Welcome to the future! Dr. Marie, a character from When We Wake has stopped by to answer a few questions about her world. If you’re unfamiliar with the synopsis of When We Wake, here’s some quick info: Tegan was shot at a political rally and then cryonically frozen by the government. When she wakes up, she’s about a hundred years in the future! Dr. Marie helps Tegan adjust to living in a completely different world.
Tegan was cryonically frozen and then, er, “thawed” one hundred years later. Now that you’ve had one success, what are the scientists planning to do with this technology? Can you tell us more about Operation New Beginning?
I’m afraid most of what I could tell you is classified. I can tell you that we are hard at work, trying to repeat our success with Tegan with some of my other patients. The results so far are extremely encouraging!
Of course, my work is funded by the military, so it must serve a military purpose – in this case, I have been specifically directed towards the potential revival of soldiers killed in action. That’s part of what made Tegan such a good test case – her injuries were very similar to those often suffered by soldiers in combat conditions.
What would you consider to be the biggest scientific achievement of your time?
Tegan’s revival, certainly. From a professional standpoint.
I didn’t expect her to move me so much from a personal point of view as well. An unexpected, and very welcome surprise.
In 2013, one of our biggest medical obstacles is cancer. What illnesses are doctors working to cure?
Cancer, certainly – we can direct some therapies with a great rate of success compared to 2013, but the trouble with mutating cells is that they mutate. Leukemia is particularly troublesome, and of course often strikes very young, which is heartbreaking.
Alzheimer’s is also a target many professionals are trying to shoot down. Senescence in general is an issue, of course, but we’ve all watched valued colleagues or family in the grip of this mind-smothering disorder. The brain is very complicated, unfortunately. It’s certainly the most challenging element of a successful revival.
Let’s say you come down with a nasty cold (we hate colds here in 2013). How do you treat it?
The common cold is one of the most persistent (and irritating!) diseases that’s ever existed, for all that it’s rarely deadly. We can’t vaccinate against it – there are hundreds of viruses that can cause a cold, and they mutate so rapidly.
So I treat it the way you would. Fluids, mild painkillers to ease symptoms, and rest. And the occasional stimulant when I can’t afford to rest.
Last question–there are certain groups (like the Inheritors) who object to the technology used to restore Tegan’s life. If you could say one thing to these people, what would it be?
I resent entirely their assertion that I am trying to usurp the privileges reserved for their God. Not only has acquiring divinity never been a personal goal, but there’s the tiny matter that their God – or any God – does not exist.
I know that Tegan will be unhappy that I said that, and I want to emphasize that I do respect the rights of everyone to free worship in their chosen faiths. However, I cannot, and will not, ape belief in someone else’s deity, much less hold myself bound to what they think their non-existent deity would want of me!
As it happens, though, I do believe in humanity. Humans are real, they are here, and my work can help them. I intend to carry out that work, and if that includes irritating certain hidebound religious sects, then so be it.
Thanks, Dr. Marie! Looks like the future isn’t exactly as great as I thought it would be…
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If you’d like more from Karen Healey, she’ll be featured on Live at the Lounge on March 23rd! She’ll be chatting live on video with Malinda Lo!
