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"...And I will give you an old school ass whipping," the Colonel explained. He looked at Spider cold and hard. "Understood?"
Spider scoffed. Who the hell did this guy think he was? The Colonel himself had said they weren't related. Despite his irritation, Spider nodded in an attempt to get Quaritch off his back. The older man stared at him for a brief moment, before deciding this was a satisfactory answer, and moved further into the helicopter.
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It was taking much longer than Spider had expected for the helicopter to reach their destination, or more accurately, get close enough for a brief landing before heading off into the skys again to avoid the creature of Pandora. He absent-mindedly scratched at the area where his mask met his jawline, and thought about what the Colonel said.
A tracking chip, huh? He felt up and around the mask, trying to feel for anything out of the ordinary. Spider ran his fingers over every edge of the mask, but felt nothing new. He had been wearing these masks for as long as he could remember, and this one felt no different than the rest.
Could it be inside? Spider looked up, curious if any of the operatives were watching him, but they were all busy checking their weapons and loading extra rounds of ammo into their uniforms. Taking a deep breath, Spider pulled the mask away from his face as quietly as possible. He swiped his fingers around the inside of the mask, trying to move quickly.
One of the soldiers reached back to grab a pack full of tactical gear, making Spider flinch. He strapped the mask back onto his face, barely getting it on correctly before the soldier turned to face him. He scowled and bared his teeth in the hopes that anger would prevent him from looking like he was up to anything suspicious. It seemed to work because the soldier just laughed at him as she grabbed the pack and returned to her seat.
Spider let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. Okay, they don't know I was searching the mask, he thought. Was it possible that Quaritch had lied to scare him out of running away? Although his check of the inside of the mask had admittedly been rushed, he hadn't felt any unusual bumps or buttons that would signal that they had indeed planted a tracker.
It must've been a lie to scare me, Spider reasoned. It made sense. If they lost him, they would lose their best chance at finding Jake. They would need to scare him in order to keep him from running off. But if it is in there somewhere?
Spider weighed the possibilities as they flew through the air. There was a small possibility that there was a tracker in his mask that his fingers had skipped over in his rush to find it. If that were true, would he be able to make it? Quaritch and his soldiers had the advantage of speed and strength, but Spider knew the forest. They can run faster, but if I get a head start, they won't be able to keep up with the terrain! If he was right about there not being a tracker, he would be able to quietly slip away after putting enough distance between them. Then he could go back and warn Jake and the scientists he called family about what was coming for them!
...But if there was a tracker? He still knew the forest better than any of them, but they might be able to catch up by following the signal. The only way he would be able to escape in that instance, would be if he could get to the dense areas of the forest where signal and other forms of tech malfunctioned.
He recognized how much riskier the situation would become if Quaritch had been telling the truth about a tracking device. I don't got a choice! I need to warn Jake....besides I should have been able to feel it...
Soon after, the helicopter landed. Quaritch and his soldiers stepped out. Before Spider could start climbing out on his own, Quaritch grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him forward. Spider hissed and hit at the colonel's arm, but wasn't able to break the man's hold. Quaritch yanked him closer, forcing Spider to stumble the last few steps to the colonel's left side.
"Stay close and do NOT make me repeat myself," Quaritch ordered. Before Spider had a chance to say anything back, Quaritch was already speaking into his mic. The helicopter took off shortly after he finished talking.
Quaritch and his soldiers huddled closer together as he began giving orders. Spider climbed onto a nearby fallen tree limb to better hear what they were saying. It's gotta be soon, I need to get out of here ASAP! The only problem was that Quaritch was still keeping an eye on him. I need some kind of distraction so I can get a head start!
And for a moment, it seemed that Eywa heard his plea. A troop of Prolemuris came swinging through the trees, catching the soldiers off guard.
"What the hell is that?!" One cried, raising his gun up to the commotion high in the trees.
Spider saw his opportunity and dared not waste it. He took off in the opposite direction as Quaritch shouted at the soldier to get ahold of himself.
"HEY! The kid is getting away!" Another shouted, raising her gun towards Spider.
"Put your gun away now!" Quaritch ordered, shoving the barrel towards the ground. "We lose him, we lose our line to Sully!" The colonel quickly vaulted over a log and started chasing after the boy, his team following suit.
