"Mama, look!" Zoe said, pointing to the flowers. The flowers were a deep purple and taller than Zoe was herself.
"I see. They're very pretty." Elisabeth said. Zoe stopped and looked longingly at the flowers. Elisabeth shook her head, they couldn't stop here and fall behind from the group. "I bet they'll have dozens of flowers at the colony." she said, leading Zoe forward. "You can have your very own flower when we get there." she promised her.
It placated the little girl, got them moving again. They followed the line of pilgrims carefully guarded by the soldiers. The jungle was lush, more beautiful than any picture Elisabeth had ever seen. The look on Zoe's face was priceless, never had the little girl seen so much greenery-in fact, the only plant they'd ever owned was a little weed-like flower that was usually more dead than alive.
And it was warm here. The sunlight kissed her skin, gave her a warmth she'd only ever felt in the dome where her parents had lived.
She wondered what her parents were thinking right now. For the first time in years she had given them a call. No one had picked up, but she left a message telling them she'd been recruited for Terra Nova as a surgeon. They'd never called back, but they must have heard it.
Elisabeth sighed heavily and pushed those thoughts away. Those emotions could be sorted out later.
Something roared, sent a shiver down her spine. She gasped and got low to the ground, pulling Zoe close to her. The majority of the other pilgrims did the same as the soldiers raised their guns and scanned the jungle around them.
"It's alright, everyone keep moving." Lieutenant Washington said. "The colony isn't much further."
"I'm scared." Zoe said quietly, keeping close to her mother.
"I know. But the soldiers are going to protect us if anything gets too close."
Zoe still looked uncertain. "What if they get hurt?"
The soldier nearest to them, a young man with brown hair and blue eyes, gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about us, ma'am. This is what we're trained to do."
Zoe returned the smile. "Just be careful!"
The soldier gave a small salute. "Yes, ma'am!" Elisabeth chuckled.
"Thank you." she said. "Mister...?"
"Corporal Reynolds, ma'am." he answered.
"You don't have to call me ma'am, not old enough for that. Just call me Dr. Paisley." she said. He gave a nod, letting her know he'd heard.
A girl not far ahead of them slipped, landing on her rear with a grunt. Her family, a blond haired boy and a brown haired man, reached out to help her up. Reynolds beat them to it, checking to make sure she was okay.
The colony was quite the sight, rather like something out of a movie. The fence stood tall, guarded by more soldiers. The gate was raised as they neared it, letting them in.
Commander Taylor was an interesting figure, very talented with words. By the end of his speech, she found herself swearing to do whatever was best for the colony, and, ultimately, the future of mankind.
It certainly sounded like a big responsibility.
One step at a time, Elisabeth, she reminded herself.
She and Zoe were escorted to their new home by Private Jacobs.
"Some of the newer models like your unit weren't completely finished. Someone will be by soon to put in place interior doors. You're free to paint it and decorate it as you wish." he told them.
Decorations and doors aside, it was sort of beautiful. There was a small yard, a place for them to plant their own flowers and vegetables. And there was so much space. The master bedroom wasn't as big was bigger than the one she'd left behind, and Zoe's room was bigger too.
There was work that needed to be done. They already had beds, but tables, couches, and chairs were needed, along with other things like eating utensils. Considering Zoe was only five, Elisabeth knew she would be doing all the work. It wasn't the first time she wished she had someone to help out, but she would manage.
The day was spent going back and forth between a supply store and the market. Zoe was a trooper about it, eager to explore. Elisabeth couldn't deny she was just as curious, though she tried not to look some of the other new pilgrims who's eyes were wide and their mouths gaping.
Zoe had indeed found herself a plant, only it wasn't a flower. Elisabeth called it The Monster, considering the wide mouth and sharp little teeth the thing had. For the most part, it resembled a Venus Flytrap. Elisabeth said yes on the condition that The Monster be kept in the living room where Elisabeth could keep an eye on it.
She flopped down onto her bed later that night feeling exhausted. Satisfied, but exhausted. There was still a lot to figure out, but for now, she just wanted some rest.
##
The next day was a little more difficult than she would have liked. Zoe had to go to Orientation, but thee thought of Zoe wandering around the colony, or outside the gates, without her was more than a little daunting.
Lieutenant Washington was the teacher of her daughter's group. The dark haired woman definitely seemed to know what she was doing, but Elisabeth was still apprehensive. She must have sensed it, or seen on on her expression, when she checked Zoe in.
"Don't worry, we're staying inside the gates for the majority of the week. And when we do go OTG, it's only just past the tree line." Washington said. "And, of course, the soldiers will be on alert for any danger."
Elisabeth sighed. "Zoe," she said seriously. The little girl gave her her full attention. "do everything Lieutenant Washington tells you. She says hide, you hide. She tells you to run, you run. Alright?"
Zoe nodded dutifully. "Yes, Mama."
"Alright. Stay with the group, don't wander off. I'll pick you up when it ends." she said. She wasn't working a full day today, so it shouldn't be a problem. She'd have to figure how to get Zoe around tomorrow, though, when she worked a full day.
"Love you, baby." she said. She gave her a brief hug before handing her over to the Lieutenant. When she turned around, she was glad to see Corporal Reynolds there, obviously one of the soldiers protecting the group.
Elisabeth wasn't sure what she expected the Infirmary to be like. Don't get her wrong, she loved her job, but a part of her had come to associate her work environment with death, blood, and raging illness. And desperation.
But here, there was a rather pleasant vibe. The windows were clean and let plenty of natural light shine in. There was no puddles of blood, no one keeling over in the waiting area. It smelled sanitary as opposed to reek of sickness. And, best of all, there was no one crying desperately for help, too poor to receive treatment.
After doing all the paperwork and receiving her ID from Dr. Ogawa, she was given her first job.
It was fascinating, actually, how large the leech could get. The poor man didn't seem to think so, considering it was his blood the creature was feeding on. How in heaven's name it even got onto his back was a mystery, one she'd have to figure out. She unhooked it from his back and bandaged the man up, before setting out to figure out what to do with the leech.
She'd encountered plenty of redheads in her line of work, but something about this particular head of hair, though the hair was thinning, was familiar to her.
"Malcolm?" she said, surprised. The man turned, his look of concentration quickly turning into one of happiness and surprise.
"Elisabeth?" he asked, grinning.
"Malcolm, what are you doing here?"
"I'm the head of the science department, came here on the Second Pilgrimage. And you? You work here now?" he asked.
"Yeah, I was recruited. First day here." she said.
"That's great." he said enthusiastically. She had to suppress a chuckle at his reaction: some things just don't change.
Raising the tray with the leech on a little, she said, "You wouldn't mind telling me what I'm suppose to do with live leech, would you?
##
Her day at the Infirmary had been wonderful. She and Malcolm had talked about old times at University, laughing over academic blunders and comparing a few achievements.
Elisabeth had an odd feeling, though. The way he acted reminded her of when they were dating, minus the touching. His smile a little too wide, his face just a little to pink in the cheeks. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She'd dated Malcolm, knew he was a good man. But she just wasn't sure if she wanted to go down that road again.
She checked the clock on the wall and saw it was just about time to pick Zoe up from Orientation. She signed out, told Malcolm she'd see him tomorrow, and went to pick up her daughter.
##
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