Il Reveille!

It was the faint buzzing in his ear that brought on the first flutters of consciousness. He could just about recall a vague dream about being at an airport, rushing to catch a flight he was already late for, and when the buzzing began, he felt his anxiety ease up a bit, as he realised he wasn’t really about to miss an important flight. But once his eyelids fluttered open and he tried to reach out reflexively to shut off the alarm, his true bearings dawned on him, and a new, much stronger wave of anxiety hit him like a tsunami. 

The pod was compact, like a coffin, and his fear of small spaces made him prone to hyperventilating. He tried to control his breathing, as the instructor had shown him. Inhale for 4 counts - 1, 2, 3, 4 - hold for 4 counts - 1, 2, 3, 4 - exhale for 4 counts - 1, 2, 3, 4 - and repeat. His breathing slowed but not being able to move any of his limbs while staring up at the metallic arch of the pod just inches from his forehead, was triggering, in more ways than one. 

Suddenly, he heard a heavy clunk of machinery from outside and felt a wave of relief wash over him as the first wisps of natural light and air touched his skin. The lid of the pod was lifted and soon he found himself staring up at an unfamiliar face, mostly obscured by a surgical mask and thick, goggle-like glasses. 

“Il reveille!” 

At these words, around 4 other masked faces came into his vision, all of them curiously peering down at him like some alien species. The sheer audacity of this irritated him and he made more virile efforts to lift himself up into a sitting position, but it was futile. He was trapped. 

“Donne-lui de l’espace, poutain!”

A barking voice rang out from somewhere to his left and its authoritative tone seemed to cause his gawkers to back off. 

“Monsieur Williams, I’m very sorry you had to wake up to these ugly sights. But I assure you, there are better things to look forward to” The same bark from before that had now taken on a gentler, more soothing tone as its masked owner came into view. Hovering above him, this one didn’t have goggles like the others and Nate wasn’t sure if the expression in his piercing blue eyes was one of kindness or fascination.

“You will not be able to move for another half hour, as the effects of the serum wear off. But according to our data, everything is in perfect working order and you should regain full muscle capability within 24 hours.”

Nate tried to respond but it felt like his vocal cords had been severed. His eyes widened in alarm at this sensation but the doctor squeezed his arm gently as if to assuage him. “Don’t try to speak right now - just like your muscles, it will take some time for your vocal capabilities to return. Let’s help him up, guys. Toute vite!”

The lab coats shuffled around his pod, pushing buttons, and he was swiftly lifted up to a seated position that made it easier for him to take in his surroundings. The room was whitewashed and sterile with 3 other pods similar to his in each corner. It looked like a cross between a hospital and what he imagined to be a high-profile laboratory. He tried to recall if it was the same room he had been in 10 years earlier, before found his memory to be as fuzzy as his other physical shortcomings. 

“You are currently in Lucerne, Switzerland. The same facility where you agreed to go into hibernation mode in 2021. The date today is 25th March, 2031, which means that you have been in an induced coma for the past decade. There are some things we will need to go over with you in further detail before you can be released from the facility and return to your home country. As you can imagine, the world has changed quite a bit in ten years and the unfamiliar surroundings is usually a bit of culture shock for our new wakers. But all this in due time. For now, maybe we can get the paperwork out of the way. Please have a read through these documents and blink in the direction of the dotted line to insert your signature.”

*******************************************

Nate looked down at his jeans and shoes that he had walked into the facility with ten years earlier and suddenly felt extremely self conscious. The people on the street however seemed not to pay him much notice, even as they went around in their ridiculous, neon-toned, impractical outfits. He could have been a ghost, a faded-out spectre who was too unremarkable to pay any attention to. Everyone and everything else appeared in high resolution while he was a grainy glitch that could easily be overlooked. The world has changed a lot… well, that was to be expected, he supposed. When he had first agreed to the hibernation mode trial, it was because he was fed up with the world, with his life, with not being able to change anything, no matter how hard he tried. He thought the slumber would do him good - almost like a bout in rehab might. It would change his outlook and even give him that inspiration he had long been craving - the one for his next piece. But had it? It had been around 48 hours and he still wasn’t sure if his artistic genius had simply been something that belonged to a previous life. And then of course, there was the fact that going into hibernation mode had been as much a literal escape as it was a metaphorical one. He tried to push this thought out of his mind. After all, 10 years had passed.... surely, they still wouldn't be looking for him now?

As he made his way through the unfamiliar streets, his thoughts inevitably drifted to Tom. What was he doing? Would he have remembered the date of Nate’s awakening? Would he even care anymore? He checked his phone but all the social media had become so finicky nowadays that he would take him a while to get used to cyber stalking the love of his life again. 

He reached back into his jacket pocket and his fist closed around something he at first mistook to be a handkerchief. On pulling it out, he let out a laugh as he saw its true nature - a Covid mask! Another reason why he had prayed to be selected for the hibernation trial. 

Cars zoomed on the aerial highways far above his head as he made his way to the only place he could remember in this area. The river Reuss shimmered in the last vestiges of the setting sun and he stared out at it, mesmerized by the ripples on its surface until the vibrations from his phone interrupted his wandering thoughts. He looked down and saw the notification flash up on his screen - "WELCOME BACK - LOOKING FORWARD TO CATCHING UP SOON." The number was blocked. A sense of unease began to settle deep in his gut at the realization that maybe some things hadn’t really changed at all.