A woman of medium height, with long brown hair, stood up. She wore a US Army dress uniform with Captain's bars on her shoulders and spoke with a slight New England accent. “Colonel, something shorted out her primary life support computer. Until we get her out and can get to the computer, we won't have all the details. However, the monitors indicate that she suffered some form of a seizure about a year ago. And that she was alive for almost two hours afterward. At that point, for reasons still unknown, her life support computer shorted out. When this happened, there was a sudden increase in temperature in the electronics compartment that houses the bio-computer. Apparently, the temperature was in excess of five hundred degrees for about thirty seconds. The main computer cut power to the electronics compartment in her capsule, due to the threat of a possible fire. At this point, the temperature rapidly decreased. The main computer was seconds away from terminating the entire experiment and sounding a general fire detection alarm. Even though the results were tragic, it looks like most of the systems responded as designed.”

Colonel Fitch's initial reaction had been a cold stare which slowly melted away as he listened to the facts. He nodded slowly.

Cowan, in a more relaxed tone, asked, “Captain Travers, when will we know the cause of the seizure and what created the short circuit?” As frustrated as James Cowan felt regarding the failure, he wouldn't vent that frustration on Amy Travers. She'd been his right-hand person on this project for several years, quickly gaining expertise in this science. She was the only one who understood the artificial sleep processes well enough to continue this work, if he should ever decide to move on. He'd been offered more lucrative positions recently, but was committed to seeing this project through.

Travers replied. “We won't know the cause of the seizure before the autopsy. Until Miller is removed from the capsule, we won't be able to get under it to see the electronics compartment.”

“When will we be able to go back in the chamber without the biohazard suits?” Cowan asked.

A short, balding man spoke up. “Bio-contamination scanning is just finishing now. If the computers found no problems, we should be able to re-enter within the hour.”

“Sir, what about the wake-up?” Travers said.

“That should probably wait until we get the body out,” a voice from the back of the room suggested.

“I agree, let's hold off and see what we find with Miller and her capsule and then we'll start working on Group One,” Fitch instructed. With a nod to those around the table, Fitch and Cowan left the room together.

Fitch could feel his head pounding from the stress and frustration of the morning. He'd been serving as the Project Director for the past several years and he'd planned on this being his final assignment before he slipped away to a quiet retirement.