The next day has no ceremony or fanfare after the party. The loudspeaker clicks, “Listen up citizens. I am happy to report your training here in simulator 28 is over. Shortly you will be told to come to the Airlock you entered from. Clean yourselves up and eat.”
Zormie looks up from her bed to where the voice came from. “What?”
Alexis is changing clothes into a new set of clothes and looks up herself. “Better clean up if it was like traveling here.”
“Oh yes that was a long run.”
“Tell me about it. It felt like a whole day of traveling.”
Zormie gets out and to the shower. Alexis looks around and strips off the clothes to take an extra long one herself.
The two are waiting having eaten double ration when the loudspeaker calls out. “All citizens it is time for you to head to the Airlock. I wish I could go with you.”
On the way Zormie looks back, “Oh remember the heat.”
Alexis blinks, “I forgot the heat outside.”
“I didn’t. Had to help three get up.”
Alexis bashfully comments, “I was one needing help getting up. But not as bad as some of the others who needed help walking.”
Zormie’s laugher causes a few of their fellow trainees to look at the two. Going though the Airlock is faster then it took to enter and the heat does hit Alexis again. But outside catches her off guard again. While to her it is only after breakfast she and the rest are a bit surprised as it is almost sundown. Going outside is a shock as the heat hits many like a wall causing delays in leaving from the air-conditioned training building they have been in for months. The desert around has the glow of the sun in the horizon giving a lot of long shadows.
Alexis looks out and can see clusters of people on the tarmac and realizes those are the next classes waiting to come in to the cool buildings. She tries to remember but after being in the heat for so long she never noticed people leaving before she entered. Alexis giggles and one of the others also does. This causes more to bubble with amusement. Trainers tell them to stop and it takes time for them to stop with a few backsliding in to mirth but they do quiet down. They file out to one of the vacant shuttles.
The second trip is easier on her but just as many butterflies. The launch takes a while too Alexis does not get a view of the outside in the aircraft with it having no windows.
Alexis, “I wish we could see out.”
“No you would not.” A male voice behind her says.
The woman looks around to see the blonde man. “What?”
The man is as young as she is with short blonde hair. “It creates structural weaknesses that over time could cause failure. Plane goes boom simply put. Most Capitalist want the view of the world below them and do not realize the risk of it.”
His tone riles Alexis but he did answer her question. “Thanks. So to have a window it would be…”
The blonde guy once again has the high airs as he interrupts her, “I studied engineering at one of our best schools. It is simple that cutting holes in the body weakens the whole thing so some moron Elitist can look out over the world like they own it.”
The woman beside him speaks to the man, “Calm down.” She then turns to Alexis, “I am sorry he gets this way.”
Alexis turns in her seat and narrows her eyes but gives a smile. “Thank you for explaining it to me. I never had the chance to go to such a prestigious school as you. I was recruited before going to such for the same mission with you.”
The blonde guy does not notice the barb. A few giggles come out as Alexis sits back down from those nearby.
Alexis looks to Zormie, “What a…” The short woman stops at the amused look on the Amazon’s face. “What?”
Zormie, “Glad your tongue is not aimed at me.”
“He asked for it.”
Shortly after that altercation a worker in gray that stands out with all the people wearing white offers meal pills and protean bars to them. Alexis takes the pills and looks to Zormie who is eating hers.
Alexis smiles, “You want mine? I am still full from earlier”
Zormie takes them. “Sure.”
Very shortly afterward the group is told they will be landing shortly. Alexis feels her stomach moving as the aircraft goes down. There is a general moan from a few at the sensation of going down. Some primal fear has an effect but for the most part it is no trouble.
The landing is smooth with barely a bump. When the vehicle shakes as it starts losing speed rapidly Alexis feels more of a flutter. She looks over to Zormie who has a serene smile on her face.
“You are calmer then I am.”
Zormie has a look on her face of someone drunk. “What are you saying?”
Alexis’s mind works trying to piece together why the woman is that way. She looks around and notices most of the others present also have similar look. Her voice goes low conspiratorially. “You were drugged.”
Zormie has trouble focusing on Alexis. “No why would I?”
The conversation ends with the speaker activating as the vehicle stops. “Shortly the front hatch will open. You are to go out in a single file. Proceed now.”
The people get up and begin to leave. Alexis follows finding it odd what is going on. Her worried different then it once was.
