Kevin woke up, this time to the sounds of shattered glass. The chamber was being broken open. His eyes fluttered as he felt small glass shards fall onto his body.
What is going on?
Kevin tried to stand up, but he was too weak. A few seconds later, a tsunami of hands pulled him up and out.
Still weak and confused, all Kevin could do was watch as two burly men in drabby clothing set him on the floor and covered his body with a blanket.
Kevin instinctively wrapped the blanket around himself and looked up. The room which seconds earlier mirrored the abyss was now lit by a variety of lanterns and torches through which he could see the walls of his broken Cryogenic chamber. He could also see the group of people who now surrounded it, busy at work examining it. Among this group was a pretty black woman dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a matching shirt. Standing next to her was a white man who donned a gray cloak that draped around his shoulders.
The people who found me earlier!
Kevin sat still in a daze as the man and women walked towards him, lead by a tall middle-aged man with a short gray beard and gray hair wearing a black robe with twin blue stripes. His attire was reminiscent of a graduation cap and gown.
The trio stopped in front of Kevin, and the middle-aged man in robes said "Yahrighyt, whaddiya smahtin'"
Kevin, confused, weakly responded, "I'm sorry….. I don't understand you"
As Kevin spoke, the middle-aged man's eyes widened in surprise. After coughing a little the man said, "Apologies, do you now understand me clearly?"
His accent was thick and sounded like an extreme version of the Boston accent, but at least now Kevin could understand what he was saying. Kevin responded
"Yes, I think I do."
"Well, that's good."
He reached out his hand and helped Kevin to his feet.
"I am Professor Dyson, I am the University of Myami's Director of Antiquarian Research. The two beside me are the students who found you"
The black woman politely smiled but stayed silent while the white man rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly said, "My name is Clay"
Dyson then asked, "What is your name, friend?"
"Kevin Nguyen"
The professor smiled as he replied, "I am sure you have a lot of questions and we have many questions as well. I believe we can learn a lot from each other. You will be staying at the University of Myami, and I shall be your host and guide. Now, if you are ready, please follow me."
Kevin nodded. Finally, he might actually get an explanation of what was going on.
Wait, but why were students the ones who found me and not the scientists who froze me? Also, what kind of goofy accent is this? What the hell are you doing working for the University of Miami!
Kevin stood up to follow, but almost immediately collapsed and fell forward as his legs gave out.
Dyson and Clay immediately rushed over. Dyson asked, "Are you alright, Kevin?"
Kevin shook his head, his body was not prepared to be up and walking yet, he said "I think I need help."
Dyson nodded and turned to the Clay, giving him a command in the same incomprehensible language he had first spoken to Kevin.
Clay nodded and moved to Kevin's side prepared to support him as he walked.
Dyson said, "Now, let's get moving."
Kevin followed the Professor and Clay as they led him out of the room and down a corridor.
They conducted the trek in silence. Although Kevin had a lot of questions he believed needed answering, he was too busy keeping himself stable to make conversation.
Eventually, they arrived at a ladder at the end of the corridor. Kevin nervously said, "I don't think I'll be able to climb up right now"
Professor Dyson acknowledged,
"Hmmm, that is indeed an issue. We could always carry you up there, but that would be quite an undertaking."
Clay suddenly spoke up from behind him in the unintelligible language from before. The professor conversed with Clay and the black woman next to him before turning back to Kevin
"We will tie a rope to you and have powerful men below you. If you fall while climbing up, they will catch you. Understand?"
Kevin replied, "I think so….. Can you tell me why students are the ones who found me? Where are the scientists and researchers who cryogenically froze me for the experiment?"
"Frozen? Ah yes, it is most curious how you came to be placed here. Tell me the year of your birth."
"2068"
Professor Dyson's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. He said in astonishment, "Incredible! So you've been here over nine hundred years, to think humanity once could do such things."
Kevin did not hear past the words nine hundred. It was now Kevin's turn to be shocked. Internally, he refused to accept the information he received, leaving him in a state of disbelief and confusion as he tried to process the information.
The professor, noticing Kevin's changed state of mind, said "Perhaps we should continue this exchange later, we must get you out of here at once."
Kevin looked up, "What year is it?"
This time it was Clay who answered him "It is 2989."
Kevin remained silent, staring into space, his eyes became watery.
Dyson looked up at the ladder and said, "Now let us go."
The professor shouted orders in his native language, causing one of the burly men from earlier to grab a rope and climb the ladder. A minute passed as the professor took Clay's robe off and picked up a lantern placed on the floor.
Kevin watched the proceedings silently. He felt as if the world had been ripped away from him. He had been put to sleep almost 900 years ago, and yet here he was still alive. It was surreal. His thoughts wandered to the wider implications of this, but he quickly cast it out of his mind for his own peace.
Professor Dyson handed Kevin the cloak he'd taken from Clay and said, "Wear this so you can use your hands"
Kevin put it on and used the blanket it the burly man gave him earlier to tie it together. The end of a rope then fell to the floor from the top of the ladder.
Dyson said something in his language to Clay, who nodded and grabbed the rope.
Clay asked "Kevin, can you come here?"
Kevin obeyed and moved towards Clay, who proceeded to tie the rope around his waist.
Professor Dyson motioned for the black woman to climb up first. She did so, and once she was up, the professor grabbed the ladder and followed her, pulling himself up with ease.
Clay said "Climb next"
Kevin began climbing, Clay followed behind him.
The climb was slow and arduous, but they were keeping a good pace.
Kevin, preoccupied with pulling himself up each rung of the ladder, could not focus on unraveling his current situation.
The dim light of the lantern Professor Dyson carried lit up their path, making it easier for Kevin to climb up the ladder.
The chilly steel of the ladder rungs rubbed against his palms and fingertips, making the climb more difficult than it should be. Kevin could feel the cold metal chilling his hands, with each rung progressively more difficult to grab.
As Kevin pulled himself up, his right foot slipped, causing his body to hang off the ladder only held up by his hands.
The sudden shift of weight was too much for his weak fingers and sent Kevin swinging downwards.
Seeing Kevin fall, Clay reacted quickly, reaching out to grab the rope. Once he had a grip, he pulled the rope up against the force of gravity, stopping Kevin before he could fall further.
Kevin felt intense, constricting pain as the rope dug into his waist and was tugged upwards. His body hung in the air. One man below Clay reached out and grabbed the back of Kevin's robe.
Clay said "I've got you"
As Kevin hung in the air, the sound of his beating heart filled his ears, drowning out everything else.
After a few seconds of silence, Kevin heard Dyson shout, "Try to swing back onto the ladder, Clay can't hold on to you forever!"
Kevin attempted to swing back to the ladder, but his exhausted muscles made what should have been an easy task excessively difficult. In particular, the rope's tightness made the process extremely difficult, as it was squeezing against Kevin's waist, causing him pain as he moved, making the task unbearably painful for the weakened Kevin. Eventually, after much struggle, he managed a good swing towards the ladder.
Seconds later, the rope snapped.
Kevin was free-falling again, this time without a rope to save him from doom. Fear engulfed his heart as he fell away from the light and sank into the darkness.