CHAPTER 009
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SITE 26
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TWO WEEKS HAVE PASSED SINCE I BEGAN MY TRAINING WITH THE NA'VI. THREE SINCE I ARRIVED AT PANDORA.
In all these days I have dedicated myself to training with Neytiri. I have learned how to ride a Pa'li and now, she is teaching me the ways of the forest. It's a bit tedious and complicated, but nothing an ex-Marine recon can't accomplish in a few weeks.
The wound on my back has also improved a lot and is almost completely healed. It will leave a permanent mark, but I have always considered scars to be a sign of strength and survival. Mo'at can do wonders with that strange herbal paste that, although it smells very bad, has managed to heal the wound almost completely in record time.
Every day I feel better in my Avatar body and living with the Na'vi, I am getting used to this lifestyle very quickly, although there are still many things that I still need to learn. The Clan is getting more and more used to my presence and unlike two weeks ago, they no longer ignore me like before. They still treat me somewhat harshly and coldly, but it's progress.
Tsyeyk and Tsu'tey are still jerks. I don't understand what they're saying, but I've caught them laughing at me or watching me on several occasions, Tsu'tey always wearing that permanent scowl of his and Tsyeyk with his smug smirk and challenging eyes. Neytiri has gotten used to my presence too since we are together all day every day, however, it hasn't been enough for me to defend myself from them or for her to tell me what they say about me.
Regarding my team, let's say that things could be better. I still don't know the reason for Grace's change in attitude, and Norm is still snappy, but he also has moments where he lets go of his jealousy and really helps me learn more about this world. So far, he hasn't done much more than try to help me with the language, albeit basic things like the names of animals, plants, numbers, and colors.
On the other hand, I've also dedicated myself to closely study the structure and surroundings of the hometree. Every time Neytiri takes me riding on Pa'li or every dinner or every night before bed, I take the opportunity to memorize the structure of the place in detail so that I can give a good report to Quaritch and Selfridge, who have been waiting for a update since the last time I went to see them.
"If you wanna hit this thing, it's gonna be complicated" I looked carefully at the hologram of the hometree projected in front of me on the round table.
Quaritch, four of his men, and Selfridge listening intently as I report to them what I have detailed in these two weeks.
"Your scanners don't show it's internal structure. There is a row of columns / pillars outer layers, which are hard to penetrate" I described in detail the basic structure of hometree "There is a secondary circle and an inner circle here." I pointed where those were "There is also a core structure which is shaped like a spiral, they use it as a stair kind of thing that allows them to go up and down" I finished looking at Quartich.
"We need an accurate scan for each column" he stated without taking his eyes off the hologram.
"Roger That"
"What else do you know about that structure?" he asked looking at me.
I looked back at the scanner, and pointed to a point at the base of the tree. "I'm assuming this secondary loop also serves as load-bearing, aside from that, it's all the information I've got" I got up from the table and crossed my arms, leaving the hologram to fix my eyes on Selfridge.
He was deep in thought, which is kind of strange since that man would've jumped to give his opinion on the matter right away, but he's very quiet.
Quaritch nodded in my direction satisfied with what I was able to bring him.
"You can go back to work, Chase" I nodded and turned away to walk back to the linkroom.
It's almost seven in the morning and since it's still early, I decided to go get some breakfast before reporting to work.
[>>>]
When entering the linkroom there was almost no one. There was no Norm or Max and strangely, neither was Grace.
I was late and expected to find Grace at the door ready to chide me about being late, irresponsible, wasting the Na'vi's time and blah blah blah. To my surprise I was received with silence and a few scientists walking from here to there.
But no one from my team.
I approached one of the local scientists, the one who is always ready to serve Grace in whatever the redhead asks of her. Seeing me, she was a bit surprised and looked everywhere as if she was looking for someone.
"What are you doing here?" she asked me out of the blue.
"What do you mean?, I have to link" she shook her head and started to push me out of the room.
"You should be packing" I planted myself on the floor with force, preventing her from continuing to shove me, and I turned to see her with a frown.
"Packing for what?" her eyes widened as if she was scared that I didn't know.
"You are moving to site 26. You, Doctor Spellman and Doctor Augustine"
"No one told me about it" she let out a sigh.
"They decided it an hour ago" she told me and suddenly, started to shove me out again "Go pack, they are already on it."
"Fine, fine. I'll go" I raised my hands in surrender and walked out of the link room to go to my bunk bed and put the most important and necessary things in the bag I brought when I got here.
When I was done packing, I inspected the halls of the complex looking for a head of short red hair. It didn't take me long to find her with other scientists and Norm packing for the trip.
"You could've told me we were moving, you know" I crossed my arms and leaned my weight on a table to my right, drawing the attention of everyone there.
"You didn't receive the memo?, We're out of here" she said annoyed and without looking me in the eye.
"Why so sudden?"
"I'm not about to let Quaritch and Selfridge micromanage this thing" I widened my eyes slightly when she gave me a knowing look.
