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Field Guide to Pandora: Ch. 2 Journey to Pandora

Masterlist

Ch 1. The incentive/Ch. 3 Make it Blue

Word Count:2,827

Summary: You finally are on Pandora and meet and old friend.

Warning: Evil brother-in-law and some self-doubt, questionable grammar, and finally spelling errors.

Author Note: Sorry guys wanted to have this up sooner. Had family issues and was trying better with the grammar. English is my first language, but it was not my strongest subject. I may have mispelled Cryo a lot. Along with other words. I have been trying to flag, but there is only so many I can catch. Again, I have never been great at English. So, apologies, and hopefully, as I write more, I can get better. Other than that enjoy!

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After paperwork and packing, everything was set to go to Pandora. Well, the packing wasn’t so much about what we were going to bring with us, but what we were going to leave behind. A trip there and back again is a little over ten years. Who knows if the RDA will keep their word on keeping our stuff safe? Luckily for me, I did not have a lot.

I was paid well enough to have a studio and a few special things. Mostly, I took my notebook, a few books, and some digital storage that had my favorite movies, books, and memories stored on it. My packing did not take nearly as long as Alec and Aria’s did. I had a lot fewer trophies and certificates proclaiming superiority. Mostly, it was me packing and lifting while they discussed what to do. Which was not unusual. Since I had started working for them, I was the heavy lifter.

During the whole process, though, a heavy feeling was being placed on me. Almost like Earth’s gravity was keeping me down. Wanting me to stay home. Almost as if when I left, I was never coming back. This feeling was not new to me. When I briefly joined the military and got my first mission, I felt this. Just this time, there was something different about it.

There is a hesitance I feel with it. One thing is stopping me from wanting to go and do my job. I had almost an exact feeling with this on my fourth and last mission in the military. I was doing some scouting work and then got attacked. I lost my eyes, and my buddy in the unit lost his legs. After that, I thought I would be blind forever. At first, I relied on my parents and sister for help. Quickly, they decided I was a nuisance, blind. Then, right as I am starting to get used to my new life, they make me go get surgery on something experimental.

My sister, Aria, with the help of a colleague and our parents, gave me new eyes. Specifically grown from my DNA and double-matched with my mother’s and father’s. Then once they were put in, I could see. The only thing wrong was that they were not my original color. My sister so graciously helped and made sure my new eye color matched hers almost exactly. That was the first time, at least in a long time, I remembered my parents giving me a genuine compliment with no constructive criticism to follow it up.

Won’t you know the weird things that pop into your mind when you’re scared and about to do something that will change your life? Here I am trembling and thinking about old grievances. How bitter I was having to pack all of Alec’s and Aria’s things. I should be happy I did not have as much stuff to worry about, and that I am not bringing that many items. As well as I should be happy that my sister and family gave me new eyes without asking. They even changed the color of them, without asking.

I should be grateful for it. I should be grateful for them wanting me to be like Aria. I should… but yet I wasn’t.

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When you go into the cyro, most feel it as just like closing your eyes, going to sleep. Except don’t fall asleep, so you don’t dream, and you don’t rest. Except I could swear I did. Dreaming of a place that was both wild and calm. Dreams always have to end sometime.

In the little space of the chamber, I noticed there were little drops of water in the chamber. There is a slight sense of panic that shoots through me, thinking that something was leaking. That stopped when I noticed one of the drops slowly floating directly above my nose. The only thing that was leaking was me.

After that, a scientist pulled me out and checked me over. He was saying something, but I was not quite concentrating. Nothing looked or felt right. I escape from the space I was in and start floating. When I try and move, I feel too weak. There is a dull pain in my head and eyes that grows worse as I float

I feel someone grab me, and then another. Then I feel a sharp pain in my left arm, and slowly it dulls to a mild headache that one would get after drinking. Still not great.

When I finally register what is going on, Alec is messing with a tablet and has it hooked up to my pod. While Aria is still holding me and administering an injection to me. I feel another sharp stab and instinctively pull my arm away. Aria snatched it back and started to chastise me, “Will you hold still. Something messed up in your pod and didn’t properly give you the injections. You almost came out with no eyes.

I groaned, and if my eyes did not hurt, then I would have rolled them, “Well, that would have just been lovely. Good thing we have an extra set.”

