Chapter Text
“Colonel, it’s Spider. I’m here. Don’t kill them.” Please, please don’t kill them.
His trembling fingers released the comms button on his neck as Kiri crept up beside him.
“Where are you boy?” The Colonel’s voice sounded loud in his ear, drowning out the sinking ship’s blaring emergency alarms. “Step out now.” Warning laced Quaritch’s words.
“Alright,” Spider heart thundered as the full realisation of what he had to do settled inside him. “I’m coming out.”
Kiri tapped his shoulder, and they exchanged a silent decision. She nodded, slinking off underneath the portside walkway while Spider drew their attention up top.
This had to work.
“Spider, ya hear me? We’re running outta time.”
The flux devil was the least of Spider’s worries right now. He had to move slowly, cautiously. Give the others a chance to act.
He turned to the stairwell and slowly ascended the rigid iron steps, exposing himself to the scene above deck. Neytiri and Tuk were crouched by the far railing, Tuk trembling in her mother’s hold while Neytiri rocked them in silent prayer. The Mangkwan warriors shouted when they caught sight of him, and Quaritch turned. Spider almost did a double take at the thick Mangkwan war paint lathered across the Colonel’s body.
Spider knew how to handle the Colonel.
But this wasn’t the Colonel. This was a Mangkwan leader. A senior clan figure, an eyktan or the tsahik’s mate.
Suddenly Spider felt very out of his depth.
But he had a plan to see through, so he kept walking slowly toward them. “I’m here to make a deal. Me for them.” He nodded toward Neytiri and Tuk.
“That can happen.” The Colonel kept his hand on his AR, but tilted his head invitingly. “Come with me son. I’m a man of my word. We can resolve this here and now, everybody goes home.”
Spider inhaled, steeling himself. Still no sign of anything from Kiri or Jake. He turned over scenarios and ways in which he could delay this, but there was nothing.
Quaritch watched him expectantly.
Pushing his shoulders back, he walked willingly into Quaritch’s grasp. The Colonel’s hand clamped down on his ocean-wet shoulder, and Spider clenched his jaw to focus on not shrugging him off. This had to look believable.
The Colonel walked him toward Cupcake victoriously. “Saddle up,” he commanded the Ash. “We’re outta here.”
Suddenly, the sounds of struggle raced toward them from under the deck. Quaritch’s fingers squeezed harder into his collarbone and he stepped in front of Spider.
Gunshots sounded below them, then across from them. The Mangkwan warriors standing over Neytiri and Tuk were shot down in succession, then Varang was firing at a spot on the starboard side railing. Her fury formed a bloodcurdling cry of outrage at whoever had shot her warriors, but she was forced to give chase to Neytiri and Tuk, who had jumped over the railing to escape.
Pulse racing, Spider ducked down, looking for a way to dash around the Colonel. Where was Kiri?
Gunfire sounded loud around him, and the ship jolted, pulled ever closer to the swirling vortex getting closer and closer…
Quaritch’s thick arm closed around Spider’s torso and he was hoisted up as Quaritch fired round after round at Jake, who had emerged above deck, taking cover while he assaulted the remaining Mangkwan. The Colonel sprayed another round of ammo, forcing Jake to hide behind a storage unit as he threw Spider forcefully onto the back of Cupcake’s saddle. Spider had no time to slide a leg over and escape before the Colonel was behind him, riding the ikran higher and higher until the ship was below them, Jake chasing after them from the deck.
Shit, shit, shit! He had to get off this ikran now, it wasn’t supposed to end like this….
Looking down, Spider weighed his choices for a split second. They were so high, but the water below them would break his fall.
It was better than allowing himself to be taken again by Quaritch.
He elbowed the man from in front, throwing his left leg over Cupcake’s neck and taking a huge breath-
“Oh, no you don’t!” Quaritch’s hand dug into his arm painfully, keeping Spider atop the animal before he could slide off while his other arm secured Spider against his chest. “Did you really think I was gonna fall for that again?” Quaritch growled at him, the last thing Spider heard before the man’s kuru connected with his. Pain forced his body to stop struggling, pain so familiar and burning he knew he was passing out even as he did so.
He woke up slowly, something soft and comfortable underneath him. It pressed against the side of his face and tickled his nose, but it was warm and safe.
He frowned. This wasn’t High Camp, and it wasn’t Awa’atlu.
His eyes shot open and he sat up, glancing around furiously. He was in some sort of large, animal skin tent. There was a fire in the centre, and an opening above for the smoke, but little light entered. A few feet away the Colonel was sitting, carving something beside the fire.
All of Spider’s memories came flooding back.
“Where the hell am I?” he demanded.
