Chapter 3.

(Sophia's POV)

I'd spent the night at Quaritch's, figuring it was best to avoid grace for a few days until things cooled down. I only hoped Jake wouldn't do anything else to piss her off.

"Are you watching the link-up today?"

I look back at Quaritch, pulling my white military tank top over my head "Um, maybe."

"You think that's a good idea after the stunt you pulled on grace?"

I look down, tying my runners slowly "Well I could always avoid her? God knows she'll have enough to deal with from Jake."

"Jake? You two are friends now?"

"Well, I think anyone who can piss off my mother and live to tell the tale deserves my attention at least." I smirk, turning to catch his gaze "Plus the man flew six years into hell and he can't even use his legs."

"Well, I'll see if I can change that." Quaritch slips on his dog tags with a small smile. He feels my questioning eyes and cocks a small glance my way and it clicks.

"You're going to sink your claws into him aren't you?" I state, pulling my pants over my socks.

"Well, it would be nice to have someone to keep an eye on Grace."

"You mean to have an eye on the inside." I sigh, rolling my eyes.

Some habits died hard.

I walked down the hall, keeping a careful eye out for Grace and snuck into the lab, grabbing a glass tablet off the table and made my way into the link room. I swerve around a few people, pulling back as Grace walks by, a chart in her hands. Jake and Norm follow, yet only Jake caught my eye and I didn't miss the smile that hugs his lips as I place a finger to mine.

Grace was going through the routine questions.

"How many hours have you logged?"

"Five hundred and twenty hours."

I snuck up behind Max, running a hand across his back and smile when he looks at me, a finger returning to my lips. He sent me a look of concern, after yesterday it was better to avoid Grace.

"How many hours have you logged?"

I wink, tapping my screen against his larger one and steal the data off of it. I tap it again, motioning over to the left and walk back into the hall.

"Zip, I read a manual though."

Crossing my legs I sink gracefully to the ground, smiling at a few people who walk by. I lean my head against the wall, allowing me easier access to their conversation.

"Tell me you're joking?" Grace almost begs. Her scientific mind couldn't fathom the idea of coming out here without a plan. In Jake's defense, what else could he do? He was shipped out at first light and had just arrived two days ago. I think reading the manual was a great place to start. Surprisingly though Grace continues, her voice softer "So you just figured you'd come out here, to the most hostile place known to man. With no training of any kind and see how it went? What was going through your head?"

I knew Jake was smiling "I guess I just got tired of doctors telling me what I couldn't do."

I hear a few people talking, the machines whirring to life and Max's "Link three's ready."

I hear Grace telling Sully what to do, smirking as she repeats herself a few times. For a soldier, he wasn't very good at taking orders. Then again, it wasn't like Grace to be so kind, a fact she thankfully rights moments after

"Just clear your mind. It shouldn't be too hard for you."

Jake smirks, lying there calmly. I tap the screen, looking through the information with ease. A low whistle of appreciation leaves my lips, thankfully covered by the machines.

"Wow, that's a nice brain. Great activity." Max muses, walking around the room before flicking the picture to my tablet in the hall.

I smile, enlarging part of the picture and find myself agreeing. Seeing all the synapsis firing with good speed.

"I'm going in."

I give Grace about seven seconds to move before I rise, watching her lie in the link before standing beside Max. I hear unit four shut and tap Max's screen again, getting a more detailed version of the new images.

My eyes rise to the glass window as a doctor speaks "Jake, Jake. Can you hear me?"

He blinks slowly. Looking at the others "Welcome to your new body Jake."

I look back at the chart briefly and catch Norm's actions on the other side of the room.

"Um, Max?"

"Yeah?" he answers, not even looking from his tablet.

"What is Norm doing?"

This time he looks, his face scrunching in question "The usual tests. What do you mean?"

My eyes fall from him to Jake, the man sat up quickly "You're not going to skip them today? I mean given the circumstances?"

"No, the tests are important Sophia, you know that." he sighs, looking back at his scans.

I look back at Jake, the large euphoric smile on his face. The giddy way he moved his legs after so long and the unrestrained need for more "Yeah but did anyone tell Jake that before he went in?"

