Chapter 71: Chapter 13.2: Mass Awakening Part 2 Clara was staring at her tablet in amazement. "A-Alll eight pods are showing green across the board. Jin, what did you do?"
Before he could answer, alarms began chiming throughout the cryo-bay. Eight pods were cycling through final revival sequences at the same time, their occupants stirring toward consciousness for the first time in over a century.
"We should get down there," Scarlett said, her mind already shifting to how to handle eight new team members. "They’ll be confused and need medical help right away."
As they headed toward the cryo-bay, Jin felt a strange satisfaction settling in his chest. He’d saved them. All of them. Eight brilliant minds who would help ensure their survival and maybe even their prosperity.
’Jin,’ Asha’s voice carried a note of concern, ’we need to discuss those weird readings with you privately. Soon.’
"Not now, Asha. I want to make sure everyone’s okay first," Jin replied mentally, his attention focused on the future.
---
The cryo-bay was controlled chaos. Eight pods had opened nearly simultaneously, releasing clouds of dissolving mist while their occupants struggled toward full consciousness. Clara moved between them with her medical scanner, checking vital signs and neurological responses. Sera coordinated the awakening process, while Rosa helped steady those who were trying to sit up too quickly.
[Bio-Signature Detection: 8 new life signatures identified]
[Life Force Links: Established with all awakened subjects]
The first to fully wake up was a tall young woman with platinum blonde hair cut in a severe bob and intense gray eyes. She sat up smoothly, she looked around with calmness before focusing on Jin with sharp attention.
"You’re the one who pulled us out of stasis," she said, her voice carrying a clipped Russian accent. "I could feel your energy during the revival process. Impressive work." She swung her legs over the side of the pod with practice ease, testing her balance. "Elena Kozlov. Weapons engineering. Class of 2057."
[Affinity Established: Elena Kozlov (25/100)]
"Jin Tsurugi," he replied, offering a hand to help her stand. "Welcome to the future."
Elena’s grip was firm, and Jin noticed calluses that spoke of lots of hands-on work with machinery and tools. Her steel-gray eyes studied him like she was analyzing a complex machine. "How long were we under?"
"Over a century. The world above is... different now."
She nodded like she’d expected that. "Then we’ll need new weapons for new threats." A small smile touched her lips—the first emotion she’d shown. "Efficiency through superior firepower, as my grandfather used to say."
The next to fully awaken was a smaller young woman with gentle features, black hair in a practical ponytail, and warm dark brown eyes. She moved more slowly than Elena, taking time to get her bearings and breathing deeply before speaking. When she did, her voice carried a warm, melodic quality.
"My name is Lin Xu," she said, accepting Jin’s help to stand with a grateful smile. "I’m a prodigy at agricultural genetics and ecosystem optimization." Her slight Canadian accent made her words sound friendly despite the serious situation. "I’m guessing we have food security issues, eh? Otherwise you wouldn’t have risked waking all of us at once."
[Affinity Established: Lin Xu (22/100)]
"You’re right," Sera said, stepping forward with a tablet showing their resource calculations. "We have maybe six weeks of supplies for fourteen people."
Lin’s expression grew serious as she looked at the numbers, her fingers unconsciously making planting motions like she was calculating. "Hydroponics bay still working?"
"Yeah, but we need expertise to make it as efficient as possible," Clara said, looking up from checking another awakening person’s vitals.
"Ah, like nurturing seedlings after a harsh winter," Lin said, her botanical metaphors coming naturally. "Then that’s my first priority. I’ll need access to seed banks and genetic modification equipment right away, please."
A third pod opened to reveal a young woman with an athletic build, blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. She was checking the room’s structure even as she was still waking up.
"Maya Reeves," she said, her crisp British accent cutting through the noise. "Combat engineering." She paused to study Scarlett. "You’ve got the look of someone who knows what she’s doing."
[Affinity Established: Maya Reeves (18/100)]
"Scarlett Kendrick," Scarlett replied with professional respect. "We’ll need to talk about fortifying the perimeter once everyone’s settled."
"Brilliant. Love a good building project," Maya said with enthusiasm, her hands already sketching defensive positions in the air. "Nothing like proper engineering to solve security problems."
The fourth awakening brought forth a petite young woman with gentle features, light brown hair in a messy bun, and warm hazel eyes. A medical pendant hung at her throat as she carefully looked at each person in the room.
