The Green Angels
Cursive text is in Na'vi
As his cryo capsule clicked shut Jake stared at the hatch right above his head morosely. The space was cramped, feeling every bit like a coffin. He heard a low hum as the machinery of the pod started the freezing process. A pair of thin tubes began pumping into his arm the complex mixture of chemicals that would ease him into unconsciousness and would keep his body from being damaged by the freezing.
All of this was something that he had experienced once before. Though it had been years ago, in that way it was familiar. But in so many ways this was so much worse than the first time.
There was some time before the drugs being pumped into him took full effect, so Jake had a chance to contemplate his life, the absolute mess things had turned into. He thought of Neytiri, how much worse this all had to be for her, with everything strange and unfamiliar. He thought of his children, now to thrust to survive the world alone. And that with the rather generous assumption they were alive in the first place.
His family's life had been torn up every which way and he had failed to stop it. Some husband and father he was. And now it looked like he wouldn't get a chance to set any of this right. He wondered what he could have done differently to keep this from happening. He had tried to run away with his family, but it hadn't worked. Then he had sought to turn around and fight, only for that to fail as well. So what should he have done? Had he made a mistake in fleeing from the forest in the first place? Had Neytiri been right all along? Should they have stood their ground and fought?
Or was the unfortunate truth that there was nothing to be done? Was this always how it was going to end? Had his fight against the RDA been a fool's crusade? Deep down that was a possibility that he had always dreaded. His secret fear. He knew what they were up against, perhaps the only one among his family that truly understood. Other than him only his friends and allies from Hell's Gate had a chance of grasping the full measure of the threat. The vast, sprawling titan that lurked on Earth. He had not fought because he knew he would win. He had fought because otherwise he would lose everyone and everything had come to care about. Now, at the end, he had to wonder if his resistance had made any difference at all, other than to fool everyone into thinking they had a chance. He supposed he would never find out now…
The chemicals were starting to have their desired effect, his thoughts slowly turning into mush. Full of regrets he closed his eyes, believing it would be for the last time, thinking he could feel a chill in the air surrounding him.
And then the most unexpected thing happened. He opened his eyes again. The hatch of his capsule did not meet his eyes. Instead he saw a blurry light overhead. As his vision returned to focus he realized it was a lamp hanging from the ceiling. A ceiling of brown, uneven stone.
"Okay, vitals are looking good. Yeah, he's coming up." A male voice said in english from somewhere.
"Yeah, I can see that." Said a figure that appeared above Jake, blocking the light. A woman with dark brown eyes and wavy hair of slightly lighter brown.
"Take it easy. It's alright, you're safe now." She said to him.
"What-? Where am I? What's going on?" He asked in confusion. He sat up, noticing he was on an operating table, strange looking machines all around him. Some distance away a man was standing, with tanned skin, a balding head and a greyed moustache, wearing a lab coat.
"You have been rescued. My troops and I intercepted the train that was transporting you two to your prison, and got you out. Brought you here." The woman said.
"Us being…?" He began before stopping abruptly, realizing something was off. She was too big. Over many years he had gotten used to seeing humans from the Na'vi perspective, as something the size of children. But this one was inexplicably around the same size as him. How on…?
By some instinct he raised a hand to the level of his eyes. His eyes widened in shock on seeing a hairy arm of pink flesh.
"W-what the hell!?" He gasped. "You! What have you done?" He demanded angrily.
"I was just getting to that!" The woman said, taking a step back and raising her hands defensively.
"A lot has happened, so please take a deep breath, and I'll explain everything." She said, keeping her voice even.
"You see, we encountered some problems with your cryo pods. We weren't able to get them open. So while we work on solving that problem we had to come up with another solution for you two." She said. She motioned with her hand behind her, where Jake now saw a large cryo pod. Without waiting for permission he got off the table and walked over. He looked through the viewing port, stunned to be greeted by his own face.
He stumbled back, nearly falling over, only for the woman to catch him. "Woah, woah, easy there." With the assistance of the man in the lab coat she helped him back onto the operating table.
"Deep breaths, buddy. Deep breaths." She told him.