Spider darted through the trees, trying to zigzag like Jake had taught him, remembering that made it harder for your enemies to shoot you. They won't kill me! They need me to find Jake! He prayed to Eywa that none of them had tranquilizer guns, knowing that would make his escape attempt short lived.
"Get back here, you brat!" He heard someone call from behind. Thinking quick, he jumped up and over a small bolder, before sliding under the aboveground roots of a large tree. He knew he must have lost her amongst the roots as he heard the sound of muffled curses in the distance.
Just a bit further! Into the denser areas! Spider was huffing and puffing. He was used to running through the forest with his friends, but not at full exertion for this long. Even as he felt a stitch in his side, he dared not slow down. Almost out!
There was a crashing sound to his left, and suddenly his arm was snatched up by a large fist. Spider screamed in surprise as he came crashing to a halt, hitting the side of the man that caught him. He looked up in a daze and saw that it was Quaritch. "What the hell did I tell you earlier?!" The Colonel shouted. "Are you dumb son, or did you just not believe me?!"
Spider hissed, and tried to punch his captor, but Quaritch caught his other arm before his fist could make contact. The boy screamed in frustration. "Let me go!!"
The rest of the team caught up to the two, and Spider saw that one of them was holding a tracker pad. His face paled, he had been very very wrong.
Quaritch seemed to notice this change in expression. "What did you really think we'd let an asset like you go out without a way to find you?" He reached down and tapped the top of Spider's mask, while the boy tried and failed to bat his hands away. "It's embedded in the lining, Miles. Can't be tampered with."
Spider cursed under his breath and resumed fighting against Quaritch's grip. So that was why he hadn't been able to find it. The others were laughing at his feeble attempts to get away. They knew it was useless. He wasn't strong enough to fight off their Na'vi bodies, and they certainly weren't going to let him get away again.
Quaritch smirked. "You should've listened to me, kid. Like I said, I'll be nice once, but now you've earned exactly what's coming to you." The Colonel drug the boy towards a fallen tree. Spider tried to dig his heels into the ground, but Quaritch was too strong. "You wanna play stupid and waste our time? Fine. We'll do this the hard way."
In the heat of the moment, Spider was confused by what the Colonel meant, but reality came crashing into him when he saw Quaritch sit down on the tree. His struggle renewed, trying to pull his arms out of the man's grip as he gnashed his teeth and clawed at the stronger hands holding him. The Colonel seemed unbothered by his attempts, he might have even been amused! No! This isn't happening! Spider thought, humiliation washing over him.
Quaritch yanked the boy across his lap, as the other soldiers gathered closer, snickering amongst each other. "You're gonna learn, one way or the other, Miles." The boy kicked, but his legs had no purchase, what with the way he was hanging over the lap of the much bigger man.
Spider screeched in surprise when he felt the Colonel flip up his loincloth. "No! Stop!" He desperately reached back to cover his ass, which only egged on the rest of the team.
Quaritch easily grabbed Spider's hand, and pinned the boy's arm to his back. Spider screamed in frustration, trying and failing to squirm away. The Colonel chuckled. "Keep making it worse for yourself, Miles." He quickly brought his hand down hard, a loud slap ringing out through the forest.
"Gaaaah!" Spider cried out in pain and surprise. Smack! Smack! Smack! "Aaah! S-stop!"
"You need to learn your place, boy." Quaritch coolly explained. Smack! Smack, smack! "You are in no position to be giving orders here." The Colonel continued to lay into the boy, spanking hard and fast, ensuring that this wouldn't be a lesson he would soon forget.
Spider struggled and gasped with each blow. The Colonel's hand was large enough to cover both of his cheeks, giving his poor skin no time to recover before the next strike hit. Smack, smack, smack! He tried and failed to hold back the yelps and whines that each spank forced out of him. He didn't want to give Quaritch or any of the other soldiers the satisfaction, but the pain was too strong. "Gurff! Aaah!" Smack! Smack! Smack! He tried biting down on his lip, but it didn't help.
"Little man ain't so tough now is he?" One of the soldiers said, making the rest of the team laugh. A bright blush came to Spider's cheeks. This was beyond humiliating and embarrassing! He kicked and squirmed, but wasn't able to shy away from the punishing blows.
