So, I'm back, and it's been two weeks since the last update! I'm so sorry. But college has made my life into a whirlwind, and I hardly get any time to write these days. On top of that, my creativity has failed me these few days, making me unable to write more than little fragments at a time. Still, I hope I did a fair job with this chapter. Thanks to everyone for the reads, reviews, favorites and follows. They mean so much to me.

In response to the guest who reviewed, thank you for your review... I'm glad you like this story. And yes, I am taking English major, so that I can learn more about its literature, especially since it's not my native language.

Thanks to everyone for your best wishes about college! :)

So, enough blabbering. Here we go!

I lie very still, the seconds ticking loudly, too loudly as my eyes stay stuck on the holographic screen of the watch.

Tris, it said, We have worked together and I'm glad everything is over. But something has gone terribly wrong here. I need you to come here immediately. Please. Believe me, this is urgent. A lot is on stake. – C

I don't understand. What does this mean? What could have happened? Why didn't Cara elaborate? Is she in danger? So many questions. But whatever has happened to make Cara send this message to me?

Biting my lips, I type on the screen.

What happened? Are you safe?

There is no reply for one whole minute. Then the watch pings quietly, again. The answer is very short.

Can't talk. Help. Please.

The little words make my blood run cold. Is Cara in danger? If she is in trouble, it's all my fault. Again. She had to put everything at risk because I asked her to. I need to help her. What should I do? I have no idea what kind of danger she is in.

But then, I know I am not sure of anything but one — I need to get out of here.

I run my tongue over my lips nervously, stowing the watch back into my pocket, and then very slowly begin to wriggle away from the cage of Tobias' arms around me. He is a light sleeper, so I have to be very careful. I shift downwards, but my shoulder hits Tobias' forearm. Groaning inwardly, I grasp his arm and slowly lift it from my body.

Don't wake. Don't wake.

A low groan escapes his lips and I freeze, wincing. But then, he simply turns away from me, his hand landing on the quilt. I sigh in relief. That's done, then. I climb down from the bed and pad away towards the door. I am just turning the doorknob and pulling the door open, when a sleepy voice from the bed makes me freeze.

"Tris?"

I turn slowly to see Tobias sitting up in bed, staring at me blearily.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"I — I'm thirsty," I say. "I'll just be back from the drinking fountain."

"I'm sure I have a bottle here in the refrigerator," he offers. "You don't have to go."

"It's fine." I fake a smile. "I'll be back in a minute. Go back to sleep, Tobias."

He looks at me intensely for a long moment, as if trying to look through my statement, through me. I hope my expression is stoic. Finally, he nods, sinking back among the pillows. I smile a little at him, slipping out of his apartment.

A heavy sigh slips from my lips as I shut the door behind me. I don't even know why I lied to him.

I do go to the drinking fountain. The blue light overhead shines eerily upon me, rendering the blue holographic screen of the watch bluer than ever as I open it to read the message again. The cameras are not functioning; I don't have to worry about being spied on.

I let my eyes skim over the message again. I don't know what to make of it. What could have happened to Cara to make her send me this message? Could Jeanine have found out about her? All I know is this — I have to go to Erudite. She needs me; if anything bad has happened to her, it's my fault. Ensuring that she is okay is my responsibility. I have to go.

I let my eyes run over the two messages, one after the other. They make no more sense than they did the first time, not revealing any detail to me. Everything remains exasperatingly vague. I think about what I should do. It would be better to go to the dormitory and retrieve the gun which Tobias had given me — which I have kept in my drawer ever since we visited my parents. And then... well, I'll see what I can do.

Can't talk. Help. Please.

God, Cara. What happened to you? I straighten up, ready to leave.

"Who's this message from?"

I jump, nearly dropping the watch in my hands, and turn around.

"W-Will!"

He stands facing me, his head cocked a little to the side, his expression one of concern.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying to keep my tone nonchalant.

"Bad dreams," he says quietly. "Thought I'd cool off. But you didn't answer me. What are you doing here? Who is this message from?"

"It's for me," I say defensively, hoping that he'd back off. But Will only nods, looking curious.

"I can see that. But who is it from? It looks serious."

I look away, not replying. How can I possibly tell him?

"Nobody," I mutter. "I — I have to go." I try to walk past him, but Will grasps my wrist, effectively stopping my progress. I glare at him tiredly. "Will. Please let go."

He frowns. "Tris." He looks at the watch carefully, which still flashes the holographic screen. "Erudite, isn't it?" he remarks. "Too clever for anyone else. Is it your brother?"

I pull back my hand from his, feeling like his words burned me. "My brother is dead." The words come out harsher than intended. Will winces.

"Oh — oh yeah. I — I forgot. I'm such an — I am sorry, Tris." He looks at me sincerely. His eyes silently ask his next question — then who?

