Chapter IV

  ((2022; 33 years ago

  Scott sat on the semi-futuristic bed with Matt standing across from him. It had been roughly 24 hours since Scott elected to go into cryogenic sleep. Matt had been adamant that they could find another way but both knew the truth. They knew the gravity of the situation if the Seraphim Virus inside of Scott were to incubate and that it could happen at any time. Scott wasn't about to even consider the option of sitting around and waiting to die. If going into cryogenic suspension was the only way, if in the next 2 years, a vaccine was to be developed… Matt hated the idea and he often made his reservations known.

  "I don't like this idea, Scott. Seeing you going into some deep freeze for 2 years while the doctors try to develop a cure is crazy, even for you." Matt said.

  "Maybe it is crazy, but anything beats waiting for this thing to kick in and kill me. You remember what Dr. Saul about the virus flaring up at any time in my system." Scott said.

  "He could be wrong, you know." Matt claimed.

  "Why take that chance? Besides in some weird retrospect, 2 years isn't that long a wait." Scott said.

  "Always got to see the bright side, huh?"

  Dr. Saul walked into the room with a clipboard in his hand. "I see you boys are ready."

  "As ready as we'll ever be." Scott said.

  "Alright, I got to ask; how exactly is this going to proceed?" Matt inquired from Dr. Saul.

  Dr. Saul gave Matt a telling glance before he looked at Scott. "The first thing we're going to do is have you lay down in the bed capsule and close the canopy."

  "Good thing I'm not claustrophobic," Scott said before laying himself down onto the bed. "Uh, before you close, Doc..."

  "Yes?"

  Scott braced himself and said, "There're no spiders or centipedes in here, are there?"

  Matt couldn't hold back the ensuing chuckle as Dr. Saul replied, "We keep our equipment clean, Mr. Gavin. No need to worry."

  "Right, okay." Scott said as the canopy was closed over him.

  Dr. Saul looked into the chamber through the glass canopy and said, "Now the next part may feel somewhat disorienting. I'm going to pump the chamber full of anesthetic gas that will put you to sleep after a few moments and then I'm going to drop the temperature to just above sub-zero. You'll be completely unconscious so you won't feel a thing."

  From inside the chamber, Scott asked, "Well, it's a good thing I went to the bathroom before this."

  "Ahem, I suppose we're ready to proceed." Dr. Saul said.

  Matt stood over the canopy and said Scott, "It isn't too late, Scott. Maybe we can find another way."

  "I think we're already past that." Scott said.

  "I just... I don't want to lose you. You're the only family I got left." Matt admitted.

  Scott looked his older brother in the eyes through the canopy and said, "It's going to be okay, Matt."

  "We're ready." Dr. Saul said, standing at a console next to the chamber.

  "Hey, Scott…" Matt said.

  "Yeah?"

  "When you wake back up, I'll be here waiting to shave that scruffy beard of yours." Matt jokingly said.

  Scott chuckled, "I guess I'll see you a couple years, asshole."

  Dr. Saul then pressed a switch on the console. Scott could hear a faint hissing sound within the chamber and afterward, he started feeling lightheaded. It slowly started to become difficult to keep his eyes open. Matt had to watch from the outside of the chamber and place his hand atop the canopy. Scott was slow to respond in kind but managed to do so. The brothers exchanged glances that differed from each other. Matt looked on with anguish while Scott looked on with fatigue. He felt himself slipping away into a deep sleep. Then everything went dark and silent.))

  Water poured into a sink which Scott stood over as he finished what he was doing. He turned off the flow of water, then reached over to his left to grab a towel which he then buried onto his face. When he next removed the towel, he looked up the mirror to see the now clean-shaven young man staring back at him. Maybe it was something of a stretch now in this new world where Scott found himself. Physically, he was still in his 20's, in his prime. Chronology, he had to be classified as being in his 60's.

  Having already known that the year was now 2055, and being reminded of it by Major Donavon, Scott surmised that he was at the chronological age of 59 years old. Scott could only bow his head down in frustration. He was literally an old man pushing 60 years in a 26-year old's body. Everything and everyone he knew was gone, either by the Seraphim Virus or the Marauders. Scott himself still had the virus in his system and he knew it could flare up at any time. He could only assume that the long 33 years of sleep slowed it down since he wasn't feeling any adverse effects at the moment. To top it all off, now there was the belief that he might have the anti-bodies in his system that could've potentially been a cure for the Seraphim Virus.