I tried to joke, referring to the avatar. Aria scoffs and ignores my comment as I try to ask something, but I get ignored. Aria is discussing something with Alec, and as quickly as I can, I reach for a bag and vomit. This was off to a good start.

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“So I guess that is the start of it all. What made me come to Pandora? How I got here and everything. I even got to see an old friend whom I met in the Marines. Who would have thought I would see Jake Sully here? He may be more military than me, but it will be nice to have someone who knows and gets me. Oh, and get this-” My monologue, the camera gets shut off by someone turning it off mid-rant. With a swift movement, I grab the perpetrator’s wrist.

Alec just looks at me, displeased, and I quickly let go of his wrist. Alec takes the camera away and starts taking it to upload the video I just did. I cross my arms and get up to follow him, “You do know it is rude to cut people off when they are talking to a camera. Especially for science. purposes.”

Alec does not stop what he was doing, but at least acknowledged me with a scoff, “Again, you are not a scientist. At most, a lab assistant. Besides, you were rambling for about 30 minutes. You have not even gotten into your avatar, so there is no point in speaking for that long over stupid things.”

His words hit a weak spot of mine that has been hit far too many times. I try not to let it get to me, but that is a futile endeavor. “Well then, what is the point? Why make me do this when supposedly I have nothing interesting or informative to say?

“Because you will be doing this every day, and you need to get into the habit of it. After your logs are done then they will be loaded and backed up, so that way if any get corrupted, they can be salvaged,” He informs, boredom spilling from his tone mixed with contempt, like he is being forced to talk to a child.

I really, really hate my brother-in-law sometimes. “Well then, it’s safe to assume you won’t listen to this one.”

Alec nods and continues loading it up, only glancing at me when he is not busy, “Correct assumption for once. You might make it as a scientist yet,” he lightly mocks before continuing, “Better to just keep to the facts rather than any personal stories and grievances. Even experience. If you get hurt, we don’t need to know unless it was by a plant or animal. "

I just nodded and rolled my eyes., “Yeah, got it. Well then, after a certain point, I will make a mark for when you can cut it. That way, you don’t have to listen to my personal grievances.”

Alec does not say anything as I go to leave. I don’t even try to find Aria, already knowing she is probably speaking with Dr. Augustine. Instead, I go and find the one person who does not already have an opinion on me based on what my sister told him. If anything, at least my mess-ups and mistakes were my own and not from what my sister said.

Through the different places, I find him just finishing up his own video diary with Norm and Max there. Once done, I hop on over and sit on the desk, “Well, long time no see, stranger. Love the ride you have.”

I tease him lightly. Jake laughs and spats at me, but I dodge. When I dodge, he never swings again to try and make contact, and when he does, it is never hard. “Shut up, (Y/N). Can say the same for you. Nice eyes.”

I laugh and dramatically blink, “Thanks, custom-made. Wish I could say I grew them myself, but I didn’t.”

Jake rolls his eyes and makes a move signaling he is rolling away. I walk beside him, as I know we are most likely going to the mess hall. He speaks up when we finally make it here and have our own little spot. A hefty plate of military rations and a quiet corner bring me back to the military days with Jake. Like always, Jake can’t seem to be okay with silence and is the first to speak, “So you’re going to tell me the reason why you go by Sully rather than Sullivan? Is it some weird declaration or something?”

With that question, I choke on my food and almost spew the food at him. Once my throat no longer burns excessively from choking, I croak out, “No. No way in hell this is a declaration, Jake.”

He laughs and nods, “Don’t know whether I should be offended or relieved with how fast you responded. I will say that since I consider you family, it is good.”

I shake my head and continue to eat, and Jake, still not liking the silence, rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, “So you’re just not gonna tell me why you go by Sully after reassuring me that you’re not into me? You seriously gotta start talking more. Whenever I get an answer from you, I just get more questions.”

“Trust me, it’s not that interesting,” I excuse myself. No one usually wants to hear me ramble, “Besides, I am pretty sure you have more interesting stories.”

“Nah, not as interesting as yours. Last time I knew you were still (Y/N) Sullivan with (Y/EC) and blind because of shrapnel from that attack we got caught up in. Now you’re a Sully and have totally different eyes that you can see out of and have a different color. I think I can be interested in what you have to say,” He huffs and moves his wheelchair so he can be a little closer and hear me speak. “You have my undivided attention. I am not going anywhere.”

