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Chapter One: RESURRECTION

___Burt Tempelhof blinked in the light. He vaguely heard music, but the light seemed blazingly bright. His throat felt absolutely parched.
___"Drink this, Mister Tempelhof." He heard a british-accented voice say.
___Burt gulped the offered cup, which tasted fruity and gave his throat immediate relief. "Ahhhhh. That's better. Man, I must have had a good sleep. I feel better than I have in years. I was in such bad shape for a while there that I was afraid I wasn't going to make it."
___"You've had a much better sleep than you know, Mister Tempelhof."
___Burt tried to shield his eyes a bit so he could see. "Who are you, anyway? You're not my regular doctor. And why are the lights so damn bright?"
___"I am Doctor Singh, Mister Tempelhof. The lights only seem bright as a side-affect of your treatment. Your eyes will adjust in a short time."
___"What treatment?" Tempelhof said, closing his eyes for a moment. "I remember now. I had inoperative cancer. There was nothing that could be done for me." He opened his eyes and could now see indistinct shape. Doctor Singh sat close to his bed. "How did you save my life?" He listened for a moment. "And what the HECK is that annoying music?!"
___"We didn't save your life, Mister Tempelhof. You died." The strains of a doo-wop tune were clearly audible in the room.
___Burt looked at him a moment, then began laughing. "Oh yeah, that's a good one, Doc. Someone must have told you how much I like a good laugh."
___The doctor shook his head. "If you don't believe me, look at your hands."
___Burt looked at his hands. Gone were the veins and wrinkles. Instead, his hand looked perfect and strong. "What... ?"
___As the words "Rip Van Winkle, Rip Van Winkle, Sleep, Sleep, Sleep!" permeated the room, Doctor Singh handed Burt a mirror. His reflection was that of a 25 year-old man. "That's impossible... I turned 75 last month!" Burt looked around the room. It was windowless, with some sort of operating table and beds, but beyond that there was not a single item in the room Burt could positively identify. "This doesn't look like Saint Jude's Hospital."
___"It is not." The Doctor sighed. "I would have preferred a better environment in which to wake you up... that's why we are playing music from your own time."
___Burt's eyes began to adjust to the room as the music continued to play "He fell asleep in the woods one day". The walls were white with no windows; it was dominated by a horizontal glass cylindar in the center of the floor. "Where, exactly, am I?"
___"Do you want the easy answer or the difficult answer?" The doctor asked as he checked Burt's pulse.
___"Make it the easy answer. And turn that music off!"
___"It's Rip Van Winkle, by the Devotions. We thought you would like it." The Doctor pressed a button on a nearby panel, killing the music in mid-Doo Wop, then looked solemnly at Burt. "You are aboard the Colony Ship Destiny."
___"Uh-huh. And the difficult answer?"
___"You are now in orbit around the planet of Haven, approximately 15 light years from Earth, and part of an exploration force which will soon be setting foot upon the planet."
___"How is that possible?" Burt said, trying to get up. He started floating instead.
___"Mister Tempelhof, you must restrict your movements. We have already entered freefall."
___Gripping a previously unnoticed handgrip, Burt lowered himself back on the padded table. "OK, it looks as if this is room is real and yeah, there doesn't seem to be any gravity, but there MUST be an explanation for my appearance here."
___Doctor Singh sighed, as if it were an inconvenience to discuss the mystery with Burt. "This ship just completed a 20-year voyage to get to this planet, during which we, the crew and the colonists, have been in suspended animation." He pointed to the glass cylinder. "You were brought from your frozen state and placed in a reanimation chamber."
___"A reanimation chamber...?"
___"Yes, of course." The Doctor continued, speaking as if he were lecturing a schoolboy who couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the Magna Charta. "The primitive cryonic process used in your time was extremely destructve to body tissue. The reanimation chamber suspended you in a protective stabilizing fluid while nanites, or microscopic machines, conducted repairs at the cellular level. This is always a very time-consuming job, but since we had 20 years to play with we both repaired the damage and restored your body to its ideal state."
___"Wait a minute, wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE...!" Burt almost lost his grip he became so excited. "What is this 'your time' jazz and 'cryonics' and stuff?" Suddenly a cold feeling went up his spine. "You may think this is a crazy question, but what year is it?"
___"It is the year 2089." Doctor Singh said without a trace of emotion.
___"2089!?" Burt blurted out. "But that means I died almost a hundred years ago! Everyone I knew is dead by now."
___"And buried twenty light years away." Singh added drily.
___"Cryonics?" Burt mused. "I was frozen?"
___"Of course. but surely you must have known...?"
___Burt searched his memory. "Oh no!"
He said suddenly, slapping his forehead.
___"What?"
___"It was a joke! The hospice counselor wouldn't leave me alone... kept asking me what I wanted for funeral arrangements, so finally I told him to have me frozen. I meant it as a joke! That schmuck must have taken me seriously."
___"I see." The Doctor, obviously failing to do so.
___"OK." Burt said. "I know the How. I know the When. I even know the Who. The only question I've got left is: Why?"
___"I really don't have the faintest idea. You'll have to speak to the Commander about that." The Doctor said, as he put his diagnostic equipment into several of the pockets of his futuristic-looking uniform.
___"Hey, that's really me, isn't it?" Burt had found a mirror and was looking at his reflection in it. "I look like I'm 21 again!"
___"25, actually. That was the age that we settled for for each of you."
___"EACH of us?" Burt said, manuevering himself in the zero gravity.
___"Yes. All of the cryonauts who were reanimated."
___"Who else?" Burt asked as he got closer to the Doctor.
___"Five other people who were brought on board in their frozen state shortly before we left. Oh, and Slinky."
___"Slinky?"
___"Your cat, of course." Doctor Singh opened a small door on a box, and a gray-and-black cat floated out, deftly in control of his locomotion despite the absence of gravity.
___"Slinky! That idiot had you frozen too?"
___The cat gripped the operating table, looking straight at him, and said "Yes." in a raspy voice.
___Burt looked at Singh with incredulity.
___The doctor shrugged. "We had ample time, due to the much smaller size of the body, to do more than repair cryonic-induced damage to, er, Slinky. We performed some genetic manipulation and modifications, primarily in his brain and his vocal cords. He has enhanced intelligence, a rudimentary voice capability, and is physically in his prime."
___"That is AWESOME!" Burt said as he picked up Slinky and looked at him. "Hey buddy! Do you remember me? Do you remember Burt, the guy who fed you and petted you and told you what a nice kitty you are?"
___The cat looked him in the eye and clearly said "Monkey-Boy."
___"WHAT? Why you ungrateful...!"
___"As much as I hate to interrupt this heartwarming reunion, we must go to control, where the Commander is waiting."

