One Small Step for a Godzilla...
The Serenity was soon within Pandora's atmosphere, the strange mix of Firefly and Phantom design elements speeding over the tops of vast, lush rainforests and deep canyons. In the distance, strange floating shapes could be made out in the early-evening mist, though they were too distant to make out any concrete details. Bishop saw where Alan was looking and informed him that the miners had called them the Hallelujah Mountains, which contained significant quantities of Unobtainium, causing them to 'ride' on the strong magnetic fields in the area.
"Why don't we just get some from there then?" Alan asked.
"It is too dangerous to fly through that area," Bishop said. "The magnetic fields would disrupt our systems, and the strong winds make for very treacherous flying conditions. With this mist adding to our problems, I do not wish to risk crashing the Serenity on one of those mountains. We must find a safer site."
Alan dropped the subject and looked ahead. Now that they were back in a planet's atmosphere, he noticed the new sounds that could be heard of the wind whipping past the ship and the faint roar of the jets. He had gotten used to the silence of the vacuum of space and found it a little hard to get used to the noise again.
Beside him, Alistair was looking outside with a look of great awe. As the mist parted for a moment, showing a dazzling sun low in the sky, the gargoyle looked like he was on the verge of crying.
"I've never seen daylight before..." he said quietly, his beak curled into a smile. "It's... beautiful..."
Almost as soon as he had said those words, there was a faint crackling sound, and gradually Alistair's green leathery skin and brown hair were changing a slate-grey colour, his whole body freezing in place. Even his dark blue leather armour was gaining the same stone colour and texture, and within seconds he was frozen as a stiff, stone statue. His expression was now locked in one of pure joy, gazing out of the window. Alan could not help feeling sorry for Alistair; he had missed the sight of sunshine on a planet too, and he felt bad that gargoyles were not able to fully enjoy it. Alan could not help but admire the view, and wondered if it resembled what Earth might have looked like billions of years ago.
Minutes later, the ship came to a halt over what Alan assumed to be the command centre. Much of the area was now overgrown, but a landing pad still survived. The grey buildings still stood, though half-buried by creeping vine-like plants. What had not survived the past few decades were several combat helicopters, large diggers and deforestation vehicles, which had succumbed to the ravages of time and the overgrowth. Some of them, however, seemed to have been the victims of sabotage rather than natural wear and tear, as the wooden handles of what looked like javelins could be seen sticking out of the wheels, though the rubber tyres were now largely rotten.
"Not a very welcoming place, is it?" Alan said.
"No, it is not," Bishop replied. "It will be even less so if the Na'vi catch us. We must move quickly."
He and Alan headed out of the flight deck and down into the cargo bay, Alan stopping to pick up his Technomantic whip and revolver on the way. José and Rachel were already waiting for them, with José now carrying a large ODST-issue rifle and magnum holstered. Alan wondered how the mercenary had been able to keep his weaponry after he had left the shock troopers; he could only guess it was stolen weaponry. Rachel was unarmed, for she would be staying to keep an eye on things on the ship and repair Serenity's systems as best she could.
"I wish I was going with you, though," she lamented. "This is my first time on an alien planet too!"
"I know, Rachel," Alan said, "but you're our best hope of keeping this ship ticking over. Besides, someone has to make sure Alistair doesn't get chipped or something."
"The relationship between humans and gargoyles is almost symbiotic," Bishop commented. "They need us for protection as much as we need them."
"Yeah, whatever, professor," José said dismissively. "Can we just get out there and get this over with?"
"Not yet," Bishop said. "There is something we still need." With that, he began to search through the various large supply crates tied in various places around the cargo bay.
"I know they're around here somewhere..." he muttered.
"What is?" Alan asked. "What are we forgetting?"
"I should have mentioned this sooner, Captain," Bishop said, apologetically. "The atmosphere on Pandora contains nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, xenon, ammonia, methane and hydrogen cyanide. This composition is highly toxic to humans, causing death within two minutes of continuous exposure. We will need respirators."
"Won't Organiser G-1 render me immune to that gunk?" Alan asked. He remembered that he had never gotten sick in all the time since the experiments back in the early 21st century, and wondered if it could offer some level of protection against the harmful atmosphere.
"There may be a faint possibility," Bishop said. "However, I would not advise taking that risk until we know more for certain."
"What about you?" Alan asked. "Do androids even breathe?"
