+Avatars+

Jake's P.O.V

When I was lying there, in the V.A. hospital with a big whole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying... I was free. Sooner or later though, you always have to wake up.

In Cryo you don't dream at all. It doesn't fill like six years, more like a fifth of tequila and an ass kicking. Tommy was the scientist not me. He was the one the one that wanted to get shot light-years out in space to find the answers.

"Are we there yet," I asked as I was pulled out of the chamber, and a man came over to me.

"Yeah we're there sunshine…we're there," said the man checking me over to make sure I was alright, before floating away, while my mind floated back to a memory from not to long ago. Infact it felt like just a week ago, which was what it was supposed to feel like since that was how long it was before I went into Cryo.

"It's about your brother," a man in a suite said to me one day when I opened my front door to my crappy apartment. I already knew they were bringing me bad news. Within no time I had my ass down at the morgue where I found my sister looking into a cardboard box. I didn't have to even look to know what was in it. We had already gone through the procedure more than enough.

A week before Tommy's going to ship out; a guy with a gun ends his journey…for the paper in his wallet.

I watched as they covered my brother up with a black plastic bag, and closed the lid on the box, all the while Mia standing beside me was sobbing. Without a second thought I reach over and take her hand as she bends down to my level so she can rest her head on my shoulder. I could feel her hot tears pouring down my shirt and soaking in. All the while thinking I wanted to kill the bastard that had done this. My sister didn't deserve this even if she had put me through hell when Sage had passed away.

"You've been in Cryo for five years, nine months, and twenty two days. You will be hungry, you will be weak. If you feel nauseas please use the sacks…" I ignored the rest after that as I floated over to a locker, all the while watching as my sister emerged from her own Cryo cell. A waited for a couple of moments until she came up next to me; still keeping to myself and in my own mind.

Yeah, Tommy was the scientist… me I'm just another dumb grunt going someplace he's going to regret.

Up ahead was Pandora. You grew up hearing about it, but I never figured I'd be going there; maybe Mia, and Tommy, but never me. I didn't sign up for this like they did; or rather he did and drug her along for the ride. I knew she needed this more than I did.

"Your brother represented a significant investment. We'd like to talk to you about taking over his contract," one of the men in the suits and coats spoke as I shushed my sister all the while watching them slowly slide the box into the unlit furnace.

"And since your genome is identical to his you could step into his shoes, so to speak," the other man replied casually as if this small funeral was nothing in front of him. Funerals weren't like they used to be. There were no more long services, or coffins, there were no room for them in this world anymore.

"It'd be a fresh start, on a new world," the first man replied.

"And the pay is good," the second mad spoke up again.

"Very good," the first replied again as the person in front of us pressed the button to ignite the flames inside the furnace. As if like a lighter the thing came to life and the flames began beating down onto the cardboard box inside, along with my dead brother's body inside.

Another life ends, another begins.

I guess it was obvious now that I took the job, but with a price. It made Mia hate me even more, but love me because at least she'd still have family to keep her company, even silent company.

"Hey," I said, opening up one of the lockers with food inside. She gave a curt nod as she did the same.

"I feel like I'm swimming in here," I said trying to start a conversation, but she stopped it with a single, "Me too."

"How was Cryo," I asked trying again.

"Long," she mumbled finally looking at me and then added, "but not long enough." I went to get closer to her, but she pulled away. She was still hurting, I didn't blame her. So was I. She and I both had our own ways of dealing though. Mia bottled everything up, whereas I tried to talk to her. Tried to explain things, but there were times when I'd do the same, like with Sage, and what happened to my le…that was a subject I didn't even want to go back into.

"I'll see you down there," she replied before gliding off somewhere else. I restrained myself from punching the lockers, but still the regret was there. I wish I could talk to her, not take Tommy's place, but be as close to her as he had been. Yet I knew that wasn't going to take just a few days, maybe not even a few years. There were still a lot of bad feelings between us that we needed to work through. Death was just not something you got over easily, especially when there's been a lot of it.

Mia's P.O.V

I could feel the downward slant as we entered Pandora's atmosphere. It was unusual, but not as weird as when we had left Earth. Going up was just as bad as going down. I never liked riding in airplanes, let alone the space jet things. I sort of got butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I guess it was just a form of motion sickness, and the man beside me said it would pass, along with Jake seconding it. It didn't help that I feared flying all together. Ever since my brothers and I had crashed the farm plane out in the middle of the field when I was younger I hadn't been the same around or in flying objects. I had broken both my leg and my arm when it had happened, not to mention knocking me unconscious for weeks.

