Wildflower

3

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2152

"Liza, wake up."

Liza scrunched up her face, throwing an arm dramatically over her forehead in an attempt to shield her eyes from the piercing morning light, only slightly dimmed by what she assumed was rain outside. She blinked, focusing on Grace's human form standing above her bed eagerly.

"You're clearly awake. Stop pretending you're not."

Liza couldn't help but grin. "Okay, okay," she sighed. Slowly she sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Today was the day. This was it.

She swung her legs off of the bottom bunk, her bare calves tingling as they hit the cool metal bed frame. Because nobody had accounted for her presence on Pandora, she'd been forced to take up residence in the military wing, with dozens of intimidating female soldiers. She'd slept in this bottom bunk since she was four and too big for her makeshift crib, and had gotten used to it since. Really, it wasn't too bad-- just a little cool in the mornings. Plus, she'd decorated extensively with artwork that was both her mother's and her own, her favorite being a painting of a sunset with poppies made while Amelia was pregnant.

Grace stuck out a hand to help her up. Liza's smile grew as she took it-- it seemed that Grace was even more impatient than she was. Butterflies built in her stomach as she pulled on an RDA hoodie and shoved her feet into a pair of sandals Neytiri had woven for her last birthday. "René's waiting in the lab," said Grace. "Better hurry."

"I'm trying, I'm trying." Liza wrapped her hair up with a smooth, painted stick called a tak'toli-- a trick she'd learnt from Sylwanin-- and shoved the strands that she'd missed behind her ear. "Okay. I'm ready."

Grace, who had been inching toward the door the whole time, slipped into the hallway at Liza's words. Liza shuffled to catch up, falling in step with her teacher. They walked in silence for several paces, each lost in thought. Finally, Grace said, "Does eighteen feel any different?"

Liza assessed herself, then squinted at her surroundings, humoring Grace's question. The wide, carpeted hallway seemed as clinical and uninviting as ever, although it was probably the most "homey" part of the entire facility. The RDA ESC 01, dubbed Hell's gate, was a pentagonal piece of land located east of the Muku River, in the rainforest known as Na'ring. The northeastern quarter of the concrete-floored grounds was home to the landing strip, shuttle pad, and fuel pods-- all mechanical assets to store and ensure the safety of various RDA vehicles. The western half comprised the labs and unobtainium refineries. As far as Liza knew, unobtainium was a fairly new discovery for the RDA, but it had already become central to the cross-planetary economy. If Parker Selfridge, a universally hated (but respected) business shark who happened to be the RDA's head administrator, was to be believed, the substance was worth twenty million dollars a kilogram. Although miners had only been able to locate small amounts spread across the rainforest, its impact had been huge on the RDA's debt repayment.

Finally, the southwestern quarter of Hell's Gate housed the armor bay and dorms. This was the wing Liza and Grace walked in now, headed for the lab. Liza finished her scan of the hall-- one of many leading toward the "Exopack Emporium", where the oxygen masks were stored. "Not much different," she concluded.