Chapter Text
Something irrevocable changed that day.
Neteyam isn't sure he understands, but the recoms' frostiness towards Uncle Tom seemed to thaw out. They talked a bit more about whoever Trudy was, basically agreeing to leave that be for now, as she was still asleep for the time being somewhere they didn't have access to. So, with nothing to do about that, Warren asked Uncle Tom what the true purpose of Project Phoenix was, if not to bring them back to life to hunt down some traitor - whatever that is. And Uncle Tom explained that it was to save humanity. It gave human's somewhere to go.
"We can only truly save Earth if we don't live there anymore," Uncle Tom had said, running a hand up and down Neteyam's back. "And the only place for us to go is here. And this place wasn't built for us - not until we changed ourselves to fit it."
"It's not about co-existing with the Na'vi, is it?" Mansk asked, frowning deeply. "It's about taking their place."
Tom pulled Neteyam closer, hands gripping him hard enough to hurt. "It wasn't in the beginning. But it is now."
With that foreboding thought, they eventually all called it a night. Daddy took him from Uncle Tom's arms and brought him back to bed, holding him extra tight that night. Neteyam's not sure why, but he wasn't going to complain.
They found a new normal. Eventually, as time passed, Blue Team grew to accept Tom. He wasn't iced out anymore. He was brought more into their circle. He would go with them when they left to explore the forest. They would take Neteyam and Tom with them each time Blue Team would leave - save for the times that Neteyam grew too sick and couldn't tag along, then Uncle Tom remained behind with him.
But when they did go out, Uncle Tom knew the names of everything! Even the ones that Neteyam didn't remember that he remembered were brought back to the forefront of his mind with Uncle Tom's help. Daddy seemed nervous at first, holding tightly to his hand as Uncle Tom explained the flora, the animals, the way of life for one of the most prominent clans in the forest - the Omatikaya.
And he learned a lot of their ways of weaving and braiding and craftsmanship. Tom didn't have first-hand experience, but he learned - as most did - tangentially from a woman named Grace Augustine. She apparently knew the Omatikaya well and was the foremost leading researcher on their people once upon a time. It was her research that created something called Avatars, and it was these Avatars that gave Uncle Tom the idea to make the project that helped Neteyam's daddy and the rest of Blue Team be possible. Made it possible for them to be here with him right now.
After over a week of surveying the lands around the edges of the forest, closer to the plains to the far east, as the sun began to set, they made their way up to some of the floating mountains closer to the ground to avoid being hunted by any of the local wildlife wandering the forest floor or daring enough to come seeking adventure from the plains. Neteyam had been enjoying himself these last few days, as he typically did once they were all able to leave Bridgehead together for any amount of time. He loved being with his family, but he really did hate all the time spent indoors. He was Na'vi. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to wander and enjoy the world. And he knew that it was easier on his family to not have the scary lady - General Ardmore - "looming" over them. Neteyam hadn't understood what looming meant at the time, but he does now.
That evil lady wants to hurt Neteyam. Daddy is the only thing really standing between General Ardmore and Neteyam. Uncle Tom, too. Just like Daddy had been told to "roll out the red carpet" for Uncle Tom, the same had been said to General Ardmore, it seems. At least, someone representing the "higher ups" was there to enforce it, from what Neteyam understands. Someone named Peter Selfridge. He came here - came back here - to ensure that the humans true goals were being seen to. So, together, Daddy and Uncle Tom protect Neteyam from the scary lady. He doesn't know what it is that she wants, or why she wants to hurt Neteyam, but he can see that it wears on Daddy, Uncle Tom and Blue Team more and more as the days go by. They try to hide it, they really do, but Neteyam is old enough and smart enough now that he's starting to really notice it.
To see it for what it really is.
So, he likes getting away from Bridgehead for a plethora of reasons. It's so loud too, with its unnatural sounds, and the ground is boiling hot after a day in the sun - it's no wonder why the Recoms don't like to walk around without shoes on. It took some time, but out here in the forest, they've adapted. They aren't so attached to their equipment and their Sky People things like they once were. Most things they keep on hand, but slowly and surely, they are letting their bodies do more of the work. There was something beautiful about the Recoms allowing themselves to be more than what they believed they could be. Allowing their bodies to show them the proper way. All Neteyam can do is continue to show them and hope that they remain receptive to the idea of their true selves.
