Dr. Elara Voss watched neon raindrops slide down the cryochamber's glass as her wife's preservation countdown hit 00:00:00. The facility's AI voice echoed through Saturn's rings research station.
"Revival sequence initiated. Neuro-synapses rebooting."
Six years of waiting condensed into the hiss of hydraulics. Elara's reflection in the glass showed new silver streaks in her coiled black hair - strands earned since Mira's cancer diagnosis forced this desperate gambit. The chamber's frost retreated to reveal 28-year-old Mira, perfectly preserved yet alien in her stillness.
"Bio-readings stable," the AI reported. "Cognitive integration at 12%."
Mira's eyes flew open - but they glowed with unnatural cobalt light. Her first words emerged in overlapping octaves, as if multiple women spoke through her throat:
"You shouldn't have defied the Great Filter, beloved."