Descending Road - I SAW MY BODY by Dana W. Paxson

I SAW MY BODY

2406 CE

On the way into cold sleep, the fourth stage was the final cooling, down to about two degrees above absolute zero: the plunge to a place where nearly all atomic and molecular motion dwindled to a small cold shiver. This place, where consciousness was impossible and dreams purely a hope, was the place Elena longed for, and dreaded.

Near absolute zero, even physics gets strange. Heat makes molecules jitter, jump, and carom about, and any pattern in the molecules is obscured by all the movement. But when the heat is gone, the molecules take on a different character. Their contours become clearer, their relationships more stable. The electrons that make up the outer shells of molecules move more freely and predictably, no longer buffeted by their adjacent brethren. In some environments, the electrons move without resistance from molecule to molecule: superconductivity.

Perhaps that was why the few survivors of next group of volunteers had reported strange dreams. At first, the medical staff had dismissed the reports as typical manifestations of the first-stage dreaming process, but then Henri Abboud had awakened after a six-day sleep.

Henri had said, “I awoke from sleep, and I saw my body below me. Dr. Chen was in an insulated suit standing beside my bed holding a data sheet. He lifted my hand twice, just a little, and let it drop. Then he wrote something in Sinese on the data sheet — it looked something like this: STILL FLEXIBLE AT 2 KELVIN. All of his movements were speeded up by a factor of about 100.”

Henri had gone on, describing each movement of Dr. Chen in the chamber, and then he added, “Of course, I went back to sleep. That was when I heard the deep voice speaking slowly to me. It said, ‘What are you?’ I tried to answer but I couldn’t say anything. Then all I remember is waking up in stage one.”

Dr. Chen‘s notes contained exactly the words Henri had described. His movements and positioning had matched Henri’s statements. And Henri’s arm and hand carried bruises where they had been dropped to the bed surface.

As Elena lost her awareness of the room, drifting into unconsciousness, she thought, I wonder if I can talk to that voice myself.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	I SAW MY BODY 2406 CE On the way into cold sleep, the fourth stage was the final cooling, down to about two degrees above absolute zero: the plunge to a place where nearly all atomic and molecular motion dwindled to a small cold shiver. This place, where consciousness was impossible and dreams purely a hope, was the place Elena longed for, and dreaded. Near absolute zero, even physics gets strange. Heat makes molecules jitter, jump, and carom about, and any pattern in the molecules is obscured by all the movement. But when the heat is gone, the molecules take on a different character. Their contours become clearer, their relationships more stable. The electrons that make up the outer shells of molecules move more freely and predictably, no longer buffeted by their adjacent brethren. In some environments, the electrons move without resistance from molecule to molecule: superconductivity. Perhaps that was why the few survivors of next group of volunteers had reported strange dreams. At first, the medical staff had dismissed the reports as typical manifestations of the first-stage dreaming process, but then Henri Abboud had awakened after a six-day sleep. Henri had said, “I awoke from sleep, and I saw my body below me. Dr. Chen was in an insulated suit standing beside my bed holding a data sheet. He lifted my hand twice, just a little, and let it drop. Then he wrote something in Sinese on the data sheet — it looked something like this: STILL FLEXIBLE AT 2 KELVIN. All of his movements were speeded up by a factor of about 100.” Henri had gone on, describing each movement of Dr. Chen in the chamber, and then he added, “Of course, I went back to sleep. That was when I heard the deep voice speaking slowly to me. It said, ‘What are you?’ I tried to answer but I couldn’t say anything. Then all I remember is waking up in stage one.” Dr. Chen‘s notes contained exactly the words Henri had described. His movements and positioning had matched Henri’s statements. And Henri’s arm and hand carried bruises where they had been dropped to the bed surface. As Elena lost her awareness of the room, drifting into unconsciousness, she thought, I wonder if I can talk to that voice myself.