Chapter Three: Lost and Rebuilt
The sunlight entered the room and awoke him from his slumber. Zechs Marquise rolled over and put his arm around his beloved wife, Lucrezia Noin. He and Noin lived on the Mars Colony. They were part of the Teraforming project and been there for about a year when Noin found out was having a baby. Several weeks' later tests showed he was the father of identical twin girls. He felt himself just about to drift off when the door of their room slid and a little outline crept closer to the bed. When he felt the movement of the bed Zechs opened his eyes and saw one of his five- year old daughters, Aries staring back at him. She often came into their room in the mornings, he didn't know why but since Noin was a heavy sleeper Zechs was usually the only one awake to comfort the child. He helped her settle down in the middle of him and Noin and watched as she cuddled against her mother and fell back to sleep, still amazed that from himself he had helped create something so pure and innocent.
When Noin woke up she found Aries next to her and her husband nowhere in the room. Noin headed to the kitchen turned the coffeemaker on and overheard Zechs talking to somebody.
"Yes, we'll be there soon." he said, Noin couldn't see the person on the other side because the screen was being blocked by Zechs. Before she could get any closer he cut the connection and sat back in his chair.
"Who was that?" she asked as she sat in his lap.
"Relena, they are holding a meeting of the gundam pilots and want me to attend." Noin heard the click of the coffeemaker and got of Zechs' lap.
"When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?" she asked from the kitchen. Zechs knew his wife too well to that she hated him going off a mission with out her and since they had the girls she would have to stay and watch them. So he pursued her into the kitchen placing his arms around her waist and his head in the crook of her neck. He started to nibble on her neck put she pulled away.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Your leaving to see Relena to no doubt go on a mission of some kind and-" Zechs placed a finger over his wife's lips silencing her.
"No, yes no doubt there's a mission but I told Relena we would be there soon." Noin felt embarrassed for talking to him like she did and just assuming that he would leave them behind.
"Make breakfast and I'll pack our things and load them on the ship, we can be on Earth by tomorrow morning." She nodded and started to cook. At about eleven o'clock Aries came in the kitchen from the room her parents shared. She had heard her father and mother talking about going to Earth. Quite often she had heard stories of her mother and father's adventured there. They had told her that trees grew on there, for she had only seen one in a book. Also the book had pictures of the season's on Earth and animals that lived there. To her it seemed like a cool place well worth exploring.
"Is daddy leaving?" she asked.
"Yes, but we all are going to see your aunt Relena on Earth."
"Whose is Aunt Relena?" The five year old asked as she vaguely remembered hearing the name but couldn't put a face to it.
"I'll tell you later just get dressed and wake Amanda up."
By the evening they were all packed, loaded and ready to go. Zechs wrote a letter to their commanding officer explaining them taking a leave of absence and his apologies at leaving on such short notice. Noin went through the small three-room apartment where they had spent the last six years of their lives. Noin had thought she wouldn't be sad about leaving the colony but she only felt the change of scenery would be good for the twins and she longed to see Earth again. Walking into their room she saw Zechs staring out the only window in their room. He had always loved to stand there and stare at the stars. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on everything is ready." Zechs nodded thoughtfully then walked towards the ship.
The next morning they reached the Earth a set down near the coordinates Relena had given them. The meeting was at one o'clock in the afternoon so they could all sleep in. Aries woke up next morning to find that both her parents were still asleep. She got herself dressed and went into her sister's room.
"Amanda wake up we're here." Aries tried to rouse her twin.
"So, mom and dad aren't up yet."
"Come on let's go explore. I hear they have trees here and all those interesting kind of things." She attempted to convince her twin.
"No I'm still tired."
"Alrighty." Aries left her sister's room and went over to the hatch. She had watched her mother press the red button next to the door to open and close it. So she tried it and the door opened and so did a ramp down to the ground. The first thing she noticed was the fragrance of all the flowers and plants. This being her first time on Earth Aries jumped out of the ship thinking that there was no gravity. Surprised by her inability to float Aries lost her footing and tumbling down the ramp way into a rose bush. Brushing herself the little girl felt a stinging sensation in her hand. Thorns from the bush had made their way into her hand and a little stream of blood coursed down her palm. Aries would have gone back inside the ship finished with her adventures but the ramp had already closed. And her parents had never showed her how to open it from the outside.
A plan formed in her mind to go get someone to help her open the door. She looked down the driveway and saw a big building. 'I'm sure that would be a good place to find someone to help me.' she thought as she skipped to it. Aries entered the base unnoticed because of her small stature. The halls were long and all looked the same. After taking a few turns she was hopelessly lost. As a last ditch effort she called for her family each by name. But to no avail they didn't hear her.
"You hear that Duo?" Hilde asked her husband.
"What?" she shifted their six moths old, Arron in her arms and pointed to the direction of the strange noise.
"Let's go and find out what that is," she suggested. They followed the cries down the long hallway.
