Markus Reynolds has a twin sister named Myka Reynolds, and they were "accidents," because their family already had a (now oldest) daughter, Elena. There was no way to hide it since the second baby was surprise, despite the medical advances of the time. They were born in March 2129 to Leo and Ayn Reynolds. After being fined, they found a loophole in the laws that allowed them to keep their children, if the grandparents were willing to claim guardianship of one. Needing to be with the infant twins more than their 4 year old daughter, the arrangement was made. The entire family lived together, but when Elena grew older, she began to understand why having two siblings was considered weird by her classmates. When the situation was explained to her, she felt betrayed by her parents, because even though they still raised her, they had chosen her siblings over her, and she wasn't yet mature enough to grasp the gravity of the situation; while she publicly defended the twins who were ridiculed for collectively being the "third child," in private she resented them, and for a long time they weren't close. Even the defense she did provide was minimal, and Mark and Myka had to learn early-on how to defend themselves. They depended on each other for survival, and learned how to fight back. They became adept at what was once known as "parkour" and used it frequently to outrun former tormentors they got revenge on. They also developed a fascination with fighting styles and became rather proficient in a variety of them. In short, the twins became highly independent and self-sufficient, despite their young age, as well as skilled in the ways that would later benefit them as soldiers in Terra Nova.
Ayn Reynolds unfortunately died of complications from the atmosphere of the dying planet in January 2142 when the twins were 13. Right around this time, Commander Nathaniel Taylor and his men were making the first historic trip through the portal to a new timeline, hoping for a fresh start for mankind. The Reynolds kids' grandparents (on their mother's side) who had helped raise them, both passed in February of 2143, four months before the second pilgrimage left for Terra Nova.
Leo Reynolds was left with twin almost-fourteen-year-olds who had a knack for getting into trouble, and a not-quite-18 year old rebellious daughter. The children were left mostly to their own devices because their father, a medical research scientist, was busy working to find a cure for the disease that had claimed his beloved wife, and was slowly claiming him.
It was because of his profession and knowledge that Leo Reynolds was recruited to Terra Nova on the 4th pilgrimage of June 2144. Since his three children made the family four, all were allowed to go with him, despite one of the twins being the third child (they never asked who was born first, mostly because they didn't want to know who the third was technically speaking, instead they both claimed to be the third, much to everyone else's confusion).
All being allowed to travel through the time fracture was bittersweet; they could go with their living family, but only because their mother had died and there was no longer five to their family. If Ayn had been alive, Elena would have had to remain behind because the invitation didn't include extended family, and Elena would have become a ward of the state after her grandparents passed; Elena was acutely aware of this, and it reinforced her resentment toward Mark and Myka.
Leo hoped Mark would follow in his footsteps and become a scientist, but both he and Myka became enamored with their grandfather's stories of being a soldier, and both held great respect for him. He had told stories of actually meeting Nathaniel Taylor when Taylor was still a cadet, and the twins were most excited to meet the now great Commander Nathaniel Taylor.
On the day of the fourth pilgrimage, Mark and Myka thought the sky of the dead Earth looked particularly disgusting and they were ready to leave. They chattered excitedly about how much more fun it would be climb trees rather than old and rusted buildings, and how cool it would be to see the dinosaurs. They were both information sponges – at the top of their class, actually - and had read up on everything they could possibly experience in Terra Nova. They talked incessantly, finishing each other's sentences, and sometimes just dropping off at the end, because they knew the other understood perfectly. Mark and Myka also agreed one of the things they were most looking forward to was meeting Commander Taylor in person.
Elena was in a bad mood (which the twins figured was her default mood) on the day of the pilgrimage, though there was a small part of her that was excited for fresh air and a new start. She had always been the girl with twin siblings and she didn't have many friends because she was always defending them. Despite the excitement she felt, that particular emotion was overpowered by her annoyance at listening to her 15 year old siblings talk - her frustration piquing whenever it became gibberish as they communicated in what she had always thought of as "twin-speak."