Leaving the shuttle they go through a tube to a cavernous off-color tan building. She can see the roof a good 10 meters over her head. The ground floor is separated with walls or cubicles as far as she can see. Blinking lines of lights glow on the floor.
A voice calls out from ahead, “Follow the light citizens.”
Alexis follows along with the rest watching out as she does. A woman in brown nods as the column of people is passing her. Her face has a pleasant smile even as she has a baton in her hands ready Alexis notices.
There are some windows that go up to the roof along the side after a while in the building. What little she can see is generally the magnetic ramps for the launch vessels in to orbit or some shuttles parked. The group sees a shuttle in one window going down the ramp and it suddenly accelerates, zipping off in to the distance at amazing speeds. Everyone looks excited as they go through and in to an archway labeled ‘Processing’. Two men in brown are chatting by the entrance paying them no mind.
Alexis has a slow yet steady progress in the line. Passing though a few turns she comes to a room seeing members of her group undress and put their clothes in recyclers bins. They almost always are bashfully covering themselves afterward.
One of the staff there comes up and points her to a free spot to undress. Going by she notices Narry and takes a double look. The man smirks at her going off down another passage showing off himself to her. She now knows why Opio liked him so well with what he has between his legs.
Alexis takes her time to strip down. She puts her flimsy article in a recycle bin on top of a lot of other ones. Alexis’s body along with most everyone else’s show the air is a bit chilly. Many including her blush some and most have eyes averted from each other. Alexis does take a few cheap peeks as she goes further on the line of lights. A few others are doing the same keeping those that are blushing red.
Going down the passage now her hands are covering what she can. The tile floor is cool to her bare feet as she is walking on it. There are some odd sounds of what she thinks is surprise that are coming from somewhere ahead.
Alexis comes to a row of what looks to be shower with nozzles all around. People walk in one way and there is a door going out the other side. She goes in to a sprayer chamber once the brown wearing official points it out. The door closes then the nozzles wet her with an odd oily dye that clings to her hair. It has made her hair have an orange colored stain.
The other door opens and a gray clad attendant smiles politely. He says what he must have many times before by the bored tone. “Do not dry off or wipe down. Follow the lights. If you lose too much dye you will be required to come back. You do not want that I am sure.” He points for her to keep going to what looks to be a number of cubicles that have people making strange sounds.
There is a line of dyed people Alexis waits trying not to look at anyone. Another gray clad attendant has a smirk as the nude people walk up to him. He points to some cubicle or another having the person go there. Alexis has to wait when she gets to the front of the line as the man watches the rump of one woman going past.
He comments, “Sweet.” Alexis is not smiling at him when he turns around. His grin never leaves. “Oh yes I will look citizen. I will even watch you.” He points to one cubicle where a light is flashing. “Move it.”
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Alexis can’t protect against his stare as she walks to the shelter of the cubicle. The first thing she notices about it is that it has an odd orange rug. It takes her a second to realize its hair clippings.
An older woman in gray smiles at her and points to a stool. “Please sit citizen. You must have been blushing for some time.”
Alexis thinks they will be giving her a haircut and does not mind if they trim her again. She sits on the stool feeling better.
The woman comes up with a shaver and starts removing her all hair alarming the young woman.
Alexis, “You’re removing my hair?”
The woman smiles emphasizing part when she replies, “Yes ALL of it.”
The hair falls in with the piles on the floor. The woman does not stop with the hair on Alexis’s head. She gets done with the upper body removing all wisps of the orange marked hair, even her eyelashes.
“Ok miss stand and put a foot on the stool.”
“You do not need too…” Alexis squeals when the shaver moved down her body taking hair from her body in spots she never ever removed before. She is told once again so it can be done properly and the short woman does as ordered. The surprise shaving takes a while to remove all of her body hair thoroughly with the dye helping tell any spots missed.
The red-faced woman goes out the other side and can see everyone on this side suffered the same embarrassment. Few of them look up beyond the feet.
Alexis follows the rest with a trail of lights to another shower sprayer. The oily dye once more is applied, but none sticks to her smooth body.
The room after that has a man inspect her. Alexis feels flushed at the man’s inspection. Thankfully he ends it with simple comment, “No more hair. Go down the path with green lights.”
Alexis is quick to go barely noticing the other trail of reds lights leading backward. She is in haste but whoever might be ahead of her is just as fast since it takes her a while to get to them and finds another line.
This time it’s a normal shower that is restorative. A towel is given to her to dry off with. The same person takes it away when she is done.
