Our plane landed in Los Angeles without incident. We waited an hour for our luggage in Baggage Claim (Joe says that's fast for LA. I rolled my eyes.), then snagged a cab.

"Where you goin'?" growled the driver.

Joe handed him the directions provided by Management. The driver snatched them out of his hand, studied them, then pronounced, "Ya can't get there from here." Then he handed back the directions, guffawed, and floored the gas pedal. We roared into the stream of traffic. "That's thirty-five miles or so; give me ten minutes to getcha there."

"I believe him!" I said, clutching the arm rest, too scared to look out the window. Joe laughed, sighed, and leaned back in his seat. Ten minutes and $85.00 later, we pulled up to a warehouse in a very run down part of LA. "You better watch out for the lady, buddy. This is a real, real bad side of town. Whaddaya want with this place?"

"Oh, it's a music industry thing" Joe answered the driver.

"Oh, you're musicians? Yeah, you had those guitars I loaded into the trunk. So, is this like a video shoot?"

Joe said, "Oh, something like that." He got out of the car, walked around, and paid the driver, who got out, opened my door for me, and got our baggage out of the trunk. I got out of the car and stood by the building, waiting for Joe.

The cab pulled away. Joe walked up to me, handed me my bag and guitar case and tool case and said "First rule about touring: Assume all information you are given by Management is Top Secret!"

I smiled, "Ohhh! I was wondering why you were being so vague with the driver. I wanted to shout it to the world!"

He laughed. "Yeah, I know it's a temptation."

"Joe, what are we doing at this warehouse? I was thinking we'd be at a hotel, and I could get cleaned up. I mean, I'm bushed, and I'm a mess!" I shook my head and looked around. "This place gives me the creeps!"

"Well, let's check it out." He pointed to a metal door with a piece of paper taped to it. As we approached it, we saw that someone had written "Hangar 18" in big letters. Joe laughed when he saw that. "This is the place!"

"How do you know? And, how come I didn't get directions and all that stuff you got?" I frowned up at him.

"Because I'm Head Tech, and you're a lowly Assistant Tech! Bwwaaaa-ha-ha-ha!" He laughed. "Everything from Management is Top Secret, remember?"

"But even directions to a place? And besides, I'm an insider, so I should know as much as you!"

"Welcome to The Entertainment Industry, Wren, where EVERYTHING is a secret---so that the competition won't steal our ideas!" He patted my back, then opened the door for me.