In Twenty Years Time ~ An Armin Arlert FanFic

2 - Welcome to Trost

The faint Zzzzing of wires awoke Jo from her slumber. A repetitive beeping kept her brain entertained as she attempted to open her eyes in a now-bright car- or not a car, a room. A room with white lights, temporarily blinding Jo. The beeping increased in speed as Jo attempted to sit up, still trying to pry her eyes open. She heard doors open and then felt large, firm hands on her shoulders, pushing her back down onto the bed.
"Miss, please lay back and don't move," This deep voice said, smooth like butter but stern at the same time. Jo obliged, laying back down, finally managing to pull one eye fully open. The room was made of beige-colored, blood splattered walls. Jo felt startled, feeling a tight object on her face, which she attempted to pull off, but one of the hands from her shoulder pulled off and pressed against the tight thing on her face. She made the assumption it was an oxygen mask, so she eventually let it go.
"Josephine- welcome back. We almost unplugged you," another voice chimed in with a chuckle. She glanced over, seeing a man in a white coat and black form-fitting jumpsuit, glancing down at a clear tablet. Jo could see what he was looking at, and it looked like her chart. She squinted, trying to get a glimpse.
"W.. wh-.. Where-" Josephine tried to speak, but her throat was too dry, sore, and raspy to speak. She swallowed whatever saliva she had left in her mouth, which wasn't a lot.
"You're in the Scout's Military Infirmary in Trost, Eldia. My name is Dr. Connie Springer. You've been asleep for 20 years, Josephine. It's 2041. Don't worry, the pandemic's over, and also don't worry about the wires outside. That's our Scout regiment- they're fighting the Marley; the people trying to take over our country at the moment, though they're at bay, on the shore. The Scout's fly about with Omni-directional mobility gear, or ODM gear. It's mainly wires pulling you everywhere. Do you remember anything? We found you in a rusty car fast asleep in the middle of an empty parking lot 2 years ago. The registration said it was 2021 when you fell asleep. It's been 20 years," Dr. Springer explained, quickly running some routine vitals. Jo's eyes widened at all of the information she just received. 20 years? It's been 20 years since Jo fell asleep? There's no way it's been that long. Surely she had just dropped off Eri at her house... Eldia? Trost? Scout regiment? None of this makes sense, Jo thought.
Jo shook her head at the question. She lifted her hands up, which were full of IVs, but they didn't look any different than they did, apparently, 20 years ago. Jo moved her fingers but stopped at once after feeling the uncomfortable shift of the IV. She started panicking at the thought of not aging the past twenty years. Dr. Springer repeated Jo's name, telling her to calm down. The beeping was increasing in speed again. Twenty years? Please- that's not even possible. This is a fever dream, and that's all it is; even though it feels way..too....real. Dr. Springer held a mirror in front of Jo's face. Jo looked at herself in the mirror, shocked at what she saw. It was just how she looked twenty years ago.
"Josephine, according to your driver's license, not a hair on your head has changed. It's like you froze in time, and according to your tests that we ran, you actually did. No signs of aging," Dr. Springer chimed, with a twinge of shock in his own voice. Jo lifted her hand up, almost touching the mirror, but drew her hand back. The door swung open as Dr. Springer was taking the mirror away.
A golden-haired young man stood in the doorway, dressed in what looked like black and silver leather belts, leading from his shoulders all the way down into his boots. and a form-fitting black jumpsuit, with metal accents. There were two boxes on either side of the boy hanging off of the leather belts, filled with something sharp. There were devices with triggers on the belts as well. Jo assumed this was the ODM gear. The boy had these unforgettable blue eyes that looked like you could get lost in the ocean if you stared any longer. There were marks under his eyes that looked like scars, but fresh scars; the one where if you touched them, they would be warmer than the surrounding skin. They also contrasted his pale skin with a redness of no other. His blonde hair was styled with a long undercut and bangs that covered his forehead, but it was a bit messy. As expected from a soldier, Jo thought.