Chapter Text
The man before you was curled tightly into himself, perhaps he died trying to shut out the cold or simply decided to lay down and accept his fate on the brutal landscape. You wouldn't call him mummified, hell, he barely even looked dead, aside from his ivory white scarred skin and sunken eyes. By no means were you an expert in human anatomy or even anthropology, but it was easy to tell this man had been exceptionally well preserved in the cold. You ran a gloved finger gently over his knuckles, which seemed to be clutching tightly around something. Kneeling down to get a closer look, you furrowed your brow and leaned in. Suddenly, his hand twitched and you heard the creaking of bone that had not moved in centuries. His eyes flashed open in an instant, deep brown pools that seemed to pierce right through you. Startled, you jumped back and fell hard onto the floor, but ignored the pain and kept your eyes fixed onto his corpse. With a gasping, rattling deep breath, his chest began to rise and fall as the man before you began to reanimate. In horror, you pushed back with your feet until your back met the wall, eyes wide and mouth agape in terror at the rising form on the table. His head flicked back and forth as he looked to his surroundings before fixing themselves upon your cowering form.
“Where…am…I?” a deep voice rumbled from his chest, almost like a growl. His brow knit together and his expression hardened as he tried to process what was going on.
With trembling hands, you pulled off your surgical mask to show him you meant no harm, “we’re i-in a r-research station, in the Arctic.”
His expression thawed slightly, but he still seemed confused, clutching the sides of his head, “how long…has it been?”
You looked up at him cautiously, “the year is 2025, what year do you remember?”
His eyes widened in shock and he buried his face in his hands, “2025…I set out on my journey in 1825. 1825.”
Your thoughts began to race. The man was over 200 years old and seemed perfectly fine waking from the ice, what the hell was he? Very few organisms could survive more than a few decades, even tardigrades are only known to survive 30 years in cryobiosis. This discovery could shake the very foundation of biology…
“Have I…frightened you?” His raspy voice snapped your attention back. He began to stand, towering above you, enormous in his desiccated furs, eyes locked onto yours. They seemed to flicker gold as they caught the light.
“To be honest,” you said carefully, “yes, I am frightened. I’ve never heard of anyone…waking from a 200 year coma.”
“I am sorry, I did not intend to,” he offered you an enormous hand, ghostly white with those strange scars.
A chill ran through you as you gently grasped his hand, it was still freezing cold. You had no idea how he was still moving, let alone speaking and standing. You let out a cry of pain as he helped pull you to your feet. Something popped in your back and flared with pain as you started to double over into the man’s arms.
“Are you hurt?” he managed to keep you upright in his arms, holding you gently.
“I’m alright, thank you. I think I fell and hit something wrong earlier,” you backed out of his grasp and leaned against the wall, “I think we should get you inside the research station, it’s warmer there, and we have food and drinks. I could get you new clothes if you’d like as well, those furs have seen better days.”
He looked down at his filthy and tattered clothing and then returned your gaze before nodding, “as you wish.”
You led him back through the halls of the station and into the living area. It was empty as your other crew members had just left on a 2 week expedition for your actual mission, deep ice core sampling for environmental research. As the microbiologist on the team, you volunteered to stay back and examine the man the team found until other researchers could come and take the corpse for proper testing. The corpse that was not actually a corpse. A chilling thought gripped you, if this man meant you harm there was little you could do here alone, isolated from the world. For now, he seemed kind but that could easily change if you had misjudged him.
You weren’t entirely sure how you weren’t freaking out right now, but something about this man made you want to help him. Perhaps it was because he had been treated as a specimen, some sample on the table to dissect. But the man before you was that, human, real, and sentient. You felt an obligation to make him feel welcome at the very least, it had been 200 years since he had last experienced life.
“Here is where our crew lives, there’s a kitchen, bunks, and showers if you like,” you offered.
“Are there others here?” he looked around as if expecting someone to appear from a doorway.
“No, um, they are on a research mission right now,” you didn't specify how long they would be gone.
He nodded, but didn’t ask any questions. You got the sense he didn't even know where to begin with asking questions.
“Um, if you’d like to clean up and bathe I can show you how the showers work and get you some clean clothes,” you offered again, clarifying things more this time, you certainly didn't want him to feel unwelcome or confused by modern amenities.
“Yes, I would appreciate that,” he gave a small smile.
After picking up a towel, oversized t-shirt and sweatpants from the storage room, you led him to the shower stalls and explained how to work the settings.
“If you turn this knob all the way to the top, it’s very hot, usually I just keep it around the middle where it's warm.”
He nodded and touched the dial, curious at the chrome finish. His long fingers traced the notched surface with a small sense of wonder.
“There’s soap in those dispensers on the wall, you can just push the buttons and put your hand under like this,” you mimed getting soap as he watched intently. Something about the way he listened earnestly brought you some sense of ease.
