It took Charles half a second to react.

“Murphy’s law!” Charles said with a strangled cry.

Panic seized Albert as he watched Billy jump into the shed then close the door, holding the handle with his hand.

“Hello Mrs. Germain.” Billy’s voice came from the shed and from the laptop.

“No, no, no,” Charles said, the rage barely contained. Charles almost grabbed the handle of the shed, but Poe grabbed his wrist.

“Billy knows what he’s doing,” Poe said.

Charles was taking deep, angry breaths. “That thespian is about to blow the entire underground.”

“Don’t mind me,” Billy’s voice came from the laptop. “Just need to stay here by the door for a sec.”

“We can’t change it now. Let’s see what Billy does,” Poe said.

Charles grumbled, his eyes burned with anger, but he stayed put.

“A pleasure to see you tonight, Mrs. Germain,” Billy said.

“Wh-who are you?” Sophie asked, her voice higher than usual.

“Ah, nice attempt at a save, but no, Sophie. I’m here to help. Mrs. Germain is quite good at rattling people.”

Mrs. Germain was staring at Billy, her mouth slightly open, but she snapped back to focus. Her teeth glinted in the pale light as she grinned. “So you are part of the underground. I knew it.”

“Yes, yes. Along with Albert and Poe.” Albert couldn’t help but wince. Looks like he was about to join the others in hiding. “Abe’s death was completely faked and he’s currently on the other side of the wall rallying troops to overtake President Arnold,” Billy said.

Charles gave another strangled cry.

“What’s he doing?” Albert hissed.

“He’s being truthful in the hopes she’ll return with truth of her own,” Poe said.

Albert didn’t expect an answer to that, but now that he thought of it, it made sense. Mrs. Germain for one looked shocked, and maybe a bit distrustful at the bluntness.

“Though to be completely fair, Abe’s also trying to overthrow Josef. We here at the underground on this side of the wall do not support mad scientists.” Billy moved forward, grabbing a bucket and flipping it over. “Sophie, have a seat.”

Sophie seemed shocked, but sat down.

Billy sat on the bucket, giving both women wide smiles. Charles kept muttering all the things he was going to do to Billy if they made it out of this alive.

“Do you realize all I have to do is scream and my husband will be here in seconds? He’ll call the authorities and you and your friends will be arrested?” Mrs. Germain said.

Billy turned his incredibly calm eyes toward Mrs. Germain. “Okay, do it.”

Mrs. Germain glared at him then took a deep breath and opened her mouth. Albert felt a spike of panic as he braced himself for the scream, but it never came. Mrs. Germain let out the breath she had taken, giving Billy an incredibly deadly look. Billy never lost his calm demeanor.

“I have questions first,” Mrs. Germain said.

Billy gave a short nod. “I thought you might.”

Mrs. Germain looked furious. “Why did you join them? They’re nothing but mad scientists who want to destroy the arts.”

“One person is the mad scientist who wants to destroy the arts. Yes, he’s their leader, but for the most part, these people are scared of losing something valuable to them. Really, when it comes down to it, we all share that fear in one way or another.” Billy made a point to look at Sophie before turning back to Mrs. Germain.

Mrs. Germain’s eyes darkened. “You’re like all the men at work. You think I’m weak because I’m a mother.”

“I never said that. I’m trying to help you see a situation where you can use your humanity to understand a group of people who seem so alien to you. The bond of a mother to her child should never be construed as weakness.”

Mrs. Germain’s anger seemed to soften, but only by a margin. Mrs. Germain seemed to go out of her way not to look at Sophie.

“Do not feel bad for not talking.” Albert glanced over, not even realizing Poe had grabbed the walkie-talkie. “Mrs. Germain sees Billy as an equal, so she’ll talk to him more. Billy will help break her.”

Sophie gave a quiet sigh before she clasped her hands together in her lap and looked down at them.

“I don’t like how you use it to manipulate me,” Mrs. Germain said.

“No, Mrs. Germain. Never. I wouldn’t be that cruel. I’m helping you understand something you already know deep down,” Billy said.

Mrs. Germain glared. “And what’s that?”

Billy gave a shrug. “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. There’s something about your relationship with Sophie that is eating at you. Consider me an unbiased observer that you can say anything to.”

Mrs. Germain laughed. “You? A teen?”

“A teen, yes. Who happened to catch you crying in your office when I was running an errand. You told me it was nothing. I allowed myself to be the young gentleman who would let you keep your secrets, but not anymore. Now I’d like to dig it out.”

