chapter two
Chapter Two
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Nobody back at the Rig believed you. Dr. Yates was watching you with skeptical eyes, had been since you emerged from the link chamber and started talking about the tulkun’s intelligence.
You avatar was still on the rock, once Ame had left, you’d gotten yourself comfortable and let yourself drift and go back to your human body through sleep. It would be safe for the night, and in the morning, you’d link back up and work on getting to the evac if they could pinpoint your location.
And nobody believed you about Ame saving you. Dehydration, exhaustion, they muttered. Insisted.
None of this was true, but it didn’t matter.
“It’s not even the first time a tulkun has saved someone,” you grumbled, poking at your food.
“Yeah, but it’s the first time someone is saying a tulkun could speak,” said Felix. Felix was another avatar driver, an oceanographer. He was one of the smartest people you’d ever met, and sometimes felt a little silly talking to him in comparison. He’d been the one to lead your group on the tour of the Rig, having already been on Pandora for about 3 years now. “For what it’s worth, I believe you.”
You blinked, not having expected that. He grinned at you. “Most animals don’t show enough empathy or intelligence to realize someone is drowning, much less go out of their way to save them.”
“She said her name was Ame,” you told him quietly. “It was hard to understand her at first, but I think the more I’m around her the easier it will become. Makes me wish I was a linguist instead.”
“Linguistics might not help much,” he mused. “Besides, you speak enough Na’vi to communicate with her.”
You nodded slowly, unsure where the conversation was going as he continued, “When we go out next, we can meet up. Apparently some of the senior staff track the tulkun. It’s usually best to avoid their path purely to avoid accidental damage to machinery—but you could probably get away with it under the premise of studying them.”
“You think so? I focused mostly on coral for my thesis, I doubt the RDA will let me try and befriend a space whale,” you quipped.
“The RDA needs better publicity. The Na’vi don’t want us here, and exploiting resources from another planet doesn’t look great. A study that identifies another intelligent life form could be the good PR they need,” said Felix.
You stared at him for a few moments. “Why are you telling me all this?”
He shrugged, stealing a chip off your plate. “I got a good feeling about you. The tulkun are picky, they don’t just save everyone.”
He’s gone before you can say another word, leaving you feeling baffled and a little less intimidated by him.
You pick at your food a little longer, rattles by the bizarre interaction with Felix. Once the penetrating stares of Dr. Yates grow to be too much, you made your way back to your room. Thankfully, your roommate was asleep in her bunk already, and you were able to wordlessly crawl into bed. You stared at the ceiling for a long time, lost in daydreams and eventually, you fell into a deep sleep.
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That night, you dreamed you were floating with Ame—and you were happy.
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You forced yourself out of bed and into wakefulness as soon as Claire’s alarm began to buss. Claire was nice enough, if not kind of annoying. She was the only other new Avatar driver on the team, and you had trained with her in preparation for Pandora. Claire was chatty, vocal, and seemed to have a hard time knowing when to butt out of a conversation or drop a topic.
As soon as she was in the bathroom, you throw on your clothes and all but sprint to the link rooms, nearly colliding with Felix in the process.
He shot you a look over his shoulder, clearly wanting to speak with you. You find your stomach curling with nerves, and you manage an awkward wave before continuing at a much more sedate pace.
Felix, much like Claire, does not seem to take a hint.
“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” he asked, matching your pace.
“Kind of don’t want to lose my avatar already,” you said.
“Well, let me walk you,” he said. “I’ll join the team going to get you. Someone’s got to make sure you don’t topple off the boat again.”
You identified the cold feeling in your stomach. Dread. “Will I ever be able to live that down?”
Felix shrugged. “Maybe, depends on if someone does anything stupid.”
“Like getting lost at sea and saying the tulkun are sentient?” you barbed, mood souring completely.
“Point taken,” grumbled Felix, sliding into the link room behind you. “Go on, I’ll link you in. Once you wake up, don’t try and swim or anything. That body is going to be dehydrated and tired. If you have to unlink, try and do it after the boat arrives.”
You nodded, laying in the bed. “Right.”
“Oh, and Hana?” said Felix. “Good luck.”
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Your avatar body was fine. As soon as you were linked in, eyes fluttering open, it became clear you would be fine. You stretched. Beyond some soreness from sleeping on a rock, and being a little hungry and thirsty, you felt fine.
The waves crashed softly, and you admired the water for some time before you saw the boat. You stand carefully, your blue toes curling to help you grip the surface. When you first saw your avatar, the hues had thrown you off. Naïvely, you’d expected it to look more like one of the forest people near Hell’s Gate. Dr. Yates had explained that the whole point was to not be immediately killed by locals and hopefully facilitate a relationship that is more reasonable. It didn’t make since for an Omaticaya or Ti’pani to be at the sea.
As it was, your arms were wider in this body, your fingers more pointed and your eyes larger. The best way you could describe it, it was like looking at yourself through a looking glass. Your avatar was the you of another world. Another planet, another life.
Felix was the one to greet you, reaching out to grab your arm and pull you onto the boat. His avatar was much the same as yours. It was him, but not him, him. You saw his features, but if he had been born Na’vi.
“Didn’t need it,” you told him.
He frowned. “Don’t need what?”
“Your luck,” you quipped. He grinned.
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The next time he was scheduled to go out, Felix requested that you come too.
“I’m just interested in the currents,” he explained. “We can go close to the tulkun. Kill two birds with one stone.”
“I don’t study the tulkun,” you protested weakly. It was true, over the last week you’d narrowed down your field of interest to the algae. You had hopes that by studying the algae here, you may find something beneficial for the people back on Earth.
