9/17/10: Changed a few details and added some stuff. I just felt the flow of this one was lacking, so it should be better now.
It was truly a frightening experience. Jake had fought against the odds against his old people, he had braved the perils of Pandora, he fought through life without use of his legs, yet this moment; this was the most frightening of all.
Not scary, this wasn't scary…this was much worse.
This was truly frightening.
As Jake lay in Neytiri's arms, her blue hands holding his pale weakened body, he looked up at the tree of souls, its violet glow illuminating the female's Na'vi's golden eyes. He closed his own and tried to calm his heart down for what was about to occur.
This was going to be simple, right? He gets connected to a conscious entity that seems to run through an entire planet, his mind gets taken from one form and transplanted into another. Or he gets taken from one form and trapped in some between world for eternity.
Right. Simple.
As Neytiri laid her human formed mate on the ground next to his Avatar form, she placed a hand softly on his. Jake's five fingers wrapped around and between her four lightly, a soft smile on both their faces as Neytiri nodded in reassurance to Jake.
Slowly, a chanting rising from the people, energy seemed to pulse from all around the area. Thin green tendrils seemed to grow around both bodies slowly, a group of them entering the back of the former marine's neck. With a jolt, Jake's eyes grew wide as he felt the planet; its life; its beauty; its pain…
And then silence.
Silence…
…
Darkness…
…
He was alone…
…
Alone…
…
Alone and walking…
…
A small light beckoned to him…
…
A soft noise filled his ears…
…
The smell of grass tickled his nose…
…
The taste of bitter coffee passed over his lips…
…
…
Bitter coffee?
Jake looked down at his hands. They were still human, but holding a cup of coffee. He blinked and looked at his body, now clothed and sitting in what seemed like a chair. The man stood quickly and looked down. He felt his legs, both now working just as they had ten years ago on earth. Smiling and looking around he blinked as the scenery came into focus.
Tables, chairs, people, cars, blue sky, fresh air…
He was on earth. But not any earth in his memory. The sky actually had white clouds instead of sickening brown, the air didn't stink like rotting flesh, and the people were being courteous instead of trying to kill each other. Jake looked down and was slightly shocked again. He moved his legs. He moved his legs. He looked up again and almost laughed.
He felt like he was home. Well, as home as a guy like him could be.
Jake smiled once more before it dawned on him what had just happened. He was supposed to be a Na'vi right now, yet here he was on earth as a human. He kept looking around before turning sharply at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Took you long enough…numbnuts."
Jake looked across from where he was sitting before and saw a newspaper in the process of hiding its reader. "You do know how to take your sweet time…" The paper folded down and Jake froze.
Grace. Grace Augustine. Doctor Grace Augustine. She was sitting at a table in an outdoor café on earth. And she was alive!
"Grace..." he said stunned, but was interrupted by the woman removing her cigarette and shaking her head.
"Nope." She smirked and flicked the newspaper back up. "Guess again."
Jake walked over to where the paper wasn't hiding her and he squinted. "But…you're Gr-"
"Wrong again," she said smiling coyly, not looking up. "Care to try once more?"
Jake shook his head placing his hands over his face, confused. "Why am I doing this…why am I on earth and why am I talking to a dead woman!"
"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say!" she pouted.
He turned and started to walk back to her. "This isn't right!" he yelled, no one turning his or her attention to him. "I'm not supposed to be here!"
"And where exactly are you supposed to be?" the woman who resembled Grace asked, again not looking up from her newspaper. Jake turned and briskly walked toward the woman.
"What the hell happened to me?" he asked softly with conviction. "What is going on?"
The woman flicked her eyes up at the man and then back down. "Where are you right now?" she asked.
Jake paused, looking around frustrated. "I dunno. Blue sky, humans…I want to say earth" He responded slightly sarcastically.
"I didn't ask you what you see," she said dryly. "I asked where you are…"
"I don't know!" He yelled, pausing again. "This is impossible…this isn't the earth I remember…"
The woman raised an eyebrow. "So if it's impossible, then that means you aren't there…"
"Don't screw with me!" Jake yelled. "I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be with Neyt-" He froze as the woman's eyes locked with his. "Neytiri…"
The woman blinked and let out a small chuckle. "So where are you?"
Jake was speechless as he kept his eyes on the woman, some deep part of him understanding. "Eywa…I'm still on Pandora…"
The woman smiled, put out her cigarette and folded her paper. "Have a seat Jake."
Jake kept his eyes on her as he fell in his chair. "But…you're Grace!"
The woman laughed as she drank from her cup. "Am I really? Or are you just seeing and hearing Grace?" Setting the cup down, she looked in his eyes finally. They were Grace's eyes, but they seemed different; fuller, darker, ancient and yet young. "Are you on earth? Or are you seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling earth?"
Jake paused again, his brain refusing to process this correctly. "I…I don't get it…" he said, his frustration dwindling. "Who…who are you then?"
"Well that's rather simple" The woman said with a smirk. "I am and I am not" she added, not answering his question. Jake slowly shook his head to signal he didn't understand. "Ok, let me try this another way…what you see around you is made by you and you alone." She leaned forward. "I am what I am, as well as what I am not."
Jake's eye began to twitch. "I don't get it" he said bluntly. He sighed as the woman just laughed. "So, you look like Grace, but you're really Ewya?"
The woman just looked at Jake, not saying anything to confirm or deny. "I am what I am, as well as what I am not." She rose slowly, walking towards another table. "You see the world you see is your mind processing something. I have no idea what it is. It's your mind marine."
Jake stood, nodding but not understanding. "So, this is happening while yo…while Eywa is transferring me? Im stuck here because of yo…because of her?"
