18 February 2013
What scared me the most was the glass box. It looked to be at least five inches thick and heavy. Very heavy. I shuddered at the thought of lying in it. Or it could have been the fact I was only wearing small spandex shorts and a matching spandex top that could easily pass as a sports bra. I wasn't allowed to wear shoes or any textile clothing. The scientists and doctors were very strict when telling me that if I did this, that's how it would be. Obviously, I agreed considering here I was watching two men in white jumpsuits gather tubes and wires. Something that looked like a hose peeked out from behind a curtain. I swallowed hard and one of them finally looked at me. "Go ahead and take a seat." He said, motioning to the glass box. I gave a small nod and clumsily clambered in. He slid wires through the little tubes and I watched his deft hands slide what seemed like a million wires in one tube. "Now, I need you to swallow the tube." Swallow...the what? I blinked and he simply handed me the colorful tube. "Swallow." My hands trembled and and I slid the tube into my mouth. The second man finally came over with a packet filled with a shimmering blue liquid. I paused to watch him connect the packet to a thick needle. He glanced over and shook the packet before extending my arm out. "Focus on the tubes not me." I nodded again and slid the tube into my mouth again as he slid the needle into my arm. I yelped and released the tubes. "Now look what you did Kayle." The first assistant huffed. "You're already doing it wrong might I add." He hastily reached to the counter behind him and retrieved an empty bag identical to the one with the glittery blue. "Sorry." He muttered. "New guy." Kayle ducked his head down sheepishly as the other man hooked up the empty bag to my other arm. "This will slow the blood in your body. Preserve it too. Normally we do this AFTER the tubes go down but thanks to Kayle here, we'll help you out." Kayle begun squeezing the blue pouch, willing it to flow slowly through the tube and into my body. His cheeks had become a rosy pink. I gave him a small sympathetic smile. His eyes flashed up briefly before looking back to the pouch, the corner of his lips now pulled up slightly. I watched him while he worked and I could subconsciously feel the blood preservative work its way into my veins. His hair was blonde with natural streaks of a darker flaxen color with an occasional pale brown. His nose looked as if it had been broken once, but it seemed to make him more entrancing. His lips were full and plush for a man's but they contrasted beautifully with his hard and sharp jawline. My eyes flicked back up to his and my body seemed to relax a little more. They were almost the same bright blue as the preservative, the only difference being the flecks of emerald. His eyes met mine again and I quickly looked down. When I looked back up, he was finishing with the packet, a small smile on his lips. Then, I felt a slight tugging on my other arm. I glance over and almost faint. The other man was disconnecting the second packet. And it was full of blood. My...blood. I feel my mouth pop open and the other man looks down at me. "We store your blood elsewhere. We don't want to risk your blood cells freezing like we did with the last shipment. Brutal stuff." I nod, swallowing numbly. I had heard about the last group of people who signed up to follow the path of the Godspeed. The Godspeed was a massive space ship designed to fly directly to a planet NASA had found and deemed habitable for human life. It had taken thousands of years but not too long ago, we had finally received a radio transmission from the planet itself. Since then, new ships had been built designed to travel faster than even the Godspeed itself. Travel to the new planet took about five years now. Then, on the last shipment, startling news cane from the Planet's "Elder". He said that the shipment had, in fact, made it safely to the shipment dock. However, the people inside were another story. The travel was different then when his wife had gone to the Planet, cryogenically frozen like the remainders on Earth. Because all the variables changed, the blood couldn't seem to keep pace with the preservative and instead, it destroyed the blood vessels instead of preserve. I shake myself out of my thoughts as Kayle is storing his empty packet and begins to walk back over to me. He reaches his hand out and I rush to take it. Except...except.. My arm isn't moving as fast as it should be. I felt as if I was pushing through a heavy weight. The other man saw this and gently pushed my arm down. "This is why Kayle messed up. The blood preservative is meant to be frozen and since there's no blood to stop it, it will do exactly that. Now relax and swallow as we help you with the tubes." My fingers twitched and he took that as an ok. Soon, I found myself being propped against the back of the box, my mouth held open gently by Kayle's calloused fingers. Then, the tubes. It felt as if a slick broom handle was being shoved down my throat. The other man pushed it down further and I began to gag. My hands sluggishly fluttered uselessly when I heard Kayle whisper. "Swallow now." I did as I was told and the tube slid down. I sucked in a breath. The man chuckled and Kayle patted my arm. Every thing seemed to be speeding up. Or was I just slowing down? My head pounded trying to think about it. I felt warmth on my shoulder and my head swiveled slowly. Kayle had begun to say something but my ears were slow to receiving the sound. He pulled my head back what seemed to be "gently" but all I felt were thousands of needles pricking the back of my neck. Kayle leaned close and the words finally reached my ears. "I'm putting in sealer. It keeps your eyes closed so you don't go blind. It'll feel funny for a bit but it won't hurt. Last time you'll see for awhile so look around real quick. People sometimes forget colors." I was slow to responding, but I was able to tilt my head towards his and lock my eyes on his. This beautiful color was one I wanted to preserve the most. He hesitated for a moment before gently placing a chaste kiss on my lips. I blinked. "Goodbye, sunshine." He whispered. Plop. Plop. The drops heavily fell into my eyes and they fluttered shut. I felt Kayle's calloused hands help me lay down in the box. It was a few inches short making my knees slowly bend. Kayle's voice drifted to my ears again. "Now this will be cold. You do, in fact, need to breathe it in." He forced his hand between my fingers to grasp my hand. "Squeeze if you understood that." I numbly presses my fingers into the back of his hand and his thumb stroked mine. "Here we go then." I felt ice cold liquid slosh around my body. The white noise roar began to echo in my head and my body slowed further. Warmth was beginning to ebb from places I never knew got that cold. I felt exposed and scared. And don't get me started on how cold I was. Kayle's thumb still rubbed my own and I felt my shoulders relax. The liquid was coming up fast on my face. I wanted to panic but I remembered what Kayle told me. I took a deep breath. The water swallowed the remaining air around my face. I slowly squeezed Kayle's hand. Breathed out. And back in. A liquid cool seemed to fill my body. The warmth coming from Kayle slowly slipped away. I was alone. Cold. Then, a white flash. I could feel the water around me harden. I could feel myself slip into sleep. Five years. I thought of Kayle's eyes. Five years of seeing that beautifully vivid blue. I guess suspended animation wasn't too bad after all.
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So I thought I'd try a little sci fi this time around. Let me know what you think? Thanks a bunch guys ^^
Suspended Animation • Opuss № I