Chapter 111 First Story In Packhaven

• Amy talked at me as we rode the elevators. She chatted while we were stepping off into the main lobby of the government building. Footsteps and general noise bounced off the marble floors and the vaulted ceilings, giving it a sort of stately echo. Amy prattled right over the top of this. Near the front doors, metal detectors, and security guards monitored everybody who came inside. But on the way out, a single security guard simply waved to people, most of whom he greeted by name.
• So it was that sort of building. I could get used to working in a building full of friendly people. Amy greeted the security guard, called him Chip, and hauled me out the door. She’d barely let go of me yet and somehow managed to breathe in between her continuous talk.
• Now she was giving me a rundown on building hours, and the pass that I would need for checking in, and what things not to try and even bring in, and what things to get special permits for.I finally understood why Chief Conroy put me together with a senior writer. Not only was the Palace Press Panel something completely new to me, but there was so much about working in a government building that I wasn’t used to that. It was like being on a tilt-a-whirl at the carnival. I felt slightly ill.