Sunlight fell across Marie’s face and she blinked a few times to help her wake up. She thought she would sleep in after the chaos of what happened last night, but it was seven thirty in the morning, according the clock on Harriet’s dresser. She’d only slept for a few hours.

Marie sat up and rubbed her eyes. She didn’t have to wonder about what had woken her up. The lights from the S.E.A. vehicles seemed right outside the window. She crawled over and peeked out the window, trying to show as little of her face as possible. There weren’t any S.E.A. cars visible yet, but they were close. Sophie woke up and sat straight up, looking around the room. Her eyes fell on Marie.

“So it wasn’t a dream?”

Marie shook her head. Sophie chewed on her bottom lip. Marie scooted closer to the bed. “I have a few questions of my own, now that you're rested.”

Sophie gave a half shrug. “Didn’t sleep too well, but go ahead and ask.”

“How did you find us last night? I was positive I wasn’t being followed.”

Sophie drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “After I admitted to you that I needed help finding out about what was going on with the blankets, I was starting to feel nervous. It was a lot to ask of someone, and I’ve been deeply betrayed before. I’ve noticed you leaving the barn a couple times late at night, so next time I swore to follow you to see what you were up to before I asked you to help me anymore. I got lost last night, only a little, but then stumbled upon you guys by accident.”

Marie sighed, working out some of the knots in her hair. “Well, this isn’t the most ideal situation, but I’m glad I don’t have to pretend around you anymore.”

Sophie stretched her arms and legs before glancing out the window and shrinking at the lights. “What happens now.”

“I’m not sure,” Marie said. She got up, staying far away from the window. “Harriet’s probably calling a secret meeting of the underground and they’re going to decide what to do with us. But don’t worry, it should be okay.”

“Should be?”

Marie couldn’t meet Sophie’s gaze. She didn’t know how to answer her friend. “There are a lot of crazy things going on. I’ll explain the rest of the story to you over breakfast, because I have a feeling we’re going to find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands.”

At that moment, the door opened. Harriet gave Sophie and Marie a comforting smile considering the situation. She went to her dresser and grabbed some clothes. “I’ve sent word to Charles. He should be here soon. You are welcome to my clothes, though you might need to shower first, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Marie said. The thought of a nice hot shower made her smile, then she paused in thought. “How long until Charles gets here?”

Harriet shrugged. “Probably quickly enough that you wont have time for a shower. But I have some cereal in the kitchen, or whatever else you two want to make for breakfast.”

“Thanks, Harriet. Seriously, you are the best,” Marie said.

Sophie slid out of bed and the two girls entered the kitchen. They got their bowls of cereal and sat at the table. It was unusually quiet, and Sophie was staring at her cereal as though it held all the answers. There were questions troubling Sophie. Marie waited for her to ask, but she made no attempt to reach out. It frightened Marie.

They heard a buzzing sound and Harriet walked out of her bedroom, dressed, heading straight for the door. She pressed a button and waited. Marie remained quiet, focusing on eating her cereal. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she took the first bite.

There was a soft knock on the door and Harriet opened it enough for Charles to slip inside the room.

“What’s the emergency? Does this have to do with the cars?” Charles asked. His eyes fell on the table where Marie and Sophie were eating. Sophie’s spoon clattered back into the bowl, her eyes going wide. Marie tried to hide a smile. Even in a T-shirt and jeans, Charles was hot. The only reason why Sophie’s mouth wasn’t gaping open was because she had just taken a bite of cereal.

Charles did a double take when he saw Sophie, then took a step back. The silence settled over them before Harriet made the first move. “They came last night. We’re not sure what happened to the guys, but hopefully they’re okay. These two are most definitely the cause of the sirens.”

Charles let out a groan and sank into one of Harriet’s chairs. “The Germain’s will not rest until they get their daughter back. This is...”

Sophie still said nothing. Marie watched with a hidden smile as Sophie drank in Charles’ looks.

“We can’t give up,” Harriet said.

“No, of course not. Giving up is not an option. But succeeding is starting to feel less and less a possibility,” Charles said. He gave his head a final rub. “I’ll talk to the others. Don’t move them from this apartment unless you have to.”

“We might have to enlist Alice’s help in that. She could hide the girls while I move apartments,” Harriet said.

“Yeah,” Charles said, sounding distracted.

“Oh, so Alice has agreed to help?” Marie asked.

“Yeah. She’s a really sweet girl, I’m excited for you to meet her,” Harriet said.

“Just don’t get on her bad side,” Charles mumbled.

Harriet rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure that’s the same with any human being.”

Charles gave a wry smile before he turned and left. Marie returned to her cereal, once again feeling horrible for pressing their luck last night. She should have gone back as soon as she was done delivering the message to her friends. She was giving the underground more stress than she meant to.

