I see you, Tsu'tey

Chapter 14

She woke up in her linking unit with a loud gasp, her entire body shaking in fear and pain. Her na'vi body fell unconcious and kicked her back to her human body. Awa ignored the questioning glances of the technicians and Grace who was studying a green piece of leaf that she had brought back with her from her last trip.

"I- uh, I need to leave" Awa spoke out as she rushed through the motions to get out of the linking unit, panic was coarsing through her veins as she thought of her body that she had been so careless with. She should have swallowed her pride and just walked away but that wasn't she, no she knew deep inside that she couldn't have walked away.

Awa broke free of the restrictions and rushed out of the linking room, ignoring the calls from Grace and the shouts from people she pushed past. She didn't have much time, Eywa knew what they were doing to her body. She needed to make sure it was safe and away from Tsu'tey or others that would harm it. She had just gotten her true body, she wouldn't let anyone hurt it.

The woman ran through multiple hallways with the same metallic floor, walls and ceilings with heavy pants coming from her open mouth. Her face was painted red with exhaustion, her limbs growing weaker with each step and her eyes wide in obvious fear. No one dared to stop her as she sprinted past them, not even those she pushed through in her rush. These were the same people who looked the other way when she was being assaulted, this was those who were supposed to be her friends, her kin, they were the ones that were supposed to protect her.

In her rush she almost forgot to grab one of the masks used to breathe the toxic air of Pandora but just as she was about to rush out the door a dark-haired woman threw it at her with a knowing smirk. "You still need to make it there alive"

She nodded with a grateful look on her face, grabbed the mask before thanking the woman she had never seen before. This was the sort of person she wanted the rest of the population of Hell's Gate to be like. This woman before her wouldn't just walk past if she saw someone doing what Quaritch did to her. Awa put the mask on, rushing to fasten the secured parts to make sure none of the air penetrated her mask, and then ran out the door to the training yard. The route felt familiar but it was the first time she went out there in human form, the parts which seemed almost too small when in Na'vi form looked huge now as a mere human, the fence taller than she could almost see when she craned her neck up as far as she could and the obstacle course, which she thought was big before, now seemed impossibly oversized. She couldn't take that route, she had to find a different one.

Awa saw some guards rounding the corner with rifles loaded and held firmly in their hands, ready to shoot whatever they felt like. She held her breath and pressed herself closer to the wall, hoping that they wouldn't see her and walk by just like it always happened in the movies. Just like in the movies, she reassured herself and took a step to the left, following the protecting wall behind her. If she could get to the obstacle course then she should be able to escape, maybe she could fit through the small holes and then rush into the dangerous forest. If she didn't get killed doing this Grace would, or one of the Na'vi. They didn't know her human form and would without a doubt attack her at first sight and her human form couldn't fight them.

The guards walked past her, talking to each other about some new woman they saw the other day. Disgusting pigs, Awa swore to herself with her face pulled down into a frown full of disgust. She couldn't believe it was people like that that were the 'protectors' of this place. She shook her head and ran as quickly and as silent as she could across the small courtyard and to where she could escape. She was so close now!

With an audible sigh she slid under one of the obstacles, one of those you were supposed to push yourself under without touching the wire on top. It was easy for her since the obstacle was designed for a being so much larger than her, she doubted she could touch the wire even if she tried. Awa came out on the other side, panting softly with a large smile as she looked at the forest she was about to rush into. It looked like home, she thought to herself, the trees called to her and begged her to come home.