I think I'm just going to start turning all of my favorite tv shows and movies into rumbelle stories now. Let me know what you think of this idea!
The year was 2123 and Earth was in ruin. There was no more green, and no matter what country, what city, there was a thick layer of smog wherever you turned. The people at NASA had made the discovery of a new planet, it's atmosphere and basic geology were almost incomparable to Earth and fifteen years ago, the government sent out a spaceship full of scientists and soldiers to the planet. They tore down a portion of the planet's forest and built a decently sized structure to live in. They discovered that there was an indigenous group of people called the Na'vi. The scientists that went on the trip managed to collect a few DNA samples from the creatures and with the help of some of the greatest minds in the world, they managed to combine human DNA with the DNA of the natives, allowing scientists and soldiers to have two bodies with only one mind. It was a very complex procedure that included the most advanced technology of the century.
With the ability to blend in better with the indigenous people, they were able to learn their language and teach them English. They created a truce, but it was cracking. The Na'vi's leader was growing tiresome of the soldiers violence and disrespect for their nature and customs. That's how the war began. That's how Rumford Gold, former General in the U.S. Army, made his way the strange new planet known as Pandora. Rumford was not known for his skills on the battlefield, but he had a way with words that nobody else possessed. They had created a native body for him and had planned on sending him out with the trusted scientists to try and come to an agreement.
The last thing Rumford had in mind was getting involved in another war. The last one had taken his son and his leg. He has a cheap prosthetic, that causes him to walk with a limp. The only reason that he agreed to the assignment was that his son had always wanted to go on adventures, and Rumford had hoped that him doing this was enough adventure for both of them.
When the spacecraft landed, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect. He put his breathing mask on, threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and waited for the steel door to open. A burst of white light blinded him temporarily as the door fell open. The first thing Rumford saw was the grey building which he would be residing in for the remainder of his days. The second thing he saw were the luscious green tops of the tallest trees he'd ever seen. Above the trees were strange dragon-like birds flying. He just wished that his son could be there with him.
"Come on soldier, let's move!" Rumford was called back to reality and began to follow the rest of the troops out. There were gun machines everywhere, snipers posted at every point, and there were beautifully colored and shaped arrows in the tires of all the bulldozers. He got his instructions from one of the woman at the desk inside and reported to the lab where he'd be doing most of his work.
Walking into the lab, he immediately felt out of his comfort zone. There were tubes and machines and even some computers he'd never laid eyes on before. Within a few seconds a man named David walked up to him and started to explain how things worked.
"Regina Mills is who you'll be getting your orders from. Your Avatar body is ready, you'll be able to test it out tomorrow. Regina will explain how it works and things you have to do to prepare." David kept rambling on while Rumford followed dutifully behind him, tuning out his voice and taking in his surroundings. Then he saw it. His Avatar. They explained it briefly to him before the journey. How it was directly linked to him and his brain, how he was the only one who could control it. It's face definitely was the same as his. The eleven feet tall blue body and long black braided pony tail were a bit different than what he was used to, and definitely looked younger than he was, but as long as he could have both his legs back, he wasn't about to complain.
One of the bed-like chambers he noticed earlier opened up to reveal a woman probably a decade or so younger than him with black hair and a bad attitude. The little scientists scattered as she sat up in the container. "Regina" David called out. "This is our newest recruit, Rumford."
"What a ridiculous name" she sneered.
"Well thank you I've always liked it" he bit right back.
"As happy as you are being here, I don't need you. I've got the situation under control" she informed him proudly.
Rumford laughed at her confidence. "Do you now? I was practically begged to come here and resolve this little problem of yours, so please, just tell me what I need to do, so I can do it and be done with it."
"You think it's that simple?" she yelled at him. "These idiots with guns are destroying my life's work! I built a school and taught the native our language, I gained their trust, they told me stories and shared secrets about the land with me, and then that imbecile Jones, charges in and nearly destroys their home! I haven't been allowed back into the village since, and you're supposed to fix everything!?"
Rumford looked down at his feet and smiled. "That was the deal, dearie. I never, break my deals" he swore to her. "Now, are you going to debrief me on this mission or aren't you?" he asked sarcastically.
Regina glared at him, but proceeded to show him the ins and outs of her science. Regina had been on this planet for fifteen years and at first her love of science was enough to get her through the near isolation she had felt, but now she was bitter. Her husband, Daniel, was supposed to come over on the next shuttle, after the crew she was with got everything settled. And after five years, when the shuttle arrived, Daniel wasn't on it. He sent a message with one of his comrades that said he had been offered a better paying job in Venezuela, courtesy of Regina's mother, and he took it. Daniel died in a plane crash on his way there.
"So how does it work exactly?" Rumford asked.
