Legal: All movie characters, locations, and names are the intellectual property of James Cameron and/or Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. I claim no ownership over anything but my original characters and original plot line.
Any lines spoken in Na'vi will be italicized in the quotes since I am terrible with translating it.
Sorry for the amount of time between chapters, had some busy work days lately. I do hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one. Also please review so I know what I can improve on and what I am doing right. Thanks in advance!
V. Second Chances
Dying had not been anything like what John had expected. He had only felt the terrible pain followed by warmth he could not even begin to describe. There was no long white tunnel leading to the afterlife. The scenes of his life did not pass before his eyes. John still felt as though he was floating through the mist that had surrounded him on Pandora. Something was strange now though, the only thing he could see was pure black darkness and there were voices speaking. No matter what he tried he could not make sense of what they were saying but he heard them nonetheless.
As a doctor on the battlefields of earth John had questioned the existence of a supreme being. He always wondered how a god could be so cruel as to put people through so much suffering and death. Floating here in this vast nothingness John wondered whether this was the afterlife. John could not see anything and the only thing he could hear were the voices that were getting louder. Suddenly he could hear the voices clearly. They were talking about him and the situation that he was in.
John was perplexed as to what the situation the voices were referring to as he was most certainly dead. Finally he opened he forced his eyes to open and the darkness receded only to be replaced by a bright light. As his eyes adjusted a face came into view above him. It was the face of a Na'vi woman he had never seen before. John thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face was perfectly balanced, her large golden eyes looking at him with a slight hint of worry. John could see she was moving her lips and finally he could associate one of the voices as being hers.
He found himself entranced by her face and was unable to look at anything else. Just as suddenly as her face had appeared it moved away to be replaced by the blinding light again. John realized that the light was in fact the sun and he was lying on his back looking up at the sky. His whole body felt weak but there was absolutely no trace of the pain he had felt before. Forcing his muscles to move John brought a hand to his face, noticing the blue skin of his avatar before his eyes.
"Doc, you back with us?" The question came from somewhere to John's right from a voice he recognized.
"Jake? Is that you?" John asked his voice sounding hoarse for some reason.
"Yeah doc, good to see you're still breathin." Jake replied happily.
John started to sit up noticing that his whole body ached. He felt as though he had gone ten rounds with a championship boxer. Every muscle of his body felt sluggish and unresponsive and the mist that was swirling around his brain was causing his thoughts to come slowly. John felt a wave of nausea hit him as he tried to stand up and almost fell back down but Jake caught him.
"You gave us quite a scare there doc, it's lucky that Tirea found you and brought you back." Jake said as he placed a hand on John's back to help steady him. John looked to the Na'vi woman Jake was pointing at, the one he had found to be so beautiful. She stood there listening to Jake talk with a curious expression on her face. It occurred to John that perhaps she did not speak English but she made no move to leave or give them any privacy.
"What the hell happened to me?" John looked at Jake as he asked. "I've never been in so much pain Jake, ever."
"Well doc, why don't you have a seat and eat something first then I'll tell you as much as I know." Jake replied handing John a small basket of fruit.
John took the basket from Jake and picked up one of the fruit. Something was different now; it was as if John's sense of touch was so much greater than it used to be. He had always felt things in his avatar body but this time it was as if the sense was magnified. The skin of the fruit felt so much more real to John now. He looked up at Jake for a second with a confused expression then took a bite out of the fruit. The juice exploded in his mouth and his taste buds could pick up every subtle flavor down to the tiniest hints of sweet and sour. John could not help but smile at his sensory overload as he quickly at the fruits.
Jake gave John a knowing grin then his face switched to a serious expression. "There has been an accident John." Jake said quietly. "Something went wrong up at your mobile link site."
John looked at Jake thoughtfully and then at Tirea. "What kind of accident?" He asked.
"Well we were in the middle of the feast last night when both Nick and Kayla's avatar bodies collapsed." Jake spoke slowly trying to find the best way to explain things. "No one could figure out what happened so I had Norm try and call up to the link station. We all started to get pretty worried when there was no response or even any sign that the transmissions were going through."
Jake paused to let John fully understand what he had said so far. After a few seconds Jake could see the confusion on John's face so he continued speaking. "I had Norm meet me up at the link site in a Samson while I flew up on my Ikran. I don't think either of us was prepared for what we found up there John. As near as we can tell there was some sort of explosion followed by a fire that swept through the containers. It hit the link tubes of Kayla and Nick first and finally it hit yours last. I'm sorry John; neither of them survived the fire."
John's thoughts went to first Kayla and then to Nick. They had not been close friends, but John was still overcome with grief as tears began to form. John did not try to fight the tears as he wept for two good people who went well before their time. A hand rubbed John's arm lightly and he was surprised to see Tirea had moved next to him and comforting him. As his tears slowed and finally stopped falling, he turned to Jake with one thought on his mind. "Jake, how did I survive?" He asked.
Jake looked at John thoughtfully for a moment, obviously trying to decide how to explain things. Finally he spoke, "Well John, Neytiri and I discussed that earlier and we believe you survived because Eywa wanted you to. Your essence was transferred to your avatar as your body passed on."
"Because Eywa wanted me to?" John's voice filled with some disbelief as he responded to Jake.