"Not sure how much longer we can do this, Colonel," Lyle says, placing a hand on Maria's back to steady her as she moves over a tangle of vines. His voice is low, not wanting Neteyam to hear, but he can, even if only barely from where he's sandwiched between Ja and Mansk, past Z-dog, Uncle Tom and Zhang.
Z-dog murmurs something, a grin on her lips as she nudges Uncle Tom a little too hard and he stumbles into Zhang. He retorts something in a low voice, not seeming to notice how Zhang keeps him steady. How his hand moves from Uncle Tom's lower back to his hip and stays there for a few beats too long. When Z-dog looks away, shaking her head, Uncle Tom turns his gaze to Zhang, and gives him a look at Neteyam doesn't understand and Zhang smiles at him - actually smiles! - before letting his hand drop. Neteyam watches with a creased forehead at Zhang's fingers running down a few inches of Uncle Tom's tail before stepping away to give him space.
Before he can ask what that's about, Daddy says, quietly, "I know, Lyle." Neteyam turns away from his uncle to focus on the back of his dad's head, tail giving a little flick.
Neteyam presses into Ja's side, feeling the older male curl his arm so that Neteyam can grip at his inner elbow, golden eyes still focused on his daddy's steady movements. His shoulders squared and broad, back wide, spine straight. Neteyam wondered if he was going to fill out much the same as his daddy did. Neteyam has grown in the last few years, but he's as skinny as ever. He knows mama worries about him. Uncle Tom assured her that so long as Neteyam wasn't losing weight, then he should be relatively okay. Na'vi tended to be very skinny. Mama just didn't like the times when he's sick and can't eat, how his ribs show. He tries to eat more in-between so it's not as noticeable. But she notices everything. She often can tell he's sick long before he even realizes that he is.
"Mom's intuition," she had once said, winking at him.
It was warm out tonight, despite the sun setting over the horizon. They'd been out here for days and Neteyam could smell the rain in the air. Tonight or sometime tomorrow, it was definitely going to come down on them. Reluctantly, he had to tell his dad. Rain is usually one of the fastest ways for him to get sick. Cold rain on a hot day gets him almost every single time.
"If we go back with nothing," Lyle was saying, pulling Neteyam from his thoughts. "Ardmore will - "
Daddy stops, turning to stare at Lyle with a blank expression. All of Blue Team, Uncle Tom, and Neteyam all stop, watching as Daddy stares at Lyle. The other male meets his gaze unflinching. After a moment that stretches for way too long, Daddy says, voice deceptively quiet, "I know." Daddy's jaw works for a second before he turns and keeps going. Uncle Lyle says nothing more as he follows along.
"Dad," Neteyam calls softly, as they travel in silence for a few more minutes. Dad's tail gives a little flick, his head tilting to show he was listening. "It's going to rain soon. Tonight, or tomorrow, maybe. I can smell it in the air."
Daddy smiles at him from over his shoulder, any tension from earlier is gone - just like that. Daddy always was trying to protect him from the ugly things. "Good nose on you, Neteyam. Well, how about we call it a night? Get some shut eye and head on back to Bridgehead tomorrow."
Lyle tilts his head, meeting Dad's eyes but says nothing, while everyone else bobs their heads up and down.
The find a nice place to set up a little fire pit and space to lay their heads for the night. Since they aren't on the ground, Uncle Tom wasn't too forceful about needing to refrain from any fire at all. They needed to keep it low and hidden in the foliage so that flying beasts wouldn't easily see it. Setting up camp took almost no time at all before everyone was sitting around, eating. Neteyam kept pressed to Ja's side, peeling the skin of his fruit with disinterest. Something was going on again. Daddy and Uncle Lyle don't fight - not unless it has anything to do with the safety of the group. They don't argue, but they do have differing opinions, and sometimes Daddy needs to hear it - at least, that's what Uncle Lyle says. Sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn't, but Daddy did say he appreciated when Lyle spoke up.
