This is a direct sequel to my story Escape from Pandora. If you haven't read that, this won't make much sense. If you have, enjoy!

There comes a time in everybody's life when they realize that they are going to die. It comes early for some, late for others. It's a time when you realize that, far from being invincible, humans have a short amount of time to live, love, work and die. It's a time when you realize that all things must come to an end, including your existence. I think it might be easier for religious people. As you probably know, my mom didn't tell me to worship a God. She was agnostic, and told me I should make my own decisions in life, and she didn't wish to push me one way or the other. If you believe in the afterlife, death must be less disturbing, less final for the atheists out there. But I still believe there comes a time when a man (or woman) makes the transition from thinking that death is a thing that happens to other people, to thinking that death is something very real.

For me, it was the time the abusive prison warden of section A of the Pandoran Prison, Deibel, left me to die on the floor of my cell, watching the blood, my blood slowly pooling across the floor. That moment, I felt crushing loneliness, and complete and utter helplessness. That was the moment I truly believed I was going to die. Every day, even now, I thank Richard Hilton and the Na'vi for saving my life.

Hello. I'm Dwight Dolton, born on the 6th February 2219, first of two brothers, escapee of Pandora. Aspiring boxer, husband, almost-father. My story began with Pandora, and no doubt will end with it. I've told you of the prison, of my friends, of my wife, of my struggles. But I haven't told you what happened after. I haven't told you of Home, I haven't told you of Dad, I haven't told you of mobsters, of newspapers, of romance, of boxing, and more importantly, more of Pandora.

I think that in many ways Pandora is the center- point of my life. I'll never forget that planet full of wonders, and I'll be thinking of it on my deathbed. We are a generation defined by Pandora, by its beauty and its dangers. Even those who have never been still talk eagerly of going there someday, one dream that the RDA was later happy to exploit.

After the prison I was glad to be anywhere but there. After the time I had spent there, I was happy to go back to Earth and get as far away from Deibel, from Brydon as possible. But my time there was a story of two halves. There was no doubt in my mind that if it weren't for Deibel and the threat of death that I would have stayed in the prison. I had been given free reign of Pandora, and the time I had spent in the forest, with Ni'awtu and Leyra looking over me was one of the happiest periods of my life. It was ecstasy mingled in with horror, a cocktail that would have exploded if I had stayed longer. As I was readying myself to go back into cryosleep, I found myself being profoundly grateful for Lawrence. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had the information or the manpower to pull of the escape.

The cryosleep room was just as I had remembered it. Of course, it wasn't filled to the brim with criminals this time. It seemed empty and lonelier somehow without a bunch of people. Sure, there was still a substantial amount, but the place still looked bare. I was still wearing my orange prison jumpsuit. I smiled as I noticed the patch on the shoulder and remembered the time when I had caught myself on a branch when Ni'awtu was landing her Ikran. When she saw me, she burst out laughing. No doubt it looked funny, a tiny human hanging on the branch of a massive tree, but for me, it was terrifying.

When she'd helped me down, she plucked at my clothes and tsked. I felt like a baby next to her tall body.

'I do not know why you wear this thing. It is not practical.' She said to me.

'It's not my choice. The prison makes me wear it.' I replied, dusting myself off.

'What is this prison?' she had asked me. I sighed when I realized that the Na'vi probably didn't have a word for prison, they were so…innocent, in a way. Not exactly the right word but you get the idea.

'It's a place where humans put other humans because they've been bad, I guess. For killing someone or stealing.'

'Are you a bad person Dwight?' she asked me, her footsteps quietly thumping against the hard earth. I thought long and hard about this before saying:

'I don't know.'

When I was climbing into the soft, gel like beds that I would be frozen in for the next four years or so, I realized that I didn't actually know how long I'd been in prison. Like I've said before, everyone tries to keep track of how long they've been in, but if you don't note it down, it all becomes a blur, the days and weeks melting together. It disturbed me, that I didn't know this. How many years on Earth would have passed? Ten? Twenty? It ashamed me to think that I couldn't even remember the date I'd gone in. I certainly didn't feel too much older, but then again, a lot had happened during my stay. It really worried me, as it was something I hadn't thought about in the whole escape process. Just now, when the adrenaline had worn off, was I scared. Maybe they'd destroyed my house? I sincerely hoped they hadn't.

Almost everyone who's been in prison long enough has something that they're going to do when they get out. For some it's eat a good steak. For others, just walk and walk, giddy at the thought that they can keep on walking and walking, with no limits but the borders and the ocean. Mine was to go back to my old house and say goodbye to Emma properly. Maybe even find something to remember her by, other than the photo that Deibel had so carelessly ripped up.

It was a few minutes before the compartment started closing and I felt the fear of being frozen for four years without dreaming loom over me. I couldn't remember my last thought, just like you can't remember the exact moment you fell asleep.

The four years passed in an eternity and in no time at all, and suddenly, I was back near Earth again.

Back Home.

My other fanfic, Trouble in Pandoran Paradise is currently in hiatus as I work out some kinks in the plot. I hope you like the further adventures of Dwight :D

Jchandley