#farhorizons

Introduction to my fic I've been regularly updating on wattpad. Just wanna get a feel hereee; my wattpad user is indirys :)

WARNING: mentions of violent things that might be uncomfortable for some readers.

THE cities on earth were nothing near what she'd been told they'd once been, somewhere around seventy years or so in the past when they didn't meld into one another to form mega urban areas that stretched a crossed states. She'd been told that once, cities had only ranged within a certain mileage in any direction, with some definite end that eventually turned in what they called suburbs and country.

Things that remained as words alone now. Those no longer existed on earth. If any area was not occupied by living spaces or corporate facilities or any other necessary establishment, they were used for facilitating the production of food. If it could be called that. Most of the "food" grown in these areas was so genetically modified and typically lab grown that it brought a different slew of problems to the worlds population in the form of health risks and shortened life spans.

Such congested living brought worse dangers. Being a woman was far from safe, not if you couldn't afford proper protection. The black market alone brought the risk of being kidnapped to have ones organs taken, while the human-trafficking 'industry' had grown bold enough that the UN no longer fought against it. Corporations ran earth now and laws were often far too grey to entirely justify.

Ruth would have rather found herself dead than remain on earth for the entirety of her life. Somehow, the 'most hostile environment known to man' was more preferred than the shell that humanity calls home still.

The last tether she had to her home was long gone by now with the death of her grandfather, who'd passed shortly before she was due to ship off for her six year long trip a crossed the stars.

The only significant figure in her life, Ruth had nothing else to fight for, nothing else to put all of her focus and efforts to stay afloat toward. She still grieved for him every day, but the transition to life on Pandora had been almost effortless because of his absence.

Ruth could remember the suffocating dreadfulness of living in the cities of earth. Cramped, heavily trafficked, dirty beyond belief and not a hint of fresh air or true green in sight. Those factors alone had been enough to convince her getting through college was worth it, that the years she spent busting her ass even in high school would send her somewhere better. It had been the truth.

After graduating at the age of seventeen and immediately pursuing her dream of a doctorate in biology and picking up complex xenobotany, somehow, someway, Ruth Carson scored a gig with the Avatar program, one that ninty-nine percent of trainee intakes failed. The program funded by the Resource Development Administration.

Nightmares of her life on earth had chosen to appear in her sleep the night prior.

Whenever the memories of the life she left behind came up, she'd often wake to a feeling of dread, thinking she'd somehow never left earth for Pandora.

She sat up from her pillow with a groan, the rough, not-so-much to her liking bedsheets gathering on her lap. She rubbed away the sleep from her eyes and gazed with squinted vision around the small room she'd called home for a little over three years.

As barren and dull as the living quarters she'd been given had been when she first arrived, she'd managed make it hers. A few gifts from the Na'vi made it more colorful, including a tapestry, a decorative piece of jewelry far too large for her human body to wear and a few drawings the children from Grace's school house had given her, drawn in crude crayon. Little gifts she cherished more than any of her other personal belongings.

Pulling away the sheets, Ruth forced herself from the bed and padded along the cold floor over to where her sink stood against the wall, a small mirror reflecting her face as she flicked the light on.

Green eyes, ash blonde hair. As much as she was appreciative of her jovial looks at the age of thirty-three and often stressed, Ruth lamented her desire to be in her avatar body. For good.

Her other body was far stronger, more lithe and attuned to the moon she now called home. Her contract with the RDA called for a five and half year trip both ways to get to and from Pandora, as well the minimum six year length of her work on its own.

She was still trying to find a way to never leave. The extend her stay on the moon indefinitely, if that were a thing. Corporate was strange about its rules, apparently.

After promptly washing her face, brushing her hair and securing it into a braid, Ruth donned her typical outfit of any workday: cargo pants, usually of the black or green variety, a t-shirt, and her lab coat. She found that the tactical boots the army grunts wore were far more comfortable than she'd ever expected, therefore she'd tactfully acquired some for herself.

Just as she was beginning to leave the room, she halted at the doorway as her eyes caught the photo she cherished yet lamented over. A picture with a handful of the Omaticaya children, grinning and embracing her as they'd taken a photo at the school Grace had started.

It was closed now. She didn't like thinking about it.

Continuing out into the hall of the dormitories, Ruth navigated the many halls that would eventually lead her to the bio-lab, where she worked everyday.

Along the way, she snatched a mug of creamed coffee and a muffin from the cafeteria before finally making her way into ambient glow of the tech and other light producing items in the lab.

They were supposed to launch some new avatars that day, she recalled after the debrief the day prior.

"Dr. Carson?" An unfamiliar voice said, causing her to turn mid-sip of her coffee, the lip of the cup still against her lips.

