Hello everyone! ^^ First I want to thank all the people that reviewed, alerted or favoureted (I guess I just invented those words XD) my story, but I´m sorry that I cannot name them. That´s because my pc didn´t work and I just got it back from reparature so I´m not really up to date. I want to apologize that I couldn´t write and update and I guess I let you wait too long but I wanted this chapter to ROCK ya! ; ) Hope you love it just as me and REVIEW! ^^ Pls!
Here I go!
Jakes POV
„Hi. I´m Trudy."
I turned around and saw that blackhaired army woman walk over to me. I´ve seen her somewhere before, she reached her hand at me and I shook it.
„Jake Sully.", I introduced myself and pointed behind me. „And that´s Anna."
She grinned and I saw my sisters hand beside my face when she shook Trudys. „It´s nice to meet you.", Anna said and I could hear the smile in her voice and that was a rare situation when she met a person for the first time. But the sympathie seemed to be mutual. „Wow! I guess you´re the youngest chick I´ve ever seen on Pandora. Watch it, those guys up here can be kinda intrusive.", she said and laughed. I nearly felt how Anna blushed and rolled my eyes in annoyance.
Women vaporing!, I thought and cleared my throat.
„Nevermind, Jake! This way!", she said and seemed to be mightly amused while she dragged us over to one of the helicopters.
„I fly all the science sorties. And this here is my baby!" She skipped over to it and patted it as if it was a dog or something. I looked up at Anna and noticed the discomfort in her eyes when she looked around nervously. Obviously the bunch of weapons and machinery seemed to disturb her. She looked pretty sunk down, she hunched her shoulders and looked even smaller.
Well, I spend a few years together with weapons, they were my only chance to survive and so I never thought of people fearing them. A Marine without his weapon, that was a guaranty for early death.
„Hold on a second!" Trudys voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I watched her climb into the cockpit and pull on some cables. „Hey Wainfleet, get it done! We bounce at zero-nine!", she called over to a bald head who was about to fix a door gun at the helicopter. The guy grinned back dumbly. „Yeah, I´m on it, capitaine!"
Anna began to fidget and I took her hand. Her nervous movements caught some men looks. Bastards!, I thought.
„I don´t like it in here.", Anna whispered and squeezed my hand. „All these weapons make me so damn nervous. Why do we even need them? I thought we want to find a peaceful solution with the natives.", she said and I couldn´t help but grin. „An ex-marines sister. What a shame! There´s much more out there than the Na`vi, ya know?"
She made a face at me. „Yeah, I know, Mr. Sully.", she said and looked away, not a bit calmed. „Anyway, why are we here again?", she asked. I thought my joke may help but no chance! „Because the Colonel wants to talk to me."
She looked at me and rose one brow. „And I am here because...?"
„I need you as mental support.", I said and grinned again. She answered with a bugged snort but didn´t say anything anymore.
We watched Trudy jump from the helicopter and snarl at another crew member. „Vine strikes still loose!", she said and came over to us. I mustered the armament. „You guys are packing some heavy gear.", I said and followed Trudy, Anna behind me, when a vehicle stopped with screetching wheels next to us.
„Watch it!", Trudy snarled again and the pilots scared face made me grin. Trudy seemed to be the bouncer of flight line, all men feared her.
She grinned.
„Yeah that´s cause we´re not the only thing flying around out there, or the biggest. I´m gonna need you on a door gun, I´m a man short.", she said and I looked at her. „I thought you´d never ask.", I said and she laughed.
I knew that she would ask me, her crew was too small to protect her ship sufficiently.
She stopped infront of a zoned area. „There´s your man. See you on the flight line.", she said and waved when she walked away. Anna took my hand like a little child and followed me into the room. She looked even more nervous.
It was a bit darker inside.
We both recognized the gray-haired guy from two days ago. He pumped irons and seemed to feel oh-so-great in his sweaty muscle shirt.
