Spirit Never Free

By Serena

Summary: AU. Jake, having lost his brother, joins the Pandora team and is ordered by Quaritch to complete a potentially deadly mission: infiltrate the Na'vi, gain their trust, and kidnap their warrior princess for leverage. Sounds easy enough.

A/N: OK, as I'm almost done with my major Star Trek fic, I decided to start a full-length Avatar fic. But it's going to be AU, so if you don't care for AUs, then this is not the fic for you.

Basically, many parts of this story are the same as the movie - Jake is still a spy ordered by Quaritch to infiltrate the Na'vi. However, Jake's mission turns out to be much more menacing than in the movie, and Norm Spellman plays a larger, more centralized role as well.

Also, I'd like to give a HUGE thank you and hug to my wonderful beta Mira-Jade! Mira, you rock, girl! :)

Disc: If I owned Avatar, I'd be watching it now.

Former marine corporal Jake Sully had never seen anything like the moon of Pandora in his all of his twenty-nine years. Growing up in a pretty bad section of Dallas, Texas, he'd only seen flat, dry land and ruined, decrepit, graffiti-streaked buildings. His parents had done the best they could - his dad was a construction worker, and his mom worked in the local diner. Jake had some good memories of his younger life with his parents and his twin brother Tommy.

He and Tommy, although twins, couldn't have been more different. Tommy was quieter, definitely more studious. He loved animals and plants and wanted to see how everything worked, then would take something apart and put it back together. He won his first science award when he was twelve, then became a sciences major in college with a full scholarship. Their parents had been so proud of him. Tom always got the good grades, always did everything right.

Jake, on the other hand, didn't get such good grades. He got into a lot of fights growing up, and when he was nineteen, after one year of community college, joined the army. He'd strongly disliked school, and his bad grades showed that, but he was a wrestling champion in high school. When he joined the army, he quickly rose in ranks because of his reckless, yet admirable bravery. He was headstrong, unafraid, and strong. He threw himself into a battle without reserve, which quickly earned him the high respect of his commanding officers and fellow soldiers.

He became a marine for the hardship, told himself that he could pass any test a man could pass. The only thing he ever wanted was something worth fighting for. And in four wars and countless battles, he still hadn't found that yet. He always felt like there was something more. Something other than this world that had so much death and destruction.

Despite their differences, Jake and Tom had always been close. They were twins, after all. Jake didn't mind that his parents were so proud of Tom for his achievements. He didn't mind that Tom was the favorite. His parents were proud that he'd become a marine, even if the pay wasn't so great. Jake loved what he did, and he was happy for his brother.

He was twenty-one, his parents both died in a tragic car accident. A tractor trailer, driven by an asleep-at-the-wheel driver, collided with the Sully's car on the highway and killed them both instantly. The twins were devastated, but dealt with the pain in different ways. Tom all but locked himself away in his lab. Jake hardly saw him, only heard from him from time to time. Jake, on the other hand, pushed himself to the limit. He fought like he'd never fought before. He earned two purple hearts and the rank of corporal in a matter of months.

But it was his fervor for battle that ended his career on the ground. Several of his men had gotten ambushed behind an old building. He'd rushed in to save them and held off the enemy as they retreated. But he never saw the sniper. As he turned to follow his men, he was shot directly in the back. He didn't remember much after that. The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital with Tom at his side.

He remembered when Tom had told him the news. For days after, he felt nothing.

A few months after he was back home - if he could call a run-down apartment home - Tom contacted him to say that he would be going off-planet on an important scientific assignment that he'd been training for for a couple of years now. Had to do with some aliens on a moon called Pandora. Jake had heard of the distant Pandora but hadn't even thought about it. They'd found aliens, other life - so what? It wouldn't impact him.

Then, five months later, Tom was shot by a robber. He died within the next day.

Jake was hardly given two weeks to grieve before two men came, asking for him. They talked about a fresh start on Pandora, how Jake could save countless lives if he took his brother's place.

Jake didn't even think about it. Within an hour, he was packed and ready to go.

After all, he had nothing left to lose.

Pandora was nice. Except for the compound, which was surrounded by dirt hills and construction equipment, the planet - well, moon - was covered in lush, tropical vegetation. The trees were stories taller than the tallest earth trees. Actually, everything was bigger than on earth. Jake liked it and was interested to see more. But the thing that interested him most was his brother's work.

Avatar program. That was what Tom had been talking about before he was killed. Jake had read up on the Avatar program and couldn't wait to start. The idea that his consciousness could be transferred into another body - a perfectly functional, walking body - was absolutely mind-boggling.

