Z4

Disclaimer: I don't own Zenon.

A/N: PZ/Z

Chapter One

Zenon walked through the corridor, pressed a button on the edge of the door frame, and waited for the door to fully slide open before stepping inside. She tossed her bag on the couch and pulled out her zap-pad, turning it on and studying the Advanced Technology textbook she'd had downloaded on it.

About forty-five minutes in, her zap-pad went off, and she answered to none other than Mark and Astrid, her parents.

"Zenon," Mark said, "could you meet us in the core?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"We can't tell you over the phone," Astrid replied, but we have your aunt and uncle here, too."

"Must be important major. I'll be right down."

"Okay, we'll see you soon."

"See you, baby," Astrid said, and Zenon hung up.

She walked down one of the connector corridors to the core, where she found not only Judy, Commander Plank, and her parents, but Dasha, as well. "Cetus lapetus. What are you...all...doing here?"

"How do you feel about cloning?" Astrid asked.

"Like how? Are you cloning a whole person?"

"Yes," Commander Plank said.

"Hey, wait, where's General Hammond?"

"He's on an important mission for the United States, which he has to complete alone."

"That's convenient major," Zenon muttered. "So, what's being cloned?"

"We were thinking of cloning you, in all but your memories, since we can't duplicate those."

"Me? Cetus lapetus, are you crazy major?"

"Yeah," Dasha said, "are you in sanity mode minor?"

"Actually, I've given this a lot of thought," Commander Plank said. "We just need Zenon's consent to clone her."

"What for?"

"For strictly experimental purposes, of course, which is why the project will be supervised by top scientists and medical professionals."

"That's calming minor. What about Proto Zoa?" Zenon asked.

"Excuse me?" Commander Plank and Mark Karr asked at the same time, both with furrowed brows.

"If you're serious major about cloning me, I want Proto Zoa there, and a little time to think about it before I make a decision."

Plank and Mark exchanged a glance, but Plank nodded and said, "Alright."

"Go, Zenon," Dasha shouted, pumping her fist in the air in victory.

"The decision is yours to make, in any event," Mark said. "Meeting ajourned."

The Karrs and Commander and Judy Plank filed out of the core chamber and down separate corridors, and Zenon returned to her dorm room, where she pulled her zap-pad out and zapped the only person she could think of to get to for advice.

"Oh, well, guess who's here," Proto Zoa said with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "What's going on in space, Zee?"

"They want to clone me," Zenon said, knitting her brow.

Proto Zoa dropped his grin instantly and leaned forward, furrowing his brow. "Clone you?"

"I know, crazy major, right?"

"Well, it's certainly something which needs time to sink in."

"Zoa, can I trust someone who says their project's gonna be supervised by professionals and expert scientists?"

"That depends on who's saying it, Zenon."

"Commander Plank."

"Never met him, so I can't say."

"Cetus lapetus," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and stretching her neck out. She propped her zap-pad up on her nightstand and buried her face in her hands. "What do I do?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"I'm so clear minor that funny minor is an overstatement extreme, so I zapped you. I didn't know what else to do."

"Why me and not Sage? Or Orion?" Zenon was taken aback by Proto Zoa's bitter voice.

"I'm sorry, okay? You're the first person I thought of."

"But why?"

"I'm in comprehension mode minor right now. All I know is Sage is on Earth and Orion's a lunatic major now."

"I thought you liked at least one of them."

"Past tense, Zoa."

"Well, if I may, what happened to them?"

"Both are cheaters major, and Orion's been grounded. I never asked why."

"I see, and I'm sorry."

"Sweat minor, Zoa. I do."

Proto Zoa took a deep breath, allowing a moment for Zenon to recover from the distant echo of pain the rock star's question had her relive for that moment. "Well, back to this cloning thing, are you allowed to leave the space station for a little while?"

"I think so. Why?"

"I wanted to ask you if you would stay with me for a little while at Nova Linda."

"That sounds stellar major, Zoa. You have no idea."

"Well, I shall see you soon."

"Soon major. Now, I've gotta get some studying done."

"Very well, then."

The screen went blank for a second before she pressed a button and returned to her Advanced Technology homework.