XXXIV: I Don't Care (XXIII)
Jake fumed for as long as he would allow himself too. The lack of sleep, the tension, and the further loss of life weighed upon his shoulders like atlas upholding the moon. Pandora; that's what this was about, but this time Eywa had no defense against something hovering just out of her reach. She may have, truly been an entity of unimaginable scope and… but Jake new there was nothing she could do outside her own atmosphere. Or could she? Jake paced; if she could, she hadn't so far, unless this Paul was her answer. But that answer always led to his death, or now, Neytiri's death. Tsu'tey, Trudy, Grace… so many had already given themselves, but all of them were avoidable- accidental, the casualties of war. This, this felt too much like self sacrifice, and that felt too much like appeasing some ancient terrible god. No, Eywa never asked for blood –that Jake knew- she just protected the balance. And sending one life against that destructive power was about as unbalanced as it could get. Eywa wasn't about suicide, Jake knew this in his bones, he had to convince Neytiri of this but to do so he would need another option, because Jen was right.
Jake's feet hammered into the soft grass, fatigued mind turning like peanut butter and jelly, his aching rib robbing him of the height of breath, and the throbbing didn't help either. He really had thought he'd lost her… two figures approaching from the night lit jungles halted Jake's steps. The bright green and blues, glowing soft greens, illuminating the night like a neon sand painting waved slightly as Jake recognized the pattern of a female Na'vi scientist and Mo'at. Jake was slightly confused as they came to him, but greeted all the same. "I see you." he said tersely.
"And we you, Jakesully." Mo'at said solemnly.
"I delivered the message as Peyral asked, but Mo'at insisted she come back with me." the second Na'vi girl said.
"I must see this Stranger of which you have spoken." she stood firm.
Jake frowned, but held his tongue, this was just what he needed, "About that…"
…
"How has this happened?" Mo'at said in shallow awe as she turned Paul's head from side to side, clearly seeing past Jake's warning and into Neytiri's eyes with ease. Neytiri had nearly buckled at the sight of her mother, especially when her eyes flicked over Neytiri's true body and landed solely on her own eyes. Seeing her instantly and recognizing her child no matter what shell she wore.
"I do not have the words for it." Neytiri bit back the pain and uncertainty, trying to remain strong though she truly wished her mother would understand.
Max stood across from them with a pad in his hands, "Well, I can, somewhat explain. First of all, they are in no danger now." he turned to Jake, "We were able to slightly distance Paul's mind from Neytirir's body using the Avatar technology."
Jake blinked, "He's in an avatar?"
Max shook his head shortly, "Not exactly, we've detached him into a training program, a simulation like Yawne use to use. He's in a computer program for now, but it let Neytiri's body recover without trying to, well, reject his mind. As for how it happened, we believe it is much like the bond." he turned to them all, "But instead of feeling each other as one as normal, or being able to move from one to another as with Yawne, it is actually a full transference. Both minds are able to switch places." Jake, Mo'at and Neytiri we're notably silenced by this.
"We've also kinda confirmed the other theory about the full body bond thing, his skin does actually have the chemical nature of the neural whips." Norm added.
"Oh yeah." Max grinned enthusiastically. "We've made some pretty awesome discoveries while you guys were gone. For one thing, we figured out how he goes invisible."
Norm leaned forward, "You're not going to believe this."
"What, super sweat?" Jake said distantly.
"Fur." Max's eyes flashed. Paul's body removed a single gauntlet to look at his hand, as the others watched. Max tried to let it sink in but his mouth was already moving excitedly, "See right now we can't tell because they are so minute and the pigmentation is like a child's, so they're practically invisible already, we think it actually may develop into a spotted pattern- BUT the interesting thing is how they achieve momentary translucency. They vibrate. A thousand upon thousand hairs all try to match a specific tune, very very low, so low we don't think even dogs can hear it, so it tricks our senses into blending in with the surrounding area. Electromagnetic systems like cameras, sonar, radar, thermal imaging, our hearing, even that kind of presence sense we have is fooled into thinking he's just a part of the ambient back ground."
