Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The twins watch Percy get lead away and vanish when the hydraulic doors closed.
Vax lashed his tail. “We have to do something.”
“I don’t know what we do… we’re trapped here…” Vex had curled into herself while perched on her chair.
“I don’t either… hell…” vax slammed his fist on the table. “I hate this. We’re a clan. Why can’t we protect one of our own?”
"Because we have no power here.“ Vex said quietly.
“We’re still a clan…” a very small pitiful looking clan. But they were a clan. A family.
"I know.” Vex set her hand over her brother’s to help calm him down.
“If we’re a clan… what are we called?” Keylith asked. She came from one of the many horse clans across the plains. The A’shari.
“I don’t remember…” Grog said miserably. He just remembered living with Pike and her clan.
“No I mean us. Our clan: the seven of us.” Keylith clarified. There’d once been at least twenty of them. The others had all been ‘moved’ to other facilities. That’s what they’d been told at least.
“Oh.. what would you like to call us?” Vax asked her.
“I don’t know… what do we do? A’shari means air. My clan made and flew kites.” Keylith said. And they’d been the best clan at flying ikran.
"What do you think, Vax?“ Pike asked.
“If it’s what we do then we should just call our clan it would be Sänui.”[failure] Vax said bitterly.
“Vax.” His sister scolded smacking his hand.
“What? We aren’t even acting like Na’vi.” Vax stated.
“Agreed.” Scanlan muttered.
"We don't have a choice…” Keylith traced circled onto the table, her voice barely a whisper.
“Then I don’t know.” Vax hissed his tail still lashing back and forth.
“We’re all worried about Percy.” Pike said. “But don’t get angry at us Vax.”
“Of course I’m worried about him!” Vax was terrified. Everyone one else they’d taken away they never saw again. Zarah, Kasha, Zorrin, everyone but the seven of them. Vax didn’t believe for a moment that they’d been taken to other facilities.
“Yeah but don’t take it out on us Vax.” Vex told him.
Vax deflated and slumped in defeat. “Sorry…”
“We’ll find a way to help him… whatever they do to him. That’s what a clan does.” Keylith tried for a smile.
“And what if we never see him again?” Vax asked.
“Don’t say that!” Vex snapped. She was terrified by that. They couldn’t just take Percy away.
“We will figure it out. We are a clan…. We’ll take care of each other.” Pike tried to calm them all down.
“We need to find a way out…” Keylith pulled her knees to her chest.
“We will.” Vax said firmly.
“Good. Now you need to breathe.” Pike told him.
“I’m trying…” Vax muttered.
“Do it for me.” Vex said quietly
They were interrupted. A solider came in and took them to the shooting range for target practice.
They all tried their best because they knew what would happen if they didn’t. They’d all been through enough punishments to know how to at least try to avoid them. Vex was a good shot but the pistols and rifles felt wrong to use. They were breaking one of Eywa’s laws. Not to use the metals of the ground. Most of them were terrible shots. And these lessons always involved yelling from a drill Sargent. Vex never did well with yelling. She was the most depressed out of all of them. Though Vax was probably close behind. Vax wanted to throw this loud fire machine and break it. He could never understand why Percy was so fascinated by these things.

Soon enough, they are aloud back to their rooms. Vex nearly broke down immediately. Though now, if it was quiet. She pulled her thin blanket around her shoulders and sat leaning against the wall. Her knees pulled up to her chest.
Vax went to her at once and held her. “I’ve got you.” She barely reacted to him and his heart clinched. Vax sobbed softly. And started to sing their mother’s song cord again, “Lie si oe Vex’ahliamur.
sa'nokur mìfa oeyä Atanti ngal molunge…”
Vex reacted by leaning into his touch a little more. His crying made her want to comfort him.
“Mipa tìreyti, mipa 'itanti. Lawnol a mì te'lan. Lawnol a mì te'lan…” he was starting to tear up.
"Vax..." Vex’s voice broke as she spoke.
“Yeah…” he broke the song.
“Are you ok?” She asked softly.
“I should be asking you that…” Vax tried for a smile as he held his sister close.
“You're crying…” she wiped his tears as Vax did the same with her.
“So are you.”
“I asked you first.” Vex pressed.
“I hate seeing you like this… I hate this place… I hate everything here. It’s not right!” Vax shook. He hated it here. But he loved their friends and didn’t want to loose them.
“Vax... I'm sorry... I know I make this so much harder for you.” Vex curled closer to him all the same.
“Stop that! Don’t you dare blame yourself for this.” Snapped pulling her closer and holding her tighter.
Vex flinched at his volume, “it’s true though.”
“It’s not. I’d go mad without you. If you’d gotten taken away like the others…” Vax tucked her head under his chin.
