Wake Me In The Future (10 page)

‘What do you mean
Original Human Race
?’ I asked with a note of challenge.

‘You have to understand Richard; we Manoorans were so intent on throwing off our previous lives that most of us feel human now. We adopted human life out of respect for your achievements. Our greatest desire is that we try to revive as many people that we can, and for us all to try to live together as a single race.’

‘So will you eventually drop the terms ‘
Cryogen’
and ‘
Original Human Race’
then?’

‘There’ll always be reference to the original human race as long as our history includes its story.’

‘Our history!’ I was allowing myself to get upset now and was conscious that I’d clenched my fists.

‘I know it’s difficult,’ said Ankit looking down at my hands, ‘but all of us, Cryogens and Manoorans alike, are going to constitute the future human race. We had no concept of history on our home planet, so everything that ever happened in this Solar system will become our common history.’

‘Do you really think we can merge into a single race Ankit? What about when we Cryogens start to breed? Aren’t you afraid there’ll be an element that will want it all back?’

Ankit looked at me as if he’d forgotten something vitally important. ‘Oh Richard,’ he said slowly and as if about to break some sad news, ‘I am sorry, but because these bodies are immortal they can’t replicate. Creating one from scratch would in effect be creating an Android, not a true sentient being as we define it.’

Yet another revelation
, I thought, and asked, ‘So when all the Cryogens are revived that will be it then? The full extent of what’s left of humanity?’

He was nodding his head. ‘Of the original race yes, but hopefully, in time we can all consider ourselves human. We’re no threat to your culture Richard; we’ve adopted it and want to preserve it. We’ve bought nothing but our intelligence to your societies. I can guarantee, unless anyone tells you their origins, you’d never tell the difference between us.’

But somehow that didn’t make me feel any better. That reference to
Original Human Race
made me feel like I was part of a group on the verge of extinction.

I had to resign myself to the fact that I couldn’t change what had happened while I’d been suspended and so all I could find to say was ‘Oh,’ and looking around, decided I needed to change the subject before I said something I’d later regret. So attempting to sound more cheerful I said, ‘Where am I now anyway?’

‘This is the home you’ve been allocated, I chose it for you, so I hope it’s acceptable. It’s still in India Prime so it should suffice until you decide what you want to do with your life.’

‘You already know what I want to do Ankit,’ I said, an element of aggression creeping back into my voice.
Calm down Richard
, I said to myself. ‘I won’t rest until I’ve found Helen, or all the Cryogens that are left have been revived and she’s not among them.’

Ankit seemed very defensive now, no doubt conscious of my frustration with what I had to accept. ‘I am sorry, I didn’t explain properly, I meant after you’ve found Helen or what’s happened to her. I chose this place because of its proximity to the institute so you can be involved in the Cryogen project.’

He moved towards the door and paused before turning around, ‘and on that note I’ve arranged for you to meet a few people this evening. One of which is a high official who’s permission you’ll have to seek to join the project. But I’ll let you explore your new home for now,’ and nodding at the clock on the wall said, ‘expect us at seven.’ Then he pointed at me and said, ‘Oh, and you might not have noticed it yet, but the system has provided you with that hair you wanted. You can learn how to change it later.’

I didn’t know which happened first; my hand reaching to my head to feel the new mane of hair, or my rapidly dissolving anger. I couldn’t let my friend leave, thinking badly of me, I’d only been reacting on instinct, ‘Ankit, I am sorry for being so angry. I didn’t mean to come across as ungrateful. I am just confused at the moment.’

‘I know that Richard; I can tell what sort of person you are. Don’t worry, it'll all be ok, and I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help you find Helen.’

‘Thank you Ankit. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.’ And although it didn’t come easy, I forced myself to smile.

‘Before you go though, who are these other people you’re bringing later?’

‘They’re Cryogens like you Richard,’ he replied, ‘you’re going to meet some other humans from your own time.’

