Balance between us (Tsu'tey)

Balance between us 5: Calm before the storm

The next day, I was told to pack up my gear because Jake, Norm, Trudy, Grace and I were leaving. I packed up my things put a picture of Ryuji and I in my pocket while strapping my sword to my back.

"So, where are we going?" Jake asked.

"We're getting out of Dodge," said Grace. "I'm not about to let Quaritch and Selfridge micro-manage this thing. There's a mobile link up at Site Twenty-Six that we can work out of, way up in the mountains."

Norm was grinning like a kid a Christmas. "The Hallelujah Mountains?" he asked.

"That's right," said Grace.

"Yes!"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, confused.

"The legendary Floating Mountains of Pandora?" said Norm, in a patronizing tone. "Heard of them?"

Jake and I shook my head.

"Leave her alone, Norm!" Trudy barked. "Suzaku's got enough on her plate already with trying to please the Omaticaya and watching over Jake. So, I suggest you quit picking on her just because your ego's been wounded or so help me, I'll break your nose."

Norm flinched and I shot Trudy a grateful look. She smiled and nodded. At least I had one friend here who liked me.

"Hey I don't need to be babysat!" Jake complained wheeling himself next to me. I smirked ruffling his hair and grabbed what I needed.

We flew over some amazing sights. It was so fantastic, yet little about this place seemed to surprise me anymore.

"We're getting close," said Grace.

"Yeah, look at my instruments," said Trudy, as the computer started frizzing out.

"We're the Flux Vortex," said Grace. "We're going to have to VFR from here on."

"What's VFR?" asked Norm.

"It means you're going have to see where you're going," I explained.

"You can't see anything," he protested, as we came into a huge cloudbank.

"Exactly, and ain't that a kick in the pants?" said Trudy.

Up ahead, we got out of the cloudbank and then we saw the majestic Hallelujah Mountains. Norm looked stunned and I had to admit, they were astounding, even Jake was amazed as we stare out. Floating mountains, some big and others small, and others whose waterfalls seemed to vanish at the bottom.

We reached a remote research station which was two shacks and a few clusters of instruments perched on an outcrop near the Hallelujah Mountains. The shacks were airlift modules the size of buses made out of steel.

Trudy's flyer landed and then we all got out with our Exomasks on and then got ourselves into one of the shacks. Grace got the lights and equipment up and running. Inside were five bunks, supplies, some Link beds, and some workstations. It wasn't too bad, I'll admit.

I smiled to myself when I saw the photos taped to the fridge door. It was Grace at her school with the Na'vi kids. They were so adorable. Then I realized that Grace was just missing her students. Grace didn't miss a beat. She knew Jake was talking to the Colonel. But we had what she needed, a way back into the Clan, so she's playing nice. Or maybe she was genuinely starting to like us. She'd been a bit of a mother hen ever since the flying sword insistent at dinner a few days ago.

"Jake, Suzaku come here!" she called, snapping me out my thoughts. "You'll be in the Link at the end. Unit one, Beulah. She's the least glitchy." She told Jake before leading me to the second one. I wonder if she'll stoke Jake.