The woman turned, squinting slightly. "Is that what you honestly think still?" She raised her arms, motioning. "Everything you see and hear is what you made…the only reason you're here is that you are stopping you from becoming the you that you want you to be. So now you have to figure out why you are stopping you so you can move past yourself and then you can become who you want you to be."
Jake stood in a full state of being lost. After a moment of his brain failing, he spoke. "Ok, let me get this right…you're Grace and not Grace…you're Ewya but not Ewya…I'm here because of me…and I'm not letting myself go because I'm stopping myself?" Jake rattled off each bit slowly and carefully.
The woman stood in silence for a moment, thinking. "Sort of," She said nodding. "But not really."
"…"
"…"
"WHAT!"
The woman laughed once more and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Good. I can tell you're starting to get it."
"But I'm not getting it!"
"Exactly!"
Jake gave another frustrated grunt. "Why in the world would I be stopping me from being with my people?"
The woman looked in his eyes, that same simple smile on her face. "Why is it you're in your human form right now instead of your Avatar body?" she asked. "Why are you seeing other humans on earth right now instead of Na'vi on Pandora?"
Jake stopped and rubbed his head. "Grace…" he said slowly with frustration. "What is going on…"
"I told you" the woman said, sitting with a huff. "I'm not Grace."
"But you said you were Grace!"
"Yes! But I'm not as well!"
Jake would have been happy with leaving her then and there, even Neytiri's nature lectures sounded truly fascinating right now, but he sat back down, locking eyes with the woman. He needed answers.
"What are you?" he asked intensely.
The woman locked eyes back. "What are you?"
Jake paused and scowled harder, hoping to get the conversation somewhere. "I'm Jake Sully. I'm Omaticaya and life long mate to Neytiri. I'm a former Marine and…" He paused again; a small smile crept on his lips. "And a former human."
The woman smiled, nodding slowly. "Keep going."
Jake stood slowly, his body tall and proud. "I'm the sixth Toruk Makto and a leader in my clan! I…I lead the charge against humans to save my people!" The woman leaned back, motioning for him to go further. "I'm slow to learn and fearless of my life! I…I…I am clumsy and easily irritated! I…I…" He looked to the sky, closing his eyes and smiling.
"I don't know what else…" he said softly, letting the sun's warmth cover his face.
"Very good…" the woman said softly, a taxi pulling up to the side of the road. "Well, looks like you're almost home Jakey-boy…" She unfolded her paper once more and began reading again. "Your ride is here…"
Jake looked down from his epiphany over to the cab. "Wait…that's it?" he asked, surprised at the anti-climax of it all.
The woman looked up at Jake. "What? Finding yourself isn't enough anymore?" He grinned and put the paper down on the table as she lit a cigarette. "Now get going, the meter's running and I'm not spotting you fare."
Jake stood for a moment before bowing slightly and running off toward the cab. "He'll be fine…" she said softly as Jake entered the taxi. With a flick, the woman picked up her newspaper and began reading once more. As the cab drove off however, the woman turned and shouted at the cab rolling away "And tell Norm thanks for the cigarettes!"
Once Jake was in and sat down the cab started moving before he gave directions. Without thinking about it too much, Jake smiled as he tapped his fingers on his legs as the outside began to fly by.
"Headed somewhere special?" the driver asked. Jake tried to see the man's face but just couldn't see it.
"Yeah" he said. "In a way."
"Lucky you" the driver said. "I still got a few years before I can even think about going where I want to…" The driver turned the cab and Jake watched the buildings and people whizz by faster. "You got someone waiting for you?"
Jake nodded again. "Yeah…I do now…"
"Wow…you are really lucky" The driver reached a hand back to Jake. Jake looked down and saw a blue five-fingered hand reaching back to him. He shifted himself to get a better look at the driver. He was speechless when he saw his Avatar was driving the Taxi.
"Well? Aren't ya gonna shake it?" The driver smiled as Jake took its hand. "Name's Tom" he said. "Tom Sully."
Jake shook it slowly, a tear coming toward his eye. "Jake. I'm Jake." he responded softly. He could guess why he saw Grace, but he had no idea about his Avatar. A thought struck Jake roughly; His brother's Avatar.
"No kidding? I got a brother named Jake!"
Jake, after a moment of awkward silence, gave a forced laugh. "Really now…small world…" After another moment, he shifted again. "Your brother…what's he like?"
The Avatar smiled. "Well, he's my brother. He's stronger and braver than I am…even smarter sometimes…but only on rare occasions." The Avatar laughed as the cab turned again. "He's a Marine right now…really suits him. Probably the bravest guy I know. Definitely the strongest." Jake's eyes began to get teary as he laughed.
"Oh come on…no one's that great. There's gotta be something that is bad about him…"
The Avatar shook it's head. "Not to me. My own family hero…" Outside the cab the scenery began to blur even greater. "Look's like you're almost there man."
Jake ran his hands over his face slowly. This was getting too much. "Just one more thing…your brother…would you forgive him if he did something…something horribly wrong?"
The driver paused, thinking. "Nope" he finally said to Jake's nervous shock. "I wouldn't have to. He's my brother." He turned back as the light outside the cab grew brighter. "We're close enough that we'd understand each other on just about anything."
Jake looked the Avatar as everything began to fade. "Yeah…" He smiled and closed his eyes. "I guess you really would…"
Jake's mind fell once more into dark silence before he felt it again.
A light in the distance.
But this time it was different.
The light was stronger and so was he.
He could feel dirt around his body.
He felt hands touching his.
He felt life surge though his mind as his eyes opened to see two golden orbs with a blue face looking down at him.
Neytiri.
Jake put his five fingers slowly around her four, interlocking them softly as he looked in her eyes and smiled.
Jake was home.
And this time, he knew it was real.
Confused? Good :)
- ÐѓдҜΘИΪ§