This Is Canon, James Cameron Told Me Himself

this is canon, James Cameron told me himself

Can you-can-you-c-c—

Can you draw Quaritch and Spider reuniting and chugging each other? 🥹🥹

The only way I can see it happening rn

Run Jake

Avatar One-Shot: Child Support

As the clone of the late Miles Stephen Quaritch, the recombinant Miles is the legal beneficiary of all of his genetic donor’s property, wealth, and rank. Unfortunately, he’s also the legal beneficiary of his debts. This includes the fifteen years worth of child support for Miles Socorro.

The day started out just like any other day during Spider’s captivity in Bridgehead. Quaritch collected him from his “room” (AKA, the cell Quaritch had added a few amenities to after Spider started cooperating with him) and brought him to the cafeteria so he could eat before they set off to continue the recoms’ survival training in the jungle. The other recoms had already eaten and were off doing whatever it was they did when Quaritch wasn’t bossing them around, leaving Spider to shoulder all of his early morning bossiness alone.

“Get your hair out of your face, boy. And don’t pick at your food, just eat it.” Quaritch ordered impatiently while Spider prodded the contents of his plate. The brown lumps before him were allegedly some kind of sausage, but Spider didn’t trust the RDA’s menu anymore than he trusted their propaganda about wanting to “build a peaceful future with the Na’vi.” A group of scientists walked past with their breakfast trays in hand, and Spider eyed the large cinnamon rolls on their plates in envy. Their sweet fragrance taunted him as the scientists sat down nearby.

“This stuff is nasty. Can I have one of those things instead?” He pointed to the frosted pastries hopefully.

Unsurprisingly, Quaritch dashed his hopes by nudging the plate of “sausage” under his nose. “The last thing you need for breakfast is a bunch of sugary shit. You need protein.”

“Uhg.” Spider slouched miserably onto the cafeteria table and rested his head on his arm. 

“And sit up straight for Christ’s sake, you look like you’re falling asleep.”

“I am falling asleep,” Spider mumbled into his elbow.

Quaritch opened his mouth —to boss him around some more no doubt— but before he could say anything, a loud BANG! interrupted him. Both of them jumped in their seats and whipped around to see the source of the noise; somebody had slammed open the cafeteria door so hard it’d nearly been knocked clean off its hinges, and that somebody was marching straight towards them. All the RDA personnel in the cafeteria stared at him in varying shades of annoyance and curiosity.

“Miles Quaritch!” Hollered the man who’d caused all the ruckus.

Spider’s eyes went wide. He knew that voice. “No fucking way,” he hissed under his breath. Never in a million years had he thought he’d ever see him again.

“I got a bone to pick with you!” The man, who was wearing the obnoxiously bright orange uniform of the mining crew, stormed right up to Quaritch like he owned the place. Everyone around them stared. Spider leaned around Quaritch to try and catch his eye, but the man wouldn’t so much as glance at him. All of his attention was on Quaritch. It was a comical sight. Spider would’ve laughed if he wasn’t too busy wishing he would look at him. Even though Quaritch perched awkwardly on the cafeteria bench that was much too small for him, the man still had to crane his neck to meet his gaze.

Quaritch looked down at the angry little man with an odd expression on his face, like he couldn’t decide if he was more irritated or amused by this interruption. Luckily for the man, Quaritch’s amusement won out in the end and he gave him a smile that was only half sarcastic. “If you got a bone to pick with Miles Quaritch, you’ve come to the right place. Now who might you be?”

“My name is Nash McCosker.” He huffed and crossed his arms, watching Quaritch’s face for a reaction. Clearly, his name was supposed to mean something to Quaritch, because he looked even more irritated when he didn’t react at all.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McCosker.” Quaritch replied dryly. “I reckon I don’t need to introduce myself since you already seem to know who I am, so I’ll introduce you to my, ah… translator. This here is Spider. Say hello, Spider.”

He nudged him with his knee, but Spider didn’t say hello; he didn’t think he could even if he’d wanted to. His mouth was as dry as the land around Bridgehead, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Spider stared silently at McCosker, waiting for him to say something or look at him or do anything to acknowledge his presence. Even with Quaritch making an effort to introduce him, McCosker still wouldn’t even glance at him. He might as well have been a complete stranger. The silent rejection stung like a slap and Spider’s breath caught in his throat. His legs bounced in place, itching to move. Part of him wanted to march right up to McCosker and smack that stupid mustache off his face while another part of him wanted to run so far away he’d never have to hear his voice again. But Spider didn’t dare do any of that with Quaritch breathing down his neck, so instead he settled for clenching his fists and glaring at the floor. If McCosker wanted to act like he didn’t care about him, then fine! Spider didn’t care about him either! Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quaritch’s ears flatten back at his reaction, but if it bothered him he didn’t say anything.

