Trespasser — Chapter VII

F.O.B. Ticonderoga

Asher stared at the table that his hands rested on, his thoughts circulating the words 'psionic delirium' over and over again, mixed with the oceanic technical jargon that flooded his ears. He remembered clearly what they told him: When his consciousness was transferred back, a glitch of some kind created a temporary loss of signal, disconnecting him but not entirely from the transfer and as a result, his consciousness was partitioned between the avatar and his human body. After the interruption and reconnection, the partitioned consciousness came back together, thereby merging his experience.

That explains why Asher faintly saw specters of glowing plants when he woke up on the cot. Eerie but he thought it was part of some dream until Wade came to see if he was all right and the damn plant was still there.

Thankfully, after an hour of being awake, the visual hallucinations dissipated and with it, his paranoia.

Asher did ask Wade what caused the glitch in the first place. He told him that it was related to the network repeater and not so much of the fact Asher was inching closer towards a highly magnetic source within the floating mountains, though that may have played some role in causing the glitch as well. But seeing as the interruption was a micro-second, Wade was certain that the glitch originated from the network repeater.

Running a hand through his hair, Asher nodded, not to them but to himself as he grappled around Danielle's words one last time. She told him of the 'syndrome', or the 'disease', or the 'delirium'—honestly it didn't matter what they called it—it all sounded so damn infuriating, and what it could do if she didn't save him in time.

'You would either be dead or turned into a vegetable.' She told him. It was so casual, as though she was doctor death, prescribing another dose of 'whatever'.

He should be thankful to her that she did save him but somehow, the fact that he very nearly died over a glitch made him clench his fist. He imagined hitting the table, the wall, something good and hard to break his knuckles over because he didn't like that his life was in the hands of feeble and fragile and untested technology!

"SHIT!" He finally cried out, shattering the silent air.

Wade flinched as did Danielle who shuffled her hands across her chest. They didn't quite grasp what Asher was thinking and they desperately wanted to ask but his simmering anger across his face told them to stall their thoughts.

Asher breathed out, then in, and finally out before raising his gaze to meet Wade.

"I apologize." Asher said, softly.

Wade was about to say something when Asher continued. "Okay, I want to hear the truth. If I go back in, can this happen to me again?"

Wade's nod was slow and uncertain. He even questioned himself if he should spare Asher the reality and offer him a false truth. But the subconscious mind leaned favorably towards a statistical answer. Everyone liked a statistical answer. It allowed them to parse through the information at their own speed and knowledge without it ever making them feel dim.

"St-statistically? We're looking at around ninety-percent that it will happen again."

Asher breathed out an audible damn.

Danielle intervened, hoping to boost morale around here. "We can lower those chances."

He heard her words, but Asher didn't feel like looking at her as he remained fixated on the door of the bunker.

"If you stay in well-lit areas, avoid the shadows of the forest, and that you boost power to the backpack, then you'll stand a chance against another interruption from happening."

Wade mouthed: boost power? He never heard about boosting the power of the backpack. It was technically feasible but that meant—

"It will require that you operate at half-capacity while you're in the avatar." Danielle said.

Asher lifted his gaze to Danielle, his features twisted in a mixture of confusion and curiosity, intrigued by where this idea of hers was leading.

"This way, the backpack is not running at one-hundred percent usage. We have some algorithms flashed onto a drive that we can upload to the link-unit."

Asher had to stop her there. "You have some algorithms lying around in the event something like this was going to happen?"

Danielle grinned. "When I knew the RDA was back. I began a side project of downloading as much as possible from the science department servers. Just in case they decide to wipe out tons of useful programs and algorithms we created over the years. One of them involves giving drivers more power to operate the avatars. To some moderate success I might add."

"Moderate? Should I expect another—"

"No-no. We've worked out all the kinks. So, no issue there."

"Smart."

"I thought so too. But anyways. The algorithm will automatically monitor power usage of the avatar, so in case you need to run away from a thanator or some prickly Na'vi, the algorithm will sense increase epinephrine flooding the avatar's body and increase power. During times when you're only walking, it will decrease your connection by half. It will make you feel drunk, but don't worry, you will still have all your senses."