Regina sighed heavily, having explained the procedure so many times before. "The first connection you make is the most important. This machine," she gestured to the bed-like thing she had been lying in just moments ago. "once it's closed and you are relaxed and your mind is blank, it will... "transport" your mind to your Avatar's body. Does that clear things up enough?"
"Crystal clear, dearie" he smirked.
Regina rolled her eyes, "Report back here tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock sharp." Rumford nodded and exited the lab. He was flagged down by some army dog and reluctantly followed him. He was brought to the General's office. 'This should be good' he thought to himself.
"You requested my presence?" he called out.
The General, who was at least 10 years his junior, looked up from his desk. "Ah yes, Gold, is it?" Rumford nodded. "Have a seat please" he gestured to the empty chair. The man had slick black hair and an evilly crooked smile. "So, you were assigned to the nerds in the lab? Shame, an experienced man such as yourself could be far more useful in the war room."
Rumford scoffed, "They brought me here to end the war that hasn't even begun yet. I've retired from my backstabbing days, so you'll have to find another nerd to poison. Besides, I don't believe in shedding blood when solutions can be discussed civilly."
The man glared at Rumford, looking ready to strike him. "Look here, Gold, everyone has a price, it's just a matter of time before I find it and use it to my advantage." Rumford stood, rubbing his knee in slight pain. The prosthetic may help him walk, but it makes the injury no less painful. "There it is, your leg. If you do a job for me, I'll see to it that your leg is well taken care of when you rotate home, it won't hurt you in the least."
Rumford laughed, "You think I give a damn about this" he pointed to his leg. "And I'm not going home. Why would I go home to nothing?" He began walking out of the office, "You'll have to do better than that General" he called out as he slammed the door. Right now all he needed to do was sleep, he had to be up early after all.
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He watched as his Avatar body was moved from its tank to a bed in the room over. He stared blankly at the million buttons Regina was pressing in order to get the link ready. "You'll have to take off your leg" she told him. Sighing in frustration, he did as she commanded and climbed onto the bed. She pulled down some kind of blinking light contraption. "Keep your head down, and let your mind go blank, shouldn't be too hard for you" she quipped.
"Kiss my a–" he began to say before she closed him in. He let his eyes wander, wondering if some kind of bright light would shine through. After a minute or so, he decided to just close his eyes and wait for something to happen. And something happened.
When he opened his eyes again, he was disoriented. Everything was a blur, and all he could see were two nurses standing over him. "How are you feeling Rumford?" one of them asked. He heard a snap, and felt his ear twitch. "Reflex seems normal" she muttered to herself. At first Rumford had thought that something had went wrong. When he sat up, he saw that things had actually gone right. He was an eleven feet tall, blue alien. He smiled for the first time in years at the sight of having two legs. He couldn't help but wiggle his toes, he was eager to get up and walk around. The nurses still had a bunch of stupid tests to run, but he could care less. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed himself up. His first step was shaky, and the nurses were trying to get him back in a sitting position.
He saw Regina watching from behind the window and he walked over to her, without a limp, grinning like a mad man. "This is great" he said before opening the door to go outside. Regina just smirked before turning and getting into her own linking bed.
Rumford ran through the grass, jumped and leaped across pathways, anything he couldn't do as a human, he would make up for with this new body. He stopped when he reached a garden of sorts, squishing his toes in the soil. He had forgotten what it had been like to have two legs. "Hey Gold!" he heard someone call him. He looked up and saw another avatar walking towards him dressed in khaki shorts and a tank top that had Yale printed across the chest.
"Regina?" he asked.
"Who'd you expect dearie?" she teased him, throwing an odd looking fruit that was bluish purple in color at him. He caught it with ease, bringing it up to his nose to smell. "Motor control's looking good" she praised. Rumford smirked and bit into the fruit, moaning at the delicious taste.
He was given clothes for his avatar, and after finally finishing his basic motor tests, he was brought to a cot in the building where the avatars were kept. Not used to having a tail, or hair long enough that it reached his backside, he rolled onto his side. He lifted his pony tail to have it rest over his stomach, and when he lifted it, the end opened up to reveal what looked like a dozen miniature glowing rat tails. "Don't touch that you'll go blind" Regina ordered him as she passed his cot.
"That's not freaky" he said sarcastically.
"Alright kiddies, lights out. See you at dinner" Regina told everyone as she turned off the lights.
As soon as Rumford shut his eyes, his human self woke up. He felt disoriented and had a slight headache, and his body felt exhausted, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Regina was already standing by his link, handing him his leg. "You'll be accompanying me into the forest tomorrow along with David. Pilot Emma Swan will be flying us in. This little adventure will tell me if you have what it takes" she smirked at him.
He smirked right back, adjusting his leg, leaning over to pick up his cane. "I look forward to it."