"I don't understand. If that is… then… what am I?" He asked in confusion, feeling sick to his stomach.
"You are what they call a recombinant. Or recom for short." The woman said. She nodded to the man, who walked to one of the machines. He returned a moment later, handing her a clear rectangle attached to a black handle and crisscrossed with multicolored lines.
"This device is known as a Soul Drive. The RDA developed these some decades past. It's capable of storing memories. A person's whole life in fact. So we took your memories and transferred them to the body you're in now."
"…They seriously have tech like that? Though… maybe that explains the comeback of someone we know." Jake contemplated.
"But why did you decide to…?" He began to ask. Then he stopped, frowning.
"Wait, wait, wait. You kept on saying us two. As if…" He said. Then his eyes widened in shock as he came to a realization:
"You did this to her too!?"
"Yes, but only because…" The woman began to say.
"WHERE IS SHE!? TELL ME, NOW!" He shouted, grabbing her by the collar.
She nodded behind herself. Jake looked past her and saw a second cryo pod. And next to it…
For the second time in a short while he jumped off the operating table, rushing to Neytiri. And there she was. Neytiri… as a human. Dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans like he was, looking so tranquil as she slumbered. Above her eyes her head was surrounded by a metallic hemisphere, dozens, if not hundreds of needles hovering an inch above her skin, shimmering with colored lights. Even as he watched a few of those needles retracted back inside the sphere.
"Oh no… what have you done? How could you? You ignorant jackasses! Why…?" He breathed, almost teary eyed.
"Like I said, problems with your pods. The RDA clearly had no plans on ever opening those. For one thing they didn't bother to install the wake up systems to your pods. And if we just take a crowbar to it that would kill you both. The pods are also locked with heavy encryptions. My techs are working on that but it's going to take a hell of a long time even in the best case. And I didn't think I had the luxury to wait around that long." The woman said.
"And the truth of the matter is I'd have a really hard time hiding giant blue aliens if you ever wanted to leave this base. My first plan was to have you use these bodies like avatars, in case you ever wanted to participate in missions or do anything else out there. Plus, eh… to be honest it will be a whole lot easier to care for your needs this way. In that sense this did work out rather well." She added.
"And that seriously made you think it was a good idea to do this… that you had a right to…" Jake muttered in disbelief.
"Who the hell are you anyway?" He asked.
"This is Doctor Kabiraj, leader of our resident medical team, and fortunately for us a specialist in bioengineering." The woman said. "That we are able to have this conversation now is largely thanks to him and his team."
"Though it was all done on her order of course." Kabiraj added cautiously.
"And my name is Christina Bergh. I'm the commander of the Green Angels." The woman continued. For the first time Jake noted the brownish green t-shirt and desert camo patterned trousers she wore.
"Green Angels?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Or GA if you're fond of acronyms." She replied. She spread her arms, smiling apologetically. "I know, I know. A pretentious name from an older time. But it's what were known as so we're stuck with it. A lot of folks here on Earth might call that brand recognition."
A dry smile from Jake. "So… who are the Green Angels?"
"We've been called eco-terrorists. And not without some merit. And I suppose in the past that was even more accurate. But on the other hand I think that designation misses a rather important point of what we're about. Especially given how I'm leading us. All sorts of tree-hugging lunatics I'd rather not be lumped together with." She explained.
"I get that the label of terrorist might sound scary. But you know what they say. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. You and yours have been called the same. And the last I checked the proper authorities turned you into a Na'vi popsicle. So I'm hoping you aren't that particular about what they chose to call us." She added to his wary expression. "Suffice it to say we're a group that opposes the RDA and the kind of thinking they stand for. That is something we have in common."
"Is that why you sprung us? You must have a reason if you went through all this." Jake said.
"That is a big part of it, sure, but not everything. We can talk about the rest of it now if you really want to. But I'm thinking you'd much rather wait until she's awake and you've had a moment to settle in. Isn't that right?" She replied.
Jake didn't reply, instead looking down at the sleeping human body.
"So… this her… this body is really human? All the way?" He asked quietly.
