Tris

We're a well-oiled machine: Tobias immediately setting about shutting down the program while I round up files and communication between Jeanine and Max that might be helpful later. Ezi fades from my conscious thoughts as my mind focuses entirely on the task at hand. It isn't until I hear the sounds of struggle that I glance up and notice him fighting with a flurry of blue.

It's strange to imagine Ezi losing a fight to an Erudite, but I can tell he's about to. Before I even realize it, I've drawn my gun and am facing Caleb, who holds Ezi against him, a gun pointed at him.

The metal presses against Ezi's temple and I can practically feel the imprint of it on my own, as though if I reached a hand up to the side of my head, I'd be able to wrap my fingers around the barrel. Caleb stares at me, trying to ignore the gun I have raised and aimed at his head.

"Ah-ah, Tris. You move and I shoot him."

"Not if you're dead."

Caleb pulls Ezi in front of him more, effectively turning him into a human shield. With their similar height, I don't have as clear of a shot of Caleb's torso anymore. While my aim is very accurate, even Caleb's flinch could be enough for the bullet to lodge into Ezi's body by mistake. The only major shot I still have that couldn't wound Ezi would be to shoot straight into Caleb's forehead since he is a couple inches taller than Ezi is. That's exactly where I aim.

"You wouldn't kill me, Tris. I'm your brother."

"I think you're drastically overestimating my character. Right now you're poised to kill my brother; there's very little I wouldn't do to protect him. Or did you miss that lesson when I broke your nose for threatening Uriah?" I flick the safety off and let a bullet load into the chamber.

Caleb's eyes widen as he hears the cathunk that universally indicates that the gun is loaded and that with the pull of my trigger, he could be dead. He presses his gun harder into Ezi's temple, his forearm straight out, trying to hold it steady. His stance makes me notice how inexperienced and uncomfortable Caleb is with a gun in his hand. Standing with his arm jutting out, his elbow raised in the air, it's clear that he'd be more comfortable with a book.

"You really think you can kill me, Tris? Or that I won't shoot him? I will." I hear a bullet load into the chamber of his gun. My heart sinks at the sound. "Now, tell your boyfriend over there to stop what he's doing."

"Four, stop what you're doing." I don't take my eyes off of Caleb as I speak.

"OK." I hear the click of him hitting one more button. "I'm done anyway."

Caleb's face darkens with what I assume is anger. His arm shakes slightly and I can tell by the twitching of his trigger finger that Ezi could end up dead at any moment. I have to do something now but the idea of killing someone makes me uneasy.

"Did you destroy my program?" Caleb's words are tense and quiet, cutting through the air with a hint of foreboding.

"Yes. No one in Abnegation will be dying today and my faction won't be an army of mindless killers for Erudite." Four's words are matter-of-fact and I don't need to look at him to know his expression is that of the cold instructor.

"You've destroyed years of work!" Caleb's shout startles me and for the first time I notice how Ezi is tensed, bracing for the shot he's anticipating at any moment. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Never mind, you'll pay the price now."

Without thinking, I swing my gun toward the left and pull the trigger as I brace to compensate for the kick back. The bullet lodges in the elbow of Caleb's shooting arm. He screams loudly and lets go of Ezi, who immediately elbows Caleb in the ribs. Four hurries forward to where Ezi and Caleb are struggling. Right before he reaches them, the bang of Caleb's gun rings out and Ezi crumples to the floor.

My feet automatically carry me to where Ezi lies. The sounds of Four and Caleb fighting barely register as I see the blood pooling on the ground at Ezi's side. He's struggling to keep a hand pressed to that side, clearly trying to apply pressure where the bullet hit to staunch the bleeding. My hands reach out to his to take their place.

I don't need to see the wound to know that he needs to get to the infirmary quickly or else he'll bleed to death. He might, regardless.

"Ezi, stay awake, OK? Keep your eyes open." Ezi doesn't answer me and every time he blinks, it seems to take a bit longer for him to open his eyes again.

Distantly I hear a body hit the ground and suddenly Tobias is at my side. After a glance to Ezi, he shouts into his radio for Amar and Uriah to come quickly. The commotion of the door opening tells me they've registered his order and are responding. Ezi reaches a hand out to grip Tobias's arm.

"Don't…let…anything happen…to them, Four." His breath is labored and ragged as he gasps out the words.

"Zeke, stop. You're going to be fine." Tobias's voice is that of Instructor Four, ordering Ezi well.

When Ezi's eyes close again but don't open, something inside me breaks and I feel the tendrils of hysteria wrap around me, overtaking me.

"No! Ezi, no! N-n-n-n-no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ezi, wake up! Wake! Up!"

A set of arms wrap around my waist from behind, pulling me off the floor and away from Ezi. My first instinct is to tell Tobias to let me go but I see him still kneeling next to Ezi and realize that it's Amar who is hoisting me off the floor. He sets me down about ten feet away but doesn't release me.

"Tris, Uriah and I need to take Ezekiel to the infirmary. You and Four need to finish what you came to do. You can come see him after you're done." I don't look at him but I nod so he knows I've heard him. He must decide that's enough because he releases me and instead goes to Ezi, pushing Tobias aside to get to him.

Tobias walks to me, setting his hands on my shoulders and catching my eye. "Tris, we have to get the hard drive and the rest of the information. Come on, we don't have much time."

I can't make myself move until Amar has carried Ezi from the room with Uriah's help. Caleb sill lies on the floor, unconscious, but Tobias has tied him to one of the desks in case he wakes up before we're ready. I carefully walk over to a workstation and begin going through Max's documents that Tobias has pulled up. When I find one titled 'Prior', my curiosity gets the best of me. The words of the opened document swim before me on the screen and I can't believe a single one I'm reading because it's impossible.

"Tris, I got the hard drive." Tobias's voice startles me when I hear it from over my shoulder. "Oh my god." He must be reading what I am because his hand falls on to my shoulder and squeezes it, comfortingly. "Put everything you want on this flash drive. We'll make sense of it later but right now we have to go. Caleb needs to get to the infirmary."

Tobias hands me the hard drive when I rise from my chair, having saved all of Max's documents on the flash drive. He kisses me softly before he turns to untie Caleb and pick him up. It's strange to see Tobias carrying him, to see Caleb's blood soaking into Tobias's shirt. Even though Caleb is older than Tobias and I both, he looks much more vulnerable than Tobias does right now.

"Tris, take the hard drive and hide it before you come to the infirmary. I'll see you soon."

We split apart and I hurry to my apartment as quickly as I can. My hands are shaking almost uncontrollably as I take out my keys. It takes me nearly five minutes to finally unlock my door. As soon as I'm inside, I make a straight line to my kitchen, opening my freezer and tossing the hard drive in the back behind all of the frozen vegetables. I keep the flash drive in my pocket, unsure when I'll be able to access the files again.

I stop outside the entrance to the infirmary, unsure whether I really want to hear the progress. If it's bad, it's not real until I hear it. As long as I'm not in there, it doesn't exist. The idea that I could lose my brother today hadn't occurred to me as we made our way to the Control Room barely an hour ago.