"My systems do require a steady input of oxygen," Bishop nodded. "So we do have our own equivalent of breathing. However, my systems can also filter out the harmful chemicals in Pandora's atmosphere, so we can have a respirator spare." With a flourish, he found the crate he was looking for and pulled out two Exo-Pack models of respirator. He handed one each to Alan and José and instructed them on using the equipment. The filtration unit clipped to their belts, and the face masks fixed themselves securely onto their faces once properly adjusted. They made Alan feel like he was constantly being smothered.
The trio stepped towards the large raised metal ramp that led outside. When all three were close to it, Bishop manipulated the door controls and a pair of sturdy metal doors slid shut behind them.
"Airlock is now secure, and matching interior pressure with exterior atmosphere," Bishop said, as he hit a switch and the ramp began to lower. "Captain, if you would care to take the first step..."
Shrugging, Alan stepped down the cargo ramp into the deserted compound. A cool breeze – the first which he had felt for several weeks – hit his exposed arms, feet and tail, and felt so refreshing that for a moment Alan almost took his respirator off to feel it on his face. Fortunately he remembered Bishop's warning and stopped himself in time. Outside, the stillness in the area became more apparent. Though the breeze kept the plant-life swaying, there were no animals in the area, not even any birds flying overhead, and certainly no signs of the Na'vi. It was as if every creature on Pandora shunned this place. All the same, Alan got the distinct impression that they were being watched.
Bishop pointed them in the direction of the large grey command building, and the trio walked across the landing pad towards it. Just beyond the building, Alan noticed what looked like a basketball court and a smaller building, along with what must have once been a garden which was now tangled and overgrown. It was as if the forest was swallowing all signs of civilization around them. The group eventually reached the front door of the building without incident and stepped into the airlock. Bishop examined the door controls, which did not seem to be active.
"There is no power running through the base," he said. "We shall have to force our entry." After a minute spent straining and pulling, the door eventually succumbed to their efforts to move it. The three of them were able to quickly step inside before the door automatically slid shut again on its spring mechanism.
"The generators may still function," Bishop mused. "I will try to find them. If there is any common sense in the layout of this building, I will find what I need in the basement level." With that, he left the large lobby area and headed down a corridor, leaving Alan and José to wonder what they were supposed to do. The only light came from the windows, casting a rather melancholy mood on the interior of the building.
"Well, amigo," José said, "I'm not standing around waiting for the professor to get back. I'm off exploring." Before Alan could stop him, he was already marching towards one of the other corridors, and Alan resigned himself to going with him. It was not as if there was anything else that could be done in this building at present.
After several minutes spent walking along the deserted corridors and staircases, they eventually found themselves in a large circular room on the top floor. Along the wall were what looked like seven or eight white coffins, each with a computer panel next to them and more computers in the centre of the room. Neither could make out what purpose this room served. Everything was still and quiet, and a thick layer of dust covered every surface.
"I've seen more action in a cemetery," Alan said. "It's strange that there's no sign of any fighting here. I guess the Na'vi never got into the compound itself."
"I've not seen anything we can take back to the Serenity," José chimed in. "Nothing here is transportable. I was hoping we could make some quick cash from clearing out this place."
Alan wasn't really listening. He had noticed the logo on one of the crates in the corner of the room. Studying it, he realised who it belonged to.
"Omak-Argon..." Alan breathed.
All of a sudden, there was a loud humming sound, and the lights suddenly came on. The computer systems sprang into life, using various holographic displays. Most of the screens, however, displayed nothing but error reports. Both Alan and José were caught by surprise, and spun around quickly to see if there was anyone nearby. Of course, the whole place was empty. Feeling silly, Alan contacted Bishop on his commlink.
"I take it you got the power back on?" Alan asked.
"I certainly did," Bishop replied. "Unfortunately, the life-support system is beyond repair. You will have to keep your masks on."
"What are you hoping to find here, anyway?" Alan asked. "Why go to all this trouble? It can't just be for the location of the Unobtainium."
"I want to know the truth of what happened on Pandora," Bishop said. "The reports that are on record are too contradictory. Perhaps here all of the facts can be obtained."
"Okay..." Alan said, rather skeptically. "Where are you now?"
"I'm on my way to Operations," Bishop replied. "It should be on the top floor. Can you meet me there?"
