Alright everyone, the first post of 2016, woohoo! As I said last time, I'm going to start updating every Sunday. When I post next week's update, I'll be removing the author's note that I previously posted, and I'll be moving the introduction to the beginning of the first chapter. Having said that, don't be alarmed when the chapter numbers change. I hope everyone had a great New Year and I hope that 2016 is an awesome year for all of you! Enjoy the chapter, and review please! I love new reviews like I love eating Christmas dinner!
Xoxo tris4eaton oxoX
Tobias
"They know where my apartment is."
"Maybe they followed you," Zeke says.
"We weren't being followed that day," I shake my head. "And if they were following me any other time, do you think I wouldn't notice?"
"During the time that you were moping around, pining for Tris? Someone definitely could have followed you and you would have no idea," he raises an eyebrow.
"Okay, well," I sigh, "there's no way they have a key."
"Are you sure about that?"
"There was only one," I nod. "I had to have one made for Tris."
He stares at me.
"I'm going to go have a chat with the guys that make the keys," I say, Four's face replacing my own. "I want new cameras added in my hallway. I want to see every possible angle, including right outside my door. Do it yourself, please. I don't want to worry that this was compromised, too."
"Sure thing, man," Zeke nods.
As I walk to the office where all of the keys for every single door in Dauntless are kept and spares are made, I can't help but think about how much I've changed since I met Tris. There was always a separation between Four and Tobias, and for the most part, Tobias was buried deep inside; left in the closet in Marcus's Abnegation house. Every once in a while, when I was alone or with Zeke or Amar, parts of him would surface. And while I certainly could feel a mental and emotional shift when it would happen, I never could feel a physical shift. Since I've met Tris, I can myself physically switching back and forth. I can feel my body tensing, my posture straightening, and the "Four mask," as Tris calls it, sliding into place.
As I approach the office door, I'm preparing the questions that I want to ask the workers, but I immediately shift thoughts. The lack of cameras in this hallway bothers me. There's a single camera at each end of the hallway, but they're angled so that they only capture a person coming around the corner. I've always known this, but I've never given much thought to this hallway. Aside from my destination here, there are storage rooms and several rooms that contain electrical and mechanical equipment. I immediately turn around.
The guys that work in this office know me very well. I'm one of the only people in Dauntless that had a key to all of the initiate dorms, the training room, and the net platform area. In order to have a key copied, a person has to fill out paperwork in the office stating who they are, what key it is that they need copied, why they need it copied, and the person that they're giving it to. If someone turned in an application wanting to copy the key to my apartment, there's no way that they would accept it. Not without talking to me about it. If someone has a key to my apartment, they had to have made it themselves.
"Zeke!" I call out when I see him walking away from the control room.
"What's up?" He turns around.
"I have another job for you," I tell him as I approach.
"I'm listening," he grins.
"I need something similar to what you're doing now," I say in case anyone is eavesdropping. "But in this hallway," I write it down on a piece of paper that I had in my pocket and give it to him.
"That'll be my next stop," he winks after reading the paper and heads towards my apartment again.
I check the time and see that I'm late for lunch, where I'm supposed to meet Tris. As I walk to the cafeteria, I try to think of all the people that know the location of the keying office, or that it even exists. I can only think of the old leadership and the other prominent people in Dauntless, but they're all dead.
"You're late," Tris says when I walk up to the table.
"I know," I kiss her temple as I sit down. "Something came up."
"Like?" She asks, her face suddenly becoming very serious.
"Like," I repeat as I make my plate. "We'll talk about it later."
She continues to stare at me as I eat, her own fork mindlessly pushing the food around on her own plate.
"Relax," I say through a mouthful of food, nudging her thigh with my knee. "Tris, please," I sigh when she shows no signs of retreat.
"I can't help it," she mumbles. "Why is it always me?"
"Can we talk later?" I ask a little moresearch forcefully when I notice the prying eyes around us.
"Fine," she mumbles.
I look up, and of course I'm met with Christina's attempt at a withering stare. I know she means well, but anytime she gives me that look, all I can think of is the first time our paths crossed. I feel myself scowl before I can stop it and she quickly looks away. Looks like I still intimidate her. There are very few people left that I don't intimidate, though, I suppose.