“That was…” Mrs. Germain’s reply was sharp, but she immediately dropped off. She let out a grunt. “You realize I can still scream and bring my husband here.”

“Yes I do. It’s information that is constantly in the back of my mind,” Billy said as he pointed to the back of his head. “But let's talk about the facts, Mrs. Germain. You two are sleeping in separate rooms. You two have been acting cold toward each other. When I came to your office and saw you crying, Mr. Germain had just left. He didn’t stay and comfort you. One might even say he was the cause of the crying. Whatever is eating you, you’re facing it on your own. Mr. Germain won’t help. Besides, you and I both know if you call your husband, he’s going to have us all arrested. Including Sophie. If you want to salvage whatever relationship you have with her, getting her arrested will certainly not help.”

Mrs. Germain was not hiding her hatred. “What makes you think that I want to salv-” she stopped herself. She glanced at Sophie quickly before returning her glare at Billy.

“So you do want to salvage it,” Billy said.

Mrs. Germain let out an angry breath. “I cannot believe you would use your skills and abilities to help the underground. You honestly think you can keep analyzing me like this and have them not realize how much of a threat you are?”

“Threat to my sanity,” Charles muttered under his breath.

“You are the embodiment of everything they fear. They’re going to turn on you and destroy you. Just wait. They’ll use you, then dispose of you the second they no longer need you,” Mrs. Germain said.

Billy gave a chuckle, then leaned over and touched both Mrs. Germain and Sophie’s shoulder. “You both lash out when under stress.” He gave a click of his tongue. “Bonding moment!”

“Stop it!” Mrs. Germain snapped, trying to move her shoulder away from Billy’s touch. “I know what you’re doing. You’re using humor to cut the seriousness of the situation. Being a teen you’re either too naive to realize how much danger you are in at the underground, or I just struck a nerve.” Billy said nothing, slowly lowering his arm. “I struck a nerve.”

Charles glanced at the screen, a frown tugging at his lips. Billy cleared his throat. “Everyone is afraid of people who are different from them. It’s part of our basic human nature. What makes us better is overcoming that, and not letting our fears come in the way of spectacular relationships.”

Mrs. Germain glared at Billy. “I don’t need you to lecture me on how my life should be. You don’t know. You’re just a kid.”

Billy gave a shrug. “You’re right. I’m not needed here. I’m simply a concerned friend who has watched Sophie suffer way too long with a broken relationship with her parents. You treat me as an equal, because I’m one of your precious arts persons. So as someone you listen to because I study the humanities, I suggest you use yours and stop seeing Sophie as the enemy. Try, for once, to see her as your daughter.”

Mrs. Germain gave a scoff. It wasn’t loud, but it was defiant. “I do see her as my daughter.”

“What does Sophie want to be when she grows up?” Billy asked.

“Some sort of silly mathematician,” Mrs. Germain said.

“And what would she do with that?” Billy asked.

“Like I know?” Mrs. Germain snapped. An anger returned to her eyes.

“If Sophie had the day to herself, what would she do?” Billy asked.

“Be with Marie,” Mrs. Germain said.

“And what would they do?”

Mrs. Germain paused. The anger was there, almost defiantly, but Mrs. Germain was grinding her teeth together.

“Who is Sophie’s hero?”

Mrs. Germain turned her head away from Billy, but she wasn’t looking at Sophie, either. Albert half expected the wall to melt away from her gaze.

“What makes Sophie laugh? What’s her motivation?” Billy leaned forward. “What is Sophie’s favorite color?”

Mrs. Germain glared at Billy. There were genuine tears in her eyes, and she looked angry about it.

“I know you care about her. I know in your own way you did all this to protect her,” Billy said. “You are a fierce and loyal mom. I caught glimpses of it when I watched you work. You would do anything for those you love. But it got out of hand last year, and now you’re being torn apart.” Mrs. Germain said nothing, simply stared at Billy, the anger slowly draining from her face. “President Arnold did the unthinkable. He practically destroyed your daughter, and you’ve been wanting to make it right. You would have done anything for those you love, and I know you love your daughter. When Sophie was a hobo, you’d visit her at night and cry over her. You drugged an entire barn full of hobos so you could have your quiet moments with her.” Billy watched her closely, chewing on his bottom lip. “So what is it? You no longer feel like you belong with the S.E.A., so come to us.”