„You wanted to see me, Colonel?", I said and waited until he condescended to talk to us.
„This low gravity´ll make you soft.", he said and lifted the irons once more. „You get soft...", he said again and put them into the retainer, sat up and looked at me. „...Pandora will shit you out dead with zero warning. I pulled your record, Corporal. Venezuela, that was some mean bush. Nothing like this here, though. You got some heart, kid, showing up in this neighborhood."
His eyes switched over to Anna who stood upright like a broomstick and stared back.
„Was a bad idea to bring your pet with you. Hope it´s vaccinated.", he said and grinned at me, then at her.
Anna pressed her lips together and crossed her arms infront of her chest. „And you?"
I couldn´t help but freeze. Holy shit, she cannot talk to him that blusteringly!, I thought and tried not to show my worry.
He laughed. „What a charming birdie. May the young lady leave us alone for a second?", he said, took a mocking bow and I looked up at Anna and nodded. She looked worried, send a suspicious look at Quaritch but finally turned around and left. I looked over to her until I saw her talk to Trudy and disappear.
Then I turned around and looked at the Colonel. His eyes switched back to me.
„Your sister is a pretty caliber for her age. How old is she, twelve?", he asked and chuckled.
„Fifteen.", I said, anxious to change the subject and luckily Quaritch didn´t seem as if he thought of Anna as important.
„I was first recon myself. A few years ahead of you. Well, maybe more than a few." He stood up and left his corner, walking towards an AMP Suit and I followed him silently. „Three tours Nigeria, not a scratch. I come out here?" He pointed at his scarred face. „Day one, think I felt like a shavetail louie?"
He began to work on his suit, pushed buttons and pulled levers.
„Yeah, they could fix me up if I rotated back. Yeah and make me pretty again, but you know what?"
He turned around and pointed at the scars again. „I kind of like it. It reminds me every day what´s waiting out there."
I sat there and watched him, cursing him secretly for being a Colonel of the babbling kind. I knew that all his talking was a complete waste of time, that he wanted to tell me something else.
I held back an annoyed sigh and moved over to the hydraulic lift when he climbed up is AMP Suit. „The Avatar Program is a bad joke, bunch of limp-dick science majors. However, it does present as opportunity both timely and unique. Clear!" he jumped into the cockpit and I felt myself being lifted from the ground. He looked at me and I knew that we were coming to the interesting part.
„A recon gyrene in an Avatar body! That´s a potent mix, give me the goose bumps! Such a Marine could provide the intel I need, right on the ground. Right in the hostiles camp."
I leaned a bit in his direction, actually curious for his next words. Would he want me to spy on Augustine and the others? That seemed pointless to me. Why would a Colonel want me to spy on scientists he titled limp-dick majors a second before? He seemed to notice that.
„Look, Sully, I want you to learn these savages from the inside. I want you to gain their trust." He put on something that looked like iron gloves. Yeah, that´s the way the wind is blowing!, I thought and held back a knowing look.
I knew this kind of men, I worked with them until they graded me as not worth to look at. „I need to know how to force their cooperation or hammer them hard if they won´t.", he said.
Thoughts circled in my head.
Augustine´s no fool. She will know what I do, she will see that I try to gain her pets trust. And Anna...? Instead of all the thoughts, something different came from my mouth before I knew what I said. „Am I still with Augustine?" I need time to think!
„On paper, yeah, you walk like one of her science pukes, you quack like one, but you report to me. Can you do this for me, son?"
He mustered me and saw my worries I tried to hide.
He´s a Colonel with influence so this may be a good job..., I thought.
„Hell, yeah, Sir!", I said and again I felt as if my body worked without my control.
He seemed satisfied with that. „Well, alright then."
And suddenly the AMP suit moved forwads, punshed the air three times like a boxer before it faced me.
Quaritch pointed at me and the machine followed his movements.
„Son, I take care of my own. You get me what I need, I´ll see to it you get your legs back when you rotate home. Your real legs."
