“Good afternoon, Joe.” The voice was distant, as if coming from another room. Joe looked around as the world slowly came into focus. “Welcome back to the conscious world.”
He tried to speak, but only a rough cough came out. “Easy now,” the voice said. “We don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Joe tried to sit up, but couldn't; cold, metal restraints on his arms, his legs, and across his chest stopped him.
“Wha…,” he started, unable to voice even one of the hundreds of questions tumbling through his head.
“Drink this,” the man said. After a short pause, he added, “Don’t worry, it’s only water. Trust me when I say we want nothing more than to keep you safe and healthy.”
Joe drank the water as it was funneled down his throat. The walls around him were bleak, yet pristine, and the bright florescent lights were almost blinding. Finally, he managed to ask where he was. “Am I in prison?”
There were now several people standing over him, all of them looked vaguely familiar. Especially one of the men toward the back of the group. Why would Barack Obama visit me? Joe chalked it up to his own grogginess.
“No, Joe, you’re not in prison, but once you hear the truth I’m sure you’ll wish you were.”
“I…,” Joe struggled with the thought. “I don’t understand.”
“Allow me, dear.” It was a soft, elderly female voice. “The year is 2163. You've been in a coma for the last one hundred and forty-eight years. Everyone you knew or cared about has long since been forgotten. I truly am sorry, Joseph.”
“That’s impossible,” he muttered. “That would mean I’m…” Joe tried to add the years together, but the woman interrupted his thought.
“One hundred and eighty years old, Joe, but do not worry. You are not the oldest here; I am afraid that honor belongs to me, I am two hundred and thirty six years old.”
I must be drugged, Joe thought. He began to realize where he recognized the others from. That’s Vladimir Putin, and that’s Tony Abbott, and…is that David Cameron?
“Wait, you’re Queen Elizabeth!” The elderly woman cracked a smile and nodded.
“We learned a long time ago that our lives were tied to yours. None of the world leaders could be harmed as long as you remained alive. We do not know how or why it happened, but that does not change the facts.”
Joe laughed. That was impossible. “I’m just a gas station attendant. I’m nobody.” The room erupted in laughter.
“Oh no, my dear, you are the most important man in the world. We have kept you alive all these years so that we could remain in power. It was difficult at first, but all of us have worked hard toward a common peace, all because of you. None of the organs in your body are originally yours, that is how special you are. And that is why you can never leave. We have all worked too long and too hard to pass this legacy on to others.”
Joe fought at his restraints, tried to break free, but could not budge them. They all watched on as he struggled until finally he relaxed, exhausted.
“Now, let me be clear.” This time, it was President Obama who spoke. “You will not die, Joe, nor will you be allowed to harm yourself, but your sacrifice will be will be honored throughout the world. Your descendants will never want and they will always remain prominent members of society. Your sacrifice allows them to live a life you could never give them otherwise.”
“You must understand,” Queen Elizabeth said. “We could not allow this to go any other way.” With that, the world leaders walked out of the cold, brightly lit room. The Queen, who was clearly the leader among the leaders, turned to a man in white clothes. “Put him back to sleep, doctor.”
Joe laid on the slab, watching as the doctor shoved a needle into his arm, and sobbed uncontrollably until the world went dark around him.