*** DISCLAIMER ***

I own NOTHING regarding the divergent series e.g. the books/the movies
The only things I own are my own characters that I've created.

The next morning after breakfast, Nix, Andie and Sarah headed into the training room behind the other transfers, most of the dauntless born were gathered in there already with only a few stragglers coming in behind the girls.

"Is there a meeting I don't know about?" Andie asked once they joined the others.

"Initiates." a voice called out from near the doorway, it was Max, he walked in with Four, Adam and Eric.

He halted when he was stood infront everyone and gave them a nod, "Congratulations on making it past the first stage of training."

There were positive responses from some of the dauntless born until they were silenced by Four, Max waited until there was quiet again before he spoke, "Eric and I have reviewed each of your progress with Four and Adam and we've come to a decision on who will be joining the both of us outside of the compound today."

"I forgot about that!" Andie said excitedly.

"That's because you were too busy dying." Sarah replied with a chuckle.

"Shut up." Andie said halfheartedly whilst focusing on Max.

"Sam." Max called out, "Step forward."

The dauntless born all began to cheer, clap and congratulate Sam who was eating it up with a huge grin on his face.

Nix smiled as she too clapped, Sarah joined her and Andie, she didn't react beyond a scowl in the boy's direction.

Max held his hand out to Sam as he approached and they shook, "What I've seen so far has impressed me."

"Thank you Sir." Sam said with a nod.

"We're leaving immediately." Max said and began to walk away with Sam at his side, the others all watched them leave the room until Eric's voice caught their attention.

"Nix." he said and all eyes were suddenly on her, "You're coming with me."

"You've gotta be kidding." Tom said angrily and a beat passed before he asked in a disgusted tone, "You chose the stiff?"

"You got a problem with that?" Eric asked in a tone that dared him to answer back but Tom however, kept his mouth shut.

"The rest of you, the room is available if you want it. We'll be in an out." Four told the group then began to head off with Adam across the room towards the exit.

Gradually the group began to move away from where they were gathered, a few dauntless born boy's said 'well done' to Nix as they did and one girl even said 'you deserve it'.

The candor's who made it to stage two, excluding Sarah, were all shooting daggers at Nix.

"Stiff." Eric said and she looked at him, "Get changed and meet me at the armoury."

The last part was said in a clipped tone before he turned swiftly and walked off towards the exit of the room.

She then turned her attention on Andie and Sarah who were stood beside her still, the other's were mostly gone or going.

"I would like to say, congrats." Andie said before she made a grimacing face.

"It could be fun." Sarah added.

"Yeah, I mean, it's experience outside of the compound." Andie said before she grinned and added, "Would be good if it was with someone that didn't hate your guts though."

Sarah hissed her name with a frown and the grin the girl wore began to fade away, with a sympathetic smile replacing it.

"I'd better go...shouldn't keep him waiting." Nix said after a beat and they both nodded.

"Bye Nix." Sarah said with a wave as she walked off.

"Bright side." Andie called after her, "It's only for today."

She simply waved in response then turned and headed for the dormitory to get changed.

O

A smile had found it's way onto Nix's face as she quickly changed from her training gear into her uniform, her stomach was fluttering in excitement the whole time, she too had forgotten about the trip outside of the compound and she never would have imagined Eric to pick her to go with him, before seeing him at the club on Saturday she was convinced that he hated her.

Once she was ready she couldn't help but rush towards the armoury, when she reached it however, the smile on her face disappeared, Eric was inside loading a rifle with ammunition and he wasn't alone.

"About time stiff." he said after he'd looked up and saw her, "Get in here."

He finished loading the rifle he held as she approached, he then held it towards her and she took it without question.

He turned to the other man in the room and held out his hand, the man handed him a jacket the same as the one's they were both wearing.

"Put this on." Eric said when he turned back to face her, she accepted the jacket from him and placed the rifle between her thighs, "I'm not taking you out with a training jacket on."

She shrugged out of said jacket whilst thinking that it hadn't even crossed her mind to not wear it, it was the only one she had after all.

"Does it fit?" he asked once she'd put the one he'd given her on and zipped it up, she nodded and he said, "Good. Now this."

He picked up something from the bench and held it up, it was a protective vest, the same as the one she'd worn during training after she'd been injured.

"Do you need to visit the infirmary before we go?" Eric asked as he handed her the vest, she noticed the other man in the room look up from the weapon he was loading to Eric then her and he frowned.

"I went before breakfast." she replied and Eric nodded.

"Put it on." he said and the other man raised his brows as he focused his attention on his weapon once more.

Nix pulled the vest over her head and began fastening the straps around her body, wincing slightly at the mild pain she got from her side.

She inhaled a subtle deep breath then moved the rifle over her head and across her back, she was adjusting the strap across her chest when Eric said 'here' and held some kind of belt towards her, before she could take it from him he turned his attention to the other man who said, "My team will be covering sector seven but there's enough of us if you run into trouble."

"I'll get you on the radio." Eric replied with a nod, the guy returned it then slung his rifle over his shoulder and left the room.

A moment passed after he was gone before Eric walked towards Nix, he halted when he was stood infront of her and looked from the belt he held to her.

