Chapter Text
You don’t dream in cryo.
That was what everyone had told her. She hadn’t believed it at first. How could you lie in sleep for six years straight and not have a single dream? It wasn’t until the cryo-pod released and she heard the hiss of air rushing in that she realized it was true. The last thing she could remember happening was going into sleep-mode, then darkness, then what was nearly six years of radio silence.
She groaned as the bright artificial light hit her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to rub them, but found her arms still secured at her side by the bands across her middle. She spotted a figure float over to her in scrubs, and watched as the person began fiddling with the controls by her bed.
“Ugh… we here?” Was all she could think of to ask as the figure chuckled beneath their mask.
“Yeah, we’re here. Don’t try to move around too much, just take it nice and slow, alright?”
“Mhmm.” She affirmed, flexing her muscles as the nurse undid her restraints. It was only a second later when she began to float upwards. Panic took her as she grabbed the side bed, quickly anchoring herself to the pod.
I’m in space, I’m really in space! I’m in a giant tin can above an alien moon and I’m floating and I think I’m going to be sick. She reached over to the wall by her pod and fumbled around for the sick bag that had to be there somewhere. There was no way she was going to vomit into open air with no gravity. That would be messy.
It was the nurse who located the bag first, passing it to her in the nick of time as she began to dry heave. There was nothing really to throw up, she realized. Only bile and air. Either way, she felt significantly better when she was finished, passing the bag to the waiting nurse with a hoarse, “thank you.”
Continuing to gain her bearings, she looked around at the others leaving stasis. There were exactly two other people she knew well on this ship. Norm Spellman, a scientifically-minded anthropologist and her language-cram buddy, and Makoto Tanaka, an entomologist, and her best friend since undergrad. So far, she couldn’t pick out either of them.
Everyone getting ejected and crawling out of their pods reminded her of animals coming out of hibernation, and in a way, they were. Hesitantly, she released her grip on the side of her bed and let herself float up and around. She was amazed at how much lighter she felt, how it was like swimming without any water. Turning around, she found the compartment above her pod that held her belongings. Three stuffed duffle bags, not to mention other equipment that would be unloaded separately. In zero gravity they were easy to lift, and she dreaded how heavy they would be planet-side.
Slinging two of the bags over her shoulder, she gripped the third in her arms and did her best to “swim” towards the restroom area. While there, she would be able to change out of the scrub-like clothes she wore and into her own. She wished she could’ve gotten a shower first, but water and zero gravity tended not to mix well.
Changing would’ve been awkward under any other circumstances, but there were hardly any other women around, and she found a fairly secluded space to ditch the scrubs and pull on her own clothes. She had to practically anchor herself to a handle on the wall while her free hand maneuvered her clothes on. One awkward shimmy-shuffle later, she was dressed in a tank top and khaki shorts. Pulling on the socks and boots proved to be yet another difficult task, since she kept floating up with her feet above her head any time she tied to pull the boots on.
She was practically curled up in a ball desperately trying to get at least one boot on when she heard a familiar voice.
“Lydia, have you thought of just pushing your foot against the wall and going from there?”
“Makoto!” Lydia laughed, abandoning her current shoeing attempt and floating over to her friend. They embraced in a tight hug, quickly abandoning it before they went freewheeling through the ships locker room.
“Sleep well?” Makoto asked, pulling off her own scrubs as Lydia went back over to try Makoto’s shoe advice, finding it much easier to pull on the boots.
“Like a rock, you?” Lydia asked, stuffing the old scrubs into the latched bin marked for them.
“Like the dead!” Makoto said pulling on her own t-shirt and pants. “Look at you, tank top and shorts! Are you aiming to find a boyfriend or something while we’re here?”
“Hah, yeah right. Only people here are jarheads, trigger-happy mercs, and nerds, like us.” Lydia said, fixing her bags again. “I’m wearing this because Pandora has a tropical climate, at least where we’re going.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Makoto said, her tone clearly disbelieving. “Ohh maybe you’ll fall in love with a handsome Na’vi man!” Makoto joked nudging her friend in the side as she went over to the scrubs deposit.
