I jumped from my seat. “Get me outta here.” At Arjun’s tipped head, I let out a nervous chuckle. “I mean, sure.”

*   *   *

“Esteemed colleagues,” Kaori started from her position by the doors that led into the facility’s underground parking garage. She’d ditched her lab coat and was wearing gray slacks and a short-sleeved black knit top that showed off toned arms. The crowd of two-dozen or so Compound staffers listened from a loose semicircle.

“For those who I have not yet met, it is my distinct honor to welcome you to this facility. And to you all, I welcome you to this special, and might I add, singular, group supply run. I apologize if I did not sufficiently express to you, via my individual phone calls, many encrypted emails, and detailed pre-arrival packets, that this is a purposely remote facility. And not a college campus where you can run to the student center for cigarettes and condoms.”

“Yikes,” Arjun whispered at my side. I bit back a snort at seeing resident-advisor Kaori all worked up.

“Our extremely hard-working and capable facilities staff is here to keep the Compound stocked and its residents fed and comfortable, and, sadly, are unable to assist you with your personal haircare demands,” she continued. “Thus, this cell-phone-free supply run to Indian Springs. A place some of you may request to visit again on a limited basis using one of our limited vehicles during your limited off-hours. All of which are, again, limited.”

I could practically feel the collective wave of nausea through the crowd. At least I had an excuse for coming here empty-handed. I let Kaori’s painfully polite reaming bounce off me.

“As far as the residents of Indian Springs are concerned, we are a tour group stopping on the way back to Las Vegas after a day trip in Treaty City, the diplomatic capital of the Commonwealth of Great Basin Nations, which is two hours north.” Here, she tugged on a beige sun visor, which I guessed was her tour-guide getup. “I will be joining you to ensure that no one blows this cover. While in town, you are encouraged to discuss—audibly for townspeople around you—the many marvels of Treaty City. Talking points include the city’s vast network of hydroponic farms, the majestic eagle sculptures of Unity Square, and the gorgeous and ornate beadwork found in the Commonwealth Cultural Museum.” She hit the group with a toothy smile. “Anyone deviating from said talking points will be left in the desert.”

“She’s joking, right?” Arjun whispered. “Like, she has to be joking.”

I shrugged. “All I know is that the beadwork at the Commonwealth Cultural Museum is really something.”