I see the words go in Max's head, his brain slowly processing them with all the other information and jump, both of us turning to the glass as Jakes avatar stumbles forward. The full extent of my words hits Max, his face twisting in concern "Woah, Woah." he taps his earpiece "Jake, Jake listen to me. You need to sit down. You're not used to your avatar body. This is dangerous."

I could tell just like Max, Jake wasn't listening. Too wrapped up in euphoria "This is great."

I lean forward, pushing my face to Max's earpiece "Sedate him. You guys have to sedate him!"

I jump again, watching jakes stumble around the med room, knocking things over left and right.

"Jake, sit down. they're going to put you out." Norm tries, pulling his leads off.

"Jake!" I call out, hitting the glass. But he's already moving, pushing open the door

"Damnit, Jake!" One of the doctors yells.

"Shut him down!" Max orders

"No!" I counter, tossing down the tablet "I'll get him. I'm closest to the door and if he falls we'll need someone to bring him back anyway."

I move to link five and pull open the lid. I glance at the screen seeing the options moving from the large console and flash max a grateful smile as I lie down, pulling down the metal brace and the top. I shut my eyes, clearing my mind as the link uploads. I feel myself growing lighter. A cool breeze flowing over my body and a sense of tranquility. I see the rainbow lights before me and follow them, feeling them move and guide me through the tunnel like we were dancing.

My eyes snap open taking in the wooden roof before me. I toss my legs out of bed and move, swerving around a few people and make my way down the steps "Excuse me, coming through!"

"Sophia?" a few people call.

I had scheduled avatar days. We all did but mine was closely monitored for health reasons and I always had a person with me incase I collapsed in the link.

I didn't have to look back to see a few people running after me
"Sophia come back!"
"Where's Doctor Augustine!"
"You're not supposed to be out here alone!"

I took in the lush green forest, the large gardens full of fruit. The beautiful blue sky I'd seen a thousand times before and try to locate Jake amongst the large training grounds. It wasn't very hard with all the other noise.

"Jake! Jake come back! We shouldn't be running!"

I look ahead, watching Jake pick up speed. His long legs moving with ease. His smile was so pure, it broke my heart to intervene. Yet, it seems I have to as I look left, watching a large AMP robot walking down the path, clearly unaware of Jake's movements.

"Shit!" I pick up speed, closing the distance between us and meet Jake in the middle, tackling him out of the way. I feel the hit. The burning of pain and the rush of air leaving my body. Jake's avatar was larger than mine but I was faster, and thanks to Jake's lack of training and total unawareness I was able to knock him out of the way in time. Both of us hitting the ground in an uncomfortable way, each one trying to gather the air we'd lost on impact. I roll onto my back, looking up at the sky trying to take in the two moons.

"Shit, shit no!" the startled marine cries out, trying to regain his balance.

The large robot stumbles caught off guard by two maniac avatar drivers. The large crate of weapons plus his gun was enough to unbalance the metal creation.

"Sophia, Jake move!" Norm yells a look of fear in his eyes.

We look down as one of the feet hits the raised borders, causing the machine to tip backwards. Right towards us.

"Shit!" Jake shouts, grabbing my hand. We barely stumble out of the way, diving over the borders and roll over each other in a mess of limbs and tails.

CRASH!

I felt the ground shake under us and the shouting of other people. An alarm goes off, causing more bots to rush to the scene. I blink, feeling Jake's body over mine and turn my head. I jump as my nose touches the smooth side of a large blade. I stared at the bladed machine gun embedded deep within the dirt not three centimeters from my head, and five from Jake's hand.

"Woah, shit," Jake states, moving his hand away. I tilt my head to the right and see Grace beside us, a hand on her heart.

"Well, I guess that's one way to make an entrance."

Jake blinks "Grace?"

"Well, who'd you expect numb-nuts?"

"Yeah, that's Grace." Jake is moved by two other avatar drivers, groaning in pain

"And what were you thinking?" she turns to me, checking my body for injuries "I swear, you avoid me all day yesterday and now your doing this? You're as bad as he is."