“Okay now I know you’re REALLY dreaming. I think they’d sooner shoot me then kiss me. Besides, that’s quite a bit of height difference. And it’s not like I have an avatar or anything.” Lydia shrugged, heading over to the exit area, watching Makoto do the same shoe-dance as she had earlier.
“Ahh the wonders of arts and humanities funding.” Makoto sighed as she finished tying her boots. She “swam” over to Lydia as they both waited for the transport to the surface to open and let them board.
“Tell me about it. But you know, I’m not sure I’d even want one. And besides, we have Norm with his.” Lydia said, gripping another handle near the exit.
“Great, our hopes and dreams rest on the shoulders of Norm Spellman.” Makoto said, but there was no venom in the words.
“Oh layoff, he’s not even here to defend himself! Sure his Na’vi is too formal and he sticks his foot in his mouth too much, but he’s a good guy!” Lydia laughed.
Lydia and Makoto hovered around while the other women periodically filed in and changed, eventually joining them at the exit bay. There were maybe a few other scientists that Lydia recognized but she guessed the rest of the women were either soldiers, security, or some kind of technician.
About an hour later the exit bay became active as the doors to the shuttle opened and she and the other women boarded, meeting the men from their own locker room. The entered into the areas artificial gravity with a jolt, Lydia doing her best to wrangle her bags to her in the sudden weight.
“See Norm anywhere?” Lydia asked, moving around on tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of people around her.
“He shouldn’t be too hard to spot, he’s gotta be one of the tallest guys here.” Makoto said, swiveling her head around. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, looking slightly dazed and a little lost.
“Hey! Hey, Norm! Over here!” Makoto began waving her hands in the air, Lydia following suit once she’d spotted him.
His face lit up and he shuffled his way over to them, getting in line for the same transport.
“Hey guys! Isn’t this incredible or what?!” He grinned. He was practically vibrating from his excitement, his face glowing.
“You bet it is! I can’t wait to get out there!” Lydia replied, filing her way through the entrance and finding a seat on the shuttle. She stuffed two of her bags in the area above her seat and shoved the third one underneath. As she was getting settled a voice crackled on over a speaker.
“Please proceed to your seats and fix your provided exo-packs to your face. If you are having difficulties, please ask an attendant for assistance.” The mechanical female voice said, before promptly cutting off again. Lydia glanced around for the attendants and saw only two VERY tough looking Marines staring over the area with an air of superiority she didn’t care for at all.
Luckily, she’d run through training about the exo-pack so many times she could do it in her sleep. She pulled it out, strapped it around her head, and clicked the small switch beneath her chin. Cool air flooded in and she inhaled it, realizing that most of her breathing outside of the RDA main base would be done through this mask. She turned to look at Norm and Makoto, both of them securing theirs as only people who’d done this more times than they could count could do.
“I’m so nervous, I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” Norm muttered. “That would suck, throwing up in one of these masks.” Lydia laughed.
“I already threw up when I got out of cryo. Just bile and air though. I’m starving.”
“I know, I haven’t eaten in years!” Makoto said, rubbing her stomach as she settled more into her seat.
“Deep breaths Norm, we’ll be there soon.” Lydia said, patting him on the back as he closed his eyes. Right on cue, the automated voice piped up again.
“We will be taking off momentarily. Please do not undo your seatbelts or attempt to move around the shuttle. The trip to the surface will take approximately 20 minutes. There may be turbulence depending on planet-side weather conditions. Please follow your attendants’ orders and be prepared for a safe journey to Pandora.” The voice clicked off again and within a minute the shuttle shifted as it was loosed from the massive ship.
“Ohhh man. Oh man.” Norm said, gripping the side of his seat. “This is just like the time my cousin made me ride that massive rollercoaster.”