Vex shuddered at the thought, “I am just so much work for you...”
“And Percy is a lot of work for both of us. That doesn't matter.” Vax said firmly.
"I guess..." She still had her knees pulled to her chest.
Vax hugged her tight and started again. Both the twins had their own verse on their mother’s song cord. She pressed up against him trying to focus on the song. Remember what their mother’s voice sounded like. How she’d braided her hair… what she’d even looked like at all. It was all fading by the day. It was hard for vax to remember but they carried her song still. Like a clan was meant to do when a member died. She slowly joined him in the song very quietly. They sang it together. Up until the end. They’d never added that final bead. The one that meant the end of a life.
Vex started at the cord for a while. They had actually never seen their mother’s body. At least not that she could remember.
"Vax… do you ever wonder If she's still alive…” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know… wouldn’t she have come for us…” Vax had believed that a long time ago.
“She might not know.” Vex pointed out.
“How could she not? We would be there with her if it weren’t for this.” He gestured at the facility as a whole.
“She might not know where we are.” Vex said again.
“She was there… saw the humans… how many places could they possibly be?” Vax asked shuddering. How many could there be? Not many. Right?
"I don't know...” Vex admitted.
“If she was alive she would find us.” Vax said bitterly.
“Maybe she is.” Vex tried again.
“I don’t know…” Vax had once been so sure. He didn’t know what he believed anymore. “She would be here to save us if she was…”
“I know…”
They lapsed into silence after that for while. No one felt like talking after that.

Vax sighed and closed his eyes for a moment… He froze again: “Hold on… they should have brought Percy back ages ago.”
“Yes... they should have…” Vex sat up to look at the door in worry.
“We should ask where he is.” Keylith said.
They went back to the class room to find Allura. Surely she would know. Allura was sitting at her desk and working on the next days plans.
“Allura.” Pike spoke this time.
The avatar looked up from her work. “Yes Pike? What’s wrong?”
“They took Percy to the lab after lunch. But it’s almost lights out and they haven’t brought him back yet.” It was Keylith who blurted this out, her voice full of worry.
“Oh.” Allura’s blood ran cold. “That is odd.”
“The last time this happened it was Zarah… and we never saw her again…” Vex said nearly in tears again.
"I remember.“ Allura stood intent on confronting Ripley for this.
“Please don’t let them take him too… he’s too young.” Pike begged.
“I'll go see if I can figure out what's happening.” Allura assured them gently. “I promise I’ll bring him back.” She prayed that she could keep that promise.
She herded the worried children back to their room before making her way to the labs. Ripley was there organizing the last of the printed out bio readings when Allura entered.
“You’re scaring the children. Why is Percy still in your lab?” She demanded.
"He's recovering.” Ripley said simply.
“From what?” Worry spiked in Allura. Again? She’d thought the directors had put a stop to these surgeries.
“What kind of procedure? What are you doing to him?” Allura was getting angry. “He’s only a child Ripley. And I’ve seen how you butcher those animals.”
"Don't worry. He's fine.” Ripley waved her hand dismissively.
“You’ve been running tests on him behind my back again. Ripley we’ve been over this. These children aren’t your lab rats.” Allura spat. Outside of their avatars she was taller than Ripley.
“I don't care what you think.” Ripley smirked at her.
“That’s what detector Sylas Briarwood has told you. The children are an investment for him. And you know how he hates when people waste his resources. You’ve been warned before.” Allura knew that was the button. The only two people Ripley would heed were the ones who paid her.
"Oh please.” Ripley rolled her eyes but her shoulders tensed.
“The directors will hear about this Ripley.” Allura turned to make her think that she was going to do just that.
“Ok, ok. Fine.” Ripley glared at her. “He’s in the recovery room.”
“Good. I’ll be taking him back to the others. He can recover with his friends.” Allura turned back to enter that section of the lab.
The sight of Percy broke her heart. The long recovery patch running down from the base of his neck to his tail. Dressed in a hospital gown sized for a Na’vi, even one of Percy’s small size.
Allura checked his pules and sighed. “You poor thing…” she’d never got a good look at Percy before. He was covered in surgical scars. How long had this been going on behind her back? Why hadn’t the other kids told her?
She wheeled the gurney Percy laid on out of the labs and into the barracks. The other children jumped up seeing Percy in such a weak state.
“I’m sorry. If I could see the injury I could help more but those bandages need to stay on.” Allura explained. “Don’t crowd him now.”
Vex gave her a mutinous look. She wanted to hold Percy, even asleep he looked scared and she wanted to help him.
“And keep in the IV. He’s going to be asleep for a while.” Allura said gently. It was so rare for them to see her true human body.
