Zenon Karr hurried towards her parent's science lab. They had been working on a major scientific experiment, and the big testing was in a few minutes. Zenon wanted to be there to watch. She entered the sterilizing room and then on into the main lab. She saw her parents punching calculations into the various computers.
"Great Zee, you're just in time," Mark, her father, exclaimed as Zenon took a seat between him and her mother, Astrid. The three sat in front of a small glass room where inside the experiment will take place.
"I'm still clear minor on what exactly will take place," Zenon said. She knew it had something to do with black holes.
"We created a reversed black hole. You know that objects go into black holes but are never seen again, right Zenon?" Astrid asked her daughter. Zenon nodded, wanting her mom to continue her explanation. "Well, basically we are trying to create the opposite, where things come out from it instead of going in it."
"Of course we won't know if it will work or what will come out and where the actually hole will be out in space, but that's what experimenting is for," Zenon's dad added in.
"So let's get this show on the road!" Zenon said wanting to see what will come out. It probably wouldn't be more than some space dust and maybe a couple small meteorites, but she was excited none the less. Zenon watched as her mother pressed the enter button on the lab's main computer, and then swiveled on the stool to watch what will come out.
With the name black hole, she thought it would be dark inside the small glass room they were observing. But Zenon watched as a bright glowing ring of light appeared in the room. As it got brighter Zenon had to shield her eyes with her hand. She saw a large figure drop out before the light suddenly disappeared. Zenon heard her parents gasp as she blinked to get her eyes used to the change of light.
"Cetus Lupedus!" Zenon exclaimed in surprise to what she saw. She saw the form of a girl that looked to be about her age, wearing what she would call "Earth clothes." Her mother quickly turned off the reversed black hole as her father hurried into the room and carried the girl into the main lab.
"Is she okay?" Astrid asked her husband.
"She's breathing normally. Must have been knocked out from the drop," Mark answered, seating the girl on the couch inside the lab. She had a haircut similar to Zenon's, only more choppy and with dark brown hair. She wore faded blue jeans and a red T-shirt with an eagle on the front. She also carried with her a backpack, which looked filled to capacity.
"The hole must have been located somewhere on Earth," Astrid noted as the three stood near the girl, Zenon sitting next to the girl on the couch. Just then the girl moved her arm, and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at the three people as well as her surroundings, looking very confused.
"What's going on? Where am I? Who are you?" the girl listed question after question, closing her eyes tightly and opening them again as if to make the scene go away.
"Do you remember what happened?" Mark asked the confused girl.
"I was walking home from my friend Julie's house and then this, like, wind gust picked me up. It was wild man! I must have knocked myself out cause this is like one freaky dream," the girl answered, with the look of confusion still on her face.
"Cetus Lupedus, this is no dream. You were sucked up by the black hole my parents created," Zenon exclaimed. The girl stared at her.
"Cetus Lu-wha? Dude, I don't even know what that means," she said. "And if I was sucked up by a black hole, then where am I now?"
"You are in the science lab of Liberty Space Lab," Astrid answered. "My name is Astrid Karr, and this is my husband Mark and my daughter Zenon."
"Zenon? That is one crazy name," the girl commented. She still looked a little shaken up, but was calming down a little.
"What about you? What you're name?" Mark asked.
"I'm Caitlyn. Now what's this about being in a space station? Last time I checked the Space Station didn't house families," Caitlyn said, now making the Karrs confused.
"The first families came up way back in 2025," Zenon said.
"2025? What year is it now?" Caitlyn asked, again confused.
"2049,"Astrid answered, an even more confused look on Caitlyn face appeared.
"Woah, how did it like jump over 40 years?" Caitlyn pondered.
"What year were you in?" Mark asked.
"2002. Beginning of 2002," Caitlyn said as the family standing around her looked at each other in disbelief.
"That black hole must have also been some sort of time travel device," Astrid said, looking over calculations that appeared on the computer.
"I think we should get Commander Plank down here, warp speed," Zenon suggested to her parents. Mark nodded and made the call on his zap-pad. Zenon watched as Caitlyn stood up and walked across to a window that had a good view of Earth.
"So, I'm like up in space right now, in the year 2049?" Caitlyn asked trying to put all the facts together, turning to Zenon for a reply. Zenon simply nodded. Caitlyn turned back to the view.
"So, how old are you," Zenon asked Caitlyn, also standing up and walking over to the window.
