22 Cryo-Emergence

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The author of the Exodus series is intentional about avoiding profanity and explicit sexual content.
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However, this episode does contain scenes of violence that some listeners may find disturbing.
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Listener discretion is advised.
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Six billion miles from Earth.
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Okay, Dex, you can take off everything but underwear.
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Boog said as he studied the cradle's various connections.
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When you're done, just step up into the cradle.
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Ying Tai looked out over the cryovats.
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A blue fluid filled what looked like an enormous swimming pool covering each of the many honeycomb cells submerged in its icy depths.
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She looked at a particularly large cell where Otis slept, submerged in the blue fluid.
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Icy cold radiated up from below, and she shivered.
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It had required the removal of multiple cell partitions in order to make room for his body.
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Everyone else floated in a single cell.
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With only his underwear on, Dex stepped up onto the cradle's framework.
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Doc bent next to him and began strapping his legs to the cradle, while Boog started at the top, securing his head, neck, and arms.
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Doc then stuck a small device on Dex's left temple and a green light began flashing.
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Boog, is that right?
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The Doc asked.
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Boog glanced at the device.
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Looks good, Doc.
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When Dex was all strapped in, Doc attached some sensors to his chest and then checked to see if the readout was working on the cradle's display screen.
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Well, ladies and gents, Dex smiled, trying to hide anxiety.
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See you on the other side.
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Boog stepped away and went to the main control console and tapped at the display.
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As he did so, the cradle with Dex rose off the floor and swung out over the cry bats.
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At a program place over the bats, the cradle stopped and hovered.
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Hey Dex, Boog called over to him.
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Are you ready?
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Bring it on! Boob turned back to the display and tapped a button, which turned from orange to blue.
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He turned back to Dex.
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You should start feeling sleepy.
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There was no response from him.
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Dex, you still with us?
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Boog smiled at Ying Tai.
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It's really fast.
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He tapped another key on the display and she watched the cradle lower into the blue syrupy fluid until Dex was submerged.
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She looked up at Boog.
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You're sure everyone else is down?
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She asked.
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Boog nodded his head.
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Everyone but us.
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Doc came up to Ying Tai and touched her arm gently.
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You're next.
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He pointed over his shoulder to a screened-off space.
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You can disrobe over there.
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Ying Tai looked down into the cold vat again.
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Boo, you've got the computer programmed to our destination?
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Yes.
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YT.
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I've taken care of everything.
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The only thing that remains is for us to go to sleep.
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Is Morston?
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She turned and looked at Boog with a furrowed brow.
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Is he alive and well?
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Boog turned around and looked up at a large display and pointed to one of the symbols representing a person in the back.
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That's Morston.
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His life readings are normal for cryosleep.
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I've checked, double checked, everyone.
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We will arrive at Altair in approximately eighteen years.
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And then the computer will awaken all of us.
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And it will seem like we had been asleep for just a little while, theoretically speaking.
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She reminded him.
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This is all new research now.
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You're stalling.
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Boo folded his arms across his chest.
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Ying Tai cast her gaze out over the vat of hibernating bodies.
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How will the last person be put in the vat?
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She asked, stalling the inevitable.
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Doc bent down and gently lifted her to a standing position.
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The ship's computer will put me down last.
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I could put most of the straps on myself.
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He looked up at Boog.
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They're really only a precaution, anyway.
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Doc turned her around and looked into her eyes.
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I didn't think you were afraid of anything.
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She turned her head and looked down at the deck.
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I don't know why I'm worried about this.
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It just seems so unnatural.
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Boog burst out laughing and stepped forward, tapping at her cybernetic arm.
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You consider this natural?
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He continued to chuckle.
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Ying Tai smiled and walked toward the screen.
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She disrobed down to her underwear and walked back out as the dog busied himself lowering another cradle down from overhead.
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Boog turned around to watch the cradle lower into position.
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Jing Tai walked toward them, their gaze dropped from the cradle and roamed up and down her body.
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Gentlemen, better put your eyeballs back in your head.
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She patted Boog's cheek.
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What would your girlfriend Ming say?
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She smiled at him and stepped into the cradle.
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Doc cleared his throat, his cheeks turned red, and then proceeded to strap her into the cradle and connect the sensors.
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Boog tore his eyes away and focused on the control display.
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She soon felt the cradle swing out over the icy blue vat and cold air radiate from below.
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Okay, Doc.
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Make it quick.
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Here it comes.
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You should start feeling it.
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Blackness swept over her.
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She opened her eyes, but it seemed the black abyss of the dream continued.
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Her stomach tightened and she retched.