It was a tall lanky man, brown hair and weird-looking beard. At his side, a man in a wheel chair looked up at her. Military cut and all, she immediately knew this guy had to be prior service, if the USMC symbol on his t-shirt hadn't already given it away.

"Yes?" She asked, lowering the coffee cup. The one standing was likely one of the new arrivals, but the wheelchair bound one she unsure of.

"Norm Spellman, I'm one of the new lab intakes. I've read your studies on Pandoran fauna and other. . ." He paused as the man at his side gave him a look as if to cut the long introductions and gushing admiration. "Sorry. We're both avatar drivers. We were told to report to you," he stated, referring to him and the man in the wheelchair at his side.

"I don't recall hearing about a paraplegic in the manifest," Ruth muttered as she set her coffee and muffin on the nearest flat surface and crossed her arms. She looked between them both with raised brows.

"Sorry for the inconvenience that I'm not my brother," the man in the wheelchair said icily to her. Fair enough. "He couldn't make it."

A stroke of worry hit Ruth as she finally realized it had been Tom Sully that had been projected to arrive today. They'd been colleagues in school, but after he'd chosen to pursue becoming some deeper training that included a more intensive dive into xenolinguists, Tom stayed back on earth for a while longer before she went into cryo and made her trip through the stars. She had been vaguely informed at one point or another that he had a twin brother. Ruth hadn't seen him since.

"What happened to Tom?" She asked more gently this time, after internally regretting her prior rudeness.

"He was jumped. Didn't survive the scrap," Tom's twin replied bluntly, lip thin.

Hit with a wave of momentary sorrow, Ruth collects herself and nods with a frown. Her heartbeat reflected her reaction to her old friend's death, quick and dizzying. "Tom was a great guy. Top of our class. My condolences…?"

"Jake," he finished for her, finally giving her his name.

"Well," she sighed. "I'm Ruth, as you already know. Feel free to use it, but Carson works fine as well. Now, as for the avatars," she beckoned them to follow her deeper into the bio-lab. The change in subject would hopefully change the atmosphere that had settled over the three of them.

They made their way toward the massive embryonic tanks that held the large bodies of the avatars that were for Jake and Norm, which they would be taking out for their first drive likely by morning.

Stopping near the tank that held Tom's avatar, Ruth frowned as she gazed on its features.

He'd been a good friend to her in the years they were in school and the sight of Jake being the uncannily identical twin he was made it harder to believe he was actually gone.

She watched a moment as Jake looked at the floating body, entirely intrigued by what he saw. She couldn't blame him, it would be expected of anyone. The first time anyone saw what Pandora had to offer was amusing in itself.

"Looks like him," Jake half muttered, a look of grief clouding his eyes as he watched the body twitch in the synthetic amniotic fluid of the tank.

"Looks like you," Ruth corrected him. "This is your avatar now."

Jake turned to look up to her. "I take it you have one too?"

Ruth grinned, pleased as she thought on it. "Of course. I'll be meeting you two on the outside once you've run through all of your diagnostic tests. After that, we'll take sometime to get you familiarized with everything." She crossed her arms, her shoulder resting against the glass of the tank Jake's avatar floated in. "Now tell me, how does a marine end up in a multi-billion dollar program? Did you pursue a degree or something? Was there a particular reason beyond saving the money they'd spent on this avatar to bring you out here?"

Jake shook his head. "I was a dumb drunk before they approached me. I was told I can link with Tommy's avatar, I guess. Probably just didn't want to waste the money, like you said."

Ruth nodded as she began to realize what he meant. "Identical DNA, all that nonsense. It checks out." Jake nodded with a weak smile before looking back to his avatar.

Ruth sighed, saying, "Either way, Jake, you're the only one that can link with this avatar. It's up to you now not to let this five-billion dollar project go to waist," he gave her a look that suggested she'd put the weight of the world in his hands and she smiled. "Consider yourself very lucky, marine. But go get some rack while you can. I'm sure that flight in early this morning was rough. The change in atmospheric pressure can have some affects on you. You'll get to have your fun tomorrow."

"For sure, Doc," Jake nodded. "I'll see you in the morning. But I'll hopefully be blue."

"You'll need a link chamber for that, guy," she jabbed jokingly and smirked before retreating toward the direction she'd left her coffee and muffin, beginning to leave Jake where he sat in front of the giant tank. "I'm just interested in you meeting Grace."

"Who's Grace?" He asked after.

Ruth chuckled as she began to disappear further into the bio-lab. "Oh, you'll see."

•••

EYES fluttering open, Ruth sat up in the cot she'd put her avatar to sleep in the night prior.