“Did you throw up then too?” Makoto asked, a hint of mocking in her voice.
“Oh please shut up.” Norm groaned, closing his eyes.
Lydia laughed and held on tight to her handles as the shuttle began its descent to the moon’s surface.
She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as the shuttle sped through the vacuum of space and into Pandora’s atmosphere. She found Makoto’s hand and gripped it, grinning at her. The grin was returned as they both held on tightly to each other, the anticipation being almost too much to bear.
The shuttle began to decline and the feeling of gravity slowly returned to Lydia’s body. Within seconds the massive aircraft landed on the base with a jolt, though not as severe as was expected.
“Alright, everybody up! Grab your gear, get in line and get ready to head to the base! Do not stop until you are inside!” The attendant barked.
“Do they know we’re not soldiers?” Makoto whispered to her friends, adjusting her pack.
“I don’t really think they care,” Lydia responded, shrugging two of her packs onto her back and passing the third to Norm, who rolled his eyes and slipped it on.
“Why did you bring so much stuff?” He asked, shifting to get a better grasp on the bags.
“Always be prepared…” she said, trying to peer over Norm’s shoulder. “I got it all on board by saying it was research equipment.” She didn’t have to turn around to know that Makoto rolled her eyes.
The shuttle door opened with a great hiss and the air of Pandora rushed in. The people in front began to jog out, and soon enough she found herself following. The screams of “move, move, move!” faded out as she finally stepped on Pandoran ground. She began to awkwardly swivel her head around, trying to see as much as she could, disappointed to mostly see concrete and metal. Out in the distance, she could see trees and the beginnings of mountains, however, and that filled her with hope.
Her sight-seeing was interrupted when she heard the hooting voices of more soldiers around the base.
“Wooo boys, look at all this fresh meat!” shouted one soldier with a bald head, grinning at them like he really was looking at a meal. “Nice form there, sweetheart!” That one was directed to her, or at least in general vicinity. She wanted to stop and give him a piece of her mind but it was Makoto behind her that stopped her.
“Not worth it, keep going.” She said, sounding just slightly out of breath.
They filed in through the gate and into what constituted as the lobby for the base. As they slowed down, Lydia could read a giant sign that read “WELCOME TO HELL’S GATE” in big block letters.
“How cheery.” She said to no one in particular. “Really makes you feel at home.”
More soldiers greeted them, shouting directions to congregate in the cafeteria. She, Makoto, and Norm all managed to get a seat near the giant windows. She stared intently out into the jungle, gray and foggy though it was.
She watched as more soldiers, scientists, and technicians filed through and took their spots around the room. People were talking, chattering back and forth to each other about their respective roles on the base, or back on Earth in the military. That chatter quickly died, however, with no warning. Turning to look at the cause, Lydia saw an older man, clearly military. He wore dark green fatigues and carried a massive sidearm, but the most distinctive feature was on his face. Several long claw marks began just away from his hairline and crossed all the way to the back of his head.
Lydia caught the name “Colonel Quaritch” and heard the opening line of “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” But then found it increasingly hard to pay attention to what the Colonel was saying. Her eyes perked at the mention of the Na’vi, but realized it was only to inform the soldiers about the Na’vi’s toxic arrows and their strong bones. “Hard to kill” was what the Colonel had said. Typical military attitude.
She faded out again, but jumped when she heard the Colonel call Norm “numbnuts” and instructed him to pay attention. She glared at him. What was it that had given him those scars, and why hadn’t it finished the job? Definitely not a thanator, they didn’t stop unless their prey was dead. Maybe a slinger? They were the scariest creatures on this world in her opinion. Able to detach their heads and hurl it at prey. Yuck.
The colonel went on and on about the various safety rules, which they all should’ve memorized by now anyway. When his sharp call of “Dismissed!” was uttered, she practically threw herself out of her chair. He gave her a bad feeling, that colonel. She felt nothing but coldness when she looked at him, and couldn’t wait to be away from him.
