REAL IDENTITY UNKNOWN
DUSK
Dusk huffed out a breath as she fiddled with the mask over her face. Why they had to wear masks was beyond her, as they were aware of each other's identities when they start this little, blooming conspiracy. Same with the code names too, but as Darwin had said time and time again, it kept their identities safe from any unwanted spies and even their own men.
She had to hand it to whoever created these masks though, they sure were talented artists… Each of the Leaders' masks reflected their code names nicely. Omega's mask was moulded leather in the shape of a wolf's head. The leather was greyish brown with dragged lines like scars going across the main face and snout of the wolf. It look ragged, scrappy, like she'd been in one too many fights. Dusk's mask was also moulded leather, but darker than Omega's and layered with leather feathers, forming a raven's face. The beak curves above her nose and looked like it had been dipped in blood. While Dusk and Omega's masks reflected their corrupted undertakings and pursuits, Darwin's emitted a superiority within perfection. Darwin's mask covered her full face with a Fibonacci spiral fitting the mask. It was something that perfectly fitted an Erudite, especially one who's ethic is striving for perfection and shifting through the grey area for the definite right and wrong.
A message was sent out on the pager Dusk had late into the night. It was a part of a set of three that Darwin had found them in the archives of Erudite, one for each of them. They were reliable and untraceable with the advanced technology of the city. The message had the usual format of encrypted coordinates for the next location for this month's meeting.
No one saw Dusk as she left Dauntless. While there are secret corridors that only Dauntless Leaders and very few members knew about, she didn't have access to them. Instead Dusk knew of a few tunnels that were found on ancient blueprints of the faction in the archives that weren't shown on the blueprints of the faction today.
Today's location turned out an old office building on the edge of Candor and a couple of floors up so they could see any incoming forces so they could make their escape. Omega looked up when Dusk joined them.
"You're late." Darwin said from the other side of the room.
Dusk rolled her eyes as she slumped into a nearby chair. "Unlike some, I live further away from here."
"Anybody see you?"
"Have a little faith," Dusk grinned ferally. "I've worked with the cameras long enough to know how to evade them."
Darwin raised her chin. "Good. I have to say it was a good idea of yours for one of Erudite's storehouses to get raided. Not only does it keep those hellions looking in the wrong direction, but it enable us to get the serums we need."
Omega snorts. "Sure, as Head of Development couldn't you just request a shipment to be made?"
"For someone that originated from Erudite, you forget the values we hold. Someone would ask questions, one person too many. This raid was discrete but the only way it would have worked in our favour."
What was interesting to Dusk, as she sat back and watched Omega and Darwin go back and forth, is that a common goal could unite two people who despised each other. Omega and Darwin had more similarities than either would like to admit. Both originated from Erudite. Both wanted to change certain aspects of the city. Both wanted to overthrow the stiffs leading this city into ruin. While Omega and Darwin didn't have to enter this partnership with each other, it brought many advantages across that neither could gain on their own. Darwin got the army she wanted – one that Dusk trained herself and she wasn't going to acknowledge the pitiful excuse of defence training that Four naively though the Factionless needed. Omega got supplies to build her home where the Factionless live – food, medicines, clothes, and other essentials. Dusk was here because she owed Darwin greatly, the other woman was the reason why Dusk was where she is in Dauntless today. In turn, Dusk supplied both sides with armour, weapons, reports on the movements of Dauntless patrols – always keeping them a step ahead.
Though, now the suspense of their plans was building, and it wouldn't be long before Dusk has to ruin her cover to steal something from Dauntless, their final building block. That's when their advantage would end, and Darwin wanted to get the most out of Dusk's intel before they get to that point.
When Omega and Darwin finished bickering, they poured over maps of the city and Dusk pointed out where she knew Dauntless was stationing their specialist squadrons.
"And what of Coulter's units?" Omega asked. "Where will they be?"
Dusk shook her head, her irritation at that particular Dauntless Leader growing. "I don't know. He's changed his timetable access to a need-to-know lockdown. If I asked for access, it would raise too many questions. When I find something out, I'll page you his whereabouts."
Omega looked to Darwin. "Is there no chance that we could try to get Coulter on our side?"
As Dusk snarls at the idea, Darwin shakes her head. "Had it been early into Eric's initation, I'd say yes but I have reason to believe the eldest Vince child is divergent and twisted Eric's mind into believing his lies."
"That's a shame." Omega leans against the table, her eyes scanning the maps. "We could have used his bruteness in forcing the factions to abide to us. It seems we're going to have to go the long way…"
Darwin sends a pointed look at Dusk. "Can you get us more weapons? The soldiers you trained to teach the army have been getting more recruits without a decreasing amount of materials to teach them with."
