Alice had come early to the meeting to do another physical, specifically after Marie exercised.

“Three times a day seems a lot,” Alice said.

“It’s for about fifteen minutes, and I do feel better afterward,” Marie said as Alice was drawing her blood.

“And your menstrual cycle?” Alice asked.

Marie shook her head. “Hasn’t come.”

“I was afraid of that.” She finished screwing the lid to the vial of blood, then glanced over her notes with a grim look on her face. “Your dad talked to me about what he’s been working on as far as a cure. I cannot possibly give my okay for it, since it usually takes months for it to go through proper testing before anyone in my position could give approval.” Alice gave a sigh. “But after comparing the test notes of these two weeks, I cannot guarantee you’ll have the months you need to do the proper testing.”

“What are you suggesting?” Marie asked.

“I’m suggesting that someone in my position cannot okay this,” Alice said, not looking at Marie.

Marie nodded. Alice couldn’t okay it because it was untested and therefore unsafe. But what choice did they have? A lump came to her throat. It was the first time she had any sort of life expectancy. A couple more months was looking like the best case scenario now. Alice extended her hand, and Marie took it and got to her feet. There was a heavy feeling in her heart as she walked out of her room with Alice.

“I’ll go over the notes with your dad,” Alice said.

Marie nodded. Her dad was dutifully trying to have a conversation with Nik, who seemed only interested to be polite. Marie’s dad had taken it upon himself to fill Nik in on the underground and what it was trying to do. Alice walked over to them. Her dad didn’t need any sort of gesture from Alice. He simply nodded to Nik before he and Alice disappeared into a different room. Nik’s attention turned to Marie and he gave her a curious look. Marie, not wishing to talk to Nik, noticed Sophie sitting at the table and sat down next to her.

“So, are you going to join the meeting today?” Marie asked.

Sophie gave a small smile, though still stared at the table. “Yeah. I figured it might be entertaining.” She gave the barest of glances toward Nik before looking back at the table.

The trap door opened, and Marie saw her friends descend the ladder. She smiled as she got up. Albert came down first, the worry on his face softening when he saw Marie. Marie walked over and gave him a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She meant it. Every time they arrived at one of these meetings, she was reminded how much danger the guys were in. She tried not to think about it, but it was always a relief to see them safe.

“Yeah, I’m glad you are too.” Albert broke away, then frowned and studied her face closer. “Are you okay?”

“I…” A cold sweat broke across her forehead as her words tumbled over each other. “We’re working on it.”

Billy appeared by Albert’s side, a frown evident on his face. “You’re really pale, Marie. Do you need to sit down or something?” Edgar peeked over, watching her.

Marie gave a small wave of her hand. “I’ll be fine.”

Albert touched Marie’s arm, the frown never leaving his face. “You ought to tell them.”

Billy glanced from Marie to Albert. “Tell me what? Is there something I don’t know?”

Guilt hit her hard. She should have told them all, but conversations about filling herself up with deadly chemicals wasn’t exactly something to introduce during a normal conversation.

They heard a gasp that took Marie’s attention. “It’s you!” Harriet said.

All of them turned to see Harriet staring at Nik, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He looked at Harriet, confused.

“Sorry?” he asked.

“It was you. You’re the man that told the other hobos about me.”

Nik looked completely dumbfounded, then he focused on her face, his head cocking to one side. “Harriet?”

Harriet ran and threw her arms around him, holding back a cry. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, but you disappeared! I seriously thought you were a ghost!”

Nik looked incredibly uncomfortable as he placed an arm around her shoulder and awkwardly patted her head. “Yes, well, I’m sure anyone would have done the same if they were in my position.”

“Is anyone else confused?” Albert asked quietly.

“That guy must be Harriet’s ghost,” Billy said.

“Ghost?” Marie asked.

Billy glanced at the two of them. “Did Harriet not tell you about her past?”

“I…” Albert started to say, looking flummoxed.

