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Chapter fifty-two

Simon

“C ome here. All of you,” Simon said, entering the room. He looked through two functional eyes, the left one repaired and his silicone casing restored all over.

“What is it?” Nora put down her cards.

Tilly was slower to get up, her face scrunched in concentration. They were playing Go Fish with a group of androids, and the androids had been letting her win.

Simon took Nora's hand and pulled her up. “Only for a minute. The game will be here when you get back.”

Next to her were the crutches Nora was using. He handed her one. The bullet wound in her leg was almost closed, but she still relied on the crutches to get around. “They have a live feed I would like you to see.”

“What’s that?” Tilly stood and hobbled a few steps ahead, matching her mother's unsteady gait. Her little foot was in a pink boot cast. The androids had reset the part in her foot that had healed wrong while they traveled, and now it just needed time, but she should no longer limp once it was done healing.

In his processors there was a lightness. It was hard to wait. I want to see their reactions. Simon waved them forward. “You’ll see.”

To the side, Anna watched with tired eyes. She was not playing the card game, but sat apart with a book about human babies on her lap.

With crutches under her arm, Nora called to her. “You too, Anna.”

“Alright.” The book was put aside and Anna stood to follow.

Simon led them to the navigation area, filled with androids piloting the ship. When they entered, the androids turned to observe them all at once, then seemed to freeze in place.

“Where?” Nora asked, walking ahead as quickly as she could.

Tilly rushed to the front of the navigation area, moving awkwardly on her cast. In her arms she carried a new doll, machine-crafted and sewed perfectly. She held it next to the sack one from back home, loving both the same. Her hair was expertly braided down her back by an android’s deft hands.

The image of space on the navigation panel changed. Simon leaned in, pointing at the crisp images. Our new home. His voice was pitched higher with enthusiasm. “This is a live feed. Of Mars.”

Nora let out a soft gasp, pressing her hands to her chest as she looked at the images the androids had put up on the main navigation screen. Her eyes were hungry. “Oh.”

The planet ahead was blue, with swirling white clouds that looked like how Simon remembered Earth looking. Only, there was not as much water evident on the surface for large oceans. What water that was present on Mars during his time, frozen, now flowed in lakes and small rivers. The entire planet’s surface was truly transformed once the atmosphere had taken hold.

Nora reached out, as if she could touch it. “How beautiful.”

Both Nora and Tilly had identical expressions of wonder. Anna did as well, from a few steps behind. Simon watched Nora's face, instead of the feed, just as entranced as he was by her seeing the sunset so many days ago.

With delicate precision, Simon pulled Nora back until she settled in his arms. “This is a live feed of what is far ahead. This is what I remember the Earth looking like from my time.”

They watched together as the feed traveled over a planet that looked very much like Simon remembered Earth being. Full of the same plants, animals, and beauty.

Only it was the terraformed red planet Mars instead.

It felt like magic as Simon folded Nora in his arms. The feed zoomed in on the greenery. Simon smiled at Tilly’s open-mouthed awe. The planet mimicked the nature from his memories, grown anew on a planet not spoiled by war. Completely undisturbed.

Then Simon leaned close to Nora’s ear and said, “I can’t wait to show you just how beautiful life can be.”