The silence stretched from awkward to downright uncomfortable, and Quaritch seemed to accept he wasn’t going to get a proper salutation out of Spider anytime soon. “Eh, sorry about that. This one’s not much for manners.”

McCosker scoffed. “Heh. Tell me about it.”

All of Spider’s resolve to pretend he didn’t care evaporated in an instant. “You—!“ he hissed as he lunged to his feet, and McCosker recoiled with his fists raised. Fortunately for McCosker, Spider didn’t get any further than that because Quaritch put a hand on his chest and pushed him right back into his seat. “Whoa! Easy, there!”

The reaction came so quickly that Quaritch only could’ve been expecting it. He kept one hand securely on Spider and with the other he gestured for McCosker to relax. Spider shoved his oversized hand off him with a snarl, but didn’t bother with trying to stand again. He crossed his arms and glared at the next table over. The group of scientists seated at the table suddenly became very interested in their plates.

“Alright, would either of you like to explain to me what the hell is going on here?” Quaritch asked as he looked between the two of them. The novelty of the situation was wearing off quick and Quaritch was going from amusement to irritation even quicker.

“Look, sir, I’m not looking for trouble.” McCosker must’ve sensed the danger in Quaritch’s mood, because he switched to a much politer tone. “I’m just looking to get what I’m owed.”

“Uh-huh. And what exactly is that?”

Before McCosker could answer, the sound of rapid footsteps made all three of them look up. A man in a suit rushed towards them from the same door as McCosker. He clutched a haphazard binder full of papers to his chest that sent the occasional loose sheet fluttering into the air behind him.

“Hello, everyone, sorry I’m late.” He said breathlessly as he arrived at their table. “I tried to keep up with you, Mr. McCosker, but you took off so fast I got left in the dust, heh, heh.” He chuckled awkwardly before clearing his throat. “Good morning, Colonel. My name is Mr. Ford. I’m from the HR department and I will be mediating this agreement between you and Mr. McCosker today.” Mr. Ford offered his hand for Quaritch to shake, but Quaritch ignored it and narrowed his eyes.

“An agreement for what exactly?”

Mr. Ford lowered his arm and jammed it into his pocket. “Well, you see, sir, as the clone of the late Miles Stephen Quaritch, you are the legal beneficiary of all of your genetic donor’s property, wealth, and rank. You know this, correct?”

“Yes, this was all explained to me when I decanted. And?” Quaritch prompted impatiently.

“Of course you already know!” Mr. Ford fidgeted nervously. “But are you aware that you also inherit any and all debts belonging to Miles Quaritch?”

At that, Quaritch’s ears twitched back against his skull. “No… I don’t think that was ever mentioned. But I didn’t— I mean— him, the original Quaritch— he didn’t have any debt when he died, so why does this matter?”

“Well, not quite, sir. You see, your, eh, predecessor, left behind a child when he died.” He glanced at Spider and gave him an awkward smile that went unreturned. “And as I’m sure you’re well aware, children take a lot of time and effort to care for— a lot of labor, if you will, and I think we can all agree that so much hard labor ought to be fairly compensated for, so, well, you see, um—“

The more Mr. Ford stammered, the stonier Quaritch’s expression grew. “Get to the point already.”

“Mr. McCosker wants to be financially compensated for raising Miles Socorro!” He blurted out in a rush.

Spider scoffed loudly and Quaritch’s face pinched in confusion. “I’m sorry— what?” He turned to McCosker with narrowed eyes. “Who did you say you were again?”

“I’m Nash McCosker. I was one of the people who chose to stay on Pandora after Sully went native on us. Since your kid was too young to go back, somebody had to look after him, and that somebody was me! I raised him for fourteen years! Fourteen years! And now I want what I’m owed!”

Quaritch shook his head in disbelief. “I ain’t calling you a liar, McCosker, but this whole time I’ve been under the impression that this kid was raised by the natives.”

“He wasn’t. Me and my wife bent over backwards to give him the most normal childhood possible.”

“Are you seriously telling me that this boy was raised by two humans?”

“Yes!” McCosker snapped. “You think I’m lying, huh? What reason do you have not to believe me?”

“What reason do I—?” Quaritch repeated incredulously before pointing at Spider. “Fucking look at him!”

For the first time in over a year, McCosker looked his foster son in the eyes— the boy he’d raised and left behind for a chance to rejoin the RDA. Spider bared his teeth and hissed. He looked close to lunging at him again.

“Does this boy look like he was raised by humans to you? Heh?” Asked Quaritch.

