~14~

"Now take as deeeep of a breath as possible, make sure it really goes all the way down your diaphragm and take a biiiiig stretch forward. Really tense up and push out those muscles!"

The nice elderly blond-haired lady on the other side of my screen initiated the action that I swiftly copied.

Even though I was offered a personal trainer to keep me fit and monitor and regulate my bodily stats, I preferred watching this woman's exercise livestream and just following along.

I also didn't want these space agencies having any more influence on me or my mission.

This was MY space mission.

MINE!

I didn't want them highjacking any more control away from me than absolutely necessary. They kept trying to weasel their way into taking over my mission and claiming it as their own. But I'd managed to successfully block them at every and any opportunity I could.

Yesterday was the last straw for them.

Apparently, I'd "broken protocol" and made contact with unknown alien life and taken decisions completely of my own volition without consulting anybody.

"Now let out that breath, bring your arms and legs back in, and take another deeeep breath as you sink back down to the ground and spread your legs as wide as you can," the lady continued to instruct next.

The instructor also made sure to clarify that if you were finding difficulty sinking all the way down and spreading your legs as far apart as she could, that it was perfectly fine and alright. She stressed for you not to push yourself and only focus on doing your best.

Doing your best.

It was something I always strived to do.

Even when I make mistakes, or almost end up getting myself killed for the 10th time that week, I was always just doing my best.

I couldn't help but let some of the doubt begin to sink in after hearing some of the harsh words that the space experts back on Earth had to say.

That I was unprofessional.

A danger to humanity.

They should've shot my ship straight out of the sky the moment they realized my unauthorized take-off.

I'd just sat there like a mute mime and took it all in.

My emotionless expression and unresponsive blank physical demeanour really triggered them.

That was when the bellows and yells came through. With threats made to high heaven.

They threatened that they'd pull all the gracious resources that they'd given me. Leave me stranded and helpless. That maybe THEN I'd learn to take orders from those trying to 'help me'.

I looked them dead in the eye by staring straight down my camera lens, unfolding my arms and standing up to bring greater emphasis to my next few words.

"Then stop wasting my time and just do it already."

I'd cut the call immediately after that, as I'd seen one of the people on the call, a defence general or whatever, his vein had started to pop and bulge menacingly. And I just wasn't in the mood to deal.

They hadn't done a single thing to help me get to space and explore the stars.

So I sure as hell wasn't going to let them bully me all the way back to earth.

I'd rather die here.

Knock, knock, knock!

The soft sound of taps pulled me from my thoughts, and I'd realized that I'd held the downward split position for far longer than the instructed would have liked or I'd have expected I could even do.

Good thing I was flexible.

"He's here!" I gleefully whispered under my breath.

I had a mini stream going on of my own off to the corner of my screen, and I leaned forward to turn off the yoga/exercise instructor's stream.

"I've just been informed that Mel joined us on the stream today!" I hear the instructor say right before I closed off her tab. "Thank you so much for joining my work out girl! Be careful out there and keep being you!"

I couldn't help but grin from that.

"Thank you so much, you're a great and lovely instructor," I gently say, and close her stream and race to the door because I didn't want to keep my 'guest' waiting outside for too long.

I grab my ear device off a table countertop because I knew my chat wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I'd left them behind or in the dark.

They were currently talking back and forth about how sweet it was, the interaction between me and the yoga instructor. How it was so meta and Inception levels type shit.

I smirk at their goofy adorable stupidity. And I made sure to vocalize it.

"You're all goofy idiots."

[Ah, but we're YOUR goofy idiots! Dear sweet Mel!]

[You're never getting rid of us.]

That much seemed to be true with every passing day.

I believed I'd be one day buried with my livestream chat. They'd have a wifi connection with them in the grave as they watch my body decompose.

Even in death, I'll do anything for content.

I once brought up this morbid idea to them, and they suggested my coffin better have good lighting so they could see the decomposition in 4k.

My fans are absolutely unhinged psychopath.

And I love them regardless.

Because so was I.

Hell, without them, I wouldn't even be on this grand space adventure to begin with! Where I'd currently be opening my front door to underwater space aliens-

"Oh, hello!" I'd swung the door open, and was only met with a shy poking silver head barely breaking out of the water.

It was Dion.

I would have been severely creeped out by the ominous appearance of just a forehead, a few patches of scruffy jelly-like hair, and a pair of slightly glowy eyeballs peering up at me from pitch-black water; if it wasn't actually so adorable.

I bend down low to the ground, balancing on the balls of my feet as I tip forward to meet him.

"Is it just you today?" I ask.

He shook his head.

"No, Leo's running late." He responds. Cute bubbles rising with every word. "As usual." He then adds with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

"It's just me for now."

I suddenly had an idea.

A stupid one.

"Can you say that again? But this time say, 'It is I' then say only the first three letters of your name?" I asked.

He looked confused, but then slowly nodded as he thought through what I'd asked him to say. His hands plopping up out of the infinite black void of the water to hold his chin for a moment before disappearing back down.

"It is I, Dio?" he said with a slightly confused tone.

I couldn't help holding back my snort-chuckle as my chat completely went ballistic.

Nothing like putting so much effort into a near-outdated joke reference that only a minute minority would get or understand.

I like to do things for the people. For the little guys, gals, and everything outside or in between.

My laughter seemed to worry Dion, so I was quick to reassure him.

"That was perfect. Thank you." I smile brightly at him.

"I am guessing that is a...an obscure reference?" he asked next.

I nod.

"I bet Leo would understand it..." he said with a hint of longing in his tone.

I resist the urge to lift an eyebrow.

I didn't want to go down the romantic angle, because his words had a hint of jealousy to them.

"I can explain it to you before he gets here?" I offer.

Dion's eyes seem to momentarily literally glow a bright silvery-white colour before vanishing after just a few frames/milliseconds.

"I'd quite like that very much! Thank you...Mel." It sounded like he tried to clamp down on the cheeriness in his tone of voice, but failed miserably.

I huff out an amused sigh through my nose and tilt my head to look at him from a better angle.

These people couldn't really be out to hurt me...right?