  "It's late." a deep, feminine voice spoke and startled Scott.

  He looked toward the exit and saw Johansson leaning by the threshold with her arms folded. "Jesus Christ, could you try harder to put me into cardiac arrest?"

  Johansson was completely nonplussed with Scott's sarcasm and simply said, "We're turning in for the night, Gavin. We leave first thing tomorrow morning, 0700 hours."

  "Yeah, I know." Scott replied.

  "Good." Johansson said just before she started to leave.

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  "Wait a minute. Before you go..." Scott said.

  "What is it?" Johansson asked as she stopped.

  Scott was visibly swallowing his pride and he said, "Thank you for saving me."

  Johansson, who was subconsciously taking in the view of Scott's bare chest, said, "I was just doing my job."

  "Yeah, I figured you'd say that."

  Johansson wasn't sure what else to say other than, "Get some rest."

  Then she was gone from the room, leaving Scott alone to gather himself. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, processing everything that had happened since his waking up from his deep freeze. Then he contemplated the days to come. His thoughts wandered back to the idea that he could potentially be some savior of Humanity. It frustrated him to point where he wanted to punch the mirror. Instead, Scott let out a deep breath. He grabbed his shirt and walked out the room, unaware Johansson had been covertly observing his activities.

  The following morning, Scott woke up with labored breaths and a cold sweat all over his body. Sunlight shown through a window above his bed, the light hitting his face. Scott grabbed his forehead and wiped the sweat from his brows. He knew he'd just had a nightmare, but he wasn't inclined to wonder about it all. He checked the digital clock by his bed… 6:06AM. Scott could only grumble from fatigue mixed with annoyance when he caught movement out of the corner of his weary eyes. Much to his chagrin, he saw it was Johansson once more leaning at the threshold.

  "Time to get up, Gavin." she said.

  Scott grumbled even more and said, "Tell me you weren't here all night just watching me sleep."

  "Breakfast is at 06:15. Get dressed." Johansson said before leaving.

  When Johansson was gone, Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose and started falling backward in bed muttering, "Oh my God."

  It was now 06:18. Scott had gotten dressed and collected his breakfast that left much to be desired. He set about searching for a place to sit and eat without drawing attention to himself. That proved more difficult than he expected when he noticed Pete sitting at a table with most of the team that rescued Scott. Scott walked over to the table and watched as Pete slid aside to give him space. He sat down and set his breakfast on the table before scanning those present. Along with Pete were both Michelle and Sam, but Conrad and Johansson were not present.

  "Morning, bud. You look like hell." Pete commented.

  "Is it that obvious?" Scott asked.

  "It doesn't look like you got much sleep, lad." Sam said.

  Scott's level of exasperation was evident when he replied, "I got put into cryogenic sleep when I was 26. I wake up in 2055 and I'm 59, chronologically anyway."

  "Well, at least your math is right." Sam said.

  "Look on the bright side: at least you get to keep your looks." Michelle quipped in a way that sounded mildly flirty.

  Scott cautious replied, "Uh, thanks. So, where're Conrad and Johansson?"

  "The Captain ought to be finishing a briefing with Major Donovan. And, Johansson is, well…" Pete said before pointing his thumb toward the far corner of the cafeteria.

  Scott looked in that direction and saw Johansson sitting alone, an empty tray on the table in front of her. She had something in her right hand. It looked like a book of some kind. For some reason he couldn't explain, Scott couldn't stop looking at the auburn-haired woman who save his life hours ago. Something about Johansson made him curious, maybe even a little interested. Then Johansson looked up from her book and met Scott's gaze. Looking at her was like reading a book in itself, except that Scott had no idea what Johansson was thinking. He finally turned his gaze away and returned to his breakfast. Conversely, Johansson maintained her gaze for a few moments longer before returning to her book.

  "So, about Johansson… is she too good to sit with us or what?" Scott whispered.

  The team looked at the young man with wide eyes and Sam replied, "Nah, lad. That girl there isn't exactly the most social when off-mission."

  "Speaking of which…" Michelle when she noticed Conrad approaching.

  The team stood up from their seats and stood at attention, but Terry waves them down. "At ease, people."

  Everyone sat back down as Terry joined them, and Pete said, "So how'd the briefing go, boss?"

