Chapter 7
TRIS
I jump off the train and head straight for the truck, and then I race through the streets like a madwoman, my foot flat on the gas pedal. And although I can't make sense of anything that's happening right now, I try to organize as best a plan I can.
It's a risk going back to Dauntless since I don't know who betrayed us, but I need to tell Harrison about Evelyn, everything I saw in that factionless hideout, and how to rescue the others. Then I have to get Andy and take him somewhere safe, because after that I'm going back for Tobias.
I had spent the whole of last night thinking, trying to compose myself and mentally prepare for whatever Tobias would have done to me when he came back. But even so, I wasn't ready for the recognition in his eyes or that ever-present drive of his to keep me safe. It was so hard to keep it together, but I knew I had to. He might not have his memory, but he's still Tobias in every way, and the quickest way to scare him off would have been to bombard him with the truth.
The most important thing is that he's alive, and right now that seems to be all I can think about. All this time he's been right there, only an hour and a half away from me. And Evelyn knew and chose to keep him there, even though she knew that's the last thing he would have wanted. For all I know, she's responsible for whatever happened to him, however it is that he lost his memory. Harrison said his source told him the factionless were responsible for the train crash, and I believe it now more than ever. Evelyn made sure Tobias was not on that train when it was blown to bits.
My hands are shaking now and I grab tighter at the wheel. I can't stop the tears from flowing, after all I don't even know which of the fifteen emotions I'm feeling is provoking them, so I let them fall down my cheeks in thick, heavy drops.
As I pull up on Dauntless, I ditch the truck. I can't take it into the garage without being seen and if I'm spotted I'll be forced to report in, and they might not allow me to head back out, especially since I came back alone. I can't have that. I won't let anyone stop me from saving Tobias.
I take a jacket with a hoody from the bag which still sits in the back seat, and I pull it over my head, then I slip through one of the less trafficked doors and quickly make my way through the faction. It's almost midday so a lot of people are awake, but I look at no one and I do nothing to draw any attention to myself. I take care to avoid all the cameras.
I head for the living quarters and I let out a sigh of relief when I manage to arrive in front of Uriah's apartment without having been seen. I knock on the door three times before it's opened, but on the other side of the door isn't Uriah; it's his brother.
"Zeke!" I cry out and I wrap my arms tight around his neck.
He returns my embrace and then quickly pulls me inside the apartment. Quietly, he closes the door behind me. "Shhh. I don't want to scare the kids," he whispers with a finger over his lips. "They're already worried. How are you here, Tris? Are the others with you?"
"No. I… I escaped," I stutter. "Where's Uriah?" I ask before he can ask me how.
"He went into a panic when you guys didn't come home. And then early this morning we received a letter from the factionless leader demanding we give up the locations of all our security cameras around the city and destroy our surveillance room. If we don't they're threatening to kill the team," he whispers.
"They're planning something, Zeke," I say firmly. "They have all our missing guns and equipment. They're hoarding it, quite possibly for an attack." And considering how the men responded to Tobias, I'll take a guess and say he's the one training their army.
He nods. "So Harrison was right."
"He was."
"He and Derek are organizing a rescue. We've sent a response to the factionless leader that we've agreed to their terms, just to throw them off, and then tonight we swoop in and we get our guys out."
"Good. They're not safe there. Are you going?" I ask him quietly. He might be able to help me get Tobias out.
"Of course," he says. "So is Uriah. I don't think he'll be able to sleep until he's brought Chris home."
"Okay," I say with a nod. "I'll go with you. I know how to get in and out without being seen; believe me, you'll need my help. And Zeke, I'll need yours." I sigh.
"Anything you need, Tris," he says levelly, and he looks over at the room where I can hear the kids playing. "Come on." Zeke leads me over to the couch and we sit across from each other, a small glass table between us.
I lean forward. "First, you need to know we were set up," I begin.
"What do you mean you were set up?" he gives me an eye.
"They were expecting us. We were ambushed," I explain. "We could have avoided being captured but Chad is a fucking idiot. He put us all in danger. But, all in all, someone tipped them off that we were coming."