Leo's condition on the day of the pilgrimage had worsened considerably, and he knew he wouldn't be able to find a cure for his disease in time. He also knew he was too far gone for the fresh air of Terra Nova to save him. It was because of this knowledge that he hid his symptoms well at Hope Plaza. If officials had thought he would be of no use in Terra Nova (and he very well couldn't be if he died), then they would take away his place and his family's places on the pilgrimage, and that was unacceptable. Since he couldn't improve their lives in 2144, he could damn well get them to Terra Nova and give them a chance at a better life before joining his beloved wife to watch over them.
Mark and Myka watched the blue-toned portal whir to life from their spot in line. Elena was just as transfixed by the spinning portal that promised new life. None of the three children noticed their father, standing slightly behind them, have a coughing fit, and they certainly didn't notice the blood that stained the handkerchief he held to his mouth.
At the portal, they were cautioned to go through one at a time, and stay calm as their lungs adjusted to the new atmosphere. Mark and Myka were both excited rather than scared to go through the portal, and had to play best of three rock, paper, scissors to determine who got to go through first. Their antics made the guards chuckle, rather than push them to yell at the young teenagers for holding up the line. In truth, everyone behind them was nervously watching others walk through, as they feared the unknown, and the fearless teens competing to see who got to go through first calmed them down.
Mark won, as he almost always did somehow, and walked though first. Later, he would describe the sensation as a zap of energy going through him. When he reached the other side, he initially rejected the medical help of the carbon dioxide infuser, because the straps impeded his view of this new world. It didn't take long for his lungs to adjust anyway. His lungs accepted the clean air without problem just as his sister appeared out of the portal.
Myka, defeated by her brother, though how she knew not, waited impatiently for the guards to tell her she could follow her brother. She bounced on her toes as she tossed her long black hair over her shoulder to throw an excited smile at her sister and father, who responded in kind. Her sister actually smiling at her was a surprise, and Myka thought just maybe their relationship could improve in this new world where they surely weren't trying to control the size of the population, and third children wouldn't be shunned. When the guards finally motioned her to walk, her smile nearly split her face and she had to remind herself to walk calmly, and this also amused the guards as they called out well-wishes to her. Myka's experience of the portal could only be described by her as a pleasant tingling sensation through her body and muscles, like after one finishes a strenuous workout and one's whole body seems to hum. Just after she entered a new land of green, her brother was at her side, slipping a breathing mask over her face, and being careful to keep the straps from obstructing her view as she gazed at the trees around them. Just as their sister walked through the portal, Myka removed her mask and smiled wide at her brother, both his blue eyes and her heterochromatic eyes shining bright with excitement.
Elena watched as her oh-so-annoying siblings became more and more eager to enter the unknown at the prospect of a new world. She couldn't even be upset with them holding up the line with their antics because she recognized the easing of tensions in those around her, and she found herself becoming more relaxed as well. She laughed as her sister bounced impatiently in place, and smiled back when she threw a grin over her shoulder, their mutual excitement pushing back past resentment. When it was her turn to walk through the portal, she stood straighter, despite her heavy pack, and put her shoulders back, determined to enter her new life in a confident way. As she was engulfed by the mesmerizing blue colors, Elena swore she heard whispers of the past race by, before they were replaced by the bird-song that was present at every pilgrimage, like the creatures of the cretaceous period were welcoming the newest residents. Her siblings, smiling wide, slipped a breathing mask over her head, and all three realized, as they stood there together, smiling at each other, that they had never felt closer.
Leo stood in line, watching, as one by one all three of his beloved children took the final step toward their better future – that just so happened to be 85 million years into the past. He watched as each head of thick black hair disappeared into the blue, and he could almost pretend that one of the girls was Ayn, the woman after which all three took their looks, from the hair to their blazing blue eyes (though Myka was born with heterochromia, her left eye being the Reynolds blue, but her right eye brown with green highlights). Both he and Ayn were smart, verifiable geniuses actually, but Ayn always said their curiosity came from him. As Leo took the final step to join his children in a new life, he hardly felt anything because he was focusing on a vow to himself to enjoy whatever time he had left with his children in this new world. After his lungs finally adjusted to the new air, taking longer than his children because of his condition, he enjoyed some minimal exploring in the clearing while the remainder of the pilgrimage came through, and not once did he think of his impending demise, or the handkerchief with spots of blood in his pocket.