Today, they'd be integrating Jake and Norm into the avatar bodies. She was curious to see how they'd react, particularly the marine. Someone who had no training whatsoever for anything he was about to participate in. Some part of her was amused to see how things panned out.

She grinned to herself as she pushed herself up, shoving her long braid to her back and stretching her long limbs before swinging her legs to the wooden floor. She snatched her boots as she got to her feet, making her way to where she would change into day clothes. With her tail flicking behind her, she strode down the rows of beds of the other avatars, sighing contently.

She was always far happier in this body than the other. It felt familiar. Felt right.

Upon exiting the sleep shack, to her surprise, she finds that Jake, still in his medical gown, is just a crossed the small lot with Grace once she steps out into the light of day. A rough start indeed, it seemed. His tail was flicking in excitement before he caught sight of her. She smirks, wandering over. His ears peek at her presence, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Someone seems excited," Ruth chuckled to Grace, who shared the same amused expression. "And still in a gown."

"He came running out from the medical bay within minutes of completing the link like a damn lunatic," Grace exclaimed to Ruth with a smirk, the beads of her braided strands of hair clinking against each other at her cheeks. "What a maniac."

Ruth recalled her first link with her avatar, the most exciting moment in her life. The exhilaration had been unlike anything she'd ever experienced. She couldn't blame Jake, yet he had decided to run out half naked.

"She was not excited to meet me once you left the lab," Jake said to Ruth, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I'll admit I'm quite pissed to see Selfridge decided to send a grunt to my avatar program, but I suppose preventing the waste of viable resources works for now," Grace exclaimed with a roll of her eyes.

"Now you see what I meant about meeting Grace," Ruth taunted Jake. She looked him up and down, gesturing to him. "How does it feel? Your new body." She was sure it was liberating to be walking again.

"Amazing," Jake replied grinning, an enthusiasm about him she hadn't seen the day before. Already, there was evident difference in his demeanor. Like a fire had ignited again inside him after so long.

"Dr. Carson here is going to help get you get situated for today," Grace told Jake as she crossed her arms, gesturing with a nod toward to other woman at her side. "I'll help out Norm."

"We've just got to do a few things to get you attuned to your new body," Ruth told him. "I'll get him taken care of, Grace. Come on, Jake."

Leaving Grace to take Jake back toward the avatar dorms, Ruth brought them to the jungle hut she'd just woken up in. As they entered, she lead him toward the storage room that had all of the extra avatar clothing and items, specially made considering their size.

"So, how did you know Tommy?" Jake asked as she began rummaging through the folded clothing, finding male specific shirts and pants for him to keep, along with underwear, socks, and two pairs of boots. She grabbed a few other articles along with a backpack before turning back to him.

"We were in the avatar program together. Different classes and I was ahead of him but we still trained together. I graduated before him so I was due to leave earlier," she sighed as she put the large pile of clothing into his arms, yellow eyes turning toward the ground. "I shipped off well before he did. I expected him here yesterday, actually."

Jake frowned, ears pinned back as he nodded. The use of his physical features betraying how he felt. "Yeah, me too."

"Tom was a great guy. I'm truly sorry for your loss," Ruth said to him sincerely.

Jake shrugged. "After almost six years in cryo, the time has passed. So will the grief."

"Time passed is not grief processed," she told him gently, to which he simply gave a tight nod.

She understood he likely wasn't up for talking on his brother much. She couldn't blame him. When he grandpa had passed shortly before her ship date, she'd grown numb too. And dealt with the grief in due time.

"To think, a marine in an avatar body," Ruth breathed a laugh to lighten the mood. "Never thought I'd see that combination. A deadly one at that. Perhaps you'll make an effective guard while we're in the field gathering samples."

"A five-billion dollar body guard?" Jake smirked as Ruth returned the smile and made her way past him into the hall. He followed.

"What other purpose would you have?" She asked as she strode toward the door leading outside. "Get yourself out of that gown. We've got things to do, marine."

Making her way toward the wrap around porch of the hut, Ruth left Jake smiling where he was, smiling while gripping his pile of new avatar-sized clothes.

•••

SURPRISED with Jake's efficiency in mastering the functions of a body he'd spent less than a day in, Ruth took him through an assortment of obstacles to help him gain awareness of senses and balance he didn't have before. She always marveled at the small, minute differences between the hybrid avatars and the Na'vi, their stride and movement, the five fingers per hand and toes per foot. His muscle tone would grow more than the average Na'vi over time thanks to the intermingled human DNA, helping him appear less lanky and small.

Ruth had watched Jake scale a rock wall, take a few laps around the exercise track and run through some basics of the fauna and flora of Pandora before they would venture beyond the safety of the barbwire walls and automated defense systems in the coming days.