“Yeah, but they don’t know that,” he said cheekily, referring to the armed guard.
Tensions had started to rise between the Na’vi and humans, growing more hostile since an incident at Hell’s Gate, and as such, all the scientists were sent out with an armed escort. Dr. Yates was livid at the intrusion, insisting that an idiot with a machine gun would only damage relations further.
The RDA didn’t agree, and thus, the armed escort. You’d unintentionally eavesdropped on her call with Dr. Augustine that morning. The Tsakerem of the Omaticaya had been killed. Your heart had dropped so low you thought it had fallen out of you completely. You knew of the Omaticaya in passing—enough to know that the girl killed was only a teenager, and so were the others that died with her. Dr. Augustine’s school had been closed, and Dr. Yates didn’t think it would be possible to even dream of achieving the same with the Metkayina now—not with the tragedy so fresh.
“So,” prompted Felix. “What do you say?”
You rolled your eyes, conceding, “Fine, fine. Let’s go. But I am not writing a paper on them!”
“No, no, best you focus on the important stuff. Algae.”
“Laugh it up, you’ll be crying in the crowd when I walk away with a Nobel Prize,” you said sarcastically.
“If you win a Nobel Prize for algae, I’ll eat my hat.”
That startled a laugh out of you, and you grinned at him. “Deal.”
You and Felix shook on it.
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Felix made good on his promise, and steered the boat to where he knew the tulkun were on their migration path. You were much more careful this time, not daring to lean out as far into the water.
The guard with you was at all woman, who had only introduced herself with her last name. Harris was pretty, with dark skin and almond eyes. She was also a lot more relaxed then you had expected, and the easy banter between her and Felix told you that not only did he have the same effect on most people, they also knew each other well.
“Looking for something?” she asked, looking up at you. She didn’t have her gun out, standing comfortably in cargo shorts and a black tank top.
“Yes,” you said quietly, feeling a little shy. “Someone.”
“Oh?” inquired Harris, turning to look at Felix when it became clear you weren’t going to elaborate.
“Tulkun that saved her,” he said simply. “I think this is her pod, their path matches where Hana fell overboard and was found.”
Harris nodded, offering a smile. It was a really pretty smile. You looked away, cheeks feeling warm.
“You know, I always liked the tulkun. Our boat got flipped after a strong wave early on,” Harris said. “I thought I was a goner. Next thing I know, boat is right side up and I’m being pulled back on. Tulkun saw it turn and flipped us back over. Never got to thank them properly.”
It was becoming a lot more clear why Felix had insisted Harris come. You nodded slowly, staring out at the water. You could almost see them under the surface, rising for air.
Ame saw you first. She rose slowly, as though she was nervous. You recognized her almost immediately, the plates in her head forming a distinct pattern.
You laughed, heart swelling as you greeted her happily, “Hello Ame.”
Ame whistled in return, the sound distinct and utterly tulkun. You did not speak that language, but you recognized the greeting all the same. Hello, Hana.
You beamed, forgetting yourself momentarily and turning to Harris. “Ame, this is Harris, and Felix. They are friends.”
Harris’ mouth had dropped open, her eyes wide with surprise. “Uh, hi?”
Ame whistled again, dipping below the surface as an invitation. You glanced over at Felix, who was watching the scene happily. He grinned at you, and without hesitation, you lifted off your shirt and pants, revealing the swimsuit underneath.
You leaped into the water, your long hair swirling around you like a halo as you floated beside Ame.
You waved at her, grinning. Ame flapped her fin, and you took hold of it. She took off, pace leisurely for her, but fast enough your cheeks filled with water and you sputtered as soon as you surfaced.
“Ame!” you laughed. She made a sound that resembled a laugh, and you playfully smacked on her armored skin as you realized she’d done it on purpose.
It went like that for some time, sitting with Ame and swimming with her. You began to piece together her sounds, the vocalizations she made, and your understanding of her Na’vi grew more. It wasn’t perfect, and you were nearly certain that you both were misunderstanding each other on some things—but the topics you spoke of were light. You told her about the algae you wanted to study, and she mentioned where she knew some rarer species grew, promising to show you.
It was fun, it was easy. It was like meeting up with an old friend.
Felix was the one to call for you, when it was time to leave. “Hana!” he shouted, driving the boat closer. “We gotta head back before they send out a search party again.”
You didn’t want to go. You looked at Ame, your smile dropping as you slide back into the water. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” you promised. “You will show me the algae you mentioned, the one by the reef you passed?”
Ame hummed in agreement. You beamed at her, climbing onto the boat and sitting next to Harris. Your eyes didn’t leave her until you simply couldn’t see her anymore. Harris broke the silence.
“They are really smart, aren’t they?” she finally said.
You nodded. “Yes, they are.”
A pause. “What’s she like?”
You frowned, your ears dropping as you realized Harris did not speak Na’vi. Or if she did, not well enough to listen to your conversations.
“She is funny,” you said. “Ame is funny.”
“Funny,” repeated Harris, as though it hadn’t occurred to her the tulkun could be funny. Could have humor—could communicate enough to be funny.
“Yes,” you agreed. Harris nodded. “It was a lot for me too.”
The rest of the trip to the Rig is in silence. It is only when you are stepping off the boat, Harris walking beside you that she says, “Hey, do me a favor will you?”
“Yes?” you asked, suddenly nervous.
“Call me Ava?”
You smiled. “Only if you come with us next time too.”
Harris—Ava—smirked back. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
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