Four wasn't sure why he felt so panicked. Tris's success had just validated every reason he'd had for insisting that David pull her out of the city. But David's odd demeanor — combined with the threat of shutting down the city and pulling all funding from the program — kept replaying over and over in his mind. Something wasn't adding up. Tris was sitting in the chair she was in earlier, with her eyes closed, while Matthew was typing up a report at one of the tables. He wasn't sure if he could trust Matthew implicitly, but he had to start somewhere. He took the seat next to him.

"David's different. It's not just me, is it?" Four's voice was low.

Matthew stopped typing. "He's been different for a while," he murmured. "Been trying to figure out what's been going on for a couple of months."

"And?"

"I haven't found out much more than we already know. He's stressed. The government is demanding results. Chicago is one of the last running experiments. I don't know if the pressure is just getting to him."

It wasn't a long shot to think that's all it was, but the look Matthew gave Four told him he thought there was more, too. Matthew's eyes flicked over to where Tris was, and Four raised his eyebrows. He turned his head to see her eyes narrowed and locked onto Matthew.

"You might as well just say it," she said. Matthew spun in his chair to face her, and watched the defiant look fall from her face. "At this point, there isn't much else you could tell me that would shock me. I mean, my whole life has been one big lie, right? What else is there?"

Matthew cleared his throat. "I've been trying to hack David's new password, but before he changed it, I found out some… things. About your mom. I wasn't really sure how to tell you."

Tris stood up, feeling like she had been punched in the gut. "What about my mom?" Any piece of information she could get her hands on felt like it would help her get through this. She wanted to be closer to her parents however she could be.

"She isn't from Abnegation."

"I know. She was Dauntless. I saw it in the genealogy room."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "Then you know it's not just that." Tris looked at Four, who was too focused on Matthew to notice. She shook her head. "Tris, your mom came from the Fringe. And she and David, they used to be friends. Maybe even more."

Tris didn't know what to do with this information. She felt frozen in place as Matthew and Four both stared at her. It wasn't until her ears started ringing and her vision started going dark that she realized she wasn't breathing. She took a deep breath and knelt down. Matthew and Four were by her side as she placed her hands on the cool tile and took another deep breath. She didn't realize how sweaty she had become; she closed her eyes and laid down on her back, appreciating that the room was large and full of enough tile to keep her cool.

"Tris?" The panic she heard in Four's voice made her open her eyes.

"I'm fine." Her voice was hoarse; Four didn't look convinced. He hovered over her, a hard look on his face as Matthew backed off a little. "I'm fine," she reassured, looking into his eyes. His face softened and he gave her a small nod.

"I thought I couldn't be surprised by anything else. Guess I was wrong." She let out a weak chuckle. "But you know what? I think I'm finally there now. I'm just so done with feeling out of place and being blindsided by everything, and I… I refuse to be shocked anymore. Try me: tell me something else that ought to freak me out, like my brother is really a spy from a different city, or that my father is just a figment of my imagination."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Matthew asked. "You sound a little crazy."

She laughed. "Like you can talk. You're the one who keeps telling me all these stories." Both Matthew and Four smiled.

She had no idea why it had hit her so hard. Secret after secret had been thrown at her for almost two weeks. She guessed it was the difference between finding out secrets about her own life, and secrets about her mother's. It was the last thing she would have expected. At least now she knew what the 'F' meant on the plaque, right after her mother's name.

After checking again that Tris was okay, Matthew and Four both agreed that she should take it easy the rest of the day. Tris had had enough excitement, and her face was still a little pale. It was close enough to lunch that they made their way to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

"So, how do you know all of this?" she asked. They were sitting at a table in the corner, as far away from everything and everyone else as they could get. Matthew took a long look at the both of them before looking over his shoulder. He had been trying to figure out how to broach the subject ever since he realized who Tris was. He let out a long sigh; now was as good a time as any to tell her everything he knew.