"Morning stiff." he said with a grin then ducked his head to give the corner of her mouth a kiss.

She smiled shyly in response and replied in a quiet voice, "Good morning."

"How's the vest feel?" he asked as he leaned back and began to attach the belt around her hips, he didn't step back until it was secured tightly in place, it was some type of ammunition holder along with a holster for a small gun.

"Fine." she said as she touched the empty holster.

He held a pistol towards her and asked, "Tight?"

She took the gun from him, placed it inside the holster then put the flap over it to keep it secure before she nodded.

"And can you breathe?" he asked and she gave him a 'really?' look which he raised his brows at, she then sighed and nodded, "With your words, Nix."

She narrowed her eyes at that then hesitated before she said, "It's a little...uncomfortable, but yes, I can breathe."

"We're going to the infirmary before we leave." he said.

"I told you, I've already been." she replied.

"They gave you a shot again?" he asked.

She mhm'd and said, "The same one as yesterday and it's already working...I can tell."

Eric stared at her and a beat passed before she smiled sweetly at him.

"On the belt you've got the standard combat knife." he eventually said after narrowing his eyes at her and she looked down when he tapped it and sure enough, there the holstered knife was and it looked scary, she swallowed at the thought of having to use that.

"But." Eric's voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up at him, "I thought you'd prefer these."

He was holding up some throwing knives that were sheathed in a strange looking holster, now these were the kind of knives she liked, she found herself smiling in appreciation as she took them from him but it quickly vanished as she asked, "Where do I put this?"

A grin formed on his face as he said, "Use the bench, it'll be easier."

He gave his thigh a slap before he turned his back on her, she stared at him briefly then looked at the bench before she headed towards it, she placed her right leg up on it with a look in his direction to find he was watching her, still grinning, he then looked away.

With slightly red cheeks she began to strap on the holster around her thigh.

"Make it tight." he said and she did.

Once the holster was secure and her leg was back on the ground she turned to look at him, he too turned to face her.

She noticed he was armoured similar to herself, the only difference was that instead of throwing knives he had a second pistol strapped to his thigh and he wasn't wearing a vest.

He took a step towards her with something in his hand, she looked at it curiously then up at him, "Lift your sleeve for me."

She waited a beat then lifted her left sleeve, he wrapped what he was holding around the inside of her forearm securely then pulled her sleeve back into place, "Something extra...what no one will know about."

He stepped back from her to where the ammunition was kept and she lifted her sleeve to look at what he'd attached, it was a holster containing a single throwing knife, she smiled at it then him but his back was turned.

"Okay." he said after a beat and turned to face her, "Let's go."

They left the room swiftly and she noticed that despite the strap on the rifle he held it in both hands, she pulled hers back over her head and copied him.

She then quickly moved from behind him to walk beside him and he glanced at her, "These weapons are just a precaution, but I can't promise you won't need to use them."

She swallowed at his words but gave him a nod, she could see him watching her from the corner of her eye and she turned her head to look at him, "I understand."

"Good." he said and faced forward, "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous." she replied honestly.

He was silent for a beat then asked, "Do you remember your training?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Then there's nothing for you to worry about." he said immediately, "I hope you won't make me regret choosing you stiff."

She looked at him and saw he was trying to resist smirking, she rolled her eyes and almost asked 'would you really have chosen anyone else?'.

"Why did you?" she asked after hesitating briefly,"It's not just because...i-it isn't because we."

She cut herself off and Eric looked at her with a smirk, "Because we what?"

"You know what." she said quietly whilst her cheeks began to turn pink.

He chuckled and shook his head, "No. It's not."

Nix was glad and nodded, he then said 'but' and she looked at him again.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't also so I could spend some time alone with you." he said and she blushed more then looked away from him, he chuckled again before he added, "I was impressed stiff, Max was too."

"Impressed?" she asked sceptically.

"Impressed." he stated with a nod and she looked at him, he was facing forward, "Four told us that it was you who ran his group in the game on Saturday."

"I didn-" she began to say but he cut her off.

"You did stiff, don't deny it." he said and she noticed a smirk on his face but he was still facing forward, "We're looking for initiates who will show us they can be more than just a hired gun. You did that."

A beat passed before she smiled at him then faced forward and asked, "This vest...do I really need to wear it?"

"Yes." he replied immediately.

"Why aren't you wearing one too?" she asked.

"I'm not injured like you are." he replied and she looked up at him with a frown.

"So...I'm guessing that Sam won't be wearing one either?" she asked.

"Correct." he said without looking at her and she scoffed.

"How is this going to help me?" she asked with a sigh.

"We'll be doing a lot of walking today, maybe even some running." he replied as he looked at her, "Even with the shot you'd still feel the effects of that and I didn't want to have you out for hours feeling uncomfortable. It won't prevent pain but it will ease it."

She looked from him to ahead of her and sighed again, "That makes sense I guess."

oOo

"What's wrong?" Nix asked as she looked up at Eric and noticed the glare on his face.

He looked at her then pulled out his radio, "Any teams near sector two?"

