A/N: It's been a while since I updated on this one... yet again. Wanted to do a double update to make up for it. Thank you for those who have continued on this journey with me, even as one of my short ones. I have one more chapter after this and will be updating it this week. Happy reading, as always.

CHP 11

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" Protozoa asked by the front door, seeing Zenon out to the pod ordered to take her to the meeting with her mother.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear my mom and I talk women talk with Aunt Judy for hours. I'll be back for dinner. It will give you some absolute peace for a bit."

"You know I don't mind your company," he grinned.

"I know, but it's good to take some time for ourselves, too," she kissed his cheek and turned to the pod, waiting for her.

"I love you," he called out before she got in.

"Love you, too."

The door to the pod closed. She took a moment to look back at Protozoa as he gave a short wave and she turned to the driver, "You need the coordinates?"

"No, someone called ahead to ensure where we were going," he nodded back at her, "No reason to worry."

"Thank you," Zenon whispered and took in the view of Nova Linda as they lifted from the ground. For some strange reason, she felt like it was the last time she would see it. An angry sigh escaped her as she shook her head and leaned back into the seat.

"Having a row with your mister?" he asked after her sigh.

"No, he's great. More like trying to figure out if I should trust someone else who has been less than trustworthy," Zenon answered and looked at his eyes in the rear mirror.

"Those are tricky," he nodded in agreement, "That who you're going to see?"

"That it is," Zenon nodded and pulled at her necklace, the guitar pick sliding into view.

"You hosted that gala a couple of nights back, right? With the rocker guy? The one that's been on the news?"

"Yes, it seems like I'm going to be recognized easily from now on."

"Not necessarily. My little girl was watching the news coverage on the vids. She's all about fashion and was watching all the gowns and everything on the carpet. She liked yours the best."

"That's sweet. Send her my thanks. You know, my best friend is studying fashion right now," she smiled gratefully at the man as he eased her nerves with casual talk.

"Really? Let me know what I'm in for," he chuckled.

The rest of the trip to the small hanger was uneventful but pleasant as Zenon chatted with the driver about his life. He talked about his kids, life as a driver and a short story of a trip no one would really believe. She patiently listened and took the stories for what they were. Enjoyable and a way to keep her mind off of Jaime until they arrived. He set the pod down just beyond some hanger doors and saw a form out front waiting for them.

"Er, do you want me to wait out front for your return trip?" he asked cautiously when he saw who waited for her.

"No, I might be awhile. Go home and enjoy your time with your daughter. Say hi for me and let me know if she has more questions about fashion. I can shoot some to my friend for her."

"Will do."

Zenon hopped out of the car and handed the zap pad to Jaime as soon as she got close.

"Why did you bring it?" she asked with a subtle tilt to her head.

"Because I'm 'returning it to my mom'," she frowned and looked pointedly at her, "I hate lying to him. I want this to be the last time I do."

"I'm sure it will be," she rolled her eyes and tossed the zap pad onto a random table just side the hanger doors.

"How did you get the address, by the way?"

"I didn't, wasn't released. The Moon Fest assistants forwarded it. They had forwarded information on all the contestants.

"Smart. What's the plan here?" Zenon was short with Jaime, "You take video of you offering me this great opportunity, get brownie points with the media and get some of your reputation back?"

"So cold today?" Jaime asked with a small pout, "Why so harsh? That's not usually your color."

"Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the offer, but you'd understand why I'm on guard. I barely met you and you tried to make me choose between home and love."

"Is it really love between the two of you? Or just lust?"

"Even if I wasn't in love with him, he would still be my friend. Someone I do love. But yes, I believe it really is love. Without a doubt."

Jaime was quiet for a minute and then opened the side door to enter the space shuttle, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for being a bitch. Kinda conditioned myself to be one."

"Never too late to change, if that's what you want to do," Zenon mused as she entered the small ship. Besides Jaime and the pilot, there were six seats- five empty outside of her own, "I though you only had room for one more."

"I do. We're picking up the last of the crew to bring them back. They're taking the other empty seats."

The pilot looked at her in a bit of confusion. Jaime only stared back at him.

"We're ready. Go."

He pushed a few buttons, closing the door and warming the engines.

"And on my end, Jaime. For what it's worth... thank you," Zenon said carefully.

"Yeah, sure," Jaime shifted in her seat and put her sunglasses on as the hanger doors opened and they started their launch.

