Timeskip II

The turn of events left me perplexed, and that was putting it nicely. Of all the predictions and calculations, no one said anything about mankind advancing in reverse.

Vikings. Traditional Vikibgs, not futuristic ones. Either the world had been conquered and controlled by a barbaric movement, or the world was now a free-for-all wasteland, where various groups fought for dominance and control.

Neither of those outcomes sounded good.

"This magic, science. Siii-ens. Science."

"Siiii-ensss. This science, what?"

At that, another man walked into the room. He was dressed in their garbs, but something about him gave off a different vibe. It was quite clear that he wasn't one of them per sé, even though he was dressed like them.

When he spoke, I confirmed that.

"This is amazing. One of the last structures standing which depict early 21st century technology. Or any technology at all. And it's been preserved perf...oh!"

He had finally spotted me, still dressed in the wooly hazmat suit, still inside the chamber.

"Yeah, oh is a perfect expression. What the hell is all this?"

"You! What science is! Methinks you liar!" The warlord screamed again, handling his sword in a way mlthst made me wary.

"Oh, sorry about this, I'll explain to him," the newcomer said.

He then started talking to the Vikings in a language I could not understand. Maybe some Nordic language 9r something? Anthropology wasn't my forte exactly. But he managed to pacify them.

I thanked the stars that he was here. This was probably his job. Bridge the communication gap between our both groups.

Finally they were done, and he turned back to me. "There's good news and bad news."

"The good news first. I know it can only get worse from here, there are friggin' vikings in my secret hideout."

He smiled. "The good news is that they aren't going to kill you and you won't be suffering like the rest of the... captured non-vikings?"

My ears perked at that. "Captured? Suffer?"

"I'll explain later. The bad news is that you'll be forced to work for them. They want to use your knowledge of science to their advantage in the war. I'll explain that part as we go."

"We go now?"

"No better time than the present, that's what these guys believe in. Except if you want to be beheaded, that is."

That wasn't much of a choice.

"A forced no-brainer," I muttered, still following them anyway. "You can start explaining."

"Oh, yeah. Hmmm. When did you enter that Cryogenic Chamber?"

I was wary of that question for a second, but then it had long passed 2020, when the world powers blew hot on anyone found even delving into the project.

"That was 2021."

"2021...ah? It was illegal back then! That was the year after the great pandemic shook the world, wasn't it?"

I sighed. "Correct on both counts. It was risky then, but I had no intentions of continuing to live in that godforsaken timeline."

He grimaced. "You probably should have stayed there, or then, should I say?"

The joke was lost on me. His response was not in the least encouraging.

"Well, I'm Xavier. Xavier Parks. You?"

"Darron Winchester."

He stopped in his tracks. "Darron Winchester? You mus know Lars Crick then."

"Lars? Of course I know Lars! Where is he?"

"Six feet beneath us in what is now the camp of the Vikings. Lars was the geezer that built some of the best tech used to battle the Vikings in the war which conquered this city. They lost, he was caught and killed."

"Your tone suggests you don't think highly of him," I said through gritted teeth, my fingers balled into a fist.

"Oh, you two were close? Understandable. Let's just say I'm not a fan of what Lars turned the war into. A waste of lives on the side of the resistance. He should have known when to surrender. That's more reason why the rest of you are being ruled with an iron fist "

"And what of the rest of the world?"

"In various states of peace, wars and so on. The Vikings will conquer everywhere and everything, it's only a matter of time. And you will be of help, you and this lab here. Scientific advancements in our warfare will hasten that process."

"And what if I have no intention of doing that nonsense?"

"Then you die. It's not rocket science, Darron." He said, walking away dismissively.

I had to resist the urge to kill this guy. For now. As for me, my own path was clear. The resistance was going to be reborn. Using materials from this lab.

*****

I've decided to leave this as an inconclusive end (for now). Maybe I might later come back to this and create a longer series from it, I'm not sure.

But how do you like it? Likes and Comments please!