Take My Breath Away
By SparklyTree3876

Rating: PG-13/R

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Pairings: Jake/Neytiri, Tsu'tey/Sylwanin, Norm/Trudy, Eytukan/Mo'at, and Ateyo/Grace

Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I would like to present my first chaptered Avatar fic. It is an AU version of the film and shows humans getting along well with the Na'vi and Jake arriving to be a security escort for the Avatar Team with his focus being on his job and not interested in the Na'vi, but his attitude changes when Neytiri protects him from a rogue male. The idea for this fic came to mind when I wondered what might have been if humans and Na'vi were working together instead of being against each other. As a result, it was born. This fic will feature many scenes and dialogue from the film. Some deleted scenes will also appear. Many characters will have differing characterizations. I will warn everyone ahead of time that this fic will contain sexual content. Some of it may be intense. If you're uncomfortable with that, then I suggest you don't read it when the chapters containing it are posted. Otherwise, you may read at your own risk. I hope you enjoy this fic. Constructive criticism is welcome.

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Chapter 1: Arrival on Pandora

Pandora and thirteen other moons orbited Polyphemus at various speeds in the early afternoon in late May. They cast shadows on its surface as if they were beauty marks. The ISV Venture Star made its way toward Pandora after a three-year trip from Earth. It carried more than one hundred passengers and supplies meant for the colony called Paradise Gate. Some passengers were marines assigned to protect it. Others were technicians, doctors, cooks, and pilots. A few had been chosen to be part of the Avatar Program. Its members drove avatars that allowed them to interact with the native Na'vi without worrying about choking to death on the poisonous atmosphere. The avatars were created by combining the DNA of humans and Na'vi.

Earth was in the midst of an environmental crisis one hundred thirty-four years ago. Many species had gone extinct or become endangered due to overhunting, overharvesting, habitat destruction, food depletion, and pollution. The human population was predicted to reach nine billion by 2050. It would have put even more pressure on the natural world, which was vanishing at an astonishing rate. There seemed to be no hope for humans or nature.

In 2025, a pandemic of various diseases began spreading across the world. Two hundred million humans perished per year. The media and the public dubbed it the Great Pandemic or the second Black Death. Doctors warned humanity would become extinct in thirty-five years if the pandemic wasn't contained. Many humans saw this as a wakeup call to change their ways. Countries began working together to fix Earth as they fought the pandemic. Humanity did a tremendous job of repairing Earth over the next one hundred thirty-four years. Many species bounced back from the brink of extinction. Some extinct species were even cloned back into existence.

Between 2030 and 2057, humanity discovered Polyphemus with a ground-based telescope named COSIN. Pandora was discovered by astronomers with a space telescope between 2050 and 2077. By 2075, the Great Pandemic had come to an end. The human population had fallen to three billion. By this time, medical technology had improved to the point that injured spines could be repaired with surgery. The surgery was not perfect as the success rate was seventy percent. C-sections could also be performed with laser surgery, eliminating the majority of blood loss.

In 2077, a craft bearing ROVRs was launched. It reached Pandora by 2084. Two remotely operated ROVRs were dropped from orbit by the ISV Bradbury. The ISV Venture Star dropped a third soon after. It traveled across a sixty-meter-wide patch of rainforest in which it investigated plant and animal life. In 2116, the RDA sent a team to establish a colony on Pandora. The colonists arrived five years later.

The colonists made contact with a Na'vi clan called the Omaticaya led by Eytukan and Mo'at, who were curious about them. Unfortunately, communication between the species was difficult. In 2131, John and Grace Augustine arrived on Pandora to start the Avatar Program. They established a school to teach the Na'vi English and human culture. By this time, space technology had advanced to the point that a trip to Pandora took just three years instead of five. Humanity continued its quest to repair Earth. The future was looking bright.

Jake opened his eyes in his cryosleep tank. He looked around, his breathing soft and steady. He felt his mouth was dry and ran his tongue all over the inside of it three times. He could feel himself floating somewhat. Hissing came out of nowhere. His tank opened up, his restraints keeping him from going anywhere. A doctor came down to him.

"Are we there yet?" Jake asked hoarsely.