I look down. There is no way out of this. Since he has figured out that the message is from Erudite, I'll either have to tell him the truth or have him assume that I am siding with the Erudite.

"It's Cara," I whisper. Will blinks.

"Excuse me?"

"The message is from Cara," I say, a little more loudly. My guilt intensifies in the pit of my stomach.

Will's eyes widen. "W-what has Cara got to do with this?"

"Everything," I whisper. "Cara helped me stop the simulation; we made plans together. We communicated through this watch. And now..."

"She may be in danger," Will concludes, his face falling. I look down.

"I'm so sorry, Will."

"You're planning on going to Erudite alone, aren't you?" Will's words make my head snap up. His gaze is shrewd, a crease between his brows.

I put up my best poker face. "I am not planning on doing anything yet."

He doesn't reply; his expression doesn't give away anything. With every passing second in his presence, I grow more and more uncomfortable. I have to go.

"I'll see you around, Will." I nod, turning away from him. He doesn't stop me this time.

Getting my gun from the dormitory is easy; everyone is fast asleep and my steps are quiet. I slowly move towards the exit, trying to plan a mode of action as I do. The journey to Erudite seems to pose no major challenge; the guards at Dauntless won't stop me, and I'll catch a night train. I will have to be very careful at Erudite. My hold on the gun tightens as I walk.

I am moving up the rock cut steps that lead towards the exit when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn, wary. And wish I hadn't.

"Tris." His quiet voice reverberates across the silent hallway. I freeze, but the damage is already done.

My eyes meet midnight blue. At the foot of the staircase, one foot on the first step, Tobias stares up at me, Will at his side. I stare back helplessly, not knowing what to do.

"Sorry, Tris," Will says, staring between the two of us. "I had to."

I wet my lips with my tongue. Tobias' eyes are burning into me. Recognizing defeat, I walk back down until we all are at the same level. Tobias' gaze never leaves me the whole time, but he doesn't speak either.

"Why did you call him up, Will?" I say tiredly, breaking my gaze from Tobias'. Once I do so, it becomes difficult to look at him again.

Will looks grave. "I couldn't just let you go off on a suicide mission —"

"I never said I was going —"

"You didn't have to," Will cuts in. "I could see it. It's insane, Tris. Cara is my sister, and I am asking you not to go." He looks between Tobias and me, his expression uncertain.

"I wish you wouldn't talk about me like I am not here," Tobias says quietly, his eyes only on me. I resist the urge to flinch. "Could you please leave us for a while, Will?" he says. "I'll let you know what we are doing next."

Will nods at Tobias and walks away into the darkness, leaving us alone. I struggle to meet Tobias' eyes.

"Why are you here?" I mutter.

"Do you need me to answer that?" His voice is quiet, almost a whisper but not quite. I look at him. His face is smooth, expressionless, but his eyes are brimful of hurt and disappointment. "I thought you'd know better than this." His hand waves in the general direction of the exit.

I look down. "I —"

"Will told me about Cara's message. You were going to Erudite. Alone. Again."

"I am not doing anything again," I retort.

"Not to me, but for you? You had gone to Erudite alone before. You had left me alone." His voice trembles a little with emotion. "I thought you'd have learnt not to repeat it, after everything you have been through, but it seems I was mistaken." He sighs. "And... you lied to me. Again."

I flinch. "Tobias, I —"

"Why, Tris?" His voice lowers to a whisper, a plea. "Why can't you think how much it hurts me when you don't trust me, when you leave me? When you lied to me minutes before and walked up here, did you think about me even once?"

I lower my head shamefully. I hadn't. "You don't understand!" I say desperately. "I have to —"

"No, you don't 'have to'! You aren't thinking straight, Tris!"

I glare at him. "Are you trying to say I am mad?"

He shakes his head. "This isn't you thinking, Tris. It's your guilt. You are blaming yourself for everything, and now you don't want to have Cara's blood upon your hands."

"So what if I don't? Of course I don't!" I burst out. "I can't just sit back and do nothing, can I?"

"Have considered that it is a trap?"

I stagger back. "What?"

"It could be a trap to lure you in," he says seriously. "Jeanine could have gotten hold of the watch. It could be her posing as Cara."

I admit I had never thought of this before.

"What should I do?" I whisper.

"Wait for the night," he says. "Going alone and without a plan is a suicide mission. We could go around dawn when it's still dark. But first we need to plan."

I sigh, knowing that he is right and finding no better alternative. "Okay."

Tobias gives me a little push, his hand resting on the small of my back.

"We are in this together, Tris," he says very quietly, so much so that I almost miss it as we walk. "Please remember that. Don't shut me out."

