The Coniuncta Unknown

Preface

   12 Years Ago

     I remember the first time I saw the trees. They were shadowed by the night and only the lights overhead, on our ship, revealed them to be green. It looked like they touched the sky, but even at my age I knew that the trees didn't reach into space. Standing at the edge of the door to the metal ship we were standing in, I wanted to feel the ground on my bare feet, sinking into the soft dirt. Slowly, I started to lower my feet from the cold metal, when my brother touched my shoulder and I understood that he wanted to go first. He had eyes like fire and light hair to match. At that age, he was the only one that was taller then me. Without ever using words, I agreed that he should go first, followed by the two boys that were almost exact copies of each other. Both had rich, chocolate, curly hair but one had eyes like the trees and the other had eyes that matched his dark hair. I would go after the matching pair, while the boy with the bright eyes would stay on my left. He had dark hair also, but less curly as the others. At that time, I didn't have the words to describe how his eyes looked. Following bright eyes, the skinny boy would stay on my right, his eyes matched the sky above us perfectly, and his hair was a bright as the stars. When we first arrived we didn't know how this world communicated, so we went with what came easiest, through feelings, hand gestures, and if I needed to, I would show them what to do with a thought.
     We had only taken a few steps from the ship, where we came across a clearing. The huge trees had grown in a circle, almost, with roots above the ground, making it look like the trees could simply walk to a different destination, if the mood struck.  Flowers were scattered around the base of the tree roots, a color that matched bright eyes. Purple, I later realized. This would have been a perfect first memory of, well, anything, except for the next few things that happened. We had all looked around and wondered what other life Earth had to offer. But not Phoenix, my brother that had eyes the color of fire. No, he looked grim, probably because this pretty much confirmed everything he was allowed to know.
     Suddenly, the clearing was brighter and the fallen branches started to crack in the distance. Someone was coming. I shared looks with my brothers, and showed them to hid in the tree roots, to let them stretch over you. With the same idea in mind, Phoenix found a tree, then guided for the matching boys to follow him. I looked to the tree in front of me and laid down next to it, then rolled myself under the roots. I felt the ground shift, so the tree could match my position and respond to my movements. Purple eyes, later named Ayten, rolled into my tree also, allowing it to close in on him, making it very difficult to tell tree from boy. The one with the sky in him quickly spotted a tree, a slightly smaller one, that acknowledged his wishes and helped cover his bright hair.
     The light was right on top of us now, making the shadows look deeper. Four men were stealthy wandering to our hiding places, looking for us. They had already passed three of my brothers that shared one tree and were nearing the tree I shared with Ayten. I slowed down my breathing, trying to make as little noise as possible, but even back then I can't resist having a little bit of fun. So I wiggled my big toe, causing a long root to raise up slightly, tripping the big man to the ground. The light on the end of his gun bounced into my eyes, still sensitive from being used for the first time I could remember. Looking around in confusion, he saw my face, lite up by the flashlight attached to his gun. He grabbed me by my feet and dragged me out. I slipped myself out from the tree roots and the protection it offered. The man, who I later learned was Corporal Harrow, called the rest of his team to the clearing. I was surrounded by twelve men, all waiting for Harrow. The corporal started to shake me, repeating the same words; "Where are they? Where are the rest of you?"
The rest of you. My brothers. One of the only things I remembered was that my they would do anything to keep me from harm, as I would for them. It was the only thing that really mattered to us. It was our purpose, to protect each other.
My brothers left the security of the trees and came to surround me, startling the soldiers. The one with eyes like the night sky above us, North, shoved his small frame into Harrow, tossing him face fist into the ground. North came to stand in front of me, while Harrow angrily lifted himself to his feet. From the trees, Phoenix came over to stand on my left, Ayten on my right. Eos, with the green eyes and Zeke, the twins, took position behind us, both wearing matching snarls, warning the men not to come any closer.
"Hold," Harrow ordered, "we need to bring them in, preferably in one piece. Many of the higher ups are curious to see what these things are, including the Doc." We were out numbered by twelve to six, at a great disadvantage and had no clue what was going on, really. Still, I could feel my brothers anxious to protect and the ground around us responding to their instincts. I knew that in our current state, it was better to just let this play out, access the level of threat they posed, and act accordingly. So, I raised my foot off the ground, then gently tapped it down, signaling my brothers to wait for the right time. Eos and Zeke backed down immediately, taking a more relaxed stance behind me. North took my hand and Ayten followed his example. Phoenix nodded his head to me, the fire never leaving his eyes, stepping in front of me. The ground calmed for the moment, settling for quiet protection.
     Harrow gestured for his men to move forward. My brothers closed in on me but the soldiers were intent on separating us. Each man took one of my brothers arms, leaving Harrow and two of his men flanking him. "Now, let's get moving. Shel, Martin, go see if you can do anything about that ships lights." The two men followed Harrows directions, tracing the path we had walked out of the clearing. "I'm not sure you can understand me," Harrow began, "but if you move one muscle to run or attack, we will use force to get everyone back to the base. This doesn't have to end badly."
     I didn't reply. Instead, I just looked to my brothers, realizing that they were being unusually meek and quiet. They were swaying on their feet, being supported by the soldiers, eyes drooping to a slow close. Trying to get a feel for them, I couldn't understand why they were being so unresponsive. Harrow rushed to my side, figuring out that I was no longer going to be so docile. I elbowed him in the gut, turning to get my brothers when he stuck something in my arm. The effect was immediate. I was having a hard time standing on my own feet. Harrow caught me before I fell, then picked me up. Right after that he mumbled under his breath: "sorry, it's just easier if you don't know where we're going yet." And that was our first memory on Earth.