Honey eyes gazed back into honey eyes as the sibling pair squeezed hands trying to give each other whatever comfort they could. One sibling had long raven hair with two zig-zagging locks framing her face, the other had a zig-zagging lightening-like lock of raven hair on top of his head. The older of the two patted his younger sibling on her head with then cupped her face.

"Don't worry," he said trying to keep his voice calm and confident. "I will find a cure."

"I know," the teen girl of seventeen said trying to sound brave. "Dizzy always protects Lizzy," she said using a joking phrase they had from childhood, though both of them knew Liz didn't need anyone to protect her. She could take care of herself, thank you. But she couldn't protect herself from, well, herself. Her own body was rejecting her. Her infected DNA turning on itself, making her tired, sick, and coughing blood. She had a year left and that months ago. In the meantime her science-crazy and crazy-genius brother had been working his ass off inventing a way to cryo-freeze her until he could find a cure. And the crazy bastard did it.

"Dizzy always protects Lizzy," Diz repeated the phrase and kissed his younger sister on her forehead. He gave her hand one last squeeze before finally letting go and stepping back, clearing himself from the cryo-tube's door. "See you on the other side," he said with a faint smile. Liz rolled her eyes. Her brother did not like the supernatural, so she had been about to retort on his bad attempt at a joke when he closed the case and activated the freezing process. He had always been bad at good-byes.

Diz stared down at the now frosted window into the tube. He hadn't thought that through, he couldn't see his sister, not even in her sleeping state. He placed his hand on the cold window and softly whispered. "Good-bye, Lizzy."

Over the next few years Diz worked all waking hours trying to find a cure for his sister, all failures and he soon ran out of funding and exhausted all his previous sources. So he took on side research jobs to fund his research for his sister. More years passed and still no luck, at least with his sister's cure. No matter how much he contributed to the science and medical field, no matter how well his small research lab was doing, Diz knew he wasn't even close.

Science, the available research, technology and progress in genetics wasn't advanced enough. He began to accept that he wouldn't find a cure in his lifetime and maybe not for a few lifetimes. His days grew dark and depressing, but a fellow scientist, one of his friends, someone whom had been there for both him and Lizzy since the beginning helped him pull though. She loved the man who loved his sister and Diz soon realized he loved her too.

They got married and had kids, a son who loved science as much as his daddy. The little boy heard all the stories of his sleeping auntie and when he became old enough he helped with his father's work until he took it over completely. In the process they helped cure many diseases and made many advancements. Eventually, the son also married, had children and told them the stories. The daughter who loved science decided to continue the new family tradition and helped her father and grandfather in their work until she too had children.

And so the family legacy went for many more generations until one child was born with a genius that surpassed his ancestors, however he had no interest for the stories passed on. His love was for science only. He became famous, made many inventions and took the family research facility and made it into a successful world renown business, he even had his own TV show. But while he had no interest in the stories he still set a team dedicated to studying and trying to find a cure for the unknown disease, as it was a family tradition. His focus became Real Science and he soon forgot about the research lab. However, the research team had heard the stories and thought them romantic so they diligently sought to find a cure.

Eventually the latest member of the family also had children, though his children were a product of Real Science and not natural birth. After they were created he moved onto the next invention and left his offspring to their own devices. Years passed as his children grew and unfortunately neither child showed any interest in Real Science. The research team knew this and worked harder than ever to find a cure, believing that they were the last hope for the sleeping girl. One scientist in particular was more dedicated than any other to find a cure.

When this scientist first entered the Membrane Institute he had heard of a team dedicated to looking for a cure for an unknown disease, which sounded like something important and so he applied to the team hoping to get to work with Professor Membrane himself. However, the subject they were trying to find a cure for was unique and curing the disease had no impact or use to society, but it was a clause in the company creed that a team had to be dedicated to this task.

At first the scientist had been bitter about his decision, until he heard about the subject's origins. The female subject was a third generation Membrane, one of the Professor's ancestors from three hundred years ago and if he couldn't work with the Professor, this was the next best thing in the scientist's eyes.

He soon realized why this research was the less popular team, the disease wasn't anything that they had ever seen before and it couldn't be isolated or even replicated in other subjects. The disease was only affecting the subject, thus curing it would have no benefit to society. Again he became disappointed, until the end of his first month on the team. They had run out of blood samples to experiment on. Curious as to what the next step for them would be, the scientist went to the team supervisor and reported on the depletion of samples.

The supervisor nodded and said that it was time to take more. He explained that because the disease could not be replicated in other test samples, they had to take infected blood directly from the subject. In order to do so they had to unfreeze the body just enough to get a viable blood sample without triggering the total reanimation process, in effect semi-animating the body. When the cryo-tube opened after the semi-revival phase, the scientist was finally able to see the subject.