Zenon watched as buildings, bridges and soon countries become smaller the further they went. She tried in vain to pinpoint Nova Linda on land or the location they were scouting for the new community. A strange realization hit her. She was more interested in her new homes on Earth than she was in seeing their approach to the space station. Maybe, she had already said goodbye. Her eyes tore from the planet below as she looked at the space station ahead of them.

The two powerful rings no longer were as thick as they once were. There were a few sections still intact, but most of them looked like they had deflated. Zenon instantly knew they were being crushed, like Hammond had warned her about during the gala. They were all right. The station was dying, and would not be saved.

"The habitation units are a no-go from what I understand," Jaime said blandly and handed Zenon the most recent list of the working and destroyed systems, "We are docking in the same docking bay as usual, but the commissary is still in one piece, the observation deck and most of the labs. I hope it's enough for you to do what you need."

"More than," Zenon nodded and breezed over the paperwork in her hand.

"Then we will drop you off at the dock and then let you explore. Meet back when you're done? Only a half hour."

They landed quickly, syncing with the docking mechanism, and then walked into the bay.

"It shouldn't take me long," Zenon nodded in agreement and took one of the long range radios from the cabin of the ship. She showed it to Jaime before she walked out the door, "Call me if it needs to be an earlier take off time."

Jaime nodded and shooed her off with her hand.

She made no move to join Zenon on her tour, but Zenon was secretly hoping she wouldn't. This was something for her, not for someone to watch her do. Zenon walked through the halls she remembered well and ran her hand along the cold metal on her way to the commissary. Her mind traveled back to her epic morning runs for breakfast and when Jenna would save her a protein bar. The commissary itself was so empty, gutted of all tables and chairs, only the shape of the main stage used for announcements was still determinable. She could still hear the chorus of 'Supernova Girl' in her head as she thought of the first concert in space on the same stage. With a nod, she walked through the other set of doors toward the halls of labs. As she walked through the closed doors, she could tell through the frosted glass there was no equipment or otherwise inside the once bustling rooms. She found a large window at the end of the hall, one of her favorites to star gaze. It was where she found Protozoa nights before Plank and Judy's wedding, struggling to find lyrics fitting his newest song. 'The Galaxy is Ours' was finished in front of this window.

"I'll have to tell him the truth when I get back," she groaned to herself and looked back at the now distant planet.

The lights above her dimmed and the back up red lights clicked on. She would have to hurry if she wanted to check out the stellar view from observation. She carefully made her way down to the observation station at the lower level of the station. She entered the room, still as freezing as she remembered it, a few chambers, the only thing protecting the room from the coldness of space. It surprised her to see so much equipment left behind. She checked a few items- an older space suit, tubes low on oxygen and some other items. All a little dated, but still workable.

"Maybe could have sold these second hand and gotten something for them. Way to look for the people," Zenon huffed and shook her head to look through the large windows by the air locks.

Suddenly, space felt so much more vast than it ever had before. She was so used to being at home among the stars, and now all she wanted to do was cuddle near the fire as she read through some of her favorite books. And if there was someone strumming a guitar somewhere in the room, she wouldn't mind. She turned to the other side of the room and looked out toward Earth. Her mother was right. She had grown to love the planet.

The station suddenly shook and screeching of crushing metal cut through the serenity of space. The red lights came on now on the observation deck and Zenon caught herself on some boxes around her. She turned the radio over to the correct frequency of the shuttle cabin.

"What's going on, Jaime?" she yelled into the radio and released to hear the response.

"Another section collapsed. We need to get out of here," her voice fizzed back with subtle static.

"I'm on my way."

Zenon clipped the radio to her pants and then walked to the doors leading to the hall closest to the shuttle bay. But there was a problem. The door was automatically locked from the collapse.

"Jaime," Zenon called out over the radio, "I need an override on the observation deck doors. It won't let me out thinking the ring is decompressed."

"I don't have codes, Zenon. I gave them to you."

"They are in the cabin. I didn't take it with me when I read them over."

"They aren't here."

"Then send someone to override the doors. The maintenance workers would have them in case of emergencies."

There was a long pause and Zenon sat there staring at the radio before she looked out the windows to see a very familiar shuttle heading back toward the planet.

"I know you're smarter than this."

"You are not leaving me here!" Zenon yelled into the radio, "Jaime, that's murder."

"It's good old-fashioned revenge. Don't worry, Zee. I'll let Protozoa know you said goodbye. Too distraught to let the station go. Had to see it one last time and stayed. A tragic end to such a brave, young hero."