I am tempted to retort that he is not a person great at trusting people either, to demand when he would have trusted me with his secrets had I not known them already. The first time around, the biggest conflict between us had been regarding our secrets, and after everything, it seems that it might continue here as well. But I know that conflict will lead us nowhere, so I purse my lips and let my feet carry me on.

-o0o-

A small group assembles in the quiet dining hall to discuss our next steps within an hour. I scan the faces in silence, my gun still in my hip pocket — Will, Christina, Marlene, Uriah, Lynn, Shauna, among a few others. Uriah and Marlene hold hands, as do Will and Christina. Lynn's face is carefully expressionless; Shauna looks distinctly uncomfortable standing between Uriah and Lynn. Harrison stands with his arms folded. He had to be called up, being a fellow leader.

"I had to tell Chris," Will explains to me. "She saw something was wrong right away."

"Too right," Christina says grimly. "The rest heard."

"Surprised to have you here, Shauna," Uriah says pointedly. Most of the time, all we see in him is the laughing, joking boy, but now the hurt shows on his face. "Decided our freak show isn't contagious after all?"

"Uriah," Lynn says in a quiet warning tone. Sometimes I forget that past everything, Shauna is her sister. Marlene squeezes Uriah's hand.

Shauna sighs. "I'm sorry," she says softly. "I don't know what to think... after...after everything, but I don't want to lose my friends." Throughout the time, her eyes stay mostly on Tobias. We stand side by side, our fingers touching. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see him nod a little and offer her a small smile. Shauna smiles back.

"Glad you think so," Uriah says, breaking into his familiar smile. "No hard feelings, then."

"Moving to why we are here," Harrison says gruffly, "I don't see the point of making an effort."

"She is my sister!" Will says angrily.

"Faction before blood," Harrison says. "She is a bloody Nose, and that's the last sort person Dauntless is going to be helping." His statement holds infuriating finality.

"She played an important role in stopping the simulation," Tobias reminds him quietly. "Without her, Dauntless might still be an army of sleepwalking soldiers." Everyone flinches.

"All the same," Harrison says roughly, "I'm not going to leave Dauntless to save some random girl."

"We are not asking you to," I snap, my temper rising. "We'd just called you up so we could let you know!" Harrison frowns at me, but doesn't say anything; last time, he had called me a little girl. This time, my position as a leader causes him to treat me with some respect, albeit reluctantly.

"Tris and I are going to Erudite," Tobias says. "We thought that the absence of two leaders from Dauntless would need intimation, so that you take according steps if the need comes."

"Just the two of you aren't going, are you?" Marlene says, wide-eyed. "That's not going to be enough."

"I'll go!" Will pipes up. "I was in Erudite; I know the place."

"Don't you even think about it," Christina warns him. "You can't possibly hold a gun with your right hand in a sling. I'll go."

"Tris has got her shoulder bandaged up too," Will points out.

"My left side, Will," I tell him. "I can still shoot just fine. And don't worry, I know Erudite well enough." I don't elaborate on how, and thankfully no one asks.

"I'll go as well; I'd like to see how my brother is doing," Uriah says with a smirk. His eyes sparkle; he knows that Zeke is a spy and not a traitor.

"That's it, then, no more," Tobias says firmly. "We are going to have to be quiet and careful; we can't have too many people."

"Hey, I want to go!" Lynn grumbles.

Tobias flashes her a rare smile. "But Lynn," he says softly, "what would Dauntless do if all the good fighters are away?"

-o0o-

The wind whips strands of my hair into my face as I stand near the door, leaning against the wall. The sky is still dark, the slightest tint of orange upon the horizon. Behind me, Tobias sits with his legs folded in front of him, Christina and Uriah in similar positions against the opposite wall.

"You look like an avenging angel that way," Uriah comments with a lopsided smile.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Christina comments with raised eyebrows.

"What? I was just passing a complement."

Christina rolls her eyes. "It's called flirting, Uriah."

I ignore their conversation and move to sit beside Tobias so our shoulders touch. He looks thoughtful, his eyes with that sleeping, dreaming blue always contemplating. A thin white scar reaches from the side of his forehead to his right cheek, a result of his fight in the control room, keeping company to the little scar on his chin. It will stay forever, a physical evidence along with the memories that will linger.

"Have you thought of a way we can get in?" he asks me quietly.

"We cannot barge in by the main entrance or any of the conventional routes; they'll have guards," I say slowly. I wrack my memories for the options we have. "There is a building on the left of the central building, overlapping the headquarters. It was used as a school for post-Choosing education before it fell to disuse." I remember Fernando's little history lesson, the memory hitting me like a punch in the gut. He's alive. I don't know how long he will be. "The windows of that building can be used to enter the headquarters."