There was a moment of silence before any response came, there were a couple of no's followed by a, "Out in sector six."

"Woodley." Eric said into the radio.

"Coulter." the reply came a beat later.

"How's sector seven looking?" Eric asked.

"All hands on deck." Woodley, who Nix assumed was the man from in the armoury that morning replied, "Worse than anticipated."

"Damn it." Eric muttered to himself.

"We're in sector three sir." another voice then said and there was some noise, like a crowd in the background.

Eric glanced behind them briefly before he said into the radio, "Three? It sounds active over there."

"It is sir, very active." the man replied, "Sector two the same?"

"No but there's a group of factionless that's been following us for ten minutes or so." Eric replied.

Nix gasped silently and looked over her shoulder, she counted six, there was a decent amount of distance between them and her and Eric but not too much that they couldn't catch up to them.

"I could send over one or two guys, if you need the assistance?" the man asked.

"No. Don't split up the team." Eric replied then looked at Nix as he said, "We'll manage. Keep on top of the situation in three and call for backup if you need it."

"Will do sir." the man said and Eric put the radio away with a sigh.

"We should have doubled back by now." he said after a beat.

"That group is stopping us?" she asked and he glanced at said group then nodded before he faced forward again.

"We could turn back." he told her then paused before adding, "They'll either jump us or let us pass and keep following us."

Nix's eyes widened at the last part, "Do you really think they'd just let us pass without doing anything?"

"They might. Either that or they'll wait until it's dark and then do it. They'll know who we are from our uniforms so they'll also know how far we are from dauntless and that we won't make it back before nightfall." he replied.

Nix swallowed then asked, "Why would they wait until dark?"

"My guess is, they're former dauntless. I can't see they're faces properly from back here so, in the dark, there's no chance I will." he said.

"Former members who don't like you?" she asked.

He nodded, "Or initiates."

"Not the ones who just left?" Nix asked and he shook his head, she then glanced behind them as she added, "I don't think I recognise any of them."

"Don't keep looking at them." he told her and she quickly faced forward again, "Those factionless have been factionless for a long time."

"You could...handle them." Nix said and looked at him, he looked at her with a raised brow and she added, "I mean...there's six of them and, well, I'm here too. You'd probably get most of them but I could...you know, help."

Eric smirked briefly, "Well I'd certainly hope you'd apply your training if the need arose."

She gave him a look as if to say 'obviously' before she said, "Why would they even try and attack us? They can see our weapons."
"It might be the weapons they want." he stated and her mouth formed an 'o' shape, she hadn't thought of that, "But it's most likely someone who recognises me and wants revenge."

He then shrugged and Nix stared at him, how could he be so blase about this? She was panicking inside at the thought of having to fight with someone.
"They'll go for you first." he stated and her eyes shot to him, "You're wearing a vest. They've either figured out it's because your injured or they'll think it's because you're young and inexperienced out of the compound. It's probably both actually, your face alone proves it."

"Dauntless are always fighting in the pit, I could have gotten these bruises from there." Nix replied.

Eric scoffed as he muttered 'yeah right' then said, "I meant mainly that you look like an initiate...you look young."

"I'm older than all the other initiates." she said with a frown.

"Yeah you are, what was that about? Why would you stay an extra year with the stiffs?" he asked immediately, "That's the most stupid thing the faction system has ever done, I really thought they'd have gotten rid of it a long time ago, especially since noone used it. Well, until you that is."

"Can we stay focused on what's happening please?" she asked and he sighed.

"We're not turning back." he stated before adding, "I'm not risking getting you into a fight."

"Well...what are we going to do? Dauntless is at the other end of the city." she said after a beat and he nodded.

"We're going to have to stop somewhere for the night." he replied.

"Stop somewhere?" she asked slowly.

"As in, go to one of the factions that are nearby and tell them we need to stay." he said with a shrug and her heart started beating faster, could she go home for a night?

A smile started to form on her face at the thought, her parents would definitely let them stay, she knew they would.

"Don't do that." Eric said and she looked at him, he was staring ahead and when he looked at her he added, "It can't be your old faction."

Her smile faded away and a disappointed expression formed on her face.

"You can't go back to your faction of birth whilst you're still in initiation." he told her then added, "Faction before blood."

Nix was silent as he'd spoken and then she nodded slowly in understanding.

"Sorry stiff." he said after a beat and she looked at him, he gave her a sympathetic smile.

She shrugged a shoulder sadly and faced forward before asking quietly, "So where are we going?"

"Not sure yet, let's keep walking and I'll assess the situation as we go." he replied.

His radio crackled and a voice said, "Sir, we're gonna be monitoring sector three until the morning, there's another team en route to back us up. We'll be rotating shifts through the night. Are you still being followed?"

"We are. We're gonna stop in at one of the other factions and wait. Radio in if there's any problems." he replied as he stopped walking, Nix did too.

"Will do sir." the man said and he put his radio away, he looked up at the sky briefly and Nix did too.

"It'll be dark soon." she said and he nodded.

"It will." he said then glanced behind them at the factionless group who were still moving slowly in their direction, he looked back at her and said, "Come on stiff."