"How much sense are we talking about? Drunk off my ass that I will stumble around or?"

She leaned her head to the left, her lip curling as she answered, "somewhere between two shots of tequila and four, depending if you're a novice drinker or not."

Wade's shoulders sagged, "I'm not."

"That's… lovely," Asher mused sarcastically. "Then what? You want me to slur my way through to the Na'vi?"

She chuckled. Cute, but dumb.

"No. Once you get to High Camp, they should have a station there to hook the backpack up to a microfusion reactor. I mean, we had one at Hell's Gate when we operated the link-units in the lab, so I expect that they have one there too. Good thing is if they do—"

"If?" Asher asked.

She sighed. "Yes. If. I wasn't with them when they fled to the mountains. Now, as I was saying," she pushed the frame of her glasses up. "If they do. Then the power usage of the avatar will return to default levels. You will regain all the feeling you had previously and be able to use the avatar as intended. As an added bonus, you don't need to take your backpack with you wherever you go, as long as you stay within the radius of the backpack. The power from the microfusion will be enough that you can freely do your business without it. But be warned. This doesn't solve all your problems."

"Of course it doesn't," Asher said.

Childish, she thought.

"This still leaves you with the possibility of having another network interruption."

"So how do we solve that problem?"

Wade added, "we don't."

"What?"

"There's nothing we can do to actually remove that possibility."

Danielle nodded with Wade. "As we've said. This backpack. It's untested. If we had more time to test it, we could have removed the bugs. But as of now, you're stuck with it. Unless we fly you to High Camp personally, but then we would need to hijack a kestrel, evade Ardmore's army, and plead with the Na'vi to have another sawtute around them."

Asher nodded along with each of her words but stopped at: "Tu-what?"

"Sky people, us." Danielle answered, her hand tapping against her chest.

"Oh."

She exhaled through her nose, clearly irritated by Asher's lack of education here. "You seriously need to learn the language."

"Yeah I'll get to that."

"You better." She said, her finger pointing to him. "Anyways, as long as you keep to the strict guidelines, you should be fine."

"How fine?"

"If you keep to all those suggestions that Danielle provided?" Wade said next, "Then you will have roughly, twenty-three-percent chance of another interruption."

Asher nodded, "great odds. Did you just think of that at the top of your head?"

Wade grinned, "First in my class in math."

"At Caltech."

"Go B-"

"That's cool. What happens if I do have another interruption?" Asher asked Danielle. "Will I get psionic delirium again?"

Danielle looked over to Wade, who appeared to be a little miffed by Asher cutting him off from saying his school's motto, then back to Asher before shrugging. "Psionic delirium is only triggered during the transfer and if you get another interruption at that point. Which, we hope you never do but uh-honestly? Well, you might actually survive an interruption and brush it off—,"

She heard him sigh in relief but then she had to burst his bubble. "—Or you might have another episode of psionic delirium. In which case, we don't know if you'll survive another one of those."

"Yeah," Wade agreed, saying. "She used up the only kalipexim drug we had here, on you. If you get another episode, uhm… pray that it is quick."

Suddenly, this mission went from typical to dangerous. Burying his face into his hands, Asher thought about his choices. Which were not great choices to begin with.

"You can also abort this mission too, buddy. That's on the table." Wade suggested.

"I wouldn't recommend you do, Mr. Asher." Danielle intervened.

Wade turned his gaze towards Danielle, shocked by the direction of her words. "Danny?"

She shuffled her arms again, straightened her back on the chair, and looked across to Asher with the upmost serious expression she could muster in all her years of being a technician.

She had to explain the truth of why she needed Rayan to continue pushing ahead. But the truth, as she was about to explain to them both, was only half of it.

"The Na'vi are in danger, Mr. Asher, of being wiped out by SEC-OPS within a matter of months if you don't meet up with them and get them to sign that peace treaty."

"Huh? Ho-hold on. SEC-OPS is going to do what? Kill them?"