"Exo-packs on. Let's go, Exo-packs on," a man in uniform yelled as he came down the aisle, along with another man chorusing him. "Remember people: you lose that mask you're unconscious in 20 seconds, you're dead in four minutes. Let nobody be dead today. It looks very bad on my report," the man with the African American features said loudly walking past me. I rolled my eyes as I placed the mask on my face. Looking over at Jake I noticed he was having problems getting his mask on, and as I went to help him he shoved me away and replied, "I'm fine. I can do it." With another roll of my eyes I sat back in my seat and waited for the ship to land.

"Harnesses off, get your packs on and together," the man yelled out when we landed and were set firmly on the ground. Taking off my harness I grabbed my two bags and threw them over my shoulders. I was going to grab Jake's but once again he had that Can-Do attitude.

I didn't really listen to the man's orders as he droned on. I knew what he was saying already. Basically all I needed to do was follow the others. As the hatch opened everyone leaned over each others shoulders to look out as did Jake, however I kept my eyes on him as he got ready to get in his chair…alone. I didn't even ask this time if he wanted my help. I just stayed beside him.

There's no such thing as an ex-Marine. Jake maybe be out, but he'd never lose the attitude. He told himself he could pass any test a man could pass.

I watched as Jake, by himself, got into his wheelchair and situated himself, along with getting his own bag and throwing over his shoulder.

They can fix a spinal, if you got the money, but not on vet benefits, not in this economy. I offered my own money to Jake once, but our feelings had been so ill at the time that he had turned me down, I knew he would still turn me down. He'd rather earn the money himself than get it from somebody else.

"Let's go, special case. Do not make me wait for you," the man yelled up front in a Forrest Gump kind of accent. I glared angrily at his comment and at catching sight of my look he added, "You two princess." Instead of socking him in the mouth I just turned my eyes away from him and sucked it up. Stupid, bitter, old man.

Wainfleet's P.O.V

"Well, well, ladies. Look at all this fresh meat," I cried jokingly next to my friend.

(Jake's P.O.V)- Back on earth these guys were army dogs, marines, fighting for freedom. But out here they were just hired guns, taking the money, working for the company.

A friend of mine turned to check out why the man in the big armor had spoke up, "Look out hot rod." Quickly he had noticed why too. "Check this out man," he called out to me, "Meals on Wheels." I walked over to him and took a look while groaning, "Oh that is just wrong."

"Yeah, he might be, but look at the chick next to him. Damn, I'd love a piece of that. Hey ain't that Mia Sully singer and author. Shit she's fine as hell. Wonder how the poor loser caught her attention."

"Sympathy vote," I replied chuckling.

"No, I think it's her brother. Isn't she like a triplet or something," my friend insisted as I slowly nodded. Now that I thought off they did look alike. Poor bastard, he was going to have to work hard at keeping the male solider away from her around here.

Jake's P.O.V

"You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day. If there is a hell, you might want to go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora. Out there, beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud, wants to kill you and wants to eat your eyes for jujubes," a man replied walking to the front, as he turned to look at everyone, including me as my sister and I made our way down to the others. I respected her for sticking beside me, but still if I got reprimanded she didn't need to either. She was only looking out for me, and she didn't need to hear any of the shit this man probably would have to say to us. Instead of speaking out to us though, he continued on.

"We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Na'vi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that'll stop your heart in one minute, and they have bones reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fiber. They are very hard to kill," the man replied glaring me down, before switching his eyes over to my sister. There was a slight sign of recognition, but just slight as he turned around again and continued while I took off my pack and sat it on the table in front of me I just barely had time to see the three straight line of scars extending from his scalp down to his face. "As head of security it is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed. Not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong mental attitude," he said walking back up the aisle looking both ways into the eyes of his peers, "You've got to obey the rules-Pandora rules. Rule number one…"he carried on as I looked over at my sister and smiled. For once she smiled back, trying withhold a chuckle at this crazy man standing before us.

There's nothing like an old-school safety brief to put your mind at ease.

