The Century Project

i

chapter 1 - written by @Activerios

The world was dark, and cold. Nothing more. Nothing less. That's how it has been for what seem like a long time. Is that all that was left?

No. I could hear something. I could hear...voices.

Oh, how long it has been since I have heard voices!

Moments later, the heavy weight of time that had been frozen in the chamber disappeared, and I could breathe again. The frosted glass fogged up as I felt my chest rise and fall, air filling my lungs for the first time in what seemed like forever.

I opened my eyes, the world slowly coming to focus. A thick layer of frosted glass separated me from the cold metal of the outside wall - cold, yet familiar. The metal insides of our ship, the Variable Transchrononal Atmospheric Medium Explorer - the V-TAME, for short.

As my eyes finally came into focus, two otherwise blurry shapes came in to focus. Well, as focus able as one can see through a six inch thick piece of frosted glass. The two shapes were obviously humans - no doubt the rest of the crew, or what remained of it. They had some...problems...getting the cyro chambers into stasis mode. Six other crew members had died almost immediately because of a malfunction that somehow didn't slow time down, but sped it up. The pod doors weren't opened in time, and within moments, they were nothing but piles of dust.

Then there was the -

The...

I couldn't think. Why couldn't I put together my thoughts? I look around frantically, my arms resting up against the glass. That's it - the glass. The glass. I woke up. I should... The glass should be opening - it was programmed to do so when the person in the pod awoke.

It wasn't opening. Oh god, it wasn't opening. My air....

The pods had ten minutes of air time. Seven before stasis, and for three afterwords. Three minutes of oxygen. Oh shit...

I start frantically banging on the glass, still a bit sluggish from waking from my artificial stasis. I could feel it now. The lack of oxygen. My head was spinning, and my vision started to get tiny black dots on the edge of my vision.

I see Ryder's face press up against the glass, motioning something that I couldn't completely register. I kept slamming the glass, but I knew it would be useless - they were made to withstand time. A person's fist is much weaker - time could destroy anything, whereas I could not.

I let out a small yelp as a large metal crowbar slams down on the glass, a small crack appearing in it's frosty surface. I could make out Phoenix's blonde hair swinging as she slammed the glass again, another small crack appearing. At this rate, I wouldn't make it.

Ryder must have seen this too - he snatched the crowbar from her hands, taking a step back. He took a small shuffle forward, slamming the metal weapon down on the glass, a large crack splitting down it's surface. He went back to do so again, and I had enough sense to cover my face just as the glass shattered inward.

I lunge for the side of the pod, hanging out of it while taking the most wonderful breaths of fresh air in probably the history of the known universe. Ryder had his hands on his knees, letting the crowbar - which is slightly bent - drop onto the floor with a loud clang. He was panting slightly, his black hair hanging in his face.

Phoenix - or Nix, as she liked to be called - plopped down in one of the brig's chairs, holding her forehead with her fingers. Her blue eyes just stared at the pod blankly, as her free hand twisted her blonde hair nervously. "Well, isn't this just great? I mean, what are the chances that nearly every pod on this god damned ship malfunctions?"