Chapter 2.

(Sophia's pov)

The base had been buzzing with activity. The next pod was about to land, Parker was in logistics, checking over the monitors carefully. His fingers moving between others fingers.

"Okay, make sure no ones in the loading bay when this comes down. I know the second squadron was having issues with it before."

The woman nods, typing something into her tablet. I watch Parker rub his face. Loading days were always stressful for him. After six years in space, everyone was a little out of it. To much slack and accidents happen. I look down, seeing a few golf balls on the ground and kick a purple one. Watching it roll across the room and hit the ball Parker would have stepped on before rolling under a desk.

I reach down, scooping up the rogue ball "Hey Parker."

He turns, a moment of pain flashed across his features. He forgot it was Tuesday "Sophia, hey kiddo!" he turns looking at one of the screens "It's Tuesday, isn't it? Ugh, I forgot. I've been up to my eyeballs in problems today."

Tell me about it.

We'd gotten word that one of our scientists had been killed before the launch. To solve some problems the government thought it would be better to send his twin brother in his place. Great thought but the marine had no scientific training what so ever and was accentually useless in my mothers' eyes. I'd deleted the email when we'd gotten it, hoping to stop whatever fight would ensue but Grace would find out eventually and then she'd be up to her screaming at the one man who had nothing to do with the problem.

"Sully?"

He sighs tiredly "You'd think I'd be used to your mothers' temper by now."

I smirk, tossing him the ball "Well if you want to piss her off you could play some golf when she arrives. It will most likely be one hour after the doc. Mom likes to check on the avatars on Tuesdays."

Parker chuckles, shaking the ball my way "Sometimes you are such a twisted kid."

"Well, I got to find something to do here right?"

I climbed up the metal tower, leaning against the wall to watch the large white shuttle enter the atmosphere. Bright red fire danced along its outsides before vanishing in smoke.

They came every two years. More soldiers, groggy and weak. Marching off the ship like ants. Large trucks, walking robots and menacing guns greeted them. The world of Pandora wasn't talked about very much. Communication between Earth and Pandora took weeks, emails bounced off of satellites placed along space and I knew for certain that all the stories told at home weren't nearly as breathtaking as the real thing. Then again, the large metal buildings, acres of brown unforgiving dirt and mountains of guns weren't that different from home. According to Max, the earth was dying. That's why we were mining on Pandora. But killing one planet to save another didn't seem right, no matter how many stories I heard.

I placed my back on the smooth reinforced glass and made my way down the metal support beams, the crisscrossed metal allowed easy movement. I dropped onto the metal scaffolding and climbed down that to the ground, quietly slipping under the dirty sheets and into the hallway.

"Sophia, you better not be in that tower again." A rough voice echoes behind me.

I smile, turning to look back at Quaritch. I always liked him in his uniform. He was the perfect mix of comfort and terror. An odd fact that seemed to put me at ease.

"Don't you have a safety briefing?"

He sends me a light glare before turning down the hallway "I catch you in that tower again, you'll be running laps till you pass out."

Despite the war, I always felt safe with him. Even as a child I would run to his room on stormy nights. I'd run to his room after fights with my mother. I'd run to him for almost anything now. The padded cot rolled up in his closet was for me, I even had a change of clothes, hidden inside the cot for just that occasion.

I turn, sliding my badge across the monitor and walk into the lab, my second home away from home.

Max walks in, looking from his monitor to me with a smile "Sophia! I thought you'd be with Colonel Quaritch. You love his speeches."

I chuckle "I think I've heard them enough to recite them." I sit on the table, moving a few papers "he always starts on the far left side of the room, the light makes him look more intimidating." I clear my throat dramatically and drop my voice three octaves "You're not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact. Every second of every day. If there is a Hell you might want to go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora.
Out there beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes.
We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Navi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that will stop your heart in one minute. And they have bones reinforced with naturally reoccurring carbon fiber. They are very hard to kill.
As head of security, it is my job to keep you alive, I will not succeed, not with all of you if you wish to survive you need to cultivate a strong mental attitude. You have got to obey the rules.
Rule number one-"

"Okay, stop" Max laughs "you're freaking me out."

"It's not that difficult." I shrug "He may look intimidating but Quaritch is kind of predictable. He knows what works and he sticks to it."

"Yeah, well why don't you tell him that?"

"I said he's predictable, not that he has a sense of humor."

Both our heads turn as three soldiers come in "Are you doctor, Max Patel?"

"That's me. Do you have the new avatars?"

"Yeah, you just need to sign off here."

I watch Max look over the paperwork and step out into the hall, two large containers were rolled into the medical lab. I place my hand on the outside of one container, reading the name. Tommy Sully. This was the scientist that died. I take in the firm features on his face, the twitching of the fingers and jolts of the body. The new gravity always sent them into a tizzy but in twenty-four hours they'd be out of status and hopefully in the link. Watching the first link was my favorite part.

