Chapter Two
It was an average morning aboard the space station. The security personnel were switching shifts, and the scientists were just going on to theirs, and the children were hurriedly finishing up a last minute bit of homework on their palmtops as they devoured their healthy and nutritious breakfast of freeze-dried eggs and dehydrated juice.
"Honey, have you seen my dermal regenerator?" asked Mr. Karr. The darn thing was never where he put it last…
"It's in the bathroom." Said Mrs. Karr. She was searching for her lab journals. "Where are my Journals?"
"They're on the dresser in the bedroom." He came out of the bathroom shaking the regenerator. "It's out of power again. Tell me again why we had to get the *nuclear powered* version instead of battery powered?"
"Because it was a pain in the neck to try and keep a good supply of them up here."
"Oh yeah." He cheered as the regenerator powered up briefly, then his face fell as it died again. "Is Zenon awake yet?" He asked as he pounded the difficult machine against the palm of his hand.
"She wasn't at breakfast. I'll go get her up. I wonder what excuse she'll use this time?"
"Too much homework? Insomnia? Or will she go with the old Holovision excuse?"
"She hasn't used the holovision in awhile." Said Mrs. Karr as she went in to wake up her narcoleptic offspring.
* * *
Zenon didn't want to wake up. She was warm…cozy…floating in that pleasant half awake, half asleep place…there was someone poking her in the ribs…She groaned and rolled over to escape the prodding finger, but it just started to shake her shoulder instead.
"Zenon Karr, if you don't get up *this minute* I'm going to make you volunteer for crèche duty!" So much for sleep.
"Stress minor mom. I'm awake." Groaned Zenon, tossing the covers back and swinging her legs to the side. She just sat there for a while, trying to get oriented. Her mother shook her again.
"Zenon! You missed breakfast, and school starts in half an hour! Get moving!" Said Mrs. Karr. She tossed a skirt and shirt combo at her daughter, then went out the door. "If I have to come back in here, it's crèche duty for you, my girl!" She set the alarm clock to ring ten minutes before school, then left.
Zenon sighed and went to the Sani room to brush her teeth and hair. She had half struggled into her top when her com started to beep at her. "Zedas Sopedas, I'm late! I don't have time for a message now!" She tossed the vest onto the bed and picked up her palmtop. She screamed in frustration when she saw the lack of math homework. The com beeped again, and the AMRD kicked on. Her smiling face popped up, and the prerecorded message started to play. "Sorry major I can't answer, but leave a message when Protozoa starts dancing, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!" A little animated version of Protozoa started to dance across the screen.
"Ummm, yes, if Miss. Zenon Karr could contact me at this connection number, I would be most grateful. XYTF2950. Thank you."
Zenon looked up, surprised. "Who was that?" She walked over to the com and started to tap some buttons, but her alarm clock started to buzz. "Ahhhh!" She ran out the door like a whirlwind, still doing her math homework.
* * *
"Zee, ya wanna come over to my place after school? I just got the new Protozoa holovid!" said Nebula. It was lunchtime, and the students were sitting around, relaxing until the test next period. Or as they fondly referred to it, the math class from Hell. And Zenon thought High school math was awful…
"I can't Neb. I have KP duty for being late today." Said Zenon, poking at the unappetizing meal in front of her.
"Well, after then?"
"Homework. How about tomorrow?"
"Sure. Mom's on duty, and dad's on Earth, doing some business for the station."
Feminine laughter rang out over the lunchroom's usual amount of noise. "Orion! You're…oh, how do you always put it…horrible *major*!"
"Gag me with an asteroid belt! They're at it *again*!"
Nebula looked sympathetic. "I know. I can't believe Margie stole Orion. What's her problem? She had all the guys on the station chasing her, and she had to go after *him*?"
"She tried to steal Greg too. That's what broke us up." Said Zenon, scowling. "She succeeded."
"I think she needs a trip though a wormhole." Said Neb, evilly. "Think you could borrow a shuttle for a one way trip?"
Zenon laughed. "Probably not. But it's a nice thought, isn't it?" The girls laughed heartily, ignoring the glare Margie sent their way.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the beginning of the second half of their day.
* * *
"That test was brutal!" moaned Zenon, flopping face first on her bed. She lay there for a little while, until the beeping of her message com broke through her math test induced stupor. "Oh yeah, the polite guy." She took her vest off and threw it at the wall, then pulled a chair over by the com panel, and dialed up the number the man had left.
"Microbe Manor. How can I help you?" said a computerized voice.
Zenon's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "Ummm, yeah, my name is Zenon Karr, and I was told to call this number earlier today. I just got the message." She said, nervously. What was going on here?