"Yes, we are there, sunshine. We are there," the doctor answered truthfully and patted the young man's shoulder. He observed some passengers undoing their restraints, including him. "You've been in cryo for three years, three months, and five days. You will be hungry. You will be weak. If you feel nauseous, please use the sacks provided for you. The staff thanks you in advance."

Jake made his way to his locker and opened it. It actually wasn't his and belonged to his twin brother, Tom, who was supposed to be going on this trip. He gathered his belongings. He got dressed in a dressing room after snacking on a granola bar. He entered the Valkyrie in his wheelchair. He made his way to the fifteenth seat on the right side. He climbed out of his wheelchair and sat down. He buckled himself in before folding it. He observed other passengers going to their seats and buckling themselves in. The crew chief and his team handed exopacks to them.

Jake sighed to himself. He and Tom were born to Ben and Ava Sully on August 24, 2126 in Raleigh. They were identical, but they had different personalities. Tom was studious while Jake was outgoing. Both of them did well in school. Tom graduated from Athens Drive High School two years early. He began attending North Carolina State University in August 2142. He decided to pursue a degree in xeno-botany. Jake graduated from the same high school in May 2144. He enlisted in the Marines right after his eighteenth birthday. Tom graduated from college in May 2146. He got his PhD two years later and enlisted in the Avatar Program. He started his avatar training.

Venezuela was having problems with guerillas harassing natives in the rainforest in August 2148. The guerillas hoped to burn it down to mine minerals, so they could fund their campaign to overthrow the government. Venezuela asked for help from many countries, including the United States. Three hundred Marines were sent to help. Among them was Jake. He was shot in the back while protecting five natives from guerillas three months later. He collapsed and lost consciousness. The natives dragged him to safety.

Jake woke up in the VA hospital in Raleigh three days later. He was told he was paralyzed from the waist down. He was offered the spinal surgery for free. He decided it wasn't worth risking failure and opted to use a wheelchair. He got a job filing paperwork at the Raleigh Police Department not long after. He took advantage of his situation by playing wheelchair basketball, participating in wheelchair races, and letting children ride on the back of it. He began communicating with other disabled veterans living in Raleigh. Among them were two deaf young men named Johnny Hyde and Martin Mills. He learned American Sign Language from them. He began having dreams of flying.

Tom was coming home from a going-away party at Henry Jones's house when he lost control of his truck and slammed into a tree on February 1, 2151. He was killed instantly. His family and friends were devastated by his death. He was to ship out to Pandora in thirteen days. Jake got a visit from RDA agents at his house five days later. They asked him to take over Tom's contact due to his genome being identical to his. Jake saw this as an opportunity to do a very big job. He decided to take it. Ben, Ava, and his friends were uncertain about it due to his lack of training at first, but they became supportive. He left for Pandora eight days later.

The ISV Venture Star began orbiting Pandora. It headed over a stretch of ocean. A tropical wave moved across the ocean with a cyclone following it close behind. The ISV Venture Star came upon a continent. It turned until the Valkyrie was level with the continent. The Valkyrie detached and flew through the atmosphere. The pilots leveled it out as they flew above the rainforest.

Jake looked down at his legs. He was glad he was wearing pants as he didn't want people to see how skinny they were. He was thinking about working with a personal trainer to strengthen them when he returned to Earth. He wished he had done that right after his discharge from the hospital. He snapped out of his thoughts when someone tapped his shoulder. He gazed at a middle-aged man.

"Hey, is this your first time on Pandora?" the man asked.

"Oh, yes," Jake admitted. "What about you? Is this your first time on Pandora?"

"You bet. My job is repairing equipment such as computers," the man responded eagerly. "What about you?"

"I am going to be working on the Avatar Team," Jake said and cleared his throat.

"You are one lucky guy. Your years of avatar training should serve you well here," the man said with much pride.

Jake shook his head. "Actually, I didn't go through any avatar training. My twin brother was supposed to be coming on this trip. He died when his truck collided with a tree while he was coming home from a going-away party. I was given the gig because I could connect with his avatar."

"You are crazy to come here without any training," the man yelled in shock. "Pandora will eat you alive."

"Sometimes, crazy works," Jake commented truthfully.

The man gave a shrug. "That it does. Still, having some training would do most people wonders."

