00. the cost of war
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WAR RAGED ON ALL around. In the skies and below, Na'vi fought against Sky-People. On the ground, piloting her Avatar, Dr. Enid Sutherland rode alongside Norm, Olangi and Omaticaya soldiers on a Pa'li horse. In her hands, an AVR-30 machine gun. They charged directly at RDA ground and AMP soldiers and they were losing.

"We're taking heavy fire here, Jake!" She yelled through the comms to the man now known as Toruk Makto. Left and right, Omaticaya and Olangi fell to the ground, their bodies littered with bullet holes.

"Just...hold on!" Jake's static voice replied.

Enid groaned in frustration. They couldn't hold on for much longer. She roughly removed her fingers from the comms and grabbed hold of her gun. She shot wildly, aiming to hit the most amount of targets. It wasn't something Enid was used to, violence.

She was a scientist, a doctor. She made a vow to save lives, not take them. But Pandora was under threat and that trumped all vows.

Jake had tried his best to teach her and Norm how to use a firearm in the little amount of time they had. Enid wasn't exactly in the right mindset, either, having just lost Grace. What she had learned would have to do.

Through her queue, she could feel her Pa'li's fear, and it, hers. She could feel its need to run away, but through tsaheylu, Enid willed it to do the opposite. She manouvered around the trees, dodging bullets, only to come to a screeching halt.

Her eyes found those of Corporal Lyle Wainfleet and her blood boiled. Out of all the military men stationed at Hell's Gate, Enid hated that asshole the most. She had watched him kill innocent Na'vi time and time again. Something in her snapped at the moment, maybe it was all the pent up aggression. She would make him pay.

"Wainfleet!" She hissed, bearing her teeth.

In his AMP suit, Lyle smirked. "Doctor!"

Enid growled and pulled on her queue, breaking the bond with her Pa'li. "Sìltsan! (Go!)" She hissed at it as she jumped off its back. There was no need for an innocent creature to die because of her need for revenge. The direhorse took off away from the battle without a second glance at Enid.

Securing her gun, she refocused on Lyle and sprung into action. Though she didn't have as much skill with a firearm, she did have her speed, agility, and size, thanks to her Avatar body. She jumped through trees, narrowly avoiding his bullets. His bulky AMP suit allowed little movement compared to her. She responded by shooting a trail of bullets up his back. Lyle stumbled. Enid shot again and again and again until her gun finally jammed. She tossed it aside.

She jumped down to face him. Wainfleet had just regained his footing. "You bitch!" He cursed.

Her Na'vi spear seemed to tingle with anticipation as she removed it from it's sheath on her back. "Pandora doesn't belong to you, Wainfleet. Give up and I'll let you have a fair chance."

Wainfleet barked with laughter. "You science nerds are all the same -- stupid!"

As he began to raise his massive gun, Enid reared her arms back. Her hands clutched the spear as she drove it forward. It slipped between the arms of the AMP suit and gun. Wainfleet let out a startled shout.

They struggled with each other. Enid knew she only stood a chance hand-to-hand if she could separate Wainfleet from his gun. "Turning against your own kind?" He mocked. "If only Grace could see you now."

Enid's mind went numb as he said her aunt's name and she froze. Her death was still fresh. It was like rubbing salt in a wound. Wainfleet knew this. He jerked his arms up, dislodging Enid's spear, then with his gun, he slammed her body up like a ragdoll. Enid cried out in pain as he face was met with cold metal, then hard rock.

Wainfleet laughed triumphantly before placing his foot on her back. Enid weezed, face down in dirt and unable to move. He kept applying more and more pressure, pushing her deeper into the ground. She was losing air and her vision became spotty. Her link was disconnecting.

"Say hello to Dr. Augustine for me," Wainfleet chuckled.

Enid could only flail her limps wildly, hoping by some miracle she could get him off of her. Her vision began to swirl with colour and she could hear the beeping of her link unit. Wainfleet was going to crush her Avatar body and Enid would lose her connection to Pandora entirely.

The ground began to rumble. Wainfleet paused, the pressure from his AMP suit subsiding for a moment. Enid managed to turn her head and gulp down the precious Pandoran air. Her ears flicked outward, zeroing in on a sound. Along with pounding footsteps, she recognized the low grumbling sounds -- 'Angtsìk. Titanothere -- and a lot of them.

The thousands of thundering footsteps grew louder, closer. "Oh, shit!" Wainfleet's foot lifted and he began to run. As Enid sat up, gasping for air, the herd of Titanothere barged their was through the forest, crushing every RDA soldier in sight. As quickly as she could, Enid jumped out of their way, watching in amazement as Pandora fought back. Thanators and Viper Wolves joined them, mowing down the soldiers.

And though she hated admitting it to herself, it brought Enid some joy to watch Wainfleet be crushed by an eleven-ton Titanothere.

Gulping for more air, she shakily touched her comm. "Is everyone seeing what I am?"

"Are you alright, Enid?" David's smooth voice cut in immediately. She smiled. Always concerned for her.

"Never better." She chuckled hoarsely.

"Pandora is fighting back," Norm interjected, sounding amazed.

"Jake prayed to Eywa and she answered," Neytiri briefly explained. Enid could hear the joy in her voice.

Finally, Jake joined in. "Let's finish this, everyone."