Zeke sits back in his chair with a frightened look on his face. "We have a leak."
I nod.
I understand his alarm. Not knowing who you can and cannot trust in situations like these can be fatal. If the wrong person were to know the details of tonight's rescue mission, it could all go south before we ever realize what hit us. It would be best to keep it on a need to know basis, and inform everyone involved to keep their mouths shut.
I've thought about who it could be from the second we were captured, and I still don't have a concrete answer because I'm lacking information. What I do know for sure is that I'd trust Harrison and Zeke with my life. And Derek, as scum as he is, doesn't seem like the type who would stoop so low as to help the factionless. So if the leak is indeed one of our leaders, that leaves only Chad, who just happened to be the first one to point a finger at Harrison. That could be a sign of his guilt, or it could just be Chad being his usual intolerable self.
"What are you thinking?" Zeke asks me.
"At this moment, Chad is the most likely suspect, but he's also locked away in a factionless prison."
"Wouldn't be far-fetched," Zeke mumbles, "allowing himself to be captured so he doesn't look guilty."
"I can't be too sure of that." I shrug. "We were taken to holding cells and they were seriously talking about executing us. They almost did execute me," I say with pain in my voice, remembering every detail of those men and their hands all over my body, the fear that ran through my veins at the thought of what they would do to me.
Zeke leans over the table and presses his right hand into my shoulder. "How did you escape, Tris?"
I open my mouth and it takes a few seconds before I can say, "Tobias."
I look Zeke right in the eye, and he stares back at me looking perplexed. "What?"
"Tobias was there," I say again. "He's alive, Zeke." I shake my head frantically. "But it's not… something's wrong. He doesn't seem to remember anything or anyone and he thinks Dauntless and Erudite are a part of some sort of scandal." I hold my head. "And the leader of the factionless? It's Evelyn, his mother. She did something to him. I know it sounds crazy. I don't know what's happening." I take a few seconds to collect myself, then firmly I say, "I don't know, but it was him. It was him."
"Tris…," Zeke says my name carefully.
"It was him, Zeke," I cry and my lips begin to tremble. "Do you really think I wouldn't recognize him?"
Zeke only stares at me, and then he swallows hard.
"I need you to help me get him out," I plead. "I can't leave him there. I won't"
"Okay," Zeke finally agrees. "But we have to tell Harrison what you found out, Tris. Everything."
"Zeke," I sigh. I wasn't planning on telling anyone else about Tobias. Not yet, at least.
"We can trust him. You know that," he urges. "And if Four really is alive, Harrison deserves to know."
Harrison loved Tobias like a son, probably because he had no children of his own. He taught him everything he knows, from computers to guns to everyday life in Dauntless. Harrison was the one who encouraged Tobias to take up leadership, the only one who believed him when he said the Erudite were up to something.
"Okay," I nod. "But I can't be seen. You have to bring him here and then I have to leave. I need to take Andy someplace safe."
"I'll leave the girls with Shauna. Andy can stay over at our place."
"No," I shake my head. "He won't be safe here, Zeke. Chad saw Tobias. I know him. He will convince everyone that I had something to do with the setup or whatever it is that the factionless are up to. And until I know who is really responsible, I don't want my son anywhere near Dauntless." I hold my head and slowly it begins to sink deeper and deeper between my legs.
"And what are you going to do with Four, Tris?" Zeke asks softly. I can't tell if it's curiosity or concern I hear in his voice. "If he's really there and he's a part of this, Derek will brand him as an enemy of the faction… or worse."
"I'll take him away from there, and I'll find a way to bring him back."
He sighs. "Tris, if what you're saying is true, he won't go willingly. How do you know he won't hurt you?"
I lift my head back up. Assuredly I say, "He won't."
Tobias has already had way too many chances to hurt me or to let me be hurt, but he never did allow either to occur. There was recognition and concern burning in his eyes, and I saw it, as much as he tried to hide it. He could have left me there. Instead, he carried out a meticulously thought out getaway, taking me down twelve floors through an elevator shaft, despite his fear of heights. Why would he do that unless something deep inside him was telling him that no harm was to ever come to me?
