Part 1 - Rebuilding
A week after the aliens were gone, we began to rebuild everything that had been destroyed. It wasn't easy, and a lot of people were resistant to the changes that had to be made. Above everything else, we taught change and tolerance. And tolerance is a big word for me.
Norm and the other scientists allowed to stay continued to call their home the lab where they'd been working before. But I never went back. I had no reason to, and Norm promised to visit even though his Avatar had been destroyed. I know he loved being a scientist too much, and most of the People had accepted him. There were still a few hold-outs, but they weren't making too much noise. So it wasn't as bad as before.
I'll go ahead and admit that I missed my old body. Not that I ever wanted to go back — or could for that matter — but just little things. I became so accustomed to my life with Neytiri that going back had turned into an old memory — distant but still present. Especially when she gave me the news that she was pregnant. I'd never once thought of myself as a father, but the thought of it made me hope I did a good job.
I was also worried. I mean, what would they look like? It was true that, for the most part, I looked like everyone else around me. But there were subtle differences to my physiology that did make me different. Most importantly, and most noticeably was the fact that I had five fingers and five toes while everyone else only had four. I had eyebrows, and I was what you would call stockier than most everyone else. I wondered what my child would look like, and I was shocked to realize how much I wanted him to look like me.
I didn't know anything about my body on the inside until I was told by Norm that since I was male my genes would be dominant over Neytiri's, so it was very likely that my child would have five fingers and five toes, because of the Human DNA infused into my Avatar. They would have eyebrows and probably have better muscle tone than Neytiri. But my child would look, feel and sound like his mother, since my body did look like hers. For that I was grateful.
The night my son was born was one of the most joyous and interesting of my life. Of course I wasn't allowed in the birthing chamber with any of the females, but I was anxious the entire time. Norm was there with me. Since the end of the war, he'd adapted to life here and at the lab, but he was still geeky. In a good way, of course.
When my child had been laid in my arms for the first time, I think I felt for the first time what could only be called pure happiness. And I was determined not to take advantage of it. Should've known it wasn't going to be that easy. And for what? A freak accident? A moment's distraction? She'd survived worse.
But this time was different.
A week after the aliens were gone, we began to rebuild everything that had been destroyed. It wasn't easy, and a lot of people were resistant to the changes that had to be made. Above everything else, we taught change and tolerance. And tolerance is a big word for me.
Norm and the other scientists allowed to stay continued to call their home the lab where they'd been working before. But I never went back. I had no reason to, and Norm promised to visit even though his Avatar had been destroyed. I know he loved being a scientist too much, and most of the People had accepted him. There were still a few hold-outs, but they weren't making too much noise. So it wasn't as bad as before.
I'll go ahead and admit that I missed my old body. Not that I ever wanted to go back — or could for that matter — but just little things. I became so accustomed to my life with Neytiri that going back had turned into an old memory — distant but still present. Especially when she gave me the news that she was pregnant. I'd never once thought of myself as a father, but the thought of it made me hope I did a good job.
I was also worried. I mean, what would they look like? It was true that, for the most part, I looked like everyone else around me. But there were subtle differences to my physiology that did make me different. Most importantly, and most noticeably was the fact that I had five fingers and five toes while everyone else only had four. I had eyebrows, and I was what you would call stockier than most everyone else. I wondered what my child would look like, and I was shocked to realize how much I wanted him to look like me.
I didn't know anything about my body on the inside until I was told by Norm that since I was male my genes would be dominant over Neytiri's, so it was very likely that my child would have five fingers and five toes, because of the Human DNA infused into my Avatar. They would have eyebrows and probably have better muscle tone than Neytiri. But my child would look, feel and sound like his mother, since my body did look like hers. For that I was grateful.
The night my son was born was one of the most joyous and interesting of my life. Of course I wasn't allowed in the birthing chamber with any of the females, but I was anxious the entire time. Norm was there with me. Since the end of the war, he'd adapted to life here and at the lab, but he was still geeky. In a good way, of course.
When my child had been laid in my arms for the first time, I think I felt for the first time what could only be called pure happiness. And I was determined not to take advantage of it. Should've known it wasn't going to be that easy. And for what? A freak accident? A moment's distraction? She'd survived worse.
But this time was different.