"Shin Leorin," she said softly, her voice carrying a subtle Korean accent that got stronger as she examined the medical equipment around them. "Medical genetics." Her gentle voice turned professional. "I can see everyone here has been through a lot recently. Has anyone had proper medical evaluations?"
𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
[Affinity Established: Shin Leorin (24/100)]
"Um... basic checks only," Clara admitted, looking relieved to have medical expertise. "We’ve been using first aid knowledge mostly."
"Then we need to do full health assessments right away," Shin said, her caring nature immediately obvious. "The changes from the revival process need careful watching to make sure everything integrates properly, especially given the... unusual way we woke up."
The fifth pod revealed a young woman with a dancer’s grace, long curly black hair with subtle auburn highlights, and expressive dark eyes that immediately started taking in every detail of the situation. She moved with natural elegance even while disoriented.
"Amirah Isolde," she said, her accent a beautiful mix of languages that made her words sound like music. "Im an expert at Communications and diplomatic intelligence." She accidentally switched to French mid-sentence before catching herself. "I’m assuming we’ve lost contact with outside governments?" When Sera nodded grimly, she continued in English. "Then setting up communication networks with other survivor groups will be super important, right?"
[Affinity Established: Amirah Isolde (16/100)]
"Umm... We don’t have any ways to contact the surface," Clara said nervously.
"That’s unfortunate, Information is the lifeblood of civilization."
The sixth awakening brought a tall, statuesque young woman with blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. She immediately started analyzing the cryo-bay’s layout.
"Anna Volkov," she said, her precise German-influenced English making each word sound carefully chosen. "Structural architecture and urban planning." She was already redesigning the space in her mind. "This facility has a great foundation, but the current layout isn’t good for more people."
[Affinity Established: Anna Volkov (14/100)]
"That’s exactly what we need," Sera said with relief.
"Exactly," Anna replied, her architectural vision is already expanding. "We need to build spaces that help people feel good and work better. Proper design affects how people think and act together."
The seventh pod opened to reveal a young woman with a curvy figure, rich chestnut hair in loose waves, and warm brown eyes with golden flecks that seemed to sparkle with infectious optimism. Even disoriented from revival, she moved with natural grace.
"Luna Maravéz," she said, her melodic Spanish accent making even technical terms sound musical. "Resource economics and supply optimization." She started counting on her fingers without thinking. "What happened, Jesus"
[Affinity Established: Luna Maravéz (21/100)]
The final pod opened to reveal a petite young woman with traditional grace, long straight black hair styled simply, and gentle dark eyes that seemed to see more than just the physical room. She moved with a calm that created peace wherever she looked.
"Yuki Tanaka," she said, her soft musical voice carrying traditional Japanese respect naturally. "Im a shrine maiden, I help with people’s feelings and group harmony." She bowed formally despite her weakened state. "Please let me help in any way I can."
[Affinity Established: Yuki Tanaka (17/100)]
Jin watched each introduction with growing satisfaction. They were specialists whose skills perfectly matched what they needed to survive. It was almost as if they’d been chosen exactly for this situation.
*Of course they were chosen. Everything has been planned for this moment.*
The thought felt natural, even though Jin couldn’t remember planning anything. The voice in his head—which he was starting to think of as his enhanced intuition—gave gentle guidance about how to help the new arrivals fit in.
"We’ll need time to bring everyone up to speed on our situation," Sera said, her mind already working through how to integrate everyone. "Sleeping arrangements, duties, how to use our limited resources..."
"The Command Wing can be expanded," Anna said, studying the vault plans that Clara shared. "With some changes, we could house twenty people comfortably. Maybe thirty if we balance privacy with community space."
"Food is the biggest problem right now," Lin added, her voice warm but determined. "With my plant knowledge and Shin’s genetic skills, we could have sustainable crops growing in weeks instead of months."
Elena was examining the weapons that Scarlett and the others carried with professional interest. "These work for now, but if we’re facing stronger threats out there, we’ll need better equipment. I can start production right away if we have manufacturing facilities."
Jin felt a warm glow of accomplishment as he listened to his new family members already working to solve their problems. The Phoenix Protocol had done more than just wake them up—it had somehow helped them all fit together perfectly.
*See how well they serve? How perfectly do they fit our needs? This is just the beginning.*
The Phoenix Protocol had done more than just save them—it had created a team perfectly suited to rebuild civilization.
*They will serve you well,* the voice in his head whispered. *And you will lead them to greatness.*
Jin smiled, feeling a sense of purpose settling over him. This was what he was meant to do—lead, protect, and build a future worth living in.
[Entity Influence: Rising]