They said something about General Ardmore. She's causing problems for Daddy again. Is it really getting that bad? Daddy and Uncle Lyle seemed worried - and no one else said anything. No one asked questions, or seemed surprised, or even seemed like they weren't sure what was being talked about. At least in a roundabout way. The only one that didn't know anything was Neteyam. Not really. What he did know was that General Ardmore was a threat to Daddy and Blue Team. And Neteyam needed to do something - anything! - to keep them safe from her.
He just didn't know what.
"Not hungry, baby?"
Neteyam perks up, looking across the fire to see Maria watching him.
"I'm okay, mama," he says, automatically.
Her eyes narrow. One of many sets of eyes watching him. "I didn't ask that," she says. "But I will now. How do you feel?"
"Mama," Neteyam says, softly, "I'm okay, really. I'm just thinking is all."
Her stare is unwavering. Neteyam shrinks under her scrutiny. Under the weight of all of their gazes.
"Mama, please," Neteyam murmurs.
She nods. "Okay," her voice is quiet. She nods to the fruit in his hand. "Eat, please. Don't pick it apart until it crumbles to pieces on the ground, okay?"
"Yes, mama."
A silence descends around them for a few minutes. Everyone just eating quietly while the low fire crackles between the circle that they've made.
"So," Uncle Tom says, looking at Neteyam, "You're going to be fourteen soon. Are you excited?"
Neteyam nods, blushing a bit. Every birthday is this huge, elaborate day. Daddy and Blue Team like to make the day extra special. They usually sneak off into the forest for "recon" and end up doing everything that Neteyam loves doing. Exploring and visiting cool places. They hunt for his favorite meats and fruits, and they spend time in Neteyam's favorite place - the forest. He loves his forest and he loves his family, and it's always the best day ever when they are all together. Neteyam didn't need presents or to go to special places or eat yummy things. He just wanted them.
"Yes," Neteyam says, resting his cheek against Ja's arm. He stretches his legs out in front of him, rolling his ankles and letting them pop. "I was hoping that we could go to the waterfall," he says. "I don't care about gifts or sweets, but I would like to go there again." It's a little out of the way, towards old Omatikaya territory, so they don't go there much anymore as the Omatikaya are not there anymore - many years of searching has proved that. But Neteyam liked it there. He liked spending time there because the interference from the floating mountains above - Daddy and Blue Team call it the Hallelujah Mountains - make radio contact a lot harder to maintain.
They will be relatively close to that area at some point tomorrow.
For a short time, Daddy and Blue Team are free from General Ardmore and Bridgehead.
"That sounds good," Lopez says, eyebrows raised. "The place was pretty."
"I still can't get over the mountains," Prager admits. "Even after all these years. Floating mountains? Insane."
Some murmuring agreement. Z-dog pops her gum. "It's quiet out there," she admits, lazily looking down at the embers between them all. There is a double meaning there. It's not really quiet. The waterfall, the animals foraging on the ground, ikran and other flying beasts from above.
"It's your birthday," daddy says, drawing all eyes over to him. He's got his knees pulled up with his elbows draped over them, staring into the low fire. His face is unreadable. He looks at Neteyam then, from where he peaks around Ja, and offers a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Baby boy, we can do whatever you want."
Neteyam nods slowly, lips pressing together as Daddy looks away, his thoughts consuming him once more. Neteyam watches him for a long time as Blue Team murmurs around him. Watches as Daddy frowns more and more with his thoughts. As trouble and weariness that seems to permeate from him in tangible waves.
"Dad," Neteyam says. Ja and Mansk, who were speaking over his head, glance down at him, then over at his dad. Dad has his hand brought up to his mouth, running his thumb along the length of his lips, back and forth, eyes focused on a space a million miles away. "Dad? Dad."
Daddy stares into the fire, creases formed between his eyes. The low din of voices quiets down.
"Daddy," Neteyam says.
Daddy blinks, pulling from his thoughts to look at Neteyam. "Yes, baby boy?"
"When we get back tomorrow," Neteyam says, gripping hard on Ja's inner elbow. His peeled fruit long since forgotten, not a single bite taken from it. "When we get back, you're going to be in trouble with the general, aren't you?"