"It may be difficult. Max is locking down the armoury and moving ninety percent of the weapons to another building with limited access. That and some fucking Amity transfer is screwing with the forged reports, so its making it hard to cover my tracks and even harder to smuggle weapons out." Darwin tilted her head to the side and Dusk frowned. That particular movement was a tick of Darwin's that she had picked up on, one that meant Darwin was disappointed and Dusk sighed. "I will try to get more weapons out, but I can't make any promises."
"Good." Darwin nodded sharply and Dusk released the breath she was holding in.
Omega picks at the edge of the map, glancing over at them. "How are the serums working? Are the young subjects proving useful?"
"They are useful to some degree. Children from Amity and Abnegation have no fight and the serum takes over their minds quickly and efficiently. It tends to vary with Candor, especially Erudite. Candor have proven to fight off the serum on and off, neither winning the battle. Some Erudite have miraculously learnt how to shut the part of the brain the serum targets until the effects are void, but my colleagues are working on that. The Dauntless child hasn't shown any signs of the serum working but we can always wait until the child has grown and that part of the brain has fully developed to see how they react."
"There's always the possibility the kid is divergent?" Dusk points out, moving to sit in one of the chairs.
"While it is a possibility, the child still hasn't fully developed yet to truly know. And now Dauntless has closed ranks on the children of each Faction, it makes it impossible to get new subjects."
"What about adults?" Omega asked. "Have you started testing on them yet?"
Darwin sighs, walking around the table to look out the window. "We have but while the serum has been working, we need someone of strong will to test on. Those will give us the best results on how the serum is fairing."
"So a Dauntless?" Omega turns to Dusk. "Can it be done by yourself?"
"Someone of strong will, doesn't necessarily have to be of Dauntless," Dusk wonders, looking directly at Darwin. "What about someone with a high percentage of divergence? We could try that Prior lass?"
Omega laughs loudly. "Now that would be perfect! A giant fuck you right at the heart of Dauntless."
"Hell," Dusk grins. "The Leader's child could work too, seeing as both parents are suspected divergent."
Darwin nods her head slowly, beginning to smile at the suggestions. "While a child of a Leader would be useful, I know who I want to test on. Even though my preferred test subjects would be best, testing on the Leaders of the hellions would be my next choice."
Dusk bites her lip to keep in the snarl and tries to think of it logically instead. "Of course, I forgot you used her a test subject when she was younger. You'll already have a file made up of what affects her rather than having to start again."
Darwin tilts her head to the side with a delighted gleam in her eyes. "And him don't forget. His parents have been exceedingly helpful when they offered to him to test on. Though while neither of the drafts worked to the way we wanted, the after affects are beautiful."
Dusk rolled her eyes at Omega, who snickered quietly, as Darwin loses herself in her thoughts.
"When the time comes Dusk," Omega starts with a wicked grin Dusk can only mirror. "You can take your pick of which soldiers to take with you."
"Don't!" Dusk laughs gleefully as Darwin truly smiles. "You'll spoil me!" She jokes and Darwin dismisses the meeting not long after.
xXx
Dusk crouches outside one of her secret tunnels that leads into Dauntless with fifteen of her strongest, and most cunning soldiers behind her, checking their guns and pockets for ammo and pulling cowls across their faces. Omega was true to her word and let Dusk choose which of the Factionless soldiers she could take with her on this mission. Each of them Dusk had train herself with a ruthlessness and brutality that wouldn't be accepted in Dauntless…
Unless your name was Eric Coulter apparently…
It had been a couple of months from their last meeting, as problems with Darwin's serums, Dauntless getting closer to Omega's home and bloodhounds closing in on Dusk had stopped them from meeting up again. Updates had been sent through their pagers and it wasn't even a week ago when Omega and Darwin made the decision for Dusk to infiltrate Dauntless, shutting down their advantage of always being one step ahead.
Her soldiers had strict orders to follow while in Dauntless and will be splitting into three groups of five. One to break into the Head Leader's office for data that Darwin needs, another to try and find Prior while the rest create a distraction with other Dauntless traitors to the faction system that she had been able to recruit. As they create havoc, Dusk has orders to find their final building block and maybe make a statement while she's at it. Dusk has two possible ideas – both being a fuck you to two individuals – but one had her blood boiling.
As Dusk tightened her bullet proof vest at the sides, her nose scrunched up slightly, hate and loathing filling her body. It was hard to keep Darwin's attention anchored on one thing constantly and yet no one had caught Darwin's attention for so long before… Once it had been pinned on Coulter as things were set in motion, only for them to fall away when his loyalties changed, then Darwin's focus moved onto Prior but that hadn't lasted too long. Now, it was that golden-eyed bitch and had been for years, ever since Darwin and her minions had tested serums on her as a child.
While Dusk owed a lot to Darwin, she only hoped that maybe, after this mission succeeds, she'll make her only living relative proud. Maybe, after all this is over, Dusk's aunt will finally have the time to love her and Darwin will finally see her as more than a piece in her chess game.