He rolled into the main building, ignoring the displeased and condescending glances of the other men, and entered the briefing hall. The rest of the new recruits were already there, and the commanding officer was talking.

"You are on Pandora. Ladies and gentlemen, respect that fact. Every second of every day. If there is a hell, you might want to go there for some R&R. Everything that crawls, flies, and squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes out," Colonel Miles Quaritch declared solemnly, sharply eying the room's occupants.

Jake got the impression that he was a bit over-dramatic, but of course, he didn't say anything.

"We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Na'vi," Quaritch continued. "They're fond of arrows equipped with a neurotoxin that will stop your heart in a minute. Their bones are enforced with naturally occurring carbon fibers. They are very hard to kill."

Jake watched him, mostly unimpressed. How bad could it be out there? What he'd faced and seen was worse than most people's most horrible nightmares. He let out a silent sigh and fingered his pack, returning his attention to the man in front of him.

"My job as head of security is to keep you alive." Quaritch halted. "I will not succeed. Not with all of you. To survive, you must have a strong mental aptitude. You got to obey the rules. Pandora rules."

When the briefing was finished, Jake rolled towards the science lab, where he'd been ordered to go for another debriefing on the specifics of the Avatar program. He didn't get too far before he heard a voice calling his name.

"Jake! Hey, Jake!"

Jake halted and glanced behind him to see a tall, gangly, rather odd-looking man rushing up to him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, you're Jake - Tom's brother, right?"

Jake nodded. "Yep."

"Norm, Norm Spellman." Norm enthusiastically shook Jake's hand and hurried to keep up with Jake's swiftly rolling wheels. "Wow, you look just like your brother."

"Twins," Jake said shortly.

"Right, right." Norm followed him into the lab. "Welcome to the Avatar program."

Jake wheeled himself through the various consoles and desks and stopped when he was introduced to another scientist. But something in the back caught his eye. He rolled towards a blue light and saw several long, huge tubes filled with water... and something else. His mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw his Avatar for the first time.

It was at least nine feet long, looked asleep, and had perfectly working legs. Jake swallowed. In a matter of hours, he'd be walking again.

"Jake!" Norm waved for him to come over to where he was. Jake wheeled himself over and found Norm talking with a middle-aged woman. She was tall and looked worn out and annoyed. She was smoking, which was against base rules, but clearly, she didn't care. Norm glanced at Jake and said: "Dr. Augustine, this is Jake Sully. Jake, this is Dr. Grace Augustine."

Jake held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Grace's irritated eyes swept over him briefly. She didn't shake his hand, just inhaled her cigarette again. Then, she scowled. "Where's Tom?"

Jake stiffened. "Dead."

"Great. Now what am I going to do?" She didn't sound sympathetic, just annoyed.

Jake glared up at her. "Sorry to inconvenience you with his death. But I'm here to take his place." He was beginning to regret this, but he had to stay focused. He had to get his legs back, one way or another.

Grace threw up her hands with a short sigh. "Lovely." She turned to Norm. "I wanted a scientist, not some Jarhead idiot! He won't even know what the hell he's doing!" She shot Jake another dirty look. "Do you even know anything about the Na'vi or the Avatar program?"

"Some. I read the manual."

"You're kidding, right?"

Jake shrugged and gave her a stony look. He wasn't about to be intimidated by this witch. Not after all this. "With all due respect, ma'am," he said, attempting to control his temper, "if it's as bad out there as Quaritch says it is, you're gonna need a hell of a lot more than scientists. I'm a marine. I've been trained to fight. If there are things out there, you're gonna need protection."

Grace's lips pressed together tightly. "Quartich is an idiot." She stormed past him and entered another room through an adjoining doorway. Jake followed after her and came into a central complex with holographic consoles and control panels. Quaritch was standing across from another man, staring at a holographic map of the forest. The other man was dressed in a business shirt and slacks. He also looked annoyed.

"Parker!" Augustine snapped, striding up to him. She placed her hands on her hips. "How many times do I have to tell you to quit messing around with my program?"

Parker didn't look fazed. He just shrugged. "What else could I do? The guy was a perfect replacement for his brother. You get his body, I save money - I fail to see how this is a problem."

"I needed a trained scientist, not a damn soldier who's looking to shoot everything in sight!"

Parker turned to her and glanced at Jake. "He'll be fine. He's staying, and that's final."

Jake didn't like being talked about as if he wasn't there. But he glanced at Quaritch and found the older, rough man eying him with a strange look on his face. Jake wasn't sure he liked it - it looked pensive, almost sly. As if Quaritch were scheming up something for him. He looked away and back to Augustine.

"Geez, she's really pissed," Norm whispered. Jake hadn't even realized the other man had followed him.

