Cryogen

*January 1, 2028*

"Glad to have you finally on board with us Zack." Dr. Hendricks says with a friendly smile as he pats me on the back once.

"Of course sir! I can't believe I got the internship! This is really going to help in college. I really can't thank you enough for this opportunity." I respond as I shake his hand.

"You're the smartest twenty year old kind we've ever seen Zack, there was just no way we could turn down your application! I mean, straight A's your entire life? That's absolutely incredible!"

"T-Thanks sir." I say as I awkwardly rub the back of my head. I've never really liked taking credit for what I do. I've always been a pretty big introvert, and any attention, even the positive kind, makes me kinda nervous. It isn't that I'm necessarily shy, it's that... well, I don't like to show others up. I lost way too many friends because they would get jealous about my achievements, whether they be for academics or athletics.

"No, thank you Zack." There's that overly-friendly smile again that just seems to look into me like he can see my thoughts.

"It's a real honor to be working here at Cryo Labs with you, and I can't wait to start on these projects with you!"

"Actually, you're in luck! If you'll follow me downstairs to the main lab, we're running some tests right now! We're hoping that by the time we're done, we'll be able to use the cryogenic freezing devices, C.F.D's for short, for medical use. Just imagine the possibilities! Freezing patients with terminal illnesses until a cure if found, then waking them up when the appropriate treatment is discovered. We'd save millions of lives Zachary!"

"That sounds amazing! It's actually one of the reasons that I wanted the internship here." I reply, now noticing just how heavy my backpack is, as well as how out of place I look. I'm just wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with my backpack on. Everyone that we pass is wearing all white, and it really makes me stand out.

"Remind me again, what are you studying in college?"

"I'm majoring in anatomy, though I switched over to that just recently. My original studies belonged to computer science, and I also had a thing for physics back in highschool. So, I guess, I'm just an all around science nerd."

"You remind me of me Zack. Ah, to be young again! How time seems to fly hm? Did you play any sports?"

"Soccer and baseball sir, though I only played soccer when I was a kid. I played baseball in highschool, but sadly I had to drop it when I reached college, as it would have gotten in the way of my studies."

"Again, I'd give anything to be young again." Dr. Hendricks says with a light chuckle as he runs a hand through his hair as we enter the main lab. I let out a loud, long gasp as I glance around the room. Dozens of C.F.D's line the walls, some already containing human subjects in them. Each one has a timer on the top, signifying the date that it is suppose to turn off an open once again. When that date comes, the person inside will wake up, and they will be able to be treated for whatever illnesses they may have. Most of the timers aren't set at all, as it is unknown when exactly a cure for their illness will be found.

"T-This is... whoa..." I mumble as I walk down the steps into the main part of the lab. "How far down are we anyway?"

"This lab? Oh it is about... five hundred feet below the surface. Directly above us is the Washington Monument y'know. Not many people know about this place, you should consider yourself lucky."

"Oh trust me, I do sir." I say with a smile as I start walking around the lab. I start out by asking some of the scientists about their jobs, how they got to be here, and even how the machines work.

"Why is this one empty Dr. Hendricks? It is between two other people, so why isn't anyone in here? It would only make sense that you'd fill the gap."

"Oh, because it is reserved for a... special, individual."

"Oh? What's their illness?"

"They don't have one."

"Then who is this for?" I ask as I turn back to look at the open pod. I barely even get anytime before a strong force is applied to my back, and I feel myself lunging forward into said pod. I turn around in time to see the door closing, Hendricks just standing their with a grin on his face.

"You." Is all he replies before typing away at the keyboard attached to the outside of the capsule. I begin banging on the glass, nervousness and fear spreading through my body. Why is this happening? I didn't do anything, and I'm not sick. I'm the intern for crying out loud.

"Hendricks! Open the damn door!" I yell as anger overtakes my fear. Suddenly the temperature drops drastically, and the glass in front of me starts to fog up.

"See ya later Zachary!" He yells through the glass, though I can barely even hear him over the hissing of cold air entering the pod. I can already feel my system shutting down, and while I feel the need to panic, I just can't bring my body to really move.

Then, it feels like going to sleep, only more intense. It feels like the deepest sleep I've ever been in, the kind you usually don't wake up from.

*January 1, ????* *?'s POV*

Word had it that there would be some ruins around here, but that they'd be underground. Never would have thought that they would be underground.

As I slowly lower myself down the long, empty shaft, I keep an eye out for anything that might snag onto me. I can never be too careful when exploring these places.

Maybe I'll find some ancient artifact or something down here, or maybe some kind of, I don't know, magic thingy! Hey, ya never know what you'll find, especially when you have my job. I mean, c'mon, I'm an archaeologist for crying out loud, not to mention an amazing author! This is definitely going to be in one of my books. I've only made it inside the very entrance to the ruins, and I already know I've found something big!