She lifted her glasses, pinched her nose, rubbed an eye, then continued. "Ardmore is only authorized to go after Jake Sully. This also means she cannot outright attack the Na'vi, unless in self-defense. Right?"

He nodded. It was common knowledge that the UNE had imposed strict rules on the RDA's operations on Pandora. According to the agreement, the RDA could return to the planet, but only as long as they were not invaders. Which meant that they were prohibited from initiating any form of violence against the Na'vi and could only retaliate if the Na'vi attacked them first without provocation.

And as this notion dawned on Asher, he began to realize what Danielle meant by the Na'vi being in danger.

"Oh…"

"I don't know how long you really have, but I would say, at most, four months before she gives the green light to attack Jake."

"But, how?"

"A strike."

"A strike?" Wade repeated. He knew the RDA have been trying to get Jake Sully for some time, but all attempts of penetrating the floating mountains have failed miserably. "What kind of a strike?"

"I… don't know."

"You don't know, or you don't want to share?" Asher asked, his brow furrowing and his eyes sharp with an intensity that Danielle had never seen before in her life.

"Trust me, Mr. Asher. If I knew, I would be telling you. But I really don't know. Ardmore simply told me that if you don't get the Na'vi to cooperate. Then she'll authorize a strike against Jake and such a strike might kill the Na'vi in the process."

"But she needs my permission to do so." Asher stated, his expression slipping with some confusion.

Wade thought about it for a moment: The Recoms? They were avatars with guns but that didn't make sense either. Ardmore told him that they were only activated in times of extraordinary circumstances and as such, were kept in storage until such a time. Otherwise, she couldn't use them without spooking the shareholders into believing she was using them as personal weapon of her own and in effect, triggering another war that could turn costly for them.

Not to mention Charles Stringer was quite adamant in that he wanted nothing more than peace with the Na'vi.

No. Ardmore wouldn't be so crass, so crude in using the Recoms to kill Jake. Their presence alone would instigate a war the moment they entered those mountains. It had to be something else.

"She needs your permission," Danielle clarified. "When it comes to you declaring the Na'vi a threat. She doesn't need your permission to attack Jake, who, if I may remind you, is not regarded as the Na'vi. He's a human traitor, even the UNE sees it that way."

She was right.

"Are you sure you don't know what kind of a strike Ardmore is capable of?" Asher asked.

Danielle shook her head, slowly. "No. I do not."

Wade leaned over the table, his eyes searching over Danielle's face. He might be wrong about the use of Recoms but if Danielle knew more than he did, he wanted to know and be sure of it. "What of the Recoms?"

"The Recoms? The Recombinants?" Asher was now curious since this was the second time he heard about them.

Danielle looked at both of them and shook her head. "She won't use them. She didn't even incorporate them into any plan that I was told so far."

"How do you know she didn't?" Wade asked.

"Truth is? I don't. Which makes you, Mr. Asher, a critical component of getting the treaty signed. The moment the treaty is signed, the Omatikaya will be forced to relocate from the mountains and far from any human presence. Jake will no longer be a threat to Ardmore's plans and the Na'vi cannot reach human operations on Pandora. And then Ardmore will have no reason to hunt Jake. Everyone is happy."

Danielle paused for a moment, her thoughts taking her back to the words of the treaty. "I mean, that's what your treaty can do, right?"

Asher nodded. "That's the goal. It protects both parties from going to war with one another."

"Then I advise you get on it."

The driver laughed. "Yeah, after being told that I might get psionic whatever. But, should I let Jake know about the Recoms?"

Both Wade and Danielle shook their heads to that question.

"No-no." Wade said, "If you do, Jake might be forced to go on the offensive. We can't let him or the Na'vi know about the Recoms. That's way too risky."

Danielle agreed. "Besides, if you do, then what is stopping him from thinking you're not a Recom yourself? You are, after all, carrying a gun with that avatar of yours."

That is true. Asher thought. He also understood the ramifications if he did tell Jake about the Recoms. And as much as it made sense morally to let him know of the RDA's arsenal, doing so would also jeopardize the peace treaty.

