A/N: Trying my hand at a different kind of Eric. This will be AU and the war was prevented. Still obsessed with the Washington area so it will be set there. Choosing age was moved to 18 and this will be the first group to choose since that and other changes were made.
Disclaimer: Roth owns the Divergent Universe I just like to run amok in it.
The Hub- Special Meeting
The Hub was bustling with the sounds of voices and movement as members, dependents, and leaders of all factions took their seats for the special meeting that was being held by the Interfaction Council. Tonight the meeting was scheduled to announce the changes that would be made to the cities system in place for dependent education, placement and preparation allowances prior to The Choosing.
The city's society was broken down into five factions that each held to a certain set of core beliefs, modes of behaviour and roles in the society.
The ruling of the city itself was done by the council which had two leaders from each faction represented and those members voted on the issues at hand for their faction. It was a joint decision of all five factions combined and things from education, budgets for city maintenance or faction budgets were all decided by votes from those council members.
The factions themselves had their own internal council and government. Leaders were the ruling body of the factions and internal decisions were made through those individuals.
Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite were the name of the factions and the system was set up in place after the great war several hundred years ago that wiped out most of the earth's population. There were rumours that there are other cities in far away places. If there were no contact has been made and there are no visitors from outside of the great fenced in wall that was built surrounding the city. Beyond that massive circular creation lies nothing but the waste, although that isn't exactly correct it is just nothing that would be survivable unless in communities like the one that was established in their city. What exactly is in the waste only few of the faction Dauntless that are charged with the protection and policing of the area in and surrounding what was once known as Seattle, Washington and the smaller cities around it. The city proper itself is vast but the once towering and marvel of buildings could be seen to be crumbling and ruins in many of the sections. Beyond the city though and still within the walls the factions had their own distinct sectors and living areas.
Amity took up the areas of fields and forests that extended into mountains and lakes. Their beliefs are that of a love of nature, peace and harmony. Once they would have been referred to has hippies and some respects that is true. Their role is that of the farmers, livestock handlers and in general the producers of the fresh fruit, veggies, meat, and fish that are so important to the city and it's residents. They prefer peaceful actions and are often looked to as the mediators within disputes. They believe in non-confrontation, happiness and have been known to administer things like peace or calming serums to their own members during internal disputes or to settle behavioral issues. In keeping with the love of nature, Amity usually wear loose or flowing clothes in shades of reds and yellows but also like softer colors like pink and pastels.
Abnegation is the faction of selflessness and sacrifice. They are a plain and austere people that look to helping others above all else and seek no indulgences or luxuries. Because of their belief in putting others before themselves they were also the figureheads of the government. Helping to guide and handle the day to day running of the city. The took up the part of the city proper that was most in disrepair and lived in rows of uniform grey concrete homes that were plain and serviceable. Their sector was also close to the buildings and ruins that house the main charge that Abnegation was in charge of, the Factionless. Those people that either choose to leave their factions or were forced out and had no homes or places in their societies. They were what pre-war cities would have referred to as the homeless and most factions considered them beneath them because they did not fit in or contribute. Abnegation dress modestly in shades of lighters shades of grey, do not believe in makeup or any adornments of any kind or vanity at all.
Dauntless are the warrior faction of the society. Their role is that of police, military, and protectors. If there is any faction that should truly remain neutral in the makeup of politics of the factions, it would be Dauntless but that has not always been possible or done. The Dauntless have an entire sector that is within the city but extends to the rugged and wild land surrounding them. The center of Dauntless headquarters is something of a secret. There are known entrances but those are only known to either other faction leaders, the patrols and members of the faction. This is done for the protection of the members but also just a part of the way of life of the Dauntless people. Dauntless are thought of as wild, unintelligent generally, daredevils and brash. They sport tattoos, piercings and wild hairstyles to go along with their normal black clothes that are their own faction colors.
Candor are the lawmakers, lawyers, counselors and run the court system and jail system with Dauntless. They believe in honesty above all and are very good at reading body language to detect lies or intentions. They live in huge complexes within the city itself so that they are near to the main civic centers. Candor generally wore white as it symbolizes the purity of truth they believe in but they are also known to pair it with black as well. They are known to administer truth serum to it's own members but also to those that they are questioning for trials or other of their duties.
