Chapter 29

A muffled sound coming from somewhere in the apartment caused Maggie to stir from her sleep in the early hours the next morning. She was laying curled up into Eric's side, her head resting on her chest. It felt strange for the two of them to be like this after everything that had happened. She wasn't sure what it all meant but for now, she wasn't going to question it too deeply. Again, she could hear something. It kind of sounded like voices. Maggie lifted her head to listen, feeling wide awake and alert, her heart, she realised, was pounding rapidly in her chest. She wondered if somebody could have broken in and what they could be doing there.

Everything seemed quiet again for a few minutes and Maggie started to rest her head again, trying to calm her heart. She figured that she must have been shaking off a dream and had imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't be the first time in the past several years that her imagination played tricks on her in the middle of the night.

She settled back down and cuddled into Eric's side again, wishing that for once, she didn't feel like a crazy person stuck in the nightmares of the past. Thinking about the night before, Maggie began to slowly feel herself relax. She and Eric had decided not to rush things between them again and had spent the night holding each other until they each fell asleep. It had been too long since Maggie had felt that safe and warm and she was pleased to not have been accosted with her usual nightmares but instead, had a deep and dreamless sleep. She felt calm and content again.

Once again, Maggie's attention snapped to sounds on the other side of her door. This time, she knew that it wasn't her imagination. There was definitely somebody in the living area and they sounded much larger than Ro. She could hear cabinets in the kitchen being rifled through and knew she would have to go investigate.

Maggie looked over to Eric, not sure if this was something she should wake him for. Surely with all her training, she could take on whomever was in the other room. If only she went out, there was a better chance of her surprising the intruder so that they couldn't get the jump on her. Carefully, Maggie slowly and silently began turning the doorhandle and pushed the door open. She was lucky her door didn't creak and when there was enough space for her slim build to squeeze through, she made her way out into the main living area.

It was still dark – so dark that she had to strain her eyes to see much of anything. More noise came from the makeshift kitchenette and then, Maggie could see the source of the noises. She gasped.

"Max?" she looked at him in bewilderment. What was he doing in her apartment? He stood before her in only his underwear. Bare-chested and looking embarrassed.

"Sorry. I was trying to be quiet but I can't find anything in this place." He tried to explain. He was holding a small glass of water in his hand.

Maggie was sure that if her brain was fully awake, she would be able to make connections sooner but for now, she continued to feel confused by his presence in her apartment.

"But what are you doing here?" she asked him stupidly instead.

Max spluttered out a few confused and unsure noises of his own before shrugging and looking semi-apologetic.

"Ro was thirsty. I better get this back to her." Quickly, like he couldn't get away from her soon enough, Max turned and walked that glass of water into Ro's room, shutting the door behind him.

Maggie was stunned. She stared between the kitchenette and Ro's door for several moments before returning to her own room. Once inside it with her door closed, Maggie could see Eric sitting up looking at her.

"Everything ok?" he asked her, noticing the strange look on her face.

"Um," was her profound response.

"I thought I heard a man's voice."

"Yeah, I um, just ran into Max."

Now it was Eric's turn to look confused.

"In your kitchen?"

Maggie just nodded. Eric thought this over for a few short moments, then tilted his head back and gave a hearty laugh.

"Looks like Ro has made a conquest." He said, causing lightbulbs to finally go off in Maggie's head. Of course. Ro had been mad about him for the longest time. She was just too tired to get it straight away. Eric beckoned Maggie to come back to bed. She moved over and cuddled back into him once more feeling foolish and relieved that her home hadn't been broken into after all.

"Ro will have a laugh over this in the morning." She told him. "I wonder how long its been going on."

"I don't know. Max hasn't said a word."

"I thought someone had broken in!" she confessed burying her head into his chest as he chuckled some more, holding her tightly. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep again now."

"It's almost light anyway."

"Maybe we should go out to the gym." Maggie suggested but Eric shook his head.

"Lets just stay here for a while."

Maggie began to notice the way Eric was looking at her. It was like she was some mystical creature in his eyes and she didn't mind it. Not one little bit.

A few hours later, Maggie and Eric emerged into the living area to find Max and Ro looking cosy on the couch.

"Morning Boss." Eric greeted casually as though the sight was nothing strange to him. Maggie and Max's eyes met that they both looked embarrassed, looking quickly away from each other.

"Look how bashful the two of you are!" Ro exclaimed. She looked radiant and delighted; Maggie couldn't help but notice. She decided to change the subject to something more comfortable.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" she asked. Ro shook her head. "Then let's go get something real quick. Eric, you can get the coffee brewing right?" It was more statement than question and Eric smirked, enjoying Maggie's discomfort almost as much as Ro was.

Before Ro could answer, Maggie threw a coat at her and guided her out the door. Once it latched behind them, she heard Eric's hearty laugh and shook her head.

"What's the matter you prude?" Ro chuckled. "Its not like that was any different than all the times you and Eric had sleepovers."

"I know. But…its Max." she responded lamely.

"And?"

"It's MAX!"

Ro smiled broadly, and continued walking to the mess hall.