Daddy grins at him. The same grin that is meant to disarm, dissuade from continuing down a path he doesn't want one on. "You don't have to worry yourself about that, Neteyam."
"I do worry," Neteyam says. "I worry, because you are worried. You've been upset all day." He leans forward, keeping a grip on Ja. "Dad, what will happen if we don't find these Omatikaya?"
"Baby boy, you don't have to worry - "
"It's bad, isn't it?" Neteyam interrupts. Dad's eyebrows flick up, surprised. Neteyam is too. He never interrupts - especially not his dad. "Something has to change," he whispers. "Something that will get the general off of your back."
Dad's eyes flicker to the fire, then back to Neteyam. "I've got everything handled."
"We were supposed to go back three days ago," Neteyam says quietly. "But we haven't yet. We keep pushing on, moving slower and slower in our return. No one says anything about it. I'm the only one who doesn't know how bad it's really getting, right? No one really talks about it because of me."
Daddy purses his lips, blinking slowly as his eyes drift, lost to thought for a moment before he holds out a hand for Neteyam. "Baby boy, come here." Ja and those that he passes, Brown and Warren, help hold him steady stepping between their feet, until he's able to take his dad's hand and lower to a sit pressed into his side. Daddy pulls him close and looses a long-winded sigh.
"Neteyam," Dad starts. His name is slowly drawn out. When he doesn't immediately continue, Neteyam casts him a long look.
"Dad," Neteyam mimics, looking up through long lashes at the male beside him. Lyle chuckles, the stoic, almost angry expression he's been wearing for a while now breaking a bit at that.
Dad smiles at him, amused, before it turns serious once more. "You know that the traitor we're looking for is in the Omatikaya clan, right? You remember us talking about that?" Uncle Tom stiffens, a frown pulling on his lips, but Zhang places a hand on his back, running it up and down. The action is so casual that Neteyam thinks nothing more of it.
"Yes, dad."
"Everyone is doing their part to bring him to justice, you see," Dad continues. "But he's a slippery one. The Omatikaya have him hidden somewhere safe in this forest. And even after all these years, we don't have much luck finding them."
"I'm not doing my part," Neteyam says, voice soft. Uncle Tom stiffens.
"Quaritch," he says, but daddy doesn't look at him. Just holds up a hand to stop him from continuing.
"Baby, you don't have to do anything," he says, voice gentle as he stares into Neteyam's eyes. "You're here because I love you so much and because Lyle here would be lonely without you."
That earns some playful chuckles, even a true grin from Lyle, which is nice to see after days of mounting tension. "You know me and my attachment issues, Neteyam."
Neteyam smiles at the bald male despite knowing that his dad was trying to brush his words off. "I would be lonely without you too, Uncle Lyle," Neteyam says sweetly. Maria, sitting next to Lyle, smiles at Neteyam, absolute adoration in her eyes.
"You leave the traitor to me, okay?" Dad says, pulling Neteyam's gaze back to his own. "I'll figure something out. I always do."
"I want to help you," Neteyam insists. "I can do something, I know it. Despite being a hybrid, I can pass as full Na'vi. I can - "
"No," Dad says sternly. "And don't call yourself that."
"But I am," Neteyam points out. "I am half recombinant and half Na'vi." Dad always hated that term - hybrid. Despite it being the truth, to dad, it was a reminder of Neteyam's faulty immune system. Something about the combination of the two made him so weak. As Neteyam is the only recorded hybrid, the RDA can only assume that it is similar in any other cases out there. As the Omatikaya do in fact have Avatars - and the traitor recombinant - with them and that has been so for longer than Neteyam has been alive. It's theorized that Neteyam is the oldest but there is no proof as of yet.
Not that Neteyam cares to give the RDA any real information about that stuff or really help them find these Omatikaya. He just wants to help his dad find this traitor so that General Ardmore will leave him and Blue Team alone. He has no love for the RDA or any interest in their pursuits. He just wants to make sure that his family is okay.
Dad's hand squeezes at Neteyam's side, as he sucks in a long, slow breath. Neteyam watches his blank features as he stares into the fire once more - like it could somehow help him figure out where to go from here.
