Chapter Text
Some know the feeling. When you wake up without dreaming. When the last thing you remember was closing your eyes. Artemis hates that feeling, not dreaming. So, when she woke 5 years, 9 months, and 22 days later she was a bit annoyed.
Her eyes barely got adjusted to the dim lighting in her small coffin shaped sleep pod when it began to move. A light swarmed her vision, and she squinted slightly, not expecting a light so quickly. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she took a moment to look around. A figure floated towards her, dressed in what appeared to be scrubs. The man grabbed a hold of a bar just above her head, holding himself in place to not float away in the zero gravity. The man looked down at her.
"How do you feel? Nauseous?" The man questioned. Artemis shook her head 'no' as she began to undo the straps keeping her from floating off. The man, who seemed pleased enough with her answer, pushed off the bar towards another pod just beginning to open. Artemis keeps her legs strapped down for an extra moment as she stretched her arms above her head. She looked around for a moment, wondering where Jake would be.
Once she finished stretching, she began to look for Jake as she floated towards her locker. As far as she could tell the lockers seemed to be in alphabetical order. So, she searched for her name, trying her best not to accidently float into someone.
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Artemis found Jake as they boarded onto a jet with a group of other military personnel. Artemis sat beside Jake, her hand resting on his leg as the ride continued. Her head was tilted back, eyes closed. Jake, who hadn't noticed Artemis's hold on his leg, takes a good look at her. While he was in bars drinking till he couldn't any longer, Artemis was doing good with her life. She had a plan; she always had a plan. And Jake had always both loved and hated that about her. She knew where she wanted to end up. Pandora.
"Exo-packs on! Exo-packs on! Remember people if you lose your mask, you're unconscious in 20 seconds, you're dead in 4 minutes! Let nobody die today, it looks very bad on my report!" A man shouted at them. Artemis gets her exo-pack on over her head, thankful that she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail before getting on the jet. She clicked the button to seal it fully on her face and breathing in deeply, making sure that it was suctioned enough. Jake mirrored her motions. They felt the aircraft lower itself onto the solid ground. The man spoke again but Artemis tuned him out as she grabbed her bag. The man yelled again, this time Artemis listened.
"Let's go! Let's go! Go directly into the base, do not stop! Go straight inside on my mark!" From her spot near the back, she watches as the hatch of the jet opens, showing off military soldiers running around with guns on hand, the steady motion of large machines outside. It was a bit underwhelming. It reminded Artemis of Earth, how everything already looked so dead and sad. The whole point of coming to Pandora was to escape that sadness. But it seemed to have followed, maybe not just her but humans as a whole. They end up destroying everything they touch.
Artemis stood up but made no move to follow the others directly outside. Instead, she waited for Jake to unfold is wheelchair, to get his legs in their correct position and waited for him to grab his bag. Jake gave her a small smile as he wheeled himself in front of her, slowly making his way.
"Check it out man. Meal on wheels." A soldier said to his buddy, obviously referring to Jake. The buddy looked, obviously not expecting someone in a wheelchair be allowed to arrive on Pandora, not with the conditions of the planet.
"That's just wrong." The buddy said. Then his eyes drifted to Artemis. Like the other marines on the jet, Artemis is in similar attire. She has on a black t-shirt paired with camo pants and her boots. Nothing that screams attention, yet it was enough for the man to whistle as she walked right behind Jake.
A large machine rolled in. It was massive. But besides the size of the machine, it was the multiple arrows sticking out of the tires that caught both Artemis's and Jake's attention. The arrows were large and made by the natives, the Na'vi. Artemis watched with interest as the machine slowly made its way past them, allowing for Jake and Artemis to continue their way into the base, when they got into the base they ended up following a few others until they came to a large cafeteria area. A man walked up and down the aisle, his head held high as he proudly wore his uniform. He gives them. . . a bit of a pep talk, though Artemis doesn't really listen to him. The only thing she did notice about the man, despite him being old, was a large claw mark that extended over the side of his head. As scary as that seemed to some of the others Artemis just shrugged it off. She had knowledge in gun handling and she's not oblivious to what is waiting beyond the walls. And she can't wait.
"This is stupid," Artemis said, bending down to Jake ever so slightly so other wouldn't hear as she stood behind Jake. The man continued his little speech, still walking up and down the aisle.
"You'll live." Jake whispered, his head tilting back just enough so Artemis can hear him. Artemis couldn't help but smile slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to care about what the man before them was talking about. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all.
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