“I know how he looks, but that doesn’t change the fact that you owe me fourteen years of child support!” McCosker yelled so forcefully that he sent up a spray of spittle.

“Please calm down, gentlemen!” Mr. Ford cried.

“Is he serious?” Quaritch asked him with the barest hint of a snarl in his voice.

“Yes, I’m afraid so, sir.” Said Mr. Ford. He clutched his overstuffed binder to his chest as if it would protect him if Quaritch decided to attack. “If he’s telling the truth, then, legally speaking, you do owe him child support. The RDA is willing to enforce this if we can confirm his claim.”

Quaritch hissed through his teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is unbelievable. Are you seriously trying to make me pay for something that happened while I wasn’t alive? And what do you mean, confirm his claim?”

“Well, that’s the other thing. We can only enforce child support if it’s proven that Nash McCosker did indeed raise Miles Socorro for fourteen years, and we obviously don’t have any legal record of what’s happened on Pandora since the RDA left. So I need some kind of confirmation that McCosker is telling the truth before we can proceed.”

McCosker frowned at Mr. Ford, looking as equally confused as Quaritch. Apparently, this was the first time he’d heard this too.

“What kind of confirmation do you need?” Quaritch asked.

“Well…” in answer, Mr. Ford simply nodded his head behind Quaritch. In tandem, both Quaritch and McCosker slowly turned to look at where Spider sat sulking in the cafeteria chair. He slouched back with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Spider looked up at Quaritch, whose ears were pinned back in irritation, then over to McCosker, whose face flushed pink from anger. The whole cafeteria went silent, everyone waiting to see what Spider would say.

After a long pause, Spider straightened up in his seat and stared directly at McCosker. “I’ve never met that man before in my life.”

“What?” The word exploded out of McCosker so loudly that his voice cracked. His face went straight from pink to firetruck red in a matter of moments, and a prominent vein throbbed at his temple.

“He’s lying!” He roared, pointing an accusatory finger at Spider, who shrugged innocently. “You don’t actually believe him, right? I had him under my roof for fourteen years! You can’t throw the money away just because he’s lying about it!”

Mr. Ford backed away from McCosker with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. McCosker. If you cannot prove you raised him, then the HR department cannot enforce your claim.”

Quaritch smirked. He looked an awful lot like a cat that was proud of itself for making a mess. “You heard the man, McCosker. It was a real pleasure meeting you, but me and the kid gotta get going now.”

“No!” Protested McCosker as Quaritch and Spider got up to leave. When Quaritch’s back was turned, Spider sneakily flipped him off before scurrying after Quaritch like he hadn’t done anything. That was the last straw for McCosker.

“You ungrateful little shit!” He howled, spittle flying everywhere. Before anyone knew what was happening, McCosker lunged at Spider, his hands going straight for his throat. They collided, and Spider stumbled back into Quaritch’s legs. Quaritch whipped around with a startled hiss. He moved to pull McCosker off of Spider, but before he could get a hand on him, Spider had already taken care of it. Snarling just as fiercely as any Na’vi, Spider shoved McCosker off him. He staggered back, almost losing his footing from the force of the shove. Before he could recover, Spider punched him in the jaw so hard his head snapped back like a bobblehead. Then he hit him with a kick that knocked him clean off his feet. McCosker collapsed on his back. Blood flowed from his slack-jawed mouth. He hacked and wheezed, then spat something small into his hands: a tooth.

For a moment, McCosker stared in shock at his tooth, before glaring up at Spider. “I hope they execute you, you damn race traitor!”

“Fuck you!” Spider screamed back as he lunged toward the fallen man.

Quaritch was still frozen where he’d moved to protect Spider from McCosker. Now he realized he actually needed to protect McCosker from Spider.

“Stop!” He ordered, but it fell on deaf ears. Spider managed to get in another vicious punch before Quaritch grabbed him around the middle and hauled him off the ground. “Spider, that’s enough!”

A few bystanders who also wore orange mining crew uniforms rushed over to McCosker to help him to his feet. They ended up holding him back instead when he tried to lunge for Spider again. He yelled at him, blood and saliva dripping down his chin and mingling in his facial hair. “You’re gonna get exactly what’s coming to you, you fucking bastard! Nobody wanted you around and nobody will miss you when you’re gone!”

“Fuck you!” Spider screamed again. He thrashed so hard in Quaritch’s grip that it was a struggle to hold onto him without hurting him.

Quaritch hauled him away from McCosker and back towards the entrance to the cafeteria. He roughly set him on the ground and shook him. “Get a hold of yourself, boy! There are cameras in here.”