"I think we're already there," Alan said. "Or at least in the room next-door. We're on the top floor anyway." There was a pause on the other end of the line, as if Bishop was contemplating something that Alan hadn't thought of.
"Very well," Bishop eventually said. "I'll see you there shortly."
"He'll see us shortly," José said in a sarcastic tone. "I feel so much safer already."
"Shut it, José," Alan said, tiring of the mercenary's attitude problem. The two proceeded into the next room, where they found what they assumed was the operations centre, full of various workstations and holographic displays. A large display in the centre was now displaying a flickering map of the surrounding area, which did not seem to consist of anything but trees. Lined against one large circular wall was a row of windows, all of them barely peering out over the tops of the immense cluster of trees that spread as far as the eye could see.
Presently, Bishop appeared in the room. He nodded at the group before crossing to the map display. Before Alan could say anything, he was already at work on the barely-functioning console, pulling up a variety of maps of different areas in the surrounding jungle. As Alan watched the displays, he saw large dark patches located underneath the ground on some of them. Bishop was in the process of wirelessly downloading the displays to his commlink, muttering under his simulated breath. Finally, after several minutes of this, Bishop addressed the others.
"I have downloaded all maps of the charted regions of Pandora," he said. "I have focused on the sites that contain promising and accessible Unobtainium deposits. With some extra study I can find a site where it will not take us long to get what we need. With any luck we can be gone by nightfall."
"Good," Alan said. "Anything else you want to look at while we're here?"
"Now that you mention it," Bishop said, prompting José to groan, "there is something which I want to look into. I heard rumors about a certain project that was taking place on this planet, one which was said to be top-secret. Apparently, very few in the company knew about it, and I want to see if there is any truth to these stories."
"Well," Alan said, "the room José and I just came out of has some weird stuff in it. Something was definitely going on in there. That may be worth a look." He pointed Bishop in the direction of the room with the capsules, and the android moved away to investigate. Alan watched him go, leaning against one of the terminals.
"What do you think it is he's looking for?" he wondered aloud.
"Dunno, and don't care," José shrugged. "We're wasting our time here. I don't fancy sticking around and finding out if these Na'vi are as irate as he says they are."
"Never figured you to be the sort to run from a fight," Alan said.
"Hey," José said, indignant, "I don't know what you think of me, gringo, but I happen to like being alive."
The next several minutes were spent in silence. In spite of everything, Alan couldn't help but feel that José had a point. They'd already spent too much time at the base; he knew that they would have to be pushing on, for it would be dark soon. At last, Bishop walked back into the operations centre.
"Fascinating..." he was muttering, staring at his commlink. "Most fascinating..."
"I'm going to regret asking this," Alan said, "but what's so interesting about this place that we had to lose so much time waiting for you to finish picking through the files in this place?" His tone spoke of a great deal of impatience. In spite of this, however, Bishop showed no signs of losing his temper, even though Alan wondered if he was capable of feeling anger.
"For one thing," Bishop replied, "I have learned that the Avatar program did in fact exist."
"What's an Avatar program when it's at home?" Alan asked.
"I will tell you about it on the way to our next destination," Bishop said. Perhaps he had sensed that Alan's patience was wearing thin, and had decided that they had to move as quickly as possible. "Suffice it to say that, if I'm right, it had something to do with what happened here on Pandora."
"So where to next?" Alan asked, sounding relieved to be away from the command centre.
"From looking at the charts," Bishop said, "I have deduced that we should look for the site of what was once the place the Na'vi called 'Hometree'. There is a large Unobtainium deposit there, and the miners were in the process of establishing a quarry there. We may be lucky and find the amount we need with minimum digging. I also propose that we take a shuttle and have Rachel drop us off at the site, for there is nowhere we can land a ship in that area."
"Right," Alan said. "Let's just go quickly. The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can restart our actual mission."
With that, the three of them started to head for the door to the staircase. However, as Alan turned to leave, something caught his eye through the window. He turned to look, but whatever it was had gone. He could have sworn that, for a moment, he had seen something amongst the leafy branches of a tree, watching him with vivid yellow eyes.
"What's the hold-up, Captain?" José's irritable voice asked, bringing Alan back to reality.
"I just thought I saw something," Alan replied off-handedly. "Might have been just the wind."
"From what I hear of this planet," José said smarmily, "something's always watching you. Scared of the Na'vi? Or are you the type to not back down from a fight?"
"Touché," Alan grumbled, following the others out of the building.