That was the difficult aspect of being a diplomat. You want to protect people so much that you are willing to look the other way just to protect them. But he couldn't afford to do that now. Too much was at stake.

"Yeah, you're both right." Asher stood up from the chair. "Okay," he said, looking at his watch. "I better get back in then. I mean… is it safe to go back in?"

Wade nodded and smiled. "Absolutely. Like Danielle said, stay—"

"Stay in the sunlight, avoid the shadows, and I'm guessing I'm going to be walking around drunk."

Wade clicked is mouth, "you got it!"

"All right. I'll met you in the link room."

As Asher made his way back to the link room, he couldn't shake the feeling that the weight of Earth's gravity was pressing down on him once again. Yet, it wasn't physical gravity that burdened him, but the immense consequences of all he had learned and experienced that was weighing him down.

Shaking off the dreadful feeling, he focused on the task ahead: Reach the Omatikaya, secure the signing of the treaty, and leave.

Sounds simple enough. Only, that he was playing a game of Go and that one wrong move might either end up hurting the Na'vi or hurting himself.

"Well, it's just another mission." Asher told himself as he stepped into the link room. "Just another mission."

Hallelujah Mountains (Iknimaya) — Late Morning

Jake had been cursing all morning long when his sons returned with evidence of an intruder that managed to infiltrate the region of the Hallelujah Mountains and without being detected by his scouts until his boys, who themselves were part of the Tipani hunting party, came to discover the avatar walking in a coordinated pattern towards, what Jake believed, had to be High Camp.

Admittedly, Jake was impressed by his boys for maintaining a very low presence when they stalked the avatar. Even going as far as to follow right up close to it with the avatar never noticing them.

Their training really paying off.

Still, as a good father, he had to chew them out. They placed their lives in unnecessary risk, especially with the amount of magazines that Lo'ak showed him.

Ten.

Enough to kill several Na'vi families without blinking an eye. Jake always had that creeping-crawling feeling that one day they would send an avatar to test their defenses. He just didn't know how well armed it was also going to be. Guess this was about a good of a time as any.

Now it was time for a response. Jake needed to capture it or kill it, depending on whether it wants to peacefully communicate with him or shoot first. But how to tell the others of the avatar? He could alert the Omatikaya and the Tipani tribes about the avatar but then such an overwhelming force might but what the RDA wants. To show them how violent they all are, and thereby, retaliate with extreme prejudice.

He also knew how these tactics the RDA employed worked but Jake was no simpleton. At least, that was what he told himself when he took off with his boys to find the avatar. If the avatar was here to kill him, then he'll approach the avatar like any other enemy. But if it was here for something else, then Jake had to know. And that meant he couldn't let the other two tribes know. Not without risking them finding the avatar first and killing it.

Sure, he argued, they would listen to his instructions as Olo'eyktan, but only for a short time. His reach and by extension, his respect among the Na'vi was somewhat limited when it came to the RDA and their tawsìp—the samsons and kestrels. Their eagerness for war against the Sky People was about as palpable as hunger stirring in their bellies and they wanted it, badly. The only thing preventing them from launching a full-scale offensive was Jake and Neytiri, both of whom warned of a massacre if they dared such an attack. However, with each passing day and the increasing frequency of RDA patrols harassing them, Jake questioned how long he could restrain their impulses. The arrival of an avatar near their sacred grounds was another clear indication of mounting pressure that the RDA was placing on them, one that the Na'vi could no longer ignore.

Now, flying over the forests and beneath the craggily floating islands, Jake, and his boys, Neteyam and Lo'ak, were on the hunt for the avatar.

How bad could one avatar be? He told himself. He knew avatars didn't pose of much of a threat as the Na'vi made them out to be. And without its magazines to feed its weapon, the avatar was powerless to defend itself. Even if it possessed some fighting skills, it would struggle against the formidable creatures of Pandora, some of which rivaled the Na'vi in deadly prowess.

