Nora fished out her ID with a shaky hand and gave it to him. He examined it, looked her over one more time, and handed it back.

“You’re cleared.”

She rolled up her window to keep the bugs from coming inside. She wanted to ask where and what The Castle on the Hill was. Instead, she remained mum and tried to stay calm. He’ll only say you’ll find out soon enough.

The scene outside the window was organized chaos. Construction workers and equipment covered every available square inch of acreage. Muddy roads snaked throughout the fenced-in complex, bulldozers leveled the land, and cranes hoisted heavy steel and wood. Partially finished barracks, apartment complexes, and houses dotted the landscape, along with the beginnings of massive buildings that seemingly rose out of nowhere.

Nora knew her mouth must be hanging open. The sheer scope of this undertaking was mind-boggling. A large billboard caught her attention: Your PEN and TONGUE can be Enemy WEAPONS. Watch what you Write and Say. The accompanying image was of a fountain pen pierced through an Army helmet. Nora’s heart lurched as she thought about the gorgeous leather journal in her suitcase. There was no way she could forego her daily diary entries. She’d lose her mind.

What you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here. The drawing of the three monkeys, one covering its eyes, the next its ears, and the last its lips, illustrated the point. Nora reminded herself that she had nothing to fear. The signs reflected the same message General Groves imparted to her in person. Everything about this project was top-secret. As long as she followed the rules, kept her mouth shut, and did her job, all would be well. Again, her mind strayed to her journal, buried underneath some dresses in her suitcase. One thing was certain—if she chose to keep it, that journal was never to leave her home, nor to be visible or mentioned to anyone else.

“This is our stop,” the driver said. He pulled into a parking lot in front of a sprawling complex.

The Castle on the Hill. Except that the sign in front of the massive structure read, Administration Building, Clinton Engineer Works, Manhattan Engineer District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Nora cocked her head to the side. She could see why folks would think it resembled a castle. The building was comprised of one long center section and a series of wings on either side.

The driver came around and opened the door for her. Nora stretched to get her circulation moving. Could it really have been less than twenty-four hours since she started this journey? This place was so foreign that it might as well have been a lifetime ago. She took her suitcase, thanked the driver, and walked through the front door.