Lambda
[Pandora - Awa’atlu, Jake Sully’s Mauri Pod]
The mauri pod was different to what he considers as a home. Frankly, if Loki was being honest, he would say it was trivial and somewhat barbaric, but it had that friendly and cosy feeling to it.
He was seated at the edge of the mauri pod, with his back against the rising sun. At some point, Loki had found himself being topless which was quite understandable in Loki’s mind. He was a Jotun, he was accustomed to the cool freezing chills, not the excruciating heat.
He was pleasantly surprised with how nice Jake Sully and his family were. Given the context, that he had taken Spider away, he half expected them to show some form of awkwardness or separation, but no, they were all kind.
But the more he thought about it, the more he understood that he was simply overthinking matters. It was only a few hours ago that they had readily accepted Spider. It was clear that taking Spider away had allowed them to grow and, in that moment, he wondered if that’s what his family went through.
“Sir,” Neteyam said as he walked towards Loki with a bowl of food.
“Sir?” Loki asked with a small smile as he looked down. “Fish… I like fish,” he continued with a smile.
“It was how my dad raised me, to respect our elders,” answered Neteyam as he sat down next to Loki.
“Keh,” Loki answered. “My fa… father, would have a field day if I called him with such a title,” Loki barfed with a bursting chuckle. “Shouldn’t you be out there? With the other children – showing Spider the island.”
“Kiri, Lo’ak and Tuk are more than enough to keep an eye on Spider,” Neteyam answered.
Loki nodded, while noting the nonchalant expression. It was clear that Neteyam was the wiser sibling. That’s good, you’ll keep Spider on track, he mused silently while taking a bite of the fish.
“How is the food? It’s probably different to what you are used to,” Neteyam said.
Loki smiled. “It’s delicious – thank you,” he answered as he turned his gaze to Neytiri and Jake who were simply sitting further away, diligently staring. “I don’t bite,” he said to them as his lip curled upwards.
“Sorry,” Jake murmured softly while giving Neytiri a quick glance. “I… so much has happened. It’s still taking a toll to understand everything.”
“I can imagine,” Loki noted as he took another bite. “I’m actually surprised… with how calm you are,” Loki pressed on. “A human-like creature on Pandora with no Exopack… I would have thought, fire first and questions later.”
“Our children… they speak highly of you,” Neytiri answered. Her voice was weak, almost questioning while also yearning for a sign.
“That, and the fact that you know of me,” Loki murmured in kind as he put the bowl to the side.
“You know – how?” asked Jake.
“I was here long ago… when I was nothing more than a little child. It isn’t hard to deduce that Eywa spoke to the clans back then… I imagine, such words had flocked through generations,” Loki deduced.
“You are right,” Tonowari murmured as he entered the mauri pod. Immediately, Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam were standing. Tonowari returned the gesture by leaning ever so slightly while nodding as he took a seat nearer to Jake and Neytiri.
Loki rolled his eyes. “You’re not expecting me to stand and greet, are you?” Loki asked even though he knew the answer.
“No,” Tonowari answered. “Your status here, while undetermined – is clearly of a higher class.”
“Thank you,” Loki answered with a smirk.
“How are the people?” Jake asked Tonowari.
“They are well… as well as it can be expected,” Tonowari answered truthfully while facing Loki. “The children are fine as well… I was watching Spider demonstrate his skill at connecting with an ilu.”
“With no queue?” Jake stuttered while Neytiri and Neteyam looked on with surprise.
“He had a formidable teacher,” Tonowari answered. “Isn’t that right, Loki?”
Loki shrugged his shoulders. It was opportunistic, but he couldn’t help himself. “Greatness is greatness,” he answered with a gleaming smile.
“Indeed,” Tonowari answered. “I was concerned… that Spider would struggle with these harsh conditions… but it seems, he excels well.”
“I taught him the basics,” Loki answered. “He can hunt as well,” Loki added for good measure.
“You taught him enough, so that he could survive on his own,” Tonowari deduced.
The assumption was not missed. Immediately, Neytiri, Neteyam and Jake had turned their gaze to Loki.