Yet, as Jake contemplated the situation further, a sense of unease settled within him. Perhaps, in his blind zealotry of defending the People, he had made a mistake by not informing Neytiri about the avatar's presence, the one person he trusted the most. He gazed at the floating mountains, their ethereal beauty a stark contrast to the weight on his mind. He hoped, for his sake, that Neytiri would side with him on going alone with his sons to find the avatar.

Otherwise, he was going to find himself at the wrong end of her anger.

Besides, Jake thought. Neytiri is helping the Tipani. She doesn't have time to deal with an avatar.

God, he hoped it was only one avatar.

In any case, Jake wasn't alone himself. Neteyam and Lo'ak, while not warriors, were armed with poisoned-tipped arrowheads, and carried with them the sharpest knife of the entire Omatikaya clan. Making them formidable warriors to face off against. And Jake, being the primary leader of this little squad of theirs, was well equipped with an M69 that was slung over his back.

There was no way this avatar could win in any scenario.

"Boys," Jake said over the radio. "Where was the last place you saw it?"

The wind howled as Neteyam picked up speed with his ikran. Flying beside his father, Neteyam, with two fingers, pointed up ahead to the forest below.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, devil dog." Neteyam answered.

"Understood. Pathfinder, Eagle Eye. On my six. We're going in."

"Roger." Lo'ak said, his voice somewhat scratchy over the radio.

"Roger, devil dog. On your six." Neteyam answered as he allowed the ikran to fly beside Lo'ak and behind their father.

Despite never raised on Earth, or having ever joined the military, his boys were on point with Marine tactics. They even took up position with their ikrans to have a near three-hundred and sixty-degree cover.

Like father; like son, they say. And Jake was damn proud of them for it.

Sweeping down through the sky like sharpened blades, their ikrans shrieked as soon as they got close enough to the treetops. Slowing Bob down, Jake steered his ikran above until he found a suitable spot to land. Soon, his boys found a similar landing spot nearby. Once settled, Jake, with his weapon in hand, began leading them through the dense foliage of the jungle.

It took the three of them to cover, six kilometers by Jake's estimate, before they reached what appeared to be a camp.

"Looks like you boys were right." Jake said, kneeling beside what appeared to be boot-prints embedded into the mud.

"Why would we lie?" Lo'ak asked, standing beside his father while facing their rear with his bow partially drawn.

"I'm not saying you lied. I just didn't want to believe there was an avatar here."

Neteyam started moving around the camp, remembering that the hammock once cradled a sleeping avatar. But according to the tracks it made, it looked like it panicked.

"We scared it off." Neteyam said, pointing to the tracks leading off into the forest.

"By taking its magazines." Jake said as he walked over to where Neteyam was to investigate the tracks.

"Not a smart idea but it also doesn't have a gun to use. At least, not the one you took ammo from. So now we have a new mission objective."

Lo'ak snapped his tail with excitement.

Motioning for them to circle around him, Jake kneeled before the track as he organized his hunting party.

"Neteyam, Lo'ak. We have a potentially dangerous threat coming for our home and we cannot allow it to succeed. This means that we need to chase after it. We can't slow down, not even for a moment, so I expect you boys to keep up with my speed. Luckily for us, it's not as smart as it think it is." He pointed to the tracks. "With these tracks, it will lead us right to it."

"If it knows how to climb the vines, then it will be able to reach High Camp in no time. As of right now, I suspect it doesn't know where High Camp is. But if it does encounter a Tipani hunter, it might take them hostage and persuade them under force to lead it to High Camp. We can't let that happen."

Neteyam and Lo'ak nodded in unison.

"Boys." Jake spoke softly but seriously. "Easy. No need to be heroes. We're the predator and out there is a very scared and very frightened prey. And because it is scared of us, it will be dangerous. So you both need to stay close to me where I can hear you and do not leave my sight. Rules of engagement is attack only if you're under attack. Otherwise, wait for my permission. Radio communication if necessary, hand signals to remain like shadows. Is that understood?"

"Oo-rah!"

"Good. Let's go."

Thirty Minutes Ago

Danielle wasn't joking when she said that he would feel drunk in the avatar. But drunk was not an accurate word. More as though he overdosed on sleeping pills and he was struggling to wake up in the avatar. At least there was no hangover.