Finally there is Erudite, the faction of knowledge, refinement, industry or technology, medicine and philosophy. The roles an Erudite have are varied from medical to research to teaching, but they all believe in obtaining as much knowledge as possible and remaining logical and as unemotional as possible. They are also on the verge of trying to play for power that they believe rightly belongs to them because of their vast intelligence. The have sectors that had pristine suburb houses or just as pristine and sleek highrises and wore the shades of blue they believed to be superior and refined.
For over a year the city's council has been working on overhauling the system that provides each faction with the new generations. A rite of passage occurs when a dependent reaches a certain age. Each child is tested for the trait that will place them into the home they are best suited for. Before now that age was 16 and once the test was done the dependent made a choice during something called The Choosing, in which they would either base the choice of where they would spend the rest of their lives and leave everything they knew behind, including family and family ties based on the characteristics the test revealed they had. Before that though the children were educated in the basics to be able to function but all other education was dictated by the factions themselves.
Tonight all of this would change. There was unrest in the city and disfunction that had begun to slowly tear the last known city of man apart.
The proposals were simple yet would change the fabric of everything that was known so had taken a year of mediation, negotiations, preparation and arguments.
In the Erudite section Natalia Masters sat beside her father and Senior Member Jamison. They looked to be the perfect Erudite's, properly dressed and groomed in the shades of blue their faction wear. Natalia in her dark blue pencil skirt with her long sleeved button up lighter blue shirt, dark blue heels and glasses that were fake but expected to be worn. Natalia's honey colored hair was tamed into the perfect bun and her fake glasses were properly perched on her nose. Their backs were straight and chins high as they waited for order to be called but her gold/amber hazel eyes missed nothing and took everything in, calculating and cataloging.
From the posture of her own father and most of the Erudite leadership, Natalia could tell that they were not happy with the decisions that were made. Which caused her heart to pick up and a tiny bit of hope bloomed into her chest. If they were not happy that meant the changes were approved and she and her brother in all but blood might just be able to make their escape.
The meeting was called to order by the Abnegation leader Andrew Prior. Andrew had only recently assumed Senior Leader position within the faction after the arrest of the former one Marcus Eaton. Soon he announced the meeting begun.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman of our great city. Today is a special evening meeting that has been called to announce the final agreements that were reached by the appointed council members from each faction in regards to the overhaul of education, choosing age, preparation allowances prior to choosing and the aptitude testing for dependents to place them in their faction. We would like to welcome you all that could be with us here in person as well as those watching via broadcast."
Andrew Prior was a kind looking man in his mid to late thirties with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a calmness that even outstripped most of the Abnegation faction. What most did not know about Andrew was, that as calm and sacrificing as he could be and how much he exemplified his faction's beliefs, he was also capable of great fierceness, intelligence and determination. Part of his rise to Senior Leader after Marcus Eaton's crimes of abuse and corruption had been found were because of those traits. Andrew was also one of the main driving forces behind helping to keep this project moving forward instead of being stalled or swept away by the Erudite holdouts that were hoping for entirely different results.
"As many are aware for the past year details for the proposal have been worked on and this week agreements were reached. Let us not waste time in getting the announcement of those changes that will take place starting with this new school year after this upcoming choosing."
"First, all faction dependents will now have several inter-faction classes that will be shared in the basic courses and standards. The core classes will be: math, english, history, health, physical fitness and finally faction history and studies. In all of these core classes the basic classes will begin with primary aged students and will progress in secondary school. Advanced classes in all of these core subjects will be open to all faction dependents and will be determined by testing at the end of each school year to determine what level the individual is at and can be placed. There will also now be electives that dependents can test into if the traits and skill levels reveal that would have them excel in those classes. This will also play into the preparation for their future factions."