Two medics are helping some in the line. They are applying some ointment to the spots where the shaver got more then hair. The shavers nicked a few, often in tender areas.
Alexis almost wants to giggle but she is still self-conscious of her own bare condition to do so. Her right arm goes up but finds there is no hair to twist anymore.
A cheerful matronly woman with a nametag of Hilury comes over with a large bin. She gives her a string paper bikini that is easily alterable to any size. Hilury waits as Alexis dresses since no one yet has come up behind her.
The sounds of surprise come from the cubicles over the buzzing of the shaver.
Hilury giggles, “I tape a few them.”
Alexis looks over, “I would love a copy of that.” She is still red in the face but with something on she is more self-assured.
“I can send you a copy in an electronic mail.”
“Oh, please do. M...” Alexis is cut short by the sound of a man getting nicked. She giggles, “Alexis.”
Hilury blinks shifting slightly uncomfortable, “You are a M. I will send you it then for sure.” She takes out a data slate marking down Alexis’s information. She frowns and hits it again. It takes a bit more effort. “There all correct and it will be waiting in the sound files for you. Even a video of one or two.” Hilury blushes. “I like to watch some of the funny ones.”
Alexis looks back to her having looked at the cubicles while Hilury was typing away. “Thank you.”
The lady goes off to help one coming out with a new skimpy garment. A medic also goes towards the man who has some blood droplets on his hands as he holds himself.
The line goes with them in the paper swimwear as Alexis thinks of it now stretching off behind her. The material of the tiny fabric feels odd to Alexis who has worn more or nothing, in private, but nothing like this. Looking over she spots Zormie just four people behind her and she goes back in the line to be next to her.
Zormie is standing there and just looks at her. She smiles and it takes Zormie a second to realize who she is.
Zormie speaks in a low voice, “I did not realize it was you Ally. I can not tell most of the people here.”
The short woman giggles, “How many other people do you know my height?”
“You are right but I was not expecting you to look so different.”
“I made a friend here who will give me a copy of that pruning they did of the men. I hate to sound Elitist but the sounds they made were… interesting”
The Amazon agrees busting in to laugher.
People chat some returning to normal and there is some joking and a number seem to be feeling over their baldheads stunned a bit. Alexis keeps moving to twist some hair but the lack makes her shift to rub her ear instead of looking like a total idiot with the gesture.
The lines move slowly and another clerk is checking identities. When the two get there Alexis is pulled out puzzling her.
Alexis, “Why am I going this way?”
The male clerk checks her number again and looks her with a raised eyebrow. “You are going to another loading bay.” The man sees her puzzled look and continues. “You need to be able to come out fast and ready.”
“I do.”
“Of course. Do not worry we do this all the time and you are in good hands.”
Alexis just nods doing as told. Going along the path lit by blue lights she finds no one else is traveling with her or seem to have come this way.
The walls have the crest of the country prominently along with those of the space program. This helps restore her sense of superiority of her nation and what she is going to do after the degrading events earlier.
The next few rooms have technicians in gray or peach working on equipment with large tanks and many tubes. The air gets noticeably chillier as she progresses.
The blue lights lead to a door with two buff men wearing crisp black uniforms. Zormie would be short to these guys making Alexis feel like a child practically.
Feeling out of place she looks to them, “I was told to come here.”
The one on the right speaks but not to her, “Technician to door.”
Alexis rubs her arms trying to keep warm having goose bumps.
The door opens after a minute and a male in heavy peach-colored clothes comes up to her. His helmet and visor is frost coated which he wipes off first. He has to remove heavy padded gloves and takes out a dataslate. The voice is gruff and muted, “Who are you?”
Alexis gives her number and name.
A muffled voice replies, “I thought we had all of you loaded on shuttle four. You’re much too late so we will have to put you in with the tools on shuttle three. Follow me.”
The technician ushers her past the sentries. The room beyond feels colder then outside and Alexis can see her breath. The impersonal conduct with the man does not help.
The room has huge tanks with tubes going overhead. The other side has rectangular black pods setup with hatches that open up showing a bed and a lot of wires and tubes inside. There are many people dressed just as warmly as her guide. She continues to travel in the strange place all the way down to the end.
The technician calls out to one female, “We got a late arrival Dedream.”
The female form in peach gets up and walks over to the two.
Dedream’s voice is muffled by the helmet she wears, “Kind of puny isn’t she?”