"15," she answered, still looking out the window seeming deep in thought.
"Really? Me too," Zenon said as the lab doors opened and Commander Plank entered. Zenon's parents quickly began to explain what had happened.
"This needs to be resolved as quickly as possible," the commander said once everything had been told.
"Yes, will start working on it right away," Mark said. Commander Plank then left the room as Astrid and Mark were reading through their calculations and formulas.
"Zenon, why don't you show Caitlyn around the Station?" Astrid asked her daughter.
"Of course mom," Zenon said, then turned to Caitlyn. "Ready to explore?" Caitlyn nodded, grabbed her backpack and followed Zenon through the automatic doors. "First stop, my home."
Caitlyn followed Zenon through the halls of the Spay-Stay, marveling at how amazing everything was. She couldn't believe this is what it was like almost 50 years into the future. They came to Zenon's house. Zenon put her key-card into a slot by the door, and after a beep the doors slid open.
"Follow me to my room," Zenon said as they went down a flight of spiral stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was Zenon's room. The doors opened automatically. Caitlyn walked into the room after Zenon, and was amazed by what she saw.
"Wow, you have the same way of decorating as me," Caitlyn exclaimed, looking at Zenon's poster covered walls. "Of course I have no idea who this band of the future is."
"They are the most Stellanarious band who ever graced this galaxy, Microbe," Zenon said to Caitlyn, sitting on her bed next to a window that overlooked the Earth below.
"If you were living in my time, you'd be saying the same thing about the group *NSYNC. Now that is a rad band," Caitlyn said. "I have their CD in my backpack, wanna hear them? I'd love to hear some Microbe music."
"Cetus-Lupedus! That would be stellar!" Zenon said, using a phrase that was popular at the time. Caitlyn took her bag off and rummaged through it for her CD's and CD player as Zenon got out Microbe's latest music chip.
"Dude! Hi-Tech stuff you got," Caitlyn said as Zenon held up the music listening device of her time. Caitlyn took out *NSYNC's "Celebrity" album and placed it in her portable CD player. She then plugged in the headphones and had Zenon put them on. "Now, listen to this," she said as she pressed the play button. She could hear the beginning of "Pop" playing over the earphones on Zenon's head.
"Very catchy," Zenon noted as she listened to the song. The chorus started to play, and Caitlyn couldn't help but jump up and start doing the choreography. Zenon looked on
"Do the bands now do the dancing thing?" Caitlyn questioned, out of breath, when the song ended.
"Negative," Zenon said simply as the next song began to play. "I remember learning about this type of sound in music class. It was called Dirty Pop I believe."
"Yes! And *NSYNC were the originators of the sound. Dude, I never believed that that would be the topic of a lecture in school some day. How sweet is that? So, you gonna give me a taste of this Microbe you speak of?"
"Oh yes. I own all of the chips they ever put out!"
"So that's what these little things are called," Caitlyn inferred, holding one up to examine.
"And this is one of their biggest hits, 'Supernova girl'." Zenon announced, starting the music up. Caitlyn listened on to the futuristic guitar riffs and drumbeats.
"Very nice," Caitlyn exclaimed, very interested in this music of the future.
"During one of their concerts on the spay-stay my BF Nebula got to go onstage and dance with Prota Zoa." Caitlyn looked at her with a hint of confusion on her face. "Nebula is my best friend, and Prota Zoa is the led singer. I have a photo of all of us together here." Zenon explained, handing Caitlyn a picture frame that was sitting on the table next to her bed. Caitlyn looked at the photo as Zenon pointed out Nebula. She was standing between Zenon and the blond spiky haired rockstar. There was also another girl in the picture.
"Who is she?" Caitlyn asked Zenon about the other girl.
"That's Margie. She lives on Earth, but comes up to visit every once and a while. Her dad runs the Spay-Stay with Commander Plank," Zenon explained. Caitlyn recognized the last name said as the man that had come in the lab earlier. She continued listening to the song playing, bobbing her head to the beat.
"That was awesome," Caitlyn exclaimed when the song came to an end. Zenon beamed, happy to know her new friend liked the same music she listens to.
"My 'rads and I have tickets to the Microbe concert next week on Earth," Zenon said excitedly. "Maybe you can come with."
"That would be nice, but hopefully by then I will be back to my own time," Caitlyn said with a hint of worry. What if Zenon's parents could find a way to get her back?