"You know quite a lot," Christina says curiously.

"I know what I need to," I say carefully. She looks like she wants to ask more, but doesn't.

The rest of the trip goes in silence, the four of us looking at each other every now and then and anxiously touching the guns in our possession. I think of Cara, and what I am here for. Harrison dismissed her as an Erudite. But the images of her scaring Fernando with her stun gun, of her breaking her glasses in two come to my mind. She was the woman who sided with me even after I killed her brother. She is the woman who risked her safety to help me keep her brother safe. As the train rushes on, I think of Fernando, of the little girl Elia, of the dozen Erudite in the Amity safe haven — vague memories but hard-hitting nonetheless. I remember their laughter; past the pretense of their faction, I remember their humanity. I remember how Lynn died because the Dauntless destroyed all of Erudite's medical facilities. I remember Fernando slump, blood dripping, on the ladder. I remember my brother's face, a traitor's face, but bleeding from his choice of repaying a life debt at the last moment. Past and present, all melded to one in my head.

Sometimes, to find goodness, we need to look beyond faction loyalty. We need to look beyond 'healed' and 'damaged'. Sometimes, we just need to see others as humans, as equals, as friends, as family.

But there is no knowing if we will ever be able to.

-o0o-

We jump down in semi-darkness, all four walking quietly towards the Erudite headquarters. As I feel the cool hardness of my gun with my fingers, I am met with the strange realization of just how often I have been in this region. It's not exactly comforting.

"Stay sharp," Tobias warns in a low voice.

We creep towards the headquarters, our eyes peeled for any movement around. When we are close enough, I point to the building I had referred to. We stare at Michigan Avenue as we walk, where the Dauntless-factionless invasion had been, and I struggle to not let the images of the simulation-driven Candor invade my mind.

The back door is locked.

"Strange," I mutter as I struggle to pull it open. I had met Cara here, twice — once alone and once with Tobias and Fernando; it wasn't locked then, or was it just another of Cara's Erudite tricks?

"We'll just have to break the lock," Christina says, raising her gun. A shudder runs down my body as I realize that one half of our little group is the same as that when we had entered Erudite in my previous life, the other half a part of the Dauntless-factionless army.

"Stand back," Christina announces, and before anyone can say anything, the gun roars and I flinch at the ringing in my ears, shielding my face with my hands. I try the door. The lock is broken.

"Great," Uriah mutters, "You could have alerted the whole city with that noise."

"Like you had a better plan," Christina retorts. Tobias looks around warily, the rear guard, and closes the door after him as we enter the building. We navigate past dusty desks and chairs in the dark rooms.

"There will be a ladder somewhere," I say, trying to use my memory to find it. We do so shortly, and near a window — the only row of windows that line in the two buildings — on the third story.

"Is that how you entered last time? This way?" Tobias' warm breath tickles me as he whispers the words into my ear. I offer a jerky nod in reply. I stare at the Erudite building as I force the window open, Christina holding the ladder. Thankfully, one of the windows in the Erudite building is open, meaning that I don't have to worry about breaking the glass.

"This is crazy," Uriah breathes, but there is a smile on his face. "Our company has got to you, Tris."

We form the bridge between the two windows. I silently pray that there aren't any Erudite in the area — none are visible from here anyway; the area appears deserted.

"T— Four, you go first," I say. "Then Uriah and then Christina. I'll go in the end."

Tobias looks at me for a long moment, some uncertainty in his expression. Then he nods, his long legs allowing him to climb onto the window directly. We hold the ladder steady for him. His breath leaves him in a heavy burst as he starts crawling across, never once looking down. I watch him, holding my breath. He is afraid of heights. It must be so difficult for him. But Tobias doesn't waver once, swinging his legs down inside the Erudite building. He gives a thumbs up, indicating that it is safe for us to follow.

Uriah follows in safely, Tobias helping him in. I hold the ladder on one side, Tobias on the other with Uriah keeping guard, as Christina climbs across. I think I hear a noise behind me when she is halfway across, but there is only darkness in the room as I look around. It must be my imagination.

Finally, it's my turn. I take a deep breath. I am short; I'll have to climb onto the desk and then to the ladder to reach it. I face the window, Tobias, Uriah and Christina's anxious faces looking at me. This is it. I convince myself yet again that I am about to climb over an empty alley, not one full of Candor ready to shoot at the slightest movement.

Then several things happen at once. There is a noise behind me. Across the street, panic blooms on my friends' faces. They are not looking at me, but at something behind my shoulder.

All that happens within a second.

"Tris!" Tobias shouts. But before I can react, a sharp pain lights up at the back of my head. And then there is darkness.

