Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 01

"How far down are we going?" Ben wondered.

"At least another twenty stories. We at CryoTek leave nothing to chance when it concerns out technology," Simon told him seriously.

The ride was over shortly and they both stepped out into a massive circular chamber, which housed easily hundreds of cryo pods, all waiting to be used. Some were currently in use, but few, and most of those were accented in silver or bronze. Ben noted that there were many green colored tubes in the outer zones, which he asked about.

"The color coding on our tubes allows us to discern who can stay under for however long their bodies will allow. You see, because everyone is built differently, there are different levels of cryo freezing they are capable of handling safely. Those who are in the green pods can only go under for a period of three years," Simon explained.

"Not because their minds couldn't handle it, but because they would not regain full functionality of their bodies. Staying under for longer than your body can handle would be effectively like having a stroke. And like a stroke, it is chancy if you are able to come back from what crippled you in the first place," the man continued.

"So, me being in the Gold Standard means..."

"That you will be capable of staying under for the maximum test time of ten years. You are among the few who are capable of such a feat. Though that is not where our testing will end, as we are actively trying to find a way past this handicap and allow anyone to go under for whatever period of time they wish. That is where you and the other volunteers come in," Simon finished.

"To help you perfect this technology. I'm definitely game for that," Ben stated as they made their way deeper into the cavernous room.

"I'm also certain that the pay helps matters as well, doesn't it?" Simon stated with a knowing smile.

"That is also something I'm looking forward to, once I wake up," Ben admitted.

"Which is nothing you should be ashamed of. Now, I believe that you wish to get started by stepping into your pod then?" Simon wondered.

"Yes."

"Well, first, you will have to shower and get changed into your cryosuit. It will allow us to monitor your vitals and how your body is adapting to the cryo solution. If you will follow me please," the man said.

Ben followed along behind him as they went towards one of the walls. A control booth and what appeared to be a storage area, was situated in the direction they were headed. They went to the storage area, where several people dressed similarly to Simon, were waiting and going over inventory. As the men approached, they were noticed and one of the people, a beautiful east Indian woman, addressed them.

"Hello Simon. Another volunteer today?" she inquired.

"Yes Sima. Mister Benjamin Lopez, here to collect his suit and his storage container."

Smiling, Sima checked the tablet she held, before bustling off to collect the items. She returned not even five minutes later, with a suit that was wrapped up in cellophane plastic and a small lockbox, that was maybe a foot of cubic space. She tapped a few entries to indicate that Ben had arrived and had claimed his suit and storage container.

"There is a change room just over that way, sir," Simon said, pointing towards a door past the control booth, while handing Ben the items. "I will wait for you here until you have showered and suited up."

Nodding, Ben turned and walked over to the change room and strolled on in. He saw that he was the only one in there and noted how neat the whole place looked. It almost looked like a locker room from the future, with sleek and spotless white walls and a surgically clean floor. There were benches every few feet, as well as shower stalls coupled together and toilet stalls and urinals clustered next to each other. Next to the shower stalls were shelves that were lined with white, fluffy towels.

Ben knew that all this work cost some serious money and was impressed with it all. Seeing no further need to delay, he disrobed and neatly folded up his clothing before stowing it in the box. He also placed his wallet, car keys, and other personal items in the container. Once it was all contained, he took a towel off the shelf and hung it on the hook outside the shower stall he'd picked.

Stepping inside, Ben turned on the water to a pleasant heat and saw that there were small dispensers that were labelled shampoo and soap. Using generous amounts of each, he washed and scrubbed himself, sluicing away any dirt and body oils. Once he was clean, he stepped out of the stall and dried off with the towel. When he was suitably dry, he opened the bag containing his cryosuit and put it on.

It felt very much like a wetsuit, with the way the material felt against his skin. It flexed and moved in much the same way. Unlike a wet suit, it had various ports in it, like one would attach a hose to. It covered his entire body, from his neck to his toes, and Ben had to admit, it felt nice.

Once he was done admiring the suit, he picked up the box and closed it. Only it wouldn't close, and Ben looked all over the lid and the sides of the box but found no lock. All he saw was a plastic looking tab on top of it. He walked out of the change room then and made his way over to where Simon waited. He held the box in front of him and explained his predicament.

"I loaded the box, but I do not understand how to close it," he said.

Sima just smiled and gestured for Ben to hand her the box. He did so, and she took it in hand, pressing on the tab which engaged the locking mechanism. She then gently removed the tab, which had a series of rectangular protrusions beneath it. On the box, where the tab sat, was a number; zero-zero-zero-five-seven. She then flipped the tab, which displayed the same number, stamped on the tab. Simon then took the tab and tucked it into a small pocket that was on Ben's suit arm.

"It's a little something we designed just for the volunteers, so they have peace of mind when going under. No one will be able to go into your box without your specific tab. The only other way would be to break the box and for that, you'll need some heavy duty power tools to cut through them," Sima told him in her lilting voice.

"Well, that's good to know!" Ben said, sighing in relief.

"Now, let's see about getting you set up in your pod," Simon told him, while leading Ben away from the storage depository and over to where the cryo pods waited. They walked past the green bronze and silver pods, heading right for the center of the room, where the gold accented pods waited. Simon consulted his tablet for a moment, before heading to one specific pod.

