The cryopod opened within a poorly lit room, the lights having been dimmed long ago to save on power consumption. Within it a man awoke, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxer shorts, what they called a sleep suit, and a wrist computer. He climbed out of the horizontal pod groggily, struggling to get his sore muscles to work. The bombs must have fell. he realized, but why did they wait so long to thaw me out? They were going to thaw people out as they needed them, in order of importance, and I'm one of the head engineers. He looked around as he stood up, noticing the dimmed lights and low air quality, not to mention the general wear that covered everything. How long was I out? He checked the clock on his wristcomp, as it was tied into the base computer. 10:07 AM, May 17, 2523? Why would it take them so long? Unless I wasn't thawed out by a person. Which means the AI woke me and probably others to save power. He checked the airquality sensor on his wristcomp. The oxygen is too long for me to breath for long, and the CO level's in toxic range.
"Computer," he said, hoping to wake the base's sleeping AI. "This is Dr. Matthew McCollum, authorization code alpha-7-2-7-beta. Restore air quality immediately."
"I am unable to do that, Doctor." The AI said over the room's speakers. "Atmospheric processing has been offline for 57.283 years."
"Fine then," Matt said. "Auditory warning throughout the base. Tell those that were awakened how long they have to leave."
"Affirmative." the computer said, then activated all of the announcement speakers in the building. "Unconsciousness will occur in T-14:50."
"Thank you, computer." he said as he put on the jumpsuit and boots that were in his personal chest at the foot of his pod. He removed his backpack from the box (T-14:30) and checked the contents. Electrical and standard tool sets, check. Extra Standard Batteries, check.
Knowing that his survival would depend on what he could salvage, he headed to an emergency supply room just down the hall. Virtually everything of use had been taken, however. Too bad, I had hoped for a rebreather, or at least an emergency oxygen supply. Knowing that there were only two other places in the base to get oxygen, he headed to the one least likely to have been taken, a place he'd need to go anyways, the maintenance room. When he entered, however, he saw a skeleton on the floor with and empty tank of welding oxygen up against the nearby wall. He forgot to use a pressure regulator. It's under far too much pressure to breath without one. Probably killed himself trying to breath it. He checked the other tanks and saw that someone had emptied them as well, probably to try and refill emergency oxygen tanks. It would have been full of contaminants, but a slow leak of it could have bought you quite a bit of time in this atmosphere.
"T-7:30," the computer said. Medical it is then, he thought, as he placed a solar battery charger, a kit of assorted electrical components, and what batteries he could find into his bag. Before leaving, though, he grabbed the wristcomp off of the skeleton as well as the dead man's backpack.
A few minutes later, and two levels closer to the surface, he entered the main medical center and saw that it had been ransacked even more than the emergency supplies or the maintenance bay. He did manage to find several partial first aid kits and a few bottles of medicine. Ibuprofen, Amoxicilin, Benadril, and two bottles of anti-histamines. Apparently allergies were low on the list of problems for most of the people that came through here.,he thought, breathing heavily. The work wasn't hard or tiring, but in this thin air it was difficult to get enough oxygen into your blood to breath normally.
"T-3:00", the computer said, and he knew he had to leave then. He climbed the stairs to the entry room and pushed a few buttons on the console, opening the emergency door. Or rather, opening it enough to get through. The years of neglect has damaged it too much for it to open by more than a few feet.
Once he was done gasping for air, and was safely breathing the surface air, he looked around. There was a surprising amount of foliage, and even the sounds of birds. I guess if you let an area sit there for five hundred years, even an irradiated area, life will take it over. He looked in the dead man's bag and saw a 9mm pistol, some emergency rations, a few spare clips for the gun, and a few dozen extra bullets. He was probably in security or the military and swung by the cafeteria before going to get more air. Lucky for me he had this stuff on him. I'd have to make my own weapon and be a hunter/gatherer without it.
Just then something on a nearby tree caught his eye. He walked over and pushed back an evergreen limb to see a skull stuck to the tree with an arrow. It had went through an eye socket and out the back, into the tree. The rest of the skeleton was below it, partially covered in decaying leaves. Looks like someone survived the bombs. Either that or some of the people the AI released earlier aren't too kind. Either way he knew he'd need to defend himself if they attacked. He took the pistol and its holster from the backpack and strapped it to his leg.
