After a moment of complete silence, Cowan continued, “Colonel Fitch, is there anything you want to add?”

Fitch stepped forward. “I know how much work has gone into this project, and the five-year wait has been difficult for everyone. Let's get them awake, so we can finally see the results of our work and officially call this project a success,” he stated with more than a little enthusiasm in his voice.

Cowan and Captain Amy Travers, along with one of the physicians, strode across to Capsule One. “Begin wake-up sequence on Capsule One,” Cowan ordered.

A technician at the beginning of the first row entered the wake-up sequence into the computer keyboard. Cowan could visualize what happened next. The computer immediately stopped the flow of SF016 through the IV line, and a bolus of two different medications started to be infused instead. Concurrently, the flow of gas into the face mask was replaced by pure oxygen.

Three minutes later, the young Army Lieutenant standing by the row of medical monitors called out. “Pulse rate and respirations are increasing. I'll start depressurizing the capsule.”

As the capsule depressurized, a faint groan emitted from the structure. The depressurization process took three full minutes and during that time, Cowan observed that the subject's breathing increased from about four breaths per minute to almost twelve.

“Depressurization complete, activating door mechanism,” the technician announced.

The sound of a mechanical device operating echoed through the room, and the heavy, pressurized cover slowly started lifting.

“Door locked and in position, vital signs within normal limits,” the technician called out.

The physician and Travers immediately started to work. They removed the face mask and replaced it with a standard oxygen mask. The urinary catheter was gently removed, and the internal IV system was replaced with a saline IV bag hanging from a stand beside the capsule.

Cowan commenced shutting down the many individual systems and backup systems within Capsule one. The life support systems, pumps, and monitors were all powered off. The only thing left operational was the primary computer, and he started dumping all the data it had gathered over the last five years. This data was rapidly transferred across fiber optic cable to the complex's central computer database and by the end of the day, the database would contain every conceivable detail of what had occurred during the study. Over the next few months, all this information would be sorted and carefully examined, in hopes of learning everything that had occurred.

After the subject was unhooked, a sheet was used to cover most of her body, and then four team members lifted Tasha Sanjourn from the capsule and placed her on a waiting stretcher.

When they lifted her, they felt her body start to move, and with a soft moan, she opened her eyes. “Tasha, how are you feeling?” the physician asked.

Her voice was weak and difficult to hear through the oxygen mask when she responded. “Feel like I might barf.”