-o0o-

I wake up surrounded by four walls. The room is small, maybe six feet long by six feet wide. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling are all made of the same light panels, dim now that glowed in the aptitude test room. In each corner is a tiny black camera.

A chill runs down my spine. By some cruel work of fate, I am in the same cell as last time. Or I may not be. They all look the same. But I cannot resist the terrifying onslaught of memories; this is the floor where I almost died. This is the room where I stayed, half-dead, hanging between simulation and reality. And I am here again. Where are my friends? Where is Tobias? I grit my teeth in frustration. So much for trying to save Cara. Now I don't know how I will save myself.

I don't know what to do; the urge to pace frantically, to tear my hair out and to scream and punch the wall is equally strong. I end up doing neither, remaining unmoving on the floor. The back of my head throbs painfully when I touch it.

After a while, whether an hour or a few minutes I don't know (not bothering to take out the Erudite watch from my pocket), the door opens, and at last I am face-to-face with my enemy and her Dauntless guards. Peter stands at her right shoulder, and a woman with lines on either side of her mouth stands at her left. Behind her is a bald man with sharp planes in his skull. I frown. I'm surprised Peter managed to make his way to become Jeanine's bodyguard. He must be very convincing to make them overlook his double-crossing. Determined not to look at him, I stand up.

"Hello, Beatrice," Jeanine says. She wears her Erudite attire and glasses and superiority. "I was hoping you'd be sensible. I expected your Abnegation tendencies to rise to the situation."

Tobias was right. This was a trap. Either Jeanine sent the message herself... or Cara switched sides.

"Where are my friends?"

"Taken care of," Jeanine says mildly. I should have known she wouldn't tell me. Why would she? She wants to collect information, not give it. I just hope that they aren't hurt... or... or worse. But it is me who Jeanine wants. It would make more sense for her to keep them hostage to make me talk.

I stand facing Jeanine silently, waiting for her to make the next move. She raises an eyebrow.

"I'm sure my Dauntless companions are disappointed," she says, "that you have not tried to claw my eyes out yet."

"That would be stupid."

She smiles thinly. "You are learning. Your boyfriend on the other hand... not so much." I struggle to keep my face emotionless; I wonder what Tobias tried.

"Come, Beatrice." Jeanine nods to the guards. "We have a lot to talk about."

I walk out, the severe-looking Dauntless woman in front of me. Peter follows me soon afterward.

The hallways are disorienting, too many in number, too many turns, and yet they offer a vague sense of familiarity, the painful memories winking at me.

"I appreciate your intelligence," Jeanine says without looking at me as we walk; she has a way of making even her conversational statements flat, without inflection. "You chose a very interesting way of entering Erudite. I ensured that every possible entry was seen to, however unusual, or you would have succeeded."

"Thank you," I say flatly. "Where is Cara?"

"Funny you should think I'll tell you," Jeanine says in the same flat tone.

We enter an Erudite laboratory. There are machines everywhere, and scientists working; it could be the same lab where I was 'executed'. I'm not sure.

"I'd like to know why you wanted me here," I say.

"All in good time," Jeanine says, waving at a chair. "Sit down, Beatrice."

"No thanks, I'd rather stand."

"I said, sit down." The Dauntless guards' guns rise a little. I shrug, slumping into the chair.

"Arms on the armrests."

I comply. Two metal rings snap around my wrists, binding me to the chair. It doesn't matter to me. Trying to escape is pointless in this situation.

"You must understand, there were several reasons why I wanted you here, specifically," Jeanine says. "Firstly, I needed a Divergent to understand the workings of their brain. You are an ideal subject, because, although I don't have proof of it yet, I suspect you to possess aptitude for three factions — Dauntless, Erudite and Abnegation." She smiles a little. "I told you it would not take me much to discover who the traitor in our midst was. With a little persuasion, Cara was able to tell me about your mode of communication with her, and also about the inoculation that was given to Mr. Eaton. I hadn't expected a team effort to her rescue, but that was managed. I know that you possess much more knowledge than one would expect you to." She leans a little towards me. "Extraction of that knowledge is my primary aim."

I look at her expressionlessly. "Go to hell."

Jeanine doesn't seem perturbed. "I failed to subdue Abnegation because of you, and I no longer hold a position in the government. But it does not matter. You will tell us what you know, Beatrice, and thereafter, for as long as possible, my fellow scientists and I will be studying you." She smiles a little. "And then, at the conclusion of my study, you will be executed."

I remain silent.

"That execution will take place here." She waves at a nearby table. "On this table. I thought it would be interesting to show it to you." The same table as last time. My arms tingle.

"Extremely interesting," I say tonelessly. "What about my friends?"

"They'll be enjoying our hospitality while you are here," she says lightly, "and if you are not enough, Mr. Eaton can serve as our subject, although his Divergence is considerably weaker. They may be executed then. We will consider our options, depending on how you cooperate."

