I could hear the voices even before the mist cleared.
"Amazing! This technology once again makes a breakthrough in the world of science!" Said a man with a deep voice, who could hardly contain his excitement.
"Frozen in late 2019, yet she is reborn during the year of 2060! Remarkable! I wonder if her memories are still intact?" This time, the voice belonged to a middle-aged woman. As the mist cleared, she peered at me with a grin. Her brown eyes twinkled, like she'd hit the jackpot. I shrank back until I reached the back of the cryonics machine. There was definitely something in that expression that I did not trust.
My eyes swept across the four people present in the room, before landing on a middle-aged man with tan skin, short dark brown hair and blue spectacles. He was standing to the side of the group and looked at me with kind eyes. When he met my wary gaze, he stepped forward.
"A-are you okay, m-miss?" He stuttered in a thick Indian accent, reaching his hand towards me.
I opened my mouth to reply, but then dissolved into a coughing fit. My throat felt like sandpaper and I needed water.
"Here you are, dear," A woman with ginger hair stepped forward and offered me a tall glass of water. "This will help. Can you remember your name?"
I sipped the water greedily and when I replied, my voice was just above a whisper.
"I'm Sierra Walker. Where am I?" My voice slightly cracked.
"You, my dear, are currently in the world's highest facility specialising in cyogenics. We have the best recovery equipment and resources available and I can assure you that you are in very capable hands," the deep voice belonged to a grey-haired older man with deep-set blue eyes. "I'm Professor Harrison Graham. Let me introduce you to my colleagues. This is Angela Corette, our Cryogenic Physicist," Professor Graham gestures to the shorter woman beside him, who smiled as she was introduced. However, the smile did not seem to reach her brown eyes.
"Lynette Marlston is our nurse. She works around the clock and you can request her assistance at any time." The woman with ginger hair and pale green eyes smiled warmly before walking over and taking the empty glass from my hand, which she immediately went to refill. I thanked her.
"Lastly, we have Hiram Hackenbacker visiting us in order to study our advanced technology. Mr Hackenbacker will be here for the next four days," Professor Graham stated.
"It's a p-pleasure to meet you, S-sierra," said Mr Hackenbacker.
"Likewise," I replied. I wasn't sure if these people were genuine, but they were offering help and a place to stay while I figured things out, so I wasn't about to reject that offer.
With Lynette's help, I clumsily climbed out of the machine. "Come with me, Sierra," she said. "You deserve a nice warm shower."