Going In Blind (Edited)

Chapter One

Norm helps me get the Exopack on, and gets me out of the straps. As I stand up, I grab my walking cane from my bag, extending it to help me find my way. However, it appears to be unneeded since Norm helps me along the walkway, and out into the dangerous air. "Oh Kita! It's so beautiful! This is incredible! The sky is just... amazing!" We continue walking into the base, my anxiety running high as I enter a place I've never been, knowing that I'll have a lot of bruises in the weeks to come as I attempt to find my way around.

"I wish I could see it." I whisper softly.

"Maybe in your Avatar, you'll be able to" Norm leads me through the hallways, moving my arm to show me where certain things are.

Suddenly, he leads me a bit faster towards someone, or something. "Hey, you're Jake right? Tom's brother? You look just like him." He pauses for just a second. "Sorry, I'm Norm Spellman, I went through avatar training with him." He pulls me up next to him, "This is Kita Rockholt, she was the top of the class." I wave slightly, not knowing what exactly was going on. Norm continues, unaware of my awkwardness. "He was a great guy - funny. It was a big shock to all of us."

"Yeah," The guy, Jake, said in response. From where his voice came from, he must either be really short, or in a chair.

We continue walking, the sound of wheels confusing me until I put two and two together and realize that Jake is in a wheelchair.

"And duh! - obviously you look like him. I mean, if you weren't genetically identical, you wouldn't be taking over his avatar." If I could have rolled my eyes, I would have.

"Norm, stop. You're rambling." I turn towards where I believe Jake is, "Jake, would you like to look at the Avatars? I'm sure Norm would love to see them."

Norm pulls us in another direction, I assume, towards the Bio-Lab. Jake must have nodded his head.

Suddenly, Norm pulls away from me, towards something else, leaving me to stand there, unknowing as to where we exactly where.

"Damn, they got big." Jake says.

"Yeah, they matured on the trip out." Norm's voice replies a short distance away from me. "So the proprioceptive sims worked pretty well." Oh so badly I want to see them. When I first looked, they were but a small egg in the Amnio tanks, just barely starting to form.

"Yeah, they've got great muscle tone. Give us a few hours, you guys can take them for a spin." An unknown guy responds. I turn towards his voice, confused. "Oh, sorry, I'm Max Cullimore."

I nod, "Kita Rockholt. So you're the one that takes care of them then?" I ask.

"Yep, it's incredible, the things we could accomplish with this system." He pauses for a moment, before rushing out, "Time to do your first video log. Let's go." Norm finds his way back to me, and leads me to an adjoining room. He sits me down at a chair, and clicks a few buttons.

"Okay, Kita, just press the spacebar on the keyboard to start recording, and again to stop it." I turn towards him with a bright smile on my face.

"Thank you Norm." He pats my back and walks off. I turn back towards what I assume is the camera. "Where to begin? I'm blind, and I'm on Pandora. My childhood dream has come true, but I can't see a thing. Hopefully, when I'm in my Avatar, I'll be able to see the world. According to Norm, the Avatar's are beautiful, and already prepared for us to link with them within the hour. I've been working on my Na'Vi, the language of the People here on Pandora. I hope I can meet one. Can you imagine what their culture is like? There connection to Eywa, and the planet... it's legendary. I can only hope that I'll be able to actually meet one of the Omaticaya."

"Log off. It's time to meet your boss for the next five years." Max shouts, getting our attention. I press the spacebar to end the video log, and carefully stand up. Within seconds, Norm is by my side again.

"It seems to me, that this is becoming the norm." I state, a smug smile gracing my lips.

"Was that a pun?" Norm asks.

"It was a pun." I answer, walking alongside him into another room with more people in it.

"Woah, this link room is incredible!" In my mind, I can picture links upon links all over the room.

"It better be, for the money put into this program. Doctor Augustine must love this room."

"Who's she?" Jake asks.

"Grace Augustine is a legend. She's the head of the Avatar Program, and she wrote the book - I mean literally wrote the book - on Pandoran botany." Norm replies.

"Not just Botany, but the people here as well Norm. Or did you forget that?" I ask, a chuckle in my tone. Max mutters something to Jake, but I'm too preoccupied with the sound of a link opening up.

"Who's got my goddamn cigarette?!" A woman yells from the link.

Max walks over to here and introduces us as the smell of tobacco fills my nose. "And here she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Kita Rockholt, Norm Spellman and Ja -"

"Kita, Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?" Grace asks us.

"May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting." Norm and I respond as one.

"Not bad. You both sound a little formal."

"There is still much to learn." Norm says.

"That only the People can teach us." I add.

"Uh, Grace, this is Jake S-" Max starts.

"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, and I don't need you. I need your brother. You know - the PhD who trained three years for this mission."

"He's dead. I know it's a big inconvenience to everyone." Jake responds. I cringe slightly. It's never easy losing family.

"How much lab training have you had? Ever run a gas chromatograph?" Grace asks him, somewhat sarcastically.

"No."

"Any actual lab work at all?"

"I dissected a frog once." I have to chuckle silently at Jake's response as Norm and I stand here silently. It was sorta funny.

"You see? You see? They're pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain. I'm going to Selfridge."

"Grace, That's not a good idea!" Max shouts, but she must already be gone since there was no reply. With a sigh, he adds, "Here, tomorrow, oh eight hundred. Try to use big words."

Jake wheels off, the squeaky sound of the tires on the floor moving into the distance.

"Well, that was interesting." I say, still enthralled that I've met my Idol.

"Yeah, I didn't expect her to act like that."

"She's not some princess Norm. She's human with a touch of mother. Let's go, I need some sleep. My body needs normal gravity."

"Okay, yeah, let me lead you to your room."

"Thanks Norm."