Family Reunion

Fighting came easy.

Punch, duck, grab, punch again, pull hair, kick, spit, bite.

So easy. Routine, even.

Fighting has made up the better part of Dahlia Mels' life.

Dahlia is strong, cold, calculated. Dahlia Mel was one of the most skilled people with a gun, able to keep track of multiple moving targets, in the dark, in the cold, anywhere and in any condition. She was a merciless mercenary, given the name "Artemis" for her unmatched proficiency with a bow.

Yes, a bow. Hard to maintain, even harder to maintain arrows. Hers was such a unique creation, given the name "Lillith", an homage to the young girl who decided to learn it in the first place, the girl she used to be. The entire bow, string included, was surdy. It wouldn't snap even if she tried to bash someone's skull in. The string itself was sharper than most knives, frequently cutting her fingers, arm and cheek whenever she got careless with it. The bow was made so it had two small slots at the top and bottom. It looked like tasteless decoration for a deadly weapon, but they were compartments for knives.

It was black in colour, and made little to no noise. The arrows were a matching black, made of an easily sourced material. Sometimes, should she be too careless, they'd make a whistling sound when they cut through the air.

She brought it with her to Pandora. There, she was just Artemis. Killer, sharp shooter, Goddess of the Hunt.

She didn't expect to be Lily. Or Lils. Or bumblebee. She didn't expect to be her again.

Tommy was a surprise. A pleasant one, all things considered. She thought she was the last Sully, the only survivor of the Sully Massacre. And she was, Jake was off-planet and Tommy died before it happened. But she had him now, as big and blue as he was. He's being taken away for testing, and probably some real clothes. That left her to try slipping back into Artemis alone in a hallway before she greeted the squad.

Metal doors slid open. The room beyond was decent, giant glass windows covering the wall opposite to her. There were benches and shelves built into the walls, the floor a cold concrete. Several heads turned to her as she entered. Off the top of her head, she could name all of them; Hummingbird, Loki, Flare, Obake.

5 people is kind of small for a squad; but whatever. Hummingbird is a small thing, all soft edges and dyed blue hair paired with equally blue eyes. Loki was a simple guy, blonde hair (with the roots going brown) and brown eyes, 5'7 ft. Flare, an astounding 5'11, was a woman with burns covering her body, with grey eyes and bouncy orange curls. Obake was teeny, maybe 5 ft if she's being generous, with poofy black locks of hair.

A decent team, save for one fact: they all work alone.

But like her, the offer was too enticing. More money than you'd ever need, a ready built house on humanity's new home. Security, certainty, 2 things you'd never have on earth.

She was just in it for the money. She'd never call this dumpheap home.

She nodded at them, they nodded at her. No one spoke for a while, until the soldiers walked in, accompanied by a woman, Ardmore. Their new boss for the next 10 years. "Mercs, welcome. This'll be home sweet home for a while, so get comfortable." She said, easily taking command of the room. She didn't flinch as 5 of the most dangerous people alive locked eyes on her, but then again, she is paying them. "You have 2 simple missions; keep the researchers alive. You'll be in hostile territory more often than not, so you'll have to be alert at all times. Your second is stamping out hostiles, keeping the Na'vi rebellion away from construction and supply lines."

It seemed like a big job for 5 people. But they're 5 of the most capable people out there.

"You're out on your first mission tomorrow, 0500 sharp. Dismissed." She says, before gesturing towards Dahlia, "You, with me." She dutifully followed the woman out of the room, soldiers making their way to their posts. When they're alone in some room overlooking the wild jungle called Pandora, they speak. "You've been assigned a personal mission: capture Jake Sully and his brood by any means." She nods. She knew this, going in. "We believe that, thanks to Sullys' obvious…paternal instincts, you'll have the best chance at capturing him." She explains as she approaches the window. She follows suit, placing a hand on the glass.

