AN/ hi all you readers. I loved the film, just about everything about it. And i've been loving the fanfiction too. This is my contribution and although it concerns none of the films characters, well hardly at all, and isn't even set on Pandora, it is what i would like to think have happened for humans back home; you and me (so to speak). Anyway, i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it; please no flames, they can cook my tea for me, but any constructive criticism, thoughts on the piece and grammatical errors, please feel free to reply! :D I did write all this in one sitting so there probably will be some mistakes, especially near the end, even after proof reading it. Anyway, enough of me blabing, read and (hopefully) enjoy!
Avatar Arrival
Picture this for a moment. A son escorts his mother down a street, both holding plastic bags full of essentials, just bought from the corner shop; its lights visible at the end of the street. Although their surroundings, the road, buildings and sky, are muted and lifeless grey, they emit an aura of life, of simple happiness found within a family bond. Light laughter and chatter drift on the wind, their mouths the source. Whilst most of their clothes are of the same, manufactured linen grey, standard issue civilian uniform that the masses wear, unable to afford natural dyed linen, both have decorated their attire with vivid splashes of colour present in the mother's blood-red scarf and gloves, and the son's wide brimmed emerald hat and khaki coloured trousers.
They continue to walk along the street, relatively carefree; their destination, a non-descript flat on the corner of the same street as the shop, but on the opposite end. The flat was identical with all the other flats that lined both sides of the road; three stories high, grey, flat roofed and semi-detached, with intermittent alleyways leading to the darker depths of the sprawl that no person would enter unless armed, or extremely desperate.
The road was deserted at that current time, since only the wealthy could afford to use a vehicle for more than 100 metres, petrol being so expensive, and electric cars even more so. Other pedestrians were few too, despite the length of the road and the amount of people living off it. The air was often too toxic to breath these days, especially when the wind blew from the factory districts to the northeast. But today the wind blew in from the south, from the wastes. So near to the city there was nothing worth calling countryside for many hundreds of miles, but there was barren dirt, which meant far cleaner air than from the city. Also the wind was rather mild today, only blowing at speeds of around 40mph, when sometimes they can reach hurricane strength without the hurricane; another factor of environmental disintegration. So the pair braved the environment, and shopped.
Although like many streets this street had an official name, XD13-2 (which meant the street was in XD13 block, road 2), the locals called it Miracle Street, on account of the small miracle that grew opposite the pair's apartment. A purple tree, willow-like with bio-luminescent hanging tendrils that lit up the street even during the periodic blackouts, grew in soil that was thought to be too toxic for even micro-organisms. Nevertheless the tree grew, and with it grew the hope of the locals.
It had been two long years since Venture Star had finally returned to Earth. 5 and something years prior to the ship's return was Jake Sully's message to RDA and Earth, his message of warning to never return and leave the Na'vi in peace. This alerted the RDA to Selfridge's failure, and the catastrophic financial repercussions cessation of mining would cause for their business. So naturally they kept it quite, preparing to reap as much vengeance as they could on Selfridge for his failure.
But 'The Cause' had other ideas. The Cause is an environmental group who, through some miracle, had managed to heavily infiltrate the RDA and get many operatives into Pandora. Whilst governments labelled them as environmental radical terrorists they had much public support, and financial support from rich private investors. Ever since they got their hands on their own super luminary communications device more than 20 years ago they had been sending short videos and reports, damning the RDA. But although the public were outraged, the governments, even the sympathetic ones, could do nothing about it. Videos from a terrorist group who were supposed to have no way of communicating with Pandora, let alone have a presence there, had no legitimacy as evidence in the face of the law. However, after the events with Jake Sully, and Cause videos showing the blatant demise of the RDA on Pandora, curios and concerned investors started to look into the RDA; external examinations would probe the RDA for the truth. After 3 years the game was up.
2 years before Venture Star returned and the RDA could have covered up their loss, the public (which meant the UN and other governments of earth) learned the truth. After the demise of ground operations was uncovered the ICA were forced to enact huge internal investigations, since they were the governing body over the RDA. Reports were verified of the RDA's failure, as were the validity of the videos from The Cause.
Shares in the mega-corporation dropped in value phenomenally, investors removed their cash; the business went bust. Not only that, but the high-ups of the corporation faced criminal sentences for murder and wholesale destruction. Whilst they tried to place blame onto Selfridge, the RDA was declared bankrupt, leaving them powerless, financially crippled, and hated.
This may have been big news, to those who still watched the news. But everyone had a wallet, and this affected everyone's wallet. The RDA was so big it didn't just affect the economy, it WAS the economy; and with the fall of the RDA, the economy went to shit. Food shortages before then now seemed like feasts in comparison. Over the next 4 years, during which time the Venture Star returned, that it took for the economy to recover and new corporations, mostly government run, to fill in the power vacuum, over 2 billion were estimated to have died from starvation. Twice more than died during the resource wars (which lead to the unification of most of Earth's countries).
All was not lost. The economy did recover. But more than that, Pandora had one more effect on Earth. The majority of Cause operatives on Pandora returned, and with them they brought the fruits of their labours. Thousands of seeds and spores, of the most beneficial flora Pandora had to offer. During the economic crisis the authorities on Earth had neither the time nor money to stop The Cause, who went on to plant all it had recovered. By the time Governments could recognize and respond to concerns of infestation and repercussions groves of Pandoran flora where sprouting everywhere, thriving even in Earth's toxic, battered atmosphere. The Cause had been busy.
Suddenly scientific reports were flowing in, reporting the myriad of beneficial effects a local area had taken on if it was near or part of a Grove. Cause backed lawyers stood in to tangle and halt anti-Grove laws and actions, even managing to influence in some pro-Grove laws in the UN. The Cause movement gained huge appeal with the public, with demonstrations for there legitimacy cropping up everywhere across the Globe. Often public demonstrations, even of such a magnitude, take time to have effect, but the Cause had great power and influence through its myriad of members. Two months ago the UN finally removed their status as Terrorists and the Cause was no longer a 'secret' society.
The pair reached the end of the road, on the side which their apartment was on. The son and mother quickly embraced and parted, the mother heading inside via an unremarkable grey alcove, where within its shadow laid an automatic door; its whooshing marking the passage of the mother.
The son, after pausing to watch his mother enter the building, quickly crossed the road at a jog. Although cars were few, they were fast, and in such nondescript areas the speed limit was often ignored. He reached the other side unharmed, still no cars in site. After checking his surroundings one last time, noting that all other pedestrians were now absent, the boy removed his hat and stepped behind the tree, into its shadow; nearly invisible. Once hidden by his hat, a long blonde ponytail unfurled, with similar colour of his head's hear. At the end of the braided hair, when some longer follicles were brushed aside, several white tendrils waved in the air, seemingly of a life of their own. Quietly the boy brought the tendrils to one of the Tree's tendrils, where they immediately grasped it. The son sighed and closed his eyes, a kind of sigh gained when one finally understanding something.
The Cause had been very busy.