Chapter 25

The domain appeared like a massive building made of stone, with stained glass windows, domes, and spires. The stones looked weather-beaten and old, perhaps to mirror an IRL building that was actually subject to the marching on of time.

There was a sign-in link so that government agents and employees could access more secure levels of the domain. It was a complex system, and as irritating as it was, every time Seven or any other agent returned, they were required to identify themselves before entering.

They all jumped straight into the sign-in link, which appeared to be a drab, white room with only a faded red line drawn on the floor to mark the queue to enter. Bureaucracy at its finest.

“Did we all make it out?” Eighty-Eight asked, still brushing at his sleeves, as if the illusion of ants had followed them. “What happened back there?”