XII: A little trip (I)
Jake awoke to the steady warm sun, a soft body next to his own. The sensation of a calm morning where everything was right and the sun shone bright filled Jake with the unmistakable appreciation for his new life. He'd lived in limbo a long time, waking each morning in a life he was ever so slightly uncertain of, as if waiting for people to jump out from behind the bushes and trees shouting 'Surprise!' and then waking up in that other body… back in that chair. So each time he opened his eyes, it was a great comfort to feel his ears swivel, his nose flair and taste the world around him; the tree top ceiling of wood, the soft pull of the hammock around him, and the stirring body of Neytiri at his side. Jake turned his head, taking in the sight of her. She was beautiful, beyond words, his feelings rose to outline the very essence of his heart- a sensation he had only begun to explore in a peaceful life; if life on Pandora could be called peaceful. There was always much to be done each time he woke, daily routines about as un-routine as a human man reborn within a nearly ten foot tall body with a tail could have.
Again the subtle disbelief of everything he'd gone through rolled over Jake like a prickly wool blanket. He'd sweat, bled, and cried for this life he had… but there was still an ever so subtle doubt at the reality of it. Jake took a deep breath, tasting Neytiri's scent, the fresh baking a few hundred feet below, to ripened fruit, and a small hint of a cook fire. He heard the slow buzz of a hellwasp passing, a few far hoots from a Prolemuris gang, and a very… low, rumble? Jake tilted his head ever so slightly, his ears following suit and leaning forward. His stomach growled again. In return his bladder decided it too needed to raise its voice. There were still a few human things to remind him. Jake licked his lips. He always found it odd he never really had much of a problem with morning breath as a Na'vi, which was frankly one of the best things about his body. Again his stomach growled and Jake grinned because he felt Neytiri waken beside him, her muscles becoming firm and tight as she took to her senses. "Better let the Thanator out." Jake thought to himself.
Neytiri stirred and Jake used the opportunity to slip his arm out from under her and get himself up. Jake stretched his arms above his head, onto his tip toes, curling his tail behind him. He rolled his neck, welcoming the crack it elicited and rolling his shoulders as she strode noiselessly across the tree branch to the winding stair. Jake looked with interest at the people doing their daily living; some fixing a weave, others lazily watching the small herds of the taper like beasts Jake knew the name of but didn't bother to remember as his attention was draw strongly by a man sharpening a dual bladed staff. Jake recognized the man instinctively, knowing his name was Alìm tìran, or Far Walker in the sky people tongue. Jake was interested in him because he went on what the people of earth would call 'walk abouts', traveling for no real reason than to see the world. He rarely ever visited the Omaticaya, and each time he had a story to tell of his travels. What got Jake particularly interested in the Na'vi with a dried hell wasp necklace, banshee wing cape, and dead left eye, was he was not surrounded by people asking for stories.
Jake approached Alim tiran with a measured gait, casual, but inquisitive; he knew Alim wouldn't distance himself from the others and seek solitude without reason. As Jake neared, Alim lifted his good eye and captured Jake with a glance. Jake grinned easily. communicating a silent 'I see you' and letting Alim make the first move vocally, denoting whether he wished to speak or not, but Jake could tell by his stare the warrior had been waiting for him.
"I see you Jakesully." Alim said curtly.
Jake smiled, "Long time no see, what brings you to the people this day?"
Alim returned to sharpening the razor sharp bone shards on his staff, "I sought you or the silver hair, I have found sky people ships."
Jake froze. A thousand fears and questions flooded him but he only said, "Speak."
Alim ceased his sharpening, "Three days walk beyond the black pit, in a sheltered cave. Ships, boxes, there is much growth there, but I did not get close enough to see if it was natural or to hide. I did not see sky people tracks, but I did not stay to watch in case I had been spotted."
Jack worked the details through his mind quickly, he hadn't been an RDA lapdog long so he never learned about all the facilities or all the projects. Was this one abandoned? Or was it a secondary drop site? Were the RDA still on Pandora! Jake gripped his fists. "Alim, I need you to take me and a small party there, does Mo'at know?"
