** Anything recognisably Divergent belongs to Veronica Roth… I simply like to play with her world and characters.

FOUR POV

The noise of the cafeteria was a mere buzzing in my ears as I felt my face start to get hot and I knew it was most likely becoming a dark shade of red. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the girls as Tris froze in her spot, gaping at Shauna. I could only vaguely hear Zeke speaking from across the table as he tried to catch my attention, calling my name and swearing to me that he never touched her. It was the focus I needed right now and I tried to zone in on his words, turning my head away and towards him and trying to calm myself down. Logically I knew I was being irrational. Zeke was my friend. He had gone out of his way to help out Tris and I, and at my request, keep an eye on Tris for me while I was unable to do so myself.

"I promise Four, I would never…" I had to cut him off, he was still trying to get my attention and I felt myself calming down as I reminded myself of everything he had done, the kind of friend he was.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I got caught up in the moment there. I know you wouldn't touch her… I trust you." I said and he visibly relaxed, his smile returning. Glancing down at the other end of the table I could see Tris and Shauna both laughing and I shook my head. I didn't know what to do about the rumours going around but if they weren't bothering everyone else, it was something that we could figure out in time.

"Phew. I thought you were gonna kill me for a second there." Zeke chuckled and shook his head again, digging back into his food.

"I guess there isn't much that we can do about rumours, they are bound to spread – it's not every day an initiate gets pregnant… especially when that initiate originates from Abnegation. I suppose it's natural for people to try and piece it together to figure out who the father is." I began to ramble as Zeke just nodded his head at my thoughts. "I guess it will come out eventually… but then, what's the point of keeping it all a secret right now? I mean, once initiation is done and Tris and I can be together again, it's not like I'm just going to pretend that the baby isn't mine." The thoughts that had been coursing through me the past few days suddenly spewed out in a hushed whisper and Zeke stopped eating again to look at me thoughtfully.

"You need to relax." It was all he said for a minute and I struggled to take a deep breath. I knew he meant well, but I was finding it increasingly hard to relax and take my mind off of things the past few days. "Seriously. You know what it's like here at Dauntless. You're right, eventually it will come out that you are the daddy dearest and everyone will be surprised at first, but you also know how quickly news fades around here. One day you are the talk of the caves, and the next you're just a normal guy… even with big shit like this." He reminded me casually and I exhaled loudly, feeling the tension in my shoulders begin to deflate just a little.

"Thanks man. I needed that." I tell him honestly. It's the truth; sometimes a little reminder goes a long way.

"Any time bro, your personal counselor is here to serve!" He smirked at me, crossing his arm across his chest and bowing his head towards me playfully.

A few minutes later and I had to run, having nearly forgotten my meeting with Max and the other leaders. It was a basic check in, all of the leaders discussing aspects of Dauntless life that they were more or less running. It was why we had so many leaders here, with so many different jobs needing to be done, it helped to have a few of us, each overseeing different areas.

"Eric, how are we doing with the investigation into the Divergent?" Max asked and I zoned back in instantly, the word Divergent catching my attention.

"We've only weeded out a handful so far, but I believe we have an idea of where the highest population of these people are being hidden." He began, shooting a look my way that both confused and terrified me.

"According to an Erudite analyst that I have been working with, it seems as though there may be the highest population of Divergent among the Abnegation sector. I would tend to agree with them and that they not only maintain a high percentage of Divergence, but that they are also harbouring known Divergent within their community." I had to hold back my shudder at his words, my thoughts immediately turning to both Tris and I. Already I knew that we were both Divergent, but could what Eric be saying really be the case? Is there a higher population of Abnegation who fall under the branding definition and what exactly does this mean for them?

"Alright, let's set up a time when we can meet with your representatives from Erudite to discuss the next step in this investigation." My thoughts tuned back into the conversation and I watched as Eric and Max exchanged a look, something about it leaving an uneasy feeling in my gut. Somehow I suddenly knew that this was much bigger than a few people who couldn't be categorized into factions.

"Four," Max called my name and I nodded my head in reply, waiting for him to continue. "How is training coming along?" He asked casually and I swallowed thickly before answering. "It's going as expected, there haven't been any unusual fears and the rankings have stayed pretty consistent throughout this portion." I answered honestly and watched as Max rubbed his hand against his chin thoughtfully. "Lauren had some concerns about the girl, Tris, and her results… I understand that you have witnessed a few of her sims – how do you feel about her progress?" He asked in a neutral tone, but I could tell he was watching me closely, gauging my reaction.

"Lauren came to me after the second day of simulations, asking that I look over her results. She initially showed a great deal of progress and was able to exit the simulations in an unheard of amount of time; she was approximately 3 times faster than the other initiates." I explained carefully. "We went over how she was exiting the sims, the way she calmed herself down and in discussing it agreed that she simply seemed to be exceptionally talented. I haven't seen her results since but Lauren has told me her more recent experiences, while taking a little longer, are just as extraordinary. Lauren as informed me that she feels as though Tris is simply a true Dauntless, completing the simulations quickly and effectively and as such, her ranking is the only one that has significantly changed, placing her near the top of the leaderboard." I explained thoroughly and I saw the others nod their heads.

"Do either Lauren or yourself suspect her to be Divergent?" Quinn spoke up and I shook my head before answering. "No, there is no sign of awareness or manipulation to the simulations and her methods of getting through them are completely Dauntless in nature. Even in physical training there was absolutely zero reason to suspect her of anything." I lied through my teeth, my eyes meeting hers directly as I uttered the words that I hoped would save her life.

Thankfully my answer seemed to satisfy the rest of them and the topic quickly moved on to the factionless and the small team of Dauntless that worked under Jade, ensuring that the factionless contributed to society in some way and worked to train some of the positions such as driving the train. Soon our meeting was coming to a close and as I gathered up my notepad and pulled my jacket off the back of my chair I felt someone approach me from the side.

"Do you have a minute Four?" Ashe asked quietly and I replied quickly, telling him sure. "I'd like to show you your new office." He said and I nodded my head. I knew I would be getting an office at some point, but seeing as it hadn't been mentioned yet I had assumed it wouldn't happen until after training. Silently we walked through the halls and moved towards the stairs, ascending up two levels before Ashe pushed open the door and turned to the right, moving quickly into an office at the very end of the hall.

"Welcome to your new home away from home." He said calmly as I stepped inside the small space and looked around. In the middle of the room I wasn't surprised to see the desk sitting with the computer connected, multiple screens set up and facing the black cushioned chair. The only other thing in the office was a bookshelf, empty aside from a small flat package, wrapped in brown paper. Out of curiosity I approached it, picking it up and flipping it over, examining it carefully.

"That's from me. It's just a little something to make the space more you." Ashe said as he leaned against the wall and watched me. I didn't say anything at first, pulling the paper up from where it was attached and opening up the package. Inside was a black frame and what surprised me the most was the image inside, taken of me during initiation, my body frozen in the air with my leg suspended, kicking out towards what I can only figure is a punching bag.

"This is amazing…" I said as I examined the picture closer; saw the intensity on my face and the beads of sweat on my forehead and a slightly blurred image of Shauna in the background, watching me with a smile. "How did you get this?" I asked turning towards the older man, still clutching my gift in my hand. Photographs were scarce here. I had seen a few around Dauntless, but most people didn't bother. Cameras were a rarity, and the ability to print out the shots even more so.

"Security footage, I had a friend who is talented with computers clean it up and print it for me." He answered and I nearly hugged the man. Nobody had ever given me a gift like this. Instead of becoming overly emotional though I simply thanked him, placing the frame carefully on the bookshelf and turning back towards Ashe who was still watching me.

"Tobias, we need to talk." He said seriously, coming further into the room and closing the door tightly behind him, and moving to sit in the chair across from my new desk. Taking his lead I crossed the small space and took my seat in my chair, concerned with his tone of voice, the name he had called me.

"By the end of the year, Dauntless will not exist as we know it." He spoke as soon as I was seated, my focus entirely on the man across from me. I couldn't control the confusion that crossed my face at his words and waited for him to continue. "Things have been changing here for some time. We have come to rely heavily on Erudite for such things as our technology and serums, and now Erudite is calling on us, demanding our attention." He said and I ran my fingers through my hair. It sounded almost like a riddle and I waited again for him to continue, to clarify his words.

"Unfortunately, among the leadership of all factions – excluding amity – there is a growing rift. It is a discontentment with the governmental system and the balance of power and control. I know that you yourself have seen the corruption first hand from our primary leader Tobias." Ashe spoke again and I couldn't control myself as I corrected him sharply. "My name is Four."

"This is something that is much bigger than you Four, and we need you here and present for it." He continued as though I hadn't spoken and I tried to come back to the entire point of this conversation.

"I don't fully understand what you are alluding to Ashe, are you saying that the other factions are going to rise up and attempt to overthrow abnegation? Why would Dauntless be affected to the point that it becomes unrecognisable? And what does this have to do with me… what is my job here in leadership?" I threw my questions at him, becoming aggravated by his calm face and the way he sat across from me patiently, his ankle crossed over his knee as he waited for me to stop.

"Your job; the reason I have hand-picked and placed you here, is to stop the war from happening." He said simply and I felt my jaw drop. First he began speaking of discontent, and now he has jumped to war.

"What war though? I'm not following you." I asked, more than a little frustrated.

"I was hoping to wait until initiation was over to fill you in on the details, but after some recent events I don't feel as though this can wait any longer. I need you to begin the process. Unfortunately Max and Eric are in over their heads, neck deep in Erudite headquarters with Janine Matthews controlling their nearly every move. I wish I had all of the details for you Four, but that is why I pushed for you to be in leadership – security systems management is one of your departments. You will need to go in through the computers and find out anything you can on the agreement between Erudite and Dauntless leaders. The only thing that I know for sure is that Dauntless soldiers will be used to fight for Erudite in their quest for power." He explained again and I shook my head. This couldn't be real; this kind of thing didn't happen in real life. Our city was safe, controlled, and peaceful. It was why the Dauntless existed, beneath the fighting and the training we were simply here to keep things from becoming as they were beyond the fence.

"Why doesn't Erudite launch a campaign to overthrow Abnegation politically, take over that way… why do they need to use Dauntless?" I asked cautiously, not entirely sure that getting Marcus out of power wasn't a good idea.

"Because Janine Matthews doesn't just plan to overthrow the Abnegation within the government, she plans to destroy the entire faction." He stated and I couldn't help but close my eyes. How could I have possibly gotten involved in this?

"So what exactly do I do?" I asked him a few minutes later, still trying to wrap my head around everything that he had just told me.

"For now, do your research. I am confident in your abilities to find out what you can through the computer systems. Keep working on training the initiates and we will meet from time to time to discuss the progress as I work on a few things from my end. This conversation cannot under any circumstances leave this room… including talking to your girlfriend. In fact, I recommend you keep her as far away from you as possible so that she does not accidentally fall into danger." He warned and I nodded weakly, my head still spinning with information.

"So you want me to continue on as though this conversation never happened, just keep training initiates, running the disaster simulations tomorrow and pretend I know nothing… but in the meantime I will be essentially spying on two of our other leaders? Sure no problem." I said sarcastically, biting my tongue to prevent saying anything else. He must have seen the look on my face, the sudden exhaustion and he didn't push me to say anything else, standing and leaving quietly, simply giving me one last warning look before he was gone.

Putting my head down on the desk I wasn't surprised to wake up hours later, alone and in the dark. My dreams of a war I had yet to experience fresh on my mind.

Glancing around the darkened room I felt myself sigh, my body heavy with exhaustion and my thoughts racing. I ran through my conversation with Ashe once more, pulling together my own evidence to support his case – the extensive and brutal turn that training had taken, Eric and Max's constant meetings in private and the propaganda that Erudite had been spreading continuously about Abnegation.

Concluding that it was possible I knew I needed to get out of my office, take a walk and clear my head so that I could come up with a plan, a way to get the information that I needed. Standing up, I tucked the chair back into the desk and my eyes fell back to the photograph of me that was still sitting where I left it on the bookshelf. Dauntless life is definitely NOT what I expected it to be. The thought passed through my head and I tried to shake it out, moving back towards the door and exiting the room quietly.

As I made my way back down towards the pit I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost didn't register the muffled scream that I heard, my ears picking it up but my mind taking a moment to understand what it was.

"Shut the fuck up Stiff!" A voice hissed as I kept walking, increasing my pace and my heart started to pound. The only other one that they called Stiff was Tris. Another muffled scream sounded and I heard a thud as I continued to approach the noises, the roar of the chasm rising up from in front of us.

"Fuck. I thought we were only going to scare her a little…" Another hushed voice rose out/

"You're nothing but a fucking little slut… and I'm going to take exactly the same thing from you that you've been giving away while acting like a prissy little stiff." I recognised the hushed whisper and I pushed forward, coming upon the scene far too quickly and yet not at all fast enough.

The leader in me was gone, the kind and compassionate side non-existent as I reached out and grabbed the first body I could find, his head covered by a make-shift mask with only eye and nose holes cut out. I didn't hesitate as I my fist connected with his face, catching him by surprise and knocking him out with one hit. Dropping him to the floor I found myself taking three massive steps to grab the second hulking figure, to shove him into the wall and land several hits to his face and his abdomen. He tried to fight back but he was too slow, too clumsy and when I heard the moan from the ground and I loosened my grip he took it to his advantage, running off and into the darkness. I hadn't had the chance to hurt the third perpetrator, the ringleader, the one I was sure was behind this entire assault. He had been on top of her when I arrived but had fled as soon as I had grabbed onto the first body.

Rushing back to Tris's side, he was gone from my thoughts as I saw the damage and I went to work ripping off the bindings – the gag from her mouth and the strips of cloth from her hands. She shaking as I pulled my jacket off, covering her up and pulling her into my arms, her blood staining the floor where she had been laying.

"I… I'm so… sorry…" She stuttered out, and I hushed her, telling her that everything would be okay, and praying that I was right.

"Come on baby; let's get you to the infirmary." I tried to keep my voice level, but as I said the word 'baby', she let out a sob and my voice began to crack, barely able to spit out the remaining words.

"It's okay, everything is going to be okay." I tried again, this time managing to keep my voice slightly level and blinking back my tears.

I didn't know if my words were true, but I could feel the blood, gathering stickily on my arms from where I was carrying Tris and all I could do was try and reassure both her and myself that they were.

"Four? Is that you?" I didn't stop, and I didn't answer when I heard Zeke's voice behind me. I had to get to the infirmary, I had to help Tris.

"Four! Wait up…" I heard his steps as he jogged towards me and I heard his intake of breath when he saw her in my arms, his legs continuing to jog to keep up with me as he asked me what the hell had happened, his own voice filled with a slight panic.

"She was attacked by the chasm, three against one." I grunted out and Zeke pushed ahead of me to yank open the door to our hospital, holding it open widely for me as I continued inside.

"I just came from the control room… I didn't see…"

"Do me a favour and go look at the cameras again. Take a recording of whatever footage you find and pin it to my account." I commanded him and he nodded his head, going ahead once again and grabbing the nurse's attention from the desk before passing me to go and do what I had asked.

As soon as the nurse saw me coming, she jumped up and pressed a button, signalling the intercom to call for the doctor on duty. Gesturing to me I followed her into a room just behind the desk and tried to set Tris down on the bed as the nurse had told me to.

"N… no…" Tris stuttered out as I felt her gripping my shirt tighter, and when I looked down I saw that her knuckles were white.

"You need to let the doctor look at you Tris," I said gently, trying again to set her down on the bed. Instantly her hands tightened even further and I felt her beginning to sob, her shoulders shaking with the force.

"Okay Tris, it's alright. I'll keep holding you." I said resigned as I sat down on the bed myself with Tris across my lap. Glancing at the nurse, she scowled at me and then handed me a gown and some paper towels before she began checking what she could – temperature and heart rate.

It was only seconds later that the doctor entered, his eyes immediately moving to where we were sitting on the bed as I softly rocked Tris and tried to distract her while the nurse worked to try and stop some of the bleeding.

"What happened?" He asked and immediately came closer, causing Tris's shaking to worsen, her body pull in closer to mine again. Noticing this, the doctor stopped and looked at her, softening his eyes as he realised exactly how terrified she currently was.

"I found her down by the chasm. Three men were attacking her – two of them were holding her and taunting her while the third…" I had to swallow back the bile at the thought of what he had been doing when I found her and I tried again, unsuccessfully to say the words.

"He… he… raped… me…" Tris spoke up, her entire body convulsing with her sobs as she choked and hiccupped and this time it was me who pulled her in tightly, needing to comfort myself as much as her.

"I need to examine her fully; can you place her down on the bed?" The doctor asked quietly and in a much softer voice this time. I felt Tris shaking and I nodded my head. This time she didn't protest as I laid her down, and grabbed a hold of her hand. She gripped it tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

"We're going to get you all cleaned up and I'm going to look at the lacerations first." The doctor told Tris and came over quickly, grabbing several pieces of gauze and going immediately to the deepest cut, a stab wound in her lower abdomen.

"Tris is… she's pregnant." I whispered and he simply nodded, continuing to clean out the wound.

"Four, you need to wait out in the hall." Pulling my eyes away from Tris's face I saw the second doctor and handful of nurses who had entered the room and were now crowded around us.

I couldn't move though, couldn't leave her side until I heard Ashe's voice over the others, pushing his way into the chaos of the room and grabbing my upper arm. "Come on Four, let's go for a walk."

A/N: Alright, I've been planning this chapter for a long time so I hope you all liked it. These scenes have to happen in order for the story to continue on in the way that I have planned. As always, let me know what you think in a review!