After being chosen as guinea pigs for the first ever human hibernation experiment, a scientist and an ex-soldier are placed in suspended animation that is supposed to last 3 years. Instead of waking up in the year 2025 as planned, they wake up in th...
"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." - Thomas Carlyle
CHAPTER ONE: "Guinea Pigs"
Date: December 4th, 2027
Time: 9:00 P.M.
Location: US National Science Convention, Silicon Valley, California
"Doctor, is this the secret to immortality?" a reporter asked.
Doctor Steiner intertwined his fingers at his desk. The intense light and flashes from cameras illuminated his wild grey hair and shiny balding scalp. At age 58 he felt that his life's work had finally gained him the recognition he deserved and he soaked up the attention like a sponge. "Well, I wouldn't say immortality, but it opens up great avenues for space travel and many types of underwater research. As you can see with my best assistant the process proved a success," he replied and gestured toward a chimpanzee sitting in a seat next to him.
The chimpanzee seemed curious looking around at the many camera flashes with interest. He calmly munched on a banana like it held more interest to him than the photographers.
"George here endured a successful hibernation for three years himself and this proves that my device is ready for human trials. I assure you this is the most reliable and promising technique for suspended animation ever developed. The scientific community has never had more confidence in a device to successfully operate than mine."
Another reporter raised his hand for a question and Steiner pointed to him. "Doctor, are there any side effects of this process?"
Doctor Steiner shook his head. "It may possibly induce some hallucinations, but those should fade within hours."
"And what about the two men selected for the test? How did you choose them?"
Doctor Steiner adjusted his glasses. "Both of them are twenty-nine years old. I had just enough funding for two pods. The first man is a biologist who just completed his masters at MIT. He will be able to tell us in explicit detail how the trial has affected his physiology. The other is a former US Army soldier and fitness trainer. He was selected primarily to test how peak physical conditioning affects the process."
Another reporter asked excitedly, "What future possibilities do you hope this will offer you?"
Doctor Steiner answered with a laugh, "I'm just hoping to get rich and die on a mountain of my own gold!"
The reporters laughed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chad O'Connor approached the sink in the restroom and proceeded to wash his hands. He washed with an excess amount of soap. He looked in the wide-view mirror and examined the nervous face looking back at him. His smooth two-inch long brown hair and anglo-saxon facial features hailed from English ancestry. His brown eyes looked through pair of silver framed glasses. At six feet tall he stood higher than most men. His frame was skinny from a lack of exercise, but healthy dieting meant he didn't look sickly in any way. A drop of sweat slowly slid down his temple. I'm terrified of doing this experiment, but it's a shot at instant fame and recognition in my community. Both of those are needed to succeed in my field. I have to be ambitious or I'll get left behind. It's really that simple.