"I stumbled upon some old letters. I only read a couple of them and just skimmed the rest, but from what I could gather, David found her in the Fringe. Which probably explains why he was overconfident about Indianapolis." He trailed off for a moment, as if lost in his thoughts. "Anyway, I'm guessing she volunteered or he convinced her to be placed inside the city, but she disobeyed whatever her orders were. It's only her replies, but you can tell that David was upset. It was mostly a lot of fighting, and then she ended their correspondence." They both watched her closely.

"I already told you, I'm past being surprised." She waved her hand and took a bite of her sandwich.

"Well, alright! I can make you a copy if you want, so you can read it yourself." Tris smiled. Things didn't make any more sense than they did before, but now she would have a small piece of her mother to hold onto.

"Guess you were right," Four said. She looked over at him. "Your mom did know." Tris wondered when she figured it out. She remembered her mother's heavy sobs, and the way her face looked when they found the body. She thought about her father, too. Clearly she hadn't shared her thoughts with him before the funeral, given the way he had been overcome with grief.

"Do you think there's a way I could get a message to her?"

Matthew shook his head. "That is one thing I haven't figured out."

Their conversation was quiet, but they stopped talking altogether when the cafeteria started filling up. Tris was careful to keep her mannerisms the same; shy, quiet, scared. She had the sudden desire to keep everything about herself between just the three of them, though she knew that was going to be difficult with her circumstances. If she was going to do what was asked of her, it was at least going to be on her terms.

"There you are!" Tris gritted her teeth at the sound of Zoe's voice. "David was wondering how your day was going. He got the report from you, Matthew, so thank you for that." She flashed him a wide grin. It was the first time Tris didn't see Matthew immediately return a smile. "Speaking of David," she continued, "He would like to know what is on the agenda for the rest of the day." She looked at each of them expectantly.

"Run a few more tests," Four lied. "Maybe have her take it easy. The truth serum was a lot for her to handle."

Zoe pursed her lips. "I'll let him know."

"I'll do it," Tris said as she watched Zoe walk away. "Whatever he wants. I don't want you to get into any more trouble because of me." Four looked up from his plate as she fixed her gaze on him. He wanted to say no, but she had a look in her eye, one that said he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Matthew said, and Tris broke eye contact. "He'll back off in a day or two."

They took their time eating, Matthew and Four both asking Tris multiple times how she was feeling. She knew their intentions were good and she appreciated their concern, but it was starting to grate on her nerves. They didn't need to continue being so careful around her. She wasn't going to dwell anymore on the turmoil she had recently been through; all she wanted to think about at the moment was reading her mother's letters. On their way back to Matthew's office, they were intercepted by David.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to observe the rest of today's tests." He smiled at Matthew, an expectant look on his face.

"Sure thing, Boss!" Tris wondered how Matthew changed his persona so easily. Then again, it wasn't like she wanted to be completely honest with David, either. Maybe that was why she liked Matthew so much.

"Actually," Four interrupted, "We were thinking of giving Tris a little break for the day. The truth affected her in a way she hadn't anticipated." Tris had to stop herself from smiling at Four's wording.

"Affected or not, we need to do what we need to do." David took a step closer to Four. "If you can't follow a simple command, then perhaps I should remove you."

"She is not a lab rat." It was the second time David had threatened him, and Four's voice left no room for interpretation. David might be his superior, but he wasn't going to stand by while they subjected her to round after round of God knows what.

"I never said she was. But perhaps we should show Miss Prior exactly what it is we're trying to accomplish here." Tris wanted to voice her agreement, to finally know if there was going to be more than just sitting around while test after test was administered on her. "Show her what damage truly looks like."

She saw Four's jaw clench, and Matthew took a step back from the two of them. She thought about doing the same thing herself, but she was caught between looking at Four and David. They both had an intensity in their eyes she wasn't sure she had ever seen before, and it was all because of her.

"I'll do it," she said, taking a step closer. Four looked down at her. Tris pleaded with her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't say anything. Whatever it was, she didn't want him to lose his position because of her, nor did she want him to be replaced. She didn't want to be escorted around by anyone else. Four was her anchor in this new life; he was someone she trusted and liked, and she wasn't about to let David take him away.

"See? Give the girl an option, and she'll pick the right one every time. It's so refreshing to see purity in action." Tris turned her head slowly. She didn't like what David was insinuating. He simply smiled down at her.

"Fine," Four growled out. "But not until she has some training. I'm not taking her out there completely vulnerable."

"Very well," David said. He looked at his watch. "Better get a move on it. I set patrol to leave in an hour and you can tag along."

Four watched the back of David's head as he walked away. He was sure he was doing this to spite him, and Four didn't know why. It made a rage burn in him like he had never experienced before. His only connection to Tris was the fact that they were both from Abnegation, and David had never shown any particular hate or favoritism toward any of the factions, or to Four for that matter. This was all new territory, and he didn't know why he was being singled out.

"Four?" He closed his eyes for a second before opening them to look down at her, then at Matthew.

"Can you put together what we talked about? I have to take her to Dauntless." Matthew nodded and left them to continue his work.

They walked in silence until they were in the safety of the large room. Four inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar smell of sweat and metal. He gave Tris a quick glance before walking to the cabinets. She stiffened when he took out a gun. "Come on," he said. She thought he sounded defeated. "I can't take you out there without knowing you at least know how to hold one." She swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat and walked over to him.

Tris winced with each gunshot. The room didn't help things, as each loud bang seemed to reverberate off the walls louder and longer than it should have. She watched Four like she did when he taught her how to throw a knife, hoping it would be just as easy. She knew she was wrong the second he placed the gun in her hand: it was heavy, bulky, and felt entirely too large for her small hands. She thought about the other girls in Dauntless for a moment and wondered how they did it.

He stood aside as she copied his stance. She lined up the sights like he instructed, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. The kickback was bigger than she imagined; the gun flew up towards the rafters and the bullet was nowhere to be found.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay." He was calm, quiet. "Try again, and hold on tighter. Remember to keep tension." She nodded her head.

She shot round after round, and though she managed to keep a better grip, none of her shots made their way onto the target. She set the gun down on the table next to them and walked away.

"I can't do this." For every step forward she took, she felt like there was something else forcing her to take two steps back. She felt confident she could deal with every secret being thrown at her now, but something as simple as firing a gun was giving her pause. Maybe there wasn't any talent involved with her aptitude. She paced a long line, trying to wrap her head around things. Trying to figure out what it was that was holding her back.

"Tris, it's okay. You don't have to be perfect. You just need to know how to protect yourself."

"Is it really that bad?" Her voice wavered.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "I've seen some things I wish I never had. The way the factionless live is a luxury compared to life in the Fringe."

"How did she do it? She must have been so frightened."

Her mother had always been the bravest person she knew, and Tris had assumed that she felt that way because that's how children were supposed to feel about their parents. She recalled her mother never giving a second thought to helping even the most frightening factionless, and how she had taught her and her brother to talk to them calmly and to always treat them with respect. Tris was suddenly desperate to see how her mother had lived, to see firsthand what it was that made her so different from the people out there, from the ones that were labeled as inferior.

Tris stopped walking and her eyes fell upon Four. He was a curious creature; one she hadn't taken enough time to figure out, yet she was feeling closer to him every day. She knew she watched him more than she should, and she often caught him doing the same. The way he looked at her and the way it had begun to make her feel were hard to describe: it was some odd mixture of warm, content, and awake. It was exhilarating, and she knew she wanted to feel that way all the time.

She let her eyes roam over him, taking in the small shift in his breathing as she did. Her heart rate increased as she walked towards him. Tris had absolutely no doubt in her mind that if he was around, nothing would ever happen to her. But she also knew he was right: she needed to learn to protect herself if she was going to go outside of the compound. And if her mother could survive out there, then so could she.

She took a deep breath and picked the gun back up. He walked around her noting her form, tipping the gun up just slightly, trying to control his own breathing. Tris could feel him standing next to her; she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes flicked to him for a moment and he nodded. She fired, finally hitting the target. His smile spread wide, mimicking her own. "Again," he said, and she nodded.

While she certainly wasn't fit to go out on patrol anytime soon, Four was at least satisfied that if push came to shove, she could protect herself if things went awry. Tris still didn't feel comfortable enough to take a gun with her, though, so he grabbed two knives just before they left. She smiled at the looks they got as they walked through the compound. Four looked intimidating, and she liked it.

They met up with the other members of patrol who were set to go out on the mission. Tris recognized Jones, but she wasn't happy to see Briggs. She just didn't like the guy, and she definitely didn't like the way he was smiling at her.

"What's with the Stiff?" he asked.

"It's Tris," she said, her voice loud and firm. "Call me Stiff again and see what happens." She had no idea where her burst of confidence came from, but she held her head high as most of the group turned to look at her. Four kept his face firm, and raised his eyebrows in a challenge when Briggs shot him a look. In reality, he was fighting to suppress a grin, as well as the sense of pride he could feel spreading inside him.

"Nice!" a female voice called out. Tris looked around to see where it came from: a woman with long red hair stepped out from behind a couple of bodies. She was clad in the same outfit everyone else was wearing and offered Tris a wide smile, which Tris returned. She felt a little relieved that she was not the only woman going out there, and that she also wasn't the only short one. Tris hated the fact that she was always smaller than everyone else.

"These jerks call me Baker, but you can call me Ruby." She pulled her hair to one side and began braiding it. "And don't let any of them give you any shit. We girls are just as good as they are." She winked and disappeared again.

"Come on," Four said from beside her. "Time to get you prepped."

Four and Jones helped strap her into a bulletproof vest. It was still a little big, but it covered all the essential areas. Four debated on giving her a helmet with a communication device in it, but they were all too large. He hated giving her the smallest one they could find. It only reminded him of how inexperienced and vulnerable she was.

He pulled two sheaths from a cabinet, threading one through a belt and handing it to Tris. The knife didn't feel nearly as out of place as she thought it would as it rested against her hip. Four's face was impassive as he knelt down on one knee in front of her. Tris's breath caught in her throat as she moved her leg forward and bent down to help him strap the other knife onto her thigh, his hand occasionally brushing hers. She knew she was red, not just from the heat she could feel rising up her neck, but also from the smirk Jones had on his face. She shook her head and caught Four looking anywhere but at her. She noticed that the tips of his ears were red, too.

Tris climbed into the van with ease. Four would have put her in the back of one of the covered utility vehicles they normally use for runs, but he wanted something faster and all their own should they need to leave in a hurry. They followed the other vehicles in silence for most of the drive.

"How come there isn't anything around the Bureau?" she asked as they drove. They had passed only empty fields that were peppered with a few piles of rubble. It was nothing like the dense array of buildings they drove through on their way out of the city.

"I think they cleared most of it away when everything first happened. Wanted it to be isolated. People can't encroach if there's nothing to live in." Tris nodded her head.

She could see the beginnings of buildings the longer they drove. As they passed each one, Tris looked for any signs of life. Four's mouth turned up just slightly at the constant movements of her head.

She saw something shift in a window, or at least she thought she did — they were still going too fast for her to be sure. They started to slow down as the buildings became more frequent; she could see the faces more clearly now, peeking out from broken windows and from underneath tarps. Even in those brief moments, Tris could see the fear and uncertainty in each expression.

As they made their way further into the Fringe, the people started scattering. Tris wanted to reach out to them, ask them why they were so afraid, but she knew: what's more frightening than the unknown? Tris turned her head to see the sadness in Four's eyes.

"Welcome to the Fringe, Tris," he said as they came to a stop. She took a deep breath and opened her door. The air was foul, and garbage lined the sidewalks. The few people that were still scurrying for a place to hide were thin and dirty, and she immediately understood why David wanted her to see this: she could never have imagined anything like it. The people that stayed out looked her up and down, a dark glint in their eyes. It sent a shiver throughout her entire body.

"Are you ready?" Four was inches from her. Tris was hyper-aware of his presence, yet he still felt too far away. She took a deep breath through her mouth, tasting the acrid air, and nodded.