"If you run with him, there's no turning back," Zeke says, looking as worried as I've ever seen him. Running away with my late husband who miraculously showed up with the factionless in the middle of a conspiracy is a sure way to land me the title of traitor. But what other choice do I have?
"I know," is all I say.
"Then I'm in."
Zeke returned with Harrison within a matter of minutes and we talked for at least a few hours. I don't think either of them really believes that Tobias is alive as much as they both want to, but they'll see it for themselves tonight, or at least Zeke will. And then I'll find a way to bring him home, because he's in there. My Tobias is in there and I won't give up on him.
"Mommy," Andy says. He sits on his bed, anxiously kicking his little feet, and he watches me as I fold a few of his clothes and stuff them inside his blue backpack. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to see Grandma."
"It's visiting day?! Or is it Grandma's birthday again?!" He jumps up in excitement, and I have to remind him to be quiet. It was too big a risk coming home for silly things like clothes. I almost didn't, but I need Andy to be comfortable. I don't know how long he'll be in Abnegation, and I don't want him to think something's wrong.
"No, sweetheart," I say. "But it is an important visit. Okay?"
"Okay," he says. "But it's already dark outside."
He jumps off the bed when I call him, and I pull his favourite black hoody over his head.
"I know. That's why we're taking some stuff," I explain, my palms on his cheeks. "We're not coming back tonight. We might be at Grandma's for a while."
He gasps. "Can I take Dino?"
"Of course you can." I smile a little, and after he grabs his favourite stuffed animal, I hold the backpack in one hand and then I pick him up with the other. "Remember to keep your head down, okay?
He nods and buries his face in my neck and I throw my cell phone on his bed.
I carry my son outside and close the apartment door, and exactly the way I came in, I leave Dauntless.
I put Andy in the front seat of the truck and I drive carefully. I glance at him every now and again; as he plays with his favourite toy dinosaur I wonder how I will explain all of this to him and if I even should. He might not understand why mommy's in trouble or how his daddy somehow resurrected from the dead. I know I will have to try and explain that Dauntless isn't safe for us right now, but I decide it's better I don't tell him about his father for now.
In less than half an hour he's fast asleep, and we're almost at the Abnegation sector. I turn off the road and pull over into the thick bushes. I'd rather not leave a Dauntless truck in plain sight or there'd be soldiers here within the hour looking for whoever was driving it. I'll have to leave it here and walk the rest of the way.
I get out and close the door gently, not wanting to wake Andy. I walk over to the other side of the truck and I pick him up from the front seat. He groans a little, but he doesn't stir awake. He's heavier when he's sleeping, but I decide to carry him the entire way. I just want to hold him right now, close to me where I know he'll be safe.
And just like that I start to cry again, wishing I didn't have to put my little boy through all this. He's just a child.
I feel relief flood through me when I spot my parents' house, my childhood home. I approach from the back, hoping none of our neighbours are looking through their doors or windows. The last thing I need is for Marcus to find out I'm here. He loathes me. He's loathed me since the day he found out I knew Tobias was leaving Abnegation. I can't imagine how much he loathes me now knowing I followed his son to Dauntless and then married him.
I knock gently on the door, just hard enough that I know my mother will hear me. It's not so late that she'd be asleep. I hear her footsteps inside and my heart races for some reason. The second she opens the door, all dressed in grey, I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.
"Beatrice!" My mother cries out, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me inside. "Sweetheart, is everything okay?" She sees my swollen eyes and takes my face between her palms.
"Mom, something happened," I begin to say. "It's not safe for Andy in Dauntless. Can you watch him for me, please?" A tear streams down my red eyes and my mother's face becomes flooded with concern.
"Of course I will!" she says, and she quickly closes the door.
"No one can know he's here," I insist. "No one, Mom."
She nods and takes Andy from my arms. He's still fast asleep.
"Let me take him upstairs. I'll put him in your old bedroom. But when I come back down here you will tell me everything, Beatrice." My mother's voice is stern. "Everything."
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know many of you guys thought Tris was so calm throughout all of this and maybe she should have just told Tobias the truth. So I hope this chapter answered a few questions :) Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
