Up at the controls of the shuttle, the commander had his hands on thruster controls, ready to slow up for docking with this zoo. He first hit the seatbelt sign on.
Alex looked up upon hearing the sign's chime tone. "We'd better get seated now" he said. With that, everyone returned to their seats and buckled up.
They felt pulses of motion as the shuttle's control thrusters pulsed to position the shuttle precisely. Soon thereafter, the shuttle was exactly lined up. Arms extended out to the shuttle from the zoo to prevent any drifting. After that, a metal tube extended out to the hatch, making a perfect seal. The tube was pressurized, allowing the hatch to open. "Welcome aboard our new zoo" the commander said.
As the animals floated their way off the shuttle and through the connection tube, they were amazed at the zoo's design. The commander was the last one to enter the zoo. He said "you are now in the entry area. This is where the shuttle docks for transport to and from Earth. Follow me, please." With that, he led them all throughout the zoo. They were shown the galley, the auditorium, the unfinished aquarium, the medical ward, and their respective habitats.
Alex said "wow, these habitats are like glass bubbles."
Marty replied "at least they're letting us visit one another."
Later that Earth evening, dinner was a whole new experience. Alex and Lea were a little skeptical about the freeze-dried meats. Upon tasting them, the animals gradually got used to the packet drinks, freeze-dried commodities, among other different space foods. "That steak tastes better than it would on Earth. I love it" Alex said.
Gloria said "well, this freeze-dried fruit is excellent in taste, but I'm not exactly used to drinking this way."
Marty was making his water form floating blobs in midair. "This is the coolest" he said. As he began playing with the water blob by disturbing it, he said "who would've thought that water could be so much fun."
Melman, encouraged by this, began doing these antics with his fruit punch. "You've got to try this, Gloria. This is just great" he said.
"Will you guys knock it off?" Gloria asked.
After dining, it was time for exercising, as they needed to keep up their muscle mass and bone density. The habitats had individual resistance machines. Afterwards, they went to bed. They were having trouble getting accustomed to the fact that their sleeping bags were mounted to the walls. After a few minutes, they were able to get to sleep.