“Judge…jury and executioner,” Loki answered grimly. “If he wasn’t accepted, he knew enough to survive – yes.”
“But it’s more than that,” Jake realised. “If you weren’t satisfied, you would have taken him away.”
Loki shrugged his shoulders. “He made it clear that he didn’t want to be taken… but yes, I would have.”
“Against his will?” Neytiri asked as her heart fluttered in pain.
“Yes,” Loki answered. “He is but a child… with time, he will heal… it just so happens that I was pleasantly impressed with your reunion.”
Neytiri and Jake nodded. “I… we made mistakes,” Jake said carefully.
“A mistake is forgetting an event… cutting your child, is not a mistake,” Loki answered dryly. He had no intention of indulging such conversations, but seeing as they opened the door for such trivial matters, Loki found that he simply did not care. “I thought my people were heartless… you took that whole approach to a whole new level.”
Immediately, Neytiri winced. “It was… a bad judgement.”
“Indeed,” Loki said grimly as he stood. “Spider does not know this… but let me make this clear. If needed, I would burn and raze civilisations to keep Spider safe.”
Tonowari’s eyes widened. “You would burn Metkayina.”
“He is my ward… would you not go far to save your children or wise and great Olo’eyktan?” Loki mocked dryly. “Or yourself, Jake Sully… wife of Neytiri who was willing to kill a child to save her own – correction, not own… adopted daughter.”
The missive was clear, and Tonowari readily accepted it as he realised that if he was in Loki’s position, he would do the same thing. “No harm will come to Spider.”
“Good,” Loki murmured with a small smile as he walked over the entrance of the mauri pod. “You have a beautiful place here… I would hate to see it smothered in ash and ruins.”
“Spider will love it – he clearly does,” Neteyam answered diligently with a hint of desperation.
“You are young Neteyam… you might be the man of the house but there are things you still do not comprehend,” Loki answered as he turned to face Neteyam.
“Tell me,” Neteyam pushed.
Loki’s gaze fell to Neytiri and Jake. “While a human like Spider can live up to maybe 80 odd years? That doesn’t even include illnesses or unforeseen circumstances. An Avatar’s lifespan can be expected to be 30% on top.”
Neteyam’s eyes widened.
“I will get him an Avatar suit… it will take time, but it will be done,” Jake answered. “I will do what is needed,” he continued. “Pandora is his home… and he deserves to live a full life.”
Loki nodded. “Till then… though Spider is adept at surviving, it is not hard to foresee that he fails at putting himself first. He would need guidance, prompts and necessary pushes to be growing. He will face limitations – and while the old way exists, it is not without patience or willingness. Spider excelled in the arts of connecting to an animal and hunting because there was no competition… but now here? Now there is.”
Jake nodded.
“We will be there for him,” Neytiri answered stoically. “I might have made mistakes, but no more… I will raise him as mine. I will nurture him as nature battles his entire being.”
“Poetic,” Loki answered. “Empty words at the end of the day,” Loki continued softly.
“Then what?” Neytiri shrieked. “What more can I do if I cannot say or show?”
Loki’s gleaming smile sparked evil as seidr seeped into the environment as his aura darkened tenfold. “A simple act… a mark of memory, so that you never forget,” he murmured darkly as his hands glowed green.
“What’s happening?” Tonowari asked.
“What did you do to them?” Neteyam asked.
“You are about to bear witness to something magical, Neteyam,” Loki answered as immediately, the mauri pod was filled with a bright white light that distorted everyone’s vision.
Within seconds, the bright light had vanished and in the centre of the mauri pod was Neytiri and Jake panting and gasping in shrieking pain.
“A mark given to the son by the mother who forgot… now matched by the father and mother who remembered,” Loki answered sadistically while licking the lips of his tongue. “While you cannot see the mark bestowed upon the chest… you will feel it till your dying days.”
“Father, mother,” Neteyam murmured as he moved towards them.
“I’m fine… we’re fine,” Neytiri answered while looking over at Jake who simply nodded.