I just shake my head and take one last bite. With a shift in my seat to make myself comfortable, to tell him the story that he seems to think might be interesting, “Okay, where to start. Well, after I went blind and got sent home, I had to rely on my family. It was harder on them than it was on me. Once I started to get used to being blind and getting around, that is when my family surprised me with new eyes and a surgery. I awoke being able to see and got a new color. My family took the initiative to give me a new eye color to help me restart.”

It was longer than I meant to make it, but hopefully enough information to make Jake happy. He nodded and whistled, “That must have been expensive. I know the VA benefits did not pay for that. It couldn’t pay for my legs.”

I nodded along before speaking, “Well, it pays to have connections. My sister used her connections and got a colleague to help, and got me new eyes. Honestly, I was more of a science experiment rather than anything. It mostly went well. Unfortunately, though, when they messed with the color, my body tries to reject them, but I have to take medicine to make sure that it doesn’t.

When I elaborated more, Jake went quiet, which was never good. After a second or two, he finally spoke, “Sounds like they gave you a surgery you didn’t ask for and eyes that aren’t yours.”

When he said it made sense enough, I wanted to agree, but I couldn’t. Either because I was wrong, since my sister and family did do this to help in their own way, or he was right and I did not want to admit it. The answer did not matter; I remained silent.

“Well then, we are moving on,” Jake scoffed at my lack of verbal answer. “Sully, why that?”

“Well, when I got my eyes back and got better. Well, sort of better. I wanted more for myself than cleaning up after everyone at the bar I worked at. Don’t get me wrong, whatever I cleaned up at the club was better than what I dealt with in the Marines. There was a part of me that wanted more, or at least to try and be more,” I rambled in a quiet tone, “So I asked my sister for help. I figured getting into science would be good. The only problem was that I am a black sheep, so to speak. I am the disappointment of the Sullivan family, who were doctors and successful for generations. So, after some familial deliberation, it was decided I would change my last name. For the purpose of making sure I would not make a laughing stock of my sister and her husband. Well, that and possible nepotism lawsuits. Sully was similar, and you were basically my brother in the Marines. I would not have survived without you.”

Jake huffs a light laugh and shakes his head, “That is more explanation than you have ever given. Which is good, now the only questions I have are about your family life. Though I doubt you will spill any of that easily.”

He was right. There is no way I would say more. Even if I tried, I couldn’t say much. Every grievance and annoyance dies on my tongue when I go to say anything. How could I complain? I had a mom, dad, and older sister. Most of the family was smart except for a few black sheep. We were not poor, and I never went without clothes or food. There wasn’t much for me to complain about.

After we both laugh at some unspoken joke, I decide to change the subject, “You excited, Jake? We finally get to go into our avatars. Almost did not think I would make it here.”

Jake nods, but I can see his hesitance. There was a doubt and a guilt that plagued him. He was excited but ultimately worried. We understood what it meant to be in the shadow of the smart and successful sibling, but he was the only one who knew what it was like to lose that sibling, especially since it was his twin.

“We are not the scientists they wanted, but we are the Jugheads they got. Who knows, maybe we are meant for great things. I have always believed that a scientist’s head is too full to learn anything. They have steadfast beliefs and laws they refuse to change.” That was my best try at reassuring Jake. If I could not understand his pain, I can at least see it and try and help him.

Jake smiled lightly and shook his head. When he speaks, his tone is low and still filled with doubt, “Maybe you’re right, or wrong. Most likely wrong, but I appreciate the effort. I guess Sullies stick together.”

He offered out his fist for me to bump it. I did and shook my head, “Yeah, I guess ‘Sullies’ stick together. Even though technically I am not a Sully, but a Sullivan.”

That comment earned me a scoff and a flick on the forehead as he left his mess and started to wheel away, “You didn’t have to ruin the moment, you idiot,” he shouted out to me.

I let out a loud and boisterous laugh. Then I quickly pick up his mess and mine and throw them away before running to catch up to him. Then we discussed what we thought would happen tomorrow. Additionally, 8:00 felt way too early after about six years of sleepless cryo travel.

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