Bubble Boy

The Hyperion Ascendant drifted through the velvet black of deep space, silent, gleaming, and, as of five minutes ago, absolutely, terrifyingly lost.

"Wait, what do you mean there's no navigation system?!" Jace shouted, eyes wide as he slapped the glowing console.

Zero, the ship's AI, appeared as a flickering blue hologram above the dashboard, shaped like a serene, mask-faced humanoid.

"I forgot to remind you," Zero said in an utterly calm tone. "There was no nav core installed before launch. My bad."

Jace blinked. "You forgot. You forgot?"

"I was prioritizing stealth upgrades and environmental shielding. The nav drive wasn't marked urgent."

Jace stared. "We are in space, Zero!"

"I am aware."

Bolt zipped in and out of the hallway, zapping between panels in a panic. "WE'RE GONNA DIE! I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED MY BACKUP OF SEASON THREE OF SPACE RANGERS!"

Construct phased halfway through a wall, heart pulsing. "I never learned how to cook. My microwave pasta ratio is still off. I knew I should've stayed home."

Blaze paced aggressively by the viewport, heat haze rippling around her. "We're not gonna die. We just… don't know where we are. Yet."

The Orphan sat on the floor, legs crossed, eating from a bag of chips.

"We've got food. Air. I'm good."

Gladiator leaned against a bulkhead, arms folded. "Panicking doesn't help. Jace, fix it."

"I can't fix what isn't installed!" Jace snapped. "There's literally nothing here! Zero, reroute the auxiliary systems and scan for a nearby gate or beacon."

"Working on it," the AI responded.

Starman stood silently at the command center, brow furrowed. His eyes flicked between everyone. They were unraveling.

Zoe stood near him, chewing a fingernail, eyes darting across the room.

"I really messed everything up," she whispered.

"No," Starman said. "This is on me. I should've done a full systems check. It's my ship. My command."

"Still think I shouldn't have gone home?" Zoe muttered.

Before Starman could answer, a sudden ping echoed across the bridge. A holo-call was coming in.

From Earth.

Troy and Annie.

Everyone froze.

Starman accepted the call.

Troy appeared first, face close to the feed. Wild-eyed. Radiating heat. Annie stood behind him, tension in her shoulders.

"Starman," Troy said. "Where. Is. My. Daughter."

"She's here. And she's safe."

"You were supposed to turn back!"

"We tried," Starman replied. "But there's a complication..."

"A complication?" Troy cut him off. "You took her, and now you're lost in space? Are you serious?"

"Troy, listen..."

"I knew it," Troy hissed. "I knew you would pull something like this. You were never going to bring her back. You wanted her all to yourself. Just like you did me."

"That's not what happened," Starman said, voice tight.

The rest of the crew watched in stunned silence. Even Bolt stopped vibrating.

Zoe stepped into frame.

"Dad, I'm fine..."

"Zoe, stay out of this!" Troy snapped.

Behind him, Annie reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Troy, breathe. Please. She's right there. Let's just talk..."

But Troy shoved her.

Hard.

Annie fell backward out of frame with a cry.

The bridge went silent.

Zoe's face went pale.

Gladiator stepped forward, eyes blazing. "You dare lay a hand on her..."

Starman's voice boomed over him. "TROY!"

Troy looked into the feed, chest heaving.

"Don't you ever call me like you're still family."

"You pushed her," Zoe said quietly, stepping in front of Starman. "You pushed Mom."

"That wasn't... That's not what I..." Troy's voice cracked.

"You scared me," she said. "You're still scaring me."

"Troy," Starman said, voice low, dangerously steady. "You need to step back. You're not thinking clearly."

But Troy wasn't hearing it. His eyes flicked to Starman with burning hatred.

"You took everything from me. You don't get to tell me what I am."

"Troy, stop," Annie's voice called faintly in the background. "Please..."

The holo crackled.

And then...

STATIC.

CONNECTION LOST.

Everyone stared.

Jace was the first to speak, voice hollow. "We're too far. Signal's gone."

Zero's voice echoed calmly. "At current trajectory, Earth communications will resume in approximately... Not sure because I don't know the trajectory we going."

