stew Zutec had made. Anyilra used her good arm to shovel spoonfuls in her mouth. Zutec was eating slowly and Ninat wasn't eating at all. Ninat thought how maybe her getting shot wasn't intended by the Creators, or whoever they were. That maybe there was a larger threat than the Creators, possibly something that could be out of even their control.

"Are you okay?" Asked Zutec.

Ninat lightly shook her head back into reality, "Yeah," She murmured. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Zutec looked over with his beautiful yellow eyes with an almost accusing look that just said: You're not fine and we both know that. Ninat just mouthed: "I'll tell you alone, later."  He lightly nodded and went back to eating.

"Did anyone get a glimpse of our attackers?" Inquired Ninat, trying to change to conversation.

"I only saw these strange masks. They were the size of men. They were dressed in camouflage. Syl- I mean Dr. F." Anyilra replied, giving a sorry glance at Ninat when she almost said Dr. F's fake name. Ninat just smiled and nodded slightly. "Apart from that. We had no clues who they may have been or where the heck the came from." Continued Anyilra.

Soon after Anyilra and Zutec had finished their stew, Anyilra went to the washroom, while Zutec beckoned Ninat into his room. She remembered her promise to him.

He gestured to a chair on his right and Ninat sat on it. She shrank into the chair and attempted to make herself comfortable, her feelings shrouded her thoughts and soon she was left with the world spinning and the soft whispers of Zutec's voice were heard in the distant background. Those whispers got louder and louder and louder, he started shouting and Ninat put her hands over her cat-like ears, a cold stone earring gently pressed against her palm, it's coolness seeping through her skin. Her torso fell weak, her head falling, her eyes following her head down to the ground and then black. When she woke she saw a pool of blood oozing from her head, a pool forming by her forehead, entering her vision. She winced and opened her eyes further. She tried to sit, but the jelly feeling in her torso had returned, she fell back, onto a pillow this time, not the floor. It seemed to mold to her head. She felt a palm gently touch her head, and the the pain of a syringe inject it's serum into her arm. She didn't scream, she didn't struggle, she just let it flow. She opened her eyes just a crack and saw Zutec's eyes looking at her, his pupils wide. His fear scent reeked the room. She looked down to see the pol of blood on the floor. She worked out she was on a bunk and must have been out for a few minutes. She looked up again at Zutec's eyes. They seemed to hide something, his shining eyes a mark for something terrible underneath. She looked up further and winced as a bright light hurt her eyes. She felt Zutec's hand shade her eyes, it made her look back into his eyes. Ninat was struggling, fatigue had started to settle in. She closed her eyes looking up at the golden eyes of her lover.