Marie stayed in the underground for over a week. The police and the S.E.A. were still out in droves for days after Marie's "disappearance", and Charles suggested she stay hidden until they decided what to do.

Apparently they used to have an official headquarters, but the S.E.A. discovered it and captured a lot of their number, and those that escaped went over the wall for their safety. Charles said he'd hold a council with the other members of the underground to see what was the best course of action to take for Marie. Marie waited patiently, knowing she owed her life to these people.

Harriet hid Marie in her apartment, which was a fourth story apartment in a crowded neighborhood, forcing Marie to stay away from windows. Harriet was hardly there, since she was studying in college and working a lot of shifts at the bagel shop, which closed around eight. Marie stayed in the apartment all day, trying not to go crazy with her thoughts. At first she asked Charles if she could help crack the formula with the other members of the underground, but it required being in a lab, and Marie couldn't be moved around much. She didn't bother asking for equipment to be brought to Harriet's apartment. They couldn't chance the neighbors getting suspicious. It drove Marie crazy that she couldn't help.

The door opened and Harriet walked in, holding a brown paper bag and a newspaper. She smiled and held both out to Marie. "Leftovers from the shop. Thought it was a waste to throw it away."

Marie took the bag and the newspaper. "Thanks."

Harriet set her backpack down at the table and started pulling out her college books. Harriet Tubman was a sophomore in college, and still taking a few general classes.

The smell of avocado turkey bagel wafted toward Marie's face as she opened the bag. Marie pulled it out and started eating as she read the newspaper. If her guy friends got arrested, the newspaper would have to show something, though when she told Harriet about it, she said not always. The S.E.A. owned the newspaper. They could print whatever they wanted. Still, Marie read every line and between every line of every newspaper Harriet brought in for any information about her friends.

Occasionally her thoughts would wander to Sophie and what happened to her. Thoughts of her father were too painful to think about.

Marie had gotten to know Harriet a bit. It didn't seem like Harriet was into science or math, but she had a great singing voice. When Marie asked why she joined the underground, Harriet simply said she hated seeing people being treated unjustly. A person didn't need to be a part of the group being treated unjustly to demand change. Marie got the impression Harriet had a rough childhood, but Marie was too afraid to broach the subject. It seemed the underground was a wonderful, tightknit family, even though Marie only knew Harriet, Sam, and Charles. She knew there were others, but for safety reasons, she only knew those three.

Marie commented on how young they all were. Harriet nodded, saying most of the middle-aged underground members were across the wall, living the best they could.

"The S.E.A. doesn't spend time on us younger generation. They don't think we're smart enough for it," Harriet had said. Again, it reminded her of what Mr. Edison had said.

Harriet blew out a breath which cause a lock of unruly hair to fly around before landing back down on her cheek. Marie perked up.

"Need help with anything?" she asked.

Harriet gave her a lame look over her textbook. "Yes. Can't believe I'm getting help from a high school freshman on this. I don't think statistics should be considered a general class. This stuff is hard."

Marie only laughed as she scooted closer to Harriet. They heard a knock at the door before Harriet could ask a question.

"Should I hide?" Marie asked.

"I don't get visitors, except for people from the underground."

She got up and walked over to open it. Charles stood at the doorway, holding a backpack. Even in a regular t-shirt and jeans, he still looked ridiculously attractive.

"Charles, come in."

He walked in, looking right at Marie. "We've come to a decision."

Marie stood up, ignoring her sandwich, feeling her throat turn dry. Did this mean they could move her to the lab and she could start working on the formula?

"And?" Marie asked.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay. Harriet will take you to the wall as soon as possible," Charles said.

Harriet nodded as Marie's face fell. "But... I don't want to."

For her whole life, Marie had been running away from fights, and now everyone around her was in danger. She wanted to stand her ground and help those she loved.

Charles shook his head. "I know you do. You've done more for the underground than any of us dared dream. On the flip side, because you've done so much, the S.E.A. has made you a target. You need to get out while you still can."

"Let me stay. Let me help crack the formula!" Marie said.

"I'm glad you mentioned that." Charles set his bag down. He opened it and pulled out the laminated page. "You can work on this on the other side. In fact, you might have more luck on the other side, more freedom to test it out. This is the best course of action, Marie."

"And... my dad?" she asked.

"As soon as we crack this code, a whole slew of possibilities are open to us, and you might be able to come back," Charles said.

Yes it made sense, but she didn't have to like it. "Okay. I'll go."

Charles gave her a smile. "We'll be in touch. Sam invented a way for us to stay in contact with those over the wall. It's rudimentary, a little code he invented, but it's something. We will keep you updated if we hear any news about your dad, and our leader on the other side will keep us updated too. He knows the code."

Still not trusting her voice, she nodded.

Charles handed her the bag. "You're going to deliver the page to those over the wall. We've made copies and want the others to have the hard copy. There are supplies they've asked for, and if you don't mind, Sam wants you to deliver these." Charles held up a bundle of letters. "They're to his wife, Saca."

A trickle of compassion for a man she'd barely knew fluttered through Marie's soul. It must have been why Sam started crying when Charles showed him the page.

Charles zipped the bag back up and handed them to Marie. "This will work, Marie. Going over the wall is not giving up. You will still be a part of the fight. I'll see you soon. With what you've given us, I can say that with more certainty than I ever have before."

