A/N: I know, I know. It has been forever since I updated last. I got into a bit of a funk and the words were just not coming to me. But the funk is officially over. I'm back and working on my fanfic and original stuff again. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks again to Eunice339 for the beta work. You are so wonderful!
I couldn't sleep that night, or the next. I'd been cornered between joining a group of my brothers that had turned against the values I held strongly in my heart, or doing jail time. Jail within the Dauntless compound, since that would be the only place the law was enforceable, was not a place I'd heard good things about.
Almost everyone had signed the papers. The few that didn't want to, ran. But one-by-one they were dragged back and thrown into solitary confinement. The rumors flying around base hinted that they were being tortured for deserting. I honestly didn't know what to do. I'd spent the last few years with these people, and some of them had become friends. The soldier in me demanded I stay. I wasn't one to run from a challenge. But I was also not a person that could kill out of convenience or just to follow orders – orders that I disagreed with.
The war on terror was no longer a priority for Dauntless. The jobs we were being sent out on now were funded by huge criminal organizations that had painted targets on people who had wronged them. Our pay went up considerably once Erudite stepped in, but I couldn't imagine that we were operating legally anymore.
I had shown up to Tori's office fifteen minutes early and was sitting on the bench in front of her tattoo studio waiting. She'd scheduled the final piece of the Iron Soldier tattoo for 1400 hours that afternoon so I would have time to relax before my honorary dinner. I was dreading the tattoo session, almost as much as the dinner, not because getting a tattoo hurt, but because I knew she was going to insist on converting my Dauntless tattoo to the new red version while I was there. I couldn't put it off any longer. The paperwork had to be filled out by tomorrow at 1200 hours.
Tori wasn't here yet, leaving me a few minutes to think in silence. I couldn't imagine I'd be able to come up with an excuse, though, before she arrived.
I let out a loud sigh, just as Natalie plops herself down on the bench beside me.
"Tobias, thank God I found you."
I was startled by the fear in her voice. I'd never heard her speak like that before. "Is everything ok?"
"No. I'm here to warn you. Don't sign the papers, and whatever you do, don't convert your tattoo."
"What? Why?"
"I don't have time to explain right now. I just need you to trust me. Anyone with the red tattoo is going to be a target. Try to stay in your room tonight if possible, and don't fight back, or you'll become a target too."
Before I could say anything more, she jumped up and ran toward the main Mess Hall, possibly to warn the few others who still hadn't signed the new contract.
Almost immediately after she disappeared, Tori showed up. She smiled at me brightly as she unlocked her office door. "How's it going, Tobias? You ready to get the last tattoo that will add you to the history books?"
I couldn't look her in the eyes. I didn't feel I really deserved the kindness recognition. "Yeah, I guess," I say to my hands on my lap.
"Great. Come on in. Let's get you ready to receive your award. You know you're going to have to show off my handiwork tonight."
"Oh yeah, that's just what my brothers want. – for me to take off my shirt while they're trying to eat dinner."
Tori's smile widened. "I can think of a few that wouldn't mind, and they're not all female."
"You're full of shit."
She laughed and motioned for me to take a seat on her stool while she prepared the tattoo machine and the new design to be placed on my lower spine.
The design was not a complicated one, nor did the sensation of the needle penetrating my skin register in my brain as pain. I was too preoccupied trying to think up a way to get out of there with the Dauntless tattoo still representing tears instead of blood.
Tori was a good talker, and though not always, I was thankful for that today. She easily kept our conversation moving with small talk. Very little input was needed from me and before I knew it, she was pushing her stool away to admire her work.
"That's it Mr. Iron Soldier. Your collection is complete."
"That's great." I quickly jumped up from my seated position and grab my shirt.
"Whoa. What's the rush? Don't you at least want to see it before you run out of here?"
"Nah. I'm sure you did a great job. I've got to go."
"Oh? Where you off to in such a hurry?" Tori eyed me suspiciously. "Max reminded me I still need to touch up your Dauntless mark. We should do it before the dinner tonight. Almost everyone else has done it already."
"Ah, yeah, I know. I just don't have time tonight." In a moment of brilliance, a light bulb turned on in my head and I knew how to get her to let it pass one last time. "I have a date. I have to go pick her up before the ceremony and I was hoping we'd have time to…ah…"
She looked at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence until it dawned on her why I hadn't already. Her face brightened up. "Oh! Right. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone." She gently pat me on the shoulder as I dashed out the door.
I couldn't help but whisper under my breath, "Neither did I."
I refuse to look at Eric. I won't let his ugly face be the last thing I see before I die. Instead I look at Tris. The puddle of blood originating from her wrist has doubled in size and my knees are soaked from kneeling in it.
Her eyes are intense, locked on mine as if she's trying to say something to me. "I'm sorry, Tris. I never should have gotten you involved in this life. You deserve better."
Her eyes close slightly as she mouths a series of words I can barely hear. "It's going to be ok," she whispers. The color in her face looks less threatening, and I somehow manage to read her mind. She is planning something.