"Yes, Ms. Karr. I will connect you to Mr. Maxete immediately. Thank you." An image of Protozoa's last concert started play, but just as Zenon was getting into it, a chubby little man popped up.
"Ms. Karr! Lovely to meet you!" he said, smiling jovially.
"Nice to meet you too. How did you get my contact number? And why?" said Zenon.
"I contacted the station, and they rerouted me." He said, "and I have a little proposition for you."
"What's that?" asked Zenon warily.
"You're studying advanced computer graphics, correct, Ms. Karr?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, I assumed you would not be adverse to an…internship, for lack of a better word." Said Mr. Maxete, smiling.
"Working for who, may I ask?" said Zenon, narrowing her eyes.
"Why for Microbe of course. We use graphics for all our concerts. Or did you think those laser lights flashed all by themselves?"
"I don't know…I'd have to get permission from my parents, I'm still underage for another six months."
Mr. Maxete looked surprised. You're underage? Really?"
"Yep, I was skipped ahead two grades. Too smart for kindergarten and first grade, apparently." Said Zenon.
"Remarkable. How long will it take you to obtain permission?" he asked, folding his fingers over the desk.
The door whizzed open upstairs in the main part of the house, and a voice called out Zenon's name. "Well, right now, if you can stay on a while longer?"
"I can stay on as long as necessary." Said Mr. Maxete.
MOM! You're never gonna believe this!" yelled Zenon, running up the spiral stairs.
* * *
"No, you twits!" Yelled Protozoa, pointing at the two men holding a dresser. "That goes over *there*, beside the closet door! And the holovision goes right there, on the wall at the foot of the bed! And NO, I *don't* like those neon green drapes! I told you blue or pink!" He rubbed his temples. "I'm surrounded by idiots!"
"'Zoa, baby, you need to calm down!" Said Mr. Maxete.
"Manny, she'll be here in less than five hours! And the suite still isn't ready!" Said Protozoa, pulling at his hair spikes in frustration.
"Zoa, take a deep breath and count to ten." Said Manny. "I think you're gonna have a heart attack soon. What's so special about this girl, anyway?"
"She's…special, that's all." Protozoa stared into the bedroom, then rushed in screaming at the moving men.
"You better be careful Zoa. She's still underage." He smirked. "For another six months."
I don't own them. Any of them. But the plot is allllll mine. If they make a Zenon three, and use this, I'll sue!
It was an average morning aboard the space station. The security personnel were switching shifts, and the scientists were just going on to theirs, and the children were hurriedly finishing up a last minute bit of homework on their palmtops as they devoured their healthy and nutritious breakfast of freeze-dried eggs and dehydrated juice.
"Honey, have you seen my dermal regenerator?" asked Mr. Karr. The darn thing was never where he put it last…
"It's in the bathroom." Said Mrs. Karr. She was searching for her lab journals. "Where are my Journals?"
"They're on the dresser in the bedroom." He came out of the bathroom shaking the regenerator. "It's out of power again. Tell me again why we had to get the *nuclear powered* version instead of battery powered?"
"Because it was a pain in the neck to try and keep a good supply of them up here."
"Oh yeah." He cheered as the regenerator powered up briefly, then his face fell as it died again. "Is Zenon awake yet?" He asked as he pounded the difficult machine against the palm of his hand.
"She wasn't at breakfast. I'll go get her up. I wonder what excuse she'll use this time?"
"Too much homework? Insomnia? Or will she go with the old Holovision excuse?"
"She hasn't used the holovision in awhile." Said Mrs. Karr as she went in to wake up her narcoleptic offspring.
* * *
Zenon didn't want to wake up. She was warm…cozy…floating in that pleasant half awake, half asleep place…there was someone poking her in the ribs…She groaned and rolled over to escape the prodding finger, but it just started to shake her shoulder instead.
"Zenon Karr, if you don't get up *this minute* I'm going to make you volunteer for crèche duty!" So much for sleep.
"Stress minor mom. I'm awake." Groaned Zenon, tossing the covers back and swinging her legs to the side. She just sat there for a while, trying to get oriented. Her mother shook her again.
"Zenon! You missed breakfast, and school starts in half an hour! Get moving!" Said Mrs. Karr. She tossed a skirt and shirt combo at her daughter, then went out the door. "If I have to come back in here, it's crèche duty for you, my girl!" She set the alarm clock to ring ten minutes before school, then left.
Zenon sighed and went to the Sani room to brush her teeth and hair. She had half struggled into her top when her com started to beep at her. "Zedas Sopedas, I'm late! I don't have time for a message now!" She tossed the vest onto the bed and picked up her palmtop. She screamed in frustration when she saw the lack of math homework. The com beeped again, and the AMRD kicked on. Her smiling face popped up, and the prerecorded message started to play. "Sorry major I can't answer, but leave a message when Protozoa starts dancing, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!" A little animated version of Protozoa started to dance across the screen.