That was it. There was nothing to think about anymore. The conflict in my head vanished into thin air.
„That sounds real good, Sir.", I heard myself from far away. But I couldn´t really see him: My mind was on Earth. I saw myself and Anna...and I could walk.
„Make sure that no one knows about this, not even your little tomboy."
„Well, look who found the way back home?", Anna said and sounded annoyed when I entered our broom closet. She sat on the floor next to the heating and read Norms book. I was a bit suprised, Anna wasn´t that kind of girl. She never acted bitchy.
„It´s nice to see you too.", I said and grinned but this time Anna didn´t react. She looked bugged but even more worried than before.
„I saw you babbling with this idiot. What did he want?", she asked outright.
I shrugged my shoulders an pulled myself onto my bed. I felt as if I had a lump in my throat.
You have to lie!, I thought but my throat tightened even more. I never lied at her about something important, actually I wasn´t long enough at home to have the chance to. It hit me like a sharp blade.
„We spoke about my job as escort. There´s a lot I needed to know.", I said and damned myself that I didn´t come up with a better excuse. Annas eyes switched from her book over to me and examined my face. I looked back as calm as possible but I knew that she knew it.
I expected her to be angry and yell at me, but her eyes turned sad and worried.
„Jake, please! This man is anything but a good person" I tried to roll my eyes and play my part in a convincing way.
You cannot tell her., I thought and turned my head over to the wall. Anna stepped next to me. „Jake!", she said pleadingly and I felt a small piercing pain in my chest. So I faced her. My little, old sister sat down next to me and took my hand.
„This man...he´s vicious. I feel it when he´s around. Quaritch´s not here to work with us, he waits for something. So please tel me now that you will not work with him."
I smiled and inside of my soul I felt like the biggest, pathetic traitor ever, but I couldn´t stop myself when I said: „Don´t worry.", and she believed me.
Anna smiled, kissed me on the cheek. „Night, bro.", she said and climbed up in her bed. I tried to sleep too, but I couldn´t.
I felt guilty for lying at her, looked at the alarm clock just to see that I had only three hours sleep left. So I pushed it all away from me and tried to sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day.
The wind blew into my face and I felt the long queue behind me slap onto my back, over and over again. We flew above the first forest I´ve ever seen in real life. And man, this was a huge forest! The air tasted fresh and warm and I looked down on my feet and tapped my invisible toes. I hated those lumpy hiking boots-like shoes though I also wore them at the army, but they couldn´t stop me from going crazy over my feet and my legs. They weren´t useless anymore, this body was healthy and I was able to walk.
I could walk!
A small hand and arm sneaked around my own and held onto me, I turned half around and watched my little sister press against my side. Anna didn´t suffer from vertigo but the up and down of Trudy´s Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson seemed to scare her.
I patted her hand.
„It´s alright, honey.", I said and grinned, she pressed her eyes closed and showed me the finger. I was relieved that Anna wasn´t angry at me anymore and again, the guilt of lying to my precious little sister made my stomach twist. She seemed to believe me and the Anna that hang on me that moment was obviously not an angry one. I turned around and mustered the other crew members.
Augustine and Norm behind me babbled about some scientist-bullshit and I knew that Anna would love to hear it, but clinging on me seemed to win against her curiosity. The bald head called Wainfleet was one of the party and Trudy drove her baby as if she wanted to win a race. I sneaked my arm around Annas waist to calm her. „Open your eyes, it´s great!", I yelled against the propeller into her ear. She shook her head.
I couldn´t help but feel happy and eager. Her Avatar looked so much like her and it moved like Anna. Her long dark hair blew in the wind and her now golden eyes were closed. Though I started the whole story with lying to her, I was really happy that she decided to accompany me to Pandora.
Then Trudy let the helicopter lower more and more and finally we landed.
I let go of Anna and jumped to the ground, yanked my gun up and scanned our surrounding.
Trees. Everywhere.
