Chapter 4: In Which A Soul Is Taken and then Returned
Dusk had settled upon the Tree of Souls. There were dozens upon dozens of clan members all around the Tree, and many from other clans. There were almost as many Na'vi around the Tree as there had been when Jake had permanently transferred his soul to his Na'vi body, Neytiri realized. The word of Toruk Macto carried much weight, she smiled as she realized why there were as many Na'vi here. When he said he needed them, they came. He was becoming more of a leader every day, and the thought warmed her heart.
Mo'at and Jake were waiting at the base of the Tree. Jake had his radio with him. "Max will be here very shortly. They're in the air right now, flying one of the Samsons that survived. Jerry is with them, of course, and Max and the other doctor are with them too. Norm is also with them as well."
"Good," Neytiri said, "it will be good to have at least one Sky People healer here when Jerryhandelman passes through the Eye of Eywa."
Just then, they heard the familiar sound of the Samson's rotors. It was coming up around the valley, heading their way and less than a minute later, it had landed a little ways away from the bowl where the Tree sat, as per Jake's instructions.
Max and the other Sky People got out and came walking up through the crowd. That they could even come here spoke volumes about Jake's leadership, Neytiri thought, that familiar feeling of love for Jake stealing over her heart, warming her from the inside out. Outsiders were forbidden here, but if the Toruk Macto said it must be done, then these Sky People would be allowed to come here. This was the only way to save the Great Mother from the depredations of the evil Sky People and so, here were their friends, the good Sky People, ready to do what had to be done. Jerryhandelman was wearing a loose-fitting cloak of some sort, Maxpatel had called it a "hospital gown" or something like that. He, Jerryhandelman, and the other Sky People healer walked up to the base of the Tree and presented themselves. Normspellman followed behind.
"Jake, everything is set up at Hell's Gate." Jerryhandelman told her mate. "I got word back to my people, they got the stuff to me, and I now have a machine set up at Hell's Gate to get back to Earth. In fact, I did so the other day. I had to get back to deal with some stuff at the university, but also to make sure the plan is still in place."
"Good, and I take it the plan is ready?" her mate asked.
"As much as it can right now. Turns out we have a little bit of breathing room in terms of time, more than I realized. My people have thrown a few roadblocks in the RDA's path. Things may not be going the way the RDA wants. However the situation back home is still very fluid and things might change. But, to get things going, Eywa has to kill me. So here I am."
"Come forward, Jerryhandelman," Mo'at said, gesturing to him. He stepped up to the base of the Tree and removed his garment. Neytiri noticed he had little body hair, unlike some Sky People she had seen. Again, she noticed how his body proportions were almost exactly like those of a typical Na'vi man, even though he was too short, from her point of view.
Jerryhandelman looked at the base of the Tree, then turned to Jake. "Tell you the truth, Jake. I am scared shitless right now."
Jake nodded. He understood. Jerryhandelman then turned to Neytiri.
"I may not come back. I need to say something to your people before I go so they understand what I am doing here, in case I don't come back. Will you translate for me?"
She could only nod her head in the way she had seen Sky People do before. She could feel the emotion underneath the surface.
He walked over and stood next to her and Jake. She told the crowd the Sky Person needed to speak and she would translate his words.
"Tell them I came here to help them. If it be the will of Eywa that I should not return, let them know that I want the knowledge I am giving to Eywa to be used to free them forever from the threat of the evil Sky People who came here to take, to destroy, and to cause pain."
She translated his words. She could see that he was very, very scared.
He turned to Normspellman, and took Normspellman's hand. "In case I don't come back, you can have my chess set." Normspellman could only nod too. He turned to Maxpatel, "That datacube I gave you back at Hell's Gate is in case I don't return. Plug it in to the main computer and go from there. It will tell you who to contact, how to get in touch with them, and such so that this plan can be carried out." Maxpatel could also only nod, he was also starting to get choked up.
Jake and Maxpatel helped him lay down on the ground. "When you start feeling Eywa coming for you, just relax and let Her take you." Jake said, speaking from experience.
"Well, I figure 50 percent odds are a lot better than nothing. Grace did not come back but you lived. No matter what happens, this is the right thing to do."
As soon as he had closed his eyes, the ceremony began.
"O Great Mother, let this man become one with you, hear his words, bring him back to us!" Mo'at began chanting.
"Hear us, O Great Mother!" Neytiri and the rest responded.
The Tree began to glow, its roots and tendrils lighting up in time with the collective chant. Tendrils from those roots climbed upward, enveloping Jerryhandelman's arms, legs, and the base of his neck in tiny ribbons of white.
"O Great Mother, heed this man's wisdom. Bring him back to us, let him walk amongst us again!" her mother chanted.
"Help us, O Great Mother" everyone chanted.
Jerryhandelman twitched, then gasped for air for a moment, then his eyes flew open, then nothing. Nothing at all.
Jake motioned to Maxpatel to come over. Maxpatel examined Jerryhandelman, then looked at Jake for a long moment.
"He's dead." was all he could say.
Mo'at held up her hand. The chanting stopped.
"He'd better come back quick," Maxpatel muttered.
"What do you mean?" Neytiri asked.
"If he doesn't return to this body within about two or three minutes, he will suffer permanent brain damage. His brain can only go without oxygen for maybe a minute, perhaps a couple of minutes without oxygen. Anything longer than that and he might as well be dead. "
"Oh," was all she could say. She prayed a silent prayer to Eywa to bring Jerryhandelman back to them. They needed him and so she trusted Eywa that She would bring him back to them.
Some moments later, she wasn't sure exactly how long, and Jerryhandelman suddenly gasped for breath and spasmed upward. He collapsed back to the ground, his eyes wide open.
He had returned, or so they hoped. Maxpatel leaned over him. Jerryhandelman began gasping again, then reached up and clutched at Maxpatel.
"Water." was all he could croak out.
Maxpatel took out the container of water he had brought with him and poured a little into Jerryhandelman's mouth. Jerryhandelman immediately coughed most of it out, but swallowed some.
"Can you get up?" Maxpatel asked.
"Help me up." Jerryhandelman said, slowly and quietly, almost at a whisper.
It took her a moment, then it hit her.
He had just spoken in perfect Na'vi.
Maxpatel looked confused. "Was that Na'vi? What did he say?"
Neytiri looked to Normspellman, then Jake. "Yes, that was in Na'vi. He does not speak our language, correct?" she asked them.
"Nope. Not a word." Maxpatel said.
They helped him up. "How do you feel?" Maxpatel asked him, in English.
"As though I had been shat from the hindquarters of a Titanothere," he responded, again in perfect Na'vi. He looked right at Neytiri and said, "I See you." in perfect, fluent Na'vi. The look he gave her was frightening in its clarity. He was a different person that the man who had lain on the ground a few minutes before. Eywa had changed him.
He leaned forward, Maxpatel and Normspellman holding him. Neytiri came around to help him when he said, "I think I'm gonna hurl." Maxpatel looked at Neytiri, "Uh, Neytiri, you'd better get out of the way. She stepped to the side, wondering what 'hurling' was. She found out a moment later when he vomited his last meal. "Great. I come to the Tree of Souls and I start puking! What will the Great Mother think of me?" That last part was in Na'vi, again perfectly fluent.
"I'm taking him right back to the infirmary at Hell's Gate." Maxpatel said, as he and Normspellman helped Jerryhandelman down from the base of the Tree. "He comes back to us and he's suddenly speaking fluent Na'vi? Something's up."
Jake looked to Neytiri, then Mo'at. "Well, I guess it worked then." as Maxpatel and the others helped Jerryhandelman to the Samson.