___In the control room, uniformed crewman performed their tasks at control stations as a huge metal disc displayed a beautiful Earth-like planet.
___"I wish I could get rid of this cat on my shoulders." Burt thought to himself.
___"Ah." A man standing at the far end said upon seeing them. "The first of our cryonauts. I trust he's in good health, Doctor?"
___He strode across the control room, the velcro on his boots making a soft ripping sound as he offered his hand to Burt. "Welcome to the 21st Century. I am Commander Symes, leader of this expedition."
___"Great." Burt said as he shook the proferred hand. "Don't think I'm not grateful for being alive, but what am I doing here?"
___"Why you're our ace in the hole."
___"Your what?"
___"In accordance with Maycroft's Theory of Ambiguity, your presence here will help insure the success of our mission." The Commander looked at Burt's confused look. "Oh. I'm sorry. Maycroft's theories weren't published until, what twenty years after your death. You wouldn't be familiar with them at all."
___"No, I'm not."
___"Well, without going into the statistics and mathematics of it, Maycroft's basic thesis states that, in the face of unknown dangers and situations, a variety of skills and experiences will increase the chances of a positive resolution.
___"Oh. THAT Maycroft's Theory." Burt said dryly.
___"And what could be more varied than having a team of personnel who's skills and experiences reach out even beyond the current century?"
___"Great. Terrific. Do you mind telling me what this expeditionary force is all about and what that comment was about the 'unknown dangers?'"
___"Our mission," the Commander said as he pointed at the huge plate, "is to colonize this planet: Haven." The Commander walked about the control room, thinking out loud. "You are aboard a Daedelus-Class colonizer ship, the Destiny."

___Burt looked at the plate. "Wonderful. Very pretty. When do we go home?"
___"Home? We can't go home. Not for some time, anyway. In the words of the immortal bard..."
___"Shakespeare?"
___"Mel Brooks." The Commander corrected him. "Destiny, Destiny, no escaping that for me... from Young Frankenstein."
___"Are you people all nuts? I'm not an astronaut. what possible use am I going to be on this mission?"
___"You never know. That's the whole point of Maycroft's Theory."
___"Final corrective burn complete." Said one of the console operators.
___"Confirming long-term weather patterns from Pioneer Haven probe." said another.
___The Commander steered Burt to a computer console. "This is the General Data Research Station. It won't take long for you to get used to the nufonic keyboard. I suggest you sit down a bit and learn as much as you can in the next two hours. You will be meeting the rest of your fellow cryonauts in a short time. Oh, and you will be their ranking officer."
___"You know, this whole thing makes me feel as manipulated as the liberal media."
___The Commander placed a hand on Burt's shoulder and said solemnly "Mongo just pawn in Game of Life... Blazing Saddles."
___Slinky climbed off Burt's shoulders and curled up over a heat vent next to the computer. "If you keep doing that," Burt said as he started tapping on the keypad, "I'm going to HATE this century."