Perhaps she was getting too much of a kick out of getting to tell a military dog what to do considering the real work would start tomorrow. They'd fly out to the field sites to gather some more sample and run some tests, with Jake pulling his watch over them for safety. She did appreciate the piece of mind.

Dinner had been leisurely, the avatars gathering under the dining pavilion where dinner was served by some of kitchen staff, humans. Ruth remained amused as she watched Jake look down on those serving their food, likely still intrigued by the height difference between them and normal people.

Grace was sure to introduce both Jake and Norm to everyone during their first dinner before they would put the avatars in the safety of their cots. Afterwards, dinner would be served again, only this time to their human bodies.

Showing Jake and Norm to the cots that would now be designated to their avatars, Ruth crossed her arms and leaned to one hip. Her tail flicked behind her in slight impatience as she waited for them to get situated.

"Waking up will be the same as when you initialized the link. Just clear your mind. Falling asleep works too. After that, we'll get you out of the link room and headed to dinner."

"Second dinner," Jake smirked as he lied his head the pillow on his cot.

"What time tomorrow will we be leaving for the field?" Norm asked her from where he lied halfway up on a propped elbow, the excitement evident in his sparkling yellow eyes.

She smirked. "0630, be at the bio lab ready to link. Afterwards, you'll get all your stuff ready here and we'll catch a flight out. Simple as that."

WARNING: mentions of SA and abuse that might not be suitable for some readers.

JEALOUSY struck Ruth Carson in the strangest of ways. In the passing days that Jake's cot in the avatar hut remained empty, the second pair of brand new boots sat untouched just under the beds edge, she grew angry. One visit to the forest and Jake had somehow made contact with Omaticaya and survived, somehow gaining the chance to be instructed in their ways, to be taught as if he were one of their own. She would do anything to have his opportunity. In fact, she planned to find a way to join. If not to be trained, but to simply see those of the clan she missed so badly.

"Your anger is showing a lot today," Grace murmured from where she sat in front of a microscope, eyes full of the light it reflected.

Ruth shot her a look from where she sat in front of her own microscope. "Really? I wouldn't have noticed unless you told me." Her gaze looked off toward the link room, where Jake was currently in a session, doing who knows what outside of base.

Grace pulled away from her work and focused on the younger woman. "You can be upset with Jake for being presented an opportunity you wished for yourself," Grace stated simply. "Or you can be happy that we have a way back in with the clan again. Without his foot in the door, all those bridges that were burned would stay that way."

Ruth forced herself not to scoff. "They're teaching someone who has absolutely no knowledge of their culture, their beliefs or language," Ruth muttered while leaning back in the computer chair she'd been sitting in. She was starting to sound like Norm had when they'd first learned of Jake's opportunity.

"Perhaps it is best he knows nothing," Grace shrugged. "If he knows nothing, he has nothing to unlearn. It'll be similar to teaching a child to them."

Ruth rolled her eyes at the sensible thinking Grace was doing. She didn't want to hear reasoning. She wanted to complain about why she upset.

Here she was, a thirty-three year old woman upset that a jarhead marine with no qualifications got to experience and do things she'd trained years for. She didn't know how else to put more bluntly for Grace, but for the sake of her dignity the blonde haired woman stayed silent with her thoughts.

Grace had always been a kind hand with a good guidance. Sometimes she envisioned her as the mother she never had.

"I suppose so," Ruth conceded. She frowned after a few moments of silence. "Part of me wonders if the children will even remember me. If Neytiti will want to have anything to do with us after Sylwanin. . ." She quieted for a moment. Ruth often wished the deceased sister of Neytiri had not voiced her protests of the RDA's aggressive tactics for mining and the collection of resources. Destroying a bulldozer had led to her demise.

Neytiri's sister's death, among the few others that had perished in the attack on the school house, had been the sealing punch that broke any ties the clan had with the avatar teams. The severing of the connection along with the innocent lives lost had turned something inside Dr. Ruth Carson. Somewhere inside, a storm brewed.

"Sylwanin," Grace sighed. "She was one of the kindest of those students. I remember how much she and Neytiri enjoyed your company."

Ruth nodded. The early months of her life on Pandora had been filled with days in the school house, teaching children and adult Na'vi alike English. It had been everything she could have hoped for in coming to Pandora. It was simpler then.

Now, too much had happened. Things changed, as well as did Ruth.

Max Patel, one of Ruth's colleagues and one of the other doctors in the avatar program, interrupted their conversation as he made his presence known. He looked between them both, his glasses not hiding the evident trouble in his eyes.

"Grace, Ruth," he said by way of greeting. His voice seemed somewhat shaky. "We've, uh, got a problem."

"Well, spill it," Ruth exclaimed, now worried.