"In almost all respects. But as is the case with Na'vi Avatars, there is some crossover of features from the original." The doctor confirmed. "You'll note that she has five fingers on each hand like we do. But we had some trouble getting the nerves on her little fingers to develop properly. Similar thing was noted with her middle toes. There may be some issues with those digits, though we aren't sure what or how severe. We'll continue our observing the situation there."
"She also has somewhat elongated canine teeth, around four millimeters longer than typical. She has a reflective retina, so she should have superior night vision compared to a standard human. I also expect her to have a perfect 20/20 vision in daylight conditions. Possibly even a 30/20 vision. But on the downside the reflective retina is likely to cause eyeshine in low light conditions, so I recommend taking that to account if she needs to pose as a full human." He continued.
"Most notably on the back of her head she has a vestigial neural queue, perhaps a fifth of the typical length. Her hair covers it up, so it should be unobtrusive. It's unclear if it has any functionality. Not that that would really matter here on Earth anyway." He concluded.
"H-how were you able to do… any of this? I thought Avatars cost billions of dollars. You have access to that kind of money?" Jake asked.
"Not exactly. What you said is true, when you're creating avatars based largely on Na'vi DNA. But human bodies are something of a different story. They actually grow those all the time these days. Mostly to get organs to sell to those in need of transplants."
"So, like… spare parts? Sounds grotesque." Jake commented.
"It's not like those clones are sentient. And the harvested organs have been very helpful in saving lives. With just willing donors there were never enough to meet the demand. And far too much really creepy black market shit we've gotten rid of since." She replied.
"And some people even grow bodies to transfer their consciousness to them when they grow old. Out with the old and brittle vessel and in with the younger stronger new one, that kind of thing. That was the guise we used to grow this body for you. We knew it would be backwards compatible with your avatar body. Luckily your DNA was still in storage from your military days. We just had to get to it. Not exactly easy to do, especially without giving ourselves away, but we managed it.
She turned her eyes to Neytiri. "She on the other hand… was much trickier. And more expensive of you two for certain. We fortunately had a managed to get hands on data on her genetic structure from the time she was imprisoned at Bridgehead."
"Those cloned tissue grafts…" Jake guessed.
"Exactly. A contact of ours ensured we had that information. And while there are no living Na'vi other than you two, there are a number of genetic samples they use to create Avatar bodies. Enough to get the Na'vi portion of her genetics we needed. Happily I had some old access clearances that still worked." Kabiraj said. "And yes, I'm ex-RDA if you must know."
"Half the people in the Green Angels are." Christina commented. "Not to worry, I vet all my recruits carefully to avoid moles. That's something I take very seriously." She said to Jake.
"And her human DNA was spliced together from a number of desirable traits drawn from various sources. The final result was quite successful if I do say so myself." The doctor continued.
"You put in a lot of effort with her." Jake said dryly shaking his head to himself, not removing his eyes from Neytiri.
"I was actually quite happy to. She was… and exciting project. Groundbreaking. Avatars are of course a fairly familiar concept by now. But before now they have all been based on Na'vi genetics with minor human influence. To be able to do the reverse was a fascinating challenge. Untrodden ground in science." Kabiraj said.
Jake was about to give a poisonous reply but forced it back down.
"That said, this didn't exactly come cheap. For what I spent on each of you I could have had a flight of Samsons or Scorpions. And I did lose one of my troops retrieving you, just so you know. This has all been a big investment in all respects, so I'm hoping this will all end up being worth it in the end." Christina said in conclusion.
"And to top it all off it all sounds like you've been preparing for this for years. I'm certainly looking forward to learning why you thought us so bloody important to you. Later." Jake said.
"Why isn't she awake yet? What's the matter?" He asked.
"There is nothing wrong with her. She's getting there." Christina reassured. "It's just that we thought it better to wake up you first. You have been a human before. So we thought it might be easier for you to wake up as one again. We could tell you what was what and then she could wake up to a friendly face who knows what is going on. We… I thought it would be a smoother ride that way."
Jake scoffed, shaking his head. "There is no way it's going to go well, I can tell you that. You have no idea what you've…"
"…I need you both to get out. Right now. When she wakes up, I don't want anyone else here other than her and me. Not until I tell you otherwise." He said.