The view is vast and green. Endless, even. The sky is filled with over a million stars, like what they said the night sky looked like on earth, before the pollution. They said it was even dark blue rather than black, once. They said it's beauty was unmatched. Even the forests remind her of what her home once was, green and lively and living. Bustling with animals, with coarse dirt and smooth leaves. They said it's beauty was unmatched, also. But standing here, looking at Pandora…

…

She has to agree.

Her father is out there, somewhere. Her father and his wife and children and village and people. He risks his life daily for them by attacking supply lines and mines, he makes sure they all return home safely. He's doing well as Olo'eyktan. As a husband. As a father. He's doing so much better here than back home, where he lived in filth and poverty, with 2 children he was struggling to feed, with legs that didn't work and a society that didn't want nor need him. It's so much better here, she can see why he left. Nothing on earth worth sticking around for when you can have all this.

No, absolutely nothing worth staying for, or saying goodbye to, or trying to protect–

Her entire body is on fire. She can see her own intestines through the cut on her stomach. Her little hands are doing the best they can to keep it all inside, but she's 12 years old and burning and bleeding and broken and bruised and running scared. She didn't look behind her as her home burned, the squeezing lungs and aching pains kept her mind from straying. She hears nothing behind her, no one is following her, but she can't stop running. You never know, they could catch up, they could find her, they could finish the job–, she has to keep running, running, running, don't think, just keep running–

She swallows. "I'll deliver him when I can."

____

They share a living space, which is fine. They've been around each other before, they can do it for 10 years. Nevermind that they start pulling knives the second they're startled, and that most of them have pretty silent footsteps. She sighs as she leans on the wall of her own room. It's huge compared to back home. Her apartment could fit in here.

It's all grey, the only colour comes from the navy blue bed sheets. She runs a hand across the surface of the mattress, so much softer than anything she owned back home. She pushed down, the mattress barely gave way under her hand.

There was a knock at her door. She's reaching for a pen that was on the desk next to her bed and brandishing it as a weapon before she even registers it. Behind her, right at her door, Obake stands with their hands held up in surrender. 

"Oh." She says, putting her hand down but still clutching the pen, "You're quiet. What do you want?"

Obake keeps their face pretty blank. Now that they're in a one on one situation, I'll take the time to tell you what they look like. Their skin borders on translucent, eyes wide and glassy like they've been crying, coloured a weak, watery blue. They've got chewed fingernails and scratch marks on their arms–, she gets the feeling that they have some bad nervous habits. Their hair is black and messy, cut above the shoulders. They resemble an unruly child more than an experienced killer.

'We're going over target info,' they signed, 'We're supposed to get rid of all the clan leaders, so they're giving us more info on them.'

And that's how she ended up knee deep in a bunch of papers. High value targets, wanted dead or alive. Mo'at, tsahik of the Omaticaya clan, Ateyo, tsahik of the Tsawke Sreu clan, Olo'eyktans, tskarems, people who have any kind of authority. She keeps her eyes trained on Mo'ats papers.

Tsahik of the Omaticaya, mother of Neytiri, mate of Jake Suli. Not much is known about her, just her age, height and weight. Her mate was killed during the attack on hometree, a shame, really. She'd have loved to tear his heart out herself, but alas. 

Holding up the paper with her information to the others, she spoke; "I'm calling dibs." This was immediately met with retaliation. 

"Hey, no dibs!" Insisted Flare, who already called dibs on 3 of their targets. She gave her a flat look. "it wouldn't make sense to call dibs," Hummingbird reasoned, "It's not practical." This obviously didn't matter to them. They've got 10 years to do this.

___

Mo'at paused, her hands stilling while she was braiding Kiri's hair. She looked back at her grandmother curiously. "Grandmother?" She asked, "Is everything ok?"

Mo'at stayed silent for a moment. No, nothing felt okay. Strangely, she felt like she was being watched, not by any Na'vi or animal, not like she was tsahik. She was being watched as though she was prey, like a starving palulukan had caught her in its crosshairs. She bit back a shiver.

"I feel fine, do not worry." She says finally, resuming her braiding. The girl didn't look convinced in the slightest.

