Author: Nika Utrobičić, III. gimnazija – Split
Alcor life preservation facility, 28/2/2019
The machines were tumbling around him. His head was pulsating with pain.
A woman dressed entirely in white entered his field of vision. That was when he discovered that he couldn’t see clearly anymore. Her voice was muffled by the sound of engines. “Mr Smith, shall we continue with the procedure?”
It took him a few seconds to understand the question, and when he finally did, he gave her an agonizing nod.
Soon, he felt the cold spreading throughout his body.
The sensations became overwhelming: his blood vessels were burning with excruciating pain, it seemed that the machines had become even louder and his head felt like it could explode any moment. The freezing sensation was coming closer and closer to his neck. Suddenly, he felt nothing.
Alcor life preservation facility, 1/12/2049
A team of medics gathered around a metal container. Focused and coordinated, they began to work. “Engine 3: on!” “Protocol 7: raising the temperature by 10!” “Pressure to 250!” All of a sudden, they stopped in complete silence. “Protocol 10: pulling the lever.”, the team leader said in a whisper. With a loud bang, all the machines began working. The doctors were silent, only a gasp escaped as he awakened from thirty years of sleep.
His head was pulsating once again. “Where am I?” Still trying to figure out what was going on, he tried to open his eyes, but it proved to be more difficult than he thought. Finally, after a few tries, he succeeded. “Mr Smith, Alcor is glad to inform you that we have managed to cure your condition.”, a loud voice exclaimed. Condition? Alcor? He was completely confused. What happened? “Wwwwhaaaa…”, a weak sound exited his mouth.
A blurry figure leaned over him: “Mr Smith, I understand you must be very confused. Let me remind you: in 2019 you were diagnosed with brain cancer. Since at the time the tumour couldn’t have been removed without causing a fatal injury, you decided to let our company preserve your body in liquid nitrogen until the cure is found. This year, 2049, a revolutionary new way of dealing with tumours has been discovered, and we have managed to remove yours. In 24 hours, your body will restore all of its functions and you’ll be free to exit the facility.”
He was even more confused. The pulsating intensified. That’s when it all started coming back to him.
2/12/2049
He was alive. He still couldn’t believe that they managed to resurrect him. The pulsating pain that marked his last years before death has stopped, too. He was free. Well, he had to take a cocktail of pills each night so that his organs would keep functioning, but besides that, he could do whatever he wanted. Still, he felt a surge of sadness: he had no one to go to. All the people he had once known and loved have either died or completely forgotten about him. For the first time in his existence, he was alone. He deeply inhaled and shrugged the thought. He was now granted access into this beautiful new world, and he would make the most of it.
Alcor provided him with an apartment until he got back on his feet, and most importantly, gave him access to his bank account. Richard Smith was a rich man, and years haven’t changed that. “What now?”, he thought.
He was walking without direction. Before he left Alcor, the director had invited him to his office. There he told him about all of the things that have changed. Obviously, medicine has made a huge step forward. While controlling the ageing process is still a dream to be turned into reality, there are practically no more “incurable” diseases. Smart bracelets, gadgets with the ability to display holograms and communicate with the users telekinetically, replaced smartphones; he was fascinated by them. The director immediately gave him one – living in the modern world without a smart bracelet just wasn’t possible, as he explained. The traffic was different, too; who would’ve thought that these beautiful white sterile paths could be roads? Cars, levitating and silent, were passing above his head. The director tried to explain how they work – it had something to do with magnetic fields – but Rich understood nothing. He decided it didn’t bother him too much. His mood has risen once again: the world was at his feet. He saw a sign on one of the buildings: “A return to the Wild Teens – 2D movie night” – a hologram of Tom Hiddleston was staring back at him. “Join us for an evening of bonding in front of a movie screen while watching a film in 2 dimensions, just like our grandparents used to. Ticket – 3 ethereums.”
He decided to enter the building. Using his smart bracelet he bought a ticket and entered the hall. Taking a seat, he overheard a girl, looking approximately his age when he was frozen, tell her friend: “You know, Trish, I think I was born in the wrong decade.”
He swallowed hard. The lights dimmed and the movie started. They were playing some comedy and people seemed to enjoy it, but Richard didn’t pay attention to the movie. He couldn’t get the sentence out of his head. By the end of the movie, he made a decision.
With a little help from his smart bracelet, he found the apartment. He entered and looked through the window. The sun was just setting. “This is not my life. They didn’t give me my life back. The life that they have given me is not my life.”, he thought while watching the sunset. A tear rolled down his cheek. He shrugged and went to the bathroom to wash himself. After he was done, he took the pills in his hand. He then smiled, put them on the nightstand, climbed into the bed, and, remembering the beautiful time he did belong to, closed his eyes one last time.
