Dancing In The Moonlight

12. War

"Jake, it's crazy here, it's full mobilisation. They're rigging the shuttle as a bomber. They've got these huge pallets of mine explosives, it's for some kind of shock and awe campaign." Max's face filled the screen, urgency in his tone.

"Frickin' daisy cutters," Trudy mumbled.

"Quaritch has taken over. He's rolling and there's no stopping him."

Jake's face fell slightly, but he was still determined. "When?"

"Oh six hundred tomorrow."

"Max! Max!"

"I've gotta go," Max said hurriedly.

The screen went black.

"We're screwed!" Norm exclaimed.

"And I was hoping for some sort of tactical plan that didn't involve martyrdom. We're going up against gunships with bows and arrows." Trudy leant her head against the gun in her lap.

"I have fifteen clans out there," Jake said after a moment. "That's over two thousand warriors. We know these mountains. We fly them, you fly them!" He pointed at Trudy. "They don't. Their instruments won't work up here. Missile tracking, won't work. They'll have to fire a line of sight. If they bring the fight to us, then we have the homefield advantage."

"You know he's gonna commit that bomber straight to the Tree of Souls," Trudy said. Jake nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I know."

"If they get to the Tree of Souls then it's over," Norm said. "That's their direct line to Eywa, their ancestors. It'll destroy them."

"Then I guess we'd better stop them," Jake muttered, a slight smile on his face. Trudy huffed at his enthusiasm.

"We have to win," Mairi said softly. All three turned to look at her.

They'd left her alone to sleep. She'd felt the sharp scratch of a needle once or twice in her arm, but it hadn't been enough to wake her. She'd slept like the dead and had no idea what time it was. But she figured from what Max had said, they'd be going to war in the morning.

"And we'll give it our best shot," Jake agreed, placing his chin in the palm of his hand. Mairi just stared at him for several seconds, taking in his face and his strong shoulders. He was just her Jake. Human Jake. Not the Jake that had betrayed her.

"We have to win," she repeated, tearing her gaze to Norm and Trudy. They both nodded, their expressions solemn and serious. "If we don't they'll destroy the fucking planet."

She'd said what they had all been fearing out loud. She could see it in their faces, Jake's included. But she needed them to be on the same page. If they didn't win tomorrow, it would be the end of the Na'vi as they knew it.

"We will," Norm said assuringly. Mairi gave him a glancing smile, the action making her face hurt.

To be fair, she wasn't sure how they hadn't heard her getting up. She'd not exactly been quiet about it. But the morphine was doing its job, and the ibuprofen had helped with the swelling a little. Her eye didn't feel as puffy. Her collarbone was still a dark purple, but at least it wasn't hurting as much.

Jake was still watching her. His face was soft, open. His hair had grown slightly, she'd realised. She'd not seen his human form for what felt like weeks. It was disarming her. This was the Jake she'd fallen for. Not avatar Jake, although he was fantastic to look at. Human Jake. With the kind eyes and pretty mouth. This stubborn lad who didn't let his disability stop him from doing anything.

It was hard to connect the two of them. That this Jake in front of her was the same one that had betrayed her. But really, it was this Jake that had done the betraying. Avatar Jake never spoke to Quaritch, never did video logs naming places.