"Has this been going on for long? I mean, I'm really happy for you." She rushed to add "But, I wasn't expecting to run into my boss almost naked in the middle of the night. It was more than I was ever hoping to see of him. And I'm not too happy about how much of me he saw either."

Ro laughed. "I know. You should have seen him after he got back to my room. I've never seen him blush before."

"You look really happy. I'm glad. So, how long?"

Ro sobered up briefly. "We talked a lot more after the demonstration at the hub, but really, it was after Uriah died. He was really there for me."

Maggie felt so small after that. "I wish I had been a better friend, Ro."

"Stop. No more of that. Anyway, you would had felt awkward getting between Max and I if you couldn't handle seeing him in our kitchen." With that, her mood brightened again.

"So, it's serious?"

"We're not public or anything yet, but we're not seeing anybody else if that's what you mean."

"Well, that's really great, Ro. After all the pining over him for the last year, it's about time he stepped up."

"Damn straight."

They continued on to gather breakfast for the four of them and returned to their apartment. When they opened the door, they could hear Eric talking in a serious tone to Max.

"We've swept underground tunnels of abandoned train tracks and Four has a few more locations he's hoping will turn up more leads."

Maggie felt a huge weight lift knowing that Eric was finally letting Max in on the recon missions he, Four and Zeke had been going on. Somehow, that made her feel like the men might be a little safer with the leader in on the missions.

"I'm surprised you allowed Four to leave the compound. He isn't cleared to yet." Max spoke softly but with authority.

"I know. But they were out when I first found out about it and the information he had seemed more important than his punishment at the time."

"You think it might be good?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah. As much as it kills me to admit it, I don't think he's trying anything to go against us. Its likely his plan is the best chance we have."

Maggie well believed Eric's words. Even a tentative truce between the two of them was better than nothing.

"When do you plan on heading out again?"

"It's always different. Just whenever we all have time."

"Let's make it happen tonight. I'll go out as well, we can cover more ground and still remain undetected."

Maggie noticed Ro looking confused but she was remaining silent during the men's exchange. They began setting out breakfast for everyone while Max and Eric continued to make plans.

"We'll make sure to brief the leaders and surveillance teams before we head out and make sure eyes are on us at all times. That way, if anything happens, they'll be ready. If we do find them, I want to make sure we have teams ready to infiltrate before the factionless get a chance to disappear again."

"I doubt Four will be too happy about the change in plans. What if he decides to keep the information to himself unless it's on his terms?" Eric asked.

"Don't let your personal feelings about Four cloud your judgement, Eric. Besides, Four would never disobey a direct order from a leader. That's just not how he operates."

While they ate breakfast, they continued to work on a plan. Maggie and Ro, who had quickly caught on to what everyone was talking about gave their input as well. Even though it was a solid and sensible plan, Maggie couldn't help the strong foreboding feeling from creeping up. She hoped desperately that they wouldn't lose anyone else in this operation. Once their meals were finished, Max and Eric left to call the leaders and Zeke and Four into a meeting, leaving Maggie and Ro to wait anxiously to find out what would happen next.

. . .

It was almost nightfall by the time Eric, Max, Four and Zeke were waiting by the train track to begin their next search. The day had creeped by for a very restless Eric who just wanted to get out and do something. He knew involving Max had been the right call but going through all the red tape that his role as leader had put them through still felt like a waste of time. The only silver lining was seeing the mutinous look in Four's eye that although probably nobody else had noticed was obvious to Eric. Pissing Four off was always worth it. It also felt like a more solid plan with the rest of leadership in the surveillance room watching out for them and a contingency plan in place just in case something went south. Which, given their objective, was possible. Internally, Eric felt all kinds of reckless and guilty for not doing so before. He wouldn't normally have worried about risking his own life except things felt different now. Risking Four was something he'd never really thought about before but now, between himself, Four and Zeke, if they'd been captured or killed would have a serious impact of Maggie. Even when they weren't doing so great, something like that might have been enough to send her completely over the edge.

This time was different though. This time, they had Tori and Bud watching their every move and backup if they needed it. This time, they were going somewhere different, and not too far from their own compound, where there were more underground caverns to hide out in if Four's information turned out to be good. Which, given his track record, Eric knew it would be.

The train wouldn't be long now, even though they could easily walk the distance but they all agreed to go in from the other side to avoid detection. It made sense to Eric that the factionless would be more vigilant watching them from the dauntless compound. Eric looked at the men around them. Each alert and ready in their own way. He couldn't fail to notice Four and Zeke angled away from each other, their friendship still un mended. He knew any unhappiness Four felt over that would be buried deep inside. Zeke, on the other hand was clearly keeping his distance. Max, while focused on their mission had no personal issue with any of them and was as relaxed as he could be considering the circumstance.

After a few minutes, they heard the train approaching and they all mad themselves ready for the jump. Sprinting along, it was Eric to climb in first, quickly followed by Zeke. Four and Max not far behind them. They all watched out the open doorway knowing their jump would take only a few short moments.