Spider grit his teeth, his breath coming out in short, angry hisses, but he finally stopped fighting against him. His eyes went to the corners of the ceiling and sure enough, there were multiple cameras trained on the unfolding drama. The idea of Ardmore watching him jump an RDA employee after Quaritch had promised he would behave himself sent a chill down his spine.

“C’mon, let’s take a walk.” Quaritch never took his hand off Spider’s shoulder as he marched him out of the cafeteria. The mining crew hauled McCosker in the opposite direction, screaming curses and death wishes at Spider the whole while. Mr. Ford had made himself scarce a long time ago. Every set of eyes in the cafeteria was trained on Spider. Now that the tunnel vision from his anger had faded, he was painfully aware of all the stares and whispers. He looked down at his feet, letting his thick dreads hide his face from view.

“Alright!” Quaritch barked at the crowd of onlookers. “Show’s over, folks, there’s nothing else to see here.”

All it took was one look from Quaritch to send everyone’s eyes back to their plates. Quaritch marched Spider through Bridgehead’s cold, twisting hallways before pulling him into a small room used for storage. It was so small that Quaritch had to crouch to fit inside, but at least they had some privacy. Spider paced as much as he could in the small space, his hands clenched in trembling fists. Quaritch sat back in a corner of the storage room and watched him pace with an unreadable expression on his face.

CLANG! Without warning, Spider punched a nearby crate as hard as he could, leaving a small dent behind in the cheap metal. His knuckles came away bloody, but he was too angry to care.

“I hate that son of a bitch!” He yelled, and he moved to punch another crate, but Quaritch grabbed his arm.

“Hey, don’t go messing all these boxes up.”

“Get the fuck off me, asshole!” Spider hissed. As soon as he said it, he immediately regretted it.

Quaritch’s eyes narrowed. “I’m gonna let that slide ‘cause I know you’re upset, but you better not use that tone of voice with me, young man. Now, try again.”

Spider closed his eyes and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Then in a much calmer voice, he said, “please let go of me.”

“That’s better.” Quaritch made a big show of releasing his arm and leaning back to give him space.

Spider bounced on the balls of his feet and tried to look anywhere but Quaritch. Anger buzzed under his skin like a nest of hornets, filling him with a restless energy. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. He wanted to hit something. Preferably McCosker’s face.

As if reading his mind, Quaritch raised his hands and extended them so his palms were facing Spider at shoulder height. “Here. You wanna hit something, put ‘er there.”

“What? But why would I—?” Spider shuffled a few steps back.

“Aw, relax, tiger, it’s not like you’re gonna hurt me. C’mon, gimme that same southpaw you gave the prick in the cafeteria.”

After another moment of hesitation, Spider half-heartedly hit Quaritch’s palm.

Quaritch scoffed. “You call that a punch?”

He hit him again, harder this time.

“C’mon, you can do better than that!”

This time, Spider put his whole body behind the punch, just like when he’d knocked McCosker’s tooth out.

“Atta boy! Now gimme a right hook!”

Spider punched Quaritch’s fists again and again, the dull thud of flesh against flesh driving away the angry buzz under his skin. Once he didn’t feel like he wanted to hunt McCosker down and knock the rest of his teeth out anymore, Quaritch stopped. The absence of anger left him feeling oddly hollow.

Quaritch whistled appreciatively, massaging his sore palms. “You could’ve been a boxer in another life, kid! Woulda been the next Muhammed Ali!”

Spider wasn’t sure what that meant, but he could tell from his tone that it was a compliment. He looked down and scuffed his heel against the floor, unsure of how to react to the praise.

“So, you wanna tell me what that was all about?” Quaritch probed.

“I… lied. I actually do know that man.” He kept his eyes trained on the ground as he spoke.

Quaritch snorted. “I figured that much, kid. Who is he?”

“He was my foster father— er, he was supposed to be. He was alright when I was little far as I can remember, but after his kids were born, well… I dunno how to explain it. I still lived with him and his family— slept in their home, ate their food and all that— I was never neglected or anything— but it was like I was a guest or something. I was just… there.” Spider shrugged casually, like it didn’t bother him, but he still couldn’t bring himself to look at Quaritch. He wanted to stop talking. Any information he let slip now could be used to manipulate him later. He knew he should stop talking, but for some reason he didn’t. These were thoughts he’d never voiced aloud to anyone, not even Kiri, and for some reason they came spilling out of him in front of Quaritch of all people. “It’s why I spent so much time in the forest instead of with the other humans. Some of the Na’vi didn’t want me around, but my friends did.”

Spider fiddled with the songcord on his belt, rubbing his fingers over three beautiful blue beads; they represented the day he’d befriended Neteyam, Kiri, and Lo’ak. “They actually cared about me, you know?”