Silence.

Zoe stood completely still.

Her lip trembled.

Starman placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll fix this."

Zoe didn't answer.

Her eyes never left the empty space where her father's image had just been.

Earth.

The storm still lingered above the Miller home, now thick and brooding, as if it too were holding its breath.

The door burst open.

Eidolon strode inside, rainwater dripping from his jacket, him trying to get dry, then...

He saw Annie first, on the floor, propped on one arm, her expression dazed but conscious. Her cheek was reddened.

Then he saw Troy.

Standing over her. Glowing. Trembling. His eyes were like twin suns about to explode.

Eidolon's voice was low and dangerous. "Did you just attack Annie?"

Troy didn't answer.

He couldn't.

He barely recognized himself.

Eidolon moved, fast, fury in every step. "You son of a..."

"Stop," Annie said, holding up a hand from the floor. "Don't. Please."

Eidolon froze mid-step, jaw tight. "He hit you."

"He shoved me," she said softly. "He wasn't trying to... it wasn't…"

Her voice faltered. But then she looked straight at Eidolon.

"I need you to leave."

Eidolon didn't move.

"Please," she said again, eyes pleading. "Just... let me talk to him."

A long beat passed.

Eidolon finally exhaled through his nose, every line of his body vibrating with restraint. Then, slowly, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Troy still hadn't moved.

Annie stood up slowly, dusting herself off. Her hair clung to her face, damp and tangled. She didn't speak right away.

Neither did he.

Finally, Troy's knees gave out and he sank to the floor. His glowing eyes dimmed. His hands trembled.

"I didn't mean to," he said, voice hoarse. "Annie. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know," she said, but her voice was cool. Careful.

"I just... I saw her with him, and then I heard the ship was lost, and..."

"You lost control."

He looked up at her, ashamed. "I've been trying so hard not to become him. But the moment I thought she was really gone..."

Annie sat down beside him, leaving a bit of space. "You didn't become Starman."

"I think I might be worse," he whispered.

"You're not."

He shook his head, eyes red-rimmed now in grief instead of rage. "She said she was scared of me. That's the worst thing she could've said."

"She has every right to be scared right now. Of the situation. Of losing everything."

She paused.

"So do you."

They sat in silence. Just the sound of the storm and two broken people trying to stitch something fragile back together.

Meanwhile on the Hyperion Ascendant.

The crew had been quiet for too long.

Even Bolt wasn't twitching.

Jace ran diagnostics in silence, fingers dancing across a translucent keyboard. The console beeped occasionally, but no one reacted.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Troy lost control. But that doesn't mean he's a monster."

No one answered.

"I've seen grief like that. From both of them. They've both lost too much. He was just... angry."

Gladiator gave him a long look but said nothing. Zoe sat in one of the corner seats, knees pulled up to her chest.

"I'm not excusing it," Jace said, adjusting Zero's interface. "But he needs help. Not hate."

Blaze folded her arms, leaning on the wall, frowning. "Yeah, well. He picked a hell of a way to ask for it."

"There are still a ton of heroes on earth, who will confront him about it like Eden," Bolt mumbled, lying upside down on a floating panel. "So... maybe we should focus on not starving to death."

Construct perked up. "That's what I've been saying! We don't have nav, and if we can't find a planet, we're gonna run out of food and resources."

"I can build a water recycler, and Blaze can fly to a nearby asteroid field for raw materials. If we find one," Jace muttered.

"But we need coordinates," Gladiator added. "And time."

Starman finally spoke, his voice quiet but authoritative.

"Then we buy time. Everyone ration. Blaze, Construct, start thinking about backup plans. Jace, work with Zero. I'll guide us manually for now, but we'll need eyes open for anything, a flare, a transmission, a signal tower."

Everyone nodded slowly.

Zoe watched it all, silent. Then stood up.

"I want to help too," she said quietly. "Let me help fix what I broke."

Starman turned to her, his expression soft.

"You didn't break anything."

"But I want to help anyway," she said.

"Then you will," he replied.

And for the first time in hours, something settled in the room.

Not peace.

But purpose.