"You stay away from him!"

Zenon wanted to throw the radio, but may need it. It definitely didn't have the reach to get to planet side, but maybe there were pods or shuttles in the area. Stations passed one another all the time in the orbiting rings. The radio went back to her waist and she felt herself calm, just slightly.

"Okay, now just need to catch someone's attention," Zenon looked around the room for anything other than the red lights which were already flashing. They wouldn't cause anyone to look in her direction, knowing the station was going to fall apart.

Another rumble from the main station made her turn her attention to the floor below her feet. She felt something moving below the floor of the observation room. She would not have the time for someone to find her in the room. Or find her at all. She's going to have to find a way off.


This definitely was not like Zenon. She told him she would be back by dinnertime. Even if she was held up, she would have zapped him by now. Protozoa paced a bit by the kitchen bar where their dinner was cooling. He knew he had grown very attached to her company over the weeks she's been with him, but this was something else. This was something to worry about. He had called her a few times, left some messages until he found her zap pad in her room. Again, not like her.

He grabbed his zap pad and went directly to his pod. He put the zap pad on its stand on the windshield hold and immediately called Astrid's number. He pulled out from the landing pad and made a direct route to the military holding they have placed the station refugees.

"Zoa, hello," Astrid greeted with a smile.

"Hey Astrid," Protozoa tried to smile, but could feel it didn't reach his eyes. Worry was heavy in his gut and it probably showed, "Can I have a chat with Zee? She's left her zap pad in her room."

"I would for sure, but she isn't with me," Astrid looked at him, confused.

"Did she just leave? She went to see you earlier today. She left around four hours ago," he frowned and took a chance to look at the screen and the increasing worry on Astrid's face was now clear.

"Zoa, honey... she never came to see me today."

He didn't even have a second before the fear in his chest grew to immense panic.

"I'm on my way to you. She said she'd be back by dinner and she lied about where she was going- or was caught up in something on her way to you. I won't sit around and just wait."

"We'll be here," Astrid nodded and turned as she turned off the zap pad.

He didn't care how fast he was going and probably made record time to the military installation. They knew he was coming and didn't waste any time in letting him through to the barracks. Astrid was pacing outside with Mark when he hopped out of his pod.

"Hammond is on his way here. Where did she say she was going?" Mark asked when he was close enough.

"She received a package yesterday. It was a small zap pad. She said her mom sent it by mistake and she would take a trip to return it to you today," he ran a hand through his spiked hair in worry as the sun went down. If she wasn't safe with her family during this time, where was she? Was she safe at all?

"What did the package look like?" Astrid asked as she tried to calm him.

"A regular delivery package."

"No markings or anything different about it?"

"It had a moon on the front of it," he thought about the weird sticker he caught on the packaging when Zenon had first brought it in. He paused and shook his head, "It reminded me of... Moon-Fest."

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't send anything through Moon-Fest, you have the direct mailing for us," Protozoa shook his head and then hit the side of his temple with his hand, "Bloody idiot. I should've known. I know where she is and who may be with her."

"Where?"

"The station," he growled and looked at the sky, even if he knew he could not see the station at this point of dusk.

"How would she get up there? They're taking it apart today," Astrid worried, and Mark held her shoulders from behind.

"I bet from an invitation from the owner," Protozoa grit his teeth and then took a deep breath before he turned back to them both, "I'm about to do something very Zenon."

"What do you need?"

"Where are the shuttles?"

Astrid kissed her husband on the cheek and pulled at Protozoa's arm, "Let's go."

Mark called after them, "Ill keep Hammond placated until you get back."

"Tell him to call up Jaime, ey?" Protozoa yelled over his shoulder.

They walked through the instillation easy enough and into the hanger without trouble. It wasn't until Protozoa opened the door for a smaller shuttle and hopped inside before they were discovered.

"You can't take that shuttle, sir," a soldier noted and waved a hand at him to exit the shuttle.

"I'm only going to tell you this once, because I'm in a bit of a hurry," he said calmly and pointed at the dash of the shuttle, "I'm taking this shuttle to get my girl. She's in trouble and nothing's gonna stop me from doing so. So, you're going to shoot me, or you 're going to let me take this shuttle up and bring it back in the matter of an hour. Tip top shape. Good talk, mate."

He quickly closed the shuttle door in the man's face and plopped himself into the pilot's seat. Movement at his side and the sound of the engines already warming up startled him. Astrid was already going through the movement to get the shuttle going.