"She always like this?" Jake muttered.

"Pretty much."

"Lovely." Jake's fingers flexed on his wheels. It was like watching a duel between Augustine and Parker. She parried, he blocked, and she retaliated only to be hit down by Parker again. Finally, Parker dealt the final blow, but Augustine didn't die - just retreated grudgingly with the promise to return.

"If he causes one ounce of trouble," she growled, "then I'm pulling him out. I don't care how much money it cost. I'd rather have one short than one who's going to screw everything up."

Parker sighed and leaned against the console. "Just deal with it, all right?"

Augustine shot him a deadly look and brushed angrily past Jake as she stormed back into the lab.

Jake glanced after her. But when he looked back at Parker, he found Quaritch staring at him again. He frowned and wheeled out of the room, with Norm chattering at his side.

"You're gonna love being in your Avatar body," the scientist gushed. "It's just... gonna be mind blowing."

"You ever done it before?"

Norm reddened. "Ah, not yet. But Dr. Augustine has said that I have the most experience and training, so I'm going to be her right-hand man." He seemed very proud of the fact. "I can't wait to work with the natives. There's this one girl - she's absolutely gorgeous." He grinned. "Tall, huge eyes, sweet body..."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "If you've never been an Avatar, how do you know her?"

"Well," stammered Norm, even more flustered, "I've seen her in Grace's photo albums and vids. I can't wait to meet her."

Oh, please. Jake wasn't impressed. She's a savage. Probably doesn't even speak English. "From what I've heard, she'd probably kill you as soon as look at you."

Norm frowned at him, as if Jake were bursting his bubble. "Hey, I've been training to communicate with the Na'vi for five years. You just got here. You don't know what you're talking about. So maybe you shouldn't listen to everything you hear. Besides," he turned away. "What do you care? You're not gonna be talking with them. You're gonna be the one holding the gun and making everyone nervous." Digging his hands into his pockets, he shuffled away.

Jake honestly didn't see what Norm's problem was. It wasn't like he'd really had a choice except to come to Pandora. The marine side of him urged him to go after Norm and set him straight. But he knew Norm wouldn't change his mind. Not that it mattered one way or another. The dreamy-eyed scientist would learn soon enough how dangerous it was out there in the real world. That is, if it was as bad as Quaritch said it was. For himself, Jake wasn't afraid. But he was experienced, a marine. Norm was a harmless scientist. It'd be interesting to see how this mission played out.

As he rolled towards his quarters, someone called his name. He sighed heavily and turned around to see Quaritch standing several feet back. Quaritch called for Jake to follow him. He didn't wait for a response, but Jake didn't expect him to. Shaking his head, Jake wheeled around and followed the Colonel back down the hall until they came to the central ops room.

Quaritch halted when he came to the holographic console and leaned against it. "You're a Marine, Sully. I've read up on you. Served two tours in Venezuela. That was a rough spot."

"Yes, sir." Jake remembered it well. Mostly because it was right after his parents had died. He swallowed back that bad taste in his mouth and tried to focus on what the Colonel was saying.

"You have an exemplary record," continued Quaritch. "And although the good Doctor is only going to be using you as a bodyguard, I got something else in mind for you, if you're up for it."

"Sure." Jake certainly wasn't afraid for a specialized mission.

Quaritch gave him a small grin and tapped on the console. Almost instantly, a holographic image blinked to life.

Jake looked at the hologram in the center of the console and found himself momentarily taken aback by what he saw. It wasn't a location or an animal - it was a person. One of the aliens. It was a woman, a beautiful young woman. She was smiling and standing beside Grace's avatar, leaning against the porch railing of Grace's schoolhouse. Her sharp teeth gleamed white in the sun, and her skin was colored shades of cobalt, ultramarine, and deep turquoise.

"You see this girl?" Quaritch enhanced the picture, focusing it on the alien woman.

Jake nodded slowly.

"Well, it's real simple," Quaritch said, leaning back against the console. "We've tried the good Doctor's way of diplomacy..." He all but sneered out that statement. "And now we're gonna try mine."

"Sir?" Jake titled his head, puzzled.

"This girl," Quaritch continued, pointing to the Na'vi woman, "just so happens to be the only daughter of the Na'vi leader. Their king, you might say. Daddy's little girl." He smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "She's our best shot of getting what we need. I want you to infiltrate the Na'vi's camp. Gain their trust - gain her trust." He nodded to the girl. "And when you do... you're gonna take her and bring her back here to me."

TBC...

So, yes, it's going to be different from the original movie. Some elements will be similar, but it will get increasingly different as we delve further into the story. You'll see what I mean as we go along.

Let me know what you think! :)

- Serena