Chapter 2: The Experiment

The courtroom rose like a cathedral of judgment, its vast interior buzzing with whispers of curiosity and disdain. Jacob stood at the defendant’s podium, his hands cuffed, his posture defiant despite the weight of his circumstances. The judge presided with a pale face and piercing eyes, his authority unmistakable.

“Jacob Thorn,” the judge began, his voice resounding through the room like a bell. “You are charged with armed robbery, assault, and resisting arrest. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

Jacob smirked, his lips curving upward in a display of both arrogance and resignation. “What’s the point? You’ve already made up your mind,” he said, his voice laden with bitter indifference.

A murmur rippled through the spectators, a wave of shock sweeping across the gallery. The judge’s gavel struck sharply, silencing the room with the force of thunder.

“Enough!” the judge roared. “Your insolence will serve you no favors here. However, the decision regarding your punishment is far from what you expect—and beyond anything you can foresee.”

Jacob’s smirk faded. For the first time since his capture, unease flickered across his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, suspicion threading his voice.

The judge leaned forward, his gaze heavy with ominous intent. “In collaboration with an international scientific initiative, this court has selected you to participate in the Future Capsule Project. This groundbreaking experiment aims to preserve individuals in cryogenic stasis for extended periods. Mr. Thorn, you will be the first human subject. You will be frozen for over a century while society determines your fate.”

The courtroom descended into chaos. Journalists scrambled to capture the moment, their cameras flashing like lightning. The spectators erupted into hushed but animated conversations, their astonishment palpable. Jacob froze, his mind spinning.

“This is madness,” he shouted. “You can’t… you can’t just freeze me like some kind of lab experiment!”

The judge’s expression remained unchanged, his tone devoid of emotion. “Your actions have forfeited your right to choose. Bailiff, remove the defendant and prepare him for immediate transfer.”

Jacob struggled as guards escorted him out, his protests drowned in the cacophony of the courtroom. The sterile hallways of the courthouse blurred past him, carrying him toward a surreal destiny that felt more like a nightmare.

The Future Capsule Facility stood on the edge of a barren desert, a cold labyrinth of steel and glass. Its towering structures gleamed under the searing sun, reflecting the surrounding emptiness. Jacob’s arrival was devoid of ceremony. Stripped of his street clothes, his wrists and ankles shackled, he was fitted with a plain white jumpsuit that erased all traces of individuality.

Dr. Yukari Nakamura, the project’s lead scientist, greeted him with detached professionalism. Her sharp features and meticulous movements mirrored the facility’s clinical efficiency.

“Mr. Thorn,” Dr. Nakamura began, her tone precise and devoid of warmth. “You have been selected for a historic experiment. The Future Capsule Project is designed to study the effects of cryogenic stasis on the human body and mind. Your participation will provide invaluable data for the advancement of humanity.”

Jacob snorted with derision. “Oh, great. I’m sure being stuck in a freezer will make me feel really useful to humanity.”

Dr. Nakamura’s eyes narrowed, but she did not rise to the bait. Instead, she gestured toward a sleek, futuristic chamber that resembled a high-tech sarcophagus, its interior illuminated by an otherworldly blue light.

“This is your capsule,” she explained. “Once inside, your body will be gradually cooled to just above freezing. All biological processes will enter a state of suspended animation. When you wake, it will feel as though no time has passed.”

Jacob stepped closer, peering into the capsule with a mixture of dread and reluctant curiosity. “And what if this thing breaks down?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Do I wake up as a human popsicle?”

A faint smile flickered across Dr. Nakamura’s lips. “Our technology is precise. There is no danger—unless you resist the process.”

Jacob sighed, his bravado faltering. The enormity of his situation began to sink in. He glanced around the sterile room, his gaze lingering on the scientists in their white coats. To them, he was not a man but a subject, a means to an end.

“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, stepping toward the capsule.

The interior was surprisingly comfortable, lined with a gel-like material that molded to his body. Adhesive electrodes were attached to his temples and chest, their cold surfaces pressing against his skin. A technician murmured instructions that Jacob barely heard, his attention fixed on the capsule’s curved ceiling and the faint hum of the surrounding machinery.

As the lid closed, a wave of claustrophobia threatened to engulf him. He shut his eyes, forcing himself to breathe steadily. The temperature began to drop, an icy chill creeping up his spine.

“Subject 101, initiating cryogenic stasis,” an automated voice announced.

Jacob felt a tingling sensation in his limbs, followed by a profound heaviness. It was as though gravity had doubled, pinning him to the capsule. His heartbeat slowed, its rhythm echoing faintly in his ears like a distant drum. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision, and his thoughts began to fragment.

Memories surfaced in disjointed flashes: Henry’s betrayal, the judge’s stern gaze, the cold bite of handcuffs. Regret and anger twisted inside him, but these emotions gradually succumbed to a numbing void. As the last fragments of consciousness slipped away, one clear and determined thought remained:

I will survive this. No matter what.

Outside the capsule, the scientists monitored the process with methodical precision. Dr. Nakamura reviewed the data on a nearby console, her face impassive. “Subject 101 has entered stasis,” she reported. “Vital signs stable. Cryogenic suspension successful.”

The capsule emitted a low hum as its systems stabilized, the blue light inside softening to a gentle glow. To the outside world, Jacob Thorn was gone. He was now a relic, a man frozen in time, awaiting a future he could not imagine.

As the facility’s lights dimmed for the night, the capsule stood silent, a testament to humanity’s relentless pursuit of progress—and the price one man would pay for a second chance.