I was a young man full of hopes, and of dreams. I left home on an expedition for science. I was to brave the Arctic Circle, and study the ecosystem there. Yet near the beginning of my excursion upon the HMS Heinlein, I had too much to drink on the deck of the ship. And as a terrible storm grew in the night, I lay in a drunken stupor, unable to move and not fully aware of my surroundings. I was washed overboard by a monstrous wave, yet I did not drown. Instead, everything seemed to slow down. I fell asleep in the icy black water, just aware enough to assume I was going to die. However when I woke up, I noticed I seemed to have drifted into a more solid sheet of ice. I attempted to move, yet realised I could not. My eyes cleared and I noticed that I was trapped in a crystalline prison of ice. I was frozen solid. ‘This shouldn’t be possible’, I thought.

And indeed it shouldn’t’ve been. Night and day, I scanned horizons, sea and sky. Trapped for ages, my spirit wandered endlessly. Lost in this place, I left no trace. There was no brave new world for me.

Three hundred years had gone, and men again they came that way. I saw their ships pass by me, and yet I could do nothing. Their ships were much different from the ships of my youth. They seemed to be powered by some manipulation of gravity, keeping them just afloat above the icy waters. The waters, while still cold, however, seemed to have become much warmer since my entrapment. As I noticed this, a person, or at least I assumed it was a person, dropped into the water and swam up near to me. They wore sleek black material, and their face was covered by a shiny, reflective black visor. I could see my own face in the reflection. To my shock, horror, and relief, I looked the same as I had those ages ago. The person was visibly surprised, their body language confused. They floated listlessly for a second, before pulling some kind of metal device out of a pocket which seemed to materialise from their clothing. The device emitted a bright red light, which melted my surrounding chamber. I was finally free. Someone had found me, lying where I fell that day, preserved in time. I first asked of my cremates—what became of them? I wasn’t sure if they understood me. I could not speak properly, in fact, I’m not sure if my mouth was moving at all or if I was simply thinking. But I knew. They were all long gone, their souls departed. They had left me here in this place.

The person picked me up gently, and my muscles suddenly convulsed, my body moving for the first time in ages. I twitched, and almost fell out of their arms. I spewed salt water from my mouth, and coughed. How had I survived?

I was not able to answer my own question, as my seeming saviour sedated me.

I woke up at some point that evening. I was lying on a mat on the floor, and the saviour observed me from a distance.

“T-t-thank you” I stuttered out, my teeth still chattering.

“I see you’re awake.” They said, their voice distorted still by their mask. “What year do you think it is?”

“The last year I was truly alive was in the year 1935 AD.”

“Well, the current year is 2205 AD, in your form of reckoning. You lived somehow. Our species needs to leave this planet. We’ve been experimenting with the idea of extended hibernation to get us to the nearest Earth-like planet. The habits of your generations have destroyed this planet. The only area cool enough to sustain life now is here. We must study your body for the good of this species.” At my reaction, they sighed, and continued: “Do not worry, we can test you through external means. We do not intend to cut you open. We are not barbarians.”

And thus I stood up, and replied “Well then, may I see how the generations of the future live?"

“I don’t see why not. It is entirely possible both of us will save each other.”

*PART TWO AT SOME POINT, I DON’T KNOW WHEN YET.*

*This was inspired by Iron Maiden’s 1986 song, Stranger In A Strange Land. Thanks for reading.*