Lo'ak, Kiri and Spider walk through home base, heading to the lab when Spider clutches his behind in shock.
"Your ass is mine!" Norm holds his hands up, draping the towel he used to hit him over his shoulders.
"I'm right here." He teases and Trudy ruffles his head as they go.
"Avatars only, go around!" A scientist tells them, Kiri mimicking her voice making Spider laugh.
"Those blue stripes don't make you any bigger, bro." Lo'ak climbs up the lab stairs, opening the door to grab a mask.
"Yeah, but I could still take your ass any day." Spider pulls his tail in retaliation, grabbing a mask for Kiri and taking his own off.
"It's not fair, you guys can breathe Earth air for hours and I can only breathe your air for like ten seconds." He complains, turning to them and Kiri shows him mock sympathy.
"Yeah that really sucks, mokey boy...for you!" She playfully lunges, making him hiss and pull her tail as they greet Max.
"What's up kids?" He bumps Spider and Lo'ak's fists. Kiri sitting on Grace's capsule smiling down at her.
"Hi Ma." She rests her face on the glass in a hugging manner.
Kiri watches one of Grace's old video logs, taking a breath from her mask.
"So, who do you think knocked her up?" Of course Lo'ak would be the one to ruin the mood. Scowling, she turns to him.
"Pretty sure it was Norm-" Lo'ak laughs and Kiri swipes at him.
"You do not deserve to live." She eyes them exasperatedly.
"Come on, think about. He's in almost all her logs-" She hits him over the head.
"No, besides Trudy and Norm are mated-" Lo'ak holds up a hand.
"I'm thinking he's a teacher's pet, he's out in the lab with her all the time. They were out in the woods, all aloneeee." Spider laughs, shutting up when Kiri turned to him.
"I would kill myself. I would drink acid." She faces him seriously.
"No, you're right. He's in every shot-" Kiri pushes Lo'ak, slapping Spider with her tail.
"Gross, stop that!"
"Sometimes it's not so great to know who your father is." Spider's face falls, replaying the first time Jake sat him down, telling him the truth.
"Dude." Lo'ak mutters sympathetically when Spider turned away.
"Whatever." Kiri places a hand on his shoulder.
"You are not him, Spider. You are not like him. He's gone now, remember what mom said?" She squeezes his shoulders and he nods.
"You are one of us hì'i hì'ang (small insect). Do not fear him." She quotes her mother's words making Spider smile.
If only they knew in that exact moment, his father was making his way into the planet, planning to wreck havoc on their lives once more.
Taking off his mask, Quaritch sniffs the air with a scowl. Lyle and his recon soldiers following behind. Entering the ops center, impressed by the size of the operation.
A woman in a new design mech suit goes at a sand bag and he walks up to her, standing tall as he salutes.
"General Ardmore." He greets her, Lyle behind him offering a saute of respect.
YOU ARE READING
Ma Tsawke (Book 2)
Romance(UNDER EDITING) Follow Tanhì and Jake's story as they navigate through life's many obstacles. "You are too hard on them, Jake. They only want to make us proud." She crouches, placing a hand on his thigh. Jake looks up at her and she sees his eyes wa...