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Thick fluid darkness inhibited her convulsions.
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She panicked and gasped for air and inhaled cold thickness.
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Ying Tai tipped her head back, opened her eyes, and looked up in fear.
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A dim blue light throbbed.
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She sensed the cold thickness sliding past her skin.
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The light changed into a pale blue orb, and then it became a bright white glare, and she shut her eyes to escape the increasing brilliance.
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A sting of cold, thin air hit her, and she continued to feel movement and heard splashing liquid.
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The stinging icy air traveled down her body until she shivered in the thinness.
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She tried to open her eyes again, but the light remained too bright.
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Another wave of nausea exploded, and thick fluid poured from her mouth as her body heaved against restraints?
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Air movement whisked across her skin and she opened her eyes.
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A brief second of dazzling blue sparkled beneath her, and another gush of fluid exploded from her mouth.
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She heard it splash into the dazzling blue below, echoing in the cold air.
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Machinery humming captured her attention and icy air grazed across her skin.
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There was more gagging and then several moments of painful coughing.
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She inhaled the thinness burned dry down her throat and roared into a cold fire in her chest.
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A racking spasm of coughing gripped her, and she wished to return to unconsciousness.
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A vaguely familiar voice from somewhere below seemed to caress her skin.
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Distant and dark memories were awakened by the voice when she coughed more thick fluid.
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She heard coughing, not unlike her own.
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The voice said.
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A primitive instinct told her she could also talk, and she tried.
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She coughed in despair.
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Give it time.
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Voice return.
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When body reaches homeostasis.
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Conscious thought returned.
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Homeostasis?
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A strange sound.
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What does it mean?
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Her body jerked and the humming ceased.
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She felt air movement against the city.
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Is the air moving or am I?
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As if in response to her thought, the voice said Gravity is low until strength returns.
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Don't worry.
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Until barfing stops.
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The voice coughed again.
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The word popped into her head.
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And she knew the voice speaking.
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She coughed and felt trickling fluid on her lips.
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Yeah.
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It's me.
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Where?
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On a starship.
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Coming out of hibernation.
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Hibernation.
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A flood of memories filled her mind.
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Starship Battle Chinyao Mars.
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Me Morston.
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Shower.
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Red.
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Earth.
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Moon mites.
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Mining.
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Cold.
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Darkness.
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Ark.
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Wildwire.
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I'll tear.
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Disjointed and confusing, the memory streamed through her conscious, and she wondered what it all meant.
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Overloaded with information, her mind slowed and seemed to dim.
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Before she succumbed to the welcoming dark, she heard the voice speak one last time.
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I'll start awakening the rest.
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The light began.
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The rest of the light.
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Her last thought completed, the blissful darkness returned.
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Fu struggled to stand.
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His legs felt like rubber and he leaned against a rail as his knees trembled uncontrollably.
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As he stood waiting for the spasm to subside, he admired the near-naked form of Ying Tai still secured in the cradle.
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Droplets of blue fluid trickled down her sides, dripping into the vat below the deck's grating.
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The soft plops of drops striking the surface stirred pleasant memories of another time and place involving fluid.
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The thought plopped into his head, followed by a flood of good memories.
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He glanced at the hibernation control display and searched its glowing surface.
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Two flashing red icons indicated his and Ying Tai's empty cryo cells.
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A few icons flashed yellow, but the remaining lights on the surface glowed blue.
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Below each blue icon, three green digital readouts indicated heart rate, respiration, and brain activity.
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Above the icon was the name of the occupant.
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His gaze returned to the flashing yellows, and another thought rolled over in his mind.
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He scanned each one of the four yellow icons.
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There were no life signs.
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His first thought turned to Ming, and he checked the names of each cell.
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Relief filled him when he realized that Ming was not one of the unfortunate occupants.
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He didn't recognize any of the names, but wasn't sure that was because he'd never met them or his mind was still processing memories.
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He scanned the blue icons and found the one he was most interested in.
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Ming.
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She's in that one.
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He double-checked the life signs and found them all normal.
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Should waken her.
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His left knee quit trembling, but the right hadn't.
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He tested his weight on the left and moved toward the display.
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With weight bearing on the right, he found he could control the tremble and move forward.
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Even in the low gravity, it took exhausting effort to make his way to the controls, where he leaned against the display as more thoughts took shape in his head.
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Should we make sure we're safe at proper location?
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Keep others in cryo until sure things are okay.
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He scanned the cryo display's glowing features.
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Red numbers below life signs showed the cryo fluid's temperature in each individual cell.
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Two red cells showed 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Below the temperature was another red number.
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It read 800.38 cycles.