I feel sick. I breathe deeply through my nose. "That was very enlightening," I say. "Now I would like to return to my room."

I pace in my cell, alone, back and forth, back and forth, as if the friction of my feet against the ground would dig a hole for me. I wish I hadn't listened to Tobias and had come here alone. It would have led to the same outcome as now; but at least then Uriah, Christina and Tobias wouldn't be in danger. I don't understand what Jeanine referred to as 'persuasion' in case of Cara; did she give up on me? Where is she? With a frustrated growl, I crash my fists against the side wall. I was a fool. I wish I hadn't come here at all.

"Tris?"

I stagger at the voice from the next cell, sure that I am hallucinating. But the voice sounds again.

"Tris?"

"C-Cara?"

"Yes."

I slump against the wall. By some queer turn of faith or some twisted scheme of Jeanine, Cara is in the cell next to me. Relief sits heavily in my chest; at least she didn't betray me, if she had to be locked up.

"How are you here?" Cara asks. Her voice is faint, but I can hear better if I press my ear to the wall. I sit down to make my gestures less conspicuous, and making it appear that I am just leaning tiredly. "Did Jeanine —" she trails off with a groan. "Of course... my watch... I'm sorry." There is a small pause. "But I'd thought you'd be more intelligent than to fall for this."

Her words sting. "The message was in your name. I thought you were in danger."

"Oh, for God's sake, was there any need to be so damn selfless and stupid? Now you're stuck here too. And it's you Jeanine wants."

"I figured that out, thanks very much."

Cara sighs. "Well, thank you. For caring." I don't reply, but her words make my lips twitch.

"How's Will?" Cara asks after a pause.

"He's fine. He's in Dauntless," I say.

"Good," Cara sighs. "For all it's worth, welcome to Erudite."

We don't say more; there is nothing to say.

-o0o-

"Sit down, Miss Prior." Jeanine gestures to a chair in front of a screen. I follow wordlessly, unsure where this is going. They haven't started running simulations on me yet. Peter stands behind Jeanine, his green eyes fixed on me. I refuse to acknowledge him.

"Begin," Jeanine commands to a man in blue nearby, who immediately starts typing into a keyboard. The screen in front of me lights up. And the video shows — me. Locked in a tank which is slowly filling with water. I gasp.

"These are your simulation videos from the second stage of initiation, Miss Prior," Jeanine says. "I found nothing very interesting in your fear landscape other than your unusually short time of staying under the simulation, and so I did not consider it necessary to view your simulations. But your interference in our plans forced me to reconsider my decision. And look what I found." She gestures to the man in front of the computer, and the video changes, and changes, until my last fear comes into view. My heart thunders in my ribcage.

"Mr. Eaton a reported technical error on the first, fifth and sixth day of the tests. While that is not exactly implausible, I ensured that there are no further 'technical errors', and had your last simulation footage sent directly to me for inspection as soon as it ended. What I found was... interesting."

The video plays out in front of me, showing Jeanine speaking.

"Interesting that you should know my intentions," Jeanine says. "And also, this issue about the genetically damaged. What is this all about?"

I try to keep my breathing steady. "I don't know," I say. "Not all simulations make sense. Aren't you the genius here? You tell me."

Peter's lips twitch. Jeanine looks at him, and he clears his throat, looking away.

"I believe you are hiding certain things," Jeanine says quietly. "I will make you reveal them."

I smirk. "All the best."

Peter bursts into a violent coughing fit. Jeanine throws a glare at him.

I struggle to suppress a smile, despite my heart constricting painfully with thoughts about this situation, escape from which seems unlikely anytime soon.

-o0o-

"Nice to see how you slunk right back with the traitors, even after you double-crossed them," I comment as Peter escorts me from my cell. "What did you do, bribe them?"

"Shut up, Stiff."

"That's the best you can come up with?" I mock him. Somehow, squabbling with him makes me feel better. It feels natural. "Why are you constantly escorting me places? Isn't there a depraved activity you're supposed to be taking part in? Kicking puppies or spying on girls while they change, or something?"

Peter ignores me, leading me forward.

"Get her on the table," Jeanine says in a bored voice. I am not sure if I should feel scared, if I should feel anything at all, because I don't. They started with simulations, two consecutive ones with Caleb and my mother, but I got over them before I revealed anything. I am numb, just tired. The process is far too repetitive, having faced it twice over my lives. But unlike last time, I really, really want to live, and I have no intention of giving my life up easily.

"Bring the syringe," she says to an attendant. "Your brother's loss was unfortunate and pointless," she says. "He was a valuable asset to Erudite. Exactly what we need."

