Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or any of the characters.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Here we go!
Chapter 4
Beeeeeeep. Beeeeeep. Beeeeeeep.
I groan and roll over to hit my alarm. It's early. Too early to be getting up. Unfortunately, I brought this ungodly wakeup call upon myself. Last night Me thought it would be a good idea to get a workout in before my shift in the control room. This morning Me is second guessing how sane I was when making that decision.
I take a deep breath and fling my feet out and over the edge of the bed, forcing my body into a sitting position. I feel the cold ground against my feet as I make my way to the bathroom to get ready to head out.
This day is going to be boring. I get that we need to make sure the compound is secure but what exactly are we worried about? Who out there would want to attack a faction full of soldiers? Soldiers whose main purpose is to keep all of the other factions safe? And even if one of the factions did choose to rise up, none of them have the training and the weapons that we do. None of them would be able to inflict any damage on us. Attacking us would be an exercise in futility.
Amity? Abnegation? The idea of either of those factions rising up against us is about as laughable as the factionless coming together to do the same. Erudite? There would be nothing to gain. Our alliance with them is already the strongest it's ever been. Candor? They can't. They're entire manifesto is based on truth and transparency. An attack on us would require acting duplicitously which is not in their nature.
Now the control room is for far more than just monitoring the Dauntless compound. It's for monitoring the entire city. Which has its uses. Factionless getting aggressive with an Abnegation handing out food? Call it into the guards nearby. An accident that requires medical assistance? Call it into the Erudite medical team. And so on. But those incidences are so few and far between that I doubt there will be any action today.
I make my way to the weight room at the far end of my apartment complex. It is deserted and dark. I must be the first one in. This training room can only be accessed by those who live in the complex. It is quite small and only contains a handful of machines, a couple of weight benches and an area with mats for bodyweight workouts and stretching. There is a much more complete gym near where the initiates train but this one has everything I need and it's usually quiet which to me is preferable.
I focus intently on my workout, keeping my muscles engaged and my mind as quiet as possible. Working out always helps to lower my stress levels and gives me a safe place to escape from the world. When I'm in here I don't have to worry about proving myself to anyone. I don't have to worry about keeping my guard up. I don't have to worry about Jeanine and the "mission" she has tasked me with. I can just be Eric, a quiet guy who works hard and enjoys what a good workout does for my body and my mind.
When I'm finished I spray down all of the equipment and head back to my apartment. After taking a quick shower I make myself a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and toast before heading back out and to the control room.
I put my coffee down and check the screens to my left. These screens show the downtown core where Erudite, Candor and the majority of the Factionless reside. The screens to my right show Abnegation, Amity and the wall. The screens directly in front of me show the Dauntless compound. Obviously, there are thousands of cameras placed across the city so screens flip between what are considered to be the most "important" areas within each of the factions. If we notice anything odd we are able to manually flip through whichever views we think will be the most beneficial.
With nothing notable to report going on in the other factions, I bring my attention to the cameras within the Dauntless compound and notice Four handing out guns to the initiate transfers. I can't help but shake my head at how the majority of the initiates are holding their guns. They have no idea what they have gotten themselves into.
I watch as Four presses the barrel of his gun to the green eyed Candor's forehead before turning towards a nearby target and putting a bullet through the centre ring. The boy looks as though he's about to lunge at Four but he contains himself.
The initiates split apart and place themselves in front of a target each. I find Tris among them and watch as she tries to imitate Four's positioning before pulling the trigger on her gun for the first time. The recoil nearly causes her to hit herself in the nose as she stumbles backwards bracing herself on the wall behind her. I can't tell where her bullet ended up but it sure as hell didn't hit the target.
Pushing herself off of the wall, she repositions and tries again. She misses the target but manages to stay upright without the help of the wall this time. I watch as she continues to pull the trigger over and over again, missing her the target every time. As pathetic as her attempts are I can't help but internally cheer her on. Her determination is evident through the screens and with each new attempt she repositions slightly trying to correct her errors. She deserves to have made at least one shot by now.
The blonde Erudite boy next to her says something, stealing her attention for a moment. When she turns back to face the target she somehow appears even more determined than before. She takes another shot and this time her feet stay planted. I take a look at the target and note the bullet hole she has created at the edge of the target. I can't help the pride that rises in my chest. She did it. I watch as she shoots five more times, each bullet getting closer and close to the middle of the target until…
"I knew you could do it," I say loudly, hitting the desk with my palm as the fifth bullet meets the centre of the target. I look around the room quickly, relieved to find that no one heard me as I am still alone. The excitement of her small triumph races through my body and I smile as I see the pride on her face.
"Calm down Eric, she's just some Stiff," I say out loud to myself. "Get a grip."
I stand up and walk across the room getting my body moving. The boredom is clearly getting to me already and I haven't even been in here for that long.
Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up by the end of the week. Any feedback is welcomed.
-MWB
