Chapter 24: Aiden's Awakening
The team stared in awe at the young boy in the cryogenic chamber. He looked peaceful, almost as if he were sleeping. But they knew that he had been frozen for thousands of years.
Orion stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch the glass. "We have to wake him up," he said.
Zara nodded in agreement. "But how do we do that? We don't know anything about this technology."
The system beeped. "I can interface with the chamber and begin the awakening process. It may take some time, but I can guide you through it."
The team watched as the system's holographic projection appeared next to the cryogenic chamber. It began to input commands into the chamber's interface, and the boy's vitals started to appear on the screen.
"He's stable," the system reported. "The process should take a few hours. We should prepare for his awakening."
The team looked around the chamber, wondering what they could do to prepare. They found some spare clothes and blankets, as well as some food and water.
As they waited, they began to wonder what kind of person Aiden would be. They knew that he was a synthetic being, but they had never encountered one before. They wondered if he would be like the synthetic race they had encountered earlier, or if he would be different.
Finally, after several hours, the cryogenic chamber beeped, signaling that the process was complete. The glass began to retract, and a hissing sound filled the room as the gas was released.
Aiden sat up slowly, his eyes blinking as he looked around the room. He looked confused at first, but then he seemed to realize where he was.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice soft and childlike.
Orion stepped forward. "My name is Orion. We found you here and woke you up."
Aiden looked at him, then at the rest of the team. "Why did you wake me up?" he asked.
"We wanted to help you," Maya said, smiling. "You've been frozen for thousands of years. We thought you might want to see what the galaxy is like now."
Aiden looked at her, then at the others. He seemed to be processing everything, trying to understand what had happened to him.
"What happened to my creators?" he asked finally.
"They were destroyed in a war," the system replied. "You were one of the few survivors."
Aiden looked down, his expression sad. "I remember the war. I remember the destruction. But I didn't think anyone had survived."
"You did," Jake said, placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder. "And we're here to help you."
Aiden looked up at him, his eyes wide. "Why would you help me?"
"Because you deserve to live," Zara said, smiling. "You deserve to see what the galaxy has become."
Aiden looked at the team, his expression softening. "Thank you," he said softly. "I never thought I would see anyone again."
The team smiled, happy to have helped him. They knew that Aiden had a lot of questions and that he would need time to adjust to his new surroundings. But they were willing to help him, to show him the wonders of the galaxy.
As they left the chamber, they couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. They had discovered something truly amazing, something that would change their lives forever. And they knew that they were just getting started on their journey.