CHAPTER 9

So I bear my skin and I count my sins; and I close my eyes and I take it in. I'm bleeding out; I'm bleeding out for you. ~ Imagine Dragons, Bleeding Out

TOBIAS POV:

My body is still struggling to wake up from whatever was used to knock me out while Tris was taken. My movements are sluggish and uncoordinated.

It's infuriating.

Without thinking much about the consequences of what I am about to do, I pull out my laptop and quickly sign on to the City Council server. I'm forced to enter about ten different codes, but within three minutes I hear the siren start outside.

"The city is on lockdown. Please find the nearest shelter and stay indoors until further notice. The city is on lockdown. Please find the nearest shelter and stay indoors until further notice."

Johanna's voice repeats the warning throughout the city. It'll go on for about ten minutes before it stops.

I stand and toss the laptop off of me, not caring when I hear it crash to the ground. Thankfully, my short break has granted me more control over my muscles. Standing is easier and my steps are in a straight line as I make my way toward the locked closet just off of the kitchen.

I pull the key out of it's hiding spot around the corner and quickly throw the doors open. I stare at the assortment of weaponry in front of me, quickly choosing a few of the smaller guns that would fit on my person easier than the larger ones.

Thankfully, Tris never asked why this closet was locked.

I've had my stash of weapons since I moved in here. It's always given me a sense of security for some reason. Left over paranoia from my Dauntless days I guess.

I change quickly into dark jeans and a t-shirt, concealing the two weapons as best I can, but not really caring if anyone sees them. I'm on a mission and I don't care who knows it.

Before I leave I make a quick call to Christina.

"Tris is gone, someone took her. Call everyone and meet me at the Council offices. Now."

Our conversation is very one sided as I hang up the phone after that.

I take careful notice of my surroundings on my brisk walk to the Council offices. I see curious citizens sticking their heads out of the windows at the sight of me walking through the city. A few even open their doors and offer me a place to wait out the lockdown.

We've gone on lockdown a few times in the past, but it's mostly just been practices. Once was a malfunction that took us an hour to realize what it was.

It's never been like this before.

I get stares from everyone as I enter the City Council building, Everyone is rushing around, all confused about the lockdown I'm sure.

I don't have time to explain though.

I get to the top floor where I know the leaders will be. The second the elevator opens, Lawrence, a leader alongside Johanna, has me pushed against the wall, hands around my throat.

"What did you do? You're angry at the Bureau for hurting your little girlfriend so now you're going to sabotage the whole city?" he growls at me, his hands tightening.

I escape his hold easily, and shove him out of the elevator. I get myself out just before the doors slide closed. Lawrence lunges again and within a moment I have him on the ground with a gun trained on his head.

"Stay out of my way," I tell him.

I make my way further into the room and see about ten pairs of eyes on me; city leaders, city advisors, and various government personnel.

"Tris is gone. Someone broke in and took her."

Johanna is the only one whose eyes show any kind of emotion at the mention of Tris, everyone else looks annoyed.

"One girl running away isn't – "

"This girl saved this city. What did you do during the war, hide out at Amity? She didn't run away, there was obviously a fight. Someone took her."

"Tobias, who would – "

"Where is Matthew? It has to be one of the scientists that had Tris before."

"Alison, get Matthew here. Tobias, put the gun down and sit. We'll find her."

I lower my gun, but I don't sit. I pace the room while others talk. None of their plans are any good though, so I don't pay attention to them. I focus on what I know so far.

I think it's safe to assume at least one of the scientists who had Tris survived the explosion Matthew set. I'll have to ask him specifics about the men who held Tris. I have to know whom I'm up against.

"Move," I tell a man sitting closest to me, typing furiously on a laptop. He looks at me with a frown at first, but as soon as he sees the scowl on my face he gets out of my way.

I sit at the computer and check the power gird of the city, looking for any rare disturbances within the last twenty-four hours. Nothing looks out of place. I move on to checking the fence's status. Again, everything looks to be in order for the last twenty-four hours. Whoever it is that has Tris has to have been here for a while then.

That makes things much more complicated. I can only hope that whoever it is hasn't taken Tris back across the fence yet.

Ten minutes later Christina, Zeke, Caleb, and Susan enter the room; all wearing similar faces of worry. I simply shake my head at them as Johanna explains the situation. I can't look any of them in the eyes.

I failed her.

I was there; I was supposed to protect her from this ever happening again. I don't even know what happened. Maybe someone injected something in me, or simply knocked me out with a solid punch while I was sleeping. You'd think I would be feeling the effects of that by now, though.

I can't go back to how things were before Tris returned. I can't go back to being the sad, broken man I had become. I got her back once, but I don't think I would be so lucky if I lost her again.

I lost her again.

"Damnit!" my anger gets the best of me and the laptop that was once in front of me is now shattered on the floor. "How could this happen again? So what if she's divergent? Why do we care about the divergent so much? Just let them live."

My hands are fisted in my hair, very nearly pulling it out, when Zeke approaches me.

"We'll find her. She's strong, she'll be okay," he tells me.

I wish it were more comforting.

Before anyone can say anything else, there is a low, disorientating boom and the building shakes lightly. Lightly, but unnaturally.

"What the hell was that?" Zeke asks. Everyone flocks to the wide window in the corner of the room with a perfect view over the city. It has the perfect vantage point to see my apartment building up in flames.

"Fuck," I mutter.

"Get medical personnel and officers to – " Johanna calls emergency response teams to the building. We can only hope there was some kind of warning before the explosion, otherwise nearly everyone who lived there would have been inside, waiting out the lockdown.

The lockdown I started.

"This just got to be a lot bigger than kidnapping one girl. Whoever did this is after you, too, Tobias," Caleb says, his eyes calculating every possible motive.

"If they wanted me dead they could have done that when they took Tris."

"So then why – "

"I need to see my son!" Evelyn's screech is easily heard outside of the room.

I sigh, not having the patience to deal with my mother at the moment. But I know she won't leave until she gets her way. I motion for one of the police guards at the door to open it and let her in.

"Now is not a good time, Evelyn."

"Well I'm sorry for wanting to make sure you were alive after your building blew up. Care to let me in on what's going on?"

"Tris has been taken," Johanna explains calmly.

"Oh," is all Evelyn says. Of course, she's suddenly uninterested in the big city emergency. She doesn't care about tris.

"Leave!" I shout at her.

She pretends to look hurt, her lips quivering and fake tears coat her eyes. I know all she really wanted was to weasel her way into the issue and prove that she's a qualified leader. That's all she's ever wanted from me ever since I became a City Advisor.

Half an hour later we're informed that there was a bit of a warning before the explosion went off. A young boy was out in the hall and heard an odd humming coming from a neighboring apartment. His father broke in and found the explosive. We were hopeful that the owner of the apartment would be a clue for us, but it was an empty space to begin with.

Finally, Matthew enters the room. He looks equally as confused as the rest of us.

"What's going on?"

"Could any of the scientists that had Tris survive the explosion you set?" I ask him.

"What? No, of course not."

"Are you sure? None of them could have figured out what you were doing – "

"If they had figured out what I was doing, I wouldn't have been able to do it. What is this about? Is everything okay?"

"Tris is gone," I tell him.

"She's – what?" shock, anger, confusion, frustration . . . all of the emotions that cross Matthew's face have been coursing through me all day.

The sound of gunshots interrupts me before I can explain any further.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my hand twitches toward my own weapon. The shots are far off though, probably on the main floor of the building. I go to the desktop computer in the corner, the one that is hooked to the projector screen on the far wall, and quickly pull up the security camera footage.

"Shit," I mutter under my breath.

There she is; Tris, in the lobby, shooting her way in as people try to stop her. When I see one of the security guards aim his gun at her, my breath escapes me in a strangled sob. Though he never gets a chance to shoot, because Tris takes him down with a bullet right between his eyes.

"She's in a simulation," I whisper to myself.

Then I run out the door, ignoring the shouts of those behind me.

"She's in a simulation, don't shoot!" I scream as I practically throw my body down the staircase until I'm at the lobby.

"Don't shoot! She's in a simulation! Don't shoot!" I shout at the guards surrounding the lobby, most hidden behind whatever cover they could find. The few I can see look at me like I'm crazy, standing out in the open screaming while this girl is shooting everyone in sight.

I hold my hands up in front of me to show Tris that I'm not a threat and walk slowly towards her. Her eyes follow my every movement.

"It's okay Tris. You don't have to do this. You can fight it. It's a simulation, you're back in Chicago," I tell her.

I hear the same door I came in through open behind me, but I don't look to see who it is.

"Tris, it's me."

Tris takes five quick steps towards me, the barrel of her gun meeting my chest, pressed firmly into my skin.

"No," she says firmly. "No."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't try harder to find you. I should've done more. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through there. Everything those men did to you . . . no one should have to go through that. I'm sorry you're covered in scars, physically and mentally, that we may never be able to fully heal. I'm sorry I let them take you again, put you through another simulation," I grab the barrel of the gun, pressing it more firmly against my chest. "If this is what you have to do to be free from them, do it. It's okay."

Tris backs away from me, seemingly shocked at my words, but her weapon stays locked on me. I can see it in her eyes though. She's thinking.

The door behind me opens again, and this time it catches Tris' attention, but only for a moment. Her eyes snap back to mine, and I can see the decision in them before she takes the gun and presses it against her temple.

"No!" I shout and, surprisingly, so does someone else from behind me.

"What do we have to do to get through to you?" Matthew seethes.

Matthew.

He didn't help her escape. He brought her here for another test.

Matthew lunges toward Tris, but before I can make a move for the gun stashed on me, Tris has three bullets in his chest. Once he's on the ground, she empties every bullet she has left into his skull.

Tris' breathing picks up, her body starts to shake, and she drops to the ground. Her sobs echo in the quiet room.

I throw myself on my knees and pull her into my chest. I rub my hands along her back and down her body; carefully searching to make sure she has no other weapons on her. Thankfully, she doesn't.

I lift her into my arms and turn back towards the staircase. The crowd of people that followed me from the meeting room part and I carry Tris up the flights of stairs until we make it to my small office.

I sit on the small couch in the corner, Tris in my lap, and let her cry until she has no more tears to shed.

~.~.~

Two days after the attack we find out the whole story. Matthew kept detailed documents in the small apartment he had been staying at since his arrival in Chicago.

He was the inside man for these scientists at the Bureau. He knew of all of the Divergent in Chicago, and even a few in the surrounding cities. They wanted to be the ones to find the perfect, Divergent-proof simulation to create the perfect city. They just needed the perfect Divergent to test it on.

When Matthew learned of Tris he knew she would make the perfect test subject. He started studying her when she was fifteen. He was almost positive her test result would end in divergence, and he was right. He kept notes about her Dauntless initiation process and followed her during the war. Matthew was just waiting for the perfect moment to make it so she could disappear. Unfortunately, David gave him that moment.

He never showed her his face when they ran the tests, his partners were the only ones Tris ever really saw. She had no clue he was even there. She, like the rest of us, believed his story of him breaking her out to save her.

I was her final test. Matthew knew if he could create a simulation in which Tris had to kill me and succeeded, he could make her do anything.

Blowing up the apartment building was just another message he wanted to send to me. He wanted to destroy everything I had.

"Hi, " a small, tired voice pulls me out of my mind. I had never been able to fall asleep, so I left Tris sleeping soundly in the bed and came out to the darkness of the living room to sit on the couch and think. We moved ourselves into a small, vacant, cottage house in the old abnegation sector. It had some basic furnishings already, and since all of our belongings were destroyed in the blast, we'll start from scratch here.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I ask her, still trying to shake the thoughts of Matthew out of my head.

Tris just shrugs and comes to sit as close to me as possible on the couch, her head resting on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

Tris sighs and lifts her head to look into my eyes, She's so close I can feel her breath tickling my face. She leans in and gives me the softest, sweetest kiss on my lips.

"Not yet. But I will be."

THE END

A/N: I truly hope you guys liked this one. There may be an epilogue somewhere in the back of my mind, but expect The Last Of The Real Ones to get underway before that even becomes a possibility. However, if there's anything you'd like to see in it, leave it in a review and I'll try to fit it in.

Thanks for all of the love on this one, even though it's about four years late. I hope you guys check out The Last Of The Real Ones as soon as I start posting it (there's a prologue up already if you haven't seen it yet)!

I know it might seem like a bit of a rushed ending, but I think that we got Tris through the toughest parts of her recovery. With Matthew and the entire threat of what she went through behind her, things would go much more smoothly from now on. Hope that makes sense!

To everyone who took the time to review: you really do make writing these so much more exciting. Thank you for taking an interest in this story, it really does mean the world to me. - DR13