Mei-Ling

The last thing you remember is preparing your research base, SP-Omega, for the oncoming storm. Your colleagues all made last-minute measurements and adjustments, gave light-hearted remarks to one another, and then stepped into your cryogenic sleep pods.

You awake with a sudden start. You are freezing cold, but at the same time, your body is on fire. You feel ice crystals coating your skin, cracking with every cough and jerky movement. Your muscles ache deeply, and every one of joints creak. Moving your head to look out of your view window is a struggle.

Suddenly, the door to your pod opens. An echoing hiss of escaping air blasts your eardrums, and you hear a feminine voice nearby, pleading in Chinese. Stumbling forward, you see Mei-Ling, your colleague, kneeling on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.