Mia's P.O.V

Making our way toward our new work sector Jake looked up and said, "So what do you think of Scar-Face." I giggled and replied, "Reminds me of Coach Helga, my old gymnast instructor." He shook his head with a laugh as well. Maybe being on Pandora might bring us closer together than the 22 years on Earth that hadn't. Suddenly I realized something. I wasn't 22 anymore. I'd been in Cryo for almost six years. I was like 27 or something now. Shaking my head, my brother seemed to notice my frown.

"What is it," he questioned as his own smile faded.

"Nothing it's just I'm in my late 20's now. I'm old," I groaned unhappily, making him laugh, before I shoved him slightly in his chair and replied, "Don't laugh so are you Mr. Triplet." Then something sank in right there that caught me off guard as well. We were no longer triplets, we were twins. Technically we were triplets, but not really, not anymore. We were the only ones left.

Jake must of realized it to because it got quiet quickly as we both stared ahead not saying a word to one another as we headed down the hallway, until we heard a commotion coming from behind us.

"Excuse me, Excuse me. JAKE, MIA," I heard someone calling from behind us. Turning around I found someone close to my age walking up to us. I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling I had seen him somewhere before. Jake turned when he walked up beside him, "You're Jake, right? Tom's brother." Jake gave a sort of nervous nod while the man smiled, "Wow you look just like him." We both still stared at him dumbly before he finally spoke up, "Sorry, I'm Norm Spellman. I went through Avatar training with him."

"Thought I knew you from somewhere, you were once in some of the Na'vi courses I took. You set in front of me in the language course," I replied with a smile as I finally extending my hand to him. He blushed slightly, and said, "Yeah, it's hard telling people you actually sat in front of Mia Sully in college, before she became a big star. None of them seem to believe the fact that you are very fluent in many, many languages as well. They think that it's other people singing those foreign songs you have on your album."

"Well their mine, and thanks for believing in me," I replied noticing he was still shaking my hand refusing to let go. I managed to pull it from his grip however, as he smiled sheepishly. At least he wasn't a completely crazed fan.

"How many languages do you speak anyway now," both Norm, and Jake asked me at the same time making me laugh.

"Na'vi of course, English definitely, Spanish, French, tiny bit of Japanese, and enough German to get me around in Germany if I get stuck there," I said shrugging my shoulders as if it was nothing.

"How did you learn all that," Norm exclaimed.

"I was a Diplomacy Major. Could have tried out for some high government jobs when I finished, but I wasn't up for it. I had my head somewhere else at the time," I murmured as my mind drifted back to those days.

"Yeah like becoming a gymnast, then pushing that aside to begin writing, and somehow along the way you just wanted to sing," Jake replied shaking his head.

"Man you've done all that in such a short time. You seem so perfect…"

"I'm not perfect, maybe then, but things have changed," I mumbled a little irritated now.

"Sorry, if you don't mind me asking, but for a while there you just seemed to up and disappear from the business. What happened to you," Norm asked looking between me and Jake.

"Rehab," I muttered and there ended that conversation as Norm drew back from making me any angrier than what I already was from his prying.

Walking in through some sliding doors Norm said with a slight chuckle, "The bio lab. We're gonna spend a lot of time up here." Norm was busy giving his hellos to some other people while Jake and I looked around the lab. Yep, definitely looked like a lab to me with all the wires, and big machines that I had no clue of what they did. As Norm kept talking something caught me and Jake's eyes as we took a different path over to where these three capsules were filled with blue…or maybe it was just the light…water. It was then that I got my first look of our avatars.

Jake's P.O.V

Me, Norm, and Mia are here to drive these remotely controlled bodies called avatars, and they're grown from human DNA mixed with the DNA of the natives.

"Hey, welcome," a man said walking over to me as I wheeled up next to the capsules containing our avatars.

"Hey," I replied extending to shake his hand. "Welcome to Pandora, good to have you," the man replied as he went to go check on something as Mia, Norm, and I all took a look at his avatar.

"Damn, they got big," I said with pure surprise.

"Yeah, they fully mature on the flight out. So the propreoceptive sim seem to work really well," Norm spoke up as my sister went to look at the avatar on her left.

