Freedom from Flesh
"How much link time have you logged?'' Grace asked Norm, weaving her way through busy scientists with ease. Harry and Norm had no problems with keeping up with her, but because Jake was in a wheelchair, it took a little bit more effort for him to get through the horde of biologists and botanists in his way.
''About five hundred and twenty hours." Norm replied nervously, twiddling his thumbs the whole time. Harry rolled his eyes. Norm was about as arrogant and annoying as they came, and Harry could see right through his act.
However, Grace couldn't. Or maybe, Harry mused silently, she didn't want too. He had seen it before, and the almost willful ignorance made him want to claw and bite and hiss in an effort to safely express his aggravations.
''That's good,'' She said, looking back at her entourage. She pointed to a link machine, another coffin-like structure that Harry would have to make sure that his magic didn't fuck up. It had happened once, during training. It had baffled the scientists and trainers, but eventually, they just write it off as an accident. ''Norm, you're here.'' Norm parted from the group, content to watch as his link machine booted up. Grace then looked at Harry. "How much link time have you logged, Soldier?'' She said the world soldier like it was a particularly disgusting flavor on her tongue.
''I didn't log anything,'' Harry replied, analyzing her face. ''I don't plan on leaving.'' Harry finished, shrugging his shoulders. Grace stared at the marine captain for a minute, trying to wrap her head around exactly what he was trying to say.
''You're there,'' She pointed to another link machine, one over from Norm, giving up for the moment on trying to figure out what Harry meant. Harry sent a glance at Jake before parting from the group as well.
Harry watched the machine whirl to life. Florescent lights lined the coffin-like structure, and he stood, almost hypnotized by the spinning machine behind the link bed. He let his curiosity get the best of him for a moment and plunged his pointer finger into the smooth looking lining of the coffin. His finger sunk right into the gel, and nostalgia hit Harry hard. He remembered his first time touching silly putty as a child and compared it to this. This was way cooler of course, but the feeling of it reminded him of his old home, his old life. The soldier smiled serenely, not caring about who was around to witness his moment of weakness.
''Your link is ready, General.'' The female scientist that was prepping his machine said suddenly before leaving, trusting Harry to know exactly what he was doing. Laying down, Harry settled his body into the gel and lowered the protective exoskeleton. He settled the metal structure over his chest with practiced ease. He was about to close the link completely when a scientist, a male this time, gave him a smile and shut it for him.
Harry looked around the coffin, green lights lighting the interior. The only thing that he could move completely was his head.
Harry relaxed, letting his magic settle down and calm so it didn't blow up the link machine.
And he closed his eyes.
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And then opened them right back up.
It was like seeing the world for the first time. It wasn't even closely comparable to the simulations that he had been forced to endure during training back on earth Harry could feel Ewya preening in the back of his mind, reminiscent of a proud peacock. He struggled not to laugh at the proud deity and instead chose to focus on his new and blue body.
Two scientists, Harry really couldn't have been bothered at that moment to really remember their names, stood above him smiling.
"Welcome to your new body, Harry." The male scientist said. Harry felt his ear flick in the doctor's general direction.
"Motor Controls looking good, General." The female said, standing in front of a monitor. He followed the cords that ran out of the machine until he got to his own arms and legs. Wow. He analyzed his long limbs and wiggled his fingers. "Good, you are able to feel and control your body to the appropriate degree." The female commented, making Harry's ear flick in her direction.
"Jake, you need to sit down!" Another voice, one of the other female scientists, sounded in the room. Harry turned his head to the side only to see Jake, standing, and ripping out his IV leads. Harry rolled his wide, cat-like eyes at his friend, but he could not fault Jake for his excitement.
He was walking, for the first time in over nine years. With his legs.
Before Harry knew it, Jake was running out the door and towards the yard. With a sigh, Harry sat up. The doctors near him saw this and crowded around him, trying to keep him from falling over. He gave them a smile and a placating nod before swinging his legs off of the operation table. Carefully, Harry stood up, making sure not to go too fast and hurt himself. The scientists flickered around him, incredibly short thanks to his new height.
He almost jumped when his new tail curled itself around his bicep.
Harry didn't hesitate to put on the clothing that the doctors had brought for him, but finding an abnormal discomfort in the tank top and cargo shorts as they constricted his movements every time he tried to walk. In addistion, the combat boots felt wrong on his feet. He could feel the displeasure from Ewya when he stepped out into the light. She could not feel her new life as well as she wanted to.
Harry reached his arm over his head and stretched, getting used to the new body that he had been graced with. Thanks to Ewya's slight (large) altercations to his AVATAR body, Harry looked like an Omaticaya, and because of the language training, he sounded like one as well.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry turned around and watched Max run to his side. "Let's walk to the loft together. I have to go there anyway." Max fell into step beside Harry, having to walk twice as fast to keep up with Harry's strides. "So, how's the new body?"
"Great. I imagine that you get to hear all about how great it is though. Do you ever wish that you could have one of your own?" Harry asked the shorter man. He looked away before he could focus too hard on the fact that he could now see the individul pores in Max's skin.
