It was hailed as the greatest medical achievement of the century. After over one hundred years of failed attempts, a human had finally been placed into cryogenic hibernation and later revived in full health. Freezing people had never been terribly difficult, but any prior attempt to bring someone out of hibernation had ended in failure. Five years after the huge breakthrough, cryogenic hibernation had become standard procedure for anyone with one of the few incurable diseases still in existence, in order to preserve them until a treatment was found. However, the scientists were making final preparations to take that technology one step further. In less than 24 hours, they would attempt to bring a man out of over a century of hibernation.
Dr. Henry Collins was not an ordinary man, by any means. He had been perhaps the greatest mind of his generation. At only 29 years of age, he had published a solution to one of the most difficult problems in theoretical physics, one that had eluded physicists for decades. Dr. Collins had achieved the unification of all the fundamental forces and particles into a single field. His work was considered to be of equal significance in the physics community to Einstein's theories of relativity, and eight years later, Dr. Collins was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work. Tragically, at age 40, Collins was hit by an automobile, and suffered an irreparable spinal injury. For 15 hours, neurosurgeons had attempted to save the physicist's life, but eventually they were forced to admit defeat. Controversially, it was decided that the great mind of Dr. Collins was too valuable to lose, and the doctors turned to the as yet unproven technology of cryonics in a last ditch attempt to forestall death. Over the course of three hours, Collins' body was cooled to less than negative 124 degrees Celsius. After an additional two weeks, any remaining metabolic activity had ground to a halt as the body was cooled in a black tank of liquid nitrogen to its long-term preservation temperature of negative 196.01 degrees Celsius. Collins was placed indefinitely into a special storage facility, waiting for the day that medicine could restore his life.
For 112 years, Henry Collins was in a strange sort of limbo between life and death. It was almost a decade before lawmakers agreed on a special categorization for him, and others placed into hibernation. It was certainly hard to say definitively that Henry Collins was dead. Every organ, tissue, and cell in his body remained in an almost identical state as they had been on the day he was frozen. All his brain's 100 billion neurons still formed the same complex connections that defined his personality, his intelligence, and every other inward and outward aspect of his persona. However, it was equally hard to claim that the physicist was alive. He did not breathe, or move, or think, or otherwise carry out any of the functions that one associates with living. Though he had no perception of it, the existence of Dr. Collins was truly a dull one, spending day after day and year after year suspended in a grey nitrogen vapor pod.
*****
Henry Collins heard the faint beeping of medical equipment as he stirred from a week-long coma following his successful reanimation and spinal surgery. The physicist's slowly opened his eyelids, but could not distinguish anything other than several blurry patches of light. He probed his memories in an attempt to understand his current situation. He could remember almost everything in his life prior to the accident. As he lay there, Collins pieced together a timeline of his life, from his childhood, to his Nobel Prize, up until his last memory: two bright lights approaching quickly in the darkness, then nothing. He tried, but he couldn't remember anything past that event. Suddenly, Collins heard a door open and the footsteps of a person walking into the room. He squinted and managed to make out a poorly-defined shape moving towards his resting place.
"Well, well, look who is back among the living," an unfamiliar man said, "I guess I should introduce myself – I'm Dr. Thomas Russell. I'm the head of this facility, which we used to bring you back to life."
Collins shakily replied, "What are you talking about? Where am I?"
"You suffered a near-fatal spinal injury in an accident, and the surgeons couldn't repair the damage," Dr. Russell began to explain; "you would have died, if not for the hospital's decision to place you into suspended animation through cryogenic hibernation. Our technology could not bring you out of hibernation until just recently, but my facility has made the advances necessary to bring you and others back to life. After you were revived, we repaired your spinal damage, so you should be as healthy as ever after a short period of rehabilitation."
Collins opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself short. He struggled to process what was being said to him. He finally managed to collect his thoughts and ask, "How long was it? How long was I asleep for?"
Dr. Russell paused momentarily before responding, "You have been in hibernation for one-hundred twelve years."
"What! One-hundred and twelve? More than a century? That's... that...," Collins stammered, "is this some kind of joke?"
"The technology was not mature when your accident happened. There were many... issues along the way. We've only been able to do this for five years," Dr. Russell explained.