“Do you understand?” Loki asked darkly as he watched Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam staring at him from the grounds they were kneeling on.
“Yes,” Jake answered as he grabbed the nape of Neytiri’s and Neteyam’s neck. “Yes,” he answered again with more conviction.
“Excellent,” Loki answered gleefully. “We are about to have guests entering your humble home… I suggest you stand promptly,” Loki murmured as he started whistling lightly while winking at Jake and Neytiri.
Almost immediately, a scurry of footsteps could be heard.
“Dad,” Lo’ak screamed as he came running in first with Tsireya, Kiri, Tuk and Spider.
“Lo’ak?” Jake winced as he and Neytiri stood.
“What happened?” Spider asked quickly as he cautiously eyed Loki who simply looked away and started whistling.
“Nothing,” Tonowari answered. “We were just having conversations,” he continued as he pulled Tsireya into a hug. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Kiri screamed while Tuk simply shrieked as she ran into her mother’s embrace.
“We went to the radio shack… we wanted to tell Norm that Spider is back… It’s Quaritch. He’s back,” Lo’ak gasped frantically as his breathing deepened.
Immediately, Jake’s eyes widened as he eyed Neytiri as panic flickered through the mauri pod as shouts and screams flickered into existence.
“How? Are you sure?” Jake asked Lo’ak as he pressed a hand on his shoulders.
“Yes,” Lo’ak answered grimly. “Norm said that they found a way to bring him back… I didn’t understand it.”
“Okay… okay,” he noted as he turned to Tonowari. “Tonowari,” he started.
“I know,” Tonowari answered as he rubbed Tsireya’s shoulders gently. “I know,” he repeated. “We spoke of this before… we knew this day was coming.”
“I can’t ask you to fight another war,” Jake muffled.
“You are Metkayina,” Tonowari answered while shaking his head. “We must protect our keep… without it, we are nothing.”
Jake nodded while turning to face Neytiri who looked on apologetically.
“There’s more,” Lo’ak muffled quietly.
His heart strained at Lo’ak’s words. “What more?” he asked as he bit back the aggressive tone that wanted to creep into existence.
Imminently, Spider stepped forward while letting a wild groan loose.
“Spider?” Loki asked from the corner of the mauri pod.
“He wants me dead… Quaritch sent Norm a message saying that he will kill me,” Spider said weakly.
“No,” Neytiri venomously said as she stepped forward to Loki’s and Jake’s utter surprise. “You will be fine,” she continued possessively as she grabbed him tightly as she pulled him into a hug.
“We’re fighting,” Jake said sternly as he stepped forward. “He’s not taking you,” he said as he placed an arm on Spider’s shoulder while staring at his family. “Not again,” he silently whispered.
Spider nodded frantically, while doing his utmost to stop the weeping tears from surfacing.
A thousand thoughts rushed through Spider’s head and while he couldn’t see the bigger picture, Loki did. It was perfect when Loki thought about it. His gaze never wavered, and he found himself liking the family more so. Through admission of faults, conversations, and realisations, they had all grown.
But then, suddenly, he could hear the churning sounds of the Bifrost. Yet, something felt different about the mechanical whirring sounds.
He found himself venturing outside and was surprised that Odin was standing there.
“You,” Loki snarled while Jake and Tonowari had followed him outside.
“Loki,” Odin said with a short smile.
“Loki?” Jake asked while cautiously keeping an eye on a defensive but apprehensive Tonowari.
Loki sighed. “Do not worry… he’s the king of Asgard,” he murmured while holding his hand out.
“Is that all?” Odin asked with a bemused smile as he rested himself on Gungnir, his golden mantle and weapon.
“He’s my father,” Loki bit back as he answered. “He’ll be leaving soon,” he snarled as he turned gaze to the man he knew as his father.
“Quite… now that I have what I came for,” Odin hummed while holding onto Gungnir. “Heimdall.”
Immediately, Loki’s eyes widened, and the world he knew as Pandora ceased to exist as a flurry of rainbow colours enticed and embraced him.