Somewhere in the Future

I awake in a strange place. The only way that I can accurately describe it is a chrome MRI tube with a closed end. The walls are covered in frost, and my hands are cold as ice. I quickly assess my situation, finding that the temperature is much too cold for me to survive, so I calm myself down and meditate in hopes of rising my body temperature. My body feels like jelly, like the sap of a tree. As I start to warm up, my past rushes back to me all at once. I quickly sit up in realization as I realize what happened. I remember that I was lying on a floor out in the field, bleeding from a sniper hit to the heart. The paramedics told me that I had an option. I could either die, or they could cryo-freeze me in hopes of repairing and resurrecting me later. They told me to respond quickly, as my aorta was completely severed, along with my carotid artery; I only had seconds to decide. I motioned my head towards the truck, and my nose was filled with the worst smell I have ever experienced, that's when I blacked out. And then, I hit my head on the top of the tube. As I cry out in pain, I slide off of the table onto the floor of the tube. Yet again, I give in to the unpleasant feeling of forced subconsciousness.

I next awake in what looks like a hospital room. Everything looks like a normal hospital, except there are no machines. I attempt to turn my head but a surge of pain completely crushes my efforts. A nurse rushes in and quickly tells me to keep still. "Sir, you must keep still; you were shot earlier and just were revived; you'll be fine. Because you were a police officer before you were shot, we implanted a small device from our local P.D. in your brain. This will let you communicate easily with us through your thoughts. The operation was a success, but your body did not take it kindly. As a result you were left mute from the pressure of your swollen cerebellum affecting the processes in your parental lobe. We aren't even sure if you can understand what I just said. Apologies, I'm new, my name is Jane; I'll be looking after you. If you can understand me, blink your eyes. Your WMC might take a little to get use to, so just think what I'm going to say next."

Before I can process what Jane just told me, she says "WMC 3 2 1 re-cog 31 room 6 AC 71439"

I do as she says, first blinking and then thinking exactly what she is saying, pretending to say it. A soft female voice starts talking inside my head. "Welcome to your first experience with WMC. Go ahead and think, with a concentrated effort, what you want to say to the person attending you. This will typically be in the form of words, but WMC, or wave magnetic cluster supporter, also supports images as well."

This baffled me, and just as I start forming words in my mind, speakers start to output them. At first it comes out just as gibberish, but as I start to concentrate, the speakers say, in my voice, "Can I go back to sleep now?"

Jane gives out a small chuckle and tells me that that can be arranged right before I fade back into the oblivion, however, this time it is painless.