The police are waiting for me outside my pod.

They haven’t opened it yet as I haven’t fully thawed, and I can see the frustration in their eyes.

The uniform hasn’t changed much, the jackets are still neon and padded, but holograms make my eyes water as I stare with bleary eyes.

A scientist shoos them away and they begrudgingly go, eyes dark and glowering.

They hand her two yellow bands and point my way.

Once the room has cleared she presses a few buttons and warm air begins to fill the chamber.

I’m trembling when she opens the pod.

“That’s normal. It’s just your body adjusting and warming up.”

The bed I’m on turns into a seat and gently pushes me into a seated poison as the scientist watches a screen.

“Miss Cardle? The police are here because they believe you are a criminal who escaped into here and froze yourself. The law at the time - and now - means they couldn’t take you out until the time had elapsed.”

My muscles hurt, even my tongue is thick and slow. “H… h- Howw…”

“How long?” The doctor finished. “60 years. That’s how long you’d been frozen for. The machines couldn’t be stopped or turned off.”

I watch as the doctor prepares a needle. “This is a painkiller. Your muscles will feel awful for a few days.”

She presses it into my skin and I don’t even feel it.

“Should warm you up, too. They wanted me to handcuff you as well, but you won’t be able to move for a few hours, and this building is secure.”

The needle is suddenly out and she turns to her desk in the corner of the room.

“Do you remember what you did?”

“N…n…”

“No? Well according to the police, you killed someone.”

My eyes go wide.

“N! No..!”

The doctor frowns.

“You didn’t?”

It takes me some time and a strange warm metallic drink to gain the use of my tongue and no longer shake though my fingers tingle. “I chased after someone. They were a friend, and they had hurt someone. B-blood was all over them. I tried to get them to see reason but, they knocked me out and I woke up just now.”

“Who?”

My brain is so cold it takes a while for the name to swim up to the surface.

“Ryan Holter.” No. That’s not right. “Hogger.”

“Holper?” The doctor seems to find the name before I do. “That’s the chief of police. He’s in charge of your case.”

I’m shaking for a different reason now.

“W-what?!”

“They put a story out about the frozen criminal, obviously a cover…” The doctor mused.

There’s a suddenly pounding on the door.

“That’s enough! Let us in! Before she kills again!”

The doctor jumps into unexpected action, pushing buttons.

The seat I’m on returns to a bed. In-built needles jab my side. “Ow!”

“Sorry, I need to keep you safe for a bit, okay? Just a few months so I can build evidence, okay?”

The pod doors close and I think it slides behind a wall. “Wait!” My hands slam against the glass.

The last thing I see is the doctor’s face before the wall swallows me. She’s smiling.