___

"--and why do you even want to call dibs on her?" Artemis asks sternly, but Flare isn't one to back down. "For the same reason you want to call dibs!" She insists, and Artemis has to resist scowling at her because there's no way she's after Mo'at for the same reason she is. No way.

The others are all sitting around, just looking at them. Obake is not confrontational, Loki enjoys chaos and Hummingbird has given up on trying to mediate this.

"You're most certainly not." She says, arms crossed. Loki chimes in, his voice carrying faux innocence, "But how do you know if you won't say why you want Mo'at?" She does nothing but glare at him.

"Because–,"

___

"Ma Jake," Neytiri says, looking over her shoulder at her mate as she coats her arrows in poison, "What is wrong?" She asks, almost insisting. Jake has been acting strange these past few hours, unsettled almost.

"Nothing, Ma Yawne." He says, walking over and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She looks up at him, not believing him. He grimaces. "Just…worried about this raid." He admits, shoulders relaxing. "Everything will be okay." She says, standing up and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He feels guilty as he wraps his large arms around her waist, digging his face into the crook of her neck and inhaling her earthy scent.

_____

"---Okay, no one's calling any dibs! Can we settle on that?" Hummingbird says as she stands between her and Flare. Artemis has her arms crossed over her chest as she and Flare glare at each other.

"Fine." They both agree. They're going over everything, places they're most often spotted, people close to them. Those with higher statuses are to be assassinated with the utmost discretion. 

Then they're all back in their rooms. She takes note of her weaponry in the same way she knows everyone else is. Her arrows were duplicated by the RDA almost perfectly, even the poison tipped ones. The RDA didn't know how Na'vi bodies would react to human poisons, so tomorrow will certainly be a field test.

There's a knock at her door.

She looks up, unsurprised to see Flare.  She's not really looking at her, eyes on the ground. She gestures for her to come in, placing her arrows on the table. Flare comes in, her hand on the others waist as she buries herself in the crook of Artemis' neck.

"What do you want?" She asked pointedly. The other barely groused. "Hnnhnnnhh." She slurred unintelligibly, making Artemis roll her eyes. "Use your words, Flare." The other pouted like a child. "Sleep with me?" She asked.

That's how they ended up under the covers together. It also just occurred to Artemis that she meant sleep next to her and not with her. It makes the fact that she's only in her underwear while Flare is in the RDA issued pyjamas a little awkward. Whoops.

_____

Kiri stood at the base of the spirit tree. She stood amongst its mighty roots, beneath the branches and leaves that stretched across the sky. Neteyam, ever the dutiful brother, accompanied her on this trip. She wasn't sure of why Lo'ak tagged along though. Perhaps fulfilling his duty of being annoying, she thought as he held Tuk up, spinning her around as fast as he could, getting them both dizzy, and falling flat on his face. Well, he is certainly entertaining.

"Why did we come here so late?" Lo'ak whined as he attempted to stand on his feet. Kiri turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "To speak with Eywa. Dad has been acting weird, and I know she will know why." She answers. She knows her siblings have noticed it too, the shuddering, the far off looks, reaching for someone and being surprised when he reaches them. 

Without another word, her siblings join her in connecting with Eywa.

The first thing she sees are blinding lights. Green, red, blue, pink, and a thousand different colours. They are not like the gentle glow of Pandora, no, these are harsh, burning her eyes so badly she has to squeeze them shut. She feels hands on her shoulders, warmer and realer than what Eywa gives her. She turns, opens her eyes and sees her brothers and sister. They look at each other, silently agreeing that this is strange and unusual. They've never heard of Eywa showing Na'vi the same thing at the same time, letting them share visions.

With a renewed sense of bravery, she moves forwards. The ground beneath her is hard and cold, littered with broken glass and cigarette butts that she can't feel hurting her. All around her, buildings of grey stone brushed against the sky. Mould had collected on the walls, the glass of the windows that didn't look like they could open was covered in smudges and red smears. It was quiet, still, unnaturally so. She could hear a needle drop on the opposite end of the path. Most unnerving was the sky. It was inky black as it hung over their heads, not a single star in sight. The moon looked so small and tiny here, covered by a sort of black fog.