Jake chuckles, quickly coughing as one of the doctors looks him over "Damn girl. I think you cracked a rib."

"If you've had enough theatrics for today, I think we can make our way back to the medical lab yeah?" Grace states, pulling me up off the ground to lean on her.

"Whatever you say doc." Jake groans again, lying on the grass

Grace holds her head, clear annoyance in her eyes "Would someone bring him a stretcher?!"

..

..

"What?"

I had come back from my room to find all hell had been flipped on its head. People were moving around the room, wiping the data banks so another link could be started later. Grace was packing up instruments to use and sample cases in a large bag.

"Were bringing Jake along," Grace says again, clearly getting annoyed

"No, I heard you the first time I meant WHAT?!" I add more anger on what, tossing up my hands "Does anyone remember what happened last time Jake went out? He almost died and now you want to bring him into the forest. Full of killer creatures and angry Navi?! And Jakes avatar is injured!"

Grace sighs, already done with the conversation "It's a hairline fracture that will heal in time and we're a man short. Parker said to bring him along."

"Oh, you're listening to Parker now?"

"Sophia I don't think this attitude is fair. This isn't my choice." she pulls out a cigarette, sticking it between her teeth "And he's out here anyway, why not use him."

I watch her light the end of it and fight the urge to rip out all my hair. Was she being serious?!

I try again, speaking in Navi. Hoping this way I could pull a deeper connection "Grace, this is Quaritch all over again. Jake has no idea what's out there or how to deal with any problems."

"Well, then I guess he'll be glad you're coming along."

I freeze, slowly blinking at her like some idiot.

So long in fact that Grace was in the hallway when I snapped out of it "WHAT?!" I walk after her quickly "Grace! GRACE! You can't just drop something like that on me and walk away! GRACE!"

"Don't look at me, this was Parker's idea. I think he's in bed with Quaritch or something." she waves it off angerly "Believe me, I already tried to say no."

"Quaritch?" I exhale, trying to wrap my head around the idea that I would be leaving for the first time in Seventeen years "... Quaritch did this?"

"He was impressed with your courage this morning. He thinks you're ready."

"Woah!" I state, jumping in front of her with my hand out "I'm not a good candidate for outside missions. My illness makes me a flight risk with my avatar."

"You've not had an episode in months, Sophia. If anything I'd call that progress."

"But... but..." I trail off, my hands falling loosely by my sides.

"Just show up in four hours okay?"

I stood there in the hallway, trying to process everything. In three seconds my entire world had been flipped on its head and now I was trying to pick up the pieces. Quaritch had convinced Parker to let me go?! The man that told me for YEARS that I would only leave the base over his dead body?! Not only is he letting me go but he waited for Grace to tell me?!

GRACE?!

I clench my fists "SON OF A BITCH! QUARITCH!"

I stormed into the second hanger, swerving around helicopter pilots and marines pulling on my boxing gloves. I see Quaritch in the small workout room, adding another heavy weight onto the bar. He twists the metal clamp, locking the weights in place, clearly unaware of my oncoming rampage.

"QUARTICH!" I scream, causing the man to turn to me

"Yes?"

I had reached him by then and pull my arm back. Letting lose a swing with perfect movement, a movement he had taught me many times. His eyes widen as my fist hits his face, the force moving his head to the left and his feet two steps.

He stops, taking three seconds to process what happened before turning back to me.

"Grace..." I snarl "GRACE?!"

I take in the red mark slowly forming on his cheek and temple and watch him chuckle "Okay, I deserved that." He touches his cheek gently and smiles once more "See? I told you you could punch. You just needed the right motivation."

"What the hell!" I state, tossing up my arms "You're letting me go out?!"

"I thought you'd be happy to go out." he sighs, sitting down on the bench

"Didn't you say everything out there wants to kill me?"

"Well, I've trained you all your life, Sophia. I always knew you could it, but you never had faith in your abilities. Yesterday, you did." He pulls the bar off the rack and lifts it down, voice now thick with tension as it lifts "besides, aren't you ready to get off this damn base?"

Read and review, peace.