Just over the next hill they leaped out and as decided earlier, split into two teams. Eric and Zeke going to the south as Max and Four headed north. They circled the area where the entrance was believed to be. Eric wasn't too happy about their lack of cover but thankfully, Zeke was just as quiet as he was as they made their way around what was formerly a housing development before the big war when the walls around the city were built. It was all just bricks littering the ground. They rounded the base of the hill to catch sight of Max and Four again. Max signalling that they were all clear.

Eric could see the remnants of what looked like an old cellar door, half covered which he felt must be the very place they were looking for. There was adrenalin rushing through him, as he made ready to open the door. It looked innocent enough as he began to lift one of the heavy looking timber doors but he was met with resistance. In the peripherals of his vision, he was vaguely aware of Four leaping up from his position screaming at him to wait. Too late.

Eric felt the resistance in the door give before a strong force threw him backward as an explosion went off. He flew back onto the brick strewn ground with such a force that his vision darkened at the outer edges before everything went slowly black.

. . .

As the hours crept by slowly, Maggie and Ro migrated to Tris' apartment. She looked tired and worried, although she was holding herself together in true Tris fashion. Ro was just about bouncing off the walls.

"What's with her?" Tris pointed at Ro, who had been switching between sitting and tapping her foot impatiently to pacing the floor and now she had stopped to fluff the pillows.

Maggie smirked. "She's worried about her new lover."

"What." Tris blinked, then watching Maggies beaming smile grow even wider, she looked slowly over to Ro. "Max?"

Trying not to blush, but wanting to let Tris know how awkward her encounter with Max had been that morning, Maggie recanted the entire event while Ro began looking more and more like the cat that got the cream. Tris looked equal parts uncomfortable and impressed.

The girls spent more hours worrying and trying to distract each other and as the landscape outside Tris' windows grew dark, they could do little to conceal how anxious they were all feeling. Maggie hated not knowing what was going on and for once, regretted not taking up Max's leadership offer. At least, if she had, she could be out there with them or in the offices with full access to their plans and been allowed to see the surveillance footage of wherever they currently were. As it was, there was little else she could do but wait for Eric and her friends to return, hopefully safely and unharmed.

Maggie was looking at her glass of water on Tris' coffee table, about to take a drink when she noticed its surface start to quiver as though a minor earthquake was affecting it. Very quickly after that, the lights overhead shut down, replaced with red warning lights flashing and the dauntless siren going off loudly. It was the factions signal that it was time to drop everything and assemble in the pit because something big was happening.

She felt sick with worry. She just knew something had happened to Eric. The three of them exchanged a quick frightened look before jumping up and running for the door. Tris paused only to lock it as they left, then they were sprinting down the hall toward the assembly area. The whole way, Maggie fought the strong nausea rising up in her. Please, she thought, please don't let them be hurt. For all four of those men were important not only to her but to the entire faction. But more selfishly, Maggie didn't want to lose one more person. Not today. Not ever.

On and on they ran. As they got closer to the pit's entrance, they ran into more and more members of their faction also getting ready for whatever was coming. Less than five minutes from when the sirens initially went off, the women had arrived at the pit and were waiting for word of what was happening. Maggie looked around, everybody getting into formation, standing at attention. She looked up to the balcony where the leaders would be, hoping desperately to catch a glimpse of Eric. Or Max, Zeke or Four. Her heart was in her throat. She didn't see any of them.

The sirens silenced, and the lights went back to their normal soft glow. Tori stepped forward so that all the soldiers down below could see her as she began to speak.

"My fellow Dauntless, earlier this evening, two of our soldiers and two of our leaders went out on a mission. I regret to have to inform you..."

Maggie's insides turned to slush and she began to shake. Please, don't say it. Please, don't say it. She repeated like a prayer as she waited for Tori to finish her sentence. Please let them be alive, please!

"...that an explosive device has detonated in the vicinity that Max, Eric, Four and Zeke were in at the time. Shortly after, Factionless rebels took all four of them underground. Unfortunately, we cannot be certain which, if any, have survived the explosion."

Maggie could taste bile in her throat. She felt so sick with worry; it was excruciating. No. she thought desperately. Wishing she had heard Tori wrong. Wishing this was a nightmare she could wake from. Not them. Not Eric. She was shaking and her chest hurt as she tried to hear everything else Tori was saying.

Nobody in the pit spoke, but Maggie could feel the shift in the room. They were all shocked by the news they were hearing. Shocked but they also looked ready. Whatever Tori decided to do; these people were all ready to do what was necessary to right this wrong. As Tori gave out the orders – orders put in place by Max himself before they had even left the compound – Maggie waited, feeling impatient to get started. To get them back home. This was it. She knew it in her bones. The fate of this long drawn out war would be revealed to them soon because the factionless had taken their leaders from them. They had pushed, they had killed and now, they had the power in their hands. But they were underestimating Dauntless. And the outcome of this battle would decide how the whole war would end.

She was ready. Oh, she was so ready to end this. To see every factionless rebel stopped and have Eric home. The fight of their lives was about to begin and Maggie's blood burned in her veins. Ready to see this through to the bitter end.