“Harriet’s parents died when she was three, and she practically lived on the streets,” Billy said. “Over the years, she simply assumed she was a hobo without realizing that the hobos were created. She joined them and lived with them for years. It wasn’t until she was thirteen that she was talking with this guy and he realized she wasn’t actually a hobo at all. Apparently he contacted proper authorities and Harriet was pulled out of the hobo life and given a better one. The S.E.A. is paying for her education to help her out.” Billy gave a little smile. “They’d definitely stop if they figured out Harriet’s part of the underground.”

Marie glanced at Harriet. Nik grabbed Harriet’s shoulders and pulled her off. “Yes, well, I’m glad you’re doing better.”

“Thank you,” Harriet said with such conviction that it made even Nik give a little smile.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

“Do you just know everyone’s deepest darkest secrets?” Albert asked Billy.

Billy glanced at Marie, studying her pale face. “Not everyone’s.”

Charles came down the ladder and looked surprised as he saw Nik and Harriet having a quiet chat. Alice and Marie’s dad came out of the room. Marie saw the stress hanging heavily on her dad, causing his shoulders to droop and his head to hang a little lower than usual. Billy seemed to notice this too, because he looked at Marie again.

“Are you sick?” he asked quietly.

Marie swallowed, hating that tears were coming to her eyes. “Yes.” She found she couldn’t meet Billy or Edgar’s eyes. “I’ll tell you both about it after the meeting.”

Albert ushered Marie to the table so she could sit as Charles announced the meeting would start. Marie’s dad sat next to her and gave her a tired smile. Marie reached out and gave her dad’s arm a pat, not sure what else to do to give him comfort. Tom came out with a contraption he was fiddling with. He glared at Nik.

“I don’t think Nik should be here at this meeting,” Tom said as he sat down and started fiddling with the device.

Nik folded his arms. “So you want me to go back to my room and give you all privacy?”

Marie glanced over at the closet, which would in no way stop Nik from overhearing everything. It was clear everyone else thought the same thing too.

“Alright, let’s start. Everyone, this is Nikola Tesla. He’s… we’re… Nik’s going to stay here with us. Nik, do you want to introduce yourself?” Charles asked.

Nik’s face was impossible to read. “No.”

“Fair enough,” Charles said, moving on quickly and turning his attention to Edgar, Albert, and Billy. “Do you three have any progress on any more recruits?”

Billy raised his hand just a bit. “Yeah. More like lack of progress. I’ve hit a dead end with Walt. He’s really set on the S.E.A. His position gives him a great opportunity to do what he’s always dreamed of doing. The S.E.A. is smart enough to keep the Junior Officials in the dark about the more evil things it does behind the curtains. In Walt’s eyes, the S.E.A. is simply keeping its citizens safe by downsizing math and science. He doesn’t know about the brainwashing and the basement. I honestly don’t think I can passive aggressively persuade him anymore without going full on aggressive and blowing my cover.”

“Yeah, um, don’t do that.” Charles said it in a way that he knew Billy blowing his cover was bad, but he had to make sure Billy knew that too.

Billy nodded. “Of course. I don’t think Walt would believe me, anyway. He thinks I have a very active imagination.”

Marie cocked an eyebrow. “Well, you do have an active imagination.”

Billy smiled. “Guilty. Anyway, unless we decide to have Walt “stumble” into the basement while they’re torturing people, I don’t think I can do much else with Walt.”

Charles winced. “Yeah. I don’t want to break into the basement again if I have to.”

Billy nodded. “I’ve also been able to sit in on one of the meetings with the Germains this past week.”

Sophie perked up like a starving animal seeing food in the distance. “Really?” She immediately blushed as though she didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Billy turned toward Sophie, studying her curiously. Marie was sure she was imagining the suspicion in his eyes. “Yes,” Billy continued as he slowly turned back to Charles. “There are signs their marriage is falling apart. I had asked Walt about them before, and he always talked about how cheerful and happy they were to discuss the stuff on his agenda. But they weren’t this week. I even asked Walt about it, and he said it was most unusual.”

“It could have been that you were there,” Alice said.

