Chica
Anger clouded her mind, frustration seeping in as she slammed her wrench against the concrete. Samson 16 was refusing to start, some problem with the electrical system triggering the failsafes. There were mechanics and engineers on Pandora, of course, but they were all busy working on the Dragon gunship, a far bigger priority than her chopper. Yeah, she thought acidly, Quaritch's paint job is more important than actual work.
"So we're stuck here." Grace pointed out, trying not to sound too annoyed with the pilot.
"I'll get this bitch up and running." Trudy stated flatly. And she would, failure was a thing she couldn't stand for in others, much less herself. Annoyed to no end, she slammed her foot into the electrical box, and suddenly the lights flipped to green on her panel.
"I'll be damned." She admired. Pandora's corrosive atmosphere made maintenance a real disaster, but sometimes all it needed was a little percussive love.
"We riding?" Wainfleet asked, hefting his rifle up into the cargo area. Trudy had never cared much for that asshole, the man derived way too much pleasure from killing things. There was talk around the colony that he had mowed down a Na'vi child out of boredom while out on patrol, though that was an unconfirmed rumor at best. Either way, killing was a soldier's job, not something he was supposed to enjoy.
"I certainly hope so." Grace answered impatiently. "Need to get back to site 26. And I'm sure this marine is going to want to get back to his girlfriend." That was a little joke among the group, Jake had been spending a lot of time learning from Neytiri and sometimes he just seemed a little too eager to spend time with her. Of course, no one seriously considered anything would come of it, but it made for some decent jokes at the marine's expense.
"Yeah, been waiting awhile." Jake answered, as if in a daze. Which, Grace thought, was probably true. Running around the forests certainly had to beat rolling around concrete in a wheelchair.
"Nice job, Chica." Wainfleet laughed, smacking the pilot's ample bottom with an amused expression, holding on to the shapely rear end just long enough for a good squeeze. Grace and Jake looked on in horror, knowing exactly what would happen next.
Wainfleet was entirely unprepared for the hand ripping off his mask or fist that slammed into his face immediately thereafter, knocking loose blood and at least one tooth. Before the soldier could extricate himself from the floor, Trudy's pistol was already drawn and shoved in his mouth.
"Touch me again, bitch, and I'll shove this so far down your throat the bullet will come out of your asshole." The soldier just nodded anxiously, his voice muffled by the gun barrel.
"I guess she doesn't like to be called Chica." An amused Jake whispered to a wide-eyed Grace. Well, at least they'd be returning to Site 26 without Wainfleet tagging along. That was progress, of a sort.
**
Tentatively
What the hell are you doing, Jake? As he awoke in the link chamber, turmoil roiled around in his mind. They were lifemates now, the magnitude of that nearly blowing his mind. Yet he couldn't deny his feelings for her, his need to be with her, connected together like that. Everything was backwards now, his life with her felt so real and this one so false. Yet soon Quaritch would make his move, RDA wouldn't wait for him to finish his life with Neytiri before they moved on that unobtainium deposit. Sooner or later, things would go south in a real hurry. Would she still see him then?
Light flooded his awareness as Grace lifted the chamber open for him, her expression one of absolute bewilderment. Normally, Jake would open it himself after it shut down. After all, cripple or not, he preferred to do things himself. Obviously I lingered there too long, thinking. Well, that was understandable, there was much on his mind. He feigned exhaustion, hoping she would buy it and think nothing different had happened this night. In truth he was exhausted, he could barely feel his own body anymore.
"Marine, did you fall asleep in there? What the..." All of sudden Grace broke out laughing. That was incredibly unnerving, the scientist was a career cynic, she rarely laughed. "Norm, take a look at this." She smiled cruelly. What the hell is going on?
"So I guess you like the natives." Norm's laughter was even louder than Grace's.
It was then that Jake looked down at himself. One of the unfortunate side effects of his paralysis was a complete lack of feeling from all parts below his waist. However that equipment still functioned in other ways, and apparently it had chosen this particular moment to stand at full attention, pitching a tent in his pants. Of course, Jake knew the reason for it, and embarrassment covered his face in scarlet tones.
He reached for the link lid, closing it back over himself, wanting no more than to crawl back inside and die. Grace and Norm's laughter didn't abate at all.