Okay here comes another update. This is not so special, because I simply am introducing movie events now in the fanfiction, trying to connect lose ends, give reasons for Grace's standoffish behaviour when meeting Jake for the first time and explaining what everything else has to do with it. I had some help from the script of the movie, so the dialogue is verbatim from the respective scenes.
Another thing: I managed to watch the extended version of the movie and especially the scene when Grace tells Jake about the attack of the school made me rivisit some chapters. The changes are written in bold face. The chapters are 1,2,3,5 and 8.
Chapter 9 – Jarhead
Being betrayed is one thing. Getting the only hope betrayed that was left, is quite another. The hope that had kept Grace alive in the last few weeks had been crushed like an unwanted insect the moment she saw the personnel rotation of the incoming transport ship. They had dared to switch a scientist who was scheduled to work with her with his twin brother who just happened to be a soldier. It was unbelievable!
A marine in her lab was really the last thing she needed. It was of course utter nonsense that Quaritch was behind his appearance, since it was impossible even for him to control anything going on on Earth, especially six to seven years ago. But she couldn't help but feel that way. Besides, even if this was not part of his original plan, he would soon make it a part, gaining another advantage. No she didn't want this man here, or neither man to be precise. And she found it even more scandalous that she had gotten the report on this very morning. They had known all along and not deemed it necessary to tell her. Sink or swim it seemed.
The last few weeks had not been particularly successful either, and although she had always tried to spare her team any bad mood she was feeling, it had become increasingly difficult. Despite all their successes she had praised at the conference they hadn't been able to change the status quo and Selfridge didn't pay them for collecting plants. Additionally her relationship with Quaritch lay heavily on her mind. She hadn't asked for it and it made everything only worse.
Somehow her team had found a way however to deal with her occasional swing of temper.
The session was longer than anticipated and when Grace felt her consciousness return in her human body, she immediately felt the tiredness in her bones. While she was sitting up, she stretched out and cracked her neck.
It was not a pleasant sensation, making this the worst moment of the whole Avatar project. The last days and especially this morning had not particularly added to her good mood, so the exhaustions of the last hours had made her slightly irritated.
"Who's got my goddamn cigarette?"
The words came out her mouth the moment reality had kicked in and they weren't without effect. Immediately one of her scientists hurried to her, giving her one that was already lit.
She took it thankfully and after inhaling she was able to deal with whatever awaiting her this time.
She swung her legs from the connector unit and saw that Max had brought in two new people. That was right! The transport had finally arrived. However the moment she laid eyes at the new personnel, it felt as if somebody had kicked her in the stomach.
From far away she heard Max say: "And here she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Norm Spellman and Ja…"
But she interrupted her colleague in midsentence, not able to bear the sight of this marine in her lab. It was too much, it was simply too much.
"Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?"
The young man she addressed, seemed shy at first, but then he used this question as an opportunity to show what he had learned.
"May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting," he uttered.
It had a slight accent, but was not bad at all, she had to concede. She nodded approvingly, taking a drag on her cigarette.
"Not bad. You sound a little formal."
"There is still much to learn."
She tried to avoid any eye contact with Norm's companion in the wheelchair, stalling a few more moments talking in the foreign language. From the corner of her eye he saw him looking around curiously.
Max made another attempt to introduce her to the young man, but she couldn't help herself being annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, and I don't need you. I need your brother," she snapped, then turning to her colleague in frustration. "You know, the PhD who trained three years for this mission."
On whom I had counted and of whose early demise I was just recently informed, thanks very much!
"He's dead. I know it's a big inconvenience to everyone."
He looked at her without fear, obviously used to this kind of treatment. Annoyed she tried to get the best out of the situation.
"How much lab training have you had? Ever run a gas chromatograph?"
"No."
"Any actual lab work at all?"
"High school chemistry. But I ditched."
It just kept getting better and better. This was the last insult on a long chain of events and she couldn't hold back any longer. She looked at Max, her expression a mix of despair and anger.
"You see? You see? They're pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain."
Before he could answer she headed for the door.
"I'm going to Selfridge."