"Yes John, I think Neytiri will be able to explain it to you much better than I." Jake said. "However it seems to us that Eywa has given you a chance at making a life here. One you hopefully will embrace and live to the fullest. I mean, look at me, just some dumb grunt that has become the leader of the people. This is a second chance John, make the best of it."
John looked at Jake and then down at his own body. "What happened to my other body Jake?" He asked quietly.
"We gave you, Kayla and Nick a proper burial with Eywa." Jake's voice held a touch of sadness for the two avatar drivers that did not survive. "Guess you could say that you missed your own funeral doc."
John sat for a second and contemplated what exactly this meant for him now and in the future. He was a Na'vi now. His avatar was suddenly much more than just a temporary vessel for his consciousness. This body was truly his body now. John glanced up at Jake and the looked at Tirea for a moment. He knew the only thing to do now was to learn to live as a Na'vi and to embrace the lifestyle just as Jake had. He noticed Jake was looking at him in a knowing manner, almost as if he understood what needed to happen.
"I need to learn to be one of the people just as you did Jake." John's voice filled with a determination he rarely had shown in his life. "I want to learn to be a hunter."
"Good John, I will have one of the Omaticaya teach to you be a hunter." Jake said in Na'vi so that Tirea could understand the conversation. "You must learn just as I did and then you can become one of the people. You should also thank Tirea since it was her that found you and cared for you while you were unconscious."
"He will never learn to be a hunter." A voice that John had never heard before said roughly. "He may be a skilled healer but he will not grasp the life of a hunter."
"That is enough Etani." Tirea said, immediately causing the newcomer to stop speaking. "Eywa wished him to have a life here and he wishes to become one of the people. This satisfies all that is required to begin teaching him. I believe he is stronger than you realize."
"John, this is Etani." Jake looked at the hunter as he spoke. "He is a strong hunter, one of the best spearman in the clan. I think he will be a good choice to teach you to become a hunter."
Tirea looked at John and gave him a slight smile as Jake spoke. John smiled back but his smile vanished when he looked at Etani. The scowl on Etani's face made John wonder what exactly he had done that caused so much unhappiness for this hunter. Etani was of average height for the Na'vi but his muscles had more definition than the usual wiry framed Omaticaya. John surmised this was due to intense training with a spear however he could not be certain of anything.
"If that is what Olo'eyktan wishes then I will certainly obey." Etani said nodding slightly to Jake. "We will see if you are truly able to become a hunter JohnHale."
**
Jake stepped away from his old friend and walked back towards the center of the village. As he looked around and noticed the shadows falling over the camp Jake realized they had been talking for most of the day. It would be time for the evening meal soon. As Jake walked through the camp he could feel the presence of his mate before he even could see her. He came upon her speaking quietly in Na'vi with Mo'at.
As he stood there watching her speak Jake realized again just how much he loved her. She was beautiful, graceful, and amazingly strong yet could be so dangerous when she was angry. Jake could feel the emotions he had repressed for the last few days begin to overflow within him. He felt the anger of the Na'vi at the sky people and the pain of so much death and destruction. Jake felt the sadness of the death of some of his closest friends and the happiness at the rebirth of others. As Jake's emotions threatened to become overwhelming he suddenly felt a calmness flow over him. He looked up to see Neytiri looking at him knowingly.
She motioned for Jake to come join her. As he approached he could hear the conversation between Neytiri and Mo'at.
"My daughter, it is time for us to search for a new home." Mo'at was saying quietly to Neytiri. As Jake approached Mo'at looked at him and smiled before continuing so they could both hear. "We have lived near the tree of souls for too long. This is not the way the people should live. Eywa will guide us to another Hometree, all we must do is let her."
Neytiri gently held Jake's hand as she listened to her mother speak, their fingers intertwined just like neural fibers during tsahaylu. She smiled at him then quickly looked back at her mother. Jake looked at Mo'at and squeezed Neytiri's hand as he decided how best to respond to. Finally he started to speak. "I agree that the clan should not live here on the ground any longer. I will send a group of hunters to search for a new Hometree."
"Very good, I look forward to the day we may move into our new home." Mo'at responded with a measure of pride in her voice. "At first I did not agree with my daughter's mating choice JakeSully. I now see that everything happened as Eywa wished. I am proud to call you Olo'eyktan and also very proud to call you son."
As she spoke Mo'at placed a hand over Jake's heart as Neytiri squeezed his hand gently. Mo'at nodded at them both then walked away towards the fire where the Omaticaya gathered for meals. Neytiri looked into Jake's eyes and smiled, gently kissing him. Jake often felt as though she was looking right through him. It was as if she could see directly into his soul and always knew what he was thinking and feeling. He understood that their bond was extremely strong even when not connected through tsahaylu.
"My Jake, you will be a good Olo'eyktan." Neytiri said lovingly as she embraced him. "Just remember I am always here for you, even when we are not together. We will never be truly parted even should one of us pass from this life to the next."
When she finished speaking Neytiri gave Jake another brief kiss, allowing her lips to linger on his for only a few seconds then took his hand and walked towards the bonfire. Jake thought it was strange for her to bring up death at a time like this but he knew her words were meant to comfort him. He knew the weeks ahead would be difficult for not just him, but John and all the Omaticaya. Jake only hoped that both he and John were truly up to the task that had been placed before them. Somewhere in the back of Jake's mind he also hoped that Etani would not kill John before he found a life among the people.