“Ok... why can't you teach like this? How you truly are?” Vex asked as she took Percy’s hand and held it.
“My avatar seems to put you more at ease.” She admitted. Having to look up at the Na’vi teens. “And everything in this part of the facility is tailored to you living here comfortably. It’s much too big for a human.”
"Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Vax said taking in the sight of Allura’s golden hair. No Na’vi had hair like that.
“And my field work is much easier in that body as well.” She smiled. “How would you kids like to have some real meat tomorrow?”
"You can do that?” Vex asked looking up from Percy.
“My wife can while she’s out tonight. She’s one of our ambassadors to a near by clan.“ Allura explained.
“That would bd amazing.” Keylith smiled just thinking about it.
“You all deserve it. Do you have a favorite?” Allura asked them.
“I don't know...it's been so long…” none of them could remember much.
“I’ll ask her to look for yerik.” Her statement brought memories back to the twins. Their first hunt. Their mother’s proud smile and praise.
"Thank you.” Vax and Vex said together.
Allura nodded. “Percy will need to stay in that bed for at least two days. Even with our healing packs. I’ll try to find him something to occupy his mind.”
“Thank you. He will like something to do.” Vex said, having gone back to soothe Percy who looked like he was in pain.
“I know. He’s always tinkering with something.” Allura smiled.
They’d once caught him taking apart a gun. He’d been beaten for that.
“He is…” Vax was on the other side of Percy’s bed.
“I have to go now. But I’ll see you all in the morning. Stay put for now.” Allura was worried that the kids seemed unsurprised by the sight of Percy’s scars.
She left them to tend to their friend.
“Of course.” Allura left and sighed once she was in her’s and Kima’s quarters. “Hell… what are we doing here…”
Kima was trying to make something to snack on. She was so tired she didn't really notice her love.
Allura moved over to help. “Heading out already?“
“Oh hey. Allie." Kima gave her a tired smile and a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey” she kissed Kima’s cheek in turn. “Sorry… it’s been a long day…”
"It's alright. It has been a long day.
Are you doing ok? You look tried." She brushed back some of Allura’s hair.
“It’s the kids… I’m so worried about them… I… I had to wheel Percy out of Ripley’s lab today. She put him through another operation…” Allura explained.
“Oh hell... she does so much to him…” the things Kima had heard made her sick to her stomach.
“I know… he looks so bad… she’s had him under her thumb since he was an infant. She even named him.” Allura shook her head helplessly.
“That poor kid. How are the others doing?” Kima asked.
“As well as they can be. I brought them the fruit this morning… I was hoping you could pick up some meat for them. I can cook it here.” Allura held her wife’s hand for the comfort.
"I'll see what I can do. They are all doing ok?“ Kima pressed again.
“The twins are very upset and on edge… Vax is so angry all the time and I don’t blame him. We have to do something more.” Allura hated to see them all like this.
"So Allie.. let's get them out.” It wasn’t the first time they talked about this exact thing.
“How? The Briarwoods have this place locked down. We don’t even know if the clan near by will accept them.” There were so many things that could go wrong.
“We have to try Allura. This isn’t right.” Kima said straightening up.
“I… I’ll draw up a plan while you’re gone.” Allura promised.
"Yes. The twins. Tell me more about them.“ Kima put a hand on Allura’s back.
“Vax is angry and Vex is scared. And so protective of Percy… of all of them.” Allura said sadly.
"Vex seems to be having a really hard time. More than the others.” Kima pointed out.
She is… she doesn’t like being cooped up in a place like this. She needs to run free.” They all did.
“It is worse than the others isn't it?" Kima asked. Allura just nodded clinching her eyes shut. “What have you seen in her?”
“Twitching…. Clutching at her kuru… I’ve told her of it to play with it so much because of what damaging it can do…” Allura worried about Vex greatly.
“Hell.. is there anything else?” They needed to know these things.
“She told me during her last physical that her ears are starting to ring.” Allura admitted.
“Oh. Wow... that's really bad... she's just a ball of anxiety... she can't last much longer in this place.” Kima knew none of them would really. This wasn’t the place for them.
“Yes… she is… we need to do this soon… HQ is up the detector’s asses. For this program to work… with the kids…” Allura shook her head in disgust.
"Hell, Allie. we have to get them out of here. Did She tell you how bad her ears were ringing?” These poor kids.
“It fades in and out… but that physical was severe weeks ago.” Those notes had been hard to right.
"Maybe you should talk to her again...” Kima suggested.
“I will. I’m going to talk to all of them. We will get them out of here.” Allura had new conviction now after seeing Percy today. “You’re almost late… I’ll work on a plan tonight.”
“Okay.” Kima kissed her goodbye. “I’ll see you in the morning.