"Yeah they got great muscle tone. It'll take us a few hours to get 'em decanted, but you guys can take 'em out tomorrow. There's yours," the man said pointing to the left where Mia was looking at right now. She seemed to have a sad expression clearly woven into her face and as I pulled up I realized why.

"Looks like him," we both muttered at the same time as we stared at the blue man's cat like facial features. There was a cord, almost like an umbilical cord attached to his stomach. His hair was long and a dark black, which was tied back into a ponytail of some sort.

"No, looks like you," Norm replied leaning down behind me. I hadn't even heard him come up, "This is your avatar now, Jake."

Nodding slowly in agreement I looked up at Mia, who was wiping her eye as if a piece of dust had flown into it, but I knew better. Seeing the avatar, having it look like him, knowing it was meant for him, and the night of his death he had seemed so happy bout doing this, just brought too much pain to her. Norm noticing the same thing I had replied, "Come on, come check out yours," He smiled taking her hand gently and pulling her away from the tank.

Mia's P.O.V

Going past Norm's avatar we came to a tank with another avatar inside. As we came closer, both Norm and I gasped. I had seen male avatars, but not so many females. Mine was just… there were no words for it. She was beautiful, gorgeous, a dream. She had my facial features, and the hair color was actually closer to mine, than Jake's was to his. Her cat like features seemed to be more defined though and her hair hung loosely unlike Jake's avatar which had his in a braid.

"You're avatar was difficult to create. Somehow your human DNA almost completely trumped the Na'vi's. Your hair color didn't come out right, and your eyes are supposed to be yellow like theirs or a cat's, but they came out the light blue that you have now. We've tried fixing it, but there's not really much we can do. If you do happen to come across the Na'vi you're going to stick out like a sore thumb. It's gonna be hard to blend in for you," the man, Max, replied from beside us now as he checked on the instruments keeping my avatar alive.

"She's beautiful though," Norm mumbled placing his hands on the glass, and then realizing he had not only called the avatar beautiful, but me, he blushed and turned and replied, "Uh…"

"Thanks," I smiled at him sincerely.

"Yep, she is. Even Grace is very fond of her. Thought that maybe different is better, and that they'll reach out to her because she is. We've already tried with the normal avatars," Max mumbled as he looked over some charts on his clipboard.

"History shows that different always isn't so great. I doubt it will work, but yes, it's worth a try," I muttered shrugging my shoulders as I took a closer look at her as Jake wheeled up next to me. He took one look at my avatar, and burst into a smile, "Now that looks like you, same evil smirk too." He was right, because there lining my avatar's lips was a sort of smile. It was a smile I hadn't even worn in years, but seeing it on a face so close to mine, so peaceful, put it back on my face as well.

Jake's P.O.V

"The concept is that every driver is matched to his own avatar so that their nervous systems are in tune, or something…which is why they offered me the gig because I can link with Tommy's avatar… which is insanely expensive…."

"Is this right? I just… say whatever to the video log," I asked turning around to stare at Norm and Max as if they had gone crazy.

"Yeah, w-we got to get into the habit of documenting everything. You know- what we see, what we feel it's all part of the science," Norm spoke up explaining to me why we were doing this.

"And good science is good observation," Max seconded him as I turned around and rubbed the back of my head feeling a little stupid doing this.

"Plus it will help keep you sane for the next six years," Norm said as I turned back around to look at my own camera again.

"Alright…whatever," I replied as I moved the camera a little bit looking into the screen before speaking again, "So, ah…well, here I am… doing science," Just saying that I knew I sounded like an idiot, but it would probably get a laugh out of my sister if she wasn't doing her own right now. Clicking mine off I turned to look at her as she too became a little stumped as she finally got her camera turned on, but then it was like words just seemed to fall out of her mouth. I left her alone as she explained her story from the beginning, almost the very beginning actually.