"Jesus Christ!" Collins interrupted, "One-hundred twelve? How much have things changed?"
"Well, quite a bit actually. Maybe I ought to give you a short rundown of what's happened while you've been in hibernation."
Over the course of several hours, Dr. Russell explained to Collins the major events of the past century. Shortly after Collins' accident, countries had begun working towards global unification, and after several decades of negotiations, over 95 percent of humanity was part of a single nation. Breakthroughs in nuclear fusion and exploration of other planets had ensured that humanity had a nearly endless supply of energy and resources for all of their material needs. The greatest change, however, occurred when computers began to replace humans in labor. Increasingly complex computer programs and robots proved to be more apt than humans at virtually every job related to information processing or manual labor. Unemployment and unrest soared as more and more people were driven from their jobs, and the governments of the world were forced to take action. The problem ended up to largely solve itself, however. With robots and computers carrying out all production of goods, and with resources essentially free, there was no need for humans to work anyway. The government took control of production and began to provide free goods and services to their people. Humanity had entered the era of post-scarcity.
Only one major type of job remained to humanity – what came to be known as 'thinking' jobs. For all of their ability, computers had failed to exceed humans in the critical areas of abstract and creative thinking. There was simply no computer that could adequately fill the jobs of engineers, programmers, artists, writers, and researchers, such as Dr. Russell. Most of society was not fit to take on jobs in these areas, and were simply given living-quarters, commonly referred to as pods, and all the amenities of life by the state. They were allowed to live their lives care-free, each with an identical monthly stipend to spend on whatever consumer goods they like. A small group, however, was selected at a young age for their intelligence and creative ability. These people, the 'thinkers,' were given schooling and training to fill the 'thinking' jobs. Those who were selected for these jobs were compensated well for their greater burden in life. The 'thinkers' were given a larger government stipend than normal citizens and had access to greater luxuries.
"We have achieved the end-game of economics, so to speak," Dr. Russell concluded, "there is no poverty, no hunger, no suffering. Humanity is free to live a full and enjoyable life."
Dr. Collins quietly contemplated all that he had been told. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, "and what of my own field, physics? What progress has been made?"
"I'm glad you asked," Dr. Russell responded, "your unified field theory led to a string of advances in the field, including a much greater understanding of what was called 'dark matter' during your time. There are still many questions, however. Our physicists now mostly focus on trying to understand the implications of extreme space-time warping, such as that near black holes."
"Ah, I see that not much has changed then," quipped Collins, "I certainly look forward to catching up on all of the progress. Where will I be able to find a research institute in order to learn all of the new theories and other information?"
Dr. Russell paused uncomfortably for a few seconds, and then finally replied, "Unfortunately, Dr. Collins, there really isn't a place for you in physics research anymore. Don't misunderstand me, you are a brilliant mind, and your contributions have been invaluable to your field, but the Department of Scientific Progress did a cost-benefit analysis, and they don't think it's worth the cost to educate you on all of the new theory."
"What do you mean, not worth the cost?" Collins asked incredulously.
Dr. Russell attempted to explain, "It would take quite some time for you to catch up, and you would likely need another physicist to help you catch up. In terms of the cost it would take to have you educated, versus the amount of research you are predicted to produce, it's not worth it for the government."
"What is this b-------?" Collins burst out, "What am I supposed to do? Just go live out the rest of my days twiddling my thumbs? I'm a g------ physicist; this is what I do!"
"Look, I'm very sorry, I had nothing to do with this decision," Dr. Russell began, "the government has very advanced actuarial software, and that's the conclusion it came to. You'll still be provided with free housing, food, and everything else. You are more than welcome-"
Collins was beginning to get very frustrated, and he cut Dr. Russell short, "I don't want to just live in an apartment, or pod, or whatever you people call it! I don't want to just sit around! I want to continue to contribute to the field and conduct research. Whatever algorithm told you that it's not worth the cost is complete garbage!"