If her words earlier had not affected me, these certainly do. My self-control snaps. "He gave up on you," I retort. "Turned his back on you." For me, I think, feeling a flash of happiness with the grief.

"A brief lapse of judgment that cost him his life," she said dismissively. "Who do you think blocked the system when Cara broke into my office, Tris? Who caused a major shutdown of the system when I was afraid of my serum formula being stolen? Who expressed his suspicions about the traitor being Cara? It was your brother, Beatrice."

She is trying to get under my skin. It is working. "It doesn't matter," I say with gritted teeth. "He is dead. He isn't here to help either you or me."

"Unfortunate," Jeanine remarks. "He showed potential. But that's enough of chit-chat. You refused to open your mouth under mild means, let's see what you do here. Your friend Cara broke under this." She smiles a little. "You are familiar with the simulation serum used in Dauntless, Tris." She looks around. "Someone explain its mechanism." Several Erudite hands are raised at once. At Jeanine's nod, one of them speaks.

"The simulations stimulate the amygdala, which is responsible for processing fear, induce a hallucination based on that fear, and then transmit the data to a computer to be processed and observed," he recites.

"Very good." Jeanine nods. "When I was developing the Dauntless simulations, years ago, we discovered that certain levels of potency overwhelmed the brain and made it too insensible with terror to invent new surroundings, which was when we diluted the solution so that —"

"Oh, spare me the lecture," I snap. I have heard it once already.

Jeanine's eyes flash dangerously. "I wouldn't be as mouthy if I were you," she says quietly. "Fear is more powerful than pain. I'd like to see what you have to say after this, Miss Prior."

I know what happens next, and my heart beats quickly at the anticipation already. I try to steady myself, but once the needle plunges into my vein, I can't control myself anymore. I can't control anything.

The familiar pounding of my heart. Faster. Faster. Faster. Sweat collects in my palms and behind my knee. My breath begins to come out in gasps.

And then someone starts screaming and nothing makes sense and again

I

Can't

Think.

My throat is raw and feels like it has been rubbed with sandpaper when I finally resurface from the effects of the serum. Nearby, an assistant places an empty syringe of sedative on the table. I don't know how long it has been. It could be a few minutes. It could be a day. It could be months for all I know. I can't think about anything.

"So, Tris, will you talk, or will we try again?" Jeanine asks triumphantly.

Part of me wants to grovel in front of her, to spill everything... anything to not experience this again, anything to evade the mind-blanking terror, anything to not have Tobias die in front of me. This time, he isn't even before me to offer me reassurance that he is alive. He is dead for all I know. But he is alive, or Jeanine would have told me. Tears dry against my cheeks, dizziness tempting unconsciousness which doesn't show mercy by taking me. But the part of me that is weak is smothered by my pride, by my stubbornness. Jeanine is confident that I will surrender. I'll prove her wrong. I won't give up. I have faced this before. I will again.

I look at Jeanine. "Fuck. Off." My voice is raspy, a stranger's.

She purses her lips, her eyebrows raised. I offer her a weak smirk. She turns away from me. "Give her a few minutes' break. Meanwhile..." she steps closer to the Dauntless guard, speaking softly so I can't hear. The guard nods and leaves.

I take the time to close my eyes and clear my head. Within no time at all, or so it seems, there is the sound of the door opening. My eyes fly open and I turn to look.

Two guards drag in Tobias.

His face, which had only just mended of the numerous cuts and bruises, is shadowed with bruises again; he limps a little. There is a cut on the side of his head. Fear rises in me, different from what I had experienced minutes before, but stark nonetheless. I can deal with myself; I don't want Tobias involved.

"Wh-what is this?" I stutter, staring at Jeanine.

"Since you wouldn't open your mouth, I am hoping Mr. Eaton to," Jeanine says quietly.

Tobias' eyes remain frozen on me. Once I look at him, I can't look away. Emotions thunder through me — relief, pain, anxiety, and even in this situation, desire — his blue eyes holding my universe, so pained, desperate. His hair, growing out a little, is untidy. He walks stiffly.

"Tris," he says, and he lurches toward me, but the Dauntless traitors are too quick. They grab him before he can move more than a few steps. "Tris, are you okay?"

"Yes," I say softly. "Are you?"

He nods, but both of us know it's a lie.

"What do you want?" he demands, looking at Jeanine.

"Information," she says simply. "Since you worked together with Tris during the attack, I expect you to know her secret." She holds up a second syringe, containing the fear serum. "Your girlfriend underwent the effects of this minutes ago — concentrated fear serum. I assume you understand its effects, Mr. Eaton." The horrified expression on Tobias' face tells that he does.