  "Well, our mission has seen a bit of an alteration in our travel arrangements. According to base intel, the Marauders have a network of aerial detection systems set up across the country. Air travel from here to Cape Canaveral is not an option at this point." Terry stated.

  "That seems like it'll be a pain in the ass." Sam said.

  Scott asked, "So what are the alternatives? I doubt hitchhiking is an option."

  "We'll being travel by convoy; us plus a few defense vehicles to pacify any ground forces we come across. Dr. Fitzgerald will also be joining us, so be nice." Terry said.

  "How long will this little road trip be?" Michelle asked.

  "It'd be roughly a 40-hour drive from Bakersfield to Cape Canaveral, barring interference along the way. The cavate is that our current supplies are limited, so we'll have to make periodic stops for food and rest." Conrad explained.

  "A day and half drive with the occasional rest up, and the transport launches in less than a week at 1700 hours from now? I'd say we got time for a little sightseeing." Pete exclaimed.

  "You always did like to see the bright side of things, Pete." Michelle said.

  "Part of my charm." Pete said with a playful shrug.

  Terry huffed out a small laugh before he said, "Alright, people. Finish your breakfast and get suited and booted. We're wheels out at 0700... and, someone get Scott some armor. I've got a feeling he's going to need it."

  Then as Terry left, the rest of the team took to lightly chuckling at Scott. Sam said, "Looks like you're in the shit now, lad."

  "Jeez, I can hardly wait." Scott replied as he took a bite from his breakfast… which didn't exactly taste very good to him.

  After finishing his breakfast, and spitting some of it out, Scott started getting ready for the day ahead. When he returned to his room, he found what appeared to be a form of body armor waiting on his bed. Along with the body armor were a set of boots and gloves, the latter of which looking more akin to gauntlets than gloves. He set about getting the equipment on, starting with the boots and then putting on the gauntlets. Then he slipped on the body armor. It felt somewhat stiff around his chest but it didn't impede his breathing, which Scott considered to be a good thing after eating possibly the worst tasting breakfast ever. Then again, it had been 33 years since he had a decent meal so he had no room to complain. After getting suited up, Scott took a quick glance at the time: 6:44 AM. Scott couldn't help but think time was against him in more ways than one.

  "Scott," Conrad said once he appeared at the bedroom door. "You ready to get going?"

  "Oh yeah! I'm so ready to save the world," Scott sarcastically implied, which made Conrad smirk a bit. Then Scott sighed, "So, we get on the road for roughly a day-and-a-half drive from here to Cape Canaveral, Florida where a shuttle is waiting to launch up toward this Sky Haven place, and then what?"

  "Our top doctors and scientists extract these supposed anti-bodies from your system, synthesize them and hopefully, mass produce a vaccine to eradicate the Seraphim Virus and save whatever's left of Humanity." Conrad explained to the best of his abilities.

  Scott let out another deep sigh of annoyance and mused, "It's crazy. I spent years in a cryogenic coma only to waking up to a living nightmare, everyone I've ever known is gone, and now I'm suddenly this 'savior' of the Human race."

  "I imagine that it's all a lot to process." Conrad said.

  Scott looked at Conrad and then out through the window of his room. The sky was a light orange hue thanks to the morning sunlight. "This feels wrong. I shouldn't be here."

  "But you are here," Conrad said and then he approached Scott, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, Scott. This isn't the life you were expecting to live when you woke up. It might seem unfair that you're here now when so many others aren't here, and now you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders."

  "I'm just a kid from Southern California, Conrad. I'm no savior." Scott admitted.

  Conrad replied, "Then don't try to be. You just worry about being you. That's all any of us can do."

  Scott managed to produce a smirk and said, "Matt used to tell me that, after our parents died."

  Terry patted Scott's shoulder and told him, "I sure your brother was wise beyond his years. Everything's going to okay, Scott. Now c'mon," Terry then started out of the room while he added, "We've got a long road trip ahead of us."

  "Thanks, Conrad. I think I needed that little pep talk." Scott said.

  "Anytime. Oh, and you can just call me 'Terry'. No need to be too formal."

  Scott chuckled and gave a slight nod to Terry as he departed from the room. Afterward, Scott looked out through the window and out at the sky outside. I don't care how many years it's been, Matt. I know you're still out there, and I'm going to find you. Whatever it takes. Then Scott grabbed the backpack from his bed and started out on his way.