Marie gave a ghost of a smile. "I hope so."

Charles nodded toward Harriet. "You have a route chosen for your journey?"

Harriet was leaning against the wall casually and laughed when Charles focused on her. "Oh Charlie, I know this city better than I know myself. Marie will be fine."

"Good. I'm counting on it. The page is too important for it to be discovered by anyone else," Charles said. "Let me know what section of the wall you'll take her to, and I'll alert the other side about a new arrival tonight."

***

Marie held what little belongings she had, all stuffed in the bag given to her by Charles. She wore dark clothing as Harriet stepped out in all black.

"There are some things you better know now." Harriet pulled her dark brown hair back into a pony tail. "The wall is twelve feet high. There are ladders every few feet on both sides. They built the ladders for maintenance, and we use them to escape. Honestly, the S.E.A. doesn't care if we leave, just as long as we don't come back. As soon as the sensors pick up your body heat, they will produce a strong sedative. If you don't make it to the top by the time it kicks in, you will fall back to this side, and you'll be discovered by patrol. They come every half hour. Don't feel stressed. I've been told there's a double blast of it at the top, so you will pass out when you get to the other side. A person can plausibly get over the wall and move a few feet before passing out, but you have become one of the most famous persons in the underground, and we don't want you back in the S.E.A.'s clutches. Charles let our guys on the other side know we're coming, so someone will be waiting for you.

"Are you ready?" Harriet was so calm and confident while she said this that Marie felt a little of it seep into her soul.

"I have some questions," Marie said.

Harriet gave her an encouraging nod.

"How long have you done this? Sneaking people across the wall?"

"Four years now."

Marie swallowed, afraid of the answer to her next question. "How many people have you lost?"

After a small, nonchalant brush of her shoulder, Harriet gave Marie a comforting smile. "Not a one."

Marie couldn't help but sigh. "That's good to hear!"

Harriet helped Marie get the backpack on. "Come on. Let's go."

It was way past midnight. The night should have given them cover, but the street lamps seemed particularly bright tonight. Marie tried to stay cool, but she found herself so close to Harriet she was almost treading on her shoes. They took back alleyways which crisscrossed every which way until Marie was certain they were no closer to the wall than when they started. Marie almost voiced this concern when Harriet threw her hand out to stop Marie. Marie skidded to a stop and glanced over Harriet's shoulder.

Two hobos were deep asleep by a dumpster. They had a raggedy blanket between the two of them in the autumn chill. Marie felt cold just looking at them. They were so dirty and grimy that Marie couldn't tell what gender they were. Marie waited for Harriet to move, but she stood as still as a statue, staring at them.

She recognizes them.

Marie's stomach churned at the thought. Tears filled Harriet's eyes. Marie wanted to give Harriet the time to mourn, but she saw the white and green lights of an S.E.A. agent car pulling into the side of the alleyway. Marie tugged on Harriet's shoulder, trying to get her to snap out of it. Harriet glanced at Marie, then at the lights before grabbing Marie's wrist and leading her away. They turned down the side alleyway and pressed themselves against the wall.

"Hey, you two. Get up."

A dull thud told Marie the agent had kicked at the hobos. Harriet covered her mouth, the tears falling down her cheeks.

"We have special housing for you lot for a reason. You get back there now."

"No, please don't take us back." The male voice was weak. "It hasn't been properly cleaned in months, and the diseases and the smell-"

The man was kicked again. Harriet sank to the floor, covering her mouth to quiet her sobs. Marie placed a hand on her shoulder, not sure what else to do.

"No more excuses. Start walking, I'm going to follow you with my car to make sure you get back. I don't want your disgusting bodies touching the inside of my car."

Marie heard the shuffling as the two hobos left the alleyway with the agent. Marie peeked around the side to see the alleyway was clear. Harriet was beside her, shaking with silent sobs. Marie got down on her knees.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Marie knew her words wouldn't be enough, but she had to at least try. Harriet dried her tears.

"We will stop them." Harriet stood up. " They can't treat my friends like that much longer. Come on. We're almost there."

They went through a few more back alleys before they reached the farms. The last mile and a half surrounding Musical Land were all farmland. Since it was the end of October, it was almost all harvested and quite muddy.

Harriet got to the greenhouse right before the wall. She checked every which way before turning back to Marie.

"Thank you. For before. I'm sorry I froze."

"No, don't worry about it."

Harriet didn't offer any information on who they were, and Marie thought it best not to ask.

"Best of luck, Marie. I'm sure I'll see you soon."

Marie gave Harriet a hug before putting on the backpack and jogged the ten feet to the wall. She began climbing the rungs of the metal ladder stuck to the side of the wall, hearing a soft hissing. Rung over rung, she climbed as fast as she could. When she got over on the other side, she saw metal rungs going down the wall every six or seven feet. Marie waved to Harriet before descending the ladder. Harriet slipped off back to the city.

The sedative was kicking in. She found herself on solid ground, assuming she had finished climbing down the ladder. She walked as far as she dared, hearing crickets and rustling. Bright lights that she realized were flashlights came closer to her. She didn't realize she was already on her knees.

"I found her!" said a feminine voice.

Marie felt the little light darken, and soon she passed out.