Chapter 13
– Fellow Travellers

At last, I was actually going to meet some other people. Real people like me, or as close to real as you could get in this crazy place. I approached the panel on the wall to ask what I needed to provide for my guests when they arrived, but it seemed that everything had been arranged because it informed me that Ankit had already given it instructions.

So I sat down in one of the chairs to study my new apartment. It was a comfortable room, not overly spacious but not small enough to induce my claustrophobia - I was guessing I still retained all the fears that made me the person I used to be.

The rigid angles of the box-like seating were softened by a scattering of blue and cream cushions which all served to form a welcoming central point to the room. The green flooring was more like carpet than elsewhere I'd been; but whatever it was, like everywhere else, it felt warm to my slippered feet.

The walls were cream and adorned with vid screens that emulated windows looking out to countryside beyond, where bushes and shrubs carpeted the landscape, and framed a stream winding its way along the contours of a small hillock. From hidden speakers came the relaxing muffled sound of its rush over the rocks, on a frenzied journey to a destination that didn’t exist.

All of a sudden, looking out into this unreality, I felt homesick, but at the same time it lifted my mood because it proved there was still something familiar for me to cling on to, and I had no doubt meeting other humans like myself would also help me adjust to this new reality.

In the absence of anything to do but wait, I tried to relax, and soon began to realise that I would in fact be able to come to terms with this peculiar setup. I was beginning to look forward to participating in this very strange society and knew that it was going to be a wonderful adventure. I only wished Helen was with me to share it.

The result of taking in so much information in such a short period was that I seemed to have become absent minded and was starting to forget things. The thought entered my mind through whatever entrance it had found, at the exact instant that I was looking at the entrance to my new home, which was screaming to me ‘You’re Free!!’

The realisation hit me like a sledgehammer. Of course, I could go out. But as I stood at the doorway of my apartment I felt a little reluctant, and even frightened, to leave the warmth of its security. All the anxieties that had built up about the door in the White room came flooding back.

‘
Don’t be a scaredy cat,’
I heard Helen’s voice jokingly egging me on in the back of my mind, so I quickly walked through the door and into the grey corridor beyond.

The air was still, but smelled fresh and sweet, quite natural considering it must be some source of air conditioning. I could hear bird song in the distance and decided to follow it to see if I could find any people. The corridors I was navigating all looked very similar and again, perhaps because of the overload of information, it took me some time before I began to worry that I'd have difficulty finding my way back.

I thought I heard movement ahead of me and could smell the faint aroma of coffee, but there was still no sound of voices. Then all of a sudden the corridor opened onto a square which contained several small groups of people sitting around tables. The scene wouldn’t have looked out of place in any of the small squares that existed in most major cities in my time, but the sound definitely would, because I'd found myself stuck right in the middle of the twilight zone.

All the people in the square were animated and talking to each other but absolutely no sound was coming from their mouths! It was really weird; I knew I wasn't deaf because I could hear everything else; their movements, the birds in the background, the scratching of their glasses and cups along the table tops as they drank. But not a single sound came from the mouths of the talking people. The selective silence was frightening – I was afraid to move and was frozen to the spot.
How were they communicating, was it some kind of telepathy, but if it was, why would they need to move their mouths?

Something was seriously wrong with this scene and when a young man turned in my direction and mouthed some silent words at me, it shook me out of my daze, and I turned in the opposite direction and ran. I had to get back to my apartment, it was like a nightmare, which was about to get worse, because it was then that I realised I was lost. I'd run down a corridor but the problem was, that they all looked the same, and if the markings on the walls were for anything other than decoration I couldn’t figure them out.

I stood at a corner, surprised that I wasn’t breathing harder after the distance I’d just run, and I reluctantly started to consider having to find those people again to ask for help. But what if they couldn’t hear me either?

'Damn,' I shouted out loud, 'how the hell do I find my way back home?'

'Do you require assistance?' a voice replied from behind me.

At last, someone I could hear. I turned round and with relief in my voice said ‘Hello....’  But to my dismay the corridor was empty.

