" So, who's here to see me" I said jokingly into my throat mike.
"He's out there already" Max replied
I thought I saw a mirror placed in the middle of the field between the gate and the building. I could clearly see myself standing in front of me, but I was walking, and other me was not. I stopped. I saw Max standing near it.
A confused "uhhhhh" came out of my mouth eloquently.
"Jake" the other me spoke.
"Who are you?" I asked, not quite believing what I so wanted it to be.
"Who can you think of that looks just like you," he asked in a tone so familiar to me.
"Tommy?" we walked toward each other.
"yeah?" he replied.
"Is it really you?"
"Well who else could it be"
I embraced my brother warmly, "I thought you were dead," I said through tears.
"yeah, well, you wouldn't believe what kind of asshole Quaritch is"
"was," I corrected.
"was?" Tom inquired
"I've actually got a pretty good idea of how big an asshole Quaritch can be. He had me spying on the Omaticaya for months, or at least that's what he thought" I began.
"What else didn't they tell me?" he asked.
"This is a conversation for another time, now though, there's someone I want you to meet," I turned and called, "Neytiri!" My mate rushed up beside me, "yes my Jake".
"This is my brother Tom Sully," I said gesturing to my brother.
"Oel Ngati Kameie Tomsulli," she said formally.
"Oel Ngati Kameie Neytiri," my brother replied in part.
"How do you…" my question was cut off by Tom.
"Avatar training," he said.
"Oh," I remembered Grace yelling at me for not knowing anything about the Omaticaya, and how she tried to teach me names.
"yeah, Tom , this is my mate".
"You mated with Neytiri?" Tom replied with a shocked look on his face.
"Yep, and we love each other more every day," I said wrapping an arm around her azure waist.
We began to walk toward the compound and to the avatar exercise yard.
"You're fluent in Na'vi right?" I asked him quietly.
"Yeah, of course," he replied like it was obvious.
"Let's use that language instead, I'm actually more comfortable with Na'vi now than English," which was not a lie, I had been only speaking English on occasion to talk to the scientists at Hells Gate, so little that when I did, now I had a thick Na'vi accent.
"Where's everyone else?" I inquired, "there must have been more on that shuttle".
"no shuttle landed,"
"what?"
"I jettisoned myself in an escape pod, the shuttle's aren't coming for a while. Actually with any luck, there won't even be one".
"how? They're not just gonna give up on this place"
"well, that's where you come in. we need to convince them that the Na'vi army is still strong and able to fight them off again."
"we are"
"I know, but I need you to talk to the foreman and scare him off"
"ok, just set up a communication channel and let me know when to be there."
"wait, won't they notice you're gone?"
"doubtful, I was on as a janitor, nobody paid much attention to me"
"they wouldn't fly a dead guy 4 and a half light years out in space huh?"
"nope, I was Jack Michaels for the last 6 years"
"wow, that's umm," I was speechless
"it was horrible, but this is worth it"
"it is tsmukan, it is"