Marie felt a tugging at her sleeve and noticed Sophie had snapped out of her daze. “I thought you said you were my best friend,” she whispered.

Marie frowned. “I am.”

Sophie gave her an incredulous look. “And you couldn’t have warned me about his level of hotness? You couldn’t have said ‘hey, best friend, the hottest guy in the city is going to come over here. Try not to look like a disgusting hobo.’”

Marie couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. Sophie returned her gaze to the door where Charles left. “You mentioned the numbers are down in the underground. I’m sure if you stuck his face on the recruiting posters, the numbers will pick up in no time.”

Marie almost snorted into her cereal. Even Harriet gave a chuckle.

The search went on for a week with no signs of slowing down. The public got no explanation as to why, and Marie could almost taste the paranoia in the air. The police and the S.E.A. agents were joining forces, and the only word they’d given the public was they were searching for a dangerous criminal. Marie wasn’t sure if they were alluding to Sophie or to her. Marie’s friends at Presley were okay, but it would be wise to wait until things died down. Harriet kept saying they would soon start doing random home inspections, and panic bubbled inside Marie. Nowhere in the city was safe.

The S.E.A. cars were still patrolling the streets by the second week when Harriet, Marie, and Sophie met at the front door of the apartment in their darkest clothes. There were boxes everywhere. It gave Sophie and Marie something to do, helping Harriet pack up her stuff. The end of the month was approaching, and Harriet was getting ready to move again.

Harriet turned to the girls before glancing at her watch. “It’s almost midnight. Stick close to me. Whatever you do, don’t panic. If anything, use the adrenaline to stay close and do what I do. I know this city backwards and forwards. Staying with me is your best bet.”

Marie and Sophie nodded, too afraid to speak. Harriet opened the door and slipped out, the girls following close behind.

Marie stayed patient, putting her trust in Harriet. She tried to keep track of where they were, but it got to the point where Marie felt completely lost. Harriet had spent her time pouring over maps and finding a pattern to the S.E.A.’s movements. It paid off, because Marie hardly saw any cars as they journeyed toward Sam’s apartment. Even the ones they did see, Harriet was hyper aware of them and backed them in a dark alleyway before Marie saw them turn onto the street.

Harriet made a turn and pressed the call button on a group of apartments. They heard a click and the door opened. Harriet ushered the two girls inside, then led them to the first door on the left. Sam opened the door and the girls stepped inside. Marie saw all the members of the underground and her high school friends were there. The moment Albert noticed Marie, he walked over and gave her a tight hug.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he said.

“Yeah,” Marie said, feeling ridiculous at her answer. She could never think straight when Albert was hugging her close like this. “Good to see you’re okay too,” she said when he broke away.

Charles approached them, glancing at the girls. Marie ducked her head, feeling embarrassed. It’d been over a week, but she still felt a stab of guilt every time she saw Charles. If she had just gone back right after telling the guys the information, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Did you have any trouble getting here?” Charles asked.

Harriet gave him a look. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

Charles gave a small laugh. “You're right. I’m glad you’re here. Everything is set for Alice to take Sophie and Marie this week. Are you girls all set with your things?”

Marie and Sophie nodded. Marie didn’t have many belongings, only the essentials Harriet was able to smuggle to them throughout the week. Charles gave them a smile. “I’ve got to talk to Sam about something, then we’ll get this meeting started,” Charles said.

Marie and Sophie both watched him walk away. Out of the corner of her eye, Marie watched a woman she could only assume was Alice walk over to them. She had short, curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. When she noticed where Marie and Sophie’s attention was, she rolled her eyes. “Oh Macbeth, really?”

“Give them a break. They’re high school girls,” Harriet said.

Sophie sighed. “Do you think he has any idea how incredibly hot he is?”

Alice laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Of course he does. Those officials need something pretty to look at while getting their minor cuts fixed at.”

Albert, who Marie completely forgot was standing next to her, folded his arms and glared at Charles. “You know, guys don’t look like that forever. He’ll probably lose it fast.” Marie could sense the jealousy in Albert’s words as he spoke. “I’m sure the second he hits thirty, his metabolism will slow down and he’ll start losing h-”

“Shh.” Sophie reached out with a finger and pressed it against Albert’s lips while keeping her eye on Charles. She had to keep moving her finger to find Albert’s lips, her finger sliding all over his face. The confusion alone got Albert to stop talking. “Just give me this one thing,” Sophie said.

Marie giggled as Charles turned to the group. “Alright, let’s get started.”

Marie sat between Sophie and Harriet on the couch as Alice balanced on the arm rest. Sam, Charles, Albert, and Abe sat on the other couch, and Billy and Edgar sat on the floor. Charles stretched before settling in.

