Surviving through the ages

We bid farewell to Lyn as we resumed our trek to our intended destination. When I inquired about what kind of place it was, Irina naturally wouldn't say a word, telling me I'd see when I got there.

Sure enough, we arrived at our destination just a few seconds later, but there was a problem. Instead of a building, all that was present was a circular glass chamber. I guess it could be an elevator of sorts, however, it didn't look like it could fit more than one person.

"Alright, updating time. In ya go!" Irina grinned as she shoved me in.

I was unable to protest as the chamber closed and I found myself being levitated into the air. Cyber-esque symbols flew through the air around me, coursing down my clothes, then before I knew it, I was back on the ground and quickly nudged out of the chamber by what I'm assuming is it's own exit protocol.

"So, how do you feel?" Selena asked.

I couldn't really say I felt much different. Heck, I wasn't fully sure just how my clothes had been "updated". But it was when Irina suggested I look inside my shoe that I realized it.

"T- The insole looks like it's brand new!"

"Yup, as part of the update, your clothes get outfitted with what we call nano linen, which is simply the term we use to categorize all manner of material used in construction of standard clothing. And that's not all, try thinking of a different color to change your clothes to," Irina grinned.

I thought about blue and gold, and then much to my surprise, my bra top turned blue and gold. Since my clothing had now been updated, I could essentially change the aesthetics of them with a mere thought. I decided to go back to default though and proceeded to test out the other features. I could now summon sky stones to walk on, which would not only make getting around crowds easy, but also provide a new avenue for vlogging.

There was also a weather resistance feature that allowed you to set how resistant you wanted your clothes to be to the elements, a bio-luminescence feature, and countless other things. I could spend all day gushing over the new features of my clothes, but there was a mission at hand.

...

Watching Hana gawk at her updated clothing like a giddy child really did bring a tear to my eye. I was born n' bred in this time, so all this stuff was normal to me.

Makes me wonder what it would be like to store myself away for 100 years. But each time I think of it, it makes me sad. I'd be saying goodbye to this harmony and all my friends here, but sadly there are times I feel things are too boring for a mischief maker like me.

That's why I joined Jantar. Now I could watch the folks from the past gawk and gasp at the world I consider normal. But most of the folks we revive tend to quickly settle down. Especially after we get them acquainted with everything. I hope Hana's different. Now that she's essentially the last amberstasie, I can take a vacation. But traveling the world on my own? Boring. So sorry, Selena, but I'm gonna do my damnedest to goad this girl into globetrotting.

It's not like I'm gonna force her though, in fact, she's already shaping up to be the type that will do it anyway. A globetrotting vlogger from the early 21st century, the fact that the first thing she did when exiting amberstasis was film herself, her telling Lyn to check out her Viewtube channel, my chances were looking good. But would she give up if I told her that phone she was so attached to wouldn't be able to upload to the internet?

Sometimes I wonder why I don't just have my mouth sealed up. Sure, it mostly spouts mischief to spice things up, but this time, it spouted hard fact. I get Selena would have told her eventually, but a part of me felt that delaying the revelation would only deject Hana more. That's why I spoke up. I knew about the options from the start, but if we waited, Hana might have been too dejected, knowing all that she had been filming couldn't be uploaded online.

I had to speak up... But it was more for my sake than hers. She has the potential to make this boring life of mine fun and enjoying, to make me appreciate this "normal" I've known my whole life. That's why I spoke up early. Because by doing so, I managed to mitigate the depression of the revelation, and to my greater pleasure, she chose to go with option 3, finding a hacker. Now I can give her the scenic package, which I'm sure will goad her further into exploring this world.

...

Eventually, I stopped gawking over my clothes and followed Selena and Irina to what appeared to be a transportation port of some kind.

"Our hacker's located a few ways into the Gobi. While there's a few options for transportation, I figured we go with the scooter bus," Irina grinned as she gestured us towards a terminal.

Selena raised an eyebrow, but before she could say a word, Irina put her finger over her mouth. Seems like she's up to some mischief, but I don't mind. The scooter bus actually looks cool, kind of like that sand scooter thing from that one sci-fi movie. Though I hope that unlike in the movie, we don't end up pulling up to some giant worm pit.

While I'm not sure they exist, I've heard rumors of giant worms, known as Mongolian death worms, dwelling in the Gobi. I get they're more like cryptids like the Loch Ness monster, but in this era, maybe they've finally been discovered, or made real by some mad man.

Before I could ponder the matter further, Irina began dragging me over to a nearby kiosk.

"I know ya can't really upload stuff, but you can still film it all. Since I didn't see this on you when ya woke up, I figured I get ya a new one, especially since you'll probably want one anyway."

To my surprise, the kiosk appeared to be a 3D printer of sorts. 3D printers had existed in my time, but never had they existed as public kiosks. Selena walked over and explained that the kiosk was more akin to a souvenir creator of sorts. There were many set templets, but if you were skilled in 3D printing or had a blueprint on you, you could essentially turn the thing into your little workstation. Though there were measures in place to prevent someone from hogging the device to themself..

"Oh, that reminds me. These kiosks with a neon ink stamp on them actually have an exclusive function other ones don't."

"And that is?"

"Oh, it's something I'm sure you're well familiar with. Recognize this?" Selena smiled as she whipped out a pocket-sized book.

I began to tear up a bit as I recognized it. "So this survived the times. I'm glad."

Selena was holding a stamp book. I had done many stamp rallies at various places around the world. I always enjoyed it as it gave a sense of both achievement and satisfaction. To see something I loved so much growing up still going strong 500 years later, I was unable to hold in my tears of joy.

"And all you need to do to get one is step right up. Do that and I'll give you a little gift," Irina smirked as she finished up at the kiosk.

I normally would have asked for my present with a pout, but the kiosk looked to be the more intriguing thing at the moment. And it most certainly was. I was so absorbed in everything it presented to me that I lost track of time. By the time I turned around with stamp book and stasis pod souvenir in hand, the sun had set.

"Ah!"

"No worries. Our hacker isn't going anywhere. In fact, night's the perfect time not just to see them, but all the Gobi's got lurking within," Irina grinned as she handed me the thing she had crafted.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing; it was a selfie stick. My old one had broke just before I went into stasis, but I didn't bother getting a new one, assuming I could probably get one in the future, but never did I imagine it'd be like this.

"Feeling a bit nostalgic?" Irina asked as I took the selfie stick.

I could only nod and smile as more happy tears began to stream down my cheeks.