“Spider. Back with us?” Quaritch nodded toward a small table next to the pile of animal pelts Spider was sitting on. “You thirsty? Hungry?” A full waterskin and bowl of dried yerik had been left for him.
Quaritch was smeared in cakey ash paint, wearing only his loincloth. It looked like beads he was carving with his crystal knife, but Spider didn’t care enough to look properly.
“Is this the Ash camp?” he asked, glancing toward the flaps of dark hide that formed the exit.
Quaritch nodded slowly. “It is.”
Fury rose in Spider’s chest. “WHY did you bring me here!”
Quaritch put down whatever he’d been working on, shifting closer. “This is us now, kid. Home, sweet home.” He raised his arms as if expecting feedback. “I know it might take a bit of getting used to-”
“Getting used to? Are you insane?”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Quaritch thought….? He thought they were going to live together? With the Ash?
“Nope.” Quaritch popped his mouth. “I’m building us a future. Outside of the RDA. Where you can be safe… free.”
It took Spider a second to form words. “Free? You think I’ll be free here?”
“I can see you’re not warming up real quick to this, huh. But this is for us, Spider. We can be together.” The Colonel lifted a hand, reaching for Spider’s shoulder.
Spider pushed it away vehemently. “I don’t want to be together!” he hissed.
Quaritch hid his disappointment well, but it was still telling in the way his ears dipped and his shoulders sagged.
“Take me back home!”
Dust rose from where Quaritch’s tail flicked across the floor. The Colonel shook his head, not looking at Spider. “You know I ain’t doing that, kid.”
Spider cast around for something to use as leverage. “Yes you are. I’m not staying here!” But his conviction fell flat without an obvious bargaining chip.
Quaritch pressed his lips together, a crease deepening between his brows. “It’s 12 kilometres to the forest treeline, which even if you reached undetected you’d have to travel forty clicks to the nearest clan. The camp is guarded day and night by sentries at the entrance and at outposts on the lava field.” Quaritch paused for dramatic effect.
All of Spider’s insides had turned to lead.
“You make a break for it, you’ll be hauled back here in two seconds, and I swear I will give you that ass whippin’.”
Spider inhaled. He stared at Quaritch, mind racing.
The Colonel’s stature softened, and he let out a sympathetic breath. “Look. I know you hate it right now. But this will be good. You don’t need Sully. I’m your father. I’m all you need.”
“No,” Spider said in a low voice. “How could you do this?” He said it more to himself. He knew better than to expect compassion and reason from the man kneeling opposite him.
He was just so sick of being proven right.
“Hey.” Quaritch reached his hand out again, this time successfully placing it on Spider’s shoulder.
Spider let him because he was cold inside. Like the fire that kept him alive all these months had been temporarily doused to embers.
“It will be okay. I’m gonna look out for you.”
Spider sat back on his heels, staring unseeing at the ground while his mind worked to figure out a solution. If what Quaritch said was true about the camp being guarded and having its own killzone then he really might be screwed.
He knew Jake wasn’t coming for him.
He’d known that for a long time.
No, this was some deep shit that he’d have to find a way out of himself, like he did everything. He let out a shallow huff of amusement when his brain told him: at least there’s no neuroscanner or RDA labs this time.
“Something funny there, tiger?” Quaritch stroked a rough thumb over Spider’s chin.
He pulled his head away. “You know these people want to kill me, right?”
Quaritch looked around, faking looking for hidden warriors crouched in the shadows. “And yet here you are. Breathing.”
“The tsahik. She tried to kill both of us!”
He knew Quaritch must have figured something out with her. Spider didn’t feel truly unsafe when he was with the Colonel, but it seemed mad that Quaritch had just forgotten how they all met.
“You don’t need to worry about Varang. We have… an understanding.”
“What? You give her guns she lets you fuck her?”
He gasped as Quaritch smacked his cheek. He froze, head turned away.
Quaritch had just slapped him.
Quaritch had… slapped him.
It didn’t make sense in his brain. He couldn’t get the words to fit right.
A hand came around the back of his neck. Gentle, forgiving. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, kid. I shouldn't have done that.”
Quaritch made him look at him. Spider willed his eyes not to fill with tears. He said nothing.
Quaritch pulled their heads together, brows pressing against each other. “God, Spider. I just want to protect you.”
“Great job,” Spider said, devoid of emotion.
Quaritch pulled back, letting go of Spider’s head. “Eat something. Drink. Then I’ll take you on a tour.”
He didn’t reply, just sat back on the pelts and watched as Quaritch cleared away whatever he’d been working on while Spider had slept, and left the tent.
Alone at last.
He leaned his head back against the leather wall. He needed to find a way out of here. That was his number one priority. He’d do it soon.
But right now, all he wanted to do was cry.