"No, not really," Max replied, grinning up at the general. "Running around in the jungle here isn't like it is on Earth. I would rather stay inside and work my ass off then come out here and die because I don't know what I'm doing." Harry hummed, understanding where the man was coming from all to well.
"Better be careful Max," Harry started. "If you spend any more time with those chemicals, people will think that you have some sort of chemical fetish." Harry took great joy in seeing Max's face light up like a red Christmas tree. "Hey, I'm just playing." Harry smiled, ruffling the smaller man's hair.
"Just because you are now taller than me doesn't give you free rein over my hair." Max whine, trying to get his curly hair to lay flat on his skull again.
"Sorry Maxy, but it gives me so much free reign over you, and by extension, your hair." Harry chuckled.
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"Hey Marine!" Harry heard Grace yell when they got to the loft. Max ended up excusing himself not too long before, saying that he had some things to take care of and to enjoy his new body. "Looking good. At least one of you decided to wait until the doctors decided to release you." She turned around to face a nervous Jake and Norm, who looked like he was about to cry.
Pussy.
"These two came in about ten minutes ago. Jake ran right up to the loft's front porch, and not thirty seconds later, Norm came barreling past Jake and knocked into another driver." Norm seemed to shrink farther into himself, and Harry could help but snort.
"Well, they are alive, aren't they, Grace?" Harry said, watching her cheeks turn purple. Harry couldn't stop the giggle from escaping his lips when she turned around and mumbled something, before going back inside.
Harry 1, Grace 0.
"Actually," Harry paused in the doorway, his three fingers curling around the wooden frame with just enough strength to hold him in place, but not enough to crush it. "Do you have other clothing. There must be something wrong with the ones they gave me."
"What do you mean 'wrong'?" Grace asked, her eyebrow raised slightly as she leaned carelessly on the stair railing. "The clothes are just what you would wear as a human, General. Standard issue, just scaled up."
Harry hummed, picking relentlessly at the cargo shorts with the hand that wasn't gripping the entryway. A quiet rip sounded in his sensitive ears, and Harry flicked his fingers in aggitation as he was forced to leave the pants alone before he just tore them off at the seams. "No reason, I guess."
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''Don't play with that. You'll go blind.'' Jake heard Grace say. He was holding his braided black hair in his hand as he stared, fascinated at the individual pink strands that seemed to move at their own accord.
''That's kind of freaky.'' To Jake, watching his hair move was creepy. Sue him.
''Its alright, Jake. Just don't damage them. You really could go blind.'' Harry lounged on the cot next to Jake, braiding and re-braiding his queue over and over again. From what Jake could see, not once did the pink strands of Harry's hair poke out through the thick black strands.
''What are you doing that for?'' Jake asked, now watching Harry braid and bead the hair that he had deliberately left out of the large braid.
''Because I'm bored.'' Was Harry's simple answer, and Jake almost choked on his own saliva.
''No shit, dumbass. I gathered that. I meant why are you doing that specifically.'' Jake motioned to his own braid, the standard one that most AVATARs had.
''I like having something to do with my hands. Keeps me from destroying the clothes they gave me. Plus, I like some of the more intricate designs of the Na'vi people, and the only way to wear them properly, you have to practice.'' By the time Harry was done, he had a halo of black braided strands with clay and plastic beads threaded into the individual pieces. Jake looked for a long time, but no matter how hard or long he looked, he could not spot the pink hairs.
''Well, whatever this one is, you did it correctly.'' Harry smiled, looking down at his lap where his four fingers twisted and twirled with the hairs on the end of his tail. "What do you mean about ripping the clothes?" Jake couldn't tell the difference between the clothes he wore as human and the clothes they gave him after he finally shed the hospital gown. "They just feel like.....clothes to me."
"I don't really know," Harry said softly, pausing slightly as his tail continued to move around despite Harry holding the end. "Something just doesn't feel right. I feel trapped, confined, stuck?" Harry's nose scrunched and his canines poked out from behind his slightly parted lips. "Something just feels wrong." Harry stopped talking for a minute, and Jake shrugged, assuming that was going to be the extent of their conversation.
''This particular style has five strands instead of three. It is more weaving at this point then braiding. However, I like how it looks, and I wanted to try it.'' Harry finally spoke, dropping the clothing subject and shrugged his shoulders before grabbing a fruit from a pile Grace had left on their shared night stand.
''Alright kiddies, lights out.'' Grace's voice rang out throughout the compound. One by one, the human scientists left the building. He turned back to Harry only to see his friend had laid down already and had his back to him.
''Good night to you too, Dumbass,'' Jake said.
''Good night, Moron,'' Harry said back, humor dripping from his voice. Jake smiled and breathed a relieved sigh when the earlier frustration had vacated Harry's tone before he to laid down, readjusting his queue so he did not accidentally damage it while sleeping.
He listened as Grace closed and latched the gates. All he could do for a while was stare at the wooden ceiling. The breathing around him combined with the sounds of the wildlife sent him into a daze, and he eventually closed his eyes.
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Only to open them again in a body he no longer wanted any part of.