When Tris, Uriah, Samantha and Cara showed up at the jail Four took him to, Eric's stress increased. The amount of people around him, especially Samantha's presence, increased the amount of quilt he would feel if he ended up hurting them.
Presently he was locked behind bars in one of the few cells in the building and he had tested them out with his new strength to see if they would be able to hold him. They were pretty sturdy for their age.
As soon as she saw him, Samantha ran up to his cell and said to him as she clung to the bars, "What happened to your face!? I'll kill her."
He remained seated on the old bench against the far wall, not wanting to risk anything, and tried to calm her down. "This isn't from Jeanine. We had to make it look like I really was held captive and this is how we did it, though it was pointless. She knew everything before we even asked to make the trade." He explained.
"What do you mean?" Tris asked him.
"When I got there, she confessed to knowing basically everything, from where the Divergent were hiding, to Christina being your spy, and to me following Samantha out the gate and going to you afterward."
"She knew about Christina and just let her leak information?" She said, confused.
"Information that was false. She led you to believe she was looking for you outside the gate so you wouldn't try to attack her while she perfected her serum and built her army. Not to mention that her army has a bigger purpose than just killing you. She's expecting the U.S. Army to come in soon to take over and she plans to stop them." Eric said.
"Which means we need to stop them before they come here, Samantha we need you to alert the proper authorities and stop them from starting a war with Chicago while we stop Jeanine." Four said.
Samantha looked shocked and confused. "By myself?"
"Yes. You survived for weeks outside the gate on your own, I'm confident that you can handle this too." He replied.
"What about Eric? Are you just going to keep him locked up forever?" She asked him, angry.
"I've got a theory that hopefully Cara can verify. I think if we can create a virus that counteracts the serum then we can stop her army." Eric said.
"If we do that then we'll need a sample of the serum." Cara said.
"Already have it." Eric said with a sarcastic smile.
"Where?" She asked him.
"It's in Eric. He was injected before we broke him out. But we'll have to get the sample quick before it takes full effect and Eric can no longer control himself. Do you have the equipment I mentioned to Tris to ask you to bring?" Four asked Cara.
She nodded and pulled out a tiny needle, plastic tubing and a test tube out of the bag that was hung across her body. Four opened the cell for her to enter and when Samantha went to follow, Eric shook his head.
"Don't come in Sunshine. I could lose control at any time and I don't want you anywhere near me."
She stopped her approach and waited outside the door after it was closed behind Cara and Four. Cara instructed him to lie down and so he got comfortable on the hard bench and closed his eyes. He hated needles, which was funny considering all the tattoos he had but they were part of Dauntless and he endured them.
Cara wrapped an elastic band around his bicep after finding a suitable vein to take the sample from and wiped alcohol over the spot. She told him to clench his fist and then relax once the needle was in. It only took about five seconds and it was over. She quickly took everything out and stuck a cotton swab and tape over the puncture. Four ushered her out soon after and locked the cell.
"I'll take this back to headquarters and analyze it. See what I can come up with for a virus." She said putting everything back into her bag.
Eric figured, if Jeanine knew everything anyway then there was no point in changing hideouts, an idea that must have occurred to the others as well since they had apparently stayed where they were.
The others were ready to leave but Samantha stayed behind. "Do you guys mind waiting while I have a minute with Eric?"
Four looked between them with a solemn face and nodded. They exited the doors that separated the cells from the lobby and Samantha turned to Eric.
"Eric, I know you're afraid of hurting me and I understand but I'm willing to take the risk. Please come closer." She pleaded gently.
He desperately wanted her comfort and he gave in to it. He got up and walked over to her reaching hand and let her caress his face. It was still sore from the beating but her touch was gentle and he closed his eyes, revelling in her touch.
"I wish you could go with me on my mission. I don't know if I can do it without you." She whispered.
"That's nonsense and you know it. You just don't want to leave me here alone, but you have to. I'm a risk now and until Cara comes up with that virus, I'm staying right here." He said.
He could tell she was annoyed by the look on her face but her Amity upbringing was waging a war in her mind on whether or not she wanted to let it go or fight him. She chose to let it go.
"I'm sorry Sunshine. I never meant for this to happen." He apologized.
"I know. I just wish life didn't play out this way for us. We should have just moved to that small town and you could have become my real boyfriend and left all this behind us."
He smiled wistfully. "I wish we did too. But duty called us and that is who we are."
"What are you talking about, I never became a full Dauntless member."
"You don't need to be Dauntless to have Dauntless qualities and you're full of them, as well as a ton of Amity ones too." He chuckled and Samantha smiled back.
"I'll be back as soon as I can and they'll get you better, then we can finish this together." She said and pulled him down for a kiss.
Her soft lips met his gently and were about to disappear so he grabbed her through the bars and pulled her as close as he could without hurting her and deepened the kiss. He didn't know when or if he would see her again and he wanted this last one to last just in case.
When he let her go she smiled at him sadly and left to join the others with a last glance back before exiting through the doors. All his pent up anger surfaced and he punched the cement wall hard. With his extra strength, he left a dent and didn't break his hand but it hurt. He sat down onto the bench with a thud and cradled his injured hand. Life wasn't fair.