Okay, skxwang, you’ve said enough, stop talking now. His brain screamed, but it was drowned out by his traitorous mouth. He continued spilling his guts to an insane Na’vi-killer. “And then when the RDA came back, Ardmore offered the humans a deal to rejoin them, and McCosker wanted to take it. I wanted to stay with the Na’vi, but the grown-ups forced me to go with him. And the crazy thing was, I was actually gonna suck it up and go with him until my friends came back. But then McCosker captured them. He was gonna turn them in to Ardmore in exchange for a better deal. That fucking bastard. Mr. Sully trusted him and let him go back to the RDA with no hard feelings and he betrayed him—” if Quaritch scoffed at that, Spider pretended not to hear it.

“So I helped ‘em all escape. We busted outta there and found Mr. Sully. He wanted me to turn myself in to the RDA ‘cause he thought I would slow them down—” Quaritch made another noise in the back of his throat that almost sounded angry, but Spider ignored it too, “but I proved him wrong! I ran twice as hard as everyone else and I kept up. We all got away safe and sound.” The memory made Spider’s chest puff out in pride, and he almost felt good enough to look Quaritch in the eyes again, but then he remembered everything that came after that and he deflated.

“Anyway, after that, I thought I was never gonna see McCosker again, until… you know, until today.” Spider scuffed his feet against the ground once more. To his horror, his eyes started to prickle with unshed tears. He stubbornly blinked them away before they could fall. “It’s stupid. When I saw him, for a second I thought he was gonna— gonna— I don’t even know. Do something other than ask for money, I guess. But that was stupid. He only talked to me when he had to before he left so I don’t know why I thought he would be different now and—”

THUD! The sudden sound of flesh against metal startled Spider so much he finally looked up at Quaritch. He’d punched one of the metal crates, leaving a larger, deeper indent just above where Spider’s smaller hand had punched it earlier. When Quaritch pulled his hand away, his knuckles were bloody, just like Spider’s. Now they matched. If Quaritch cared or even noticed the blood, he gave no sign of it. He stared blankly at Spider, as if looking through him rather than at him, his face twisted into a rictus of fury. There was so much pure vitriol in his eyes that Spider physically recoiled. His back hit the wall and he slid as far away from him as he could in the tiny storage space. Oh great. Now he’d done it. All his rambling had pissed him off and now he looked angry enough to murder.

“Whoa, I’m sorry!” Spider blurted out quickly.

Quaritch blinked and his eyes snapped back into focus, now looking at Spider instead of through him. “Why?”

“For pissing you off, I didn’t mean to start talking so much, I just—”

“Oh,” Quaritch’s eyebrows pulled up out of their angry scowl and he stared at the dent he’d left in the crate like he didn’t remember making it. He took in the way Spider recoiled away from him and his demeanor instantly changed, all aggression leaving his body. “Wait, kid, no, I ain’t mad at you. Relax. I was mad about something else.”

Spider eyed his bloodied knuckles warily. “You sure?”

“I promise.” He put his palms up to show he meant no harm. “You did nothing wrong today. It sounds like that guy had it coming. I don’t want you worrying about him anymore, you hear me? If he comes round again I’ll put him in his place.”

“Okay… thank you.”

Quaritch tilted his head to the side. “What are you thanking me for?”

Once again, Spider found himself unable to look Quaritch in the eye. What was he thanking him for? The man had kidnapped him for crying out loud, the last thing he owed him was an apology! In the end, all he did was shrug.

“You don’t know? Well, that’s funny, cause I’m the one who oughta be thanking you.” Quaritch gently reached out and brushed a knuckle under Spider’s chin, hard enough to nudge his head up, but still light enough so Spider could pull away if he wanted to. When Spider reluctantly made eye contact with him, Quaritch smiled— it was a real one this time, not like the mean, sarcastic ones he’d given McCosker.

“You just saved me from giving a shit-ton of money to that asshole.” He said with a slight laugh in his voice.

Even though Spider still felt pretty shitty, he smiled back and shoved Quaritch’s hand away from his chin. “I didn’t do it for you, skxwang, I did it to spite him!”

“Well, I’m thanking you for it anyway!” Chuckled Quaritch. “And you know what, I think I owe you a little something now.”

Spider watched on curiously as Quaritch reached into his side pockets and withdrew two little bundles wrapped up in napkins. When he unfolded the napkins and offered them to Spider, he was delighted to see two cinnamon rolls. He must’ve snagged them as they were leaving the cafeteria when Spider wasn’t looking. The gesture made Spider’s eyes widen. Usually Kiri was the only person who took note of Spider’s favorite foods and went out of her way to give him some when he was feeling down. Even McCosker had never done anything like that, and he’d raised Spider for fourteen years.

