It was the physical sensations that returned to you first - you could feel the soft padding of the pod, the sudden burst of cool air, notifying you that the hatch had been opened.
You feel exhausted, you can barely think - jumbled words begin to make their way through your sleepy mind.
"... how long you think... last one... can't believe he's... pretty... We'll have to bring him to Lisa."
Those were female voices you acknowledge... sight still dark, you can't help but twitch as strong hands pull you out of the pod and place you onto a stretcher.
...
You awaken now, eye sight comes to you slowly, but you recognize yourself to be in a white room, smelling of antiseptic, much like a doctor's office.
"Well," speaks a soft, feminine voice, making you jump despite yourself, "it looks like you've pulled through nicely."
Looking around, you find yourself struck by the beauty of a slender looking woman, blonde hair and probably in her late twenties, wearing a white doctor's coat, but exposing a significant amount of cleavage.
You can tell she isn't wearing a bra... nor does she seem remotely disturbed by your ogling.
"Want to tell me your name, Mr...?"
"...," you croak, your body unused to speaking. " ... Where am I? Are you with the military?"
She smiled, "No, . My name is Doctor Lisa Shelly. I have a few things to tell you... some you'll find a bit shocking, I'm certain you'll have questions but please hold them so I can explain fully.
"You have been kept in perfect human stasis, just like your military had promised. According to everything but the calendar, you are the same age as you were when you went to sleep. However... like other before you I'm sure you've been told this test would only last one year.
"Well... We're not even sure if that was the original intent, but something went wrong and you were left in there for much longer before we found your pod. There's no easy way to explain it all, so I'll just say it; the year is 2040."
You feel as if you're reeling backwards, Lisa kept talking but you could barely hear her. First instinct was to not believe her - but a glance at the super-accurate date watch the military gave you confirmed what she said.
The year IS 2040. Thirteen years after you were supposed to wake up. You've missed your daughter's entire childhood... |