___The next "day" came, and right on schedule five people were waiting for Burt when he arrived at the briefing room. None of them seemed any more happy than he was.
___"What is going on here?" Demanded a young dark-haired lady. "Are you Tempelhof? They said Tempelhof would be in charge of us and would explain everything."
___"Thank you very much, Commander." Burt thought to himself. "Yes, I'm Tempelhof. I'll tell you what I can, but keep in mind I just got here myself."
___He joined them at the table. "We probably ought to start by introducing ourselves, since we're going to be working together. I'm Burt, and I used to be a history professor before I 'assumed room temperature' in 1992. They've made me the team leader because of my experiences in World War II and the Korean War."
___The African-American on Burt's right spoke up next. "I'm Will Rutland, and I used to be a real estate broker. I died in 1979 from complications during surgery."
___The pouty dark-haired girl was next. "My name is Christie Gordon, and I still don't understand what I'm doing here! All I remember is dropping some acid in my apartment in 1968..."
___"We'll talk about all that in a moment." Burt said, cutting her off, and pointing to the next person.
___"I'm Mrs. Helen Cohen, and I was a high school chemistry teacher before the accident."
___"What accident?" Will asked.
___"The accident that apparently filled a whole wing of the school with poison gas. That was in 2005. It seems that I was the only one hurt." The redhead said, marveling at her hands for the third time since Burt came in.
___"Great." Burt thought to himself. "Just what I need: a disaster waiting to happen."
___"I'm Kelly Green, my name, not my complexion." The next person said, laughing at his own joke.
___"What happened to you?" Asked Will.
___Kelly had a distinct Texas accent. "Well, it seems I was seein' the wrong man's wife on the side."
___"Wrong? In what way?" Burt asked.
___Well, this here man owned quite a collection of guns. But you wouldn't know it by lookin' at me now.." he said as he unbuttoned and looked at his chest.
___Burt sighed. "Not exactly the Dirty Dozen, are we?'" he said to himself.
___"What year were YOU frozen?" Helen asked.
___"That was in 1984." Kelly said as he buttoned his shirt back, apparently satisfied that the holes were gone.
___"I suppose that just leaves me." Said a tallish blonde man who had a pronounced English accent. "My name is Nigel Severide. I was in an auto accident in 1971 and placed in a frozen state. I was a Linguist for Her Majesty's Foreign Office."
___"Glad to have you on the team." Kelly said, smiling and offering his hand.
___"I'm sure." Then looking at Burt. "And what exactly is the purpose of our 'team?' We all know that we're in a spacecraft of some kind..."
___"It's all some kind of a government plot!" Christie said. "When I asked them about the Revolution they lied and said there never WAS one! This can't be the future."
___"A government plot that ain't got gravity?" Kelly asked.
___"The government is keeping all kinds of inventions suppressed." She said, not sounding entirely convinced herself.
___"Look, I think we have to all accept the reality of our situation." Burt said. "And we all have to accept the important job we have to do."
___"And what job is that?" Nigel asked cautiously.
___"We are the Advance Party." Burt told them. "With some key personnel from the Destiny, it is our job to confirm the viability of the main landing site."
___"It's not that I want to seem ungrateful..."
Kelly drawled, "But why us?"
___"Mainly because the guys in charge of this ship think that we can better deal with the unkown than they can." Burt said carefully. "The Earth they left is nothing like the Earth we once knew. The United Nations Authority tries to regulate everything, down to the way people brush their teeth. Once they leave a protected environment, these people are lost. They may get the knack of it it later, but for right now they need us in order to show the way."
___"Besides," Burt said, getting up and walking around the table "each of us has individual skills which may or may not be useful on Haven. Will here got involved in real estate, but only after extensive training and field experience in geology. Christie was a promising botanist. Helen was an skilled chemist, even if a tad careless sometimes. Kelly was a skilled pilot, with ratings in rotary ring, fixed wing, and some other rather exotic types of aircraft. And finally, of course, Nigel has great language and diplomatic skills which may come in handy if we meet something intelligent on the planet."
___"You mean they DON'T KNOW?" Will asked, incredulous.
___"Well, not a hundred percent..."
___"Count me out..." Kelly said. "These guys don't seem to have their act together."
___"Me too." Said Helen.
___"Look, we have a great opportunity here." Burt said, as everyone began voicing their protests. "We can be important participants in an incredibly important enterprise." Then Burt added sheepishly "Besides, anyone who doesn't help out will be placed in one of the empty suspension units for the twenty years it will take this ship to get back to Earth."
___The room had gotten quiet very suddenly. "Well, it would seem we've been involuntarily volunteered." Nigel said sarcastically.
___"At least on the primitive frontier we'll be on an equal footing with the rest of the colonists, pretty much." Will said. "I'd hate to think how lost we'd be on Earth twenty years from now."
___Slinky's skillfully aimed himself for the center of the table and landed quietly in the center. "What a pretty cat..." Helen said.
___"Feed me." Slinky replied.
___"You have a talking cat?" Will asked.
___"Not when I went in the freezer." Burt said acidly. "Look, we've got 20 hours before we have to meet in the Shuttle Bay. I suggest you use that time to get some sleep, learn more about what's happened in the 21st Century, learn some new skills in the ship's excellent simulation center, and generally get used to the idea of being an astronaut."
___

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CHAPTER TWO