“You gonna just stare at it or are you gonna eat it?” Quaritch asked. He telegraphed his movements as if he were going to take the rolls back, but before he could, Spider snatched them out of his hand.

“Mmm!” Spider wasted no time sinking his teeth into a cinnamon roll. Sweet sugary icing and spice exploded on his tongue; it tasted even better than it smelled. He would always prefer natural Pandoran food to Earth food, but if he had to pick a favorite from Earth, it was definitely this.

“Don’t inhale it all at once now!” Quaritch laughed as he watched him scarf it down. “We’re not in a rush. Just make sure you eat it all before we go meet up with the others. If Wainfleet sees it he’s gonna want on too.”

“Mm-hm!” Spider nodded through a mouthful of pastry.

For some reason, eating the cinnamon roll made him feel instantly better, which was odd. Spider had never been a comfort-food kind of person. Maybe the human chefs put some strange magic in their cinnamon rolls. Or —as he looked up at Quaritch, another idea occurred to him— maybe it had less to do with the roll, and more with the fact that Quaritch had thought to give it to him.

so little "MJ" is still in control. Better than the "Miles" personality, but I'd like Spider back! I'm glad "uncle Lyle" is taking care of him though, I'm sure he'll warm up to him quickly. I wonder if having the age-regressed personality get taken care of and actually treated like a child instead of treated like a nuisance like McCosker and Neytiri will be healing for Spider's inner child in a way. I hope they can fix poor Spider's brain!

🕸️🕷️ Weaving the Web 🕷️🕸️

Chapter 11: Third String

It wasn’t Quaritch’s intention to fall asleep. The knocking on his apartment door woke him out of a deep slumber. He had no idea how tired he was from fighting the legal system for custody of a ‘non-citizen’ then physically fighting with the kid after he almost caved in a man’s skull. Then there was the conversation with Nash McCosker…the asshole who supposedly took care of Spider in his younger years.

Whoever was knocking on the apartment door was persistent. Quaritch rubbed his eyes and looked down at the boy bundled up in a recom-sized blanket on the couch next to him. Again, seeing Spider like this made him forget he was actually sixteen-years-old. The boy was still sleeping soundly. Heavy sleeper, Quaritch thought to himself as he slowly stood as carefully as possible so as not to disturb Spider.

He wasn’t sure who was going to wake up: Spider, Miles, or MJ.

Quaritch was rooting for Spider to come back to control but the obvious second choice was the little one. The thought of dealing with Miles before his coffee might make him add a little whiskey to his morning caffeine fix.

The third set of knocking was louder and starting to get on the colonel’s nerves. He looked at his watch as he walked out of the living room/kitchenette space to the short hallway with a narrow closet for his jacket and boots. Shit . It was after 20:00. Not only had he missed both lunch and dinner in the mess hall, he’d gone radio silent with his squad practically all day.

The incident in the mess was the night before at dinner, Quaritch spoke with Ardmore then McCosker, then stayed up all night until he was alerted Spider woke up from sedation. He couldn’t recall what time that occurred but he’d caught the tail end of breakfast when he ordered Spider food after leaving solitary confinement. Then he learned about MJ…they talked…then Quaritch watched the boy until he fell asleep.

And then Quaritch must’ve fallen asleep. He hadn’t realized how tired HE was from dealing with the shitstorm. Well…it was worth it. The boy was worth it…

”Boss!” Wainfleet said when the apartment door finally slid open after Quaritch pressed his thumb to a small scanner next to the door. “You are here. The squad and I been looking for you. Lopez stopped by here an hour ago, but he said you didn’t come to the door.”

Fucking hell, how did Quaritch sleep through that?!

”Sorry, Lyle, I didn’t realize how tired I was…” Quaritch said, feeling a weird embarrassment akin to getting caught sleeping on the job.

”No worries, boss, just wanted to make sure the kid didn’t go full psycho on you.” Wainfleet said with a relieved chuckle. He nodded over Quaritch’s shoulder and asked, “The kid in there?”

”Yea…” Quaritch sighed, stepping back into the kitchenette so Wainfleet could come into the apartment, “He’s still sleepin’…where’s Ja at?”

”Infirmary, I think. Rec room next now we found you. Mansk was talking about a card game at dinner.” Wainfleet said to lighten the mood, “Seems convinced he can kick everyone’s ass with that natural poker face shit.”

”Hey!”

Both the recoms showed their surprise in tail flips and ears twitching at Spider’s sudden shouting. Quaritch turned around and both of the recoms stared at the boy. Spider was sitting up in the tangled blanket nest and frowning.

”You said a bad word!” Spider snapped, pointing straight at Wainfleet.