Jake stroked his chin as he looked ahead. Just then, the chief started coming down the aisle. His partner was right behind him.

"Exopacks on!" the chief barked loudly. He eyed the passengers putting on their exopacks. "Remember, people. If you lose that mask, you are unconscious in twenty seconds. You are dead in four minutes. Let's nobody be dead today! It looks very bad on my report!"

Jake put on his exopack as the chief and his partner passed him. He adjusted it and opened the valve on it. He gazed at the man, who was opening the one on his.

"Good luck to you," Jake said.

"You too," the man responded with a chuckle. "You will need it."

The pilots saw Paradise Gate coming into view. The colony was huge and was surrounded by a chain-link fence on all sides. The Avatar Compound was far back. The main building was closer to the front. Smaller buildings could be seen here and there. Marines stood guard at various points. Colonists moved about the area at a steady pace. Three Samsons escorted the Valkyrie as it came upon the tarmac.

The pilots turned the Valkyrie sideways and landed it very carefully as colonists got out of the way. It bounced a little bit, causing the passengers to lurch in their seats. Jake became a little annoyed. He shook his head in disbelief before mumbling inaudible words. Everyone began unbuckling his or her harnesses as the chief walked toward the ramp.

"All right, let's go! Let's go!" the chief yelled sharply. He watched the passengers gather their stuff and stand up with the exception of Jake. He reached the ramp and turned around to face them. "Go into the base! Do not stop! Go straight inside! Wait for my mark!"

The chief put his exopack on and opened the valve. He looked toward the ramp, seeing it lower with a hiss. Jake watched it closely and swallowed hard. It finished lowering a minute later.

"Now, go! Get the hell out of here!" the chief yelled.

The passengers ran down the ramp from both aisles. They seemed to be parallel with each other. Jake unfolded his wheelchair, putting it in front of him. He sat in it and pulled his legs over. He slipped his duffel bag over his shoulders. He proceeded to go toward the ramp. The chief went toward him, sighing in much annoyance.

"Let's go, special case!" the chief shouted in much sternness. "Don't make me wait for you!"

Lyle and Sean stood near the main building's entrance as they watched the newcomers pass them. They couldn't help but smile. They remembered when they first came here eleven years ago. They knew nothing about Pandora and its dangers. Their strong mental attitudes enabled them to survive. They enjoyed seeing newcomers arrive. They always wondered which ones would make it like they had.

"Look at all this fresh meat! Whoo!" Lyle yelled.

"You got that right," Sean agreed. "I wonder which ones will be able to last here."

"Me too. I am eager to play some pranks on them," Lyle said with a snicker.

"Just don't pull the old water-bucket-on-top-of-the-door prank. It's clichéd as fuck," Sean warned sternly.

"Duly noted," Lyle answered with a nod.

Jake headed down the ramp. He slowed down a little bit after he reached the end of it. He saw an AMP suit coming his way. He moved sideways, allowing it to pass. The pilot turned toward him.

"Look out, hot rod!" the pilot called.

Jake watched the AMP suit go out of sight and headed toward the building. Lyle and Sean started to walk away. The latter spotted Jake and stopped in his tracks. He became very curious.

"Check this out, man," Sean said. "Meals on wheels."

"Oh, man," Lyle said, coming to his friend's side. "That is just wrong."

Jake shifted his attention toward a Samson. He could see two young Omaticaya men standing before the rotor blades. Two middle-aged men sat on their shoulders while making repairs. He came to a stop as he thought it looked very interesting. He was startled when whistling came out of nowhere. He gazed at Lyle and Sean, seeing annoyed expressions on their faces.

"Come on! Get your ass inside!" Lyle yelled while jerking his thumb toward the entrance.

"We don't have all day!" Sean added.

"I'm coming!" Jake retorted and wheeled toward the building. "Jeez. You don't have to be so rude."

Lyle smirked. "We've seen people leave this place in wheelchairs, but we've never seen anyone arrive in one."

Sean snorted. "I wonder what you are here for."

Jake narrowed his eyes at the duo while passing them. He looked ahead with a heavy sigh. He had a feeling he wouldn't get along with them very well. He hoped he would do just fine with the scientists. He went inside as the chief followed him close behind. Lyle and Sean walked away.