"Please calm down Henry," Dr. Russell said, "This is just how it has to be. This is how our society functions now. Think of it this way, you don't have to work ever again. Think of all the long nights and stress from working. You won't ever have to deal with that again. Look, just forget about all of it for now. You're going to have physical therapy for a couple weeks here in this facility, and then you'll be moved to permanent housing in a pod. For now, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
Before Collins could reply, Dr. Russell got up and began walking towards the door. Collins wanted to yell after the doctor, but he held himself back. After several minutes, the lights in the room dimmed, and Collins began to feel overpoweringly tired. The physicist closed his eyes and soon succumbed to a deep sleep.
*****
After three weeks of physical therapy, Collins was declared fit to leave the medical facility. Over the course of those three weeks, Collins had continued to learn about the new world around him. The physicist had also continued to vehemently protest his exclusion from his own field, but to no avail. At the end of the therapy, Collins was brought out of the facility and boarded a maglev train that would take him to his pod. As he stepped onto the train, Collins looked back at the building he had just left. He noticed for the first time a sign over the doorway identifying the building as part of the Eastern University Center for Advanced Medical Research. The train doors closed behind him, and he took a seat by a window. As the train hurtled along its path, Collins got his first good look at the city he was in. Enormously tall buildings dotted the skyline, some over a mile in height. The train stopped in front of Collins apartment building, and he disembarked. He entered the building, and took an elevator to the 19th floor. As he exited the elevator, Collins glanced down at the pod number he had been given: 19 – 84.
After walking around through the hallways for a short while, trying to find his room, Collins finally stumbled across the correct door. A biometric hand scanner was recessed into the wall next to the door, and Collins placed his palm onto it. The scanner promptly turned green and the door clicked as it unlocked. Collins felt quite underwhelmed as he looked around his pod. It was clear that technology had progressed enormously while he had been in hibernation, but the nothing really stood out as exceptionally nice about the housing unit. On the wall a large screen presented a list of what appeared to be TV shows. Collins began to scroll through the options using the remote he found next to his small sofa. One of the titles caught his eye – "Quantum Mechanics." He selected the show and was quickly disappointed, as the show was some form of reality show involving competition to see who could design a robotic mechanic that could repair broken vehicles the fastest. Collins decided to look around his room for a computer or some form of internet access but found nothing. Perplexed at the lack of such a basic amenity, Collins decided to call the pod complex help line to inquire about it.
"You have reached the Pod Complex Number 214 help line, how may I assist you?" a clear voice said when he connected.
"Hi, I just moved in here, and I was wondering how to access the internet. I couldn't find any computers or anything else in my pod," Collins replied.
"I'm sorry; I do not know what the internet is. Is there any other way I can assist you?" the voice said.
"What do you mean you don't know what the internet is?" Collins asked.
"I'm sorry; I do not know what the internet is. Is there any other way I can assist you?" the voice repeated.
With a sinking feeling, Collins realized that the voice on the other end of the call was a pre-programmed computer. He promptly hung up and left his pod to go look for a real person to help him. He noticed a young couple in the hallway and asked them about internet access, but they both seemed to have no idea what he was talking about. Perplexed, Collins decided to look for a person in the pod complex office to help him. He descended to the lobby in the elevator, and searched around for an office, or some sort of management area, but found nothing. He asked several passers-by for directions, but none knew where to find an office. Giving up, Collins returned to his pod and settled with browsing through the channels on his TV.
*****
Several months had passed since Collins had moved into his pod. His everyday routine was very easygoing. He had no work, he could wake up and go to sleep whenever he pleased, and he had zero obligations to anyone but himself. He had gotten to know many of the people in his pod complex, and he made a good number of friends. He could eat any food he fancied, whenever he fancied, and his government stipend covered largely anything he wanted to purchase. Life was good.
And yet, something deep down bugged Dr. Henry Collins. For all of the nice things he had, he was still missing something. Before his accident, before he had been frozen, Dr. Collins did not live a carefree life. He taught at a university, and he was forced to wake every morning to fulfill that duty. He was expected to put out significant publication fairly regularly, and he was constantly filling out paperwork to apply for grant money. But for some reason, deep down, he yearned to go back to that. His career in academia may have been stressful and difficult at times, but it gave Dr. Collins a sense of direction, something to strive for, a real reason to wake up every morning. Without a true direction in life, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Dr. Collins had been brought back to life, but it was becoming apparent that life had never really been brought back to Dr. Collins.
