Cryogenic suspension?! Cold sleep?! For two thousand years?! It was like something out of a horror movie! How was this even possible? And the worst part? I couldn't remember any of it!
Whatever I'd been given was clearly some form of sedation, but my mind refused to stay quiet. Even under its influence, I thrashed about, unconsciously trying to tear apart the nightmare I found myself in.
Much later, I returned to consciousness. For a very long time, I kept my eyes closed, unwilling to face the truth. But my guard slipped and I blinked. The strange room with all its futuristic hardware was still there. I pinched myself, praying this was all some horrible nightmare. But the pain I felt put an end to that notion.
Tears once more filled my eyes as I struggled to sit up.
"It can't be," I sobbed, trembling from head to toe.
From somewhere outside, strange sounds reached my ears. Slowly, I eased myself to the edge of the bed, gently placing my feet on the floor. Then, holding onto the bed frame, I tried to stand.
I felt as weak as a newborn baby. And, just like an infant attempting to walk for the first time, I wobbled badly, falling back onto the bed. Summoning what strength I could, I tried again… and managed to remain upright. Then, one tentative step after another, I moved along the edge of the bed. Reaching the end, I took a deep breath… and let go… slowly, shakily making my way toward what appeared to be a window.
The panel was opaque, but I could hear the strange sounds even more clearly now. There was a small control console at the base of the panel. One button had an up arrow, the other down. If this somehow controlled the opacity of the window…
I pushed the up arrow. Gradually the panel became transparent… and I gasped at what I saw!
The vista before me was like something out of a sci-fi movie! Gleaming spires, green spaces, even the levitating vehicles… several hoverrails, other personal flyers.
"Tomorrowland," I quietly sobbed. "Oh my God!"
As if on cue, several spacecraft rocketed skyward, others landing to take their place. As hard as I tried to deny what I saw, I couldn't take my eyes away from the window.
"Jayden?" a quiet voice called me.
No response.
"Jayden?"
Quiet tears continued to fall.
"Jayden?"
"I… I didn't… didn't want to… believe you," I whispered, recognizing the voice of the stranger from before.
"You've caused quite a sensation, you know," the stranger chuckled as he came to stand beside me.
"Me?" I wondered, turning to face him. "Why?"
"You're the time traveler!"
"I'm the…"
And then, I understood what he meant… and gasped.
"Even if it was a one-way trip for you," he went on. "Jayden, you may think you're alone, but you're not. We can't replace what you lost, but, if you let us, we can help you find your place in this future."
"You've already taken your first step," he said, smiling as he did. "You were able to figure out how to work the window controls. That says a lot about your level of intelligence and imagination."
"One thing," I interrupted. "When I first woke up after being pulled from that fluid tank…"
"The regen facility," my companion acknowledged. "Go on."
"I remember hearing the people there speaking but I couldn't understand what they were saying," I went on. "Yet, now, we can converse as if nothing was wrong. How do you explain that?"
"Good," my companion replied, nodding and smiling. "I had hoped you would remember that."
"And?"
"Over two thousand years have passed since your day, Jayden," the man explained. "There has been a significant linguistics shift in that period of time."
"The use of slang and other expressions to convey certain meanings?"
"Precisely. Once you were removed from the regen tank, we employed cortical stimulation to teach you the latest vernacular, as it were."
"I see." Well, that would certainly make it easier for me to fit into this future society. "Thank you."
"Please, Jayden, come sit down," he said, gesturing to a table and chairs nearby. "You have a lot of history to catch up on."
For nearly four hours, we talked about a great many things. The biggest change in the intervening millennia? The end of war! Somewhere along the line, the planet had achieved such a level of prosperity that fighting for scarce resources had become a thing of the past. I wept when I heard that. The Venus Project realized at last!
There were many other developments, as well. Mining of the asteroid belt. Interstellar travel. Undersea colonies. Food replication. The list went on and on, leaving me breathless with wonder.
"I've gone ahead, Jayden, and made arrangements for a small apartment for you," Saru… he'd finally told me his name… said. "You'll be able to move in right away."
"Thank you," I whispered, a bit overwhelmed by all I had been told.
"Do you think you'll need another night here? Given the stress you've been under, we would certainly understand."
I thought about it for a moment but ultimately shook my head.
"I appreciate that, but it's probably best if I got on with my life."
"Speaking of that," Saru remarked, checking his wrist computer, "our ruling Counsel have declared your awakening a CID. That entitles you to a free renewal."
"CID?" I asked, shaking my head in confusion. "Renewal? I don't understand."
"Advances in medicine have reached such a level, Jayden," Saru explained, patting my hand, "that in the event of catastrophic injury or death… CID for short… an individual can have his or her memories implanted into a new body."
"What?!" I gasped, nearly falling out of my chair.
"If you feel up to it, I'd like you to meet with the body rep as soon as possible."
"You're serious?!" I managed to whisper, inexplicably trembling all over.
"You'll see," Saru remarked, helping me stand. "Come on."