"Take it back up to my room and then we can get going," Sonya says, sitting back at the table and pulling out a little GPS device. I grab a sip of water from the metal cup I brought out and jog inside. I'm wearing Sonya's bright red dress, and it feels weird for a lot of reasons. The stretchy fabric rubs against my skin, and it's too a little too big and a little too long. It was worse trying to climb in it, which is what Sonya has been making me do all day. She woke me up early this morning, because apparently today we're going to get my uniform. I still don't understand why every member of a Crew has to be dressed up in a semi-impractical costume, but I've learned not to question things too much anymore. I reach Sonya's room, where I peel off the dress and slip back into the cargo pants and white shirt I had been wearing before. Despite the fact that there's a near identical dress hanging in my closet, only silver and mirrored instead of just red, Sonya shook her head and insisted I wore hers. I haven't even touched the dress in the closet yet. It feels like the scene of a crime, somehow. 

On my way back from Sonya's room, I pass by Hugo's room. The door is propped open, and I risk a glance inside. Hugo is sitting on the bed in pale pink back shorts that cling to his skin and show me more than I ever needed to see. I can't focus on that for long, though, because my eyes are drawn a little higher to the gash in his side. He's taken off his bandages, and it's clear that the skin around Felix's makeshift stitches is red and dark purple, mottled like an ugly bruise. I don't even realize I've stopped until Hugo looks up and sees me. He curses under his breath. I duck my head and try to walk away, but he calls out.
"Nova!" Even hearing my name come out of his mouth makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I turn around and walk back, my skin pricking. 
"Yeah," I ask, and I hate how nervous my voice sounds. 
"Don't tell anyone. Not Sonya. Especially not Felix." I nod mutely and continue down the hall, but the comment sticks with me. I get why he would want to avoid telling Sonya, but from what I can see, he and Felix have a pretty rocky relationship. They don't talk much, and when they do, it's usually angry, snide remarks bitten off here and there. I don't know why Hugo wouldn't want to tell him about his wound acting up again. But if that's what Hugo wants, so be it. 

As it turns out, there's ample time to tell Felix about Hugo's infected wound, if I wanted to take advantage of it. Felix grabs his leather jacket and accompanies me and Sonya out the door of the Compound. In the back of my mind, I'm vaguely aware of the fact that this is the first time I've left the tall brownstone since my first battle. Since then, Sonya got the defense systems, whatever that means, back online, and they've left me behind when they go out for territory skirmishes or patrols. I'm reminded of how I don't really mind as Sonya, Felix, and I push through the crowds of people in the streets. I never realized that there could be so many people in one place, tumbling over each other in bright colors, speaking different languages, creating giant crows that clog the streets until it's impossible to move quickly. I stick close to Felix and Sonya, who are both relaxed and casual, as if they're strolling through the park. Sonya glances back at me every so often, as if to check I haven't been swallowed by the crowds. 

It's only a short walk (although it feels much longer than it actually is with all my senses being bombarded) to a tall metal building that could almost be in downtown Diamond sector. It's sleek glass and darkened metal, and stands out amidst the brick and concrete buildings around it. Felix swipes something at a little keypad next to the door, and wrenched the door open. The first thing I notice is the wave of cold air that hits me. We have a crude version of air conditioning at the Compound, but nothing like this. I feel goosebumps raise on my arms. Felix nods for me to go first, and I carefully step inside. 

The building is nothing like the rest of the Spade sector. Here, people in sharp suits that remind me of my parents bustle back and forth in a lobby that feels cavernous, talking on earpieces. The three of us, in dark denim and stained clothes, faces grimy and scratched, stand out. Almost too much. The people in suits glance over at us, and Felix shoots them a dirty look. Sonya links her arm through mine. The two of them seem more nervous than they were out in the crowded streets. 
"C'mon," Felix says, leading me and Sonya to a kiosk at the back of the room. He digs around in the pocket of his black cargo pants and pulls out a USB drive, which he plugs into the kiosk. He hits few buttons on the screen and it boots up, and the first thing I notice is my name at the top of the screen. 
"How did you get that?" I ask, craning my neck over his shoulder. 
"Came with you when you were Sorted," he says, his voice dull and heavy. He taps a few more buttons, and pages of numbers and information pops up on the screen, flashing too quickly to read. I start to realize what it really is. The digital version of the thick gray file the Dealer had the day I was Sorted. 
"Wait, can I look at it?" I say, trying to shove past Felix. He pushes back against me, and I'm reminded that despite the fact that he looks malnourished, he's strong. 
"Take her upstairs," he says to Sonya, handing her a print out from the machine. 
"Wait, let me look! It's my own file," I snap, standing my ground. If everything about me is in there, somewhere in there is my personality test. I can figure out how I ended up here when I thought I was the most perfect member of the Diamond sector. 
"No one can look at it. Not you, not me. Government orders," Felix says, and I'm vaguely aware of the way his eyes dart to the sides, like he's looking for invisible enemies just out of his periphery. 
"But-"
"No, Nova," Sonya says, taking my arm. She pulls me towards her and starts walking to the other side of the room. "I'll show you later," she whispers so quiet I can barely hear her.