'Hello' I shouted down the corridor 'is someone there?'

The voice came out of nowhere again before I realised it was coming from the walls and was obviously the Information System. I really needed to ask Ankit if this slowness in my mental processes was only temporary.

'Yes, I need to get back to my apartment please,' I said and waited expectantly.

'Follow the green markings on the wall,’ the voice instructed me.

As I looked at the jumble of markings on the corner of the corridor some of them illuminated, and out of what had been a higgledy piggledy mess of random symbols I began to see a green arrow emerge, and at each corner I found another pointing me in what I hoped was the right direction. I eventually found myself at a door-sized portion of a wall that was also illuminated green. Not caring, I took my chance and walked through it, and sure enough I was back in my apartment.

I shivered and gave a great sigh of relief as I thought of the experience. But as I sat down to relax and recover, the system informed me that I had just minutes before I needed to get ready to receive my guests.

At precisely seven o'clock I heard the familiar sound of a door buzzer and the entrance became transparent to reveal Ankit accompanied by a group of people.

As he came in and walked towards me he stepped to one side to reveal the guests behind him and I took a sharp intake of breath. The first man, who was now holding out his hand to be shaken, was the man who’d entered the White Room. But before I could recall his name Ankit introduced him.

‘Richard, this is Ramoon, he’s the official responsible for the Cryogen project.’

The man took my hand and as he shook it said jovially, ‘we were never introduced when we first encountered each other Richard, but Ankit has told me a great deal about you.’

The way he’d said it and the disingenuous smile that crossed his face made me feel uncomfortable. I could see no reason not to like him; his manners were pleasant enough, but it was just the supercilious twist of his expression. I’d never been one to pre-judge people before getting to know them, but there was something about this man that I just didn’t like.

‘I’d like to also introduce you to three of your fellow Cryogens,’ said Ankit sweeping his arm out in the direction of the other visitors who started to come forward. Two men and a woman moved towards me, all smiling, and for a split second I had a flashback to my
Body Snatchers
nightmare. But forcing a blink to dispel the thought I smiled at them. They all seemed to be in their early thirties and wore crisp suits not a million miles away from the business suits of my time, only the two men’s were light tan, highlighted with red; the woman’s was lime green and chocolate brown.

Earl Jeffries was a handsome black man with noble features and a low soothing voice. He reminded me of Britain’s first mixed race King Leroy, who was on the throne at the time of my death. Then there was Jennifer Lee a small pretty Chinese woman with black shoulder length hair, and a dazzling smile that displayed teeth I thought couldn’t possibly have been that white if they’d been real. The final visitor was Simon West, an unassuming yet handsome redhead, who didn’t hold eye contact when I shook his hand, but looked down in the same way Helen used to do. I thought I detected a slight Australian accent.

As we talked, Ankit asked the Information System to provide the drink and snacks he’d previously selected and I eventually began to relax.

Earl was grave and sombre, with a voice that held a very serious and calming tone. He’d been a lottery winner and invested and made his money in the American media. None of his several ex-wives wanted to join him in the
Great Adventure
, as he put it, however, one of his sons had. But sadly he was unable to be revived successfully.

‘It was like losing James all over again,’ he said in his low baritone voice, ‘I’d already said goodbye to him once because he died of cancer when he was only twenty one.’

Jennifer came from a wealthy family that owned a successful chain of restaurants around the world. She sat with her elbows on the table, supporting her chin in her intertwined fingers and smiling at me. She seemed full of self control, and completely self-assured.

‘They all thought I was mad wanting to be
frozen
and I was almost disinherited, so I pretended to give up the idea until I got my hands on the money. I was a very wealthy woman when I died, not that any of that matters now because there’s no longer any such thing as personal wealth. You can have just about anything you want you see. And anyway, even if I was poor I am alive and look at me, I died in my nineties but I am in my prime again.’ Her smile was infectious and we all smiled in return.