Max sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I went up to main deck and saw Jake debriefing the Colonel and the other officers on Hometree's structure," he told them. "He was explaining every detail he'd knew. From what I could gather, I would assume they have some sort of plans involving the clan but I have no idea what."

The Colonel was using Jake, then. Ruth had been curious what corporate planned on having him do on Pandora considering he never went through the avatar program or any lab training whatsoever. It seemed they were using him as an insider. For whatever reason, it was unclear. But they were currently in dangerous waters she was not ready to navigate.

Rage immediately took Ruth. Miles had done far too much to her already, she'd been damned if she allowed him to meddle with the avatar program now.

He was a narcissistic, control hungry monster she wished she'd never even tried being a friend with. That had been her first mistake, allowing him to think he had given him some sort of invitation to her. She'd show him exactly what he was entitled to: a literal ass kicking. Screw whatever corporate would do to her. Money meant nearly nothing on Pandora, only a promise that one would return to earth with an outrageous amount of cash. She could spend a week in a cell, as well.

Without warning, Ruth was on her feet and making her way through the bio-lab for the colonel's office. If she didn't get her threat through his thick skull, she would just go to Selfridge. She'd find a way to light a fire up under his Ranger Rick ass to prevent his influence over the avatar program from ever happening again. And if that didn't work, she'd take it higher. She had no fucks to give.

"Ruth—Ruth, wait—," Max could barely say as he made an effort to chase after her once noticing she'd taken off. She was nearly three quarters of the way down the hall before he finally caught up, trying his best to convince her to hold back.

"Ruth, seriously don't do this," Max almost pleaded. "We don't need this kind of flak between departments right now, especially if it has to do with the colonel."

"Fuck the colonel," Ruth muttered as he followed her. They were nearly to the wing that held his office. "I can say that, considering I'm not one of his mindless military mutts. He has no reign over me."

"Ruth, this is going to make everything worse," Max sighed as he finally conceded, peeling away as she barged through Miles's door.

The first thing her eye caught upon entering the office was the trophies he'd made sure to collect since being on Pandora. Artifacts and items from the Na'vi and not in the sense that she had them, as a gift and token of appreciation. He had a bow, same as Selfridge, mounted above his desk on the wall like a prize animal head. She hated the sight of it, knowing what she knew.

The Na'vi treasured their bows, as they they crafted them themselves and used them for everything. They were a tool that supported the way of life, provided and took. Yet Miles had one mounted above his desk, one he stole from a hunter. Likely from their dead hands.

Once her green eyes landed on him, he offered her a smirk, the crude scars a crossed the side of his head contorting with his expression. He set down the pen that had been in his hand on the paperwork he'd likely been working on. His camouflage jacket was rested on the back of his chair, his toned muscles exposed under his dark tank like a threatening display.

"And what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Dr. Carson?" He purred in his taunting way. His blue eyes raked her up and down.

"Getting your meddling ass out of my department," Ruth barked with venom, a sneer on her face.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked her as if he truly didn't know. "I have no part in what you science pukes do. I simply keep this place secured and defended."

Ruth wanted to punch him square in the face, yet she knew the repercussions she'd face. Even for his age, early fifties she had to guess, he was still fit and well maintained. She supposed he had to be for a Marine Corps colonel. She chose that a rough handling and some hand cuffs at the hands of this man were not worth it today. Her previous thoughts on kicking his ass faded.

"You're using Jake Sully for information," she spat. "I have no idea what for or why you'd have any use of an avatar, but I'm here to give you your one and only warning. I will fuck you up."

His sly smirk turned into a grin. "Look at you, grown a pair of balls I see. You and I could've made a good team. Too bad you didn't use the opportunity when you had it," he reached forward and grabbed the glass of brandy he'd likely been working on. "I could've pulled a lot of strings for you, sweet heart. You would have to be fighting tooth and nail for anyone on this damned base to show you some respect. Coulda been living nice and comfy, not in that tiny shit room you call a home. There's a lot of benefit to being an officer's wife." He took a swig of the liquor. "Too bad you chose wrong."

Tears. She was fighting tears the longer she stood in front of him. Yet, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her run. She was a doctor with a prestigious background in research and development with the avatar program, a feat not even two dozen humans in existence had done.

He'd wanted her as arm candy, to receive even the slightest bit more money from corporate and the DOD for having a spouse, particularly on a foreign moon. Those were the ulterior motives he'd have allowed for the outside world to see, to appear they'd somehow found each other in the most hostile environment to man. She knew he was truly and utterly obsessed with her from the moment he'd lied eyes in her. He wanted her to be his and no one else's.

