Chapter Text
"He's NOT your son."
The General's words hang heavy in Quaritch's mind as he takes off on his ikran, leaving the smoking battlefield behind him.
But Spider IS the son of his memories. And these memories are HIS now.
He hisses in annoyance, spitting blood to the side as the wind shrieks past his ears. His queue flaps in the air behind him, and he lets his eyes close for a few seconds, listening to the sound of his ikran's wings flapping and his own labored breathing. He's covered in bruises and scratches, his body aching sharply from his fight with Jake Sully.
The BASTARD.
Quaritch opens his eyes again. The battlefield is out of sight now, leaving nothing but ocean underneath him. He'll reach headquarters soon, where he'll recover and regroup. Hopefully....HOPEFULLY, there are a few survivors from his squad. Most of them were killed right in front of him, adding fuel to the fire that screams for Jake Sully's blood.
It wasn't all for nothing though. He learned a lot about the Na'vi. Their language, their way of life, and their fighting styles. Not to mention, he killed one of Sully's kids...and he spent months with Spider, the son of his memories. HIS son. He saved his life. He might've died pathetically at the bottom of the ocean if it wasn't for him.
And now, he can continue his mission.
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Months pass.
The General refuses to allow Quaritch to attack the Na'vi again. The losses in the last battle were detrimental, but the mission to make Pandora the 'next home for humanity' is still underway. Reinforcements will be called in, and new Avatars will be shipped with the next fleet of ships.
It's expensive. But it's necessary, and it WILL be accomplished, no matter the cost.
The hostiles will be pacified, one way or another.
But now, there's new information. War is the only language that can be spoken between the hostiles and the humans, avatars or not.
So, it will be spoken.
Quaritch slams his fists into the over-sized punching bag, barely aware of the stares from his fellow Marines. Sweat drips from his brow, and the sight of his blue fists makes him growl. EVERYTHING reminds him of Sully.
EVERYTHING.
He can't stop replaying their fight in his head. The squad members he lost to Sully and his woman, Neyteri. The underwater fight, where he'd ALMOST bested him. ALMOST.
And then Spider. If that stupid kid hadn't been there, he would've taken Sully.
But there's no point whining about that shit. Spider was there, and he didn't want him to die. He made that choice to save him, and he owns it.
Sully, Neyteri, and Quaritch. Two on one. Quaritch scoffs, hauling off and slugging the punching bag so hard, it flies off the hook and takes a few rubbernecking Marines down with it. He can't help but smirk at that, and turns away, letting the other humans rescue them.
If he somehow gets Sully on his own, away from his clan, in an isolated place with no semblance of rescuing...he could beat him. Away from the damn kids too. They have proven to just get in the way. Including HIS OWN kid.
Quaritch rolls his shoulders, grinning at the shiver that goes through his body at the thought. It's possible. Getting him alone somehow, and absolutely destroying him.
He holds his hands up, stretching his fingers at he stares at them. Rolling them into fists, he clenches them tight. He won't just kill him. He'll torture him, slowly. And he'll enjoy every fucking second.
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The General may not allow Quaritch to take her ships or men, but Quaritch is a man of his own.
His anger now is stronger than anything else, including his loyalty to his post. He was ordered to stay on base and wait for the next mission, which would most likely take many more weeks, maybe even months, to start planning. But with the General so busy, and with him being so free...
Two members of his Avatar squad managed to survive amidst the wreckage of the war. They burn with the same fury that he does, wanting revenge on Sully for their dead companions, destroyed ships and the hundreds of Marines that were killed that day.
Loyal to Quaritch, they easily agreed to his plan.
The battle may have been lost, but drones still spy on the Na'vi, feeding information to the higher ups.
"The Na'vi think they've won the war," Quaritch spits, looking between the two Avatars, the only ones left of his squad. They're silent, but Quaritch can SEE their anger in the way their eyes take in his every move, the way their veins bulge out of their arms, the way their clenched fists shake.
Yeah. They're ready for this.
"They're wrong. They won the BATTLE. The war is far from over." He sits down on a bench in front of the two of them. "You know why they won? Because of HIM. HE alone knows how we work. And he's TEACHING them." He leans forward, clenching his jaw, then says, "Our mission is a confidential one. And it's gonna be quick. BELIEVE me."
He smirks and leans back, and the two Avatar glance at each other, shifting in their seats.
"What's the plan, Colonel?" one of them ask.
Quaritch nods to him. "Well, Corporal, it's simple." He stands again, walking over to the window that shows the expansive forests of Pandora, spread out and vibrant. It contrasts with the base and the burnt shrubbery surrounding it, looking more like a parched desert than anything else.
"I have collected intel. Over 400 clicks from here, as we know, Sully lives with the Metkayina clan as a true member. But it seems that he doesn't only stay there." He turns around to address his men face to face. "He returns to the Omaticaya clan once a month, and then the drones lose him in the forest."
"What the hell does he want with them?"
Quaritch raises his hands. "To hang out with his old buddies? I got no goddamn clue. The point is, he's ALONE." He sits again, energy rushing through his body at the prospect of finally getting his hands on Sully. "Now, it'll be a dangerous mission, don't get me wrong. All the Sullys have that damn communication piece on their necks for one. Two, if word somehow gets to either the Metkayina OR the Omaticaya, we're screwed, 'cause they all know they've got the upper hand in numbers right now, and they'll come for the base with everything they've got. It's a goddamn miracle they haven't, but it shows their weakness and stupidity. They haven't WON." Quaritch grins. "Sully's COCKY. and WE will use that to our advantage."
The squad members grin back at him, thumping their chests and cheering.
Quaritch nods enthusiastically, jumping back to his feet. "Let's GET this fucker."