Welcome to Spring

Nicholas Blair is many things that others wish they could be. Thirty-something, male, athletic, easy-on-the-eyes, intelligent.

Nicholas Blair is many things that others don’t wish on themselves. Single, alone, childless, parentless, depressed.

While these were all ways to describe Nicholas Blair, he is currently only described in one way, as Test Subject #1, and as far as Boreas Corporation is concerned, he would remain that for the duration of his testing.

However, as far as Dr. Lucie Holder is concerned, Mr. Blair could be described in several different ways. He is her primary test subject. He is a man alone in this world. He is a man that desperately chose to escape his reality with an experiment that could kill him. He is a man who could be so much if he had the right pushes. To Dr. Holder, Mr. Blair is worth caring for if she wanted to succeed, and because maybe, just maybe, she could be those right pushes.

The experiment being conducted has a simple description but has several complexities behind that description.

On paper, to the corporation’s shareholders, the Zephyrus Project is meant to test Dr. Holder’s cryogenic pod technology and research to see if long term cryostasis is possible. Test Subject #1 spends six months in cryostasis with his vitals being monitored. If he is successfully brought in and out of this state, the project would be a success and further steps could be taken in this project.

In reality, to Dr. Holder, the Zephyrus Project requires nearly every moment of her time is she wants success. She sleeps in the lab where she can keep an eye on vitals and make small adjustments to the machine and what keeps it running when it needs it. She dedicates so much time to this project that her assistances have been responsible for responding when her family or friends reach out with invites or concern on her wellbeing.

While it is hard to say why, Dr. Holder speaks with Mr. Blair as if he is awake in his state of cryostasis. Many of the lab assistants noticed it at first whenever she was near the machine and deep in thought; however, as each month passes her circle of communication grows. These musings aren’t recorded on the official project notes as they would add many pages upon pages to the final project report. There are six noted exceptions throughout the project of this communication as Dr. Holder chose to play these directly to Test Subject #1, as seen by the lab assistants.

With the final day of the project here, Dr. Holder looks over the previous recordings before playing her final words and attempting to wake up Mr. Blair.

A month into the project, Dr. Holder started by saying:

Hello Mr. Blair, or Test Subject #1, as our project has chosen to refer to you. While I didn’t originally decide to offer recordings to you in your cryostasis state as you shouldn’t be able to hear them if everything is working correctly, I decided to do it for my own sake. Kind of how a gardener might play music for their plants or a soon-to-be father might read nursery rhymes to his wife’s womb. So, this first recording is meant to mark the one-month stage of our project. Your vitals have remained positive thus far and we will do our best to maintain that. With that in mind, I can’t think of anything else to say, but to keep doing your best. Oh, Happy Halloween in advance.

The next two months, Dr. Holder made similar recordings. The first was short:

Hello Mr. Blair, your vitals have remained strong, and the project is going well. I’m still constantly worried that something might happen, but to be honest, I have gotten into a habit of venting to you when it's just the two of us in the lab. It has been keeping me sane. So, thank you.

And the second was even shorter:

Hello again. Things continue to progress smoothly. With the holidays coming up, it has been hectic in the lab to keep everything running well. Regardless, we will continue to do our best for you. Here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving.

The next month had a drastically different recording. It went as follows:

Nicholas, I hope you are doing better now. We’ve had a scare here the last few days. Your vitals which had been maintaining strong for the last three months started to behave erratically to the point that we almost thought we were going to lose you. While I don’t think you can hear my voice in there, your vitals did seem to improve after I spent the night near the machine, telling you about myself and whatever else I could think of to keep talking. Whether it was the cause or not, your vitals stabilizing is the best Christmas gift I could ask for this year. Now that I think about it, I don’t know what you celebrate, but regardless, Happy Holidays.

The following month’s recording danced between a causal and professional tone however short it was. It went:

Hello Nick, I mean Nicholas, I mean Mr. Blair. In case you can hear me in there, sorry for the lack of formalities lately. While I think it might be possibly helping, I must approach this as a scientist first and realize that words can’t always be there to help. Regardless, I will continue to do my best to get you to the end of this project.

Now, it is the final day of the project. Dr. Holder anxiously waits for the machine to start the process of bringing Nicholas Blair out of cryostasis. While the members of the board are more interested in seeing the results on paper in the next board meeting than in person, most of the lab staff is present and waiting nearly as anxiously as Dr. Holder.

The process takes time and begins to slowly end the cryostasis. As it does, Dr. Holder plays her final recording in hopes that it will play right as Mr. Nicholas Blair awakens. It goes:

Hello Mr. Blair, or Test Subject #1 as the lab refers to you, or Nicholas as I have come to talk to, it is my hope that this message will be one of the first things you hear as you awaken. While it is entirely possible that something could go wrong still, I want to believe that you will awaken successfully and slowly begin the process forward for you and us. With that in mind, I hope that we can both find success on this final day and forward. I believe in you and hope to have an actual conversation with you once you have woken. So, with that in mind, talk to you soon, and welcome to spring.