Alim nodded, setting his staff aside. "She was the first I told, she has said you or silver hair will lead five to this place, because only your eyes can understand what this place speaks."
Jake set his jaw, "I will wake Neytiri, we must leave as soon as possible." Alim made no comment as Jake turned and jogged back up the inner spiral; and it had been such a calm morning…
…
The journey to the rock face Alim had spoken of took no more than a full day's flight, but it was well hidden from sight, even on the back of the Ikran. They landed and had to make the rest of the trip through twisting sheer rock walls, hardly large enough for a single Na'vi at a time, the perfect bottle neck defense. Alim went first, despite Jake's insistences, and Yawne proved too wide to actually fit. Jake didn't have trouble with enclosed spaces, not after the sleeping in link chambers, but something about being pressed between immoveable unforgiving, un-budging rock made him on edge. Then again, he would have been more worried if the rock could budge, he couldn't imagine it getting any tighter. It was a good sigh of relief when the winding path opened up. It was here Alim stopped them. He motioned for them all to get down, and pointed over the ridge they stood upon. A few feet below, Jake saw what he dreaded most; RDA vehicles. Two AMP's, a few go carts , even a GAV Swan missile launcher, and crates, stacks of crates taller than two Na'vi on each other's shoulders, and half as long.
Jake took in the place at a glance and was instantly able to recognize the tangle of vines growing over the tops of some of the crates, and around the legs of the vehicles were natural and not camo. Still, Jake led the way as they crept down the junction to the small cave. They drew bows, knives, and Alim readied his staff as they neared the cave and heard the soft splash of water, but no other sound. It was tense when Jake rounded the crates, feeling exposed, and expecting a bullet any second- but none came. They continued into the cave, and that was where they found their strangest discovery. More crates lined the walls, but these were all covered in mold, and further in the cave they found a calm pool of water, clear all the way to the bottom... where lay the wreckage of a deepwater submersible. Jake, Alim, Neytiri, and Peyral looked at each other in confusion. The strangeness of this set up was bordering more and more on the creepy.
"It doesn't look like anyone's been here for years." Jake said finally.
"What does it mean?" Peyral asked.
Jake knit his brow and squatted on his haunches; it was a puzzle alright. Was it some secret RDA stock pile? Why then, way out in the Na'vi wilderness? Were they planning a secondary base? It didn't look like a camp… Jake turned to the crates. The side was covered in mold, obscuring any identifying numbers or insignia. Using his knife, Jake levered the lid and popped it open. Inside lay molded cigarettes, bottles, and amazingly enough nudy magazines. A wide grin split Jake's face. "I'll be damned." He turned to the others. "We found a smugglers grotto."
All three looked at him questioningly, "Smug-l-ars?" Peyral put it.
"Yeah, pirates, thieves, humans selling to humans things they shouldn't have."
"Like the stones from the ground?" Neytiri pulled out one of the bottles.
"No, nothing so expensive, simple things like, drink that is bad for them, small sticks they burn and breath, uh, magazines with…" Everyone had stopped to look at him by now with the strangest looks, except Neytiri who just looked at Jake like he was trying to make a Joke. Jake held up his hands, "Yeah, Sky People are crazy, I get it."
Alim lifted one of the bottles out, "How did they get all of these things through the rock?"
Jake turned back to the pool of water, "This must lead outside, and when the battle happened they sank the boat and ran for it. Looks like they left in a hurry."
Neytiri sighed, "So, they have left even more behind. Do we worry for this?"
Jake shook his head, "Let the jungle claim it. I doubt anyone knows it's here, and no one will come back for it." Without warning someone coughed and sputtered from the water pool. Everyone spun, digging in their heels and drawing bows. Yawne lifted himself out of the water and grinned like a cat at all of them.
"I almost drowned." He reported.
