Earth, 2355 CE
Elizabeth spent a lot of time working. All of it, if she was being honest with herself. Her list of tasks was expansive, to say the least. But nobody else had built the operating system the entirety of the western world used. She was sure of that if nothing else. The triggers and passcodes needed to update any of the kernel systems were so convoluted and obfuscated that she would be required to update the system. She was a fighter. She would survive. She had secured her place in the world for her family.
But this was a reward she couldn’t indulge in herself. Thousands of bugfixes, hotfixes and updates needed to be written, and the only way to keep that place for her family was through this labor. Arduous, neverending labor.
Elizabeth was slouched and typing when her boss walked behind her. She pretended not to hear until he spoke up.
“Elizabeth, Walk with me. I have a proposition I think will make both of us happy.” He said, feigning happiness.
Elizabeth gave the fakest, dry smile she could muster. “Coming.”
The pair exited Elizabeth’s cramped office, her bosses dress shoes clacking loudly against the cheap concrete floor.
“Now, Elizabeth. I commend you on your… bravery. Coming up with a way to make yourself indispensable like that is clever in this day and age. For your family, right?” He began.
“Of course sir. Have to feed my wife somehow.” She replied. She had tried her best to not give her boss the leverage of such knowledge, but rumors got around.
“As much as I can personally praise you for this, the company is still furious about it. You’re slower than a full office of people, and we could be making a lot more money then we are now.” He explained in what must be his best HR voice.
“If this is about sharing how it works, I’ve already told them a million-” Elizabeth exclaimed
He gave a snakelike smile. “No, no, of course Elizabeth! You’ve made your stance firm.” He opened the door to his office. The poorly made polymer wood door scraped against the concrete floor. “We have an alternate solution.” He patted a massive portfolio of paper alone on his desk. “One of our sibling companies has been perfecting cryosleep technology. We want you to give us a guide on how to write kernel changes. While we work away, you’ll be under cryosleep and come out to push changes every so often.” His face was so full of joy for what he was suggesting. Elizabeth would be company property from now on. It was horrific, and she was more angry than anything at such a ridiculous proposition.
“What- No way! There isn't anything in that for me, I-!” Elizabeth shouted
“Calm down, Elizabeth.” He chided. “Of course you get something. Every single member of your current family will get three times your paycheck. For life, as long as we can fulfill it. And your contract will end once they’re all dead.”
Elizabeth swallowed. Everything she had worked for was for them, and this would be a permanent solution. She only got to see them on extremely rare occasions. Years went without a visit. What would be a lifetime if they were okay forever?
“I… This is a lot…” Elizabeth whispered.
“Of course. Take a seat and think about it.” He said.
Elizabeth sat down. But she could feel in some deep part of her that she already knew the answer.
Earth, 2355 CE
(One month later)
Elizabeth heard hissing. Whirring. The rush of cold air. Where Was she? Had she done it? Signed off her life? She could barely move her fingers, much less her legs. Her eyelids responded groggily, producing only a few hazy blobs of color.
“...Patient is alive. Vital signs are green. You’re good to speak to her, sir.” A female voice said from what felt like far away. Elizabeth’s ears were ringing in a tone she thought only dogs could hear,
“Elizabeth. Elizabeth? You with me?” She barely made out her boss asking.
“Sir? Where… Where am I? What-” Elizabeth desperately questioned before being cut off. Her throat felt like shit too.
He laughed “Welcome to the future, Elizabeth! Good news, you’re fully compatible with the cryopod.”
“Whats… Did I-?” She stammered in response.
“You signed the paper Elizabeth. Get your bearings, refresh your mind.” He said, matter of fact.
After five minutes, she could see properly. Ten minutes later, she could move her arm. Fifteen, walking was back. She spun around the room, trying to take everything in. Room might be too much, she really just got a closet. The tech around her looked so strange, every wall other than the one the cryopod was set against was lined with boxes filled with humming circuitry and blinking lights. The only familiar things were a clock displaying the date and a bench.
She blinked a few times finally processing the date. A month was just… Gone. A month of things happened without her in what was just an instant to her. Good thing she didn’t have a fear of missing out.
Her boss coughed for her attention. “Now, this was just a test. But while you’re up, you wouldn’t mind pushing some changes?” He requested, passing her some tightly folded clothes.
Elizabeth blinked a few times before she smiled politely. “Of course, sir.”
Time to work.
Earth, 2368 CE
Elizabeth could feel her mind activate. It was a sensation that was hard to explain, but it was like the logical part of her switched on from a feeling of nothing.
Hissing, Whirring, A cold rush of air, causing her to shiver.
“Welcome back, Elizabeth.” Her boss said flatly. His voice sounded more crackly and strained then she remembered.
“Hhhow lonng?” She attempted to ask, coming out as a bit of a slurred mess.
“It's been 13 years. Time for you to give us some updates”. He sounded so jaded. Perhaps time had not treated him well.
Had it really been 13 years? A month felt like a monumental stretch of time, but
Locomotion finally returned to her body much faster this time, as she slipped on a set of company branded clothes that had been set on the bench to the right of her pod. By the time she was dressed he was already out of sight, shoes clacking against the floor.
She left her little closet and immediately everything felt wrong. Items had been replaced with brands she didn’t recognize. There was even some terminal that was entirely new to her. She took a moment to fiddle with it, but stopped when it angrily beeped at her. She even found 3 other closet-rooms on the way to her office, it looked like a few others had tried her little stunt. How inspiring she must be.
Whatever, that all was tertiary. She stopped exploring at her office, cracked her fingers and sat down to type. She had a job to do.
Earth, 2393 CE
Elizabeth could hear a voice through the glass.
“Hello? Helloooo??”
Hissing, Whirring, Rush of air. All the same as last time.
“Hello there, Elizabeth.” A younger man said. She could practically hear that mock friendly smile he absolutely had.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. “And you are?” She croaked.
“Danny. I’m the CEO. Well, new CEO for you. It’s time for an update, Elizabeth.” He remarked before walking out of the room.
Elizabeth sighed. “Right…” She rubbed her temple.
Recovery was much faster this time around. She stumbled out of the cryopod, and got dressed. At least the clothes were much nicer, this time around.
She looked around at the room. It seemed to at least be as ageless as she was. The clock showed 25 years had passed. She laughed, desperately avoiding the weight that in a moment, a span of time longer than her entire lifespan had passed. To herself, she was only 22. She still looked 22. But the clock showed the truth. She was now 60.
She walked out of the room, still a bit groggy. Danny leaned against the doorframe outside, waiting for her.
“You okay Elizabeth? It has to be hard waking up from cryosleep like that.” He asked in a genuinely soft tone she had never heard a boss of hers take.
Elizabeth snorted. “Why, you finally feeling sympathetic for the 60 year old woman that you keep as company property?”
Danny flinched. “Ouch… but fair. It’s… It’s hard to explain how I feel right now. I’ve seen you my whole life, motionless. It’s just strange to see you…” He gestured at her whole body.
“Walking and talking? Like a real human from earth?” She snipped back.
Danny winced. “Ah… You probably shouldn’t talk like that. Earth has been Terra for like… 15 years now. And “Humans” are Terrans.” He emphasized the word humans with air quotes. “You could get hurt for saying those things.”
“Okay… I guess.” Elizabeth sighed.
As they made it to her office, she could hear… Shouting? Must be from outside. She walked past her office door to a window.
“Protesters.” Danny said in a matter of fact tone.
Elizabeth could just barely read the signs of the 40 or so people shouting from outside the window. “Is that my name?”
“In the past ten or so years, we’ve gotten some ethical complaints over you. Someone must have leaked that you were getting up from your nap today.” Danny said, his mind distant and eyes staring at the crowd.
Elizabeth couldn’t make out most of the words from the height she was at, but she could just barely make out her name, the words “Cryosleep Pod”, and the names of every single one of her family members. Assholes must have gone digging. Didn’t they know that she was making them happy? They were living in her stead. They had a chance because of her. She had to do this so they could live without pain and instability. She scoffed.
“I’m going to work.” She sneered, before turning into her office.
Earth Terra, 2417 CE.
Elizabeth was tired. Unbelievably so. Her cryosleep naps must be catching up with her.
Her eyes fluttered open as she heard the now familiar hiss, whir, and rush of the pod opening.
“Hello again, sleeping beauty.” Danny said. He was so much older then she remembered. It was deeply unsettling hearing a person go from your age to your parents' age in minutes to you.
Elizabeth groaned. “Fuck, do NOT call me sleeping beauty. That was so icky.” She nearly fell out of the pod getting out.
Danny sighed. “Understandable. World update to you so you aren’t accidentally racist again, You’re now under a nation known as the Terran Accord. The last person that remembers world war 8 just died, and the way your operating system works is the basis of how most are built these days. I hope you’re proud, you deserve to be.”
Elizabeth looked around her closet. “No clock? How long has it been?” She asked.
“Ah… it kept… running out of batteries. It's been about 13 years.” He stammered.
“Mmm.” Elizabeth grunted as she dressed herself. “So I’m 73. Awesome. Seems the stress hasn’t been treating you well. Pretty early for a thirty something guy.” She gestured to Danny with one hand. His hair was fully greyed, and was pretty far through thinning.
He gave a wry smile. “Yeah. I know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have important business to attend to.” He promptly exited the room. The visit had been brief, but she was still happy to see him still there.
Elizabeth shambled out of the room. She really did feel like a zombie, with a heavy fog blanketing her brain. At least she could have some solace that the company was doing good. She couldn't recognize most of the things around the office. The brands, symbols and materials all seemed so unfamiliar. But it all looked so shiny, clean and… futuristic.
Maybe she was making a difference?
Elizabeth smiled. She could work with that thought.
Terra, 2459 CE
Elizabeth bolted awake. Hiss. Whirr. Rush.
She was practiced at this point, and whatever had left her devoid of energy last time had evidently been fixed. Mist from the pod swelled around her as she stepped out, cracking her neck.
“Danny?? You there?” She called out.
“Hello again, Elizabeth.” The voice that replied was deep, full of cracks. Almost shaky. But unmistakably Danny. How long had it been?
Elizabeth looked around. A new room! Significantly bigger, and now with the 3 other cryopods against the same wall as her. All the tech in the room looked so futuristic compared to anything she had used. But against the same bench that had been with her the whole time was Danny. He was old. Leaned against a cane, hair fully gone. His hands shook against the head of his walking cane. His eyes even looked like they were beginning to dull.
“Danny… Are you okay?” Elizabeth asked softly as she dressed herself.
Danny gave a slight smile. “Medical complications. It's fine. I’m only… 55 now. You were asleep for 15 years.” He responded.
Elizabeth could smell bullshit in the air. 55 years old? He looked like a senior citizen.
“Sure. That’d make me… 88 now?” Elizabeth wondered. “I guess these are the other guys and gals that tried the same trick I did. Lemme get a look at who I’m sleeping with.” She said with a grin, turning to the other pods.
“Elizabeth, wait!!” Danny cried out a moment too late.
Elizabeth wanted to vomit. She expected some random person, maybe at the wildest one of her old coworkers.
It was her partner.
“What the FUCK IS THIS DANNY!!” She shouted.
“I assure you, there is a perfectly logical, and more importantly legal-” Danny stammered.
“No, Danny, nothing about this is logical! Why is my partner here. What the fuck is she doing here. What are my parents doing here?? Why-” Elizabeth was panicking now. Crying. She probably would have vomited by now if not for whatever slurry they had been pumping into her stomach. She hated it. She wanted to be sickened.
She could hear Danny standing up behind her, cane clacking against the linoleum. “They went under too. After just about 5 years, they had saved up enough to go under. Said they wanted to be there when you woke up.”
Elizabeth was on her knees, sobbing. “I- I- I did it for them! I’m here for them! Why- I- I wanted them to live for me- I- I- can’t-”
Danny sighed. “You can. You’re going to work. Trust me, even with the amount of capital you’re giving them, it's worse out there by now.”
Elizabeth glared at him. Her eyes were puffy and red. “Not that I have a fucking choice, asshole. I guess those protests were over your little indefinite servitude scam, making my contract endless by putting my family under?”
“I… Yes. Sharp as ever.” He whispered, head hung low.
“How long has it been, Danny. The real answer.” She growled.
“Ah… since the start of your contract…..” He pondered for a moment “One… 104 years…” Danny barely eked out.
Elizabeth’s face was contorted with anger. “I guess I’ll go work then. Update your eternal OS. 104 years, damn thing is probably obsolete by now.” She stomped out of the room.
Elizabeth could barely breathe. Of course they had scammed her, why had she expected anything less? What was she supposed to do? Was there anything she could do?
Elizabeth suddenly stopped. She was at her office. Most of it was covered in dust. Every item inside contrasted the world outside, old and archaic in comparison.
It felt like her heart had stopped as she stared at her computer.
It was time to work.
Terra, 2498 CE
The second she heard the telltale hiss, whirr, and rush of the cryopod opening, she felt like she was in shambles. She had spent the last work session in a heavy stupor, not allowing herself the time to process what had happened.
It felt like the dry marks left by her tears were still there. Like she had bawled her eyes out just yesterday. Like they hadn’t all been here in neverending stasis, outliving everyone they knew. Everything they knew. The world was so alien now, and she felt so disconnected from it all.
“Hey. Wake up.” A gruff female voice barked at her.
“New CEO?” Elizabeth asked, dejected.
“Weird, your accent sounds like my grandma. Listen, I know you’ve been asleep for 39 years, but could you make this snappy? The rinans figured out a hack in our system, and everyone keeps saying only you can fix it.” She snipped.
“Rinan- You know what, I won’t bother. It won’t be more than a day ma’am.” She sighed out, crestfallen.
“Great.” The woman left, boots clicking against the floor.
Elizabeth sniffled her way through getting dressed, before brushing off some dust from her partner's cryopod. A few tears escaped her eyes as she looked at that beautiful, sleeping face, and rested her forehead against the glass.
“You idiot… You really couldn’t live in my stead? Use the sacrifice I had given you for yourself? You just had to make it about me… Which is so unbelievably you.” She laughed, true and genuine for the first time in 143 years.
She turned around and slumped against the cryopod, sitting on the ground and picked at the sleeves of the bland company shirt she was wearing. She was so anxious. Fatigued. Filled with a dread she had no way to parse.
The world was hard to navigate, and bad parts so often felt unchangeable. But it was always away from her. This was her. The dread was quickly mounting into an existential spiral again.
Time to work!
Terra, 2550 CE
Hiss. Whirr. Rush.
No voices greeted Elizabeth as she stepped out of the cryopod. The room was dark, the hallway barely lit brighter. The glow of the cryopods illuminated the room more than the bulbs did. A note was waiting for her on the bench.
She stared at the new clock as she dressed herself in the cheap, scratchy clothes left for her. 52 years this time. She was now reaching 200. She remembered reading stories about people risking everything for immortality. It was ironic then, that she had taken immortality to give others everything. It still didn’t pay off. A finger curled on the monkey’s paw no matter what.
Elizabeth grabbed the paper. The feeling was… wrong. The paper was waxy and mottled with bumps. Nothing was the same. Even something as small as paper had changed.
“The weeds figured out how to get into the systems on all the old OCNI ships. Fix it”.
Was it the same person as last time? Probably not. 52 years was a long time.
She walked to the door, before rattling the handle. Apparently someone had locked it. She took a moment of confusion, before she realized that a laptop was sitting on the bench next to the paper. Great! Budget cuts come for everyone, it would seem.
Elizabeth cracked her fingers before sitting down to work.
Terra?, 2555 CE
Elizabeth’s jolted up violently. She was on a medical cot… Not the cryopod? Had she failed? Her head jerked to turn to the door before she shrieked.
A mass of vines? In the shape of a terran? And it was looking straight at her.
Elizabeth scrambled back to the far corner of the room. “I- Y-You’re an alien! Get the fuck away from me! ”
The thing looked at her. Its vines had been twisted into the shape of a terran, making what must have been a mock look of concern.
The alien spoke with concern. Its voice was like several people were talking at once, culminating into the sound of talking. “Petal… Alien? That's such an archaic word… Oh my. You must have been in there longer than any of us thought.”
Elizabeth was crying “You- I don’t- Leave me alone! Where- Where am I? I’m not supposed to be here! Go away!” She curled into the fetal position, back to the corner and eyes still trained on the alien.
The thing sat on an oversized chair and crossed its legs, before sighing. “Petal, I’m here to help you. You’re in a xenoveterinarian's office on terra. It’s like a doctor's office.”
Elizabeth growled back. “Put. Me. Back. I have to go back. The CEO is gonna kill you guys if he finds out that you aliens kidnapped me, I-”
The alien giggled at her. Is it laughing? This is her life! This is how she keeps them alive!
“The company you made that contract with is gone. So is the currency you got from them.” The alien replied.
“I… It’s gone…? Everything I worked for… Gone? My sacrifice meant nothing? My family has to start from zero? Again?!” Elizabeth retorted beginning to shout, the tears intensifying.
The alien hung its head for a moment, rubbing its plantwork temple. “Stars, no. Currency is gone, flower. There’s no more scarcity.”
That idea was so startling, it took her out of the panicked stupor Elizabeth was stuck in.
“That's impossible.” Elizabeth said flatly. “The world changes a lot, but not that much.”
The alien stood up “May I come closer to you?” It asked. Elizabeth thought for a second, before nodding. It walked over, before sitting on the ground in front of Elizabeth. Its lap was the width of a small twin mattress laid out like that.
“I can prove it. But first, some questions. We’ll play a game. I ask a question, you ask a question. Sound good?” It proposed.
Elizabeth slowly nodded again. “Great.” It started. “First off, your name.”
“E-Elizabath. FUCK I mean Elizabeth. Sorry.” She answered.
The alien giggled. It felt so much more kind this time than it had before. “It's alright, Elizabeth. It's perfectly normal to be nervous in this situation. Now your question?”
“What and who are you?” Elizabeth snipped.
“That's two questions, but I’ll answer anyway. I am an affini, and my name is Como Ivy, first bloom. In affini culture, we tell our bloom as part of our name. It is relatively analogous to our age. You may refer to me as Como, and I use ‘She’ pronouns.” The affini grinned. Its teeth hiding behind the thin mouth was still unsettling to Elizabeth, but it felt… Less present now that she had a name to give to Como. A she, and not an unknown, dangerous it.
Como continued. “Now for my question. When were you put into that pod in terran years?”
“Uhm…” Elizabeth searched for the answer. “2355 CE.”
“Oh dirt and roots, you poor thing! 200 years?” Como gasped.
Elizabeth looked down. Barely nodding with her head buried in her knees. Tears stained the medical gown she was dressed in. “I- I don’t want to talk about it, Como.” She sniffled.
“You’re under no obligation to, sweet flower. You’re safe here. Take your time.” Como answered.
Elizabeth sat for a moment more, gathering her thoughts.
“O-Okay. I’m ready for my question.” Elizabeth said to break the silence. “There were 3 other pods in the room with me. My partner, my mom, and my dad. Where are they?”
Como smiled again. She almost looked proud. “You’re such a sweet sophont, Elizabeth. They’re here, in the same building as you. You’ll get to see them as soon as all of your checkups are done with, then you’ll likely be put under wardships to acclimate. Life has changed a lot in the past 5 years for you silly little terrans, much less the last 200 years.”
The sigh Elizabeth let out released more tension then she even knew was built up throughout her body. She was so tired. The mental stress that had built up felt insurmountable, and yet these magical aliens had just dismantled that hurdle in a matter of minutes.
“Como… Can I have a hug? It has been a very emotional day…” Elizabeth whimpered.
Como chuckled. ”Of course, petal.”
As Elizabeth curled into the embrace of the affini, the tension suspended through two centuries of labor finally collapsed. It was amazing. Maybe it was just the fact that this was just the first hug she had been given in a while, but the cool vines of the affini wrapped around her body were more comfortable then any bed she had ever used. They massaged every sore point of her body, making her even more limp then she was already. A few spare vines raked through her hair scratching her scalp in just the right way, causing a shiver up her spine.
“G-Gah…” Elizabeth whined in pleasure. “Is this what passes for a hug to the affini?” She asked in a sarcastic tone. She was secretly hoping the answer was yes.
“Shhh….” Como hushed. A wave of comfort washed over Elizabeth. “You don’t have to work anymore, Elizabeth. It’s your turn to live, your turn to relax.” Her tone was so motherly, she wanted to just accept this.
“...Okay.” Elizabeth finally managed to whisper
Her work was done.