Mia's P.O.V

"…So here I sit now, in front of you all telling you my story, or whoever or whatever is watching this. I didn't sign up for any of this; my brother did…sign me up for this. I'm not quite sure if I'm happy he did yet, but this whole program, and everything in it; it's just… amazing. The people here are nice, some keep to themselves, others bug the heck out of you like the people who know me for Mia Sully the big star. I don't want to be known as the big star. At one time I did, but now. I want to just be Mia Sully. Maybe being here will change that. Maybe this will give me a new life. Who knows I might choose to stay here longer than 6 years if I like it enough. All I know is I'm doing this for Tommy, in his memory you know. I couldn't back out even if I had a chance, and Jake probably wouldn't either. He needs this just as much as me. He needs an escape just as well as me. Hopefully this will be less stressful than what we've been going through. Well anyway, I'm here to stay for now…"

Biting my lip I realized I had nothing more to say, and slowly I reached my hand out to turn off the cam and the mic. Leaning back in the chair I combed my hair back with hands and breathed in deeply, before exhaling quickly. Standing up I decided to find a snack machine around here. Walking past Norm and Max I asked my question and within no time I was on my way for the snack machine. God only knew I needed it considering I was still a little too underweight. I was no help to them if I died of anorexia.

I'd been a gymnast for a while. I had gained a beautiful body at one point in time. I used to be strong, and very flexible, but now every time I moved I heard a bone pop somewhere, and now I barely could lift the two bags I had brought above my head. The drugs had almost killed me, and the alcohol had just numbed it to where it could. If Tommy hadn't notice the signs, I probably wouldn't be standing here where I am today. Why had I done it? Simple, it was because I could. I had lived all my life structured, studious, and getting picked on in school. I used to be the fat kid in school who would always keep her head in the book, while her brothers watched out for her, but as I got older and the baby fat slipped away along with gymnastics helping to get rid of the other excess, I came into college a normal, average American teenager. I knew I had talents at the time. I had always known. I was good with my voice whether it be singing or speaking another language. Writing had been a challenge though. When I was younger I couldn't tell a story worth my life, but now it was sort of easy. It was just as easy as tying my shoe.

So when college life ended along with the College Gymnastics I immediately sat out to try my hand at something new than something old. Ignoring all of my teachings I got up on that stage and sang my heart out. The moment I hit it big the writing started as I told stories, of my life, or my opinions on things. I had five or six books that were just non-fiction, but that was about all. The rest of 13 were all fiction.

Anyway, we things started getting tough between me and my brothers. When we began pulling away from one another and there was no longer the need for the big bad brother to protect me and keep me from doing wrong I began to stray. Picking up guys here or there, trying some new exotic things, just because they weren't there to say 'no.' There was no mom and dad there to tell me what to do, or no Grandma, or grandpa. I was finally free, yet for some reason I still felt so alone. I had always felt like I didn't fit right into the puzzle, even when I fit just perfectly into the business and the crowd around me. Tommy had always been the one to reach out to me. Jake lived his own life though. We had never really been that close.

What really set me off on such a bad course was when two of my band-mates Jonathan, and Alice passed away in a car wreck for drunk driving. They had been my best friends. That's when I began closing up. I was afraid to get to know somebody in the fear of losing them, so to numb the pain and to forget I took drugs, and drank till the very last drop was sliding down my throat. One night I got in a bad wreck because of the drunk driving. I had killed someone. I was going to jail, for about a year, I think they gave me just a year because I was such a big star and they just couldn't do that to poor little ole' me.

I scoffed at that memory as I got me a Twix from the machine and began to head back to the lab.

Tommy had been the one to come to the hospital. He begged me to get help, got down on his hands and knees and practically kissed my feet. He said he didn't want to see me go down the same road our Uncle John had, which had ultimately killed him. Taking it to heart I did what he asked. After getting out of prison I headed straight for rehab, while there that's when my parents passed away. The people there were the ones that had helped keep me from relapsing. So when came my grandparents' deaths, I was finally out; I handle it better than I thought I could. There was a time or two I relapsed, but not the serious kind. I'd have a drink or two, but it slowly passed. Then when Sage came into my life I forgot everything that was painful and just focused on him. He made me happy; he made me feel free like I was flying in the air.

When Sage passed I relapsed…since him it's been hard to stop. It hasn't gotten as bad as it was before, but drinking had been a weekly thing for me. Hopefully being on Pandora would break me of that. Hopefully Pandora would cure me of any ill feelings I had, and give me the strength to quit while I was already ahead.

Maybe it was time to retire the business and live a normal life as just a simple writer. It'd be less stressful.

Coming back into the lab I noticed Norm and Jake were heading out. "Where are you guys going," I questioned with a raised eyebrow. "We're going to meet our new boss. She'll be coming out of the link soon." Nodding and munching on my candy bar I followed them.

PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW!