Chapter 2

TRIS

"Do you really think it's a coincidence all of the security doors open the second the power goes out?!" Harrison bellows across the table. "Please tell me you're not that stupid, Chad."

"There's a reason we have backup generators," Chad spits back. He sits directly across from Harry. "The doors lock immediately as soon as the generators kick in."

"Doesn't matter if you're already inside!"

I sit with the four other leaders of Dauntless for the third time this week. I've become weary of seeing the four corners of this room, these people, sitting around this table. We go back and forth over the same things without ever actually resolving anything.

"Of course it matters! How the fuck would you get out?!"

"The same way you got in! Another power surge!" Harrison shouts. His voice is loud and heavy enough to cause the glasses of water on the table to vibrate.

I hold my head; the constant shouting back and forth is giving me a migraine. To make it worse, Derek stares at me from the other side of the table. He looks remorseful. I'm glad he knows his comment and that kiss were uncalled for. But that's not the only bone I have to pick with him when this meeting is over.

"In the last three years we have had more than fifty guns mysteriously misplaced inside the Dauntless compound, and another thirty more taken off our men in the field," Harrison says strongly.

"Those are all isolated incidents," Chad answers again.

"Are they? Cause that's a lot of guns when you count it all together… assuming you can count."

"That's enough," Derek butts in. "You called this meeting claiming to have new information, Harrison. Let's have it." He throws his hands up in the air.

"I have a source." Harrison leans backward into his chair. "She confirms what I've been speculating- the missing items, the power surges and blackouts, random factionless lurking around the place, they're all connected."

"You think the factionless are responsible?" Chad laughs, stretching out the small eagle tattoo on the left side of his face. "Like what, they all came together and just decided to start fucking with us?"

"Believe it or not, I strongly believe they are coming together for whatever reason. My source tells me they have a new leader on board, one far more competent, which outrightly implies there was at one point an old leader. This isn't new. This has been a long time coming."

"I'm shaking in my seat," Chad mocks. "The factionless are coming."

"Shut the fuck up, Chad!" Zeke yells across the table. "Idiot."

Unlike he does with Harrison, Chad isn't stupid enough to backtalk Zeke. He sinks into his chair like a child whose been chastised. He's the youngest of the Dauntless leaders, the most inexperienced, and the most insufferable. He's only here because there was a spot available and he somehow managed to be at the top of his training class. And apparently he's really good at getting information out of people.

When he scowls at the table and begins to play with the ring stabbed through his tongue, I start to snicker in the corner.

"Something you'd like to add, Tris?" Derek has the nerve to ask me. He fixes the collar of his dark leather coat and leans forward against the table.

"Actually, yes," I reply strongly. "I think Harrison might be on to something. The incidents have been far more frequent now, and they coincide with the break-ins. One of the factionless got as far as the control room, and I hardly think he just stumbled upon it. It's possible they're scoping the area, looking for a way to infiltrate us."

"They weren't trying to infiltrate us," Derek answers condescendingly. "They were just a bunch of nosy kids poking around the place."

"Thank you," Chad whispers under his breath.

"But to what end?" I ask him. "Idleness? I mean think about it."

"You forget that not everyone around this table knows how to do that, Tris," Zeke says from beside me with a wink.

Derek sighs and sets his hands flat on the table in front of him, exposing a very shiny, silver watch. He shakes his head. "You're all giving them too much credit. We are talking about people who couldn't fit into a single faction. Strategizing on the scale you're implying would require organized thought and action. They are simply not capable," he stresses his words so slowly that it comes off as an insult to both the factionless and to us for even suggesting the thought. "And it's no problem of ours how such a group of people would choose to occupy themselves."

"It is our problem, Derek," Harry says so lowly that I know he's boiling inside. "Dauntless is tasked with defending this city against all threats… and they are a threat. It's not hard to see they're harbouring our weapons and scoping out our grounds." He leans forward. "Good news is… I have a location for a possible hideout. I say we check it out."

Derek's eyes roll all the way behind his head and back. "We already have half our men patrolling the factionless sector. What else do you want, Harrison?"

"I want you to do your damn job and take control of this situation, Derek!" Harrison bellows again. "The factionless are obviously up to something and it's our responsibility to figure out what it is so we can put a stop to it!"

"You know we never had these sorts of problems when Four was running this ship. He knew a threat when he saw one."

Sipping on his glass of water, Zeke makes the comment so nonchalantly that it's chilling, and Derek immediately stops breathing. He loathes being compared to Tobias for obvious reasons. He always was jealous of him, because Tobias was always better than him in every way. He was furious when a younger and better candidate, from Abnegation no less, was offered the position he had been chasing for years.

It's one of the reasons I don't think I should have ever humoured Derek with even a second of my time. Apart from him being unbearable, I think he sees me as a challenge, a trophy, the widow of the man whose life he often envied.

To everyone's surprise, including mine, Derek composes himself. He takes a few deep breaths before he forces a chuckle. "Is there anything else, Harrison?"

My old friend looks at me warily. It makes me uneasy. Harry and I have developed quite the friendship over time; he was a mentor to both me and Tobias when we first got into leadership. We're open with each other, and I've found it's never a good thing when he's hesitant.

"Harrison?" I ask him.

He takes a breath. "My source believes the factionless were behind the train crash five years ago. It was meant to cover up some information they had unearthed while on their mission, and it was also meant to weaken us. It makes sense. Some of our best soldiers were on that train."

I think my heart stops. If the factionless were indeed responsible for my husband's death, they'll pay for it.

I suddenly remember Tobias' mother was factionless. I haven't thought about her in years. She had written a few letters to him after he transferred to Dauntless, but he never answered. He said he felt she had no right to reach out to him after making him believe she was dead all this time. I agreed with him, and I agree even more now. Tobias was Andy's age when his mother left. There's nothing on this Earth that could make me abandon my only son.

"There was no evidence of foul play," Derek says softly, his eyes glancing at me ever so subtly.

"None that we could find," Harrison clarifies for him.

"Everything was blown to bits," Chad mumbles, and I have to bite my lips between my teeth to stop them from shaking. It takes all the strength I have to not think about that day, to not think about that crash site, my friends dragging me away from the fire as I screamed, tearing at the rubble, looking for my husband.

I never got to see his body. Not that I would have wanted to see him that way.

My hand begins to tremble, then, under the table, I feel Zeke's large fingers wrap around mine. He squeezes tightly and I squeeze back.

He has his own demons from that day. Zeke still blames himself over and over again for Tobias' death. Tobias wasn't even supposed to be on that train, but he went in his best friend's place when he had been hungover from the night before. I never blamed Zeke. He and Tobias were like brothers. He couldn't have known. But I am glad that he hasn't touched a drink since then. I'm sure Shauna is too.

Just as the room is becoming far too awkward for me to bear, there's a power surge and all the lights turn off. I make use of the darkness and compose myself just before the backup generator kicks in.

When the lights come on, I find a bold pair of green eyes on me and only on me. Derek says, "Fine. We send a few men in. But," he raises a finger in the air, "If we find nothing, we will cease to pursue that end."

Harrison nods, and so does Zeke, although I know neither of them will give up so easily. Neither will I if I find reason to believe the factionless are really responsible for that accident.

When the meeting officially comes to a close, Chad is the first to leave and then Derek. When I finally stand from the table, Zeke passes a small smile at me and he checks to see if I'm okay.

I'm not.

"Tris?" Harrison then reaches for my elbow and gently he pulls me aside, away from Zeke. I look like a child standing in front of him.

"What?" I ask him softly, even though we're alone in a corner and the walls are so thick you can't possibly hear through them.

"We're sending in your old team… and I want you in on this mission."

I suddenly become more alert, and I raise my eyebrows at Harrison. "No," I say without thought. "I'm not forefront. I don't fight anymore, Harry. You know that."

"I do. But if we're to find anything, I need someone with actual brains in there… not Chad." He looks behind him to make sure there's no one there.

I sigh. "Look… I understand, and I want to get to the bottom of this as badly as you do. Especially if these people took Tobias from me. But I took this job under the condition that I don't take hazardous missions."

I've been called a coward before, after refusing to go out into the field after Andy was born, but of course that came from the mouths of idiots who don't have anything or anyone to live for. Forgive me but I will find the information I need about the factionless without turning my son into an orphan.

"Tris," Harrison begs, bending his back a little. "This isn't even an arms mission. It's for intel and you're the best at it. You're observant. You're sharp. That's what we need right now. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with here." He opens his arms and then sets them on my shoulders. "You guys get in and you get out."

"What if it's not that simple?" I ask lowly, and I lean into the wall. "You don't know anything about the place you're sending us."

"I know that my source is good," he insists. "And she says it's a central hideout. It might be where they're keeping the guns."

She? I'm tempted to ask him exactly who his source is.

"We might not get another shot like this, Tris. We only have the element of surprise once."

When he gives me another pleading eye, I give in. "Fine," I say. Harry hardly ever asks me for favours. I suppose I do owe him one… or a few. He's a wonderful godfather to Andy. "I'll do it. But don't ask me for anything else for the rest of this year."

Harrison smiles at me, tilting his body weight to the side. That's when I see Derek waiting patiently by the door of the conference room. His arms are crossed over his chest and he's tapping his left foot. I instantly remember that I'm furious with him.

I'm ready to leave this place and be alone somewhere where I can process my thoughts in peace, but knowing I need to deal with Derek first, I excuse myself from Harrison and I make my way over to the doorway.

"Can we talk, Tris?" Derek begins before I even get there; probably assuming I would walk right past him. Under normal circumstances, I would.

"You spoke to my son?" I snap at him, cutting right to the chase. I step out of the room so Harrison can't hear us. Derek immediately follows behind me.

"Uhhh…" he stutters, "I guess so?"

"You guess? You either did or you didn't, Derek."

He takes a step back. "I was invited to his school a few days ago," he explains. "Because of all the security threats, I had to run through the protocol with some of the school teachers in case of an emergency."

"And did you introduce yourself to every four year old or just mine?" I demand.

"Well, I saw him so I thought I'd say hi. I told him I was a friend of his mom's." Derek looks at me as if he thinks I'm crazy.

"Why? He doesn't know you." I cross my arms in front of my chest and my mouth hangs open.

His eyes open wider. "Tris, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I didn't think it would be a problem. Obviously it was."

Foolishly, I stand there and wait for an apology that never comes.

I scoff. "You obviously have no respect for boundaries, and that's a big red flag for me."

Hanging his head, he says, "Listen, if this is about last night, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come on too strong. Give me a chance to make it right."

"I don't think we should see each other anymore… outside of work," I leave no room for argument. "You're expecting things that I'm not ready to give you… or anyone for that matter. And it's unfair to the both of us."

He sighs, and before he can say anything I start to walk away from the conference room. He doesn't stop me, but I feel his eyes on me until I'm all the way at the end of the hall.


"Why so quiet?" I say to my four year old as he eats his dinner. He's usually so talkative, telling me all about his day and what he'd learned. Unlike most kids, Andy actually enjoys school. He's very friendly, and he loves his friends and teachers. I'm dreading the day he starts lower levels. The older kids can be rough.

He only shrugs, slowly eating the tiny pieces of vegetables left on his favourite blue plate.

"Is there something wrong, Baby?" I ask, this isn't like him at all. I make my way around the table and I kneel in front of him. "Did you have a bad day? Were the other kids mean to you?"

He shakes his head and he kicks his feet under the table. "No."

"Then what is it?"

He sulks but he doesn't answer.

"Andrew…" I urge him.

He sets his fork down beside the plate and then he turns to face me, and with glossy eyes he asks, "Will I get a new daddy?"

I'm caught off guard, and I swallow so hard I know he hears it. Then I'm the one who's speechless.

"Why would you ask that?" I say, concern filling my voice. I haven't let anyone else in, and Andy has been oblivious to the men who satisfy my needs every now and again. I never bring them to the apartment. I sigh, wondering if this has anything to do with the fact that he saw Derek outside our door last night.

"MJ said Amy's getting a new daddy," he answers to my surprise. MJ is Uriah's five year old daughter, and Amy is Christina's seven year old. Will and Marlene died on the train too, MJ being only an infant at the time. And now Christina and Uriah are getting married in a month; I guess the kids are talking about it.

"I- I don't know, baby," I stutter, taking his tiny hand in mine. "Maybe one day," I shrug. "But… not right now."

"Do you still miss my daddy?" His face is so earnest and innocent, his penetrating eyes so identical to his father's, that I can't help but open up to him.

"I will always miss him," I say softly. "But if I ever decide to bring someone else into this family, you get to have a say in it. Okay?"

"Okay," Andy says with slight relief.

It makes me wonder, "Do you… want a new daddy?"

Quickly, he shakes his head. "No. I want daddy to come home."

"Andy," I say more forcefully than I intended to. "We talked about this."

His face sinks and it thoroughly breaks my heart. I didn't think you could love a person you never met until I saw how much Andy adores his father. He keeps a picture in his room, and he told me it was because he wanted to be able to recognize him if he ever saw him. And it doesn't matter how many times I tell him, he doesn't accept that his father is gone, because he's a hero and heroes don't die.

I pick him up in my arms and he wraps them tight around me, burying his face in my neck.

"Don't you want him to come back too?" he whispers in my ear.

"Of course I do, Baby," I answer, my voice breaking. "When two people love each other, it doesn't just go away. And I love your father very much." I rock him from side to side, trying to soothe us both.

"Even though he's not here anymore?"

"Even though he's not here anymore," I sob, unable to hold it back any longer. I feel like a hypocrite, asking my son to let go when I haven't even begun to.

"Don't cry, mommy," Andy says sweetly, and he touches my face with his soft, sweet, little hands. "I don't want you to cry."

"It's okay, Baby," I whisper to him. "People cry when they're sad remember? And it's okay to cry."

He nods, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Sometimes when I think about your daddy, I laugh too," I say to try and cheer him up. "He could be so funny sometimes." I begin to walk toward the bathroom. I figure dinner's a bust.

"Like me?"

"Yeah," I smile. "You're a lot like him. You know that face you make when you've done something naughty and you're hoping you won't get in trouble for it? He used to do that too."

"He did?" Andy giggles.

"Yeah," I sniffle, walking slowly down the narrow hallway. "And he hated peanut butter." So much so that he'd refuse to kiss me after I ate it. It was one of the many things we disagreed on. I love peanut butter.

"Ew," he makes a funny face. "Is that why I hate peanut butter?"

"Maybe." I flick on the bathroom light and put him to stand on the toilet.

"What else?" he asks as I pull his shirt over his head.

"He was strong… and brave… and selfless."

Andy stares at me in awe, and then he smiles. "I think I love daddy too."

"And your daddy would have loved you so much," I say from the bottom of my heart. Tobias and I weren't planning on Andy. He died before I ever knew I was pregnant. But I know without a doubt he would have cherished this sweet little boy with every bone in his body.

"Did daddy like to shower?" Andy asks with a big smile on his face as I turn the water on. He loves playing with the water, making shapes out of the soap suds.

"He did!" I lie with a laugh. I don't know how many times I had to drag Tobias to the shower or get naked just to coax him to follow me.

"Yay!" Andy grins happily and he willingly steps under the water. I stand to the side and watch him as he drenches every inch of my bathroom floor. He picks up the soap and rubs it all over himself, yelling, "I'm a big boy!" and I don't dare tell him all the places he's missed. His giggles are so comforting and as I watch him I feel so much less alone. I feel like Tobias is here; he left a little piece of himself with me.