sᴇʟᴄᴏᴜᴛʜ (ᴛsᴜ'ᴛᴇʏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

Chapter two, Y/n pov

"So, how much link time have you logged?" Grace asked Norm and I as we walked through the door to the link room, Jake wheeling behind us.

"Uh, about 520 hours,"

"Almost 700, ma'am," I winked at Norm who rolled his eyes playfully.

"That's good." Grace commented and we smiled proudly. "You're in there. Y/n, that one. You're here," She told Jake as Norm and I went to the pods she pointed at us too. "How much have you logged?"

"Zip, but I read a manual," He said and I giggled as I got situated.

"Tell me you're joking," I heard Grace say as a tech closed the lid to my link.

"This is cool," Was the last thing I heard before I closed my eyes and allowed the link to go through.

I squinted upon opening my eyes, flashlights shined into them. Two faces came to view as they called my name.

"Y/n? Y/n, can you hear me?" A female asked and I nodded with a smile. I lifted my hand to see the deep blue skin of my avatar. I sighed, happiness filling my body.

"Okay, can you sit up for us?" I nodded and lifted myself into a sitting position, carefully swinging my long legs over the side.

"Can you speak?"

"Yes," I said, happiness in my tone.

Norm's avatar gained consciousness and I waved to him with a bright smile, he returned the gesture as doctors began asking him questions as well.

"Okay, you're all good. Just take it slow, alright?" The doctor said as she joined the other face over Jake's avatar. I slowly stood and stretched out my limbs. Those capsules did not do my joints good as multiple cracks could be heard.

"Damn, Y/n, bubble wrap, much?" Norm joked and I flipped him off with a smile.

"He's in. Jake, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Jake?"

The doctor asked and I looked over to Jake's avatar who had now opened his eyes. Jake was awake.

"Pupillary reflex is good." The male informed with a nod. The female snapped on either side of his head.

"Pinna response normal. How are you feeling Jake?" She asked him as I sat back on the bed.

"Hey, guys," He said, his voice slightly coarse due to lack of use.

"Welcome to your new body, Jake."

"Good," the female praised as he moved his fingers in the air.

"Yeah, we're gonna take this nice and easy, Jake."

Jake began to sit up.

"Oh, you're going to sit up, that's fine."

"Okay, good. Just take it easy, Jake," The male warned again, I began to get slightly worried at what would happen. "Okay, well, no truncal ataxia, that's good."

"Are you feeling lightheaded or dizzy at all?" Another female doctor asked as Jake marveled at the fact that he could move his feet. I laughed as he looked at them with wide eyes and he looked over with a smile.

"You're wiggling your toes!"

"Good. Good, Jake. That's great. Distal motor control is good. Good, Jake."

"Are you feeling any numbness or pain?"

Jake swung his legs over the side and I stood back up, ready in case he decided to take off.

"That's great, Jake. Hold on, now." The male doctor told him.

"Woah, woah, woah,"

"Take it easy. Don't get ahead of yourself, okay? There's a few more sensory motor reflex tests we need to run, so take it easy." Jake began to stand. "Jake. Sit down, Jake. Jake, listen to me Jake."

"Hey, Jake, take it easy man," I told him and he looked at me with amazement in his eyes. He stumbled as the doctors called him to sit down. His tail touched his arm and he looked back.

He turned, trying to find it again, but instead knocked a bunch of things off the table with it. The doctors talked about sedating him as Max came on over the intercom, warning Jake that he wasn't used to his avatar body and needed to go slowly.

"This is great," Jake smiled.

"Come on, they're gonna put you out," Norm warned but Jake ignored him and instead burst through the door. I began pulling off the sticky things from my face to follow Jake out. Norm ran out after him wobbly, but I simply grabbed the clothes for my avatar from the table and changed from the hospital gown. There is no way in hell I'm going out there practically naked.

Once I changed I made my way outside and found Grace.

"Hey, Grace," I greeted and she looked at me.

"L/n, liking it?"

"Loving it,"

She laughed, "Good, come on, we have a rogue Marine to catch."

We walked over to Jake, who was by the fruit plants.

"Hey, Marine!" Grace called out, catching his attention.

"Grace?" He questioned.

"Well, who'd you expect, numbnuts?" She said as she grabbed a fruit and threw it to him. Jake easily caught it.

"Motor control's looking good." She observed.

He took a bite of the fruit and its juices dripped down his chin as his smile somehow widened even more at the taste.

Grace and I smiled at him with laughs.

It was getting darker now and all the avatars went to one big cabin to rest.

"Come on, everybody, quiet down!" Grace called out. "All right, gang, lights out. Come on, Luise, chop chop."

I sat on the bed next to Jake's and observed him as he studied his queue.

"Don't play with that, you'll go blind." Grace warned.

"That's kind of freaky," He pointed out but let his braid fall anyways.

"Come on, scat," She ushered the humans out and closed the gate, locking it before turning the lights off. "Lights out! See you at dinner, kiddies." We all laid down. I listened to the sounds of the forest and wondered what else was out there. Who else.

A few minutes passed and by the time I closed my eyes and broke the link, everyone was already out of their pods and getting ready to go to dinner. I sighed as I opened my eyes back in my human body. I lifted the lid and immediately saw Grace, Norm, and Max's faces leaning over me with looks of worry. I made a face of distaste.

"What's with the faces?" I asked as I sat up and cracked my knuckles.

"They thought something went wrong as your consciousness traveled through your bodies," Jake said as he sat himself in his wheelchair.

"Aw, you guys worry for me. I'm touched," I said as I stood from the pod, not missing Grace rolling her eyes. 

12/27/22