"Sorry...sorry…..out of the way," Zane zoomed through the queue and somehow overtook 10 people. He rushed into the private hospital, slowing down his pace immediately a security robot was approaching.
His eyes glared sideways and as soon he confirmed the robot had paced forward a little, continued his marathon journey until the elevator dinged his destination.
Room 489, it read eventually.
The corridor hummed with sterile light, every step echoing off the smooth alloy floor as Zane followed the escort toward the cryo-vault.
"Did you come now with the rest of the payment, sir Zane?" the escort clad in a blank white uniform requested.
"Not all but this should preserve her health and improve her chances of survival for a few months…..I guess."
He handed the suitcase over, and the escort opened it slightly, shutting it almost immediately.
"You may proceed…the system operative might not give you more than ten minutes, use your time wisely."
A translucent panel lit up on the wall beside a sealed door. The AI's voice-activated instantly. It was feminine, calm, and too precise to be human.
{Requesting identity verification.}
Zane hesitated, then placed his palm on the scanner. A brief pulse of blue light swept across his palm.
{Name: Zane Everhart.
Neural Pattern: Verified.
Access Level: Limited.
Relation to subject: Direct descendant.}
A moment of silence followed. Then came the pause. The kind that meant the AI was cross-referencing beyond its preset allowances.
{Guardian on file: Hella Everhart.
Status: Cryostasis.
Authorization is required for viewing.}
A soft beep echoed in the chamber, and then the AI continued, voice now modulated with a subtle change. Like it was considering something.
{ Processing…..
Initiating provisional access protocol under Directive 17-C.
Reviewing neurological stability... confirmed.
Emotional threshold... within acceptable range.}
A final tone chimed.
{Temporary access granted.
Welcome, Zane Everhart.
You may proceed to Biopod Unit 089
Subject: Hella Everhart.
Please note that observation duration is limited to five minutes. Physical contact is prohibited. Do not attempt to bypass containment seals.}
"Yeah, yeah yeah...blah, blah, blah. Open up already"' He muttered to himself.
The door slid open with a hiss, a cold mist spilling into the hallway.
Zane stared ahead.
Five minutes….was all he had.
The AI's voice pulsed through the chamber as he took the first step in, sterile but steady.
{Biopod 089 — Subject: Hella Everhart.
Cryostasis integrity: Stable.
Initiating limited neuro-awakening protocol.}
Zane's chest tightened as he approached his mother, bypassing other biopods that were sealed shut into their cases below.
{ Warning: Subject will regain mental consciousness for 300 seconds. Full mobility restricted. Emotional and physiological responses may be muted.}
The liquid haze inside the pod began to clear. Lights along the chamber walls dimmed as soft pulses illuminated the outline of the woman inside. Her eyes fluttered beneath closed lids slowly, as though caught between worlds.
Then they opened.
"Z-Zane...?" Her voice was barely more than breath as their eyes met, filtered through machines that shouldn't have allowed it.
His throat clenched. He stepped closer, hand hovering just above the glass.
"I'm here, Mom. Just for a moment."
{Time remaining: 253 seconds.}
Her chest rose…barely.
Then her eyelids, heavy with months of frozen silence, twitched. A faint flicker of light returned to her gaze. Her lips moved first. Then her voice followed, crackling through the audio relay in the pod.
"Z-Zane..." She repeated.
Her eyes tried to focus on him, blinking slowly. She smiled faintly. It was unmistakable, most probably his weak point.
"You look... tired," she whispered.
Zane chuckled, but it cracked halfway out. "You should see the world now, Mom. Earth 101... It's got two moons. Rings. It's strange."
Hella's breath quivered as she tried to speak again.
"I see… humanity was born to evolve," she murmured, her voice thin and distant. "Your father…?"
Zane hesitated, swallowing the knot in his throat. "He's been gone a long time, remember?" he said gently, trying to stir her memory. "Said he didn't want us anymore."