"You act as if you wanted something real out of me," she uttered while trying to maintain her strength. "I show up to Pandora and within the first week you are trying to get into my pants, convincing me you were a good person when I merely accepted the opportunity to make a new professional colleague on this alien world," she was nearly screaming now. "Instead, you got me drunk and tried coerce me into sex, spouting these bullshit suggestions of a sham marriage that would keep your ass in the position it was: safe and secure. No one would question your whoring around if you had a wife." The tears finally spilled. "You are everything that is wrong with the military. With this corporation."

He didn't seem to care the slightest about the truths she spit, not even acknowledging any of the things she'd said about him or that he'd done. A typical gaslighter, she'd quickly learned he was.

"You made your bed, sweet heart," he shrugged, that disgusting, evil smirk on his lips. "Now lay in it."

She turned heel and left the room as quickly as she could, the tears she'd been holding back finally spilling onto her cheeks. Her ash blonde hair billowed behind her as she darted down the hall at a stride that almost sent her into a run. She hated Miles Quaritch with everything she had.

•••

JAKE arrived to the bio-lab early the next morning, his old military issued bag holding his belongings on his back as he wheeled himself in. He caught sight of Grace, who was gathering a few random items he had no idea the purpose for. Norm was assisting at her side, while Ruth stood solemnly nearby. The blank expression on her face as stared at the ground peaked his interest, but he didn't dare ask her what was wrong.

"Where are we going?" Jake asked Grace. He didn't quite understand the reasoning for leaving Hell's Gate, but he wasn't going to complain. He spent the majority of his waking time in a link unit.

"We're gettin' outta dodge," Grace told him, sorting through some lab supplies. "Way up in the mountains."

Norm paused for a moment, stunned. "The Hallelujah mountains?" When Jake shot him a questioning look, he rolled his eyes. "The legendary floating mountains of Pandora? Heard of those?"

Jake found out quickly what Norm had meant by floating. In Trudy's helicopter, with Ruth, Grace, and Norm's avatars precariously arranged in the cargo hold, the five of them crammed into the cockpit. Upon finally entering the mountains, Jake was confused as to why clouds and mist were the only things visible, until they finally broke through the haze and the mountains came into view. The awe of it all lasted far longer than he'd expected.

Trudy eventually landed the helicopter on a open space on one of the mountains where two trailer looking units resides, attached to one another by a tube like structure.

Ruth helped Jake into his wheelchair as the aircraft began to wind down, setting it on the ground and offering to help him down. Jake was still curious as to why she remained quiet the entire time since they'd left Hell's Gate, not uttering a word. From what he'd gathered since arriving, she was a chatty person.

"Ruth," Jake asked once the others had went ahead, leaving them in the middle of the distance between the modular buildings and the helicopter. She paused, looking down at him through her oxygen mask, shouldering her backpack further onto her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Her expression didn't give away anything. "Rough couple of days," she replied loud enough for him to hear. "That's all." She continued walking, leaving him where he was.

FLIGHT excited Ruth Carson so much so that she insisted to be hanging from the door gunners position mid-flight, the wind battering against her face and sending her braid billowing at her back. Four avatars cramped into the SA-2 utility helicopter had been a challenge, but with Ruth and Jake willing to hang from either gaping window, sitting space remained available. This left Grace and Norm secured in the middle. Going about ten or so clicks outside of base, they were in search of particular samples.

Choosing to dress herself in cargo pants similar to that which she wore as a human, a green tank top embroidered with some random patterns and a backpack latched around her hips and shoulders, Ruth was ready to spend the late morning and afternoon in the forest.

More than once since they'd loaded into the aircraft did she notice Norm's gaze lingering on her a little longer than casual observance, ears perking anytime he thought she might be turning to speak to him. He'd been more timid upon their arrival but now had gained a sense of boldness she had no desire to deal with. She and Grace had shared a few looks after the instances during the flight, an unspoken understanding that the new doctor had already taken a liking to Ruth.

Far too many men had pursued her since arriving to Pandora, whether it be the military grunts or fellow scientist. Colonel Miles Quaritch, the marine senior officer at least fifteen years her senior, a prominent figure on the base, had made a move on her fairly early on into her arrival to the moon.

Since the interaction that had involved her vehement rejection of him, despite his willfulness, she'd made every effort to avoid the man since. No matter what his proposition was, not with his willfulness to accept her wishes.

She had learned quickly that he did not handle rejection well. Perhaps it was he innate desire to have control over anyone and everyone, possibly the reason he chose the military life. Or worse, he saw women as a conquest. That thought alone had left her with a particularly sour taste for the colonel at any given time. Regardless, the men in Hell's Gate pined for female attention.

Eyes squinted to bare against the wind, Ruth Carson gazed over the lush terrain of the forest. Her heart thudded with excitement, as it had been quite some weeks since they'd went to field.