Quaritch and Wainfleet stared at the boy in silence. Of ALL people to call someone out on foul language, Spider wasn’t the one. Wainfleet was completely dumbfounded and it showed on his face. On the other hand, Quaritch had the confirmation he needed to know who was still in control. Wasn’t his preferred first choice but it was better than dealing with the alternative…

”You’re right, MJ.” Quaritch said after a few seconds, “Sometimes adults use those words without thinkin’ about them first. Your…” The colonel paused and stared at his second-in-command for a moment before looking back to the boy, “Uncle Lyle didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

“The fu-…” Wainfleet started but was quickly interrupted.

”MJ, your uncle and I are gonna talk outside. You good?” Quaritch said, putting a hand on Wainfleet’s shoulder to start pushing him back towards the front door.

”I’m kinda hungry…” Spider said with a yawn, fidgeting with the blanket the same way he did with the hospital gown the that morning. Like he was afraid to say it or be a bother.

”I’ll find you something. You just stay there and be good, ok?” Quaritch asked, giving him a comforting nod.

”Ok. Thank you, sir.” Spider said with a gentle smile. Yup, this was MJ for sure. Spider wouldn’t humiliate himself acting like this and he was sure Miles didn’t have the mental control to keep up the innocent facade. Before Wainfleet could start rambling like a confused idiot, Quaritch pushed him back out the door completely and pressed his thumb to the scanner again to close it.

Wainfleet stared at Quaritch, wide-eyed and the obvious question could finally be said out loud.

”What the fuck was that?!” Wainfleet asked, quickly following up with, “That’s not the usual bundle of teenage angst or the psychopath. We dealing with another personality?!”

”Yea…seems so.” Quaritch said, pinching the bridge of his nose at the obviousness of the answer.

”When did that happen?” Wainfleet asked, his surprise turning to concern. “Is this one dangerous too?”

”Hell, Lyle, he just called you out for cussin’. What do you think?” Quaritch said then paused with a sigh. Maybe not dangerous like Miles, but he could present a different kind of threat. He’d revisit those thoughts later and he continued, “He’s got a young mentality. Doesn’t know anything about the war with the Na’vi or even who his parents are.”

”Shit…” Wainfleet said. What else could he say? In truth, it made memories of his own genetic predecessor come rushing back at the revelation that Spider had a ‘young child’ side now. It made him think of two people he hadn’t thought about since waking up in his recom body. The beautiful, and incredibly understanding, fiancée and barely one-year-old daughter left on Earth when his human equivalent rotated out to Pandora. Fuck, the daughter was well into adulthood now and no closer to relocating to Pandora, the whole reason he was there.

”I’m gonna get you security clearance for this apartment.” Quaritch said, referencing the door that was currently only accessible by the colonel and security override in case of emergencies. “I need you to stay with the kid while I find Ja. I gotta see those brain scans again. I’m no damn doctor, but might be good to try and get some done while he’s like this. I’ll let Ja make that call.”

”Of course, boss.” Wainfleet said instantly. The colonel didn’t even have to give an explanation for why he’d need to babysit; the corporal would do anything his friend asked. He smiled as the colonel turned back to open the apartment door and remarked, “MJ? Reminds me of Spider-Man.”

Quaritch shook his head but was secretly ecstatic Wainfleet had something he could relate to the boy about. A warm feeling spread throughout his chest seeing the boy still sitting on the couch, swallowed up in the folds of the blanket he’d pulled up over his shoulders. He walked in and crouched down to the boy’s level, “MJ. I need to go talk to another friend of mine then I’ll get you some grub, ok? I won’t be long. Lyle’s gonna stay with you until then.”

Spider nodded with a bright smile. It was bittersweet seeing the boy so happy. He must have been a really sunny child before his life went to hell. Quaritch gently patted Spider’s head, unable to stop his own smile when the boy let out a quiet giggle. He was a good kid. Who had a lot of bad things happen to him that he didn’t deserve…

Wainfleet walked into the living room and stared at the bright-eyed boy as Quaritch disappeared out into the corridor and the door slid shut behind him. Spider’s smile faded when the colonel left and he clutched at the blanket, staring up at the corporal with an uneasy shyness. Wainfleet could not believe this was the same kid he’d wrestled into submission the night before or busted the chops of on a regular basis and got it back in spades.

”Sooo…” Wainfleet said slowly, not sure how to break the ice. He sat down on the empty side of the couch and noticed Spider leaning away slightly as he looked down. His ears went back; he felt bad for what seemed like scaring the kid just by being there. Wainfleet cleared his throat and smiled, “Who’s your favorite Spider-Man?”

”Spider on the left.” Ja said as he and one of the neurologists who wasn’t afraid of taking on Spider’s case brought up a selection of MRI scans an an illuminated screen, “Miles on the right.”