We finish lunch in silence, and then Tris follows me to the control room. I let her into my office and lock the door behind us.
"Zeke's putting up more cameras in our hallway," I say, leaning back in my chair. "And in the hallway outside the keying office."
"Why?" She folds her arms.
"I want a record of every person that comes near our apartment. And the hallway outside the keying office should have extra security, since that's where a person would obtain an extra key to any room in the compound," I shrug.
"You think someone has an extra key to the apartment?' She immediately sits down.
"I can't say for sure, but it's a concern."
"Have you talked to the people that work there?" She leans forward.
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because," I hesitate. "If someone has a key to our place, they had to have made it themselves."
"Why couldn't they just go in and tell the guys that they need a key copied?"
"It's not that simple," I shake my head. "There's a whole process. An application. They have to know what room the key is for, who needs it, and why."
"And they can't lie about all that?' She challenges.
"The extra keys are made from a mold. There's a mold for every room in the compound: closets, the cafeteria, control room, you get it. A person can't just bring in a key and have it copied. In order to ensure the security of the compound, the keys are produced from the mold, and the only way they know which mold to use is if the person is truthful about which room the key goes to," I explain. "If someone went in and wanted a copy of the key to our apartment, the application would be rejected and the guys would let me know."
"So how do we know if someone has a key?"
"I'm checking the feed outside the office for anyone out of the ordinary, or anyone after hours," I tell her as I pull up the cameras.
"But we won't know for a fact, even then?" She says incredulously.
"No," I confirm. "Not until they use it."
"You're kidding, right?" She scoffs.
"Come here."
She stomps over and, despite her protest, I pull her into my lap.
"Nothing is going to happen," I tell her, kissing the top of her head. "I'm gonna watch the cameras and figure out who wrote the note and we'll take care of it."
"It's the same person that broke into my apartment, right? Just look for that person."
"I don't actually know who that is," I mumble.
"Tobias!" She exclaims.
"The entire time, every single frame, they had their face hidden from the cameras. Whoever it is, they know where the cameras are," I sigh.
"Well, how many people know where all the cameras are?"
"Anyone that's ever worked in the control room," I shrug. "Or paid close attention to the hallways."
"Then what's the point of even checking the cameras now? They're not gonna suddenly show their face."
"We might be able to see some kind of recognizable mark or feature. That's why I brought you in here. I want your help," I tell her.
"Why? You don't need my help."
"Tris, you have an aptitude for Erudite, you came up the majority of the plans during the war, and you're the only other person besides Zeke that I trust with this."
"Fine," she sighs.
We go through the footage for what feels like hours, and all we find is that they covered their face every single time they're near a camera. I'm just about to give up when Tris thinks of something.
"Wait a minute," she blocks my hand from closing out of the feed. "You mentioned identifying marks, right?"
"Yeah, there are none," I sigh.
"Nothing that can pinpoint a single person, no, but a group of people, I think so."
"A group of people?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Can you put the feed from outside my apartment, the feed from the hallway outside our apartment and the feeds from the keying office hallway all on the screen together?" She asks.
"Yeah," I take the mouse and do what she asks.
"What do you notice that's the same in all of them?" She smiles.
"They're wearing a black hooded sweatshirt?" I question, "We know that already."
"No," she shakes her head. "Look at their feet."
I look closer and see that this person isn't wearing the typical boots that most of the people in the compound wear. Even though people are free to wear whatever they like, those that work and live in the compound tend to wear the Dauntless boots because of the cool temperatures and the sometimes wet floors that surround the chasm. Instead, this person is wearing a sneaker-type shoe: black canvas with white shoestrings and white soles.
"I've never seen anyone wear those," I think outloud.
"The shoes aren't that important," she dismisses my comment.
"Then what am I looking at?" I grunt, slightly annoyed that I can't figure out what her angle is.
"Look at the size of their foot. And look here," she points to the feed from outside her apartment. "Look at the size of their hand on the knob."
"So, you're saying it's a guy?" I ask.
"I think so," she nods her head. "I've never seen a girl have hands and feet that large."
"You're also really small," I tease.
"Christina, Shauna," she stops short before naming off names of the dead.
"You're right," I say quickly. "That is definitely not a girl.'