…
Elena was busy calmly appreciating some gorgeous and huge flowers nearby when Myka went running past, Mark hot on her heels. Usually this would've thrown her into a fit, but this new life was different she decided, and instead she began chasing after them, much to their surprise and delight. It was during the chase that they learned they all had similar personalities with a thirst for fun, and that Elena happened to be faster than both her siblings. She could also tackle, which they discovered when suddenly they went down, rolling over and over each other, accidentally brining down another family with them. Leo was running behind them after he saw them take off, trying desperately to get them to stop. By the time he caught up, wheezing and winded, they had already bowled down a family of four and he could barely get an apology out. One that was waved away by the parents. All on the ground were in hysterics, causing those around them to chuckle, including some soldiers happy to see the new life joining their colony.
The family accidentally used as bowling pins in the Reynolds' antics consisted of Andrew Miller, his wife Kate Miller, their daughter Claire, and their son Dayton. All of them blond with a strange shade of blue-grey eyes. Claire was 18, just like Elena, whose prayers about Terra Nova were answered when she made a friend after just an hour surrounded by greenery. Dayton, who usually went by Day, also happened to be 15 years old like the twins, and the three were practically inseparable after that day. And the overall combinations of thick dark hair, and thick light hair always clued the colony residents into who was racing past, even if they went too fast to see a face.
…
It wasn't much later that a soldier's comm unit sounded a burst of static before a female voice, clearly in command, informed all the soldiers that the pilgrimage was complete and it was time to move out. Mark and Myka jumped to attention, because as much as they were enjoying this clearing, they were ready to see their new home where they hopefully didn't have to worry about being shunned for being twins who caused their family to break the population laws.
Elena was already deep in conversation with Claire while the twins and Dayton walked in front of them. She could hear her father conversing with the Millers about science. Mr. Miller was a botanist, and Mrs. Miller a nurse, both recruited for Terra Nova. Leo being a medical research scientist provided an overlap for all three professions that could have kept them talking the whole walk back to the colony, had the twins not gotten themselves into trouble.
Mark and Myka were talking to Day about all the things they'd climbed and promising to teach him how, when Myka spotted the perfect tree for it. She elbowed Mark who saw it a millisecond later and they both took off running, confusing Day (who would eventually learn their unspoken language, almost like they became triplets) to trail along behind them to watch in amusement.
Elena, already privy to understanding some "twin-speak," saw the tree at the same time as Mark and just grazed the back of his pack as they took off running, unable to grab him and stop them. She called for her father before running after them, leaving a confused Claire behind.
Leo saw his children, a little ways in front of him, take off running, and he knew it would end badly. Without apologizing or explaining to the Millers, he also started after them, though he cursed his poor health and inability to adequately keep up. By the time he got to the tree, where he both fortunately and unfortunately saw them stop running and start climbing, he was winded again and Elena was standing by a black haired woman in armor commanding they descend immediately.
Lieutenant Alicia Washington knew they had more families on this pilgrimage than the previous two, but she hadn't expected how many would have young children. Or maybe they just looked young to her. According to the roster, the youngest pilgrim was 9 years old, and the majority of minors were in the middle teens. She also hadn't expected to have to discipline any of them on the walk back to Terra Nova. When she heard the shouts she could tell they were from kids having fun, but they were followed by her radio crackling and one of her soldiers informing her some kids were climbing a tree. She inwardly sighed and signaled for a stop while she turned around to knock some sense into them.
When Lieutenant Washington reached the tree in question, she saw a young adult girl standing at the base of the tree shouting up to the two she couldn't see but could hear as they shouted and laughed and generally had a great time. The black-haired girl was yelling at them to get their butts down on the ground this instance as she even stomped her foot on the earth. When she spotted Washington, she turned her attention to her, seeming to immediately recognize her authority, but then surprised her by defending the teens in the tree – vehemently.
Elena saw the soldier-woman walk over as she shouted for her siblings to come back down, and she noticed the way the other soldiers stood almost imperceptibly straighter. She quickly gathered that this woman was in charge, and her instincts to protect her wild siblings kicked in. She turned and nearly shouted at the woman that they were just having some fun after years of surviving in a dying world and she should cut them slack, even as she turned back to the tree to shout some not-so-nice-things at them herself. Elena hardly heard as the woman began to laugh at her tenacity.
