By popular request the story continues.
Zane looked slowly around his room while he tried to wrap up his packing. After a moment he grabbed a few extra shirts and stuffed them into an already bulging suitcase and tried unsuccessfully to close the misshapen mass. He glanced around for one last look and sighed at the things he was unable to pack. A large samurai katana hangs about his shelves where his pet snake sat in its cage sunning itself. "Hey boy," Zane muttered to the snake, "you gonna miss me"? The snake stared at him with unblinking eyes before it slithered to the safety of a hollow under a rock. "Yea, I'll miss you too." He reached for a black jacket as a voice echoes from somewhere out in the hall. "Zane are you all packed up."
"Yes mom," he sighs.
"Are you sure," his mother yelled again in a nagging voice.
"Yes mom," Zane yelled back with a little desperation.
"Well if you're sure," his mom said sweetly as she entered the room.
Zane looks at the short brown-headed woman in front of him. "Off to work again are we," Zane asks? His mom glances down at the fifties looking waitresses outfit before she said with a snap, "Well some one has to support this family."
"Mom chill, it was a joke," said Zane trying to calm his mom.
"I know it's just that, well I'm worried that's all. I mean you'll be several light years away and, well it just seems so far,"
"Mom it's ok," Zane said softly as he wrapped her in a hug, "I'll be fine, as for you though…"
"Now wait one minute there mister," his mother said her voice rising, "I made it trough losing my old job, recovering from a major car crash, and raised one heck of a son, I'll be just fine."
"Calm down I just don't want you getting any more gray hair over this."
"Now you listen to me I earned each gray hair from you and now I'm going to get even more after you leave, so let me earn them alright,"
"Ok mom, I'll just have my friends check up on you every couple of days ok."
"Speaking of your friends, David is here."
"What why didn't you tell me mom"!
"You didn't ask," and with that she smiled and left the room as a tall teen with short military crop hair and semi-punk clothes entered the room.
"Still using that old suit case eh," David asked?
"Hey if it ain't broke don't replace it," Zane shot back.
"So you're really gonna go through with this huh," David asked?
"Yea, I'm going to go," Zane replies.
"So who are you leavin in charge?"
"You."
David regards Zane for a minute then busts in to laughter, "Jonathan's gonna have a conniption."
"Yea, that's sort of the whole plan," Zane says smiling.
"Zane you really are devious aren't you."
"Well I try, so are you and the rest of the gang going to keep and eye on my mom"?
"Yea, yea we will, well um, I guess this is goodbye," David muttered awkwardly.
"No, this is just until next time," Zane said with a smile. The two clasp hands before Zane muttered "See you on the Net." David turns and began to walk out of the room but paused at the door a moment before he said, "You watch you back you hear me,"
"No worries," Zane responded.
"That's what worries me," David said sarcastically as he turned and left.
Turning his attention once more to the suitcase Zane threw his whole weight against the lid and after many grunts and groans managed to close the clasp. Laughing to himself Zane grabbed the suitcase and headed out. As he left his apartment he turned to take one last look at the run down old building and thought here's to you old friend before he headed toward the bus stop. After a two-hour bus ride he finally made it to the star port. As he exited the bus he wandered trough the crowds till he finally saw a Lylatian official who resembled a raccoon and jogged toward him.
"Hey, excuses me, sir," Zane asked.
"What do you want human," the raccoon snapped.
"I'm in the exchange program and I was told to report to a Captain Thebus," said Zane slightly annoyed at the raccoons attitude.
"Well you've found him, now what's your name," Captain Thebus demanded.
"Zane Gauss," Zane stated as the raccoon's glare tried to bore a hole through Zane's head.
The captain checked a small data pad and with a small snort he said, "Very well come with me." With that he turned and headed off toward the back of the star port. Zane grumbled in annoyance but followed lugging his too small suitcase after him. After walking through half the star port they entered a small room the pair came upon a high-tech scanning device. "Step in to the machine." Thebus ordered.
Zane looked around for other students but saw no one. "Where is everyone else," he asked as he stepped into the machine.
"You're the only one who was selected my little furless friend, now hold still this might hurt just a little bit," Thebus said with a sadistic grin as he threw the switch.
"Oh shit," Zane muttered as the machine whirled to life and assaulted him with enough pain to knock him out.
Thebus smiled as Zane toppled over before he barked out, "This human's clean but has had a bad reaction to the scanner place him in med bay 5." Two guards entered the room and drug the unconscious human away. "I'm sure he'll have a pleasant time on Corneria," Thebus laughed as the door slammed shut.
Zane groaned as he felt himself rise back to consciousness and old aches assaulted his mind. "Anybody get the ID number for that freighter that hit me," he muttered aloud as he sat up and took in his surroundings. Various med supplies were strewn about the room and he was seated in a white hospital bed. Med-bay he thought as a German Shepard walked into the room and seated itself next to his bed. Zane waited in silence as the fur checked the chart at the end of his bed before he scribbled something on a small data pad. When the fur finally spoke it was in a deep almost wolf like bark.
"Well you'll live but we had to remove several nonessential organs during your sedated state."
"Like what," Zane muttered as he glanced down at his body.
"Well let me see," the doctor flipped through his notes before he said, "Ah, well um your appendix, a few lymph nods, and your reproductive organs…"
"My what," Zane exploded at the doctor, "You sorry son of a bitch I'm going to…" Zane stopped as he say the dog shaking with laughter.
"I'm sorry but I couldn't resist my human friend, but I find the best way to test how well a patient is, is by angering them, and by your reaction you are as fit as any fur your age."
"So you didn't," Zane said as he leaned back into the bed.
"No sorry to upset you like that, you are unlucky though, the scanner overloaded and caused a massive shock to your system."
"Like hell the thing overloaded it was set that way by that raccoon," Zane shouted.
"Calm down, there was a question on if it was set that way on purpose and I assure you that we are looking into that but in the mean time you should get ready to land."
"Land," Zane said stunned.
"Yes land," the dog said, "you were out the whole time of your trip. We will be landing on Corneria within the hour."
Great Zane thought as he tumbled out of bed well it can only go up from here right?
Authors notes: that seems a good place to stop. Well I didn't really give info so you'll have to come back for more. So until then. Review please.