“That is a possibility. But if it was, they would have been cold toward me. They were welcoming and gracious towards me, but cold toward each other,” Billy said.

Charles frowned ever so slightly. “What does that even mean? Cold toward each other?”

Billy shrugged. “Hard to explain. It’s just how they were. And Mrs. Germain’s been wearing more makeup than usual.”

Charles folded one arm over his chest and rubbed his forehead with the other. “Which indicates what, exactly?”

Billy gave another shrug. “She’s probably hiding the lack of sleep she’s been getting. Or the stress. Or a number of things. Makeup can hide a lot.”

“Do you think Mr. Germain is…” Charles paused as he glanced in Sophie’s direction before turning back to Billy. “Abuse? Are you thinking of abuse?”

Sophie’s eyes went wide.

“No, I don’t believe it’s gotten to that point. Besides, Mrs. Germain seems like the kind of woman who won’t stand for that kind of thing. What I saw was a woman who was struggling to make her look happy, even when she wasn’t.”

Alice stared at Billy. “Seriously? That’s a thing you can just cover with makeup?”

“Oh yes. You got to know how to highlight the part of your face you want people to look at. Super bright lipstick if you don’t want people to focus on your eyes. Especially if you just had a good cry and they’re all red and puffy. Also a bit of white eyeshadow in the corner of your eyes.” Billy massaged his tear ducts as a demonstration. “Helps you look more awake and alert. Mrs. Germain usually has sharp lines on her makeup to give a semblance of power, the winged eyeliner or the sharp eyebrows. They’re softer now. Not as dark and intense in this area,” Billy covered his eyes and forehead, “and more focused in this area.” Billy covered below his nose.

There was a pause as everyone stared at Billy. Billy met them all with a smiling face.

“So you’re saying you can tell their marriage is on the rocks because of the way Mrs. Germain is doing her makeup?” Harriet asked incredulously.

Billy shook his head. “Of course not. It’s a lot of other things too. But Mrs. Germain changing up her makeup is pretty big.”

Charles leaned forward, curiosity sparking his face. “Are you saying…” Charles paused as once again his eyes flickered in Sophie’s direction. “What are you saying?”

Billy was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “The power couple of the S.E.A. aren’t acting like a power couple anymore. And if I figured that out, a number of officials know that too. Soon rumors will begin to spread. There is a very good chance a power shift will happen among the officials.”

“We can use those rumors to our advantage. Possibly turn the tide in our favor,” Alice said. “Get an official into power that’s not as paranoid of scientists and mathemati-”

“Do you think my parents can be brought to our side?” Sophie asked, interrupting Alice.

All eyes turned to either Sophie or Billy. Billy ignored all the stares and looked right at Sophie. Now Marie couldn’t pretend to imagine the suspicion. She saw it, barely veiled, in Billy’s eyes. It was quiet for what felt like forever before he cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I haven’t studied their situation fully yet.”

Sophie frowned. “Do you trust me?”

Billy continued to study her, and Marie could almost see his mind coming alive. Did Billy trust Sophie?

“Yes, but just barely,” Billy said, his eyes never leaving hers. “You should take heart that I trust you enough to tell you the truth of how much I trust you.”

Sophie’s eyes darkened. “Which is hardly at all.”

Billy closed his eyes to give a little shrug before studying her again. “If it’s any consolation, I truly don’t know whether or not your parents can be turned to our side.”

Sophie folded her arms over her chest. “And what exactly did you think I would have done if you said they couldn’t be persuaded to our side.”

Billy’s eyes softened. “I don’t know. You and your parents are all in the same situation in my mind. I haven’t studied all of you enough to know how you’d react.”

Sophie looked like she was going to say something, but shut her mouth and looked down, keeping her face neutral and unreadable.

“Alright, um, Billy let’s talk after,” Charles said. Sophie shot a glare in Charles’ direction. “Albert? Do you have anything to report?”

“Something happened today. The Junior officials had a meeting, and Mr. Reagan came back different,” Albert said quietly.

“Different how?” Alice asked.

“Like he was trying to hide his negative emotions. Whatever was discussed in that meeting was something he didn’t like,” Albert said.