One thing was apparent: this could not be Pandora. 

….

So this was earth? Their father's home planet? She felt a chill run down her spine. Her father grew up here? Here? Not even the darkest caves or the driest desert of Pandora was so desolate. Nothing could thrive here, absolutely nothing. How could you live without knowing the dirt beneath you? Without the stars above you? Without the music of Eywa to grace you?

She wanted to leave. Yes, yes; she has to get out of here. Here, where the shadows had swallowed up the light whole, where not even the howling wind made a sound. This place was wrong, so very wrong. Why did Eywa show her this? What was she supposed to See?

Her answer came in the shape of a little human girl. She couldn't quite make out her details as she walked past, but she could note down a few features. Dark hair, almost black, was tied into 2 little pigtails on either side of her head. Her skin was pink, like her fathers. She had a large black shirt with some kind of design on top, paired with baggy pants. She walked barefoot over the cigarettes and glass, leaving behind small stains of blood.

Without thinking, she calls out for her. The girl whips her head around, and she can see her face. All she could see was a pair of glasses on her face, a small scar running over her pink lips and a little nose. She turned away quickly, continuing down her path. Kiri, joined by her siblings, walked after her. The girl broke out into a sprint, running into the narrow walkway between 2 buildings. Kiri hesitated, which allowed Lo'ak to move in front of her, walking into the shadows and being swallowed up whole by them.

They followed after him quickly, Tuk taking hold of her hand and pressing into her side as they walked. Neteyam keeps close to her, eyeing the shadows suspiciously. She kept her eyes forwards, noting the grittiness of the ground and cracks in the stone. Turning her attention to her boneheaded brother, she noted he had switched to chasing after the girl. Eywa, help her.

They followed for what seemed like forever. The halls--alley, her mind supplied, twisted and turned, like they were actually travelling down a living path that intended to keep them, stretching and twisting its neck to form an incoherent path. Everywhere they turned, it was all the same, an endless sea of grey and shadows. The alley, despite their size, seemed to tower over them, squeezing them. It was like that animal that Norm told her about once, a boa constrictor. A creature winding itself around you so tightly until you inevitably popped. In the videos, it always looked like there was such little effort needed on the snakes part.

It was probably hours until Lo'ak caught the girl. She let out a loud yelp, as if she'd been hurt. Her brother immediately loosened his grip, but still kept firm as the little thing thrashed in his hold. "Mawey, Mawey,"  He says, bending down on his knee, "I won't hurt you, calm down." The child kept her head down, face obscured by the hair in front of her face. "Who are you? Where are we?" He asks, and she offers no answer.

"Maybe give her some space?" Neteyam offers from beside her. She can see Tuk watching her, fascinated by the creature before her. Tuk's never seen a human child, and their tiny stature surprises her. When she hears tales of demons, even when they tell her of how small they were, she always imagines big and imposing figures. This little thing in front of her wouldn't survive a day in the mountains.

"Are you hurting her?" She asks, and Lo'ak immediately denies. 

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Why are you scared?" Neteyam asks gently, as though he was not a 7 feet tall blue alien. She hesitated, walking next to her brother and lowering herself too, offering her blue hand to the demon. The tawtute hesitated, placing her pink little hand in hers. She looked up at her and her siblings, and Kiri didn't manage to hold back her gasp. 

The demons' face was like no others she'd ever seen. Her features, her details, they were blurry and ever changing, like she was looking at a video from one of the broken cameras near Hells gate. She couldn't make out anything besides the blue colour of her eyes. 

They stayed there for a moment, before Eywa brought them back. They looked at each other, wondering what the hell and who the hell that was. Why did Eywa show them a human girl on earth? Where could she have…..

They all had the same thought at once: Dad.