His eyes began to sting. No! No I cannot! Not in front of everyone here! Spider bit down hard into his lip, harder than before. Smack, smack! Smack, smack! A small whimper escaped his lips. No, fuck!
Quaritch picked up the pace, spanking faster while maintaining the strength of the blows. I'll give this body one thing, the power is incredible. He knew Spider was close. It wouldn't be too much longer now until the boy was crying. The Colonel changed his angle slightly, moving to hit Spider's sit spots.
Spider yelped in shock and pain, giving Quaritch the exact effect he was hoping for. His legs kicked out instinctively, and the first few tears began to spill over. He desperately tried to yank his arm out from where it was pinned behind his back, but the Colonel's grip was too strong. The first sobs made their way out of his throat. Humiliated beyond belief, he began to sag and go limp, exhausted from the struggle, unable to continue fighting.
He began to cry in earnest. Smack, smack, smack! As much as it pained him, he couldn't hold it back anymore. "Pluh-please!" Spider hated himself then, he felt so weak, and yet he was unable to stop himself. "Please! St-stop!"
Quaritch smirked at this. "So what have we learned today, Miles?" He asked, punctuating his sentence with hard spanks. "Am I a lying man?"
"Nu-no!" Spider sobbed, tears hitting the plastic shield of his mask.
Quaritch hit slightly harder this time to prove a point. "No what, boy?"
God please, no. He continued to sob, but desperately tried to hold his tongue. Don't make me say it. But the Colonel was beginning to lose his patience. He planted a specifically hard smack to Spider's sit spots. "Aaah! Sir! No, S-sir!" He hiccuped and gasped, the hand not being pinned behind his back, holding on tight to Quaritch's pants leg.
"Now that's a little better." Smack! Smack! "Tell me, you ever gonna do something this idiotic again, Miles?" His voice was stern and unyielding, and yet he seemed amused too.
Spider shook his head vigorously. "No, no! No, Suh-sir! Pluh-please, please no more!" His stomach sank at the way the soldiers laughed at his pleading. He hoped the others would understand. He felt pathetic, but he couldn't take anymore. Quaritch was just too strong.
This pleased the Colonel. "Good. You will behave yourself for the rest of this damn mission, or you will live to regret it. Understand, kid?" Smack! Smack, smack!
"Y-yes!" Spider cried, all fight gone. In this moment, the warrior was gone and was replaced by a very sorrowful little boy. "Yuh-yes, Sir!"
Quaritch finally stopped. Spider didn't even try to pull away or get up, his hand still tightly clenching the fabric of Quaritch's pants. He was too exhausted to move, trying and failing to get control of his breathing and sobbing as he lay limp over the Colonel's lap.
"Alright," Quaritch called to his amused soldiers. "Show's over. Let's roll out." Giving one last look at the sniffling boy and his bright red bottom, the team made their way back to their original location.
Quaritch waited a moment, expecting the boy to try to crawl off his lap, before quickly realizing this wasn't going to happen. The Colonel gently picked Spider up and stood him on his feet. The boy wouldn't look him in the eye. He merely stared down at the ground, sniffling, crying, and trying to rub the pain out of his bottom. "I expect you to stay at my side at all times, and I expect full cooperation. Do I make myself clear?" Spider nodded. "I need an actual answer, Miles."
"Y-yes, Sir," Spider said quietly, embarrassed and disappointed in himself.
"Good," Quaritch said, kneeling down so that Spider was forced to look at him. "Because if you pull something that stupid again, this will look like nothin'. Next time, I'll make you grab a branch from a nearby tree, and I will give you a switching like you've never experienced." Spider's face flushed in embarrassment, but his eyes betrayed the fear he felt at the threat. "Understand?"
"Yes, Sir." He answered with a gulp.
"Wise choice." Quaritch pointed in the direction his soldiers had went. "March on, we have a lot of time to make up for after that stunt you pulled."
Despite the anger and humiliation he felt, Spider did as the man said. He couldn't afford to make Quaritch mad again.
Quaritch followed after the boy, a satisfied smile on his face. That's more like it. Now, time to find Sully.