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Boog's brow felt funny as he stared at the number.
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He raised his hand, which seemed extremely heavy, and rubbed his forehead.
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All of the other blue icons' numbers also read 800.38.
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He checked the icon next to it.
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The number was the same.
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His stomach flipped, and this time it had nothing to do with the hibernation sickness.
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Wait a minute.
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His thoughts were fuzzy, muddled.
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He carefully read the word after the number.
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Cycles.
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Years.
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Looked at the number again.
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800.38.
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Both knees trembled, and the realization struck him.
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We overslept.
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Low gravity pulled his body to the deck, and he leaned against the console.
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Where are we?
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800 light years of travel.
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Where are we?
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What happened?
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Maybe the system made a mistake.
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Computer glitch.
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He looked at Ying Tai's still formed.
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Oh man.
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She'll kill me.
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And then his gaze traveled out over the cells of the cryo vat.
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They'll all kill me.
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He reached overhead and felt the rail, grasped it with his hand, and pulled himself to his feet.
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Hand over hand, he pulled himself along the rail to the cryo room's exit.
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Sensing his presence, the door slid open.
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He grabbed the side of the corridor rail and pulled himself to the lift.
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The door shooshed open.
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He stumbled inside and took a moment of mental effort before he recognized the key that would take him to the command deck.
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The lift accelerated horizontally and he leaned against the side, gathering his strength.
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When the door opened, he walked, rather, floated, into the corridor and pulled himself to the door of the command deck.
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It sensed him, opened, and intense bright light blasted into the corridor.
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He slammed his eyelids shut.
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What the?
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Spook shaded his eyes with one hand and squinted between two fingers.
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Across the command deck, a wall of intense light blazed through the viewport.
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Sensing a presence on the command deck, the viewport's filters activated.
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The bright light diminished, and he cautiously opened his eyes and walked into the space.
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The air was warm but smelled stale.
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As he entered, the various control display consoles glowed to life.
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Using one side of the room, he pulled himself toward the large viewport in front of the command deck control consoles.
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Even with the filters, the hot bluish-white star was difficult to look at, despite still being very far away.
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It hung in the cold velvet sky, its light blocking out the rest of the glittering stars.
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Fug stared at the star, studied it.
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It was far too bright to be like the sun he was familiar with.
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The star seemed to pulse.
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He sat at the navigation controls and began tapping.
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A whole screen rose up in front of him and he gazed at the information.
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It seemed to make no sense as he struggled to decode the data.
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He shook his head and tried to focus on the screen again and gave up.
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He tapped the word audio on the key display and asked, SHIP, where are we?
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A disembodied voice spoke.
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1.5 billion miles from the main sequence white dwarf star named Altair.
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In the constellation known on Earth as the Eagle.
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The ship's male voice answered.
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Boo grabbed his mouth and felt the roughness of his beard.
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His throat was dry and still getting used to speech.
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He spoke slow and delirious.
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Is there an error in cycle readout on Cryo Life Support System?
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The reassuring, benign voice answered, Oh, all ship systems, including Cryo Life Support, functioning normal.
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Ship.
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Please magnify main view.
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The star grew in size and filled a quarter of the window.
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He scratched at his head and blinked his eyes at the glaring bright ellipsoidal star.
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Star?
00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.240
No, it's your son.
00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:55.519
His mind told him.
00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:58.160
Would you like me to bring all systems online?
00:18:58.559 --> 00:18:59.279
The ship asked.
00:18:59.440 --> 00:18:59.599
Yeah.
00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:04.160
Hoog leaned back and stared at the bright ellipsoidal sun swimming in the black void.
00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.319
Duration, correct?
00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:07.680
Location?
00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:08.799
Eltair.
00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:11.519
What happened?
00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:20.559
He continued to mull over the problem until longer than 17 years traveled to this level.
00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:22.880
He lowered his head and looked at the display.
00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:29.680
What speed have you traveled over the past 800 years?
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.759
One percent light speed.
00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:34.480
1%?
00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:39.119
He grabbed his chin and recalled the memory when he activated the ship's drive.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:48.000
Eight hundred years ago, did I set the drive to travel at maximum speed?
00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:49.200
Affirmative.
00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:53.519
Then why have we traveled so slow?
00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:59.440
Soon after the speed was set, I received another command to reduce speed to 1% light.
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.160
Who slammed his fist on the console?
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.000
Who gave this command?
00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:05.200
He leaned forward.
00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.200
Source of command unknown.
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:10.319
He leaned back with his arms folded, thinking furiously.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.000
817 years old.
00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:14.960
Ship.
00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:19.440
Run a complete diagnostic on the drive system.