All around her, Enid could hear the crashing of Scorpian Gunships and the growing roar of thousands of Ikran. She found her discarded spear, now broken in two. Picking up the piece with the sharpened bone, she joined the animals in their fight on the ground. She sliced and stabbed at the RDA soldiers who were not protected by AMP suits.

She was gaining more time to catch her breath, the wave of human soldiers lessening. Static suddenly pierced her ears. David's voice came in short batches.

"Tsu'tey...down...going..."

Enid pressed her comm. "Dave? What's happening?"

"Tsu'tey's dying...helping..."

Enid stopped. Tsu'tey was dying? It was almost a laughable thought, if the words had not come from David's mouth. "What's your location? I'll come to you."

Enid waited. The static remained, but David said nothing. She asked her questions again and waited once more. Nothing. "Does anyone have eyes on David?" She tried to limit the panic in her voice, but her chest began to tighten and her breaths became short and quick.

"Enid!"

She turned around. Norm was running toward her, small, pale, and human. "Norm? Where's your Avatar?"

"It was shot, I had to disconnect," He was out of breath as he answered, resting momentarily with his hands on his knees. "I can track David's comm on here," He held up a holo-pad.

"Let's go." Enid wasted no time. She and Norm trekked through the dense forest, avoiding the odd gunshot. Norm shouted directions at her as she ran ahead. As they approached a clearing, she could see Tsu'tey, but not David. The only human around was Norm.

Enid rushed to Tsu'tey's side, immediately pressing her hands to the largest wound, but as her eyes scanned his body, she could see it was filled with bullet holes. Tears pricked in her eyes. "Tsu'tey..."

He coughed, blood spilling over his bottom lip. "Enid...'eylan (friend)." With weak hands, he reached for her wrist and gently pulled her hand off of him.

"No..." Enid shook her head. "You do not deserve to die this way."

Enid thought he tried to smile as he spoke. "Why not? It is a warrior's death."

He chest rose and did not fall. Enid watched as his eyes clouded over into a blank stare, and his hand fell limply beside her. Enid shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ease her shaking. "Ngari hu Eywa salew tirea, ma tsmukan," She whispered a short prayer, then pressed her comm. "Jake, Neytiri. Tsu'tey is dead."

"Enid..." Norm's voice pulled her back to reality. She turned to him and tilted her head. "David...his comm..." He held up his hand, holding the comm that should have been around David's neck.

She stood quickly and snatched it from him. "What...what does this mean?" She looked down at him, shaking her head. "He's just gone?"

"I-I don't know," Norm scratched the back of his neck. "It looks that way. The only blood is Tsu'tey's."

Enid felt dizzy. She found a tree and slid her back down it, landing hard on the ground. "How can his comm be here and not him? Why would someone take it off? If they wanted to kill him the would've done it!"

She ran her hands down her face, pulling on her hair. She couldn't handle losing David, not so soon after Grace.

Norm's small hand found her shoulder. "We'll find him, Enid. He has to be here somewhere."

Lifting her head, she looked at him. Norm was a good scientist and a terrible liar. But she nodded anyway, allowing herself to feel hopeful.

JAKE AND NEYTIRI HAD killed Quaritch, ending the whole thing. It was a relief, finally the humans could be sent of Pandora, and peace would resume, if only for a small amount of time.

Enid sat in the lab, looking over David's hundreds of notes as the people around her shuffled around, packing. She could see Max staring at her. She closed the notebook she was reading in annoyance. "Max...I can feel your eyes burning into my skull. What do you want?"

He frowned. Enid hadn't been sleeping and had become irritated. "I think there might be something to cheer you up." He said.

Enid rolled her eyes. "I'm not in the mood for games, Max."

"No, not games," Max shook his head. "A baby."

Everything around her seemed to slow. Enid froze. "A what?"

Max nodded. "One of the Scorpian pilots gave birth before the airstrike. Quaritch's kid."

Enid had never moved so fast. Max led her through the halls to the hospital wing. People were huddled in a circle around a clear bassinet. As soon as they saw Enid, they moved. She gripped the edges of the bassinet as she stared at the child, a little boy. She reached down, touching the side of his face ever so lightly. He cooed, squinting at her in the bright light. He was so small.

Enid hadn't noticed she was crying until Max handed her a couple tissues. "Has anybody claimed him?" She asked the room.

Max shook his head. "No. Both his parents are dead. And honestly, we were all waiting for you."

The whole medical team knew the loss of Enid and David's baby. Warmth bloomed in her chest knowing that she was the first one they thought of the raise the boy -- the first human born on Pandora.

She looked back down at him. There was no way he wouldn't be her son. She nodded. "I'll raise him."

The room erupted into congratulations. Enid tuned them out. She reached down for the boy. Even with her gentlest hands, she felt as though he would shatter. But she managed to cradle him, to press him to her skin. He settled in, almost as if he knew he was home.

AUTHORS NOTE

HEYYYYYY. So um...I know I published this book a year ago. IM SORRY IT TOOK ME THIS LONG OK I HAD SHIT GOING ON. But anyway, my yearly Avatar obsession as return and so does this fic!! Boy, do I love this story. I've had it fully planned out this entire time it just took me a while to get the inspo back for it.

but finally! The prologue his here! I had to rewrite what had been written, which is partially why this took so long, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. Please tell me what yall think and thank you for getting this story to 1k even though nothing had been updated in a year <3