To be continued.
The sunlight entered the room and awoke him from his slumber. Zechs Marquise rolled over and put his arm around his beloved wife, Lucrezia Noin. He and Noin lived on the Mars Colony. They were part of the Teraforming project and been there for about a year when Noin found out was having a baby. Several weeks' later tests showed he was the father of identical twin girls. He felt himself just about to drift off when the door of their room slid and a little outline crept closer to the bed. When he felt the movement of the bed Zechs opened his eyes and saw one of his five- year old daughters, Aries staring back at him. She often came into their room in the mornings, he didn't know why but since Noin was a heavy sleeper Zechs was usually the only one awake to comfort the child. He helped her settle down in the middle of him and Noin and watched as she cuddled against her mother and fell back to sleep, still amazed that from himself he had helped create something so pure and innocent.
When Noin woke up she found Aries next to her and her husband nowhere in the room. Noin headed to the kitchen turned the coffeemaker on and overheard Zechs talking to somebody.
"Yes, we'll be there soon." he said, Noin couldn't see the person on the other side because the screen was being blocked by Zechs. Before she could get any closer he cut the connection and sat back in his chair.
"Who was that?" she asked as she sat in his lap.
"Relena, they are holding a meeting of the gundam pilots and want me to attend." Noin heard the click of the coffeemaker and got of Zechs' lap.
"When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?" she asked from the kitchen. Zechs knew his wife too well to that she hated him going off a mission with out her and since they had the girls she would have to stay and watch them. So he pursued her into the kitchen placing his arms around her waist and his head in the crook of her neck. He started to nibble on her neck put she pulled away.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Your leaving to see Relena to no doubt go on a mission of some kind and-" Zechs placed a finger over his wife's lips silencing her.
"No, yes no doubt there's a mission but I told Relena we would be there soon." Noin felt embarrassed for talking to him like she did and just assuming that he would leave them behind.
"Make breakfast and I'll pack our things and load them on the ship, we can be on Earth by tomorrow morning." She nodded and started to cook. At about eleven o'clock Aries came in the kitchen from the room her parents shared. She had heard her father and mother talking about going to Earth. Quite often she had heard stories of her mother and father's adventured there. They had told her that trees grew on there, for she had only seen one in a book. Also the book had pictures of the season's on Earth and animals that lived there. To her it seemed like a cool place well worth exploring.
"Is daddy leaving?" she asked.
"Yes, but we all are going to see your aunt Relena on Earth."
"Whose is Aunt Relena?" The five year old asked as she vaguely remembered hearing the name but couldn't put a face to it.
"I'll tell you later just get dressed and wake Amanda up."
By the evening they were all packed, loaded and ready to go. Zechs wrote a letter to their commanding officer explaining them taking a leave of absence and his apologies at leaving on such short notice. Noin went through the small three-room apartment where they had spent the last six years of their lives. Noin had thought she wouldn't be sad about leaving the colony but she only felt the change of scenery would be good for the twins and she longed to see Earth again. Walking into their room she saw Zechs staring out the only window in their room. He had always loved to stand there and stare at the stars. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on everything is ready." Zechs nodded thoughtfully then walked towards the ship.
The next morning they reached the Earth a set down near the coordinates Relena had given them. The meeting was at one o'clock in the afternoon so they could all sleep in. Aries woke up next morning to find that both her parents were still asleep. She got herself dressed and went into her sister's room.
"Amanda wake up we're here." Aries tried to rouse her twin.
"So, mom and dad aren't up yet."
"Come on let's go explore. I hear they have trees here and all those interesting kind of things." She attempted to convince her twin.
"No I'm still tired."
"Alrighty." Aries left her sister's room and went over to the hatch. She had watched her mother press the red button next to the door to open and close it. So she tried it and the door opened and so did a ramp down to the ground. The first thing she noticed was the fragrance of all the flowers and plants. This being her first time on Earth Aries jumped out of the ship thinking that there was no gravity. Surprised by her inability to float Aries lost her footing and tumbling down the ramp way into a rose bush. Brushing herself the little girl felt a stinging sensation in her hand. Thorns from the bush had made their way into her hand and a little stream of blood coursed down her palm. Aries would have gone back inside the ship finished with her adventures but the ramp had already closed. And her parents had never showed her how to open it from the outside.
A plan formed in her mind to go get someone to help her open the door. She looked down the driveway and saw a big building. 'I'm sure that would be a good place to find someone to help me.' she thought as she skipped to it. Aries entered the base unnoticed because of her small stature. The halls were long and all looked the same. After taking a few turns she was hopelessly lost. As a last ditch effort she called for her family each by name. But to no avail they didn't hear her.
"You hear that Duo?" Hilde asked her husband.
"What?" she shifted their six moths old, Arron in her arms and pointed to the direction of the strange noise.
"Let's go and find out what that is," she suggested. They followed the cries down the long hallway.
To be continued.