The Awakened - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Into the Pods

I closed the door and looked around for a second and then looked at the boys standing around waiting for some kind of explanation. “Boys, get your clothes and shoes on, we have to go. Its time. Kissyfur, grab the dogs lead and get him ready.”
“Mom, don’t call me that, please.” Chris replied as he picked up the dog and went to his room. “Is Flash really going with us?”
“Yes. Sgt Lewis said it was alright.” I replied.
Robert was leaned up against the wall in the hall and looking a little frustrated as usual. I waved him on and he shrugged then turned around and asked, “Can I take my PSP?”
I was halfway thru the kitchen; I stopped and turned to look at him before speaking. “You won’t need it.”
“Just to play in the van on the way there.” Robert said.
“Ok, but lets get a move on, Sgt Lewis is waiting.” I turned and headed back to the master bedroom to get my clothes and shoes on, all the while wondering if I had made the right decision.

We all sat quietly in the van on the way to the lab. Even the dog was still and quiet. There wasn’t much traffic, which was strange for a Saturday. I didn’t even see any people on the sidewalks as we went threw town. I saw some of the shops open, and two or three people in the diner, but it was like a ghost town.
Just as we reached the lab I turned to look at Sgt Lewis. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but there was no need, any doubts I may have were too little and too late now.

Inside the lab everyone was busy with one machine or another. I saw the Johnson’s, and the Dimpsy’s. They were already in their gowns and heading to their units. I put my hand on Kissyfur’s shoulder and he shrugged away. Flash sat down at my heels and looked up expectantly. Robert was looking around like he was bored, as usual. Teenagers, I know I was one once myself, but was I that moody?

Professor Lipton was walking towards us.
“Aw, Bev. Glad to see you this morning, I wish it could be under better circumstances, but..” Doctor Lipton said.
“Good morning Tom, we understand. I was hoping it would never come to this, but, well…you know what I mean.” I said.
“Indeed I do.” He replied. “Well, shall we get started? Good, this way, you know the routine.”

And we were off. First we changed into our gowns, then the inspection by Nurse Connie, and then finally to our unit. Even though we had done all this before in drills, and gone threw all the training, I wasn’t ready. This was the scary part. What if we never came out? What if something went wrong? All the what if’s running through my head, was this really the right thing to do?

As we entered the unit the techs’ were finishing up. They looked up and smiled and I could tell they were just as nervous as we were. I wondered if their families had gotten here yet.

I looked over at the boys, Robert was getting into his pod and Kissyfur was talking with Dr. Lipton. I walked over to them and hugged Chris and patted Flash’s head. Robert looked over at me and smiled. “We can talk to each other in the pods Mom; don’t go getting all mushy on me.” Robert said.
I smiled and said, “I know.”
Dr. Lipton said, “its ok Chris, Flash will be fine in his own pod. The Dimpsy girl brought Lady Belle too. So Flash won’t be the only dog on this journey, and we have other pets and animals back in the other pods.”
As I lay down in my own pod I tried to clear my mind of all the confusion I was feeling inside. I settled back and went over in my mind the steps the professor taught us and eased into my trance as the tech’s hooked everything up and closed the lid. It was like drifting off to sleep, the steady beat of my heart, the gases must be helping me to ease into the trance. I could hear the boys, Robert had already set his music to playing, and sometimes I wondered how he could hear the other things with his music going. “Mom, I can hear you too, you’ll get used to funneling all the info too.” His words drifted into my mind. I still wasn’t used to all this, and it had been months since we started the training. Hearing my boys speaking inside my head when we were in the pods was stranger than coming out and remembering all the info the pumped into us. I still didn't understand how they could feed all that info to us, in a criostate.
I started to dream, misty things floating threw my mind, the flood of words with the info had started, and the boys were arguing, but it was also so peaceful, this drifing in awareness.