"Admittedly, truth serum would be preferable, of course, but it would take days to coerce Jack Kang into handing some over, as it is jealously guarded by the Candor, and I'd rather not waste a few days." She paces back and forth. "Tris refused to cooperate even under this serum. So I have decided to take the more logical approach." She turns towards Tobias. The gray serum in the syringe glints under the electric light.

"In a few seconds, I will inject Tris with this liquid. At that point, I trust, your selfless instincts will take over and you will tell me exactly what I need to know."

Tobias breathes harshly. My own breathing wants to stop altogether, seeking reprieve.

The needle breaks my skin. And I lose everything. Again. Nothing. I am nothing. Dissolving. Crumbling. Gone.

Only the screams continue.

"Sedative," a stern voice commands. Another needle pierces my skin, and my heart rate slows down. I can feel my face now; it's wet. The needle's sting still burns on my skin; I wonder how many needles have been through my neck. Suddenly it all seems funny. Everything that I wanted to avoid is happening again. I tried to change things. I failed. I failed completely. And now I'll probably die. It's funny. So funny that a laugh bursts through my lips, broken and unnatural. Once I start laughing, I can't stop. The tears run down my eyes, and I keep laughing until I can't remember why I started laughing in the first place.

"Tris!" Tobias calls. His voice is distant to my ears. He struggles against the guards. "Let me go! He sounds scratchier than before. I blink fast so I can see him through my tears. Bursts of laughter keep escaping me. There are red marks on his arms from where the Dauntless traitors held him. "I'll tell you, just let me go."

Jeanine nods and he runs to me, wrapping his arms around me tightly. In his arms, my laughter finally stops, converting to helpless sobs. I feel relief, whether at the fact that this torture is over or with Tobias' proximity I don't know. Tobias runs his hand through my hair, his cheek against mine, becoming wet. His shirt is drenched with my tears.

"It'll be okay," he says quietly, resting his forehead against mine. "Stay strong. You need to stay strong."

Then he turns to Jeanine. I grab his shirt, stopping him. "Don't tell her," I whisper, enough of my brain finally working to know what Jeanine is asking for. "Please. Don't."

But Tobias shakes his head at me and turns away.

"It was Max," Tobias says unflinchingly. I blink in surprise for a second before quickly masking my shock as I realize — he is lying.

"Max?" Jeanine frowns.

"Yes," Tobias says. "He has always taken an odd liking to me; he told me about the attack on Abnegation. I had no idea who I could turn to... so I told Tris. We planned how to stop the attack thereafter, with Cara's help."

"Max worked with me!" Jeanine snaps. "Lying dies not become of you, Mr. Eaton," her lips curl upwards derisively, "though I can understand that you have lived your whole life on it."

My heart beats fast in my ribcage. Tobias, however, remains unaffected.

"Consider it a lie if you will," he shrugs. "I can give you no better truth. Some men actually have a conscience, Jeanine; Max's one spoke up in time." He smirks.

"But – he guarded the control room –" Jeanine stutters, and I feel triumphant. Tobias has done what I'd done last time, and better – he has broken Jeanine, exposed the human beneath the machine. At the moment, I appreciate the genius of Tobias' lie – he has incriminated the one person who has no chance of giving away the truth – Max is dead. If Jeanine believes this, our secret is safe.

"How do you know what happened inside the control room?" Tobias plays his trump card. "You never saw, did you? You assumed that Max was doing his job. In the end, Max seemed to realize the full consequences of his betrayal, and he turned against me – I killed him in the combat that followed." He smiles bitterly. "Betrayal always is unexpected and unfortunate, Jeanine. Caleb Prior betrayed you. Does Max's situation seem so unlikely after that?"

Jeanine doesn't say anything. Her lips are puckered in annoyance.

"This discussion isn't over yet," she says quietly. "Take them away!" She looks at me. "I have a lot more to ask you, Tris." And then the guards drag me away from Tobias. I look at him as long as I can, his ocean blue eyes full of silent promises. And then he is gone.

I feel drained as the guards throw my back into my cell, dry lines of salt on my cheeks from all the crying. A heavy sigh escaping my lips, I rest my head against the wall.

"Tris?" I hear Cara from the adjacent cell. "Are you okay?"

I don't bother to reply. I just can't.

Burying my face in my hands, I allow myself a few tears, finally letting the despair consume me. I had come here to rescue Cara. But now I don't know if I can even rescue myself, my friends, Tobias, from this situation. The cell is lit with uniformly dull lights; I don't know how long we have been here. Will must be worried, and Marlene. I let out a dry sob. I brought this upon them.

How cruel are the circumstances that despite everything I have done to change the future, I should face a situation so similar to the ordeals that I have been through. I wish I wasn't stupid enough to get into this. I wish I had thought more into it.

And sitting in this room with no sense of time, space or purpose, I wish I didn't care so much.