\They heard another vehicle in the drive and a few minutes later the General walked out, carrying a drink he'd made for himself as he came through the house. He'd been here often enough to understand how things worked at the Cowans. “I can only imagine what you two have been discussing,” he said with a sly grin.

Amy's face heated. This was one of the few times she'd seen her commanding officer without a uniform.

Cowan ignored the comment. “I'll get the steaks on the grill, and after we eat, we can get started.”

They enjoyed a delicious meal of steak and salad, their conversation deliberately neutral, before they all went into the house, gathering in the living room.

“I know you two are struggling with this. For now, let's just proceed as if what I told you are all the details. Theorizing about this won't get us anywhere. I have a blueprint of the new facility, and there are some things we'll be working on with other agencies as this develops. We'll be the core team initially, but there will be others joining us as things get moving. Not only do we need to organize the implementation of the sleep systems, but we'll also be involved in designing training plans for the future sleepers. We'll be assisting in determining what equipment needs to be stored for use after the wake-up. We'll also assist in developing protocols for the team to follow, once the awakening occurs. There will be plenty of other areas we'll be involved in, but that should give us plenty to think about.”

Fitch unrolled a set of blueprints he'd brought along with him. “Until early this week these were classified at the highest levels. Now they're ours.”

The diagrams revealed a massive underground complex. There were areas designated as offices, command and communications centers, a gigantic power station, and vast areas which weren't yet labeled. Miles of tunnels were designated, snaking through the facility. Some areas appeared to be several stories high. There was even an underground water supply, fed directly from the Colorado River. There were also immense open areas on the lower levels that were easily the size of five football fields.

“The Air Force's current facility at Cheyenne Mountain was intended to survive long enough for them to make sure all our missiles were away. They could even survive a near miss. Some have speculated they might even survive a direct attack if the weapon had a smaller payload, but that's always been doubtful. This newer facility was planned to withstand anything and allow personnel to hole up for as long as necessary. We're expanding on that and making some changes. We'll continue to enlarge this place, to allow for more and more sleep capsules,” the General explained.

“This place is amazing,” Cowan said.

“How much of this is completed?” Amy asked.