"Ummm, yes, if Miss. Zenon Karr could contact me at this connection number, I would be most grateful. XYTF2950. Thank you."
Zenon looked up, surprised. "Who was that?" She walked over to the com and started to tap some buttons, but her alarm clock started to buzz. "Ahhhh!" She ran out the door like a whirlwind, still doing her math homework.
* * *
"Zee, ya wanna come over to my place after school? I just got the new Protozoa holovid!" said Nebula. It was lunchtime, and the students were sitting around, relaxing until the test next period. Or as they fondly referred to it, the math class from Hell. And Zenon thought High school math was awful…
"I can't Neb. I have KP duty for being late today." Said Zenon, poking at the unappetizing meal in front of her.
"Well, after then?"
"Homework. How about tomorrow?"
"Sure. Mom's on duty, and dad's on Earth, doing some business for the station."
Feminine laughter rang out over the lunchroom's usual amount of noise. "Orion! You're…oh, how do you always put it…horrible *major*!"
"Gag me with an asteroid belt! They're at it *again*!"
Nebula looked sympathetic. "I know. I can't believe Margie stole Orion. What's her problem? She had all the guys on the station chasing her, and she had to go after *him*?"
"She tried to steal Greg too. That's what broke us up." Said Zenon, scowling. "She succeeded."
"I think she needs a trip though a wormhole." Said Neb, evilly. "Think you could borrow a shuttle for a one way trip?"
Zenon laughed. "Probably not. But it's a nice thought, isn't it?" The girls laughed heartily, ignoring the glare Margie sent their way.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the beginning of the second half of their day.
* * *
"That test was brutal!" moaned Zenon, flopping face first on her bed. She lay there for a little while, until the beeping of her message com broke through her math test induced stupor. "Oh yeah, the polite guy." She took her vest off and threw it at the wall, then pulled a chair over by the com panel, and dialed up the number the man had left.
"Microbe Manor. How can I help you?" said a computerized voice.
Zenon's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "Ummm, yeah, my name is Zenon Karr, and I was told to call this number earlier today. I just got the message." She said, nervously. What was going on here?
"Yes, Ms. Karr. I will connect you to Mr. Maxete immediately. Thank you." An image of Protozoa's last concert started play, but just as Zenon was getting into it, a chubby little man popped up.
"Ms. Karr! Lovely to meet you!" he said, smiling jovially.
"Nice to meet you too. How did you get my contact number? And why?" said Zenon.
"I contacted the station, and they rerouted me." He said, "and I have a little proposition for you."
"What's that?" asked Zenon warily.
"You're studying advanced computer graphics, correct, Ms. Karr?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, I assumed you would not be adverse to an…internship, for lack of a better word." Said Mr. Maxete, smiling.
"Working for who, may I ask?" said Zenon, narrowing her eyes.
"Why for Microbe of course. We use graphics for all our concerts. Or did you think those laser lights flashed all by themselves?"
"I don't know…I'd have to get permission from my parents, I'm still underage for another six months."
Mr. Maxete looked surprised. You're underage? Really?"
"Yep, I was skipped ahead two grades. Too smart for kindergarten and first grade, apparently." Said Zenon.
"Remarkable. How long will it take you to obtain permission?" he asked, folding his fingers over the desk.
The door whizzed open upstairs in the main part of the house, and a voice called out Zenon's name. "Well, right now, if you can stay on a while longer?"
"I can stay on as long as necessary." Said Mr. Maxete.
MOM! You're never gonna believe this!" yelled Zenon, running up the spiral stairs.
* * *
"No, you twits!" Yelled Protozoa, pointing at the two men holding a dresser. "That goes over *there*, beside the closet door! And the holovision goes right there, on the wall at the foot of the bed! And NO, I *don't* like those neon green drapes! I told you blue or pink!" He rubbed his temples. "I'm surrounded by idiots!"
"'Zoa, baby, you need to calm down!" Said Mr. Maxete.
"Manny, she'll be here in less than five hours! And the suite still isn't ready!" Said Protozoa, pulling at his hair spikes in frustration.
"Zoa, take a deep breath and count to ten." Said Manny. "I think you're gonna have a heart attack soon. What's so special about this girl, anyway?"
"She's…special, that's all." Protozoa stared into the bedroom, then rushed in screaming at the moving men.
"You better be careful Zoa. She's still underage." He smirked. "For another six months."
I don't own them. Any of them. But the plot is allllll mine. If they make a Zenon three, and use this, I'll sue!