Have we already
arrived? The shaking lessened, and she stretched out her hand, testing it,
flexing her fingers as she watched the distorted images collapse into
recognizable patterns. She blinked new tears out of her eyes, then put her hand
down and turned her head.
The pod had opened to the inner environment of the ship. The
glass walls no longer obscured the view; instead, Irina had a clear picture of
everything around her.
“Body temperature reaching 35 degrees. Neural recovery
satisfactory. One minute to completion of procedure.” Electrodes released their
hold on her head, retracting on small metal cables into the pod.
Irina put her hands underneath her body. The platform was
warm, and her skin had shed the ice water left over from the cryogenic sleep.
The shivering stopped, and she felt strength returning to her muscles. The
restraints withdrew, and she floated several inches above the platform.
“Procedure complete. Welcome back, Commander Dovenka.”
Irina pushed herself up, feeling the tendons flex and the
ligaments stretch as she moved. Now upright, she reached for the nearby cabinet
labeled with her name, opening the doors to reveal clothes and dry rations, a
drawer for personal effects, and a portable tablet computer. She dressed,
smoothing the uniform over her body. Her fingers felt clumsy, slow, and
buttoning her shirt took a few more tries than expected.
Last, she powered on the magnetic boots, and they pulled her
to the floor, attaching to the ship with enough force to hold her in place.
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