Brad rolled his eyes. “Thanks. I'm more than ready to leave him behind. Unfortunately, RJ wants him. I'm sure that's because she hasn't had to deal with him. I've had more than enough. He's one of the most difficult and unlikeable people I've ever met.”

At that time, RJ and Travers walked into the room and Fitch turned his attention to them. “Good evening ladies.”

“Good evening. Is everyone here yet?” RJ asked.

“Still waiting on a few, including my problem child,” Brad said with another roll of his eyes.

“You may have been right about him,” RJ stated. “It's too late now, but I won't hold anything up because of him. If we have to go without him, then so be it.” She looked across at Fitch. “How are you feeling, Matt?”

“I can't believe it's almost time. I just wish I could know the final outcome.”

“If Carter doesn't show up, we'll take you with us,” Travers suggested with a smile.

“Thanks, Amy,” Fitch smiled back. Looking at RJ, he added, “Before you relieve me of duty, I want to give you a last look around. There isn't much time to change anything, but I'll answer any last-minute questions you have.”

“Sounds good to me,” RJ commented, and the four of them left the command center.

They walked to the pressurized door of the first chamber on that floor and looked in. One hundred and fifty sleepers were lying on the pedestal beds. The ends of the tubes and wires were only just visible. Each sleeper was covered by a sheet and RJ shuddered, thinking they all looked dead.

“They've been out for a week now, so far, no incidents. We've been monitoring them from upstairs. There have been no issues with the other chambers, either,” Fitch advised.

They moved across the hall and saw the other chamber; this one filled with two dozen different capsules. Some could hold a single person, and others could hold up to ten. Since the lids were closed, it was impossible from this angle to tell that half the capsules were occupied, if it wasn't for the indicator lights on the sides of the capsules. In this chamber alone, there were over two hundred miles of tubing, and almost a hundred thousand different sensors.

The clean sterility of the human sleep chambers was a sharp contrast to what they saw in the animal chamber, located down a short tunnel from the pit. The animals might have been sleeping, but that did nothing to reduce the smell associated with several thousand farm animals crammed in a small space. There was something unsettling about the animals, Fitch thought. Their tubes were clearly visible, connecting to almost every orifice. It was far more disturbing than the dignified way the same thing had been accomplished with the human sleepers.