She nodded slowly. Acceptance came quicker than he expected. Maybe… maybe she'd already known. Somehow.
{Time remaining: 201 seconds.}
"I thought I lost you too," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "But they kept you alive. This pod... it's still holding you together."
"Yes... barely. All thanks to you."
Zane shifted slightly, eyes searching hers. "Can I ask you something, Mom?"
"Go ahead, son…"
He inhaled, steadying his nerves. "The doctors... They said something weird about your condition. About a month ago."
"What did they say?"
"They said your state... It's not normal. It's not an illness. More like a reaction. Something your body chose to do."
{Time remaining: 157 seconds.}
She let out a shaky breath, her voice soft before she spoke:
"If you're ever going to walk the same path I did… the truth will unfold, right in front of your eyes." She paused, gasping slightly. "The risk I took… and my one true mistake…"
Zane leaned in. "What mistake?"
"Giving up, son." Her eyes locked onto his, suddenly sharp despite the haze. "I gave up on myself. On proving the world wrong about what humans are truly capable of. I thought I could do it... but I let go." She tried to laugh, but it faded into a dry breath. "Guess it wasn't worth it after all."
Silence settled between them for a moment. Zane just watched her fragile and pale body that was yet still holding on.
He broke the tension, voice low. "Do what exactly, Mother?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she whispered. "It always comes back around." Her head lifted slightly inside the pod. "But before it does... promise me something."
Zane leaned closer, bending at the waist.
"Okay. I'm listening."
She blinked slowly. "Don't… give up."
His gaze descended back on her, almost biting his lips.
"I almost did," he admitted. "But something's happening now. They've offered me a chance. Some new technology… said it could fix things…..fix you.Maybe even more."
Her half-fogged eyes searched his face like she was seeing through time. Through lies. Through all of it.
"Just tread the right path, Zane… okay? One that leads to something good."
He nodded once, firmly.
{Time remaining: 40 seconds... Subject cryostasis re-engagement in 30 seconds.}
Her breath began to slow. Her eyes dimmed again….light folding inward like dusk falling behind her lashes.
"Guess that's my cue," she whispered faintly.
"I'll come back," he said, pressing his hand to the pod's surface. "I don't care what it takes. I'll bring you back."
She exhaled one last time, her voice a thin echo barely carried through the mist.
"I believe in you... Never give up."
{Cryostasis re-engagement in 5… 4…}
She didn't speak again.
Her eyelids drifted shut. The liquid swirled back in, thick and blue haze. The lights around the pod dimmed, switching from blue to yellow as the mist returned.
{Subject: Hella Everhart
Cryostasis Resumed.
Neural activity: Dormant.
Protocol access: Locked.}
Zane didn't move. Tears filled his eyes but they wouldn't roll off down his cheek. He stood there in silence, staring into the pod like it might flicker back open on a whim.
{Zane Everhart, descendant of Hella Everhart…please step out of the room in ten seconds}
His palm grazed his eyes wildly, clearing the tears from his eyes,followed by a sniff that cleared all the tears back in place.
{….8…7…6…}
He exited the room and headed towards the outer corridor, where the escort was waiting.
"The currency had been put to good use, she now has 3 more months time zone in the bio pods with VIP treatments" He announced.
Zane nodded in approval as they both walked down the hallway.
"Sign the required details as usual on your way down Sir Zane, and have a nice day." He saluted, taking off immediately they got to a
double-way route.
Stepping into the elevator…Zane pressed a red button and exhaled sharply, staring at his blurry reflection in the reflective encasing of the smooth-sailing elevator.
He pulled the black chip the old man had given him during the day and tilted it a little, the DQHN sign glittering faintly on it.
"I believe in you…Don't give up" the word rang through his mind forth and back.
Gripping it hard in his palm, his face became serious. Of course, he had probably made a bold decision…..
Wrong or right…is entirely up to his belief.
"I'll be back,mom."