“Alright. Welcome to the new members of the group,” Charles said.

Billy gave an enthusiastic wave. Harriet waved politely back.

“They come highly recommended by Marie, and to be honest, at this point we can’t be too picky,” Charles said.

“Oh, don’t worry. You can totally trust us,” Billy said.

“Well, you ought to know we did background checks on all of you before we allowed you to come here. It was for our safety, as well as yours,” Sam said.

Billy’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? Background checks! That’s so cool! Tell me, did you find any juicy gossip about any of these guys I should know about?”

“Uh,” Sam said.

“Don’t mind him. Please, continue,” Abe said.

“Okay, I’ll get right to the point. We need to break into the basement of the S.E.A. skyscraper. That is where they’re holding the syrophil that is the key component to bringing memories back. We want to get as much as we can carry, because it’ll revive the memories of all the hobos,” Charles said.

For the first time since Marie saw Sophie as a hobo, she seemed relaxed, almost excited at the prospect.

“In the basement they also have one, possibly two victims. If there are any more, we’re obviously going to help them, but rescuing these people is important to our group. Very few people know about this floor, and even fewer have seen it. Sophie and Marie are the only ones in our group who have seen it.”

“Oh, I was there too?” Sophie asked Marie.

Marie cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Yeah. I’ll tell you the story some time. It’s the main reason your memory got wiped.”

Curiosity filled Sophie, but Charles kept talking and she turned her attention back to him.

“The truth of the situation is, I’m stuck. I have no idea how we’re going to break into this building, let alone the basement, so maybe if we hear a bunch of different ideas we could-”

Billy shot his hand in the air, cutting Charles off. “I’ve got one!”

“Great! Let’s hear it,” Charles said.

Billy gave the group a huge smile. “Okay. We start with three teams. Team Business, Team Family, and Team Food.”

“Sounds like you’ve already got a lot of this planned out. Great,” Charles said.

“Yes! I came up with it last night. So, we spike President Arnold’s breakfast coffee with some laxatives so he’ll have to use the restroom in the lobby right when he gets to work. I will be waiting in the lobby and will enter the restroom right after President Arnold. While he’s occupied with his bowels, I will swipe his key card. This will also keep him occupied in the bathroom, hopefully for the entire time.”

Charles looked like he was about to say something, then closed his mouth and gave Billy a curious look.

“Then, through our two-way communication device-”

“Walkie-talkie,” Sam interrupted.

“Walkie-talkie, I will give the code phrase. I’m still working on this one. There are so many options out there. Something that wouldn’t be too weird for me to say.”

“There is nothing too weird for you to say,” Albert said under his breath. Marie stifled a laugh.

“It will let everyone know I was successful in nabbing the card key.” Billy obviously didn’t hear Albert. “If I’m not successful, we’ll have a different code phrase. Again, still working on it, but it’ll be cool.

“Then I shall ride the elevator up to the offices, where Team Business shall join me. We shall go down to the ballroom where Team Family will be conveniently taking a tour of one of the S.E.A. ballrooms. They shall join us on the elevator, where Edgar will be stationed at the front to discourage anyone from entering the elevator who shouldn’t be.”

Everyone glanced at Edgar who simply stared forward with his creepy stare.

“Last but certainly not least, we shall go to the cafeteria floor where we shall pick up Team Food! You will all be dressed as Chefs and be pulling the food cart. The four corners of the cart will be hollowed out and we’ll have dart guns in there in case we find ourselves in some trouble.”

Sam glanced at Charles as though he should say something, but Charles had a hand over his mouth, staring at Billy as though he was a strange anomaly.

“Now we’re all on the elevator, and we go to the basement. As soon as we pass the lobby, Team Food will button up their chef uniforms and take off their chef hats and boom! Lab coats! We take off the white cover over the cart, take off the lid of the platter, and bam! It’s a sciency cart with lotsa metal shiny things! I will have a briefcase which I’ll open up and do a whole bunch of folding motions until bang! It’s a clipboard. We will have four more lab coats in the cart that Team Family will wear, and poof! We’re safety inspectors for the lab! We grab whatever chemical thingy we need for Sophie and the hobos and add it to the cart with a bunch of other vials. Added bonus we’ll have the cart in case someone needs to be wheeled out of the basement dungeon prison thing. Then we’ll go back in the elevator, quickly change back into the chefs uniforms, stick the table cloth back over the sciency metal cart, and bing bang boom! We are catering to an event to a prestigious ballroom outside the S.E.A. and leave the lobby out the front door!”

There was a good few seconds of silence as everyone stared at Billy. Charles slowly lowered his hand.

“So,” Charles began. “I’m... it’s um... we don’t have the...”