"Astrid, I'm not roping you into stealing a government shuttle."

"It's my daughter up there. You think I'm going to let you do this by yourself?" she chuckled, "And who taught you to pilot a shuttle?"

"Avionics Institute in LA," he smirked, "You're my inspiration, you know."

"Then help me get her off the tarmac before they try to stop us," she nodded at him to complete some checks on his side before strapping in, "Hopefully Mark can keep Hammond on the ground."


Zenon had torn open all the boxes left in the Observation room, but still hadn't found more than outdated star charts and office supplies the station or personnel didn't have any use for. She groaned in frustration and felt her head swim a little. She knew the oxygen was quickly being used up. The station has probably let what was left escape as the sections crushed under pressure. She took a slow breath and turned back to the other corner of the room where she saw the old space suit. They made it to stay connected to the station, but was also suitable for tanks. The tanks were barely viable. She heard more groans from below her, and the station rocked again. She looked out the observation deck to see a section of the habitation modules float by, completely crushed.

"No more time," she mumbled and crawled into the space suit. The fit was going to be snug, but it was all intact and she would deal with the tight arms and legs as long as she could breathe. A quick look at the tanks, she connected the fullest tank and looked at the readout, "Ten minutes... ten minutes of oxygen."

She shook her head, put a second tank on her back, adding maybe five minutes to her time before she locked the helmet on. Everything was locked in place, and she attached herself to a longer tether. She didn't need to be in the station, but she couldn't just float into space until she knew there was something nearby to pick her up. She got into the airlock and processed to step out into space. The small radio at her hip connected to the in helmet radio and she hoped if she saw anyone, she could connect to them. Her eyes searched for the closest station or satellite, but the closest item would be the moon.

"I wonder if Selena would lend a hand," Zenon let out a quick chuckle at her luck. She was sure the moon goddess would want nothing to do with a human station breaking apart. Her hand hovered over the release button for the port's door.

Here we go.

The door whisked open, and she stepped out into the vast emptiness of space. She pulled the tether out from the room and attached it to the latches on the outside for maintenance work. She turned with the station and took a stock of everything around her. Space, the moon and more space with lights further than minutes of air could reach.

Extreme beeping on her space suit read out less than fourteen minutes of air and to head back to the airlock. In more of a reactive move, she looked back at the airlock and saw the items inside had lost gravity. Boxes and office supplies floated in the room and she shook her head. There was no way she could survive back in the room now. Another shudder rippled around the station. She gripped the handholds on the outer hull as another piece broke off, shredded by the section and crushing pressure of space.

She held back a curse and a whimper and moved along the hull to a position to be seen better. It may pull at her oxygen, but it would up her chances should someone come looking for her. Please, someone be looking for her.

As another piece flew off into deep space, Zenon felt her vision get a little blurry. Another beep blasted in her ear. She looked down and her air went down to five minutes. She frowned and looked back at her tanks. The one that was fuller was leaking. It was unusable. She was down to her auxiliary. As positive as she tried to be, she was losing some of her impeccable faith she would get out of this. She took a gulp of air by mistake and shook her head in another round of beeps.

"I'm not going to get out of this, am I?" she asked as her eyes took in Earth. She again struggled to find the portion of Earth with Nova Linda Cove. Where Protozoa waited for her to show up for dinner. She was late by now. Or even the military instillation where her parents would be called when she went missing. They would panic and call everyone- Margie, Nebula, Plank... and she would be gone.

"I'm so sorry for what I did. I just wanted to say goodbye. Just not to you," she struggled and another set of warning beeps set off in her suit. She didn't look at the time she had left. She didn't want to know. She took the last deep breath she could, "I love you. I'm sorry I didn't see this coming. If anyone finds this as a recording or otherwise, know I went to say farewell to my home and I wanted to go back to Earth. Jaime, the owner, invited me... I wanted to go back to Protozoa and my family. I love you all. I love you, Zoa."

The beeping was slowing and fading. She was losing the ability to stay awake. Her luck had finally run out.

"I love you..."

"Zenon!"

Her head buzzed for a moment and she opened her too heavy eyes, "... Zoa?"

"Zee! You can hear me? Where are you?!" his voice panicked and frazzled. Something she wasn't used to hearing from him.

"Space, connected... to station," she slurred.

"Where, baby? Where on the station?"

"...Earth side... Ob... servation... de..."

"Zee! Zenon! ZENON!"

His panicked voice and calls faded away with the last of the beeps in her suit.