My ears pick up the chatter outside "Jake! You're Jake right? Tom's brother. Wow, you look just like him. Sorry, I'm Norm, Spellman. I went through avatar training with him. He was a good man."

"Thanks."

I turn, picking up a random chart and move towards the back of the room, gently tapping on a few items as Max's voice enters the mix

"Norm Spellman, I'm Max Patel. I recognize your photo." I assume they shake hands "And you must be Jake. Max."

I look at the scene, seeing the reflection of Max, a taller man who I knew as Norman and a smaller man in a wheelchair. Oh god. As if Grace wouldn't have enough to bitch about, the poor man was paralyzed as well?

"This one is your Norm and Jake, this one... this was Tommy's." Jesus max, you couldn't just say this one was yours as well?

Jake moves towards the machine.

"Wow, they got so big." well duh, they mature over the flight here.

"Yes, they mature on the flight over." Max answers with much less sass then I would have.

..
..

"Yeah I know who you are and I don't need you, I need the scientists that trained for three years for this mission."

"Yeah well he's dead, I know that's a big inconvenience for everyone." Strike one.

She stumbles for a moment, clearly caught off guard by this information, quickly that shock turns to anger. I didn't have to look, I could feel Grace's glare from across the room. I take in her look and smile, looking at the floor. Strike two. She pauses, her mouth closed in a firm line. I guess she figured out what email I'd deleted on her. To her credit, my mother held her cool, in a sad attempt to salvage the situation.

"How much lab training have you had?"

"I dissected a frog once."

Strike three. I watch the line of anger form on her face, her fists clenching angrily and within three seconds I knew she'd be leaving to yell at someone else.

"You see? They're just pissing on us without even the decency of calling it rain."

"Grace don't!" Max tries

"No! Okay! Parker has no business sticking his nose in my operation!" She tosses down the chart "This is such bullshit!"

The room falls into silence once more, Max sighs looking at the others "Excuse me."

I watch Norm and Jake look around the lab, Norm more interested in the stats around him. Jake picks up the tablet Grace dropped, scrolling through some names " Grace Augustine, head of Scientology. She's just a ray of sunshine isn't she.."

I walk into the room, content with the knowledge I know "I'd like to say she's better than this but she's not."

"Hi, my name's Norm. Avatar driver." I take his extended hand.

I felt Jake's eyes on me, taking in my smaller frame, youthful appearance, no lab coat and I know he knows. It's nice to see he's sharper then Norm.

"Ah, there you are." Max chuckles, setting down his paper "I was looking for you."

"Sorry, I was scoping out the competition."

Max smiles as well, before putting a hand on my shoulder "Jake, Norm this is Sophia, our resident troublemaker."

"Why are you here? On Pandora? You're too young." I assume he thought I was some poor sucker tricked into this.

I smile, seeing the flash of realization hit Norm as well "yes, your right. I'm Seventeen."

"She's Doctor Augustine's daughter."

"Barely." I snap back, setting down the chart "I've spent more time with everyone else on this base then Grace."

"You call your mother by her name?" Norm asks stupidly

I snapped a glare at him, catching Max's look of pain in my peripheral vision "And here I thought scientists were supposed to be smart. Yes Norm, I call her Grace."

Norm stops, clearly not expecting this from me and looks down, wringing his hands nervously. I guess like Max he had also been bullied on earth and knew from experience not to look his attacker in the eye "Sorry... it's none of my business... yeah. Um, I'll just, go I guess..."

I watch him turn, seeing Max's look of disapproval and sigh. Trying and failing to kill the anger inside of me. My mother brought up a lot of pain and anger, but mostly pain. Having to explain my mother's shame towards me wasn't a highlight of meeting new people. And clearly I wasn't getting any better at it either.

"No. Don't. -Wait!" I sigh, grabbing norms arm, causing the older male to flinch in surprise, turning away from me briefly. I knew Jake had seen it too "I'm sorry. I get very sensitive when people talk about Grace... My, my mom." I cringe and rub my forehead "my birth isn't something Grace celebrates." I wave off any looks "I'm fine. I've got lots of family here. I'm not lonely."

Max snorts "she means her guard dog colonel Quaritch."

"The man from this morning's briefing? Yes, he's very... comforting." Norm shutters, causing both Jake and me to chuckle.

"I know on the outside he looks terrifying but over the years I've come to see him as my father." I shrug, smiling at Norm's face.

"You, you see him, mister 'follow my rules or die' like a father figure? Really?!" he sputters uncomprehendingly

"Just stay out of his way and you'll be fine," Jake smirks, patting him on the leg as he rolls by.

Read and review people, peace.