00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.319
Would you prefer a deep comprehensive scan?
00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:22.960
Yeah.
00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:23.920
Please.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:30.480
Scan and run diagnostics on the main and all link systems and report.
00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:33.519
Boog squinted at the bright star in the blackness.
00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:38.559
He lost track of time and just sat there, thinking everyone will blame me.
00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:40.720
He realized after thinking for some time.
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:43.039
How will I tell them?
00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:44.400
He whispered aloud.
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:45.599
Tell who what?
00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:47.680
A voice spoke from behind him.
00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:52.720
Boog jerked, startled, and felt the low gravity pull him back onto the seat cushion.
00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:54.240
He turned his head.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.640
His thumping heart relaxed.
00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:03.279
Oh Whitey, scared the crap out of me.
00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:06.079
How will you tell who or what?
00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:10.319
She asked, leaning against the back of the next chair to his right.
00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:17.920
Her raven black hair hung in twisted strands, still wet, but the underwear she still wore appeared dry.
00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:22.640
Boog averted his eyes from her bare skin to her drawn and tired face.
00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.880
He turned his gaze back out to Altair.
00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:33.440
Boog.
00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:35.519
Now you're scaring me.
00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:37.200
What's wrong?
00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:39.839
Without looking at her, he spoke to the new sun.
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.319
We're in the right location at the wrong time.
00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:44.799
What?
00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.039
He pointed at the bright sun in the viewport.
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:50.240
Sure enough, uh that's Altair shining out there.
00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.680
He looked back at her face.
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:55.519
We're exactly where I programmed the ship to go.
00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:59.920
We we just got here a little later than we planned on.
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:01.359
He shrugged his shoulders.
00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.920
We have been hibernating uh for uh eight hundred years.
00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:06.480
Eh?
00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:07.200
Uh-huh.
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:15.279
Her voice faded and she grabbed a chair, uh, twisted around as to flop down into the sea, uh, and stared with wide eyes at Boo.
00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:18.319
A hundred Boo slowly nodded his head.
00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:21.920
Why?
00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:23.519
He jerked his stomach at display.
00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:30.720
Uh said uh someone changed the speed uh shortly after we left the solar system.
00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:33.119
Ying Tai shook her head back and forth.
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:35.440
Who who would?
00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:38.640
Why doesn't uh make any sense.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:39.359
I know.
00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.160
More sense.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:41.279
Why?
00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.119
What would he gain?
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:49.599
You look back at Ying Tai.
00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:53.119
It was the old farts idea anyway.
00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:58.319
Ying Tai raised her prosthetic arm, studied it for a moment in the light from the start.
00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:03.200
We're gonna have to wait everyone tell them what has happened.
00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.119
He placed his head in his hands and spoke in a muffled voice.
00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:07.920
Oh no.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.480
Minutes passed in silence as they both considered the implications.
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:17.519
Ying Tai's voice was soft and comforting when she broke the still silence.
00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:20.079
We're starting all over.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:22.480
Uh it's uh year one.
00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:24.480
It's year one again.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:27.119
Uh uh uh rebirth.
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:35.200
He heard her rise and say two hundred seventeen years old.
00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:37.759
She started to laugh and then cough.
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:42.720
When she finished, she said No boo.
00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:44.480
You're still seventeen.
00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:46.400
He heard her begin walking to the door.
00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:47.680
We need to wake them.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:48.960
I'll do it.
00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:52.640
Don't tell them how long we've slept until we're all together.
00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:53.920
You'll tell them?
00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:55.839
He looked hopefully at her.
00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:58.559
Yeah.
00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:00.000
I'll tell everybody.
00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:02.079
She turned and reached the door.
00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:05.680
It shooted open, and then she said Wake the dog first.
00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:08.559
He needs to start figuring out a cure for the mic.
00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:10.079
There was a pause.
00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:13.200
Wait for Morrison last.
00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:13.759
Right.
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:16.720
I'm gonna go get a shower.
00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:22.559
I'll meet you in the cryo chamber and uh the door shooted closed, and he gazed out at the star.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.640
He sat for some time thinking about what Ying Tai had said.
00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:33.359
A smile spread on his face as he thought of the possibilities.
00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:37.039
I can ask Ming to marry me.
00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:39.119
I'm old enough now.
00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:54.400
Moonbound is a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller from the Exodus series by Warson T.
00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:55.200
Badger.
00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:04.799
If you crave rebellion, high stakes heists, and lunar warfare, this science fiction audio drama will leave you breathless.
00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:13.440
Read the entire Exodus five book series, available wherever digital and physical books are sold.