And ye shall know the truth,and the truth shall set you free.

As I stepped forward I sawelevators—dozens of them— lining the wallthat curved behind us. Stainless steel letters above the elevator from whichwe'd just emerged spelled out WOMEN'S WEAR, MALL. To the right, another was labeled men's room, roslyn metro station.

A screen on top of theelevator flashed our names. RACHELMORGAN, DEPARTMENT OF OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT. I glanced at Mom as the screenchanged. CAMERON MORGAN, TEMPORARY GUEST.

There was a loud ding, andsoon DAVID DUNCAN, IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS REMOVAL DIVISION was emergingfrom the elevator labeled SAINT SEBASTIAN CONFESSIONAL, at which point I totally started freaking out—but not in theOh-my-gosh-I'm-in-a-top-secret-facility-that's-three-times-more-secure-than-the-White-Housesense. No, my freak-outedness was purely of theThis-is-the-coolest-thing-that's-ever-happened-to-me sense, because, despitethree and a half years of training, I'd temporarily forgotten why we were here.

"Come on, sweetie,"Mom said, taking my hand and pulling me through the atrium, where peopleclimbed purposefully up the spiraling stairs. They carried newspapers andchatted over cups of coffee. It was almost…normal. But then Momapproached a guard who was missing half his nose and one ear, and I thoughtabout how when you're a Gallagher Girl, normal is a completely relative thing.

"Welcome, ladies,"the guard said. "Place your palms here." He indicated the smoothcounter in front of him, and as soon as we touched the surface I felt the heatof the scanner that was memorizing my prints. A mechanical printer sprang tolife somewhere, and the guard leaned down to retrieve two badges.

"Well, RachelMorgan," he said, looking at my mother as if she hadn't been standingright in front of him for a full minute, "welcome back! And this must belittle…" The man squinted, trying to read the badge in his hand.