𐌄𐌋𐌙𐌉𐌍Ᏽ Ꮤ𐌉𐌕𐋅 𐌕𐋅𐌄 𐌍𐌌𐌀𐌕𐌉𐌊𐌀𐌙𐌀 (Aᕓ𐌀𐌕𐌀𐌓𐋄𐌍𐌂𐌔)

\\ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟡//

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It was a gloomy rainy morning in the Pandora forest, mist blowing through the treetops as the morning sun burns it away. A spectacular panorama of a vast, primeval land. The sunlight shafting down like light in a cathedral through the tall trees and the light rhythmic pat of the rain gave a calming air to the world.

'It's hard to put in words the deep connection the People have to the forest.'

Walking calmly through the forest, mud squishing quietly as Ke'Kaya and Nate walk. Nate watches as Ke'Kaya gently bends a large pitcher-like flower toward her, sipping the nectar within which is sweet and thick as honey. An incredibly sensuous image.

'Ke'Kaya says, it's a network of energy that flows through all living things. They know that all energy is only borrowed,'

Nate stands behind Ke'Kaya as all the people gathered around a tree, almost a sea of blue flowers, they're bodies beaded with raindrops. Ke'Kaya's small blue hand picks the flower.

'~and one day you have to give it back.'

Looking down into a hole dug among tree roots. The body of an old Omaticaya woman lies curled there like an unborn baby in the womb of the earth. Ke'Kaya lays the purple flower gently on her body, joining a bunch of other flowers, totems, and beads. Mo'at recites a prayer as Neytiri, acting as an acolyte, places a wood sprite, a seed of the Great Tree, on the body.

Nate's eyes snap open in his link, dark as a coffin. He pushes the lid off, letting in light, and lies there.

'Hard to believe it's only been three months.'

Nate walks into the main bunk as Jake is seen sitting in front of the video log camera, late at night. It is many log entries later. He has lost a lot of weight. He looks like a junkie watching a test pattern.

"I can barely remember my old life. I'm not sure who I am anymore." He says.

Nate frowns, casting his eyes on the floor again before walking back to bed.

The following day was sunny, in the Hallaluha Mountains, the light beaming through the strange branches of the floating mountains, twisted by the magnetic fields. The sky is black and heavy with clouds. In the shack kitchen, the night air blows as Jake is gulping black coffee like a tequila shot, looking pretty strung out. Nate stands beside him as they speak to Grace who is smoking furiously.

"Jake, I can't allow this. You're just not strong enough." She demands.

"And Nate is?" Jake bites back.

"Nathanial has trained for this, his body and mind are one, you look like a twig if stepped on even by a child would break." Grace retorts.

"It's the last door, and I'm going through it. You can help me or get out of the way." Jake pushes past her toward the corridor.

"Will you listen to me?" Grace grabs one of his chair handles, stopping him.

"Sometimes the Na'vi themselves die in these vision quests. The venom takes you to the edge of death. And the psychoactive alkaloid in the worm~ we have no idea what that'll do in an avatar brain." Grace adds.

Jake breaks free and wheels away, down the corridor. Grace follows Jake as he crosses to the Link, Nate in tow. A sheet of lightning flashes across the sky outside, casting a white glow over everything for a split second. Norm is initializing the Links.

"Calibrating. Thirty seconds."

Grace puts her hands on Jake's shoulders.

"No matter what you two prove out there, you are still in here." She adds, shaking his shoulders.

"Right here." She then looks up at Nate.

"We have to go all the way, become one of them,"

"Goddammit, Jake, you can never be one of them!" Grace shouts furiously.

Norm looks up, startled at the fury in Grace's voice.

"Our life out there takes millions of dollars of machinery to sustain. You visit, and you leave." Grace speaks.

Nate screws his eyes shut. His heart hurt to hear those words. Of course, he knew from the start, that he wouldn't be able to stay but, he really really wanted to.

During this, Jake pulls himself from his wheelchair, levering himself into the Link, hauling his useless legs inside.

"You can never truly be with her," Grace says softly, surprising everyone.

"Neither of you can," She then looks at Nate who stiffens.

Jake stops, pinioned by the truth. He seems suddenly very lost.

"You know why I'm here? Because Quaritch sent me." Jake admits.

"What?" Norm asks.

"That's right, to embed with the Omaticaya. To find out how to screw them out of their home. By deceit or by force, he didn't care. And if it turned out to be a force, then how best to do it." Jake spoke

Norm and Nate stand there in shock, but Grace is eerily calm.

"And what about now, Jake?" Grace eyed him.

"I'm not that guy anymore." Jake shook his head, looking up at her.

Grace nods. She's been on his journey every step of the way, she had hoped he'd come to his senses sooner rather than later.

"I know," Grace replied.

"But if I tell Quaritch the truth, he yanks me out, I never see her again. And if I tell her the truth, the clan throws me out, that's if they don't cut my heart out and show it to me." Jake sighed.

"They'd have every right to," Nate commented.

"Nathanial~!" Grace exclaimed, turning to look at him.

"No~ No! This~! This right here! What he's saying! It's bullshit! After all, we've been through! After all the girls have done for us~! We'll be lucky if that's all they do...! And it won't just be to him either~ they'll hang me just the same!" Nate hissed, anger burning in his eyes.

"I mea~" Nate threw his hands in the air, beginning to pace.

"Do you have any honor at all, Marine!?" Nate questioned.

"Now wait a damn minute~" Jake turned to face Nate.

"She trusts you... And how do you repay that kindness, hmm?" Nate gave pointed eyes at the ex-marine, continuing to pace.

"Deceit... and half-truths... Do you have any idea... what position this puts us in!? Puts me in!?" Nate raised his voice, setting in a pitch just below a scream.

"I REFUSE TO BETRAY HER!" Nate yelled, panting.

Grace and Norm shared a sad look, and Jake blinked.

"God all my life I've known nothing but war! I never wanted to be a seal! I wanted to be a farmer!" Jake and Grace's eyes go wide, their bodies freezing.

"I wanted to grow trees and drive a tractor and grow old with some beautiful red-haired woman I met at a market!" Nate shut his eyes, clenching his teeth as he willed himself not to tear up.

"And now... I have to keep this bombshell of a secret... from the only woman I've ever loved..." Nate scoffed breaths, pausing his pacing to stare back at everyone's stunned faces.

"Nate... I~" Jake began.

"No screw you Jake!" Nate gritted his teeth and turned, heading toward his link.

"Well... that was a lifetime of trauma dumped on the front porch..." Grace sighed.