“I thought he’d never stop.” Makoto said, stretching out her arms.
“Yeah, sounds like he’s just blowing smoke out his ass.” Lydia said, rolling her own shoulders to work out that cryo-stiffness that didn’t seem to want to leave.
“Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful though. But c’mon, who wants to go see the labs?” Norm said, his eagerness once again apparent on his face.
“Lead the way!” Lydia said, opening her arm as if to direct him, and off they went.
As they were walking up the hallway, Lydia noticed a guy in front of them in a wheelchair. Odd, she thought, the RDA had exacting physical requirements for people joining up. Norm, however, took off towards the guy with a shouted “Hey!” When he turned around, it all made sense.
This guy was a dead-ringer for Tom Sully. Tom had mentioned having a brother, a twin, and this must be the twin. He must be here to use Tom’s avatar, she thought, watching Norm hold out his hand and state the obvious. He was putting his foot in his mouth and she and Makoto looked at each other before coming around the other side.
“What Norm means to say is that we’re all sorry for your loss. Tom was a great guy.” Lydia said, coming to stand by Norm. “I’m Dr. Lydia O’Neill.” She said holding out her hand, and Tom’s brother, Jake, shook it.
“I’m Dr. Makoto Tanaka, it’s a pleasure.” Makoto said, sticking her hand around at an angle for Jake to shake.
“Corporal Jake Sully.” He said to all of them, giving them a tight-lipped nod.
“You’re a Marine, then?” Lydia asked, eying the emblem on his shirt sleeve.
“Yep, once a Marine, always a Marine.” He said, giving away nothing in particular about himself.
“Ah. Well… that’s nice.” Lydia said, moving away to walk down to the labs, leaving Jake confused in her wake. She dawdled along the walk with Makoto beside her.
“You should give him a chance, maybe he’s nice!” Makoto said.
“Hmmm. OR maybe he’s a pompous idiot like the rest of them.” Lydia frowned. She found herself really missing Tom at that moment, despite never being all that close to him.
When they finally reached the lab, she tried to covertly move behind Norm, letting him enter the lab first. She looked at the complex control center, the avatar link pods, and all the scientists. Now this was a place she could get used to. Smart people, not just grunts.
“They’re coming out of link!” a voice said, followed by another set of voices. Lydia only caught the last bit of a voice yelling for a cigarette, and she smiled. That voice had to belong to Dr. Grace Augustine. A leading figure in the field of xenobotony, Dr. Augustine was considered instrumental in setting up contact with the local Na’vi clan, the Omaticaya.
Lydia could see Dr. Augustine’s red hair as she moved over Norm and Jake, who had caught up to them and rolled around to the front.
“Dr. Augustine it’s an honor to meet you! Dr. Norm Spellman, I’ve read all your books, it’s so great to finally meet you!” Norm babbled, shaking Dr. Augustine’s hand enthusiastically.
“Norm, I’ve heard good things about you. Let me hear your Na’vi.”
“May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting.” Norm said, his formal tone still glaringly obvious, Lydia noted. Dr. Augustine echoed her own thoughts.
“Not bad, but you sound a little formal.” Grace replied, her tone pleasant.
“I studied for five years, but there is still much to learn.” Norm replied, humble as ever.
“And you, Dr. Makoto Tanaka, I understand you’re a top entomologist, not to mention gifted in biology in general?”
“Yes ma’am, I hope I’ll be able to be an asset to your program.” Makoto said, shaking the other doctor’s hand firmly.
“And you,” Dr. Augustine said, looking down at Jake.
“Jake Sully, I’m here to-”
“I know who you are and I don’t need you. I need your brother.” Grace said curtly, and Lydia could hear the frown in her voice. “I need the PhD who trained for three years for this.” Lydia shyly stepped around Norm, coming to stand beside him.
“I might be able to help with that.” Lydia said, grinning at Dr. Augustine. “Hi, Aunt Grace.”