"C'mon girl, you got this." I whisper to myself when I reach the bottom. At the bottom is some kind of crushed metal container. A closer look shows me some buttons of some sort, though they seem like they've been smashed for years, never to be used again. However, none of this shocked me.

What really got to me was the eeriness settling around me. The while hallway I find myself in is covered in splotches of blood, both on the walls and floor. I almost forgot where I even was because of the nausea in my stomach.

Nothing else was there other than some weird metal objects on the floor, some tattered, rotten clothes, and even some bones left behind by a creature I'd never laid eyes on. Just what in Tartarus did I find?

I walk down the hallway slowly, making sure not to set off any traps that might be waiting to be set off. The lights above me flicker on and off like the power leading to them is unstable, or maybe there just wasn't enough to keep them all going at once. Wait, light means either sun or electricity seeing as how these lights obviously aren't coming from candles or a lantern, and considering I'm deep below the surface, I can confirm that this is not the sun. I chuckle to myself a bit at that part before regaining my composure.

Whatever is keeping these lights running must have a ton of power considering it doesn't look like anything has been down here for centuries, maybe even millenniums!

"Main Lab ->" A sign reads on a wall. The arrow points to a set of double doors that are way too tall to be used efficiently. Whatever built this place must have been pretty tall to use them. I jump up and push the doors open, and they creak open with a squeaking sound from the rust on the hinges. One door even falls over completely. If this place was exposed to the elements above, this whole facility would be nothing but dust at this point.

"Intruder, system protocol 56 activated." A metallic sounding voice screams out from above me. I cringe backwards as a hissing sound emits from across the room. I hide behind the remaining door, and peek my head around the side to see a strange creatures stumbling forward into the lab.

*January 1, ????* *Zack's POV*

The air rushes around me as my eyes slowly open. It feels like its... getting warmer. Oh warmth how I missed you! I was afraid I'd freeze to death in there. That was the longest minute of my li-

I cut my thoughts off as the glass panel in front of me pops open, and all I see is destroyed lab. My mouth opens, but no words come from my throat. I hop out of the chamber, my legs wobbling as I hit the ground, causing me to stumble around a bit. Once I catch my balance, I look back at the lab around me, and almost let out a scream when I see guns, blood, and old bones, human bones, littered on the floor around me. There are what looks like burn marks everywhere around me, spider webs occupy every corner of the room, and a good majority of the other C.F.D.'s are destroyed. The ones that remain have nobody in them, meaning I'm the only one who hasn't woken up yet.

"Hendricks..." I say as I clench a fist. I pull my phone out of my pocket which of course is dead, and let out a sigh. Good thing I keep an extra battery in my bag. I reach back and pull a battery out of the side pocket of my backpack.

"Please please please still work." I whisper as I insert the new battery and turn the phone on. I'm met with the familiar starting up logo, and let out a sigh of relief. I wait for it to fully turn on before opening the voice recognizance app.

"What is the date?" I ask. The phone takes a second to process my words before it responds.

"Unable to access internet. Try again later." It says in it's mechanical voice. I grunt in frustration as I shove the phone back into my pocket.

"Oh, duh, C.F.D." I mumble to myself as I turn around a move back towards the C.F.D.

"Alright, it should be around here..." I look up to where the date should be on the top of the machine, only to find the panel smashed. Deciding that I need to find another way, my eyes make their way over to the keyboard. Hopefully the computer in this thing still works. Speaking of which, how the hell am I getting power down here? I'm no idiot, I know I'm in the future, probably ten or twenty years at most. Damn Hendricks, I'm going to kill that guy if I ever see him again.

My fingers fly across the keyboard as I search for anything that will tell me the date. I skip over some news articles that are saved on the hard drive, deciding to read them later. I open the operating system for the C.F.D. and scan the program for the date that my particular device was set to.

"Regeneration Date, alright I found it." I whisper to myself as I open the file. A bunch of code pops up, but thanks to my knowledge in computer science, I'm able to find what I'm looking for, today's date.

"January 1..." I mumble to myself. Then I freak out when I see the year. It hadn't been ten years, or twenty, or even a hundred for that matter.

"J-January 1... 5528!?" I scream out, my throat hurting slightly from the strain. "Oh, oh fuck me!" I yell as I start pacing around the room. I notice that when I start moving towards the main doors that one is knocked over. It wouldn't be suspicious if I didn't see the edge of a hat peeking out from around the edge of the standing door. I bend down and pick up one of the military grade pistols, not sure if it is even loaded, and point it at the door. And in an angry, yet fearful tone, I let the words escape my throat, trying to sound threatening.

"Who the hell are you?"