"Stay a moment, Mr. Eaton," Linus calls out to me softly, as I start to follow Cara to the training room.
"Meet you down there," she says as she leaves.
"Don't tell me you want to warn me to watch my back, too?" I grumble.
Linus chuckles. "No, but it's a good idea," he says. "I take it Rowena had a talk with you." I sit down and cross my arms without answering right away.
"What can I do for you, Linus?"
"You can take Cara with you on the mission."
"She's not Divergent."
"Nonetheless," Linus says patiently, "I think you're going to need someone who's good with computers along for the ride."
"What makes you think that?" I say, narrowing my eyes and leaning forward.
"Just a hunch."
"Uh huh." I sit back again, crossing my arms over my chest. "No." I say abruptly.
Linus just blinks at me, the affable-harmless-old-man mask falling away for the first time since I've known him.
"No?" He echoes blankly. I say nothing and just keep looking at him.
"Right," he says. "I forget how much emotional intelligence you Divergent have, especially since you tend to be so backwards socially."
I just look at him politely.
"Fine. The real reason I want you to take her with you is something Ms. Prior found in her last simulation."
"Simulation?" I say, trying to sound casual.
"Yes," he continues, "our purple serum experiments."
"Our what?" I say sharply.
"Ah, I see," he says, with a twist of his lips. "Apparently, Ms. Prior has been somewhat less than forthcoming with you. Well, you will have to take that up with her. Try not to fret about it for the moment, because I need your full attention. We have been experimenting with the serum the last few days, and Ms. Prior has gone under several times. So far, she is the only one who can use it to get into the mainframe."
He pauses and licks his lips. "Last time, I was able to record what she found, but she herself still can't quite recall everything; it seems to sink into her subconscious, though the information does come back to her sporadically."
"This is fascinating, Linus, and more than a little alarming, but what does this have to do with Cara?"
"RIght," he says, with a wintry smile. "I digress - occupational hazard for an old man. There's an assassination order out for Cara."
'What?
"That's what Tris found."
"But why? Why her?" I say, trying to imagine what Cara could have done to attract that kind of attention.
"Oh, it's not just her, but she's the top priority by far. They don't want any of you to succeed in getting out, and obviously, Cara's research must be the key."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know," Linus says, rubbing his fingers over his eyes. "The encryption is sophisticated; we can't even tell whose system it's coming from. Tris could probably break in through the serum, but we haven't figured out yet how to steer her that precisely when she's under. I haven't told Cara yet."
"Why not?"
"I don't want her to be too worried." I just look at him again, and he sighs,
"Fine. I suspect Leo."
"No, it can't be," I say in shock. "No, I don't believe that."
"Don't believe it, or don't want to believe it?" The old man says gently. "Whoever is still planning to exterminate the Divergent appears to have inside information, including about Cara's personal movements. And there is good reason not to trust him, after all. He has a track record."
"Yeah, well, by that logic, who's to say it's not you, then? You're Erudite and you helped make Jeanine what she was - in fact, maybe she was really working for you all along."
Linus gives me a long look. "I suppose you have a point," he says with a slight smile. "All the more reason for you to get Cara out of here as soon as you can."
"Where is Tris on the assassination list?" I say, bile rising in my throat.
"Third," he responds, "and you are fourth."
"Okay," I say, "I'll get them out."
"Good," he says briskly, holding out a computer chip. "I don't think you're ready to go outside the wire yet, so I've had Uriah and Zeke out checking for safe houses. This has a map on it with some possible locations. These all have power and good security, and they're past the wall but inside the perimeter."
"There's a perimeter?"
"Yes, of course. We've known that for years. It will be difficult to cross, but with the information you took off the Erudite computers, you have all we know about it."
I nod grimly and take the chip from him.
"Fernando has managed to obtain some portable computers, so you can take those with you. Uriah and Zeke have been moving food into position, but it won't be enough. You're going to have to run a supply line."
This unfamiliar Linus, direct and commanding, suddenly gives way to the friendly, kindly elderly man I know better. "I know it's a lot to take in, son, but there is such strength in you. I've never seen anything like it, in all my years."
"'It's a good thing that you fear God alone, according to Ms. Prior, because everyone else is depending on your courage."
He smiles at me and stands up. "Enough of that for now! Why don't you go check on the others, see what they've done with the new training program, and then get some dinner?"
"You should come with me," I say, feeling a bit guilty about my earlier accusation.
He shakes his head. "No, thank you, my friend, but I think I shall stay here. There's something I want to take a closer look at. But I wouldn't mind at all having a slice of that excellent cake."
When we come back to the control room after dinner a couple of hours later, I realize I should have asked Linus who was second on that list. We find him on the floor in front of the computer in a pool of blood and brain matter. Whoever shot him left nothing to chance.
Cara screams and buries her face in Leo's shoulder, while Fernando throws up. Uriah and I just look at each other, and I nod, squeezing Tris's hand tight. Tomorrow, we move to a safe house.