Without another word she simply shoved past the young marine, totally ignoring him.
Deep in her heart she knew that it was not his fault, that she was impolite to a young boy who didn't even know what he was getting into. He had a long trip behind him and being disabled certainly didn't make thinks easier on him.
But he was also a marine, meaning that he was one of Quaritch's people, which made it absolutely unacceptable for him to work with her.
Since the colonel dictated the rules of their sick little game, she couldn't even accuse him of breaking their agreement, since he had only promised not to attack the Na'Vi, which he hadn't until now. But she could not allow that he would gain access on her area of work through this young man and there was no question that he would attempt to do so. In these things he was quite reliable.
She had been silent the whole time, but in this case she actually hoped to achieve something with Selfridge. Otherwise she wouldn't even have bothered.
Grace didn't come too often to the control room of the complex, because there had been rarely a need to do so. Her everyday dealings usually brought her to her lab, her quarters, the conference room and most recently also to Quartich's living quarters, but the control room was not among them. She normally talked to Parker during their monthly briefings, but of course sometimes there was the need to discuss something unscheduled. Like now.
The fact that she saw him preparing to practise golf in this very room, didn't exactly decrease her anger. With a few strides she approached him and at least this movement made him look in her direction.
"Parker, I used to think it was benign neglect, but now I see you're intentionally screwing us."
"Grace. You know I enjoy our little talks."
"I need a research assistant, not some jarhead dropout," she blurted out, but the only response she got was him hitting his carefully prepared ball. This made her so angry that she couldn't refrain herself from kicking the practise cup aside, thus making his blow a miss.
It would be a lie to say that she didn't enjoy stopping that golfball. It was totally beyond her comprehension how the person responsible for all of this, could be playing golf in the control room, while she and her team gave everything.
She couldn't blame him for not knowing about the thing with Quaritch, but she blamed him for a lot of other things. And although a voice in her head warned her to use the right words, she was just too angry and disappointed to care. At least she got his attention.
He put his putter somewhere else, not overly excited to see her. Finally he faced her, sighing heavily.
"Actually, we got lucky with him."
"Lucky? How is this in any way lucky?"
How dare he?
He didn't even deem it necessary to face her, while talking to her. Instead he went and tried to retrieve is stupid ball, while continuing.
"Well, lucky your guy had a twin brother, and lucky the brother wasn't an oral hygienist or something. A Marine we can use. I'm assigning him to your team as security escort."
Was this man out of his mind?
"The last thing I need is another trigger happy asshole out there!" Now she had said it, just realizing that her anger had blown away any possible diplomatic and thus probably more successful approach.
He seemed to have realized this as well, since she got the impression that he treated her, as if talking with a stubborn child. She tried at least to ignore this impoliteness.
"Look, you're supposed to be winning the hearts and minds of the natives. Isn't that the whole point of your little puppet show? If you look like them, if you talk like them, they'll trust you?"
While talking he walked over to his office nearby.
"But after - how many years? – relations with the indigenous are only getting worse," he continued, rubbing more salt in her open wound.
Thanks for reminding me…
"That tends to happen when you use machine guns on them."
Her retort seemed to have no real effect and she didn't even know, if he was aware of the graveness of the situation.
Of course he wasn't. He had one goal and one goal alone. He was now too fascinated by the hovering rock on his desk, to even listen to her.
With a swift movement he grabbed the metal and held it in front of her face.
"This is why we're here. Unobtanium. Because this little gray rock sells for twenty million a kilo. No other reason. This is what pays for the party. And it's what pays for your science. Comprendo?"
No really, thanks for reminding me for the thousandth time.
He placed it back in the magnetic field, having lost all interest in her and her problem.
"Those savages are threatening our whole operation. We're on the brink of war and you're supposed to be finding a diplomatic solution. So use what you've got and get me some results."
It took all her self-discipline not to tumble backwards as if she had been hit. She had heard similar words before from the colonel. The fact that the current state of affairs was like this was the reason why she was in this predicament now. The transport ship had done nothing to help her. On contrary, it had worsened everything and now there was no end in sight.
Beaten she left Selfridge's office.