At a distance, the concrete megastructure resembled an immense ant mound—a big dome pocked with alcoves and dark windows. Its halls and chambers went deep underground in a winding network. 2-Tor brought the Roost in for a smooth landing in front of the building. Rick and Evie exited the vehicle, each carrying a stack of papers. These documents were the permission slips necessary to enter Winterpole’s main facility. Rick was so worried he wouldn’t have been surprised if his nose started spontaneously bleeding. Winterpole Headquarters. So much could go wrong. What if he’d made mistakes filling out the permission slips he’d downloaded from the Winterpole website? What if some administrator woke up on the wrong side of the bureaucracy and denied them admission irrespective of the forms? Worst of all, what if his brash sister’s penchant for recklessness bungled the whole operation? “Trust me,” she’d assured him on the ride over.