“Do you have any idea what the meeting was about?” Charles asked.

“No. I should have asked, but I didn’t,” Albert said.

“What are you doing?” Nik asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

Attention turned to Nik, who was staring at Tom. Tom noticed Nik’s attention, then turned back to the device he was fiddling with.

“Nothing that would concern you,” Tom said, his voice cold.

Billy raised an eyebrow. Nik sat up a little more. “Let’s not be childish, Tom. What are you making.”

Tom let out a forced sigh. “I just thought that it would be a good failsafe to have something that would cancel out the chips. Kind of like a protective bubble around this room that would immediately turn off the chips’ capabilities while this is on.”

“Seems reasonable.” Nik reached out and grabbed Tom’s device as well as his tools.

“You are seriously such a child,” Tom said.

“Takes one to know one,” Nik said as he opened a panel.

Tom about said something, but Marie’s dad grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. He then motioned Charles to continue.

“Uh…” Charles said. “Edgar? Do… do you have anything to report?”

Edgar stared at the table. “Mr. Wayne hates his job, but they won’t let him go anywhere else, because he is the best marksman in the city. He feels trapped, and is slowly going insane.”

“Wow, did he say all that to you?” Charles asked.

Edgar tore his gaze from the table and looked at Charles. “I know what to look for.”

Charles cleared his throat. “That’s… um.”

“How’d you figure out he was a good marksman?” Billy asked.

“There’s a shooting range for the security officers. Mr. Wayne goes there when he’s bored. He gets bored a lot,” Edgar said.

“Must be nice to have someone who can figure out people’s darkest fears,” Nik said as he finished fiddling with the wiring in the device. He screwed the panel back on before placing it in front of him. He then turned the switch on and everyone heard a quiet humming. “Done.”

Tom glared at Nik. “There is no way that works. You can’t have finished it that fast.”

Nik laughed, cold and mocking. “Oh Tommy boy. Let’s not forget who actually invented the chip.”

Marie’s eyes widened as she stared at Nik. Tom clenched his fists, breathing heavily. “I helped.”

Nik looked genuinely confused. “How?”

Tom was clearly flustered by the question. “I helped with the netting.”

Nik gave a loud, obnoxious laugh. “Seriously? Seriously? That’s what you think your big contribution was? I was the one who gave you that job, because I figured it was so easy, not even you could mess it up.”

“You two weren’t supposed to talk about who invented the chip,” Marie said, glancing around to see how the others were taking this information. “It’s dangerous for other people to know about it.”

Most of the people at the table looked shocked at this new revelation. Other’s didn’t seem as interested. Charles looked exhausted, about as exhausted as most leaders would who had their meeting unexpectedly upended. Billy had his fingers intertwined and was watching the exchange between the two old men with great interest. Edgar still stared at the table.

Nik turned to Marie with a curious look. “Dangerous. Why is it dangerous?”

Marie felt her cheeks burning. “Well, you know. Because President Arnold is really paranoid. He could kill us all if he knew we knew.”

Nik frowned. “Pretty sure he’s still going to kill you anyway, since you’re in the underground. Who told you it was dangerous?”

“Um, Tom did.”

Nik gave another pathetic laugh. “Yeah, that was his own manipulative way of making sure you stayed in line.”

“I have never done anything of the sort!” Tom said.

“Tell me, Marie, when Tom told you, did he say I had any involvement at all?” Nik asked.

“He…” Marie tried to rack her brain for the exact words Tom said. “He said… he mentioned you. That the chip was your idea.”

“How very generous of him,” Nik said, laying the sarcasm on thick. “I’m assuming he didn’t tell you I did all the work, too.”

“I did the netting,” Tom said through gritted teeth.

Nik rolled his eyes. “I did ninety-eight percent of the work. I could have done it all, but I delegated the netting to you. Took you long enough, too. I practically had everything else done before you finished your assignment.”

“I knew how to do it all,” Tom said. “As soon as you made up the blueprints and the general design, I could have done it all too! The chip isn’t that hard to figure out.”

