thanks to everyone who's reviewed! i appreciate the feedback. apologies for any typos. this chapter is kind of a slow one, but read and enjoy.

Chapter 13

Natalie

I feel my brother jolt awake and release my hand. I open my eyes and I am disoriented. I cannot remember where I am. I remembered feeling the kitchen table around my body. I remember crying. I remember my home being destroyed under my body.

Then I shake my head and focus on the scene in front of me. I am in the Hancock Building. I am back in the past where I see the faces of my future parents, Christina, Cara, my Uncle Caleb, Uriah, and Zeke all drained of color. Their eyes are wide and some of them are glossed over. My nineteen year old mother's eyes are full of tears. My twenty-one year old father is sweating profusely looking at me with eyes full of horror. His hands are trembling.

"My God…" Zeke whispers as he puts his face inside his palms. "Was that real?"

I look over to my brother who is sitting up on the floor with his head lowered and body shaking and jumping. His eyes are sunken and dark, he is not fully awake yet.

I rush over to him and hold his face carefully.

"TJ. Wake up." I say shaking him by his shoulders.

He does not respond. His eyes are streaming now. His lips are chapped and quivering.

"What's wrong with him?" Cara asks nervously.

"He's not out of his memory yet." I say still trying to shake him awake. "He's still inside his own head. He has to wake up."

"Tobias!" I shout pleadingly. My father looks over at me thinking I called him.

"It's my fault." TJ moans. "It's my fault."

"No it's not! Remember TJ. Remember."

"I didn't say anything. I could've…I could've…" He says darkly his mouth forming into a shadowy grimace. His tears are streaming along his cheeks hard and I wipe them with my fingers.

"TJ. You are not responsible for what happened. You have to wake up. Mom and Dad need us. We're here to help them, remember? Uncle Caleb sent us back. He sent us back so we can stop this from ever happening. Please come back to me."

I feel a soft, but calloused hand touch my shoulder. I look back and see my mother crouch next to me. She's smiling weakly and fighting her own tears. She puts a hand on TJ's face and he looks at her, eyes still dark and distant.

"TJ." She begins softly. "Can you hear me?"

He touches her hand and grips it. He sobs. "Mom."

She nods slowly. He sniffs and says "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

My mother shakes her head and says "You have no reason to be. TJ, if you're going to help us, help me, then you have to wake up. You're in a memory. You can wake up now. You know that."

He nods slowly and wipes his face.

"Now." Mom says gripping his shoulder. "Wake up."

TJ's eyes grow brighter and he blinks slowly. He breathes hard, his chest undulating quickly, but progresses to a slow exhale. My brother's face relaxes and his tears stop slightly when he looks up at my face and our mother's.

I sigh in relief and sit back on my legs. TJ wipes his face again with his forearm and clears his throat.

"I need some air." He mumbles as he gets up and walks quickly out the room onto the balcony where the zip line is.

I push my hair back out of face and hold my forehead. My brain feels fuzzy and warm like I've drank a strong cup of liquor too quickly.

"What…how did you all do that?" Christina asks slowly. "What was that?"

I look at her and everyone. "Resurgents can access more of their minds than average humans. We have the ability to remember everything in detail and are able to project our memories to others through touch. But Uncle Caleb's device allows us to stream our memories through it, instead of holding on to everyone else. But it's dangerous. Memories are fragile, they can easily be lost, broken, or even rewritten. When we show you a memory, we're not only projecting the image, we're reliving it. We feel everything again."

"So…seeing Tris and Four…and your house be destroyed…that's wow. I don't know if I could…I'm not sure I would be strong enough to relive that." Uriah whispers terrified.

I look to my mother who's staring at me with a deep sadness in her eyes and face. My father shakes his head and I feel a twinge of anger soar through my veins.

"You still don't believe?" I ask coldly.

He says nothing for a few seconds and breathes. "No. I do."

My face widens in shock and so does my mother's.

"What made you believe?" Mom asks him curiously.

"The haircut…nobody else cuts hair the way I do. My father taught me how to cut it just like that. Besides, I thought if I ever had a son, well I'd eventually teach him how."

I smile at him and say "Out of everything, the haircut did it for you?"

My father for the first time today, gives me a grin and says "Also, gun under the stairs. I'm the only person I know who would think to do something like that. The way the future me put butter on his muffin in the mornings, I move the knife exactly like that. I counted the number of strokes. It's six, exactly."

Uncle Caleb looks at his trembling hands, his face glistening with sweat and he breathes slowly "I have…a son?"

I nod slowly and say "Yes. Andrew."

He looks at me and then at my mother who's giving him a careful smile.

"He dies?" he whispers darkly.

I shake my head. "No. Andrew didn't die in the attack. He was badly injured, but he survived. You'll see."

"So…that's what we're having. A boy." He mutters a loud to himself.

My mother raises and eyebrow to him and clears her throat.

"Caleb…do you have something to tell me?" She asks sternly.

My young uncle's lips quiver and his cheek muscles jump nervously.

"Susan…she didn't…we didn't know how to tell you. She was worried because we weren't married. We haven't really seen each other. That's why I've been spending all night at work. She doesn't really know what to do. Nor do I. But I've seen him. I've seen my son. Our child. So…that must mean…it'll work out?"

He peers over at me and I want everything to spill from my tongue, but as I look at his face, I see the uncle I know sixteen years from now. I can't say too much. But they will work things out. I can't say how, nor do I really know how they did.

I give him a silent nod. Luckily, that's good enough for him. He wipes his brow and sighs in relief.

