Chapter Text
"I see you" Tsireya said, tightening her grip on his hand. She pauses for a moment, "maybe, if you talked to your father, one on one, he would understand."
He laughed lightly, turning away from her. "Understand? How could he understand? He's this great warrior, olo'eytkan, Toruk Makto, how could he possibly understand what it's like to consistently make mistakes when you're just trying to do what you think is right."
Before she could respond, both were over come with a splitting headache. Their vision blacking out momentarily.
Waking, they found themselves laying on soft fabric ground.
"What is this?" Reya asked lightly running her fingers over it as she sat up.
"It's a type of carpet. It's something the skypeople use. Some of them back in the forest use this in their home." He explained.
The sounds of groans around them had him looking behind to see his brother sitting up. "Neteyam?" He asks looking around.
The whole Sully family was there. Neytiri and Jake each putting a hand out to the other as they sat up. Tuk was quick to throw herself on to Neytiri with a cry of "mom!" Kiri had yet to move from where she lay, simply staring up at the ceiling trying to process what had happened.
"Is everyone alright?" Jake asked as he stood up and helping Neytiri and Tuk.
"What just happened?" Turning the Sully family was met with the Metkayina, or rather, Tonowari, Ronal, Aonung, Rotxo, and several of the senior warriors.
Jake could only shrug, but before he could answer another voice spoke up.
"Jake?" Looking a bit farther away, they saw Norm, Max and several of the scientists and avatar drivers. As well as members from the Western resistance there. Who weren't wearing any masks.
"Norm!" Jake exclaimed in realization, there was momentary panic before they realized that none of them were dying. "That's... weird?" Jake commented.
"Weird? It's not scientifically possible, or at least it's not supposed to be." Norm remarked looking around at the others who shrugged. No one was able to explain it.
"Monkey boy!" Shouted Kiri who had noticed Spider beginning to sit up from where he ended up in a corner. She, along with Lo'ak, Neteyam and Tuk rushed over to him.
"Are you okay!"
"I'm fine. They haven't really done much but keep me around them, they think I'll let something slip. But I would never tell them anything." Spider explained.
Kiri just shook her head and wrapped him in a hug. The others smiled, happy to have their friend back. Before they turned to listen to their parents and the other adults.
"Where are we?" was the question repeatedly thrown out by multiple people as they spoke to each other until one voice rose above.
"Yes indeed, where are we JakeSully?" Everyone turned to the voice and Tuk was the first to speak with a thrilled, "grandmother!" As she rushed to Mo'at who had appeared with several of the senior Omaticaya warriors and clan members. Neytiri following with a smile to greet her mother, happy to see her after so many months apart.
Standing slightly apart from them were Na'vi of the Western frontier clans; the Aranahe, Zeswa and Kame'tire. Those members moved to stand with the resistance members they knew.
"Why do you think I know?" Jake mumbled to himself as he looked around the room, some of the scientists splitting off to investigate. There seemed to be multiple couches in rows all pointing the same way each one a step higher then the one in front with an aisle going down the middle of them. Heading to the front of the room, he reached out and felt the screen in front of him and looked up at the size of it. "It looks like a large projection screen." He said to himself.
One of the scientists, Nalin, pulled back one of the dark maroon curtains that hung on the wall all the way around. "This wall is solid steel. None of us are getting out of here." She commented, taping on the wall.
"There's no doors or windows either." said someone else.
Lo'ak exchanged a look with Neteyam before speaking up, "sooo... we're stuck here?"
"We are not stuck. We just need to figure out why we were brought here and then... deal with it." Jake said still looking around.
"Ma Jake, what is this?" Neytiri asked, walking up to feel the screen as well.
"Its a projection screen, an old way of showing video. Like the vlogs you've seen." He explained
"This whole room actually looks a lot like a 21st century movie theater." He said, turning slowly to take everything in.
The screen lit up, catching everyone's attention and in big letters that everyone could read it said:
To understand the present, all must see the past. Sit down then announce when your ready and enjoy the show. P.S. the movie will stop each time you have discussions, so you won't miss anything.
"I don't think we're getting out of here until we watch whatever it is." Jake said, looking towards the others who nodded.
Moving to the couches everyone got comfortable. In the front left row was the Sullys left to right: Lo'ak, Neteyam, Jake, Neytiri, Tuk and Kiri. Across the aisle on the right row was Spider, Norm, Max and the various scientists and avatar drivers. Behind the Sullys was: Rotxo, Tsireya, Aonung, Tonowari, and Ronal. Behind them was the rest Metkayina Na'vi, across from them on the right side was Mo'at and the Omaticaya Na'vi. Filling up what looked like the last rows were the Western frontier groups of Na'vi and human.
Unbeknownst to any of them, far in the back behind an invisible wall that none could see through but the ones on the other side was what was left of the Recoms and Quaritch, as well as some of the high ranked officers and scientists of the RDA.
Jake cleared his throat and loudly and a little awkwardly announced to the room, "we're ready."
The words faded from the screen and the movie began to play.
THE SOUND OF DRUMS, from a great distance, growing louder.
FADE IN:
WE ARE FLYING through mist, a dimly glimpsed forest below.
"The forest!" Tuk exclaimed, thrilled to see their home again.
"It is the forest. It looks like we're flying over it on an Ikran." Added Kiri
A VOICEOVER (V.O.): When I was laying in the VA hospital, with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having dreams of flying.
Everyone blinked at the voice before looking at Jake, who was also taken back by hearing his own voice coming from the screen. "The VA hospital? Is this... oh no." He deadpanned as he realized exactly what they were going to see.
"Jake, did you... did you dream of Pandora when you were on Earth?" Norm questioned.
"I don't know. They had me on so many painkillers back then that I just thought I was hallucinating. Every time I closed my eyes I would be flying above a forest and mountains. But it was always to foggy or cloudy to really make out anything." Jake explained, trying to remember what it was all those years ago. The more he thought about it the more he realized that the forest he dreamed of was the forest and the mountains were most likely the Hallelujah Mountains.
"Even all the way across the stars, Eywa could still reach you." Mo'at commented, staring at Jake with her head tilted. Ronal was looking at him as well, trying to understand what it was that Eywa saw in this skyperson turned Na'vi.
"Ya, well Eywa has long arms then." Jake replied quietly as the movie started again, getting a laugh out of the kids who were close enough to hear him.
WE are very low over the forest now, gliding fast, the drums BUILDING to a peak.
V.O.: sooner or later though, you always have to wake up...