*****
Late one night, Collins lay in his bed unable to sleep. As thoughts swirled about in his head, he contemplated his life before his accident. He thought of all the times he had been up late, but rather than just laying bed, he had been hunched over a small desk, arranging, re-arranging, and re-re-arranging equations, only to find that he had forgotten a minus sign, and thus had to restart from the beginning. Suddenly, Collins was overwhelmed with an unexpected feeling of loss. It hit him that he actually sorely missed the life he had lost. With these thoughts on his mind, Collins fell into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, Collins resolved to find some way to begin conducting research again. Recalling the sign he had seen above the hospital where he was revived from hibernation, Collins decided to go back to the Eastern University Center for Advanced Medical Research and find Dr. Russell and demand to be given an opportunity to return to his field. He walked out of his building and walked to the maglev train station. He looked around for a map or a schedule that would tell him how to get to the medical center. He found a screen displaying the rail schedule, but could not find the medical center anywhere on it. After several minutes of reading and re-reading the schedule, Collins decided to ask someone for help. He noticed a man sitting on a bench nearby and approached him.
"Excuse me sir, could you help me find my way to the Eastern University Center for Advanced Medical Research?" Collins inquired.
"The what? Where are you trying to go?" the man asked, seemingly confused.
"The Eastern University Center for Advanced Medical Research," Collins repeated.
"I've never heard of it," the man replied, "what's a university?"
Collins couldn't believe his ears. It seemed that nobody he talked to knew even the most basic information. Suddenly, all of the frustration that Collins had felt with his life and with the vacuous society around him welled up at once. A flood of repressed thoughts and emotions all surfaced at that moment, and Henry Collins snapped.
Henry Collins began yelling. He yelled about being denied a job as a physicist; he yelled about the lack of any substance in the entertainment available to him; he yelled about the fact that people didn't even know what a university was; he yelled various obscenities directed at everyone and everything. He yelled until his throat was sore, and then continued to yell.
As Collins yelled, everyone in the train station turned and stared at him. The man he had been talking to quickly got up and edged away. After about 30 seconds, a panel of the wall slid back and a police robot stepped out from a recess. The robot walked up to Collins and attempted to tell him to cease his disturbance. Collins responded with a stream of curses, and the robot promptly grabbed him and placed a set of hand cuffs on him. It grabbed him by the wrist and led him towards a small police car that had pulled up. Collins, no longer yelling, but still muttering foul phrases under his breath, was brought to a large grey building. The robot led him in and placed him in a small room with a bed, sink, and attached bathroom. Having calmed down slightly, Collins sat down on the bed and just stared at the wall.
After several minutes, a young man walked into the room.
"Hello, Mr. Collins," he said as he closed the door, "you caused quite the disturbance out there."
"My name is Dr. Collins d-----."
Unnerved, the man said, "Ok, ok, Dr. Collins. I'm just here to help you. My name is Dr. Walker. Why don't you just tell me what's on your mind?"
"I want one thing. I want to research physics," Collins replied, "I was a g------ Nobel laureate at the age of twenty-nine. I was given some b------- excuse that it would cost too much to educate me on all the new advancements, but I don't buy it. I'm not happy with simply living in my stupid pod and doing nothing meaningful with myself."
"Ok, let's slow down here," Dr. Walker said, "So you're not really happy with your life. Before we get hasty with identifying the reasons why, we really should talk about your life a bit more. I think you and I can work together to really solve many of your problems. You really do need some help to get your spirits back up, so for now, we'll keep you here in this hospital."
"I don't want your help with anything other than putting me in front of physics publications," Collins insisted.
"Look, why don't you just sleep for now and let yourself calm down a bit," Dr. Walker suggested, "I'll come visit you in the morning and we can begin some therapy. I really think it'll help you out."
Seeing that he had no options, Collins gave a heavy sigh and lay back in his bed as Dr. Walker exited the room.
*****
Henry Collins had everything. He had a nice pod to call home, he had virtually endless entertainment on his TV, he had plenty of friends to go out with, and he had no worries in his life. He had once been unsatisfied with his life, but that time was past. Dr. Walker had helped him get over the silly thoughts that had made him upset, and now Mr. Henry Collins was care-free and happy just like everyone else.