Avatar

Dad....

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the chamber. Slowly, I lifted the lid and sat up, feeling a mix of relief and disorientation. Grace's grin greeted me warmly.

"Welcome back," she said softly.

I managed a smile and swung my legs over the side, nearly losing my balance. "You alright?" she asked with concern. "I'm okay," I reassured her, grinning. I turned to Jake and gave him a small smile.

"Come on," I said. "Officer Colonel wants to meet you."

As we walked, Jake looked at me curiously. "Who's that?" he asked. I looked down, thinking for a moment. "He's the person in charge of all the soldiers. Basically the second-in-command around here. "

Mostly my boss....

------------

We approached a girl standing near an airplane. I called out to her with a grin, "Trudy!"

She turned, smiling brightly. "Ah, there's my girl!" She wrapped me in a hug. "Jake, meet my friend Trudy. She flies all the Scientzoids."

Trudy patted her plane proudly. "And this is my baby," she said, eyes gleaming with pride.

Suddenly, she noticed a guy nearby putting a gun into the plane. She looked at us, then at him. "Hold on a second," she said with a smile, walking over to check a clipboard.

"Wainfleet, get it done. We bounce at 09:00," she said, locking something in.

"I'm on it, Captain," he replied with a grin, casting a glance at me that I quickly looked away from—gross. He was about as old as my uncle.

"It's still loose," Trudy remarked, eyeing him.

Jake rolled past her. "You guys are packing some heavy gear," he said. She smiled and nodded. "We're not the only ones flying around out here—or the biggest." She winked. "But I need you on a door gun. We're short a man." Jake grinned. "Thought you'd never ask." They exchanged jokes, and we kept walking down the row of planes and equipment.

A guy nearly hit Jake with a cart, missing by inches.

"Watch it!" Trudy yelled, annoyed just as we arrived at the gym door.

"There's your man," Trudy said with a grin. "See you on the flight lane."

"See ya around, Bells. Don't be a stranger," she added, walking away.

Jake looked at me, smiling. "She's been my friend since she arrived here a few years ago." I pushed open the door and headed inside, passing my father who was doing lifts. "Did you want to see me, Colonel?" Jake asked. The colonel grunted, "This low gravity will make you soft. You get soft, Pandora will shit you out dead with zero warning." He finished his set, then sat up, eyeing Jake.

"I pulled your record corporal—Venezuela, that was some mean bush," he said, his tone gruff. "But nothing like this place," he added, pausing. He looked at Jake. "You got some heart, kid, showing up in this neighborhood." Jake grinned. "Figured it's just another hellhole."

The colonel stood, gesturing to his scars. "I was the first recon myself. A few years ahead of you. Three tours in Nigeria, not a scratch." He pointed to his scars. "Come out here..."