“I think that’s it, just turn the knob back to where it came from when you’re finished. Um, if you need anything just call for me, I’ll be in the other room. Oh also, if you could set your old clothing aside, I would like to save it for study.”
“What could possibly be on my clothes that would be of interest to you?” He puzzled.
“I study microorganisms, uh, tiny creatures that live on your skin and other surfaces. I can show you my lab later if you like,” you wondered if he would be interested.
He smiled and nodded, and you left him to it.
Returning to the common room, you put the kettle on and made two steaming mugs of black tea. It was a safe bet for a comforting drink and you hoped he would appreciate it. Your mind returned to wonder about the man. How was his survival possible? There was no biological explanation that you knew of, there had been a small handful of humans that survived prolonged hypothermia but never anywhere near freezing temperatures, not to mention the man was still quite frozen when you examined him. Of course, cryogenics in theory could be viable in some far off future if the tissue remained preserved and stable, the real issue came when freezing water in cells expanded and burst when frozen. There was nothing about the man to suggest he had any sort of special preparation before his apparent demise. You were stumped.
After some time, you heard the shower turn off, followed by bare footsteps. The man appeared in the hallway with just the towel wrapped around his hips, dark hair hanging dripping over his face. You felt a warm flush run up to your cheeks and you tried your best to look away, but you couldn't help studying the scars and markings on his torso. He was well muscled as well, perfectly proportioned, and his skin was still alabaster white, despite the warming shower. Finally, you locked your eyes on the wall behind him and hoped that would suffice.
“That was pleasant, thank you,” He carried his old clothing and stepped forward to hand it to you.
“Oh um, thank you. Did you find the shirt and pants I set out for you?” your face burned and you couldn't meet his gaze.
He suddenly seemed self conscious and quickly withdrew back to the doorway, “yes, my apologies, I got ahead of myself.”
As he left to get dressed, you looked down at the pile of leather and fur he had delivered to you. The elements had clearly gotten to them in a way that had not affected the man’s body. The worry of infection from the 200 year old rags also struck you but you shook it off, at this point there was little else you could do beyond washing your hands. It’s likely your modern immune system could handle the old pathogens but this certainly wasn’t how you should be handling this.
A few moments later, the man returned dressed. The shirt and pants were still slightly loose but fit well enough for the time being. Your expedition team’s logo stood out brightly on the front, looking out of place on the man from the ice.
“Would you like a cup of tea? It should be cool enough to drink by now,” you held it out to him and he accepted, pulling out a chair and sitting tentatively.
After taking a small sip, he made a contented grunting sighing noise and turned back to you, “thank you, it has been a very long time since anyone has shown me such kindness. I do not even know your name.”
You told him your name and he seemed surprised at the title ‘Dr.’
“You have studied medicine?”
“Well no, actually, but I am a researcher of microbiology, like I said, small creatures that live everywhere, they can cause disease or be beneficial or benign, but there’s an entire world we cannot see around us,” you paused and took a sip before continuing, “what about you? What’s your name?”
He was silent for a few moments before speaking, “My name…I was never given a name properly by my creator but, perhaps you can call me Adam.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you Adam,” you offered your hand and he tentatively took it and gently shook it, he was still colder than you expected, but at last warmth had begun to permeate him.
…
1 Week Earlier
Upon arrival at your base of operations, the team immediately wanted to explore the area. Some glaciers had shifted nearby and everyone wanted to take a look at the icebergs. This was your first big project after finishing your PhD specializing in environmental microbiology. Your job would be to characterize and study different microorganisms in layers of ancient ice cores to study how the atmospheric changes affected life in the past. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for you.
The research team consisted of many different scientific disciplines, from biologists, to chemists, mechanics and engineers, all bright, eager researchers ready to complete their mission. The station was abuzz with excitement as everyone prepared to set out for the first time together for the small expedition. You triple checked your gear and set out to explore the unknown.
The weather was perfect for an expedition outside of the station, it was summertime in the arctic and the sun burned high in the sky. The main base of operations was set up on the northernmost shore of Svalbard but the team had planned to set up a temporary mobile base on the ice as they moved to collect samples. Today, the team traveled over land onto the shore to get some training in the water. You all piled into expedition craft and prepared to board the visiting iceberg. It was a strange piece of ice, you thought as the boat powered forward. So dark blue it seemed black, like obsidian rock. As the sun beat down on its surface, you could hear cracks traveling through its mass.
At first, only small pieces shifted and fell, bobbing in the water like buoys. Then, like lightning from the heavens, the center of the iceberg split and it splintered into pieces. By some luck, the expedition boats had managed to stay clear of the worst of the waves and the team now happily surveyed the scattered remains of the mighty iceberg.
You first mistook the shape for some mass of algae or an animal carcass, but then you realized floating, partially embedded in ice, your eyes made out a pale, white hand.
…