#polymath.

"God." Prior rests his face in his hand. "I used to think she wasn't that bad, you know. That she was cold and—and honestly, sometimes scary, but...at least she wasn't outwardly cruel."

"She wasn't cruel?!" Jackie repeats incredulously.

"I know, I know, the experiments and treatment of those people was—is horrible," Prior says. "Let me rephrase that. She wasn't...mean. And that was better than some people."

Jackie shakes his head, but Chase understands. "Well, at least you see it now," he says.

Prior gapes. "I can't believe it. I know that Ramona is cold, but to the point of not reporting her daughter missing?"

Jackie pauses. "What...Did Ayer ever...What impression did you get of their relationship? From what Ayer said about Phoebe."

"Well, like I told Chase, it seemed like she had high expectations for her," Prior says. "She said Phoebe was very bright, but that she should apply herself."

Jackie groans. "God, I've heard that from teachers. Fucking...no pressure, or anything." Chase chuckles.

"I think Ramona wanted Phoebe to go into a similar field," Prior continues. "But...maybe Phoebe wasn't interested in physics?"

"What about her dad?" Chase asks.

Prior shrugs. "Ramona's not married. I don't think the dad's in the picture."

"Huh." Chase thinks that over. "Well...with all this in mind, I totally get why Phoebe wants some more time away from Ayer. She's just a kid. She needs space to sort out whatever feelings she's having right now."

The two of them head back down to the ground floor. Prior and Xio are still in the entrance hall, though they've been joined by a few others. Xio has told them about Prior's meeting with Ramona, and they're all asking him various questions. Chase and Jackie wait for it to die down before approaching Prior. "Heyyy," Chase says. "So...you know how we were talking about Ayer's daughter?"

"Yes, I—hold on, let's step back." Prior walks over to the corner of the room, away from the group now chatting with Xio. "What is it?"

"We, uh, know why Dr. Ayer hasn't been talking about her for a while," Jackie says. "She...got kidnapped."

"What?"

"By the same people who took Henrik," Chase adds. "I-it was to blackmail Ayer, I think. For information. But I guess once she didn't tell them anything, they just decided to keep Phoebe."

"If you want proof, she was being held in this building." Jackie points upwards. "On the higher floors. I think there's still some stuff in the room she was being kept in."

"Is...is she alright?" Prior whispers.

"She's fine," Chase says. "Jackie here managed to get her out with Henrik." Jackie grins proudly. "But, uh, she doesn't want to go home. And she doesn't want her mom to know where she is. So don't ask where that is."

"...oh." Prior nods slowly. "Yes, I...I won't say anything to Ramona. But it's better that I don't even know." He pauses. "Why...why would she want to hide from Ramona? Was their relationship that bad?"

"Oh yeah, sure." Chase nods. "Hey guys I'm gonna...step into the hallway for a second. You guys keep talking."

"Everything alright?" Jackie asks, concerned.

"Yeah, I guess they just want to talk to me. I'll be right back."

"Well, uh, okay." Jackie turns back to Prior. "So do you think Ayer would really go to Henrik's house."

"Without a doubt. We all know what she's done in the compound..."

"Uh..." Chase shakes his head. "Sorry, just...thinking. About if I should say something."

"Say something about what?" Xio asks.

"Uhhhhh..."

Before Chase can answer, the building front door opens and Jackie runs in, stopping in a split second. "Hey," he says, pulling down his face mask. "Been a while, Prior."

"Hey Jackie!" Chase quickly says. "What're you doing here?"

"Got a test from the ghosts that this guy wanted to talk to us." Jackie gestures at Prior. "What's going on?"

"Her daughter?" Prior repeats. "You mean Phoebe?"

"You know her?!" Chase asks, surprised.

"No, not really. But Ramona did bring her up a lot." Prior nods. "And sometimes, I'd see this teenage girl in the Psyode building. One time, she was even at the, uh...other compound. That you guys know about. But she was only in the surface part."

"Did this girl...look like Dr. Ayer?" Xio asks.

"A little, I guess? I'm not that good with faces," Prior admits. "Uh...they had the same eyes. And maybe if the girl's hair was a little darker it would look like Ramona's. I always assumed this girl was Phoebe Ayer regardless of looks. I think the only way she could've gotten in the places she did was if she was related to someone higher up, and Ramona was the only one who ever talked about having a teenager."

"So what did Ayer say about Phoebe?" Chase presses. "Did it sound like they got along?"

"Got along? I don't know. I think Ramona had high expectations for Phoebe. I also think she sometimes didn't like Phoebe's...interests?" Prior pauses. "Huh. You know, it's been a while since Ramona mentioned her. I don't think I realized it at first, cause she's been mostly concerned with work, but...it's been a while. Maybe they had a fight or something."

"You did? So you know how concerning it is," Prior says.

"Sorry, uh, I don't know how concerning it is," Xio jumps in. "So one of the white coats wants to talk to your friend. It's not related to us. Am I missing something?"

"I think...it's like..." Chase says slowly. "Hen is connected to me and Jackie, and we're connected to you guys. The escapees, or whatever. So, if she finds him, she could find us, and through us, everyone else."

"...oh," Xio says quietly.

"And Ramona Ayer is not someone we want poking around," Prior stresses. "She's in charge of everything. She's the one who decided the Experiment Department should break off and continue the DR experiments after the board cancelled them. I-I don't want to know what she'd do with Henrik's work. Not to mention how she'll treat everyone if she finds out you're all hiding here."

"What...does she want with Henrik's work?" Chase asks.