Jake rolled his eyes, "You'd probably swallow the whole ocean before it could drown you."
Peyral smacked him on the back of the head, in passing, and then smacked Yawne too. "Why you do this?" she huffed.
"Well I heard you guys talking about another way in, and I… found it." he shrugged. Peyral sighed, and Jake smiled. Alim had the cork off one of the bottles and was sniffing the mouth. Neytiri was tilting her head at a magazine fold out.
"Okay well, enough show and tell, should we head back?" Jake said to all.
"Aww, I just got h-yoop!" exclaimed Yawne, one of the most skilled and stealthiest, most balanced of Na'vi as he tripped and fell flat on his face. All heads turned to him as he lifted his own, just as surprised as they. He looked at Jake as if Jake could explain and then turned to see what exactly had reached up and grabbed him. The other Na'vi left their various interests to see this as well. The lip of something stuck out, barely half an inch from the dirt. "What the hellwasp?"
Jake bent down with Yawne as he dug at it, "Did you just trip?" he asked.
Yawne didn't pause to glare as he continued to dig with an effort, Peyral knelt beside him, "It is not a great shame my love." But Yawne's scowl had left him, and now he was outright shocked as his hands dug with renewed effort.
"This is a pod." he exclaimed again.
Peyral looked to Jake in worry, but Jake had dropped his grin of amusement. "Pod? Like, Cryo-pod?" Yawne continued to dig and now Jake was lending him a hand with his knife.
"Jake, what is this pod?" Neytiri came up beside him.
"A bed, for a very, very, very long sleep." Jake replied. Neytiri joined him, along with Peyral. Together all four dug until a dirt smeared glass dome appeared. The pod was lying at an angel, submerged in the soft dirt of the cavern floor. It was tilted so the face was leaning back as if reclining at a steep set. Once they hit the glass, Yawne tried to peer inside it. Only he and Jake dreaded what could be within it, because only they knew men would be foolish enough to try and traffic life off Pandora… and that could mean a Na'vi.
"It's too dark." Yawne growled, Jake stood and popped open another crate, after some dusty digging he pulled out a lighter. Coming close to the pod, he flicked the lighter open and struck the wheel. The instant flame didn't surprise the Na'vi around him, they hardly needed it with their own body lights. Jake leaned down with the fire as close to the glass as he could. But the light was flickering and the inside of the pod was darker still. Yawne angled and turned himself, trying to look inside, but it was Peyral who saw it.
"There is a man in there." she said in awe. Jake twisted around to her side, and sure enough, he could just barely make out the form of a head leaning forward with a long pony tail; not a Na'vi braid. Jake and the rest stopped digging and looked at each other.
"Sweet Eywa." Yawne remarked.
…
The excavation of the pod was some grueling work, as was the plan to get it out. Jake had to call in some equipment gathering dust in Hell's gate and further, he had to get most of the Na'vi out there to help him pull it with ropes through the underwater cave. Jake and Yawne stuck with the pod, using breather tanks to make sure the ropes didn't catch and the pod didn't crack. By the time they got it out into the sun they were able to discern who was inside. From what they could tell it was a young man, probably late twenties early thirties, with a short beard that trailed all over his jaw-line like some was blown off in the wind. His features were close on his face, with low eyebrows and a few scars here and there, punctuated by thick glasses which were cracked like spider webs. His shoulders were broad, and his body very overweight- at least it would have been- had he not been in the Cryo so long his form began to cannibalize itself. Beneath his shirt, something swished unnaturally and Jake could only assume it was loose folds of skin from drastic weight loss.