Charles cocked an eyebrow as he stared at the screen. Marie’s dad waited, anticipating, optimism returning to his face. Albert waited, hand in his hair, willing Mrs. Germain to turn. Mrs. Germain did nothing. It seemed like she didn’t even acknowledge Billy’s presence. Billy watched her for another second before he glanced over at Sophie. Sophie still stared at her hands clasped in her lap.

“You have the opportunity to get to know your daughter,” Billy said as he stood up. “I suggest you take it.”

Billy backed toward the door, resting his back against it. It would have been better if he left the shed, but Charles was out here, and Billy probably didn’t want to be in the same vicinity as Charles. Mrs. Germain frowned at Billy before looking down. Albert was struck by the realization that neither Mrs. Germain or Sophie were looking at each other. Both looked lost in their own worlds. It was quiet in the shed. Albert was waiting for Billy to prompt a conversation, but he remained in the corner. The silence was uncomfortable, but no one moved. Then Sophie reached up and pulled the piece out of her ear and set it on the table. Mrs. Germain looked at it before she glanced up at Sophie.

Sophie met her mom’s gaze, tears in her eyes. “Why did I have to be who you wanted me to be before you loved me?”

Mrs. Germain winced. Billy reached over and knocked the camera down. Albert understood the knee jerk reaction to give them privacy, but with no one in the group moving, they could hear the quiet voices from the shed.

“I…” Mrs. Germain began. “I thought we could…”

Charles quietly closed his laptop.

“Change me?” Sophie asked.

The long spells of silence felt as loud as shrieking. A panic was settling into Albert soul.

“I don’t understand it. Math and science. I don’t understand why people are drawn to it. I believed it to be dangerous, with how much it ignores the humanities. I’ve fought against the mad scientists, and I didn’t want you getting hurt,” Mrs. Germain said, sounding small and vulnerable.

“I think I understand,” Sophie said, her voice getting stronger. “You’re in the S.E.A. You’ve been in the front lines, so to speak, on this war with the sciences. You probably understand how twisted this Josef guy is more than me.”

Mrs. Germain gave a sniff. Not one of annoyance, but it sounded like Mrs. Germain was actually crying. “He’s so evil, Soph. Every spy we send over he’s killed. The last one, her body was so mutilated we… we didn’t even… we had to have a team do a DNA test to even be sure...” Mrs. Germain was crying at this point. “She was only in her early twenties. We thought her young age would… that he wouldn’t…”

“Help us fight him, mom. We don’t want him over here any more than you do,” Sophie said.

“I am fighting Josef,” Mrs. Germain said.

“You’re helping a man who wiped my memories. President Arnold tortured Tom Edison. You can give me every excuse in the book for why he tortured Tom, but there’s no excuse for what he did to me. And I think you’re finding out that there are more scientists like me than you first believed. Ones that are disgusted by people like Josef. Yes I study math, but I’ll never abandon my humanity.”

There was another long silence. This one didn’t feel as painful. Albert was staring at the back of the Germain’s house, realizing his jaw was hanging open. This might work. This might actually work.

“There’s another option. Fight Josef with us. Fight him with me,” Sophie said. “I may not be the arts person you want, but help me fight for a world where scientists like me can exist.”

Mrs. Germain was crying. “I’m sorry, Soph. I can’t let your memories come back.”

Marie’s dad withered where he stood.

“My… friend, Marie? She’s dying.” Sophie paused. “She’s one of those scientists. The good ones. I don’t remember her being my friend, but you do. You know how deep our friendship is. We think we have a way to save her. It involves the forgetting formula, and… Mom, if she dies, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself. If she dies when we have a plan to save her… I need your help. I want to make this right. If you won’t let my memories return, at least do this for my best friend.”

The silence was there again. Albert was gnawing on his lip. “Sophie,” her mother said, sounding like she was in pain. Albert waited, terrified of what Mrs. Germain might say. “There’s something I said to you.” Mrs. Germain’s voice was quiet, almost muted by the shed door. “Something right before President Arnold wiped your memories. I’ve been grateful every day that you no longer remember what I said. I just… I’m sorry. For what you’ll remember when I get you the syrophil. I never actually wanted to say those things.”

Charles gasped before he covered his mouth. Albert’s eyes widened. Nik and Marie’s dad exchanged glances.

“I forgive you,” Sophie said.

“Save your forgiveness for when you remember.”

“You’re a different person now. I believe you’re truly sorry for whatever you said.”

“I’ll meet you at the bagel place that was once the front for the underground. If I’m not there in twenty minutes, something went wrong, and you and the underground need to leave.”