Julia felt herself grow tense. "Yes?"
"He instructed us to have the two of you interviewed by some of the best authorities we could round up on such short notice. You will be required to demonstrate this ability you seem to have to teleport objects."
"I'll do everything I can."
The colonel grunted and turned back to watching the road.
The Tidal Basin lay to one side of the car; the Washington Channel to the other. Off the highway, the rotunda dome of the white marble Jefferson Memorial glistened in the weak sunlight; the cherry trees around it were naked with winter.
Julia listened to her own breathing; she forced herself to relax. I've got to convince them, she thought.
In spite of her superiority, she felt like a little girl venturing into a big, unfamiliar world.
Shortly, the car drew up at the huge Pentagon building.
Inside it, army men—officers and enlisted men—were scurrying about, up and down ramps, in and out of the endless maze of corridors. There was a brisk hum of voices; it was like a giant bee hive. The high heeled shoes of female personnel chattered efficiently from room to room.
"Stay close," the colonel said. "It's easy to get lost."