With her focus of study primarily on the fauna of Pandora, the animals for simpler terms, one of Ruth's biggest goal was to finally spot and document the Thanatora Ferox — the apex land predator on the moon. Thanator, a word derived from the Greek word of death, she'd once read.

Perhaps best that she had never seen one in her three years of being here, some would consider it lucky. For her, the beast was a challenge. Not much was known of its anatomy, it's behavior except a few notable rituals that could be observed from a safe distance. Part of her never believed she'd get the opportunity. The Great Leonoptryx was a dream of every scientist on base to study. That flying creature was considered harder to find, let alone observe safety.

Upon finding a proper landing area under the canopy of the jungle, Trudy, the pilot that was designated to fly the avatar teams for research, brought them to a an area teaming with life. Animals called off in the distance, likely the primate-looking creatures known as Prolemurus that howled like earth's monkeys. Ruth hoped out from the gunner's window, head ducked down as she braced against the harsh window of the propellers.

Luckily, Grace told Trudy to cut the engine since they were staying a while, allowing for the forest to resume its natural ambience that was like music to Ruth's keen hearing. She glanced around at the area, a smile on her features as Jake wandered up to her side with Norm close behind.

"This is what I live for," she stated as she drew in a deep breath. What sunlight managed to slip through the canopy warmed her cyan-striped skin, the feeling comforting.

Jake and Norm gazed around, Ruth noticing the large machine gun grasped in the marine's grip as if it's mere presence was going to protect him indefinitely. "Try not to use that," the doctor teased him before stepping off, a swagger in her step and tail.

Soon enough, Ruth, Grace, and Norm we're beginning to run a few tests on the roots of the trees, studying the transduction on their hand held monitors. Ruth allowed Grace to teach Norm, as she was the leading doctor within the program. Her eyes wandering over to where Jake had begun to wander away and explore a bit, she grinned to herself to see his tail twitching in curiosity, head on a swivel. The body language of the avatars and Na'vi were fairly readable in one's ears and tail movements.

"So I hear fauna is more of your focus, Dr. Carson?" Norm asked Ruth, looking up while waiting on the test to run its course on the translucent tablet. Turning her attention away from the direction Jake had wandered in, she nodded.

"Yeah, I prefer it. Biology is fascinating in all of its areas, but the wildlife here intrigues me."

"She sat on one dire-horse during a visit with the clan," Grace grinned, teasing Ruth. "After that, her focus shifted." Ruth rolled her eyes at Grace's jab.

Norm seemed intrigued by the mention of the clan, looking between them both before asking, "Do we not have contact with the local clan anymore?"

Immediately, Grace and Ruth shared a look. Choosing to let her senior do the explaining, Ruth crossed her arms, ears pinned back. Grace sighed, pursing her lips before speaking.

"We had a school. We were teaching the Omaticaya English. Things happened. . . Terrible things. Since then, we haven't been welcome. They will not make contact with us. Reasonably so, unfortunately."

"The school isn't far off from our current location," Ruth added in. "We haven't been back since."

Norm's expression turned crestfallen, likely realizing he pushed a touchy subject. Before another word could be said between the three, an earth shattering roared jarred them to their feet. Ruth was the first to run in the direction Jake had likely disappeared.

"What has this jarhead got himself into?!" Ruth exclaimed fearfully, running. Rounding a tree, she suddenly skidded to a stop. Jake stood defensively, gun raised at the massive Hammerhead Titanothere displaying its chitinous fan-crest. It was a bull and a he was ready to defend his territory.

"Don't shoot— don't shoot you'll piss him off!" Grace was quick to tell Jake from where she, Ruth, and Norm stood behind the cover of the tree.

"He's already pissed off!" Jake's fear screamed in his tone. His eyes were wide, canines bared as he poised himself to take action.

"It's a territorial threat display," Ruth warned him, wide eyes darting back and forth between the bull and Jake. "If you shoot, he'll charge."

Jake scoffed, ears pinned to the sides of his head. "What, you want me to do the funky chicken with it?"

"Just hold your ground," Ruth ordered him. Almost instantly, the bull began to charge, sending Ruth nearly unleashing a cry before Jake offered his own challenge, raising the gun high and letting out a battle cry as he raced forward to face the massive beast.

Skidding to a stop, the Hammerhead's crest dropped as it let out a surrendering huff. Jake, victorious, let out a laugh. The bull turned, running back toward the members of its herd in the near distance.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking bitch. Run your little punk ass back to mommy," Jake taunted the Hammerhead as it retreated.

Jake's enthusiasm might have been amusing, causing Ruth to blush in attraction if it hadn't been for the dread that immediately fell over her once her eyes landed on the black figure menacingly stalking it's way into view behind the marine. Flaring it's sensory quills and lip flaps, a low growl rumbled in its throat.