Alicia Washington had to admire the spitfire of the girl. As she defended the two in the tree, who had begun their descent, her hair had swirled around, reminding Alicia of her own hair currently in a French braid, and the girl's blue eyes had seemed to spark with the intensity with which she defended whoever was in the tree. Alicia wondered just how she was connected to the two to defend them so fiercely only to turn around and shout at them herself. She got her answer when the two finally dropped onto the branch just out of reach and became visible. The looks of joy on their faces were contagious as they looked at the yelling girl, but all Alicia could see was the similarity between the three. Suddenly she remembered the extensive file attached to one of the families coming through and decided these must be the Reynolds. She had admired the family's tenacity as she read through their file and had actually looked forward to meeting them, though she hadn't once thought this would be the scenario. She watched their smiles fade a bit when they spotted her, and she commanded them – nicely- to please return to the ground.
Leo got there just as the soldier woman told them to come down, and he watched as they thankfully complied. When he looked over his shoulder at chuckles, he saw the four Millers watching, and the parents shaking their heads in sympathy. When he reached the base of the tree, he immediately stepped in between his three kids and the woman who was clearly in charge. She introduced herself as Lieutenant Alicia Washington 2IC of Terra Nova. Leo, knowing of his twins' excitement to meet her after learning of her through their research of Taylor, could practically hear their jaws drop. After introducing himself, he turned around to introduce his kids and saw the twins' heads dropped in shame of such a terrible first impression.
Climbing the tree was more fun than they had even imagined, and they continued until the sound of Elena's yelling was no longer directed at them, but rather in defense of them. It was then that it dawned on them perhaps this wasn't well thought through. They began their descent, still enjoying themselves, and they were smiling wide as they dropped into sight of Elena. She smiled back at them, shaking her head in exasperation, until they caught sight of the black-haired soldier-woman and their smiles dropped a bit. She looked at them sternly and demanded they finish their descent. They complied and had just dropped to the earth again when their father appeared and stepped between them. When they learned who the woman was, Mark and Myka elbowed each other at the same time, before realizing what a huge mistake they had made.
Lieutenant Washington understood that it was their first day here and that they were excited. She didn't plan on punishing them this time, but that didn't mean she would let them off the hook immediately. She asked them to step forward, despite their father's objection, and when they did in sync, she nearly cracked the smile she was holding back. She took a big breath and watched them cringe- also in sync- thinking they were about to receive a lecture or punishment. Alicia knew most of the new colonists were watching and she didn't want them to be afraid here. So instead, she leaned down and excitedly asked them how high they got. Both heads popped up in time to see the smile spread across her face.
Mark and Myka could hardly believe their luck that not only had they not been punished, but they got to meet the Lieutenant Washington. She even asked them to walk with her at the front and be the first so see Terra Nova in their pilgrimage. They figured it was partially to keep an eye on them, but they didn't care. After she asked them, Mark and Myka shared a quick sideways glance and a secret smile before springing into action. Myka grabbed her sister's hand, then her father's, and walked back toward Washington with them in tow. Mark grabbed Dayton's arm and motioned for him to grab his sister's hand, who in turn formed a chain with her parents. With both families united, Washington could only smile as these two teens included others in a moment that they would forever remember: the first time they get to see their new home.
…
Though the rest of the walk was pleasant and free of climbing teenagers, the twins were talkative and incessantly asked the lieutenant questions. It peaked when they heard a large dinosaur roar for the first time and everyone crouched down while the soldiers determined if it was a threat. Everyone was silent, including the twins, but as soon as it was called out to continue to move, the questions were overlapping and they barely allowed her time to answer before firing another. Those around them usually would have been annoyed, but it was informative and the cheeky twins were thinking up questions the new colonists had not considered. It was when they went totally silent at the same time for longer than 10 seconds that Alicia and those around them got worried. They shared a somber look before Myka asked in a small voice if "illegals" were accepted here. She had to clarify before Alicia understood, but her father's and sister's hearts were already breaking. Once the lieutenant understood, she had to take a second to compose herself because it was her heart's turn to break. She informed Myka and Mark, that yes, "illegals" weren't a problem here, that they didn't exist because there was no restriction on children. She watched and the twins, so lively with personalities larger than life, shared a quiet moment of relief for each other, and she thought, for the first time since reading their file, about how hard life must have been for all of them. She vowed to make sure their lives here in Terra Nova were better than before and to protect them with everything she had.