Now, being reasonably certain he could protect himself if he needed to, he went over to a nearby sunny rock to set up the solar charging station. He stopped, however, when he saw someone else leaving the station. "Just breath," he said. Checking the air quality on his wrist comp. "The air is high-quality up here. I'll give you a second to catch your breath." When he thought they could answer the question, he introduced himself. "Dr. Matt McCollum," he said, "but you can call me Matt. I'm a physicist. And you?"
"Computer," he said, hoping to wake the base's sleeping AI. "This is Dr. Matthew McCollum, authorization code alpha-7-2-7-beta. Restore air quality immediately."
"I am unable to do that, Doctor." The AI said over the room's speakers. "Atmospheric processing has been offline for 57.283 years."
"Fine then," Matt said. "Auditory warning throughout the base. Tell those that were awakened how long they have to leave."
"Affirmative." the computer said, then activated all of the announcement speakers in the building. "Unconsciousness will occur in T-14:50."
"Thank you, computer." he said as he put on the jumpsuit and boots that were in his personal chest at the foot of his pod. He removed his backpack from the box (T-14:30) and checked the contents. Electrical and standard tool sets, check. Extra Standard Batteries, check.
Knowing that his survival would depend on what he could salvage, he headed to an emergency supply room just down the hall. Virtually everything of use had been taken, however. Too bad, I had hoped for a rebreather, or at least an emergency oxygen supply. Knowing that there were only two other places in the base to get oxygen, he headed to the one least likely to have been taken, a place he'd need to go anyways, the maintenance room. When he entered, however, he saw a skeleton on the floor with and empty tank of welding oxygen up against the nearby wall. He forgot to use a pressure regulator. It's under far too much pressure to breath without one. Probably killed himself trying to breath it. He checked the other tanks and saw that someone had emptied them as well, probably to try and refill emergency oxygen tanks. It would have been full of contaminants, but a slow leak of it could have bought you quite a bit of time in this atmosphere.
"T-7:30," the computer said. Medical it is then, he thought, as he placed a solar battery charger, a kit of assorted electrical components, and what batteries he could find into his bag. Before leaving, though, he grabbed the wristcomp off of the skeleton as well as the dead man's backpack.
A few minutes later, and two levels closer to the surface, he entered the main medical center and saw that it had been ransacked even more than the emergency supplies or the maintenance bay. He did manage to find several partial first aid kits and a few bottles of medicine. Ibuprofen, Amoxicilin, Benadril, and two bottles of anti-histamines. Apparently allergies were low on the list of problems for most of the people that came through here.,he thought, breathing heavily. The work wasn't hard or tiring, but in this thin air it was difficult to get enough oxygen into your blood to breath normally.
"T-3:00", the computer said, and he knew he had to leave then. He climbed the stairs to the entry room and pushed a few buttons on the console, opening the emergency door. Or rather, opening it enough to get through. The years of neglect has damaged it too much for it to open by more than a few feet.
Once he was done gasping for air, and was safely breathing the surface air, he looked around. There was a surprising amount of foliage, and even the sounds of birds. I guess if you let an area sit there for five hundred years, even an irradiated area, life will take it over. He looked in the dead man's bag and saw a 9mm pistol, some emergency rations, a few spare clips for the gun, and a few dozen extra bullets. He was probably in security or the military and swung by the cafeteria before going to get more air. Lucky for me he had this stuff on him. I'd have to make my own weapon and be a hunter/gatherer without it.
Just then something on a nearby tree caught his eye. He walked over and pushed back an evergreen limb to see a skull stuck to the tree with an arrow. It had went through an eye socket and out the back, into the tree. The rest of the skeleton was below it, partially covered in decaying leaves. Looks like someone survived the bombs. Either that or some of the people the AI released earlier aren't too kind. Either way he knew he'd need to defend himself if they attacked. He took the pistol and its holster from the backpack and strapped it to his leg.
Now, being reasonably certain he could protect himself if he needed to, he went over to a nearby sunny rock to set up the solar charging station. He stopped, however, when he saw someone else leaving the station. "Just breath," he said. Checking the air quality on his wrist comp. "The air is high-quality up here. I'll give you a second to catch your breath." When he thought they could answer the question, he introduced himself. "Dr. Matt McCollum," he said, "but you can call me Matt. I'm a physicist. And you?"