I looked back to the others. Trudy finally turned the machine off and Norm helped Anna and Grace out of the seats.
The bald head Wainfleet jumped down too, he looked pretty small next to Norm and seemed to notice that too. Grace took her bag from the hold and glared at him. „You stay with Trudy. One idiot with a gun is enough.", she said and turned around, waving Norm, Anna and me to follow her. We all wore these annoying beige clothes, Anna called them flour bags and they hung over my body like a tent. Grace played the part of tour guide and talked continuously to Norm.
Anna was quiet and looked around like a child in zoo.
Well, the nature was fantastic, trees and flowers of the strangest colours and shapes. Suddenly the trees above us rustled and I yanked my gun up at the noise just to see some monkey-like creatures making their way hand over hand along the branches. One of them stoppes and looked down at me. I didn´t know what to do.
I stared back and wished that this thing would just disappear with its members. Grace and Norm came over to me and the red-haired biologist looked annoyed.
„Prolemuris. They´re not aggressive.", she said, send me a glare and was about to keep on walking, but Norm held her back. „Why doesn´t it leave then? It´s still staring at us."
I looked up at the strange blue thing. Its big eyes mustered us as if an intelligent mind lived in it´s brain. As if.
Grace came her few steps back and approached the Prolemuris, making some strange noises.
Anna stepped next to me and pushed my gun down so its barrel faced the floor. I send her a glare, but she shook her head and stepped next to Grace, reaching out her hand at the Prolemuris.
Grace seemed as if she wanted to yell at her for being so blunt and intrude her work, but one wrong movement and the Prolemuris would disappear.
Anna still held her hand towards the thing and with the other hand she searched for something in her bag. Finally she pulled out a fruit. The thing mustered her and suddenly-jumped down.
Grace and Norm stepped back in speechless surprise and I felt the urge to laugn at them. There they were, the great scientists and it was my baby sister who knew how to handle animals.
The Prolemuris stepped closer to Anna, her face sparkled with happiness when the animal slowly reached its strange hand-one of its hands-at her and carefully took the fruit. Then it jumped back to the roofs of the trees, following its members.
Anna uttered a joyful laugh and turned around to look at me. „Have you seen?", she asked and came over to me, taking my hand.
Grace send her a strange look and Norm stared at her that startled as if he had never seen something more wonderful.
I nodded and pulled her with me when Grace turned around and kept on walking.
What an old cow..., I thought. Anna still watched the Prolemuris until it was out of sight and then turned around and walked next to me. She was way smaller then me and again we looked more than brother and sister. This was the world as it should be, as it would be when we come home. I would´ve my legs back and then everything would be alright.
We walked through the forest in silence and I was busy watching my environment. There were noises everywhere and my unease grew. I wasn´t used to places like this, I couldn´t decide if those screams were dangerous or not.
I didn´t look where I walked, suddenly I bumped into Norms back and as if we were in an old comedy movie, Anna bumped into mine.
„Why did we stop?", I asked him and as answer he kneeled down and unpacked scientistic utensils. „Grace wants to take some samples so we´ll stop here for a few minutes."
Anna sat next to him and watched every movement of his hands. I sighed in annoyence, turned around and looked for something interesting to spend my time with.
„You go with your brother and take care of him. I don´t need a sicko to spray bullets all over the place.", I heard Grace say and somehow her pungent sarcasm made her more sympathic.
A glaring Anna stepped next to me and crossed her arms infront of her chest, staring strictly straightforward.
„What a bitch.", she murmured and I grinned. She looked up at me, revealing her sheer disappointment to me and I sighed.
„Nevermind, Anna. I guess she doesn´t mean it."
My little sister giggled sarcastically and shook her head. „Yeah, of course. Well, let her play jungle doctor. Can we look around a bit?", she asked and risked a glance back at the two debating scientists. I shrugged my shoulders.
„If you want." I also looked back at the other two and then we left them alone. We walked only a few steps when Anna stopped to examine some strange flowers.