Elena heard her sister's quiet question that seemed to echo through the forest, and hit a nerve deep within her. For the first time, she considered what it was like for them to grow up. If she had a hard time in school for having them as siblings, what must it have been like to be them? How many times had she told them, in a bout of frustration, that everything was their fault, all the fights they got into, how horrible her life was? She realized then that her resentment of them earlier in life didn't originate from them, but from her own stubborn refusal to understand the whole family's situation. For the longest time she thought it was because they never seemed to care about the turmoil they had caused in the relationships of their family, but their question (because though Myka had asked, clearly they had both worried) finally broke down the last wall she had been holding in place to keep blame from herself, and she realized they cared about their influence and felt shame deeply. As she had this epiphany, she walked a couple steps faster to catch up to her siblings and squeeze between them to put an arm over each's shoulder, earning her surprised but happy smiles. And she smiled back.
Leo watched with a heartbreaking sadness as his youngest daughter asked a question both twins clearly needed an answer to. And he understood. He had stood outside their bedroom late at night and listened to quiet conversations about the bullies at school, and his heart had broken more than once before as he heard one twin console another as they cried. He understood they needed to know whether they were safe here, or if they needed to prepare their emotional walls. He watched the strong lieutenant nearly break at the quiet question of the girl who was so full of life just a moment before and now looked so small and vulnerable. And he knew his children would be safe here, whether he was with them or not. Leo then watched as his oldest daughter, his first born, seemed to drop everything that had ever happened between them before and comfort her siblings who so desperately wanted their sister's acceptance. This time he couldn't stop the single tear that escaped, and as he brushed it away, he felt a hand on his shoulder; turning to see Andrew Miller, he knew that, while the man didn't understand everything he had just witnessed, he understood enough as a father himself.
Mark and Myka both felt a weight lift off their shoulders at the answer of the lieutenant, a woman they both felt great respect for, and already trusted. They shared a relieved look as they continued to walk and didn't notice the reactions of those around them to the question that mattered so desperately to them. It was a pleasant surprise when Elena walked up to them and embraced them both before dropping a kiss on the top of both their heads. After walking linked together, the twins, true to form, started up with their questions again, and now their sister joins them.
…
Lieutenant Washington gave no warning before breaking through the tree line, and though she didn't look back, she heard all the intakes of breath and the sounds of amazement as the colonists looked upon their new home. She did watch however, as the twins darted forward a few yards before abruptly stopping and buzzing with pure excited energy. She felt herself smile and chuckle at the excitement they clearly didn't know what to do with. And she thought to herself, not for the first time, that these two would be a handful. She also knew she would enjoy every second of it.
Leo watched his youngest children race forward before stopping to just stare, and he understood how they felt. He had the benefit of looking at Terra Nova with his children in view, looking at this new place with the people who made it home in sight, throwing excited looks over their shoulders. He laughed as they called for him to hurry, excited to get there and explore.
Elena had seen schematics of what Terra Nova was supposed to look like, but she now realized none did it justice. Though she didn't quite vibrate like her siblings, she could feel renewed excitement course its way through her veins, and she walked forward with the lieutenant, grabbing a hand from each twin to walk through the gates, their father just a step behind them.
…
All the colonists of the third pilgrimage walked through the impressive gates and looked around in awe. They got curious looks and waves from the others already living there. Then their attention was drawn to a balcony before them on which a man was standing and watching all of them. He clearly held a position of power, and it didn't take long for the pilgrims to realize the man was Commander Taylor. The twins were among the first to figure it out and they quickly elbowed each other, staring at their idol, much to the amusement of Alicia Washington which they didn't notice.
Though Mark and Myka didn't notice the chuckle Washington sent their way, Commander Taylor certainly did. He also saw the look on her face while she watched them, and he knew, even if they didn't, that they already had a friend and protector within the colony.
Taylor dragged his attention away from Alicia and the two teens she seemed drawn to, to look over the other new colonists. He began his usual speech, welcoming them and hoping to instill a sense of pride in their new home, hoping to make sure they would do everything possible to protect it – just like himself.