"Here we are," Simon said as he entered another sequence and the pod opened. The whole thing looked like an elongated glass egg, with titanium braces all over it. Some of the metal was accented in gold, which denoted Ben's status in the program. Simon placed Ben's card into the computer that was attached to his pod and the readout showed that it accepted the card and the pod opened.

A slight hissing sound escaped the pod as the canopy came apart in two pieces, before arcing upwards away from each other. Ben took a deep breath and clambered on inside, making himself comfortable on the gel like bed that was inside the pod. As he lay down, Simon leaned over and reached into the pod, attaching various hoses that lay inside to Ben's suit.

Once he had attached each hose, Simon stood up long enough to take a piece of metal that looked like a metallic spiderweb. He then leaned back into the pod and fitted it over Ben's head, before attaching several wires near the top of the pod, to the headgear. He stood up once more before entering another sequence into his tablet.

"Anything you wish to say before I enter the final sequence?" Simon asked.

"Here's to a new life on the other side!" Ben said excitedly.

Simon smiled at that, before hitting the activate button. The pod closed instantly, sealing itself shut as it began its cycle. A cooling fluid was pumped through the hoses, filling the suit. Once it was done filling the space within the cryosuit, the temperature began to drop rapidly, but in a controlled manner.

Ben could feel his heart rate slow as he felt unimaginably drowsy and cool. His breathing steadied and slowed down to where he was maybe breathing once a minute until he stopped altogether. The temperature dropped to below freezing, chilling the air until Ben was frozen and had entered suspended animation.

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Simon checked his tablet, and everything was looking good so far. Ben Lopez had gone under in almost textbook fashion, as Mr. Adler had said he would. He said that about all the gold and silver candidates, as their genome made cryo sleep easier for them. The bronze and green candidates needed more adjustments to make it work. He reviewed the man's vitals and after seeing that everything was in the green; he walked back to the control room.

"Hey there Simon. Got our first Gold candidate, eh?" Jason asked. Jason was one of the older techs, had overseen the construction of the pods and their testing, before they were put to use.

"Yes. Benjamin Piotr Lopez. He's in his pod and sleeping soundly," Simon confirmed.

"It's a shame we had to lie to these folks, telling them they'd be going under for a few years," Jason lamented as he entered the information into the pod registry.

"It is necessary for the survival of the species. You know as well as I do what Darius Beauregard is up to. The man is far too powerful and influential to be stopped. This is the only way to overcome him," Simon reminded the man.

"I know," the older man sighed. "It just seems such a shame, that they won't know what's going on until they come out of their sleep. What kind of world will they inherit?"

"That is something that we have to dedicate our lives to finding out. In here, we will be able to monitor what exactly is going on and what can be done about it. We all have our jobs and it's not like we are expected to die in futility. Not with everything that is in place to help us survive."

Jason grunted noncommittally before turning around and asking, "Do you know if Sima is seeing anyone?"

"Not that I know of. Why? You want to go for her?"

"If no one else is, I'd like to try. I think she's gorgeous!" Jason said with a glint in his eye.

"If you must, but just make sure you don't neglect your duties!" Simon told him, sighing.

"Wouldn't dream of it! Still have a ways to go before we can say the automation program for the pods works properly," Jason said, getting back to monitoring the pods that were working, while going over the code strands for the program.

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Ben's mind drifted, awash in new and various sensations as he dreamed. He imagined that he was off on a grand adventure through space. He imagined that he was an all powerful cosmic being, to whom the laws of the universe didn't apply. He saw himself remake the cosmos, to turn everything into what he wanted, as he saw fit. There was nothing he couldn't do and nothing that stood in his way.

He walked among the multitude of worlds that existed. Met the various life forms that inhabited these worlds, from the lowliest grub, to the most advanced peoples. Everything he wished was made into reality and anything that did not exist, he willed into existence. Nothing and no one could stop him, because he was immortal, eternal and enduring. But just then, at the apex of his existence, he disappeared, wiped from reality itself.

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Ben heard a hissing noise and felt a chill run through his body, and he slowly blinked back awake. His mind started to come to and become aware of who he was, where he was and what he was doing there. His limbs felt sluggish as he tried to move them, responding like a snail covered in molasses. The chill he felt running through his limbs abated and warmth bloomed through it.

It was slow at first, but the heat started to run through him as Ben slowly came back to full consciousness. He reached for the edges of the cryo tube and gripped the sides, pulling himself up. His joints cricked and cracked as he sat up, and Ben groaned at the effort of the motion. Stretching out his jaw, he turned his head left, then right before bringing a hand up to his eyes, to rub them clear.

The moment his vision cleared, Ben looked around the facility, expecting to see Simon, or one of the other attendants coming to greet and help him. Instead, what he saw was a place that was nowhere near as pristine or clean as he had left it. The more things came into focus, the more questions that tumbled through his mind. Taking a deep breath, Ben wondered why it looked as though he'd been under for generations, when he should only have slept for a decade.

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And this is where it will end for now! Don't worry about me taking too damn long to crank out another chapter. As you all know, I have now narrowed my focus on only two other stories, which will help the speed of their arrival! Feel free to speculate or comment on the story and what may or may not happen! With so many ways it can go, the options are limitless!

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!