This is part 2 of Kevin's Trip. Thanks to my beta readers and to Randi for her editorial support. I decided to publish part two in Loving Wives for the sake of continuity.
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As Kevin returned to consciousness he realized that his body ached all over. His head was sore, his back was sore, his torso was sore and his limbs were sore.
He opened his eyes and noticed that he was in a small, white colored room, lying in a bed. Was he in a hospital? Had he been in a car accident on the way back from the airport?
He let out a groan and suddenly a pretty young woman with large breasts dressed in what looked like some kind of medical uniform bustled over to him.
"Oh, Mr Argent! Good to see that you are awake. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Please, can I have some water?"
"Of course you can!" she answered in a bright and perky tone. She returned with a plastic cup of water with a cap on it and did something to adjust his bed.
He thanked her, took a drink and said "Where am I? Am I in hospital?"
She nodded. "Yes, something like that. What can you remember of what happened to you?"
Suddenly, the memory of what had happened to him burst upon him and he gasped and began to sob. "My wife! She was tied up and having sex with two men, I attacked them in a stupid fit of rage and I guess they must have knocked me out and put me in here."
The nurse took the cup from him and placed it on a bedside cabinet. "My name is Penny, I'm your nurse here. Can I call you Kevin, please?" He nodded.
"Kevin, there's a lot you need to learn and to come to grips with. You were attacked by your wife's student lovers, Tony and Mike. They beat you up very savagely, so savagely that half an hour later you actually died."
Kevin let out a gasp.
"But then, that's when our Rescue Team arrived, picked you up, put you on a gurney and resuscitated you before they brought you here."
"Where is here?" asked Kevin.
"It's 400 years into your future, Kevin"
Kevin momentarily blacked out at that piece of information.
When he came round, Penny was holding his hand. "I know this is a lot to come to terms with, Kevin. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Basically, Elon Musk was right and about 100 years after your era, the world suffered a catastrophic population decline.
"About 100 years ago a scientist in Japan developed a form of time travel. The government with the assistance of the Musk Foundation decided to launch what was basically a rescue service to go back in time and target someone who was at the point of death, due to an accident or in cases like yours, an assault, stabilize their condition and bring them back to our present day."
"Why would they do that?"
"They realized we needed to increase the gene pool and it was decided that the rescued people could do that."
"So, we are used as sperm donors?" Kevin was intrigued by the idea rather than being disgusted or repelled.
"Well, sort of. There are sperm banks you can donate to, but in general the situation isn't as scientific as that. Most of the rescued actually get married and have kids in the normal way. Some have church weddings, too, if they want."
Penny looked at Kevin. "I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, Kevin?"
He grinned at her. "Yeah, you could say that! Why am I still hurting, if the attack happened 400 years ago?"
"Well, yes, that's true on one level, but as far as your body is concerned the assault happened recently. Your injuries were treated with modern medical techniques, but I expect you'll be in pain. After all, they gave you one hell of a beating. If you need any pain treatment, just push the blue button on your bedside console."
"What happened to my wife and the students?"
"The Internet archives show that the two students and your wife were all jailed for negligent homicide or at least in your wife's case, aiding and abetting. We don't have any further details on them."
Kevin pressed the blue button and was pleased that his pains subsided to barely a twinge.
"So, what happens to me, now?"
"The government will help set you up with job interviews. Your own industry still exists, but it's different now, 400 years into the future. Everything is vastly different, obviously. Training courses are available, though. Some of the rescued work with the Musk Foundation to help fellow recovered people."
She pointed to the large picture window and he looked out over a scene of pastoral beauty. "Looks beautiful, doesn't it?" said Penny.
"It does. Where are we?"
She grinned and said "The hospital is situated in the area that was in your day called the Central Core of your city center."