“Yeah, sure, as soon as you figured out my ideas you could have stolen them and passed them as your own. That’s what you’re saying?”

“No,” Tom seethed.

“How long were you working on this?” Nik asked, pointing toward the small machine he fixed in less than twenty seconds. “Doesn’t seem like you understand the chip that much.”

Tom rubbed his head, his hands shaking as he gave a laugh. “Why are we even fighting about this? Seriously? I’m sick of this.”

“Because you two robbed me blind. You two had your cushy lives while I lived in fear of mine.”

“I did not have an easy life!” Tom yelled, slapping his fist on the table. Marie’s dad tried again to somehow suggest peace by squeezing Tom’s shoulders, but the older men were completely ignoring him. “Ben threatened the lives of my wife and children if I didn’t help him!”

“Did he threaten their lives? Or did he threaten to tell them the truth about you?”

“Nik, I’m warning you-”

“What?” Nik stood, the anger pulsing from him. “Are you going to kill me too, Tom?”

Marie gasped. Had Tom killed before? Sophie’s eyes widened. Marie’s dad looked ready to stand up in case someone needed to stop a fistfight between them.

“You… don’t know… what it was like,” Tom said, the anger and hatred dripping from his voice.

“You know what’s ironic?” Nik asked, equal hatred coming from his voice. “After Ben took complete power, I noticed two different classes of scientists he talked about. The mad scientists.” Nik raised his hand and gave a little wave. “Erratic, crazy people with deranged ideas. And the robot scientists.” Nik dropped his hand and glared at Tom. “The idiots who only do what they're told. So is that how it was? You’re going to act like you didn’t murder all those people because you simply did what Ben asked you to?”

There were so many emotions running through Tom’s face. He grabbed his crutches and hobbled off to his room. This time, the slamming door resounded through the quiet main room. No one said a word. Marie felt her mind buzzing with information, too terrified to analyze it.

“Well, it looks like that little invention works,” Charles muttered, breaking the silence.

“Tom and Nik don’t have the chip,” Marie’s dad said.

Charles tapped the back of his own head. “I’m sure my chip is just waiting to activate as soon as it can.” Charles gave a sigh. “Anything else anyone wants to add?”

Poor Charles. He was trying so hard to be a leader, but had none of the experience to understand two feuding men who had deep grudges and dark secrets against each other.

“Did you really invent the chip, sir?” Harriet asked, her voice quiet.

Nik sank into his chair, looking exhausted. “Don’t call me sir. I have done nothing to earn that honorific title.”

“Everyone past a certain age is-”

“Is obligated to be shown respect because they survived the horrors of the war,” Nik finished Harriet’s sentence. He turned his exhausted eyes toward Harriet. “Another way Ben is trying to get you all to worship him. Just call me Nik. And yes. I invented the chip.”

It was only when Marie swallowed that she realized there was a lump in her throat. She noticed Alice had been watching Charles, most notably seeing his exhausted state, and stood up. “Well, I think this meeting has been,” she paused before putting on a convincing smile, “most informative. Albert, Billy, Edgar, we hope to hear good news from your recruitment efforts soon. Meeting adjourned.”

There was a pause, then people slowly started to get up. Marie stayed sitting down, staring at the table, feeling a bit like Edgar with thoughts swirling around her head and little energy to engage in the present. She was there for probably five minutes when Billy sat down next to her.

“Hey, so what’s going on?” he asked.

Marie glanced over at him, slightly confused. “What?”

“You’re illness?” Billy asked.

Marie glanced up to see Edgar right behind Billy. “Right. I -- right.” She completely forgot she was going to tell Billy and Edgar. It was then that she noticed Sophie had left and was talking with Harriet and Nik. Marie cursed herself for getting too caught up in her thoughts. “Let’s go over in the corner,” Marie said.

“Are you sure? You’re still looking quite pale,” Billy said.

“Trust me,” Marie said, trying not to stare at Sophie as she started smiling at whatever Nik was saying. “The exercise would be good.”