Jake's expression turned to pure terror once he turned to see the Thanator at his back. Ruth flinched once the beast landed on the forest floor with a thundering boom after leaping over Jake. The feline-like animal let out a defining roar at the Hammerheads before ultimately turning its attention to Jake, prowling with its large, swaying tail.

"What about this one— run, don't run?" Jake quickly asked as the predator inched closer.

"Run," Ruth quickly told him. "Definitely run!"

Jake was sprinting off into the forest within moments, the Thanator trailing after him in a deadly pursuit.

Ruth, Norm, and Grace remained quiet for a few very long moments, the three of them stunned. Ruth's initial reaction was to chase after him, find his dumb ass before he found himself dead. Yet, she had hardly any experience with weapons, having taken the mandatory class on the firearms that all personnel on Hell's Gate had to learn to handle.

She stopped herself in the middle of the clearing he'd been standing in, tail twitching anxiously.

"We have to go after him," she stated immediately, turning toward Grace and Norm with her tail flicking. She was confused when she saw Grace's frown. "What?"

"His chances of escaping the Thanator are slim to none as is," Grace stated grimly. "And given the chance he does survive, he knows nothing about survival here. We're risking our own lives while still remaining on the ground as is. We need to get back to the aircraft. We can continue our search in flight."

As much as Ruth wanted to disregard Grace's orders as the senior member, she shrugged off her anxiety and followed them back to the equipment to begin quickly packing before they'd return to the helicopter.

Nearly three hours of them searching for him, binoculars from both sides of the window as they scanned what they could in hopes of catching sight of the marine. The chances of finding him were looking slim to none. Until eventually time ran out.

"Is there no infrared on these things? Nothing to pick him up from under the canopy?" Ruth asked Trudy over the radio, the worry heavy in her time. "Was he not given any sort of comms?" She asked rhetorically.

"It's getting too late. Colonel ordered no night ops. He's gonna have to wait until morning," Trudy told them over the radio. Ruth sneered at the mention of Quaritch, ears pinned back.

Grace let out a heavy sigh as the path of flight began to change back towards base. "He won't make it till morning."

•••

RUTH was immediately at Jake's link unit the moment she was able to leave her own. Grace was already there, Norm and a few others of the avatar team waiting anxiously as Grace tried to wake Jake, a flash light moving a crossed his vision. He appeared unconscious still, eyes open yet unmoving. Ruth shoved her way to the side of the link, peering down at him.

"Jake," Grace kept saying over and over in hopes of producing some sort of reaction out of him. "Jake, wake up."

Impatiently, Ruth waited until the life came back into his eyes and his breathing seemed to catch up. She helped Grace lift him up into a sitting position. "Is the avatar safe?" She immediately asked him.

He grinned like a fool, looking between them both. "Yea, dog. And you're not gonna believe where I am."

"Apparently you're not dead, then," Ruth muttered, rolling her eyes. "I told you to not let that five billion dollar body go to waste."

"I think I put that price tag into good use," Jake smirked at Ruth. "The clan. They found me. They're gonna teach me their ways, apparently."

Ruth froze, realizing the opportunity she'd been praying to happen had finally come. A way back in with the clan, with the people she's grown to love. The change in pace coming so fast.

"How even...?" Ruth muttered half to herself.

"Chiefs daughter found me. Neytiri," Jake pronounced her name wrong but sent Ruth's heart leaping regardless. She'd missed Neytiri dearly. It'd been over two years since she'd last seen her. "She was gonna kill me, I guess. But took me to their tree instead."

"Holy shit," Grace exclaimed, accentuating each syllable. Her brown eyes looked to Ruth, who held the same opportunistic expression. "It appears we can finally try to rebuild our relationship with them."

Once Jake had recovered enough, dinner was being served so they made their way toward the cafeteria. Ruth was still beaming with excitement as she imagined getting to return to Hometree, where she could visit those she'd missed over the passed two years. She'd only gotten to be present for the schoolhouse for a little over eight months after arriving to Pandora, but she'd built remarkable relationships with some of the clan members. Notably Neytiri. And her sister.

"The last thing we see is this marine's ass disappearing into the brush with the angry Thanator after him," Grace told the other scientist as they all ate, intrigued by the day's events. They huddled around the chow table, excited to hear what had happened.

"I'm still on the fence with reasons why the Omaticaya chose you," Ruth jabbed at him as she took a bite of her food. Either way, she was grateful. Jake provided them with an opportunity they had previously thought would never occur.

"And not only that, Ruth was ready to run in after him," Grace exclaimed, smiling. "You two are a diabolical duo. You're gonna get yourselves killed."