The CompoundSoHo, New Beijing (formerly New York City) A downpour begins as we enter the Compound, but it’s completely quiet inside. The heavy, ominous kind. The kind that always comes before something miserable happens. I’ve got a bad feeling about the escape. All I can think of is what can go wrong—Phoebe ratting us out, Uncle finding out, Frank finding out, and here’s another good one: the recruits not wanting to go anywhere. On top of everything, there must be a hole in my shoe, because my left sock is drenched. Abbie and I enter the Yard from different doors. It was her idea that whenever we want to meet with Razor and Dmitri about Operation Exodus, we do it in as public a place as possible. With all the mindspeak going back and forth, it would be tough for Uncle or Frank to isolate our conversation. All of the recruits are out on the floor. Dmitri is sitting in a corner gazing up at the ceiling. Razor is on the other side of the Yard, talking to a couple of younger recruits.