“Budget,” Sam suggested.

“Or the...” Charles motioned with his hands, pretending they were guns.

Abe rubbed his head. “Take every idea Billy has with a grain of salt.”

“I’m just trying to get the creative juices flowing!”

Charles stared at Billy in bewilderment for another second before he seemed to focus on the group as a whole. “Well, we will need a key card, though I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get it from President Arnold himself. I know the Germain’s and all the other high officials have one that will get to the basement, which means only fifteen cards can get us there,” Charles said.

“Anyone good at picking pockets?” Albert asked.

Harriet gave a half raise of her hand. “I’m pretty good at it. Only got caught a couple times.”

Albert raised an eyebrow. “How many opportunities have you had?”

Harriet gave a mischievous smile. “You pick up on a few things living on the streets as a kid.”

Marie recognized that look in Billy. He was now super curious about Harriet’s back story.

“Sam, what do you know about the security of the building?” Charles asked.

“It’s definitely top of the line. There are cameras in every hallway. Each office for the high officials and President Arnold needs a pass code,” Sam said. “We’ll need to disguise ourselves. There are cameras everywhere.”

“Oh, no worries with that,” Billy said. “I’ve been in plays since I was a baby. I have mad make-up skills. I can make even Sophie look unrecognizable to her own parents.” Billy paused, then frowned a little. “As long as they don’t get too close to her. And as long as she doesn’t bring any attention to herself.”

Charles smiled a little. “Excellent. Sam, how hard would it be to hack into the security system?”

Billy did his closed mouth scream of excitement. Sam hesitated only a moment to shoot Billy a weird look before focusing back on Charles. “I might not be able to hack into the system itself, but I could definitely find loopholes with certain cameras. If we can pinpoint the cameras and security systems we need, I can get us in.”

“We need a card key from one of them. I’m sure they have it on their person. If Harriet can pickpocket one of them, we won’t need to break into their offices,” Charles said.

“We’ll need a distraction,” Alice said.

“Poe had a great idea for a distraction,” Billy said.

“Okay, Edgar.” Charles turned toward Edgar and seemed to hesitate as he saw him sitting on the floor, the same dull yet terrifying expression on his face. “What’s your idea?”

Edgar stared at the carpet, almost looked as though he hadn’t heard anyone, then he looked up and seemed to meet everyone’s gaze. “I can study the guards at the S.E.A. for a couple days and learn their deepest fears. Then I can make them come to life and drive them insane until they don’t know what is truth and what is reality.”

The silence was absolute. Marie realized this was the first time the underground had heard Edgar talk, and she saw the bewilderment on their faces. Marie wasn’t sure if she preferred Edgar silent, or vocal.

“Um, that sounds… interesting, Edgar. How about we file that into a possible plan B,” Charles said, his voice quiet.

Albert leaned over closer to Edgar. “You’ve been our roommate for a while. Do you know our deepest fears?”

Edgar gave him a look that made Albert squirm.

“You know, Sophie just being herself is a distraction at the S.E.A.,” Abe said.

Charles gave Sophie a calculated look. Sophie attempted a smile. “It would definitely create the distraction we need, but it’s far too dangerous for Sophie, and for us,” Charles said.

“Okay! Filing into plan B!” Billy said.

Marie drummed her fingers against the table. “What about the hobos? If we pass along some rumor that the S.E.A. has found the cure or something and they need to be there at a certain time, that will make it so we still have most of our group to infiltrate the S.E.A.”

Charles nodded. “Yes. I like that better.”

“Hey, Sam, are you the tech guy on this quest?” Billy asked.

Sam gave a shrug. “I guess so.”

“Can’t you just hack into the card swipey thingy on the elevator and make it think it’s got the correct card?” Billy asked.

Sam opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say no, when he stopped. He frowned, his brows furrowed. “If it’s like any of the security at the art museum I work at, then yeah. I might be able to.”

“Let’s do that!” Billy said. “We wouldn’t even have to swipe a key card! And it’s cool and techy!”

Charles nodded, impressed. “The less steps in this plan the better. Okay, we might actually have the beginning pieces of a plan here.”

“So we have the distraction, we have a way to get into the basement, all we need is a way out,” Alice said.

“The hobos are bugged. If we can spread the rumor an hour before and get a huge crowd, the hobos would stay for a while. The rescue group can sneak around and join the crowd so they can’t see,” Sam said.

“The elevators open up on the front desk. Even if most of the S.E.A. officials and agents are distracted, there’s still the secretaries and security guards,” Harriet said.

“If you’re going to the basement, you might as well grab the knock out gas they use on the hobos, too,” Marie said.

Charles nodded. “Not a bad idea. I think we have a plan!”