Saltus: A Leap In Time

Chapter 3

"A what now?" I say, looking at the empty bathtub looking thing in front of me. 

The doctor walks up to stand beside me. 

"Cryopod is just an easy way to say cryogenic sleep chamber." She explains.

"And what does that mean?" I say, not knowing if I'm going to like the answer.

"Well, Mr. Allen," She says, walking up to the 'Cryopod'. "These machines lower your body temperature to near freezing levels."

She leans down to press a button on the side of the machine. It hums and pulls back a sheet of plastic covering the mouth of the pod.  

She stands and turns towards me, smiling, "What this does is keep your body and your mind preserved for as long as the machine operates." 

I swallow, realizing what this 'clinical trial' is all about,

"You're going to freeze me." I say, fear washing over me. "For how long?"

Her smile falters slightly, then is back to normal in a fraction of a second.

"A week," she says happily. "Only to monitor all your vitals. Very important research."

"One week!?" I shout. "I've got things to do!"

"Ah, but think of this." She says, raising a finger. "How much did you get paid In a week in your old job?"

"Five hundred." I say, still a bit flustered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

She smiles at me, "You'll get paid twice as much as you used to get for what is essentially sleeping. And cryo sleep feels nothing like actual sleep. It feels like closing your eyes for a bit, then opening them again!"

She steps towards me, "I've actually done it a few times." She says happily, "I don't think it's anything to be afraid of."

I take a few deep breaths, calming myself down. 

"Ok," I say, determined not to panic again. "What do I need to do now?"

Her smile broadens, "Well Mr. Allen, you can ask me any questions you might have, and then we will proceed with the trial."

"Ok," I say, glad for the chance, "What was that first long hallway about? It didn't have any doors!"

"Sanitization chamber," She says simply. "Next."

"What do you mean when you say this facility is 'Big'?"

"Absolutely colossal."

"How big?"

"Unbelievably huge."

I sigh. "If I'm going to get nothing out of that question, then at least give me this one."

"Why is this place underground? Why doesn't it has a name? Why all this secrecy?" I say, hoping for a definitive answer.

She smiles at me with an almost proud look in her eyes.

"We find that being underground allows us to be a bit more creative with our construction. We don't have a name because we research so many different things, we couldn't agree upon a name." She stops smiling. "So much goes under the radar here that even I, The leader of the cryo pod research, don't even know how big this place is."

I step back a bit, startled by her sudden change in attitude.

She steps forward, matching my step backwards, "I've heard whispers about what kind of research is done in here." 

She suddenly stops and looks around, confused. Then she smiles and waves her hand towards the pod.

"Let us proceed then," She says happily as usual. 

I swallow as she presses another button on the machine. A small set of stairs slides out of the side of the machine. The doctor smiles at me and waves me forward into the waiting maw of the cryopod. I lay down slowly, expecting an icy cold interior. But it's not cold, It's pleasantly warm. There seems to be a semi-solid gel lining the interior of the pod. I settle myself back first into the pod, feeling myself relax slightly.

The Doctor leans over the side of the pod to look down at me. She smiles at me again but this time with a hint of sadness.

"Good luck, Mr. Allen." She says as I hear her press another button. 

The plastic sheet starts sliding back over the top of the pod. I feel a wave of panic rushing through me. Feeling a blast of cold air rush over my entire body, I gasp.

"You'll need it." It is the last thing I hear before consciousness leaves me and blackness overtakes me.

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