Norm launched forward again in the silence, "It's why he constantly sounds like he's got a rattle in his lungs, they're actually hairs- undeveloped- that constantly test the ambient sound each time he breathes so the rest of his body can adjust to match; it's total scifi."
The other exchanged glances, "Is there anything like that on Pandora?" Jake asked.
"Not that we have seen." Neytiri's voice answered.
"It's possible," Norm smiled, "but of course who would know? How do you find something invisible? But back to the whole full body bond thing."
Max nodded, "Oh right, sorry, yeah, the pheromone and connection are strongest in the tail. It's like one gigantic neural whip."
Neytiri's eyes brightened, "He had his tail wrapped around my midsection to try and save me."
Max shrugged lightly, "That much skin contact was probably why it was so easy for you two to switch and theoretically, would allow you to switch back."
"Or switch whoever is in Paul's body into Mr. Smiths." Norm added lowly.
Jake scowled, and Neytiri jet her jaw, but Mo'at didn't notice. "Yeah about that…" Max rubbed the back of his neck. All eyes turned to him. "Norm, we, got the results back." Norm looked just as interested as well, he apparently didn't know about this part. Max breathed in a deep sigh, looking from one to the other, "See, there's, alright I don't know exactly how to say this but I'm just going to outright say it. The wildfire virus hasn't gone dormant, nor burned itself out. Genetic remnants, very cleverly hidden, remain and the virus is still in effect."
Puzzled glances ranged across all face, but Norm voiced the confusion, "But, that would mean…"
Max's frown deepened, "He's dying."
The shock struck everyone visibly, in varied degrees, but Jake leaned forward; "Neytiri's dying?"
Max quickly held up his hands. "I don't have a time table, could be years, could be days, could even be minutes, but we don't know for sure. We don't even know how he is still able to function, what's shielding him from that constant trauma? What we do know is the virus is constantly degenerating his bodily systems and at the same time his immune system is constantly regenerating his cells, that's how he's able to produce such massive amounts of adrenaline, pheromones, why he has been so unstable. It's some kind of genetic race of simultaneous death and rebirth, which is why he is able to evolve so quickly, his cells are literally recreating themselves anew every second. But… we don't know how long that can last."
All fell silent in the wake of this, unbelieving eyes side by side with uncomprehending ones. "The flame that burns twice as bright lasts half as long." Norm quoted.
A moment more of silence surrounded the gently sleeping body of Neytiri, then Jake spoke with hard eyes. "Eywa is just setting him up for death."
"Eywa does not lead any to their deaths, Jakesully." Mo'at's voice calm and utterly certain punctured the still confusion.
"Fine, then God, Gia, Earth, fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it! Something wants him dead." Jake snapped.
"Jake!" Neytiri's voice snapped back, taking him by the arm.
Jake didn't back down, nearly ripping his arm from Paul's hand. "NO! You're doing everything in your power to convince yourself you have to die to stop the sky people. That can't be the only way!"
Mo'at did not flinch at this outburst, her voice again brushed the tension aside as she answered. "Death is never a way, Jakesully, death is an end." Jake and Neytiri in Paul's body looked into each other, starring hard. Jake filled with all the things he couldn't say, and Neytiri with all the things he didn't have to.
"Mo'at, please tell me there is another way." he whispered, hopelessness like an iron curtain closing in around them all. Mo'at, remained silent. All heads bowed, a hungry weariness choking all voices.
"There is." Jen's voice answered from across the room. Everyone looked to her as she stood, smiling, at them all.
"Jen?" Norm blinked.
"I was thinking about what you said Jake, and how pissed off it made me. So I went and monkeyed around with the drop ship to see if it was wrecked and to clear my head; complex machines always make it easier to see the big picture, all the little parts fitting into place. And you know what I found Jake?"
"What." Jake sighed.
"Nothing." Jen smiled all the brighter.
"What?" Norm asked in Jake's place.
"No touch panels, no scanning gear, no pins or needles, nothing." Jen couldn't smile any wider. Everyone waited for her to continue, obviously not understanding. "It means there is no DNA detection gear in that drop ship."