The simple act of moving his fingers proved challenging, and getting out of the hammock without tumbling face-first to the ground was even more precarious. With cautious determination, Asher managed to plant his right foot on the jungle floor where he felt the boot sink into the muddy terrain. Holding still, he shifted his weight until the boot had clear grip on the ground before moving his other leg off from the hammock.

"C'mon," he groaned.

The second foot came in contact with the ground and with the tree beside him, Asher balanced himself until he was standing straight. He shook his head, hoping to clear his mind but that only made things worse.

"Holy crap." He said of his vision spinning. Holding still, he waited until his vision was back to normal.

Looking around took some getting use to but eventually Asher was moving about under his own power, even if it meant that he was slower.

Inspecting his weapon, Asher found there was no magazine under the bullpup SMG.

"No-no!" He cursed and the words came out drunkenly.

Checking his vest, he found that the magazines in their ammo pocket were also missing. With his SMG devoid of a magazine, and his vest ammo pockets empty, he knew he was visited and ultimately, was picked in some Na'vi game of cat and mouse.

No matter. Instincts drove his hand to reach for a sidearm and—

"Shit!" He yelled.

To add insult to injury, Asher forgot that the RDA had not even bothered to provide him with a sidearm, leaving him with only a machete as a means of defense. It was incredulous that they were so eager to kill a Na'vi yet unwilling to equip him with the necessary tools to protect himself.

The other unfortunate aspect in all of this was that his watch also failed him to alert the presence of his trespassers. Obviously due to the fact he was in some kind of comatose state, denying him of knowing who was inside of his camp, messing with his magazines.

Just his luck.

Looking around, he discovered the strange footprints left behind the other night. He knew they were Na'vi. Though why were the Na'vi interested in his magazines? Unless they weren't ordinary Na'vi but those that belonged to Jake. Someone who taught them about firearms.

Asher didn't have time to blame them or himself as he needed to get out of the area. If they took his magazines, then he knew he had only a short time before a whole army of them came raining down from the sky, trying to kill him. Though they could have very well have killed the avatar in his sleep. Wonder why they didn't?

The question wasn't answered as he quickly rolled and shoved the hammock into his backpack. He slung the backpack over his back and assessed his weapon, knowing there was no point in using it. However, he also knew that if he pointed his weapon at the Na'vi, they would think twice before firing their arrows at him, giving him a chance to escape.

Okay, is that everything?

Asher took one last look around the camp and then glanced to the compass on his watch. The needle spun around, slowly, then stopped before spinning again. That was useless too. He could refer to his map, but he didn't have time. He didn't know how long he had before the Na'vi returned.

Damn metal rock or whatever the hell it is.

At least he could see the outcropping of floating rocks above him. He'll use that to guide his way.

Okay, let's go.

After a few steps back into the forest, Asher broke into a tactical sprint. Only to fall to his knees.

He clicked on his throat mike. "D-Danielle…"

"This is Ticonderoga to Olympus. We read you loud and clear."

He didn't have time for code names.

"Danielle, I need, urgh… to-uh, run to-leave, to-uh, I gotta escape. Na'vi, they found me."

He pulled himself up to his feet, proving that this half-power to the avatar was going to be the death of the body.

"Already? But you just woke up. Wait, did you say the Na'vi found you?"

"Danny! I need to run!"

"Okay-okay! Uhm, start running the best you can. Eventually the algorithm is going to sense that you're in danger and increase power. But remember, stay out of the shadows! And keep that network repeater happy in the sunlight!"

He shook his head again, but that proved useless, as it had previously. Cursing, he breathed in and out before finding bearings to look up and across the foliage of the forest. He needed to go, now. Taking another step was weak, as was the second step. By the fifth step, he was jogging, slowly but increasing his speed.

He nearly toppled over again when he tried to jump over a root of a tree. By the time he had reached a stream, he had exploded into a full tactical sprint. He could feel himself back again in the avatar. But now he had the worry of the Na'vi chasing him.

Just another mission.