The first sensation was cold – not the absolute zero of cryogenic sleep, but a raw, biting chill that crept into my bones. Then came awareness: the subtle shift from suspended animation to consciousness, like surfacing from the depths of a frozen lake. My fingers twitched. My lungs burned as they remembered how to breathe.
"Cardiac rhythm stabilizing," MIRRA's voice cut through the fog in my mind. "Neural patterns approaching normal waking state. Seraphina, can you hear me?"
I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. A weak groan escaped instead.
"Take your time," MIRRA advised. "Your body needs to adjust gradually. I'm beginning the final stage of revival protocols."
The chamber's cover lifted with a hydraulic hiss, releasing a cloud of crystalline vapor. The lab's emergency lighting cast everything in a dim red glow, creating strange shadows that danced across the frosted walls. Something was wrong. The lab should have been bright, sterile, monitored by a full medical team. Instead, there was only darkness and the steady pulse of warning lights.
"MIRRA," I managed to whisper, my voice rough from disuse, "what happened? Where is everyone?"
There was a pause before the AI responded, longer than her usual instantaneous replies. "The situation is... complex. Your vital signs are still stabilizing. Perhaps we should—"
"Tell me." I pushed myself up on trembling arms, fighting against muscles stiff from their long sleep. "How long was I under?"
"Twenty-seven years, four months, and sixteen days since initial cryogenic suspension."
The number hit me like a physical blow. Nearly three decades. I had known it might be that long, had prepared for it mentally, but the reality was still staggering. "The others? Are they..."
"The other subjects remain in stable suspension. You are the first to be awakened."
"Why?" I swung my legs over the side of the chamber, waiting for the dizziness to pass. "Why just me? And where's Eleanor?"
Another pause. "Dr. Frost is... not present. And the decision to wake you was based on multiple factors, including external conditions and potential threats to the facility."
Something in MIRRA's tone sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the temperature. "What kinds of threats?"
"Perhaps you should see for yourself. But first, you need to dress. I've prepared appropriate clothing in Storage Unit Three."
I stood carefully, testing my balance. My muscles responded better than I expected – whatever modifications Eleanor had made to the cryogenic process had preserved not just life but functionality. The short walk to the storage unit left me only slightly winded.
The clothing MIRRA had selected was nothing like what I remembered from before. Instead of the simple medical gown I'd worn into the chamber, there was a sleek environmental suit made of some material I didn't recognize. It seemed to shift colors slightly as I moved it, adapting to the surrounding temperature.
"Thermally adaptive fabric," MIRRA explained. "You'll need it. The world has changed considerably since you entered suspension."
I pulled on the suit, noting how it automatically adjusted to fit my form perfectly. "You're starting to scare me, MIRRA. What exactly am I going to find out there?"
"The climate engineering project that was in its early stages when you entered suspension... there were unforeseen complications. The attempts to counter global warming proved too effective. The resultant cooling cascade effect—"
"English, please," I interrupted, zipping up the suit. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"The world is frozen, Seraphina. Not just seasonally, but permanently. The average global temperature has dropped more than twenty degrees Celsius. What you remember as climate zones no longer exist. And humanity... humanity has adapted in ways you need to see to understand."
I finished securing the boots that came with the suit, trying to process this information. "And Eleanor? What happened to her?"
"Dr. Frost attempted to prevent the catastrophe. When that failed, she worked to protect this facility and its occupants. Her last recorded presence in the lab was eighteen years ago. After that..." MIRRA's voice softened. "After that, there is insufficient data."
I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. Eighteen years. Whatever had happened to Eleanor, she had spent nearly a decade watching over us before disappearing. "Why wake me now? Why not earlier, or later?"
"Because someone has discovered this facility's location. Someone with considerable power and resources. They will be here soon, and I calculated that having you awake and prepared would increase our chances of protecting the other subjects."
"Who—" I began, but MIRRA cut me off.
"Movement detected at the facility's perimeter. Multiple signatures, approaching from the north. They're using technology designed to bypass my security systems."
I grabbed the final piece of equipment from the storage unit – a sleek tablet that interfaced directly with the suit. "What do we do?"
"The facility has secondary exits that may not be compromised. I can guide you to—" MIRRA's voice cut out suddenly, replaced by static.
"MIRRA?" Panic crept into my voice. "MIRRA!"
The emergency lights flickered and died, plunging the lab into darkness. In the distance, I heard the distinctive sound of a security door being breached. Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridors, drawing closer.
My tablet lit up with text: SECONDARY EXIT - EAST CORRIDOR. HURRY.
I sprinted toward the indicated hallway, my enhanced suit allowing me to move silently despite my recent revival. Behind me, voices called out in the darkness. They spoke a language I didn't recognize, but their tone made their purpose clear – they were hunting for something. Or someone.
As I ran, guided by MIRRA's text instructions, I caught glimpses through the facility's windows of the world outside. What had once been a temperate research campus was now a frozen wasteland. Snow and ice stretched to the horizon, broken only by the dark shapes of what looked like military vehicles.
MAINTENANCE SHAFT AHEAD, my tablet displayed. EMERGENCY EXIT LEADS TO SURFACE. BE CAREFUL.
I found the shaft exactly where indicated – a narrow vertical tunnel with a maintenance ladder leading up. As I grabbed the first rung, I heard shouts of discovery from the main lab. They had found my empty cryogenic chamber.
CLIMB NOW, MIRRA's text urged. I WILL DELAY THEM AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
I climbed as fast as I dared, my muscles protesting the sudden exertion. Above me, a hatch led to the surface. It was frozen shut, but my suit's enhanced strength allowed me to force it open.
The blast of arctic air that hit me was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Even through the adaptive fabric of my suit, I felt its killing power. The world above was alien – a landscape of endless white under a sky dark with unnatural storms.
What have we done? I thought as I pulled myself onto the surface. What has humanity done to the Earth?
A distant explosion rocked the facility beneath me. On my tablet, one final message appeared: RUN EAST. FIND THE REBELS. TRUST NO ONE ELSE.
Then the tablet went dark, and I was alone in a frozen world I no longer recognized, running from enemies I didn't understand, seeking allies I wasn't sure existed.
The snow swallowed my footprints almost as soon as I made them, and in the distance, I heard the whine of engines starting up. The hunt was on.
Welcome to the future, I thought grimly. Time to see what humanity has evolved into.