Where the wild things are (OC x OC)

New body, same me... right?

The next day as the Avatars are ready for their drivers to connect, Louise, Grace, Norm and Jake head to the linking room.

"So, how much have you logged?" Grace asks.

"Uh.. about five hundred and twenty hours." Norm replies.

"That's good." Grace says simply.

"You're in here." Grace tells Norm, gesturing to a link bed.

"You're here." Grace tells Jake, gesturing to the other link bed.

Norm goes to his link bed and Louise sets it up for him.

Jake follows Grace to the link bed.

"How much have you logged?" Grace asks him.

"Zip. But I read a manual." Jake replies honestly.

Grace slowly turns around to face Jake.

"Tell me you're joking." Grace says, disappointment clear as day.

Jake instead doesn't reply to Grace and pokes the squishy material of the link bed.

"This is cool." Jake says softly, a smile tugging on his lips.
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"It's ready." Louise tells Norm as the machine the link bed slides into whirls, activated.

Norm nods and gets into his link bed.

"Let's go." Norm says excitedly.

Louise chuckles at Norm's eagerness and makes sure he's strapped in properly before closing the link bed and sending it in.
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Jake grunts as he pulls himself from his wheelchair into his link bed.

Grace grabs Jake's legs to help him.

"Don't. I've got this." Jake says, stopping her in her tracks.

Grace lets go of Jake's legs as he seems determined to do it himself.

Jake smiles weakly and pulls his legs into his link bed.

Grace sighs as she goes back to preparing the link.

"So you just figured you'd come out here, to the most hostile environment known to man, with no training of any kind, and see how it went?" Grace asks as the machine turns on.

"What was going through your head?" Grace asks.

"Maybe I was sick of doctors telling me what I couldn't do." Jake says bluntly.

Grace gives Jake a look and he gives it right back.

"Biometrics are good." The link tech says from the hologram device that's scanning the vitals of the people's in working links.

"Link three is ready." Max replies.

Grace gently nudges Jake down so he's lying in the link bed.

"Keep your arms in, hands in." Grace instructs.

Jake lifts his head up curiously when Grace goes to strap him in.

Grace gently nudges Jake's head down.

"Head down." Grace says firmly.

Jake lifts his head up once again and Grace nudges it down again.

"Down. Just relax and let your mind go blank." Grace instructs him again.

"That shouldn't be hard for you." Grace adds tauntingly as she begins to close the link bed.

Jake chuckles sarcastically.

"Kiss the darkest part of my lily white-" Jake starts but he trails off as the link bed shuts.

"Initiate link."  Grace tells Max.