The Harper Kind
Good morning. Please be patient while your senses adjust. You've been asleep for a while.
The voice sounded relaxed, comforting. It wrapped around Toni like a hug. She slowly opened her eyes and saw lights flickering across the smooth glass window in front of her face. The tube she was lying in slowly tilted upwards until she was nearly standing. There was a hiss and a click and the door unlatched. Tentatively she stepped forward onto metal tiled floor. She was surrounded by a dozen other tubes with people asleep inside them.
Thank you for your patience. Please proceed to the information desk in the adjoining room. A staff member will be available to answer any of your questions.
Toni shook her head, and rubbed her eyes. A light had turned on above a door across the room, so she made her way towards it. The voice continued to speak as she walked.
You have just completed a sleep cycle of one thousand years, some side effects are to be expected. Temporary memory loss, dizziness, vomiting, and lower intestinal discomfort. If you experience any of these symptoms for more than forty-eight hours, please consult the onboard priest or physician.
The door was automatic, and slid open for her to pass through, closing softly behind her. She looked left, then right, an empty hallway stretched in both directions, but to the right was a sign labeled 'Quarters, Medical, Food Court'. Her stomach growled when she read the word food and the decision was made.
We would like to congratulate you for being one of the few selected for this journey, and we hope you enjoy your stay on the Harper Kind.
Toni passed by several locked doors before stepping out into a massive room, if room was even the right word. The ceiling was nearly a hundred feet above her. Small kiosks dotted the room. Tables and chairs, benches and even a few playgrounds were scattered in small groups. Small clusters of buildings (restaurants, clothing stores, exercise gyms, arcades) were placed in strategic locations making it difficult to see the room's walls at times. In the very center, a large tube stretched from floor to ceiling, holding what Toni assumed to be elevators. The ceiling was lit by a projection, at least Toni assumed it was a projection, of a blue sky filled with clouds and birds. The projection had the sun currently rising on her left, and lights scattered in the room adjusted the lighting so that shadows and colours bathed the interior as if it were outside.
There wasn't a single person anywhere.
Toni suddenly felt the emptiness like a heavy blanket over her.
"Hello?"
Her voice sounded incredibly small in here. She began walking through the empty paths. Past burbling fountains, and open doorways playing pleasant music. Empty. She passed an ice cream parlour with buckets full of dessert ready to scoop. Empty. She picked up her pace to a light jog. Jewelry store with diamond necklaces and rings on spinning turntables. Empty. Clothing stores with blank faced mannequins, posed for optimal viewing. Empty. She came to a stop at the far end of the room. There was a gap between the stores and the wall. The wall itself was made entirely of glass, but it was pitch black on the other side. Computer terminals were spread evenly by the glass wall and she approached the nearest one. It lit up as she did, displaying a picture of her face briefly before showing a variety of buttons.
Hey there Toni. Looks like you've found the forward viewing area. No one is currently accessing the exterior floodlights, would you like to turn them on?
There is a variety of sea life, unaffected by the events above. If you would like, the Harper Kind has several methods of attracting many species. Simply select an option. Please be aware that separate instances of this option may be canceled or put on hold if too many people are using it.
Toni ignored the voice and tried to control her breathing. Her heart was racing and she was involuntarily breathing in quickly. She tried to think back before she woke up but her memories were flickering at best. She had flashes of interviews and stacks of papers to sign. She remembered boarding a little skiff on the water. She remembered a bright light in the distance.
"Where the hell is everyone?" she wondered out loud.
It looks like you're trying to make a query. If you were, please begin with 'Harper'.
Toni frowned and tried to shake some of the fog from her brain. It didn't work.
"Harper, where is everyone?"
Hey there Toni. Currently, all passengers and crew are safely within their designated sleep pods, awaiting the end of the cycle.
"Well that's not true."
If you have found a fault in given information, please log it and our technicians will attempt to solve the problem as soon as possible.
A window popped up on screen along with a keyboard. Toni ignored it and looked around. There had to be someone else around.
"Can you tell me where I can find someone in charge?"
Certainly. You are currently on the passenger level, facing the forward viewing area. Directly to your left, you will see an information desk where an employee will be more than happy to assist you.
Toni looked over at the empty desk and tried to keep taking deep, slow breaths. This wasn't working. She walked away from the terminal and scanned the room. She spotted the elevators in the center of the room again and nodded. She tried to walk, but anxiety got the better of her and she ended up jogging most of the way.
The column was, like the room it was in, massive. Sixteen elevators around the outside of it, each one probably able to hold twenty people comfortably. There were only two buttons inside: Passenger and Atrium. Atrium was above