"Dad - " Neteyam starts but his dad cuts him off.
"No more of this, Neteyam. I will figure something out. Now, let's all get some rest. It's going to be a long hike back to Bridgehead." Neteyam stares up at his dad, brow furrowed in disbelief. He opens his mouth one more time, before dad's look silences him. "Enough for now, baby boy. Get some rest."
Neteyam sighs, disappointed. He joins the others in putting out the small fire and laying out in the dirt. Prager, Z-dog and Brown taking first watch. Neteyam curls up against his dad's side, frowning as the arm curls around him and dad lets out a whoosh of breath before settling. The sounds of the forest pick up once the fire is out. Some perceived danger is eliminated for now. Neteyam listens to the sounds of breaths evening out but still his eyes remain open, staring out over the forest past his dad's vest, the bioluminescence always drawing his eye. The pattern of the forest - unique to every place like the markings on a Na'vi face - always drew his attention. Their world was beautiful, and in a truly sick way, he can understand why the RDA would want to covet it. Not that he agrees in any way.
As the dark stretches on, only the sound of shifting, sleepy mumbling and the occasional soft conversation from the three on duty, Neteyam's mind wanders. What is he going to do? He has to think of some way to help his dad. Without something new to report to General Ardmore he just knows that something is going to get worse for them. At least for Daddy it will. And Neteyam is a distraction. He recognizes this. He's known for a very long time that no one outside of the people here with him now and small handful of others at Bridgehead want him around. At least, as anything more than something to study - to dissect.
Neteyam shivers at the thought. Daddy's arm tightens around him, drawing in another deep breath, but his eyes remain closed.
The motion, though, draws Neteyam's attention to the zip tie cuffs attached to his dad's vest. They stare back at him, long and accusing and a part of Neteyam latches onto an idea. Something he's never put thought into before, yet it keeps pressing into all the corners of his mind. It reminds him of the danger that his family is in. Of what could happen if the next time Daddy and Blue Team return to Bridgehead without the traitor and what that could mean for them. The fear coursing through him makes him warm - too warm. His heart takes a stumbling gallop in his chest, and he has to take slow, deep breaths to calm down without waking his dad.
He can't do nothing. Despite what his dad said, there has to be something that he can do.
He can pass for a full Na'vi. And he's young...
Neteyam's eyes seek out the zip tie cuffs again.
Neteyam closes his eyes, mentally chastising himself. He's going to make a fool of himself. He can't... he can't...
He might not be able to find these Omatikaya... but he might find some clan willing to help him...
He shouldn't. It's stupid.
Neteyam opens his eyes again, stares at the zip tie cuff staring back at him and makes a choice. He reaches out and removes it carefully from his dad's vest and carefully slips it around the knife sheath at his side. He has to carefully maneuver it so that most of it is hidden, pressed up against his thigh. And in the morning, he'll have to be mindful of his left side. It pokes at him uncomfortably, but he doesn't care. If he really does what he's thinking about doing, a little discomfort will be a small price to pay for the disappointment his dad is going to feel.
Neteyam almost lost his nerve more than two dozen times across the length of the day. They were nearing the waterfall, and a storm is almost on top of them. It's to the point now, even with the low rumblings in the air and the blackened clouds keep the forests luminescence holding strong, Neteyam's not sure which is producing the stronger scent of water. But he can hear it, off in the distance, the roar of the waterfall. Dad must be a little lost, he's brought them a lot closer than Neteyam would have figured. They are still heading in the right direction for the rendezvous point, but just slightly off kilter.
The dark, though, has provided Neteyam with an unexpected boon. As quietly as possible, under the cover of that dark, Neteyam has been rubbing the inside of zip tie against the soft flesh of his right wrist. At first, it was just enough to irritate the skin, but he knew, he knew it wouldn't be believable. So, he pushed it a little bit harder and a little bit harder until the friction was enough to cut skin. Then he left it alone for a little while until the trickle of blood stopped and did it again. And again. And again. He kept doing it until he was convinced that it looked legit. Then he did it one more time.