He had never known that the Membrane family had descended from angels. The female in the tube had long black raven hair, perfect porcelain skin, and the beautiful face of an celestial being. In that moment the scientist became dedicated to the point of obsession in trying to find a cure. Eventually he became the next team supervisor and worked harder than ever to find a cure. The reward for his hard work came every time they ran out of samples. Normally that would have been once or twice a year, which just wasn't frequent enough for the obsessed scientist.

He spurred the team on to do more tests and use more samples to the point where he had to restock their samples at least two to three times a month, sometimes more. When they ran out of samples he alone would go to retrieve the next batch. Gazing down at his angel's body in it's semi-awakened state he could feel his angel's pulse and he could hear in his mind the angel whisper sweet words of encouragement to him. It was his destiny to cure her, she was his life's mission and she was his life. He swore to himself every time he drew blood that he would be the first one she saw when she opened her eyes, because he would find a cure someday.

And then one day he found it.

Footsteps pounded down the hall as the scientist ran towards his destination. Busting through the door he startled a few of the others in the room who ended up dropping their beakers. "Professor! Professor!" the panting scientist began.

"How many times must I tell you?" the professor said in a low and slightly annoyed voice as he turned around. "Do not interrupt me in the middle of an experiment for REAL SCIENCE!" he said the last dramatically holding up his hand.

"But Professor Membrane the Cryo-team did it!" the scientist said then added, "They want you be there when she awakens as a witness for Real Science."

There was a pause from Professor Membrane, then he said boldly. "Of course! Anything for REAL SCIENCE!" he held his hand up again.

Later that day the team of scientists accompanied by Professor Membrane gathered around the cryo-tube. The team had added the formula to cure the girl's disease into the cryo-chemicals keeping her in a suspended state and after taking some more samples found all traces of the disease to have vanished. Now the team input the code to bring the girl out of her sleep. The tube door opened and fog flowed out as the last of the cryo-chemicals disappeared.

Everyone watched with their breaths held in anticipation, one scientist, the supervisor of the team, actually fainted from forgetting to breathe, as the sleeping girl stirred for the first time in three hundred years. A small moan escaped the girl's lips and the team leaned forward staring over her as her eyelids fluttered. Finally her eyes opened and honey irises stared up at them as they grinned down at her.

Her awakening, however, didn't go as they planned. When her eyes finally focused they widened. She shouted as her fist flew up punching Professor Membrane in the face, breaking his goggle-like glasses. The group scrambled back startled by the violence as Professor Membrane stumbled backward. The panting girl bolted up and scrambled to the edge of the cryo-tube.

"Shit!" she said, holding a hand to her chest trying to calm her racing heart. "That's a bitch of a way to wake up." She scowled at the people staring at her confused and scared. "Well, how would you like it?" she spat at them. "Waking up to a crowd grinning all crazy at you?"

A pained groan caught her attention and hunched a few feet away was a tall man with a familiar haircut. "D-Diz?" she asked hesitantly and a thread of hope in her voice.

Professor Membrane looked up and honey eyes met honey eyes. "No," he said straightening. He pulled new goggles out from his pocket and placed them on his face. "I'm Professor Membrane."

"Oh," the girl said disappointed. "I'm Liz, Liz Membrane," she paused and tilted her head as she gave the professor a once over. "I guess that means we're related?"

"You're his aunt from three hundred years ago!" one of the scientists squeaked out in excitement at their touching reunion.

"T-Three hundred?" the girl stuttered. "I've been in here for that long?" the research team nodded vigorously. "Then that means Diz..." she trailed off. "What will happen to me now?" she asked them.

The scientists started blankly at her, no one had thought past this point.

"You can stay with me," Professor Membrane said. "I will see to your reentry into today's society as it had advanced greatly with the help of REAL SCIENCE!" he dramatically held up his hand.

"'Real science?" Liz repeated.

"Yes, REAL SCIENCE!" Professor Membrane repeated the gesture.

"Is there fake science too?"

Professor Membrane paused, "Yes, the paranormal," then he muttered under his breath, "my poor insane son."

Liz tilted her head in confusion. "The study of the paranormal isn't even in the same category as science. It's separate in its own thing, like the supernatural. Calling it fake science is weird, it's not about science at all."

"Er," Professor Membrane faltered for a moment then decided to change the subject. "You will have to meet my children. I'm sure you will get along and they will help you reenter society. I'll enroll you in their Hi-Skool, you'll start tomorrow. Follow me." He turned and began walking out of the lab.

"Wait!" Liz called out and scrambled out of the tube after him. The moment she started walking her limbs shook and she collapsed as her arms began to shake violently.

Professor Membrane turned around to watch her convulse. "Hmmm, this seems to be a side effect from the unfreezing process. I will have to study this for REAL SCIENCE!" he said watching her until the shaking stopped.

When her limbs became her own again Liz stared up at him. "You could have helped."

"Observation is key to understanding REAL SCIENCE!" he said once again. "Now follow me."

"Jerk," Liz muttered but followed after her new guardian, even though she was technically older than him.