Their huge blossoms exuded some sweet scent and made me sneeze. Anna laughed. „This is so wonderful. If Tommy looks down on us from heaven now, he must be really envious. But somehow it feels as if he´s around us.", she said and I was kinda speechless how sensetive she really was. Little Anna! Tommy must have been the one swho knew her the best, he spend his life at home and compared to him I felt...bad.
A branch crackled.
Ana cringed and I yanked my gun up again.
„What was that?, she whispered...and with an ear-shattering the tree bursted.
Something hit my head and I fell, Annas screams ringing in my head. I landed hard on the floor and all air was pressed out of my lungs. I groaned, struggled to my feet and looked around.
The tree lay a few inches next to me, ripped into little and bigger piecs. I looked around searching for my sister but I couldn´t find her. Panick swamped my mind.
„Anna!", I screamed into the forest, filled with fear. Please god, let her be okay!, I begged and crawled over the wood. „Anna?"
„I´m over here..."
My head whirled around and I saw her lying on the floor. Her pants were reipped and she was covered in crumbed wood and dirt. She looked helpless.
And next to her was a big black thing.
I cringed back in shock and took my gun from the floor.
Anna was not that far away from me but I couldn´t reach her with that black monster between us. It was way bigger than me, longer and covered with black, leathery skin. It´s ugly puss was a few inches away from Annas shoulder. She seemed unharmed and-caressed the creatures nose.
My jaw dropped.
„Anna...are you crazy? Take your hand away from it´s mouth.", I hissed but Anna shook her head and sat up.
„If I do, it will attack you.", she said and her voice shivered with fear. She wasn´t afraid of the strange animal but in fear for my life. And she was right. The things eyes were locked on me and they looked dark and demonic.
„You have to go. It won´t hurt me.", she said and tried to play the brave girl but I knew that she was scared to death.
„Are you crazy?", I yelled at her. „I cannot leave you all alone out here!"
And that made the thing jump up. Ist ugly head turned to me and it stared at me with cold eyes. I didn´t know what to do: Anna still sat on the floor and tried to calm it but it didn´t help.
The creatures muscles tensed and I turned around and ran.
Annas POV
„Jake!" The animal took a leap and landed right behind Jakes back. It´s mouth closed with an awful strenght but missed Jakes back. A shiver ran down my spine when the picture of those teeth hitting Jakes body fought its way into my mind.
Jake ran. He didn´t even use his gun, he knew that wouldn´t work. The black creature had been pretty calm around me and it had been a shock when I lay on the floor coughing and it came over to me and snuggled its head up against my shoulder.
I knew that it smelled us in the air and came to attack us. But strangely it didn´t seem interested in my flesh. I watched Jake run and the slinky black thing began to hunt him until I couldn´t see them anymore. I sat on the floor, not able to move.
Tears formed in my eyes and I felt a wave of hysteria swamp my mind.
What shall I do? What CAN I do?, I thought and looked around. I was helpless so I called out ofr the others. I remembered that we weren´t that far away from them and so they would hopefully hear me.
„Grace!" Nobody answered. „Norm!" Neither. Somewhere, somebody fired a mashine gun.
I felt as if somebody poured ice cold water over me. Grace and Norm were disappeared and slowly the sounds of fired mashine gun bullets faded away.
Silence.
All I heard was my hysteric sobs and my heart beat. The blood rushed through my veins. I slowly tried to stand up, my legs shook but I knew I needed to find Jake, as screwball as it was. I began to run, ran in the direction where they disappeared. I ran and felt my body come back to life. I stumbled ober my own feet but I could think again.
„Jake! Where are you?", I yelled over and over again. But nobody answered.
I fell to the floor, when my legs refused to carry me and my left knee hit a stone. A sharp pain spread through my leg and I gritted my teeth. „Ow!", I pressed out and rubbed the bleeding flesh.
Jake, where are you...?, I thought and tried to stand up again when I noticed that the sky above the trees darkened. The red sunset bathed the plants in red light and I calmed a bit.