Jake's eyes lit up, "Anyone can fly it?"
"Well not anyone, there isn't room for a Na'vi, or two people for that matter, but a single human yes. Anyone." Jen grinned, "and not only that, but I think I might be able to attach Paul's coffin to the bottom, I'd have to reinforce it and it would be a rough ride, but it would be a de facto escape pod."
Norm blinked as all hopes ever so slightly lifted, carried like a sunny halo around Jen's blond head. "But Mr. Smith said…"
Jen deadpanned, "Mr. Smith is a liar."
…
Jake, Max and Norm, Mo'at, and Paul's body last, followed as Jen lead them out into the courtyard. The Drop ship was a few feet away, illuminated by several work lights- somehow creating a bubble of darkness outside- and causing the Na'vi to squint. It was slightly lifted on its side, the basket with the fire stone sat beside it now with netting around them for measurement, a portable music player sat beside a wheeled tray blasting music; "What is that?" Norm asked slightly giddy.
"It's one of my favorite bands, Fallout B- not important, look!" Jen ran two steps and leaped nimbly onto the hull, "The coils are slightly warped from the heat of the shockwave, but I think we can replace it from parts of the Sampson, however the real trick will be installing the coffin beneath the pit, I'll have to weld a hole through the floor itself and install the coffin like a seat instead. The problem with that is it might take a day by myself, or hours if everybody was helping, and I mean, everybody. I don't know how long we have though."
Norm swallowed, "I assure you were working as hard as we can on finding a cure."
Jen blinked, "Cure? For what? I meant the lightening rod, I don't know how many more hits it can take- but what cure, cure for who?"
Norm crossed his arms face a classic 'oh shi-', "Sorry nothing, can we turn this Fallout off?" Norm hit a button.
Jen jumped down, taking the player from him and tossing it causally into the cock pit, "Stop dodging, what cure? For Paul? Why does Paul need a cure?"
Jake stepped forward before the spunky mechanic could belt Norm, "Listen Jen, the lab guys aren't certain. It's just a theory, but they think the Virus is still active."
Jen's jaw nearly dropped, "What? You mean it's still killing him?" she looked to Paul's body.
"As far we know, we just got the result, but we could be wrong or there could have been some contamination- the gear isn't top of line anymore after the attack I mean!" Norm tried but Jen had begun to storm back towards the compound.
Everybody followed even as Jen shouted back, "No matter what I do I can't fix that mistake!"
Jake grabbed her by the arm, mirrored by Paul's body on her other side. "Jen, stop, listen! We know, none of us wants to see Paul –in any way- die." Jake added with a glance to Paul's body, "but they're already working on it, and you're right, you can't do anything for him. But, you can make sure whatever time he has left is his own; fix what you can, the drop ship, and have it ready for whoever is going to fly it-"
Jen fixed him with a cold glare, "I'm flying it." she all but shouted.
Jake let go, standing back and letting her vent, "I won't argue, but we have to work on it now."
Jen gently pulled her other arm from Paul's hands, fixing Jake with her hardest stare. Then looked back to Norm and Max, "Is there really anything you can do?"
Norm looked put on the spot but it was Max who frowned ever so slightly, "Listen, Jen, we've been studying the effects and repercussions of this evolution but we don't have any answers for the future. I can tell you we are working on trying to determine a stability point, were the virus and whatever evolutionary process is keeping his body as a whole, alive will find a balance and this strange ride comes to an end but-"
Jen didn't flinch, "But you think the only real end will be death. Total crash and burn."
Norm shrugged slightly, "It's been the way of most populations that can't evolve, whole generations simply die out, only with him on a cellar level, his bodies own ecosystem…" Norm realized he wasn't helping and Jake stepped in.
"What else can we tell you? We don't know, yes, he may die; everything seems to point to it. But, so many have beaten the odds before, look at Yawne, look at me! Who could have predicted a cripple with a twin brother would save a world?"