He made sure to do it while next to Fike and Prager, the two talking away slightly louder than all the rest, so that no one would hear his soft whimpers at the pain. And far enough away from Zhang, Maria, Lyle and Dad, so that they wouldn't notice how abnormally quiet he is. He's just thankful that their sense of smell isn't nearly as keen as his own. They couldn't smell the slight tinge of blood in the saturated air.
He moved on to the other wrist and did that twice, before he carefully removed his knife, and with a quick glance around to ensure everyone was too preoccupied to pay him any mind, he cut through the right side of the cuff.
It made more noise than he thought, and Fike turned to look at him. Like an idiot, Neteyam twisted away just barely in time to hide his knife and the zip tie, but made it very obvious that he was up to something.
"You okay, Neteyam?" Fike asks, tilting his head. He and Prager took a few steps more before having turned to look at him, while the others made it further before Fike's question drew their attention.
"What's up?" Warren asks, tilting his head as Maria pops up onto her tip toes to look over his shoulder at Neteyam.
"I'm okay," Neteyam says, letting out a raspy laugh. "I was, um, almost tripped. I mean, I almost tripped. Two left feet."
Fike laughs, his smile bright as he waves an arm for Neteyam to join his side again. "Come on, kid, don't get left behind."
Neteyam grins up at him, fighting the feeling of shame building in his gut. "I'm sorry."
Walking beside Fike for about thirty seconds, Neteyam debated again if this really was a good idea or not. He decided immediately that it wasn't, but he didn't know what else to do. His dad - his family - needed him to do something. Carefully, Neteyam removes his knife and sheath from his tewng and carefully places it into one of the pockets on Fike's bag. "You have a pocket unzipped," he lies as flippantly as he can, as he zips it up. The knife his Uncle Tom helped make for him safely inside.
Fike glances over his shoulder, surprised. "Oh, thanks, buddy."
Neteyam doesn't respond. His throat is tight. There is a low rumble of thunder from above as Neteyam picks up speed, moving through Blue Team and heading for his dad. Mindful of the gun held securely in both hands, Neteyam's places his hand on his dad's arm, right over the tattoo of an egal - some kind of avian from Earth.
Dad looks down at him, and smiles. It's like a knife straight to his heart.
"Dad," Neteyam says, voice soft as he stops walking. Dad stops too, his smile falling to a confused frown. The others pull up to a stop, waiting for his dad's word to continue.
"Yes, baby?"
"You are going to have to lie to them," Neteyam says, not able to meet his dad's gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"The general. I'm not sure what you will say, but you always know how to talk your way out of things," Neteyam says, smiling faintly at that. He wished that he had inherited his dad's charisma. "I know that you'll come up with something."
A pause. Dad's feet shift as his whole body faces Neteyam. "What do you mean, baby?"
Doubt creeps in again and Neteyam hesitates. Maybe he should rethink this...
No, he can't. He's already begun. And he has a plan - sort of. Yes, he has to do this.
With a shaky breath, he looks up and meets his dad's golden eyes, lower lip quivering against his will. He has to do this, even if he really doesn't want to.
Dad's eyebrows pull in as he moves his gun behind his back and grabs hold of Neteyam's arms, his hands so easily able to wrap around the younger male's biceps. "Baby," he whispers, genuine worry written all over his face, "what's wrong?"
"I know," Neteyam takes a shaky breath. "I know that you're going to be really mad at me, but she has to think something more is being done - and it is! Just... just not the same as it's always been."
"She who? Ardmore?" Dad frowns more. "Neteyam, what are you talking about."
"You have to convince her it's all a part of your plan," Neteyam insists, leaning into the warm strength of hands gripping his arms. "She'll give you more time, she'll look the other way if she thinks it's getting done - even if it's not in the way that she wants it. She's got to."
"Neteyam - "
Neteyam places his wrist into the zip tie and pulls it all the way taut until the teeth are biting into his skin. The noise drags Daddy's eyes down to the motion, perplexed. Neteyam reaches out and grabs onto his dad's knife, pulling it right from its sheath before turning and running. There is a crack of lightning and a world-shattering boom overhead. Yet even that wasn't loud enough to cover the dozen voices that call out to him. Or the thundering sound of their footsteps as they give chase. Neteyam is nimble and fast, able to squeeze through smaller space with relative ease. Blue Team is slower, larger, heavier with their bodies and the armor and packs. Neteyam manages a surprising amount of distance between them by the time he makes it to the waterfall, having tracked the sound of it through the forest.