The technician, “Got all the clearances but is too late to go in the normal shuttle. Got to get her going on the second one with the monsters.”
Alexis is moving from foot to foot trying to keep warm. It is distracting her from using her tongue or at least complaining.
Dedream comes over, “My you’re not like the normal ones they send over. Well let’s get you ready. Remove the clothes and lay down in the coffin.”
Alexis balks at first but with no other option she drops off the minor protection. She climbs in to the container. The cold padding warms to her flesh readily at least.
Dedream gives her a hypo shot, “Now dear this will allow you to sleep and when you wake you will be at your destination. I hope they do not need you. Count down from ten.”
Alexis starts counting down but only gets to 5 before she can’t keep going. Her eyelids feel heavy and she yawns. The last thing her sleepy mind registers is Dedream saying, “Time to get this fish frozen.” Then the drugs take fully a hold of her and she is out.
Alexis’s body is treated clinically by Dedream as she gets the short woman ready. Needles and other items are pokes and inserted in rapid fashion with only a groan of protest from the sleeper. The last sight of her has the woman festooned in a macabre connection to the machine around her. The press of a switch has the top of the metal shroud slides closed entombing Alexis. The pod begins to lowers her body temperature.
A warning light comes on as Dedream steps back away. The pod shifts off the wall rack and then lowers down under the floor. From above another pod lowers to the place it use to be ready for the next person.
Beneath the floor Alexis’s pod clamps in to a rail system. Electronic sensors shift its course as it runs to its destination, bored technicians could never track all the pods in the system. So much frozen human life for transport is moving by a rail system to a waiting ballistic shuttle. Alexis’s is slid in along with a hundred others into a shuttle with the only difference is hers is black colored while the rest in the vessel are white.
The launch faculty has a large number of the shuttles to launch. The one Alexis is on is nondescript as the rest. They even lack a coat of paint or even a number. The vehicle lacks wheels and is moved on a rail system to be launched.
Once in place, the rail launch system starts the magnetic flux lifting and propelling it forward going at hundreds of kilometer a hour going up a mountain side. It is only when the vehicle clears the rails does the engine ignite for the first time. Any failure would leave it plunging down, as craters or wreckage in nearby waters have proven in the past. The vehicle has a flawless launch and its engines hit full speed sending it out of the atmosphere.
There is no active human on the shuttles. A computer with a programmed flight route that adjusts with input from satellites in space controls the vehicle on its nine-month trip to the Asteroid Belt beyond Mars. Arriving there the ships dock with the massive construction yards the Government has built. At the place a dozen of the massive RX-34 Exploration Cold Ships are being built.
The shuttle once docked is unloaded with the large number of capsules containing cargo, both human and other, are transferred over. The shuttle itself will be torn apart later to be used as raw material for other vehicles to be made at the dockyard.
None of this is known to Alexis as she like thousands of others are shifted along and moved by dedicated vessels with heavy shielding on to the four kilometer long RX-34 with the markings 4,671 Classless Society. Personal on the vessel look at each capsule and move them in to the clamps that will secure them for the 320 solar cycles expected for the voyage. There are a few of them that get unfrozen, the well-trained crew that worked for over a year to be ready for this voyage. Alexis’s capsule is put in a ready chamber along with four other larger black capsules in a shuttle unlike most of the others who are in the main ship.
The kilometers large vessel is hooked up to another that is loaded with fuel. Both vessels start leaving towards the outer reaches of the solar system. Ten months later the fuel tender disconnects for a return voyage and the Classless Society is on her own. The engines propelling it out of the solar system to a star system light years from Earth. A small number of people are unfrozen for the first time and go out to check the ship systems. They are the first of the crew to see the ship that has been their home for almost a solar cycle already.
Cryogenics technology is as much an art as a science because each person takes to it differently. The version used does not freeze a body solid as some versions but drop it down so low it almost is. The metabolic rate of the body takes minutes to do a single heartbeat. A breath of air is needed once a month. Electrodes help regulate the body and brain keeping it alive. At times the body may be defrosted to near normal level before plunging it down. This all happens with the mind not conscious of it.
The body still ages at a very slow rate but is not of course uniform as some people will be older then others physically when they wake. Hair and fingernails are retarded from growing while they are sleeping by medicine. The electrodes stimulate the muscles so they do not deteriorate and can even get stronger. Chemicals are slowly added to the blood feeding and giving materials for the body to grow. Waste is removed by tubes and recycled.