Return to Earth

Chapter 5

Kierst woke in a sitting position with something cold and wet pressing against him from everywhere. An unpleasant scent filled his nostrils as he struggled to open his eyes, but felt as if they had been fused shut. With a bit of discomfort and a couple of torn lashes, darkness turned to gray before a bright light appeared before him.

A hazy outline of a person's face got close to Kierst, and heard Lita's voice. "I'd say welcome to Earth, but we aren't there just yet. So instead, I'll say welcome to Earth's moon base."

He tried to move his arms and legs, but found both secured in place as he croaked out the only word he could manage with a throat that felt like it was on fire. "Where?"

Her voice was calm as a light shined into his eyes. "Earth's moon base, Kierst. The gel may have prepared your muscles and bones, but it isn't without temporary side effects. Your vision and voice will return in time. You're secured to a chair until you can see to keep from bumping into things. Can't risk you breaking something important."

Kierst felt a burning in his throat after speaking just the one word and didn't want to risk much more until the sensation faded. "How long?"

Lita's voice took on an almost clinical tone as he felt her move his head gently with her fingers. "Everyone's a little different. I can't tell you any more than what I said."

His head tilted against his will as he shook his head with some difficulty to search for a better word to clarify what he was asking. "Sleep?"

She released her hands as she stepped back a little too far, which caused the brightness to return. "Sleep? You mean how long have you been asleep?" Kierst nodded as he continued to struggle against the restraints without caring about the effectiveness of his actions. "Just over 18 months."

Shadows appeared in the light, which started to become vague outlines as he struggled to make sense of her words. Something must have gone wrong for there to be that kind of a delay, but Lita wasn't showing any signs of worry in her voice. If something had gone wrong, why didn't she wake him sooner?

His throat continued to burn as he searched the outlines for her with no hope of differentiating one from another. There was nothing he could do to make his vision come back any sooner, but believed her when she said it would come back in time. Voices echoed in the distance, which caused his head to turn in what he thought was the right direction, but they could no longer be heard.

Her soft voice caught Kierst by surprise as it came from behind him without ever hearing any movement in that direction. "I know it's a lot to take in. One moment you're on Mars and the next you're on Earth's moon."

Lita must have taken his shocked silence to mean something that he didn't intend, which was why he forced himself to bear the burning of speech. "Not that. 18 months. Supposed to be a year."

Outlines started to clear as she returned to her clinical state. "Is your vision improving? Just nod or shake your head. No need to aggravate your throat any further." He nodded as she asked, but more than a little perturbed she hadn't answered his question. "Good. If all goes well, you should see well enough to be released within the next hour."