sicparvismorrigan - Tumblr blog

sicparvismorrigan · 8 months ago

Text

Friendly Fire - Chapter Three: Scrap Metal

Ellie Thibodeaux holds arguably the worst job in Bridgehead City. She’s not a cook. She’s not even a cleaner. She’s the resident RDA psychiatrist, and her next assignment is helping the formerly deceased Project Phoenix come to terms with being brought back to life as an entirely different species.

Enter Colonel Miles Quaritch, the most reluctant, and most challenging patient she’s ever had the displeasure of treating.

James Cameron’s Avatar - The Way of Water (2022)

Recombinant Quaritch x ofc (currently professional/platonic, enemies/annoyances to friends, could be more & Quaritch x Paz Socorro

Warnings: mild swears

Tagging: @kmc1989 (let me know if you would like added)

Read on Ao3

Chapter Two | Chapter Four

Scrap Metal

“Well, well, look who decided to drop by!” Lyle Wainfleet was the first to draw attention to the psychiatrist’s presence. “She’s not too good for us after all!”

Not just one or two of them, they were all there. Everyone. Walker, Mansk, Fike. The whole damn unit. And every single one of them turned to stare.

”Knock, knock.” Ellie replied quietly, tapping softly on the metal wall of the soldiers recreation area with her real hand and forcing herself to approach.

She’d hoped to sidle in mostly unnoticed, without making a big deal, and observe for a while. The recombinant soldiers clearly had other ideas.

“Z, pull up another chair. Right this way.” Wainfleet had sprung to his feet, beckoning her forward. “Nice one, doc!”

“We’ve got tea…oh, shit.” Fike realised too late Ellie wouldn’t be able to drink it.

Getting the exopack on and off single-handed was a chore in itself, and she didn’t want to ask for help. The thought of those strong recombinant fingers messing around near her neck made Ellie nervous. The tea would have to wait for another day.

”Well, you can still hold it and pretend.” Sean Fike shrugged as he pushed a too-big cup into her real hand. “It’s not that good, anyway. Not missin’ out.”

Ellie balanced it on one knee with a tight smile. Too hot. She let her metal arm take the weight of the cup , feeling the rods that had replaced her bones warm distantly. Had to be careful not to forget about it or she’d end up burned, again.

”Only because of how you make the tea, you heathen.” Zdinarsik casually insulted. “Probably safer not to, Tibbs.”

Ellie remembered an old book from Earth, about that Alice kid, who drank and ate things to make herself bigger and smaller. Strange, the things that pop into your head when you least expect.

She’d felt the stares on her back as she had approached the soldiers quarters down a maze of metal corridors, the items around her getting larger and larger in comparison to herself. Shrinking down indeed, just like Alice.

The recom soldiers seemed genuinely pleased that she had finally shown up. But her newest patient was nowhere to be seen.

Ellie was surprised to find how much Quaritch‘s absence disappointed her. She had only been brave enough to venture over because he’d ordered it. Well, practically threatened.

And now he wouldn’t even see that she’d made the effort. Hopefully, the other recoms would mention it. Then, just maybe, he’d be slightly more willing to share at their next session.

”Tibbs!” Zdinarsik nudged her elbow, making her jump. She’d been caught daydreaming. Something about the female recom’s tone made Ellie think it wasn’t the first time trying to get her attention. Zdinarsik pointed at Wainfleet, who was fidgeting in his chair with a burning question.

“Hey, uh…do you start to rust, doc?” He asked brazenly. “If you, uh, stay outside too long when it rains?”

“Lyle!” Mansk hissed, giving him a look that plainly said knock it off.

”What?! Dude, I gotta know!” Wainfleet shot Ellie a guilty look. “No offence.”

Zdinarsik just chuckled, lazily blowing another pale pink bubble.

”I do, actually.” The psychiatrist replied amusedly. “It’s an old model. Sometimes needs oiling.”

Wainfleet frowned, flicking his ears downwards quizzically, unsure if she was messing with him, obviously not expecting her to confirm she was capable of the feat of oxidation.

“But I don’t really get to go outside that much.” Ellie finished, not meaning to sound wistful, though to her it felt that way.

”You should. I mean, you’d 100% die out there by yourself, but it sure is something.” Fike’s eyes widened, in the midst of a grand idea. “We could take you.”

“I don’t think General Ardmore would like that.” Ellie answered hesitantly.

”Ugh, but Ardmore doesn’t like anything.” Walker retorted with a sigh. “Except work.”

