A kid named Zoey Mal'Kalin

“Thanks mista for picking Bub and me up,” the kid thanked with an exhausted and somewhat raspy voice. “I was thin…th…I don’t feel so goooo…” the kid tried to sit down in a chair but nearly fell to the ground when you caught her.

Grrrrrr, Bub the Big Daddy growled and its lights went from green to yellow as it shuffled closer which was frighteningly adorable due to his large frame.

“Relax, we’re trying to help her,” you admonished the armored character. You then turned to Gogo while lowering the kid to the floor. “Get the medkit and hand me the medical tricorder.” Using the tricorder to scan the kid’s status, it read out that she had been running on fumes and some exposure to the hazardous environment outside was causing problems with her breathing.

“This medicine will help her out,” you showed Bub the hypospray that you programmed with the correct combination to revive her. You cautiously held it up to her neck and applied the medicine. You had a heartstopping moment when the kid shuttered and Bub briefly went red but it went back to green when the kid opened her eyes and coughed a bit.

“Take it easy kid,” you say as you lifted her up and sat her down in a seat. After setting her down, you gave her a juice bottle that still remained from lunch. “When you are up to it, how about you tell us your name and how you got here?”

“So you picked up a prime worlder kid named Zoey Mal’Kalin,” Supervisor Geoff asked you in his holographic form. You had called the office to let him know of the special passenger you got. You were also piloting the shuttle out of the Trash World atmosphere and inputting coordinates to the nearest gate.

“She says that some thugs grabbed her and her maid Boa Hancock while at a private park and then threw her in one of the trash portals. She don’t know which place though,” you clarify while looking back at the kid sitting with Diana and Gogo.

She was surrounded by several juice boxes and light food so as to not overwhelm her system yet. Bub the Big Daddy was watching closely as Diana kept Zoey entertained while Gogo treated some cuts and bruises. “She says she’s been here maybe a week but couldn’t tell due to the smog. She also doesn’t know what happened to her maid just that she wasn’t tossed with her. She was wandering around when the heavily modified Big Daddy found her. He’s been keeping her safe ever since.”

“I’ll have an ambulance and police on-site when you arrive,” Supervisor Geoff then gave a shake of his head. “Geez James, did you piss off a bunch of witches or voodoo priests? Monster attacks, police incidents, your little confrontation with a customer, and now this?”

“Well I did buy a Gwen Tennyson saved from a cult ritual,” you said as the shuttle accelerated to FTL. Supervisor Geoff just stared at you for your comment causing you to release a nervous laugh.

“Please get back here before you discover a sentient shade of blue or get adopted by some extra dimensional horror.” Supervisor Geoff rubbed the bridge of his nose then terminated the call.

“I think that went well,” you say as you switch on the autopilot. You got out of your seat and went over to the little gathering. Gogo had finished putting bandaids on Zoey and Diana was regaling her with stories of Themyscira.

“And then with spin, Deianira fired off five arrows, each igniting the barrels closest to the hydra. The hydra now unable to regrow its heads was cut in two by my blade,” Diana pantomimed the swinging of her swords to Zoey’s cheer.

“We should be at the office in half an hour,” you inform them with the computer’s estimated ETA. “I see everything is going alright over here.”

“Yeah, your Wonder Woman tells a lot better stories than the one dad keeps in his office,” Zoey said, causing Diana to grimace. “She’s a lot less grumpy and screamy.” You weren’t sure you wanted to know what she meant by “screamy”.

“So are there any planets you want to visit?” You ask Zoey as you take the seal off of Gogo’s bucket from the party and take out a sugary pastry. Zoey snatches the pastry from your hand before you could split it in half. You give her an exaggerated pout as she bit into the frosting covered treat.

“Mah mama was going to take me to Luminous Water World,” she exclaimed with a full mouth. She swallowed before continuing. “Dad and her were going to take their first vacation in a long time and take me there to see the thousand mermaid show!” She ended that statement with stars in her eyes.

“Oh I’ve been to Luminous quite a few times,” you say happily recalling all the times you and your siblings made a mess of the place. “If you go to the Relph district, go to the Shirahoshi plaza in Mer Town, they have some of the best saltwater taffy and ice cream ever.”

“Really!” She jumped up excitedly but then she got a downtrodden look. “We were supposed to go soon but I don’t think we are gonna now.”

“I’m sure after all that happened, they will take you there for even longer,” you say, hoping to get her spirit up before Bub kills you. You lifted your hand to your mouth conspiratorially. “You didn’t hear it from me but my dad got hired to train a lot of inklings, octolings, and salmonoids for a new show and district. Rumor has it that it's getting announced next month so keep it secret.” You give her a little wink. You were glad that that was an open secret and they asked that the employees spread the rumors.

Zoey gave you a wink back as she finished the pastry. You spent the rest of the ride to the office talking to her about your childhood memories of the place and all the hidden secrets and hidden gems the place has.