Andrew paused and allowed that to sink in and there were murmurings among the crowd, some good and some bad. "Let us talk about these electives and give examples. They are too varied to go into every single one but packets will be sent out to homes with dependents so that parents can begin to help make the decisions that will provide the best future for their children. Let me make this clear though right now, each child will be assigned counselors and during testing the counselor and educators, along with the students will make the decisions of what classes our future generations will participate in. What does this mean exactly? An example will be languages other than the core language of english both spoken and written. Currently there are bare handfuls of dependents outside of Erudite that are allowed or even tested to see if they have the ability or desire to learn any other languages. This will now be open to all dependents and depending on the testing could start out as young as primary age. That is an example of the electives that are being referenced. Classes that had previously been limited to be attended by only of the faction of origin will now be open to all with testing and guidance of our educators."
There were more raised voices and all council members stood, a gesture calling for silence so that the meeting could continue.
Andrew smiled in thanks to his co-counsels and then turned over the floor to William from Erudite to begin on the discussion of the testing. "It has been mentioned before that there will be testing during the school career of our children but there is also to be a change to the aptitude testing for faction placement or recommendations. The testing will now feature: skills, mental, physical, emotional and psychological to help place our children. Before now the results were based on a series of scenarios that the child would work through and based on their actions they received a recommendation. This was found to be illogical and detrimental to our society. Our children are born into a faction and from their first breath they are taught, guided and forced to behave as that faction would see them behave. They know no other way and in the end it could be completely unsuited to them and against our very beliefs on why our society was set up the way it was. The systems are already developed and will be launched for this new choosing year."
William sat with a formal nod to Andrew and Natalia and Logan gauged their factions reactions. Some were impressed with the depth of development and logical thinking of the changes. Other's like her father were furious and only because of their knowledge of his demeanor and tells was her aware of this. Natalia was elated because maybe there was real hope for her finally. To finally escape from her father and other Erudite elite's beliefs that caused her own father to perform unspeakable acts to herself and the other dependents. Experiments, abuse and forced training all with the mind that Erudite believed they are superior and they should rule everything. Logan allowed a very brief pressing of his knee to hers to let her know he too held the hope and fear that were both coursing through their system. The thing they were now waiting for was what age they could make their escape.
Andrew once again picked up and the question the two blood oath siblings had was answered. "As for the determination of age it has been decided this will be changed as well. Currently our children are forced to choose at the tender and unstable age of 16. Too few years to know who they are and gain the knowledge we now know they need to thrive. It has also been shown that because of the physical changes that our children undergo during that age, this adds to stress that have caused many deaths, improper transfers or failing to fit in. As of this year only those that are 18 or will be turning 18 within that same year or initiation time frame will be allowed to choose. Special dispensations maybe be allowed for rare cases of emancipations or orphans but those will be submitted to a panel that will be comprised of educators and council members from all factions"
The sound of the roaring was all that Natalia was able to make out as her thoughts and fear collided in her head at the announcement of the age change. Almost three years would be a very long time to have to remain under the not so tender mercies of her father. Two years of more experiments and training weighed on her shoulders. So much so that she barely knew the meeting had concluded and that she alone was in her bed of the home she had chosen to make for herself when she had been removed from her father's home to stem the gossip and to appear as if Erudite were doing something about the abuse.
Later that night though Logan stole into her room after he had made sure that it was clear and he wouldn't be followed. He leant her comfort and Natalia made her own plans.
"This changes nothing Logan. We will prepare in every way we can. Now we know they will allow us to do projects and classes. We will make our escape but we will have to play the part." Natalia looks into the brown eyes of the boy who has been truly her brother in all but blood and last name.
"We know now what they want from me. They will train me as the commander of their army. I will use this to my advantage and take every skill they give me. I will work on projects for dauntless and our city but I will play into that we will use it for Erudite when they make their move. Logan, you will want to protect me and try to take this mantle on. But you cannot do this, I must bear this burden because I am the pure divergent. They can't control me like they think they can, like I have let them believe. Promise me you will let me do this Logan?"
She grasped his hand desperately and Logan's eyes shone with tears but he understood. "I promise Talia, but when it comes time to fight we fight together."
Natalia sighs and relaxes, then blood brother and sister allow each other to relax together and fall asleep with a glimmer of hope shining in the future.