I place my hand on her cheek just as she starts moaning like a banshee. The volume of the noise coming from her helpless body doesn't seem possible, and for a split second, Eric's attention is drawn away from me.
That's it. That's her plan. It's only a momentary distraction, but it's enough. With Eric's eyes on Tris, I'm able to throw my leg back behind me and plant my boot in his groin. He falls to his knees as his gun flies from his hands. Even with tears glazing over his eyes, he somehow pulls himself to his feet almost immediately as we both lunge for the dropped weapon.
Eric is closer, and he will get to it before I will, without a doubt. I'll have only a fraction of a second to stop him before he can position the gun to shoot.
He lands on it, tucking it under his body as if recovering a fumbled football. But before he can slide his hand around the handle, I yank his arm back hard until I hear his shoulder dislocate from its socket. He growls more in anger than in pain, but he can't get at the weapon in this position. He swings his free elbow back, jabbing me in the ribcage. The all too familiar feeling of a broken rib spreads throughout my torso, but I somehow keep him pinned to the floor with my body. He throws his elbow back over and over again, hitting the same tender spot until my muscles surrender and I roll off against my will.
Eric pulls the weapon free from under his weight with his good arm and pushes the metal under my chin. His eyes are opened wide and he's smiling uncontrollably at this new revelation. He pauses for a moment to enjoy the feeling of victory.
It's over. He has won. I am out of moves.
But Tris isn't. From the dark corner beside her, she reaches over and hurls the silver bucket as hard as she can. Eric is so lost in his internal celebration that he doesn't react fast enough, and the bucket hits him squarely on the side of the head.
He pulls the trigger, but Tris' distraction gave me just enough time to grab his hand and aim the gun in a different direction. The stray bullet hits the stone ceiling and a large bolder drops from above us. I have to release Eric's hand in order to roll out of the way, but Eric is unwilling to give up the gun when I let go. He's not able to move his arm quickly enough and the bolder lands on his arm, crushing his elbow before rolling off his limb. He screams out in pain as his fingers fly open in unison with the sounds of shattered bone and cracked stone.
I'm back on my feet in an instant, and before Eric can recover, I have his weapon in my hand. I pull him to a sitting position, ignoring the blood and shrieks escaping his body. "Where's the antidote?" I growl, pushing the barrel of the gun against his temple.
Eric is still in pain. His eyes are glazing over with tears and his voice is barely a croak when he speaks, "Do you really think I would give it to you?"
Anger rises from deep within my chest. All the pain and agony Eric has forced on me over the last few years has finally surfaced and watching Tris struggle to stand beside me is the final straw. I clench my teeth so hard I think they may crumble in my mouth, but before they do, I ram my fist into the side of his face.
His head is thrown to the side by the pure force of my punch, and when he pulls it back to face me again, a thick line of blood trickles over his cheek. "Where's the antidote?" I hiss, only inches away from his face.
"Go to hell, Tobias. She doesn't deserve to live and you know it."
My fist flies again, striking the same swollen spot on his face. When he looks back at me he can barely hold his head up. "I'm going to give you one more chance to answer my question." My hands grab his collar and I yank him even closer, ignoring the stabbing pain from my broken ribs.
Eric lets out a snort. "And then what? You'll kill me? You can't kill me if you want your pretty little girlfriend to live. I'm the only one who can save her now."
"Well, I don't see any reason to keep you alive if you aren't going to answer my question." My hands are shaking from the amount of rage coursing through my veins. If I didn't need him alive, I'd strangle him in a matter of seconds.
Tris' hand on my shoulder does little to calm me, but I'm thrilled to see her on her feet. Her coloring looks almost normal and she doesn't appear to be in nearly as much pain as she was. "I never thought I'd be thanking someone for slitting my wrist, but I feel so much better."
"Pft. Don't get used to it," Eric interrupts. "The faster you lose the blood, the quicker that serum will work." Just the sound of his voice enrages me, causing my first to clench in preparation to hit him again.
"Don't waste your time with him, Four." She produces a half-full syringe from her back pocket. "We can use this to find a cure." Her eyes focus on mine.
I can't explain how both my emotions and my body react to her voice. It's as if a wave of relief has rolled over my body and taken the fear of losing her with it. I can't help but smile as I turn back to Eric and wrap my fingers around his neck. "Looks like I don't need to keep you alive after all."
The terror that flashes through Eric's eyes is extremely satisfying, but short-lived. "You don't know shit. She has about six to eight hours left before her organs start to fail. Erudite is the only one with this technology. No matter where you bring that syringe, there's no way they'll be able to create the anti-serum in time. Your little bitch is still gonna die." A gurgle comes up from deep in his throat as he tries to laugh through my tightening grip.
The small cell is quiet, but the sound of my heart pounding is deafening. Eric is right. Creating an antidote from the serum will take time, something we don't have. We're back to square one. As badly as I want to snuff the life out of his body, I need to keep Eric alive until I have the anti-serum in my hands.