“Hey, she doesn’t need to find out.” Wainfleet pointed out optimistically. “We just gotta get the Colonel on board. Whaddaya say, doc?”

It looked like Ellie was due a field trip she couldn’t exactly refuse.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about going out there. But she was pretty far down on the payroll and had resigned herself to the brown and grey industrial landscape of Bridgehead, a mere extension of her artificial limb. But actually seeing, maybe even touching the world of Pandora, with her own private protection unit to keep her safe?

Now, that really would be something.

It didn’t take long for the recom soldiers to grow restless once her novelty had worn off and they went back to their games and roughhousing.

”Where, uhm…where’s the Colonel?” Ellie ventured to ask Zdinarsik as she rose from her chair with a metallic squeak, on her way to join the boys.

“How in the Hell should I know?” She responded, narrowing her eyes. “Why, you missin’ him that much already, doc?”

Ellie slumped in her own chair, wondering how much longer was polite to stay. This wasn’t really her world, and the recom’s casual violence as they pushed each other around was starting to put her on edge.

“Or, you could ask him yourself…” Zdinarsik smirked as she nodded at someone far above Ellie’s head.

The psychiatrist sat bolt upright, her spine ramrod straight, as if she were the soldier.

“Colonel, check it out. We got company!” Wainfleet yelled before Fike floored him with a flying tackle.

Ellie dared to turn around, tugging her sweater sleeve down nervously.

“So I see. And on our turf, too.” Quaritch had his head cocked to one side. “Smart girl.”

Zdinarsik offered her seat up to her commanding officer and strode off to join the rest.

The Colonel looked Ellie up and down, dwarfed by her enormous chair. Was it her imagination, or did he seem pleased she had finally accepted the invitation to ‘come hang’?

“What’s the I stand for?”

“H-Huh?” She stammered.

“That.” He pointed at the RDA-issue dogtags she had around her neck, like everyone else in Bridgehead.

Ellie’s hand went to the metal chain, covering them on instinct.

“Infuriating? Impudent?” He smirked. “Incomplete?”

”Oh…” Ouch. She hurriedly tucked them back inside the neck of her sweater. “It’s my name.”

“Your name ain’t Ellie?” The Colonel asked, confused. “Huh.”

Something he didn’t know about her. That was surprising.

”Not exactly. Ellie is the beginner level.”

”Well then, what is your name?”

She saw his tail flick in the corner of her eye.

“Colonel, respectfully. You couldn’t pronounce my real name if you tried.”

”Wanna bet?” He was up for the challenge. “Zdinarsik has letters in all the wrong places too.”

”My name wouldn’t sound that out of place amongst the natives.” Ellie explained. “So you don’t have to bother, seriously.”

”In case you haven’t noticed, I’m one of the blue freaks now, myself. So, I’ll ask twice.” He pointed a clawed finger at her deliberately. “Don’t you make me ask again.”

”Ijeawele Thibodeaux.” She sounded apologetic, damn it. Be assertive. It’s your own damn heritage, not his. “My full name. Tibbs is…much easier for everyone.”

”Well, goddamn. Legal paperwork must take you forever and a day.” He drawled. “Your parents didn’t even give you a chance, did they?”

No, they did not…

Another life.

“Once again.” He leaned closer to her and tapped the base of his ear twice.

“It’s fine, Colonel.”

”No ma’am.“ He objected. “I wanna get it right. Again.”

”Ee-jay-ah-wel-eh.” She slowed it down, trying not to get stuck on the fact he’d just called her ma’am. Well, it was better than shrink-wrap.

“Ijeawele.” His pronunciation wasn’t half-bad.

“Good.” Ellie waited for a beat, then because she couldn’t resist the opportunity: “Now, about my middle name-“

“Aw, Hell!” Quaritch groaned, making the soldiers glance in their direction briefly before they resumed whatever rowdy antics they were in the middle of.

”Relax, I don’t have one. But Ellie is fine.” She reassured. “Ellie is preferred. Tibbs is best.”

”Well, alright then.” He looked visibly relieved. “I got no issue with Tibbs.”

”You sure about that?” Ellie dropped her voice, being candid. “I don’t feel our sessions are going particularly well.”

“Nothing against you, personally.” The Colonel replied. “I got too much on my plate, and regularly scheduled meetings with a certain shrink are starting to take up a lot of my valuable time.” Ellie balked. “Oh, well…we can change your appointment time-“

”The time is just fine.” Quaritch’s tone was clipped. “It’s not that.”

She waited for more, but the Colonel didn’t care to elaborate.