She knows.
I remained calm and composed, even if she knows that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone else does. But it does mean that she hates me even more now than before for working with her enemies.
"There's a mobile link up at site 26 we can work at. Way up in the mountains" she faced her back at me and kept packing everything we might need up there.
At her words, Norm turned around with an excited glint in his eyes. Like a kid in a candy shop.
"The Hallelujah mountains?" he stuttered a bit, making Grace smile when she turned to look at him.
"That's right" she confirmed.
"Yes!" he celebrated and started to sing: 'We are going to the mountains, you're not going to the mountains' to the other scientists who only laughed at his antics.
He turned around and when we made eye contact that smile was erased from his lips and replaced with a scowl.
"The Hallelujah mountains, heard of them?" he snapped, making me smirk while he frowned. Taken back by my reaction.
"Yeah, the Na'vi talk about them all the time" it was a low blow, and he became angry. But before he could say anything else, Grace interrupted us.
"Go help Trudy in the hangar, marine" I rolled my eyes and started to walk away.
"Aye, Captain" and I disappeared from there.
[>>>]
"Thank you for flying air Pandora" she said through the coms, shutting the samson down.
I jumped off the edge of the samson and turned around to admire my surroundings. The Hallelujah Mountains are beautiful. They are suspended in the air and in many of them there are waterfalls where the water gives the illusion of vanishing in midair.
Never in my life would I have expected to see something as incredible or impressive as this. Pandora has not stopped surprising me since I arrived and I still have a world to discover out there.
"Keep moving, marine" Grace called me.
I turned and followed the others into the camp, carrying some of our belongings while Grace opened the gate and brought the place to life. Upon entering, the first thing that caught my attention was how narrow the place is. Undoubtedly we will be a little tight but nothing that I wasn't familiar with.
Grace began assigning bunk beds while Trudy raided the fridge.
"This stuff's nasty" she grimaced.
I turned around to take a look at the food, but stopped when I saw the pictures on the door of the fridge. Grace was in most of them with a bunch of Na'vi kids. She seemed to be in some kind of school teaching the children, but what caught my attention was the huge smile on her lips and the sparkle of happiness in her eyes. That's when it clicked to me. A hint of Grace's more calm, nice and patient attitude towards me.
One picture in particular caught my eye, in this one, Grace was with four teenagers, three of whom I could easily recognize. They were Neytiri, Tsyeyk, and Tsu'tey. They seemed really happy smiling at the camera next to each other.
I don't recognize the other girl, but she shares similar physical characteristics with Neytiri and was holding Tsyeyk's arm. The photo doesn't seem to be very old, since the four I can recognize haven't changed much.
The fridge door slammed shut. Grace's hand covering the photo I had been looking at. Her dark eyes narrowed and looked at me with annoyance.
"I was talking to you" she said.
I widened my eyes because I didn't hear her, I was so focused on the picture that I ignored everything around me.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" She eyed me up and down, then turned around and walked away towards another section of the camp with me hot on her heels.
"Marine, you'll be in the link at the end" she pointed at it and I walked towards it, getting ready to link because I was already late for my training today "Unit 1. She's the least glitchy" I nodded.
I opened the lid and seated on the bed, arranging my body as required and ready to bond with the Avatar.
"Norm, I'm going to need you to operate Aquila's link" I turned to look at the mentioned scientist, only to realize that he was already about to protest.
"What? Oh come on" he complained, not at all happy with his new duty.
"Got a problem, Spellman?" I asked with a frown.
I've put up with his attitude long enough now. I have tried to be tolerant and yes, I may have teased him on several occasions with my advantages, but he's the one who always starts the arguments and the one who always has that attitude.
"Yeah, I do!" he exclaimed "I've trained five years for this mission. I speak the language fluently" he snaps at me "She's persecuted by a Thanator and lands in Na'vi territory and suddenly becomes the cultural ambassador?" he talks to Grace, who just looks at me for a second and then back at Norm with softness in her eyes.
"It's not our choice, Norm" she tells him with a sigh.
"Well, you know what? I didn't come here to wash dishes while you're on some interspecies bootycall" he says and walks away, leaving me alone with Grace.
We don't say anything for a couple of seconds. We just stay there processing what just happened. Grace then shifts and sighs, programming the link for me.
"You have to understand h-"
"I do, Grace. I really do" I cut her off, not wanting to hear her apologize for him. "I understand that all of you are upset because I have the opportunity to live among them and you don't, but it's not my fault" I lay down on the linkbed, placing the metal skeleton on my chest. "And don't talk like you don't act the same way. I may not have all the pieces of the puzzle, but I know the only reason you refrain from treating me the same way he does or even worse now that you know what I do on the sly, is because I'm the key to get something you want" she looked at me in silence because I left her speechless, because she knows I'm right "I am many things, Augustine, but I'm no fool" and then I closed the lid and closed my eyes, linking to my Avatar.