𝐓𝐒𝐔'𝐓𝐄𝐘 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

SARAH played with the bracelet around her wrist, her eyes scanned the shades of green and brown beads decorating her wrist with a string that was skilfully weaved about in a spread out form.

She was sitting atop of a desk, her chocolate eyes staring into the woven bracelet.

The machine in front of her whirred, signalling that the drivers were exiting from their avatars, the lid opened and Grace sat up, holding her head with her hands as Sarah got off the desk and walked up to her mom, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Grace groaned, "Who's got my goddamn cigarette? Guys! What's wrong with this picture?"

Sarah laughed, standing back but holding onto Grace's arm as she rubbed her thumb over it, someone finally handed her a lit cigarette, making Sarah pout, "Those are bad for you, mom, how many times have I told you?" And Grace smiled a smile she only showed her daughter, "Not enough, and besides I'm not dead yet."

Grace hugged her to her side.

"Grace Augustine is a legend. She's the head of the Avatar Program. She wrote the book. I mean literally wrote the book on Pandoran botany." Norm fanboyed, Sam added, "Well, that's 'cause she likes plants better than people. The only person that she tolerates is her daughter, Sarah Augustine."

Sam spoke up, "Hear she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Norm Spellman and Jake Sully."

Grace and Sarah turned to the two individuals.

"Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?"

Grace Augustine took off her glasses, with a serious face, whilst Sarah made eye contact with both of the newbies. "May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting." He smiles, earning a chuckle from Sarah.

"Not bad. You sound a little formal. Right, Sarah?" Grace turned to her daughter with a slight smile, "Yes, you're going to need to fix that before we shift into our avatars." Sarah waved, "I studied for five years but there is much to learn."

Her and Grace nodded at each other. "Grace, this is Jake Sully."

Sam pointed out the crippled man sitting in a wheelchair, "Ma'am." He extended his hand out for her to shake, instead she gave him a disappointed look. "Yeah, yeah. I know who you are and I don't need you. I need your brother." Sarah slapped Grace's arm, lightly.

"You know, the PhD who trained for three years for this mission?"

"Mom." Sarah warned her, earning a look from Grace that meant 'silence'. "He's dead. I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone." Jake said, making Sarah turn to Grace with a raised eyebrow, unspeaking.

"How much lab training have you had?" She tested him, "I dissected a frog once." Jake answered back, testing Grace's patience instead,

"You see? You see? I mean, they're just pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain." Grace walked off, "I'm going to Selfridge." And Sam and Sarah exchanged a look.

"No, mom." Sarah tried to take her arm, but Grace swiftly avoided it.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sam tried backing Sarah up, failing when Grace turned around and shouted, "No, man, this is such bullshit!" She continued walking to Selfridge's office with Sarah following along.

"I'm going to kick his corporate butt. He has no business sticking his nose in my department." Sarah muttered a low 'sorry' before following her mom with light footsteps.

GRACE and Sarah entered the main office.

"Parker, you know, I used to think it was benign neglect but now I see that you're intentionally screwing me." She started, as Sarah and her stood at the end of his creative mini golf course.

"Grace, you know, I enjoy our little talks." He putted the golf ball, as it nearly rolled into the coffee cup till Grace kicked it away, leaving the dotted ball to roll off the green mat. Which Grace said, "oops" very sarcastically.

Selfridge stood up straight, "I need a researcher. Not some jarhead dropout." Sarah laughed at the nickname.

"Well, actually, I think we got lucky with him." He added, "Lucky?" Grace dropped her hands beside herself, "Yeah." Selfridge picked up the golf ball and nodded at Sarah, who nodded back.

"How is this in any way lucky?" Grace hugged Sarah to her side.

"Lucky your guy had a twin brother. And lucky that brother wasn't some oral hygienist or something. A Marine we can use." Selfridge walked off to a diagram of the Hometree, "I'm assigning him to your team as an security escort."

"The last thing I need is another trigger-happy moron out there!" She raised her voice.

"Look, look, you're supposed to be winning the hearts and the minds of the natives out there. Isn't that the point of your little puppet show? You look like them and you talk like them then they'll start trusting us." Selfridge continued, "We build them a school," Sarah's lips twitched as she had frown on her face. "We teach them English, but after what, how many years? Relations with the indigenous are only getting worse."

Grace snapped back, "Yeah, that tends to happen when you use machine guns on them."

She held Sarah's hand firmly. "Right. Come here."

They finally walked into his office, picking up the reason for their mission, "This is why we're here. Unobtainium. Because this little grey rock sells for 20 million a kilo."

He explains, "That's the only reason. It's what pays for the whole party. It's what pays for your science." He went behind his desk.

"Now, those savage are threatening our whole operation, we're in the brink of war and you're supposed to be finding a diplomatic solution. So use what you've got and get me some results."