Quaritch had learned more about the brain in the last couple weeks than he knew in two lifetimes, but it wasn’t enough for him to fully understand how vastly different they were aside from the array of colors. And goddamn! The scans looked like they were from two completely separate people. Not two personalities sharing the same brain.

”Spider’s brain activity is fairly textbook. The only abnormality, and I honestly wouldn’t even call it that, is heightened activity in the parietal lobe. That part of the brain is responsible for spatial and sensory awareness. We’ve all seen how he can run though the jungle out there like it’s nothing. He’s very aware of his surroundings.” Ja explained as he ran his finger over certain parts of the scan lit up bright yellow to red.

“Yea, kid knows it like the back of his hand…” Quaritch commented as his eyes moved over to the vastly different scan of Miles. Parts of the brain that were lit up more evenly towards the front for Spider were dim shades of dark blue for Miles.

“Miles has heightened brain activity in the frontal and temporal lobes. Personality, behavior, long term memory retention. All that is stored between the two. What is incredibly concerning, sir, is the extreme lack of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and overactivity in the amygdala. The former is responsible for decision-making, whereas the latter’s main function is emotional control. Primarily fear and anger.” Ja said with a sigh.

”Fear?” Quaritch said, going over every tussle with the kid since he first showed up, “Miles ain’t afraid of jack shit, he’s made that clear.”

“Sir, people act out violently, if not more violently, when they’re afraid versus when they’re angry. Miles’ personality may not acknowledge fear, but he may subconsciously be acting on it. Even though Spider is the ego - the primary personality - he doesn’t have the same mental responses as Miles. When Miles is in control, parts of Spider’s brain that aren't regularly stimulated become overstimulated. Aggressive emotions are just one part of it.” Ja continued, trying not to let his personal feelings of respect for his commanding officer get in the way of being the medical voice of reason.

Quaritch rubbed his hand across his chin as he considered what to do next. Ja could tell the colonel was hesitant but remained silent while he thought it over. It was still inconclusive if Spider had any preexisting conditions that might have only been exacerbated by the neuroscanner. Without any medical records to speak of, Quaritch cursed under his breath when he realized the only person who knew about Spider’s health growing up was Nash McCosker.

”You said this new personality-…” Ja started.

”MJ.” Quaritch interrupted. He was distracted going over in his head how another conversation with McCosker would go now that the man knew who the recom was.

”Yes, MJ.” Ja corrected, adding the colonel’s defensive tone to his list of shocking things to dissect later, “You said he has no memory of previous RDA activity?”

”He doesn’t have memories of anything. He just remembers being under the care of, or lack thereof, that son of a bitch, McCosker.” Quaritch said with a low growl. Saying his name out loud made him even more angry with the poor excuse of a father.

”It would be wise to get an MRI while MJ is the controlling personality. The more we know about his condition, the easier it will be to cope with it.” Ja said, genuine sympathy in his words and tone.

”Cope…” Quaritch repeated. The word felt like a slap to the face. He only knew the kid for a month but it seemed he spent most of his young life ‘coping’. With being orphaned. With the people who raised him. With a planet that would rather suffocate a human.

“I’m not trying to overstep, sir.” Ja said, “And I sure as hell don’t mean ‘cope’ like Spider is an inconvenience. I just-…”

“It’s all good, Ja.” Quaritch said, knowing his medic didn’t mean or say anything to offend him. He clapped a hand on Ja’s shoulder, “I know this wasn’t what you signed up for but I appreciate all the extra time you’re puttin’ into the boy.”

“Of course, sir, I’m a marine but, regret to inform you, I am a doctor first.” Ja said with a forced smirk. Spider was his patient. The fact that the colonel had warmed up to him only added to him providing the best possible care he could in this entirely unknown medical phenomena.

“MJ’s jumpy but I can get him through it.” Quaritch said as he pressed his fingers to his neck comm. After a moment of static to connect the devices, he heard a mumble of Wainfleet’s voice and said, “Lyle, bring MJ to the med bay. We’re gonna get in a scan while he’s still here.”

Hi I love Cabin in The Woods. Can we get a snippet of the next Chapter?

Sorry this chapter was too dark for me to feel comfortable sharing a snippet. I worked really hard to finish it as fast as possible though 💞

Content warning, this chapter features thoughts of self harm, discussions of depression and mentions of suicide. There's a summary in the end notes if you need to skip this chapter but want to know what happened

Wonderful news. A reminder to fellow digital artists to use an ai-poisoning program such as Nightshade or Glaze if you're able to and opt-out of ai-sharing in your tumblr settings!

Reblog to kill it faster