She waited for the signal from Amy, indicating that she too was ready. After a minute, she heard Amy say 'ready', her voice muffled by the mask. She responded with her own 'ready' and heard the motor which operated the lid to Amy's capsule as it started to close. She pushed the button to close the lid to her own capsule.

RJ suffered a wave of panic as the lid to her own capsule closed. The dark transparent panel was only three inches from her face, and she felt trapped. It took all her willpower not to lash out. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take several slow, controlled breaths and calmed slightly. She was aware of the change in atmospheric pressure as the capsule pressurized. She waited until the lights for the lid and pressurization turned green and hesitantly pressed the button to start the flow of SF016 into her vein.

At first, she felt nothing; her anxiety at being confined was again increasing, and she started to consider pushing the button again when she suddenly felt the drugs taking effect. Her arms and legs grew heavy, and she was suddenly more tired than she'd ever been before. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't manage it.

Twenty minutes later, the computer turned off the lights inside the sleep chamber. With the exception of indicator lights on the equipment, everything in the whole mountain went dark.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Consciousness was slowly returning. He was feeling foggy, and his head was clearing far more slowly than he would have expected. His mouth was extremely dry, his stomach was queasy, and his body ached. He struggled to open his eyes, but they were still too heavy. Worst of all was his breathing. With every breath he took, it seemed as if additional air was being forced into his mouth and nose. He couldn't remember where he was, but there was the soft hum of electrical equipment nearby.

He tried to stretch his arms, but something hard and metallic near his sides was significantly limiting his movement. He reached up to his face and discovered an object covering his mouth and nose. Instantly, panic started to build. Forcing his eyes open, he was briefly blinded by light he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He suddenly realized he was flat on his back, in a very small container. His immediate thought was that this was a coffin and he was in a grave. But there were glowing lights on the walls, and a partially transparent lid rested just inches above his face.

With each second, panic increased and his breathing was getting faster and more erratic.

He knew he needed to force himself to calm down, but the panic overtook any rational thoughts.