He makes it to the edge and stops on one of the large rocks perched there. He looks down, feeling the spray of it against his overly warm skin - a layer of sweat covering him even in a run that lasting a few minutes. He has to work on his cardio. Where once, during the day, he could see the stones jutting out from the deep pond below, now it's nothing but pure darkness. There is tiny specks of light from the moss growing on the rocks, but that could also be a trick of the eyes.
Amongst the din of voices, the crack of lightning, roar of thunder and the snarl of the waterfall, Neteyam can hear, "Baby, stop!" He swallows, turning slowly to face his daddy and the other recoms. His dad looks at the waterfall, then back to Neteyam, face pinched in worry. He holds out his hand. "Baby, come back to me. Right now."
"I can find the Omatikaya for you," Neteyam says, shaking as he steps back, closer to the edge. "Even if it's just a clan. I'll find someone who knows. Then I'll tell you and you can find the traitor."
Daddy is shaking his head before Neteyam's even done talking. "No. I'm not going to let you do this."
"Dad," Neteyam rasps, then coughs, because his throat is unbearably dry. "Dad, please. Let me help you."
"No, Neteyam. No. Now, please, son, please, come take my hand." Dad's face twists. There is true, genuine fear there. His eyes are overly bright in the darkness, the gold shining amongst the sea of white freckled stars that make up his face. Neteyam looks at the rest of Blue Team, memorizing their faces as best he can. He doesn't know how long it will take for him to find the Omatikaya and report back, so he doesn't want to forget a single bit of them.
"I won't let you down, sir," Neteyam says, offering a little smile. Instead of smiling back, daddy flinches.
"Neteyam," Dad rasps, swallowing thickly. "I love you, please don't do this."
"I love you too, dad," Neteyam whispers. He hopes that his dad can hear him even over the wind picking up around them, the thunder rumbling closer and closer. "I have to do this," Neteyam says, a little louder. "I can convince them that I'm one of them. Get them to tell me what I need to know. Then I'll find my way back to you. You can get the traitor and... and... we can all go home," he decides, but the taste is like ash in his throat. Bridgehead wasn't his home. But that doesn't matter now. They will figure out what to do later.
"No," Daddy says, voice sharp as the blade in Neteyam's hand. The wind pulls at his braids, hard enough that he had to wipe them from his face. "I will not do this again. I'm not going to lose you too. We'll find another way."
"We're running out of time, dad," Neteyam says, the first droplets of water hitting him like shards of ice in his spine as the wind picks up into a deafening roar. Neteyam stumbles as the sky opens up and a bucket of water falls right onto the top of his head. Neteyam's not the only one to lose his balance and fall to the ground, his knees slamming into the hard stone. Pain radiates all the way down to his toes.
"Neteyam," Lyle calls, steadyng himself. "Get away from the ledge!"
Neteyam's resolve is ripped to tatters. He pushes to his feet, staggers at the force of the wind pushing against his chest.
Daddy pushes up to one knee and holds out a hand to him. "Come on, baby boy," he says, a fierce protectiveness to his face. "I dont care about -" There is a crackling boom of thunder that makes Neteyam's ears ring, missing entirely what else was said. But Lyle and mama both look at dad with eyes blown wide in disbelief.
Neteyam stumbles, the rain pelting against his skin feels like tiny shards of glass. He lifts his shoulders to try and protect his face a bit when a small branch rips free from the forest and flies at his face. Neteyam jerks back, his foot slipping out from under him and suddenly there was nothing behind him.
"No!" Daddy roars, ripping forward as if to jump after him when a far larger branch slams into his back. His hand flies to the back his head as his knees give out for the briefest of moments. Then Neteyam lost him, and the rest of the charging Blue Team over the lip of the ledge until the roar of the water wraps around him, and the water envelopes him, dragging him under.