"Um, we really ought to be monitoring her vitals as she wakes. And then there are a number of sensory and motor reflex tests we should run on both of you, to make sure…" Kabiraj said.
"Doc, it's all right. I'm sure it will go smoothly from here. He seems fine after all." Christina interjected. Kabiraj opened his mouth to protest, but the commander silenced him with a stern look. Sighing, he doctor left through a door.
"We'll be in the hallway if you need us." Christina said before leaving as well.
Jake waited in silence, gently stroking her cheek. Her eyes were moving under their lids, like she was dreaming. Occasionally she twitched slightly.
It truly was strange seeing her like this. It was her, without question. Her features so clear, so obvious to his eyes. And yet at the same she was not, the body in front of him belonging to a whole other species than her. The strange combination of almost not quite… did leave him feeling a little uneasy, to his regret. His mind was drawn back to the day she had beheld his human self for the first time. She had never shown it, but he had to wonder if deep down on that day she had felt the same kind of uncanny feeling he was experiencing now? Just like he was feeling uncanny about being in a human body again. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought he would ever spend a single day as one of the Sky People again.
"Though… technically I'm still not." He thought, looking at his cryo pod. The real him was still there. He himself was just a human body imprinted with… no. He could not go down that rabbit hole now, or he might unravel.
At least this body had functional legs. Small mercies amidst this crazy situation.
Occasionally his eyes wandered over to her cryo pod, where the real her slept on, totally oblivious to the situation. If even he was feeling weirded out by this situation, how was it going to be for her? Her last memories would be similar to his: Closing her eyes, thinking it would be forever, only to then wake up as… as…
How was he ever going to explain this to her?
The last of the needles retracted, the machine moving back. Her movements started to become more animated. Realizing she was on the brink of waking up, he braced himself mentally.
Her eyes opened, wandering aimlessly before focusing on him. She stared at him for a few seconds… then tried to hit him.
He caught her wrist just before her fist connected with his face. They struggled, with her shouting and hissing at him.
"Wait, no, no, stop! It's me, it's Jake!" He said in Na'vi. "You know me. You know me…"
Little by little she stopped trying to fight him as she recognized him, fear and aggression replaced by confusion.
"J-Jake? I'm sorry, I… is that really you?" She asked.
"Yes. I see you, Neytiri." He said, smiling down at her.
"I see you." She returned the greeting. "But… but… Jake, I don't understand. Why are you looking like… like that? You really startled me. The last thing I remember… is being put in the pod… what has happened? Where are we?"
"We are on Earth now. And it looks like we have been rescued by a human group that fights the RDA. But… they did something. Something big. I'm… I'm going to need you to listen and try to stay calm, ok?" He told her.
No sooner had he said that he realized she was staring at her hand, still being held loosely by the wrist by him. Her eyes had gone wide, her expression one of confusion and horror.
"Wha… what? What is this!? Jake, what is this!?" She asked, her eyes moving frantically, looking at her hands, her body. She was now visibly trembling, the pace of her breathing quickening.
"Hey, hey, easy, easy, easy…" He attempted to calm her, trying to put his hands on her shoulders. But she pulled away and attempted to stand up from the operating table. But her legs gave away and she fell on her hands and knees on the ground, making a retching sound.
"No… no, no. Great Mother, no. It can't be. Can't be, can't be, can't be… I can't be… it's all wrong." She sobbed.
"Come on, come here…" He said, taking her into a hug.
"Jake, this nightmare… please wake me up. Please. She pleaded. This isn't happening. It can't be happening! This is too cruel…"
"The Sky People… this is their doing? They turned us… into them!?" She asked after a while, anger now creeping into her voice.
"Yes. They did. Apparently they couldn't wake our real selves, so they decided to do this. But this only temporary. Our true selves are still here, and we'll get back into there as soon as it is possible."
"It doesn't make it better! It gives them no right to… I should wring their necks!" She declared.
"Why was this done? Why are we here? What do they want with us?"
"I don't know yet. Not precisely. But they knew we were coming and were preparing for it. We'll have to find out the rest from them." He explained.
"Y-yes. Soon…" She said before burying her face into his shoulder.