The forest was beautiful, full of life. I heard strange birds sing, watched the Prolemuris dance through the roof of the trees and wished that Tommy would be here with me. I felt awfully alone, left behind, lost. I was in a huge forest, wide and wild and I was in the middle of nowhere, miles away from Hells Gate and my rickety bed.
Suddenly I heard a mashine gun not so far away from me. Then silence. I gasped in relief and ran towards the sound.
„Jake! Jake, I´m here!Over here!", I yelled and ran, looking around. Every tree looked the same and I felt as if I´ve been in this place before, until I noticed the smashed tree on the floor.
I sank to the floor again, totally despaired. „No, I ran in circles!", I muttered and again I felt like crying. The night had begun, the stars shimmered through the leaves and the plants brightened the darkness with their fluorescent light.
I was a bit scared, I´ve never been the brave one when I was alone in darkness.
Can I even find him?, I thought and something deep inside of me said: No!
What did I expect? I was all alone and didn´t know where I was nor where my brother fought for his life.
There was nobody I could call for help.
Some bushes rustled and send a shiver down my spine.I stared at the moving laves and felt my heart beat catalyze. Suddenly I was afraid to stay here. Animals would find me and they wouldn´t be as tame as the leather-thing.
So I struggled to my feet hastily and began to run. Something rustled again but I didn´t look at it. I ran blindly until my lungs seemed to explote.
Faster, faster...!, I though when the rustling of bushes behind me created a symphony
„Hey, wait for me!"
I cringed in sheer shock and threw myself to the floor, when suddenly something fell to the floor and landed a few steps next to me. It was tall and looked human and cursed in english. And it wore beige flour bags.
I slapped a hand on my mouth to drown my hysteric yell, a yell of joy and fear and sheer relief. But I couldn´t help.
„Jake!", I yelled, way too loud. He was a few steps away from me and cringed in shock. He struggled to his feet and stared at me as if I was a ghost. „Anna, is that you..?", he asked and sounded overhelmed by surpise. I felt tears form in my eyes and didn´t fight them back. My knee hurted and I had a hard time to stand up when he came over to me to help me.
„It´s me, it´s me! I thought I´ll never find you!", I heard myself whine and knew that I was only one inch away from a mental breakdown.
Jake took my hand and pulled me to my feet.
His arms pressed me against his chest and I felt as if he wanted to break my spine, pressed me closer and closer to him until I felt his body shiver.
A quiet sob came from his mouth.
„My god, I daren´t hope for seeing you like this again.", he said and pressed his mouth in ym hair. „Ow, Jake!", I whined and he let go of me immediately. His eyes were worried but he looked a bit angry.
„Why didn´t you return to Grace and Norm? Instead of saving yourself, you run through the forest without anything and anyone so what were you thinking?, he growled and grabbed my shoulder to shake me.
I stepped back and slapped his hands away from me. „It´s not my fault! I called out for them but nobody reacted. I guess they left when they heard the noise.", I said, defending my pointless action.
The bushes rustled.
Jake pulled me behind him when suddenly tall blue creatures jumped out of the bushes with angry howling. They bend their bows and target at us. Jake stumbled back, took my hand and was about to run when something that reminded me of horses, closed the circle around us.
I looked at blue-skinned faces that reminded me of my own Avatar.
„Na`vi...", I whispered in pure shock and pressed against Jakes back.
Their arrows looked sharp, I tried not to imagine how they would feel inside my flesh. But their eyes spoke of awful determination and I was tempted to pray, when suddenly somebody jumped down from a tree, landed infront of Jake and interposed himself between the assailants and us.
The more you review the faster I write! ; )
I want to apologize again but I wrote an extra-long chapter to placate you. Hope you forgive me and read! ^^ And enjoy and review of course! XD The next chapter will be my favourite one, I know it. Because I can finally write about the Na´vi. : )
Love, LR: