AN: Major spoilers for the Matrix (the movie). Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, go and watch it before reading this. I couldn't resist writing this chapter… it kind of just happened. I REGRET NOTHING!
Dinner is hot bread and vegetable stew. We don't talk very much, the others all looking tired and defeated. Zoe spots us eating and walks over to sit with us.
"Are you enjoying the food?"
"You know," says Christina looking down at the food, "I am not in the mood for healthy dinner, I just want to stuff my face with Dauntless cake." She looks wistfully into the distance as Uriah nods his approval.
"We don't have the resources to get sweets up here, sorry." Zoe half-smiles, "I heard you guys all went to do Exo training this afternoon? How did that go?"
Christina groans and pitches her head onto the table with a bang.
"That bad, huh?"
"Not for the Divergents, at least they could move the suit." She mumbles up from the table.
"Hey, it's not all bad. I wasn't a Divergent until I came up here. It just takes a bit of training. You just have to condition your brain to think a different way."
"Really?" Christina lifts her head looking at Zoe across the table.
"Of course. Did you figure out what it is that makes the Exo move?" She directs the question at me.
"Not really… I think it has something to do with knowing that it is yours to control? I'm not sure."
Zoe nods. "That's part of it. Did the suit ever take over? What did it feel like?"
"It did, but only when I was in danger of killing myself on rocks… I guess it didn't feel like it was 'taking over' either, more like I knew what to do but the suit moved to do it instead of me… Kind of subconsciously?" I ask it as a question because I don't really know.
"Bingo," Zoe gives me one of her trademark grins, "the serum is designed to actively attach your subconscious will to the suit. That's why, when you first put the suit on, if you're not trained for it your subconscious takes over. It is kind of like bringing intentions you don't know you have to the surface and putting it in a suit. And that's why the Exos are so powerful. They know what you're doing before you do it. It's pretty incredible."
Of course, so that's what it was. It wasn't something else controlling me, it was me trying to control me. But once you know control it yours, you override it. I suppose that's why only Divergents can pilot them as well. Maybe you just need know your subconscious intentions and how to control them. I think of the fear simulation and how I knew they weren't real, that they were just in my head, and when I knew that, I could control them.
"You could have told us this sooner," says Christina.
But Zoe shrugs, "it doesn't make any difference. You have to condition yourself to realise the truth. It took me months to pilot one of them and I don't really enjoy doing it." She shudders and I suppose I feel a certain amount of sympathy, knowing that your subconscious has intentions is not exactly great.
I spot Nita enter the room as we finish eating, along with a bunch of other people. They all start moving back the tables to the edges of the room.
"Movie night is about to start. Trust me, you guys are going to love these. The effects are awesome, it looks totally real." Says Zoe, as we all stand up.
"Why is Nita here?" I ask, I hadn't really thought she would be into socialising and watching entertainment.
Zoe laughs, "Nita loves movie nights. Lord of the Rings is her favourite. I know, she totally doesn't seem like a person who likes frivolous entertainment but these movies are amazing. I would have loved to be an actor if the world was normal."
Before I can ask what a Lord of the Ring is, Nita actually comes over and smirks at me. I rise from the table not wanting her to look down on me. She does anyway and it makes me narrow my eyes. Stupid short legs.
"Can we help you?" Tobias asks through his teeth. The stunt with the Exo must still be grating on him.
She ignores him, "I heard about your skill with the Exo. First try, well done." She's staring at me with that unflinching look. I stare right back.
"Yeah, thanks for letting us know about that. I might have killed one of your little soldiers." Two can play at this game.
"Reggie was fine. I had complete faith in you Tris. You really are what this Resistance needs."
Tobias steps in front of me, "If you do that again, if you put her I danger–
"You'll do what, exactly?" Nita looks directly up at him, "We're all soldiers, Four, you can't protect her from everything, especially not the coming battle. She doesn't even need your protection."
She's right, of course. I don't need Tobias's protection. I can fight my own battles. I put my arm on his shoulder and step around him.
"Look, I agreed to fight for this Resistance but you need to come clean with me. Next time you try a dangerous stunt like that, tell me first or you can consider one of your precious Divergent soldiers done with this."
Nita steps up close to me. Our eyes are level but I still get the feeling she is staring down at me, it pisses me off. The flint in her eyes has been struck and I see a low burn there. Her voice growls, "You won't leave Tris. Because whether I like it or not, you're our one shot at bringing the simulation down. If you won't fight, then we'll all die and it'll be on your head."
Whether she likes it or not? Then it hits me. Is Nita jealous? Of what, me? I can't ask in that moment though because the lights turn off and one of the white concrete walls lights up with a projected image. She gives me one last glance before walking off to a group of similarly dressed people, other soldiers I guess. We all scramble to pull our chairs around to face the screen.
And then I witness the most incredible thing in my short life. Almost as awesome as the Exo, The Matrix was amazing.
We were halfway through the movie when Cristina leant over to me and whispered, "We figured out who everyone is. You're totally Neo, Four is Trinity." Tobias overhears her.
"I am not Trinity."
"Of course you are," says Uriah, "You're totally in love with the The One, because Tris is like a crazy ass Divergent prodigy. Unless you want to be Morpheus."
"Nah, Nita is Morpheus," Christina nods in her direction across the room. Nita is really into the movie, she cheers with everyone else when a totally badass bit of fighting happens.
Zoe overhears the conversation and snorts. "I'd think Nita is more like one of human brothers. Probably Tank."
"But Tank is nice," Christina protests, "And Nita is a cold-hearted bitch."
"Maybe you just have to get to know her," says Zoe gently, "But I think David is Morpheus. When you meet him you'll totally understand."
"Who are you guys?" I ask Christina and Uriah.
"We're the faithful sidekicks. But I reckon I should be the Oracle and Uriah can be the spoon boy," says Christina matter-of-factly.
"Try to realise the truth, Tris, that it is not the spoon that bends, only yourself." Uriah intones before ruining by grinning.
"Can you actually tell the future," I ask her.
Christina puts on a pretty good impression of the Oracle's voice, "Sorry kid, you're not the One."
I feel strangely let down by this and we all subside into silence. And then everything in the movie goes wrong. That bastard, Cypher, betrays them all and Morpheus is captured. I can't help but look at Caleb across the room at this point.
The situation is dire, the entire room of people watching is silent with the tension as they are about to pull Morpheus's neck needle thing out. I grip my seat silently praying they'll find another way. Then Neo and Trinity go back into the Matrix for Morpheus.
And that building lobby scene. I cheered along with the rest of the crowd as Trinity and Neo rescue Morpheus.
I nudge Tobias, "You are totally Trinity." He gives me a stony expression at me and I laugh. "You know it's true." He just rolls his eyes which I find even funnier.
The end of the movie was terrifying. Watching Neo die and then Trinity professing her love all while their ship was being destroyed. I take Tobias's hand in mine and squeeze, trying to will Neo to survive. And he does. Then he doesn't even have to dodge bullets he just stops them in his path. He became a Divergent. And I cheer along with everyone else as the movie ends and the lights come back on. I feel elated and energised.
"That was totally awesome." Says Christina.
"I thought you guys would like it," says Zoe, "it's kind of scary though, how similar but different our situations are. Except instead of artificially intelligent robots doing it to us, it's our fellow human beings."
Well. That really puts a downer on the mood. But Christina refuses to be sobered, she turns to me and says in her Oracle voice, "See kid, all you had to do was believe."
I snort, "You should take your own advice. Being a Divergent is easy, all you have to do is believe."
"Truth," says Uriah, "Remember Christina, there is no spoon." He laughs as she punches him.
"You guys should get to bed, you've all got pilot and Exo training tomorrow," says Zoe herding us out of the room.
AN: I may be a bit sparse on the updates for the next couple of weeks as I have major assessment coming up for uni. I will be coming back to this though so don't worry. :D
Also, please leave a review, they really help me out with motivation and how the story is going.