It was hard to walk. I had to really put a lot of effort into it, as if I were being drawn back towards the sphere. As if it had its own gravity.
But eventually, I got far enough away from it to be able to walk more normally. And a few minutes after that, I had reached the ridge and the black-haired woman who stood there.
"You're untouched," the woman said.
"Untouched? What does that mean?" I asked.
"Where have you been? Everyone knows what that means."
"I've been ... uh ... hibernating," I said.
She looked at me oddly, then said "My name is Kara."
"Eric," I said. "Eric Robinson."
She stared at me. "The man in the sleep pod?"
"I think you mean cryo chamber ... wait a minute. You know who I am?"