O-kay…

“Can I ask what it is?” She probed.

”Here now, you better not be analysing me-“ He drew back, suddenly wary.

”I’m here today as a friend. Not as a professional.” Ellie jerked her head towards the other soldiers. “At least, as their friend.”

”Can’t help it though, can ya?” Quaritch deduced correctly. “Dissecting people. Tryin’ to read them.” I have to.

She hadn’t been careful enough, on Earth. She’d wanted to see the best in people, assume their intentions were good, always. That was why she hadn’t seen her attacker coming.

She would not, could not make the same mistake again.

“I-…” She thought about spilling her guts, briefly.

Quaritch looked at her expectantly.

No.

“-I’ve had a good time today.” Ellie said honestly, covering her hesitation. “I’m sensing we aren’t quite there yet.”

”Correct. My men like you, that’s clear.”

”But?” There had to be a Part 2 to that sentence.

“But knowin’ you've got that Stone-Age prosthetic just danglin’ there really makes my brain itch.”

Ellie winced, she had hoped he wouldn’t bring up her arm again so soon.

“Technology has advanced a whole lot since you rotated out here.” His tone had turned persuasive, working up to a big question. “Mind if I take a look? See what can be done?”

Now, why would he do something like that? Ellie’s eyes darted around the room. Zdinarsik and Wainfleet had Fike pinned down on the Na’vi-sized pool table, attempting to tie his bootlaces around its wooden legs. They weren’t paying her and the Colonel the blindest bit of attention.

But she couldn’t. Not in front of the other recoms. She never took off her long sleeves if there was anyone else around. Only in the privacy of her own quarters did she bare her arms. Only when she was sleeping did she even risk taking her artificial limb off.

In case he found her-

“Is that an order?” She asked dully, staring at the metal ground.

”Just a request.” He was surprisingly quick to back off. “For now.”

“Then, no.” She said firmly.

Ellie remembered what he had said last time she had pushed boundaries. He could write her up. He could cause a her whole world of trouble if Ardmore got wind of her disregard for the rules. She fumbled and tried to explain more politely.

“No, Colonel. I’m sorry, I really don’t like people touching my arm-“ Her voice rose in panic at the end of her sentence.

The completely unprompted and unreasonable image had popped into her mind of Quaritch ripping the rest of her limb clean from her shoulder.

He could, if he wanted. Easily.

I don’t like people touching me at all. Period.

The Colonel regarded her for a long moment before leaning back in his chair. “I get it.”

“Doubt it.” Ellie snorted.

Quaritch cleared his throat.

”Listen up, lady. I used to hate these, right here.” He pointed at the side of his own head. “Happened on Day One. Heck of a baptism. Went a little heavy on the camo paint for a while.”

Ellie squinted. The blue skin made it hard to tell, but on his right, she could see three faint silver-tinted curved lines, slightly raised. She’d seen his old Sec-Ops ID, she knew what she was looking at. Wild animal. The scars were hefty when they were healed. Fresh, they would have been gruesome.

“But now-“ He paused. “well…back when I was…-“

Human. Alive.

Ellie filled in the blanks herself.

”-Anyway, I accepted I had to make peace and stopped tryin’ to hide it after a while. It wasn’t goin’ away. Always did scare the shit out of the new recruits.”

”I’ll bet.” She’d heard the stories. Even before his reanimation, Colonel Quaritch had rightfully earned the title of legend.

“Imagine I didn’t have it, just how goddamn pretty I’d be.” He finished.

It took her a second to realise, he was making his version of a joke. He was looking at her expectantly, tail flicking back and forwards. Ellie dared to smile, the tears that were pricking the backs of her eyes withdrawing.

”Yeah, ain’t that a thought. There ya go.” He smirked.

She nodded, and half-sniffed, half-chuckled nervously as she wiped her nose with the heel of her good hand.

”Point is, if anyone’s afraid of a little scrap metal, they ain’t worth your time, kid.” He shrugged. “And if they try to tear you to shreds because of it, well then, you own it. You make sure they’re afraid of ya.”

Quaritch’s words were oddly motivational. Ellie could see now, why he was considered a great leader. Scary as Hell. You had to earn it. But if you were on his side, or he was in your corner, you had a good thing going.

Just don’t cross him.

Guess I’ve chosen a side.

***

Thanks for reading!

I’m currently playing Frontiers of Pandora and it’s doing an excellent job of feeding the muse. Flying my ikran for the first time - religious experience. Reminded me of Flight of Passage at AK and I stg I cried I love that ride so much.

3 notes · View notes