They'd have no idea how long he'd actually been within the cryo-bed until thet brought the pod around to Hell's Gate itself via an AMP suit and a Sampson air lift. Once they got it into the facility, Norm and Max personally set up the pod in a the main explorative space with all their best analytical equipment pulled off other projects just for the occasion. It took several hours, in which time Jake became aware of just how much Hell's Gate had been reclaimed. He trekked off with Yawne to the fence line where he and a few other Na'vi had been reinforcing the metal with more natural barriers to protect the few people remaining inside. Jake didn't easily recall the whole of Hell's Gate from his visits, but he could tell it was also changing drastically. The forest was working hard to reclaim everything and root systems were eagerly breaking up the concrete beneath the fence line, following water pipes. Trees were just beginning to grow which would eventually be leaning threateningly over the fence line and allowing predators access.
Much of the wings were closed down to save on energy and effort to keep them. There was a distinct lack of life in some of the unused portions but for other parts, it was if the people had never left. Yawne spent a great deal of his free time with the upkeep of the Na'vi section and protection of the people who remained when he wasn't leading Norm and his science team out and about for more experiments and research. Jake kicked himself for staying away so long, not even making the time to visit. He resolved to help the Na'vi patrols who worked the whole of Hell's Gate more often. Norm himself hadn't changed much since last Jake saw him, he was more or less head researcher now, which meant he had to tote most of Grace's work load as well as his own- but it didn't show on him. He was just as enthusiastic as ever, and more so since he could finally concentrate on exactly what he paid five years of his life for. Max on the other hand, lost weight. His skin took on a slightly healthier shine, and his beard was well trimmed. The other assistants and their avatars looked just as well rested, oddly enough- but Jake figured out why.
They basically ran the place now, and without military time or rules also poking their noses in they could basically set their own schedules and their own pace. They were literally engrossed in a paradise of research, an entire world of new knowledge and discoveries at their fingertips with the Na'vi helping them out more than ever. He'd worried at first, that their might be some problematic adjustments to work through what with so few people to live with, but to Jake surprise he learned that a fair number of Na'vi- not just from the Omaticaya- had stayed with them to learn about the sky people and their home. The humans literally walked side by side with the Na'vi in their facilities, and chatted at the same lunch tables, wearing mish-matches of clothes from both cultures and there was even some couples getting a little to friendly that Jake spotted. He was so floored by the interconnections both worlds were making here in Hell's Gate, he realized he had indeed been away far too long. It was like the melting pot of early America all over again only this time reaching across oceans of space and stars. Jake was impressed and heartened.
The appearance of the Pod had dominated most of the talk and attention at Hell's Gate, and many interested eyes watched as it was unloaded and set up in the lab. Amazingly enough they placed it in a similar chamber Jake first experienced his Avatar body in. The cause for this was mainly so some Na'vi could assist in the analysis of the pod, guided by scientists in their Avatars. Some of them were pretty advanced in the human ways and Jake have to look twice to tell them apart from the Avatars. Norm smiled at Jake as they met again. "Well well, the savior returns." he grinned.
"Messiah jokes Norm? What puts you in such a good mood?" Jake smiled.
"Oh nothing, just my new avatar reaching his second stage." Norm puffed out his chest proudly, like a father whose kid won the blue ribbon at the science fair.
Jake smiled at the comparison and the news, "That far along eh?"
"Yeah! Would you like to see him?" Norm said excitedly.
"Maybe after you tell me who Rip van Winkle is." Jake grinned.
Norm made to slap his forehead, "Totally slipped my mind." Jake snorted, "But really it will take at least three hours before we get some initial read outs. The connection ports were pretty mucked and the waste system was on its last leg, but I can tell you this. The pod is old and has seen a rough journey, I honestly don't think it came here on the interstellar, at least, not inside it."
Jake tried to imagine being locked on the outside of the ISV Venture Star like a lamprey attached to a shark blazing through space at astronomical speeds for years. "He's lucky to have slept through it, let alone survived it." Jake shook his head.
"Well by the looks of the pod, it was actually a secondary system. There are parts on this thing that have detached from a non standard port lock." Norm mused.
Jake gave him an earnest look, "English?"
"It's a little early but honestly, I think this guy flew here on something home made, and crashed it." Norm said seriously as Jake's jaw dropped, "So yeah, I'd say he's lucky."