Jen's gaze became solid frost, "Eywa." Jake's feature hardened. "She chose you, hell, she chose Yawne. Each time she guided you, from the beginning, but Paul has nothing to do with Eywa. Never has. All he's ever done is try to save this world and all anyone else does is use him."
"We do not know this." Mo'at said calmly.
"I DO!" Jen shouted, tears now forming on the corners of her eyes, "The resistance used him as a dooms day device, I used him in the resistance, Jake used him for a weapon, Neytiri used him as a shield, and now should I feel comforted Eywa wants to use him as some kind of sacrificial lamb?" All through this outburst, and now at the end of it, Mo'at remained unaffected. Calm, still. But it was Jake who yelled back.
"Everyone gets used Jenifer! That's what life is, one being using another to fulfill its needs; we've tried to give as much as we've taken, none of us meant for it to turn out this way, we always do what we think it right at any given time, what has to be done. But we know it isn't fair. He's been in only as much danger as me or Neytiri has been in, I was hurt worse than him and so was Neytiri, but if she hadn't remained in his body he wouldn't have known how to get us out and then you wouldn't have this chance to make things right! But we succeeded! The ends don't justify the means, but I can promise you I, the Omticaya, and even Eywa will give something back."
"So you speak for Eywa now?" Jen wiped her eyes furiously.
"No." Neytiri's voice answered, "But we know there are many good things waiting for him. The Omaticaya will spread his song and thank him, we will gladly welcome him among us, and… there is you." Jen furrowed her brow, stepping back to look at everyone around her.
Norm groaned in exasperation, "Look, for better or worse, you've been brought together. Like Jake and Neytiri, Yawne and Peyral, you found each other through all of this and it's so obvious you love him and he loves you. If you can just get over yourself and return that, I'm sure both of you would be happy!" Jen was very silent.
Jake spoke again, "If you ever want anything good for yourself, him, all of Pandora- we have to make it possible ourselves. You have a brilliant plan, if we work fast enough, everybody wins. The Order will no longer threaten Pandora, we can devote our full time to helping Paul, but we have to do it now."
"I know. I know!" she said finally; pushing through everybody surrounding her, escaping the crowd, back toward the drop ship. She stopped a few feet away from them, hands on hips and all eyes on her back; she bowed her head and took a deep breath. "Alright… you guys win okay?" Jen turned. "I'm sorry Jake, Neytiri, I don't mean to be so- but, it hurts just like if it was either of you- but I understand, I know what I have to do." She smiled confidently, at all of them. "If everybody helps me, if we all work together, we'll modify the ship, load it with the stones and then, I'll pilot it into the heart of the Order and burn them from the skies; I know it'll be a hell of a rough ride back, but if you guys keep your eyes open you should be able to find me before I'm lunch, but by that time -Norm, Max- you'd better have that cure ready for Paul and he'd better be in his own body, Neytiri... because… there's something I've been putting off with him for years and if I live through this..." Jake couldn't help but let the smile cross his face, none of them could, if anybody deserved it… Jen blushed a little, but clutched her fist. "…I've got to tell him I love him." the blue light fell before she even finished.
The world was silent as that light touched her. Her body was outlined, shadowed with eyes open wide. Then the roar came, the heat, and the shockwave throwing everyone back in a blind tumble. Again the cold ring, the confusion, the unreality; Jake was the first to his feet, arm reflexively covering his face his vision cleared first, even as he coughed without sound. The work lights were thrown over, the drop ship fallen and having crushed the tray, the basket of stones was upended, but not spilled nor broken… and Jen… was gone. A black circle, a smear of a human existence and all the years and memories and emotions it would ever have; dust and ash. Jake felt his body grow heavier, pushed down by the realization their only hope was gone, burned from them in a single flash of light. The contemplation of it: the fact the beam was recharging and probably going to land on the ship next, or them; the fact only Neytiri could pilot the ship now and it would mean her death even if she could learn to fly it in the time it took to recharge the weapon; the facts of it all were numb in that ringing silence, but one, Jen. was. dead.
And Paul's body, was screaming.