"Okay, that's wonderful." Cara interjects cutting through the silent glances everyone was giving me. "You've proven that this future you come from is real. I don't deny that you are definitely Tris and Tobias' daughter, or at least you've convinced us you are."

I feel my face tense with annoyance. How much more did I have to prove?

"I don't need to 'convince' you all of anything. That actually happened. We have more to show you. You'll see for yourself."

Christina shakes her head and says "I don't need to be convinced anymore, Natalie. I see Tris and Four in you. You're so much like them. You remind me a lot of your mother when I first met her and your father. I'll help you no matter what."

I feel gratitude bubble in my chest and I close my eyes and sigh "Thank you."

She chuckles and says "So I write books in the future, huh? Neat. Do they sell well? I guess so if you have to read about them in school."

I laugh and Uriah huffs "Where I am though?"

I begin to respond, when my father says sternly "That's not important. What's important is understanding what we've just seen. I have questions."

"So do I." My mother says next to me.

"I can only answer what I can."

They nod in unison and I get lost briefly in my mother's eyes as they connect with my father's. Even now, I see so much love in them.

"First, do Tris and I die in the explosion? What was that light?"

I shake my head slowly and say "No. We thought you did though. The Department of Genetic Defense kidnapped you both. You saw TJ was the first to notice them and interact with them. The girl from the lunch room, she's a Resurgent agent. R5, is what they call her."

Zeke nods and says "She seemed pretty deadly. But so does TJ. I've never seen anyone move like that. You all really are freaky."

My mother glares at him and he shrugs "Sorry Tris. I mean, that's not normal. The kid almost punched through a metal locker. That's definitely not something most people can do."

"So Resurgent abilities. They're really genetic. What happened you two were dropped in a pool of chemicals when you were a baby?" Christina asks. Uriah snorts, but her question is serious.

"No, the gene is hereditary. It's passed on from the parents." comes my brother's strong and deep voice. He walks back in and looks much better. His eyes are fully awake now and his face is alert.

"So you're saying, Four and Tris can do those things?" Caleb asks curiously. He sits up straight now on the floor.

My mother and father look at me and my brother expectantly. I shake my head and say "No they cannot. The way the gene works is, it's passed on through generation after generation. Sometimes it's active, sometimes it skips. Resurgence in genes occurs when both parents are Divergent. My father is not Divergent, but my mother is. So was my Grandmother Natalie. Our grandfather, Marcus is Divergent however."

"So…what does that mean?" Zeke asks scratching his head bewildered.

"Even though our father isn't Divergent, he's still highly resistant to serums and simulations. It's complicated, but from what we know in the future and what is in the file that we need to destroy, the Resurgent gene comes from the father and the Divergent gene comes from the mother. To break it down this way—well hold on."

My brother walks over to our black backpacks and fumbles inside the large zipper for something. I watch him closely and then he turns around with his large sketchbook and an ink pen.

"You couldn't leave that behind, could you?" I sigh irritably.

He doesn't respond as he sets the book on the floor and opens it to a blank page. TJ uncaps the pen with his mouth and begins to make several, short strokes on the page. It takes him about a minute before he stops moving. He holds up the page and on it there are square with names inside and lines connecting them.

"A family tree?" Cara asks moving in closer so she could see it.

"So, this is Mom and Dad." He says pointing with his finger to our parents. They are separate squares but a short line connects them together in the middle. Above each square are other ones, three on mom's side and two on Dad's.

"Grandma Natalie, was Divergent and Grandpa Andrew had a suppressed Resurgent gene and it skipped both my mother and Uncle Caleb. However the Divergent gene did pass along to my Mom."

TJ shifted over to the left, his finger hovers over Dad's name.

"Marcus, was Divergent, and we found out Grandma Evelyn had the Resurgent gene from her father but it never manifested. So when Dad was born, he got both the Resurgent and Divergent gene. But Marcus' Divergence was stronger than Evelyn's Resurgence. Or rather the genes conflicted. He wasn't Divergent or Resurgent, but he had both traits. The resistance to serums and simulations most importantly. I'm not sure what Resurgent traits he has or if any. We don't know much about it."

TJ then pointed down to our names and said "The Resurgent Gene activated in us. So did the Divergent gene."

"But if you're saying you have both, then that means people with a Resurgent gene cannot resist serums or simulations." Cara says studying the neatly drawn chart my brother is holding.

I nod and say "Exactly. The DGD knows that. That's how they get Resurgents to usually fight for them. Through a special control serum they created by studying our genes and brains."

Uriah shakes his head and groans. "All this gene shit. I don't understand any of it. It's…just…I don't get it."

"What do you mean when you say 'usually' fight for them?" My mom asks rubbing her fingers against her palms. "Do people with an active Resurgent gene voluntarily fight for the DGD?"

My brother nods and says "Yes. It's because the gene is so rare and usually the abilities that manifest from it are wild and uncontrollable at first, like you saw in my memory, it's scary. The DGD offers refuge and training. They're a privately government funded operation. It's an agency that trains Resurgents how use their abilities to fight for the defense of the city. But that's just a facade, the person who heads the operation only captures them to experiment on their bodies and brains."

"They also sell you the idea that what they're offering is safety because if Resurgents tried to live amongst regular people, then we'd be outcasted, hunted, and eventually killed. When in fact, they're training people like us to do the hunting and killing." I say looking at everyone.

Everyone still looks rather lost when we finish speaking.

"So, why exactly do we need to destroy the file? If this Resurgent gene exists and will activate eventually, what good would it do?" Uriah asks.

"We need to destroy it because whoever started the experiment back up and the DGD plans on wiping out every single person who doesn't have an active Resurgent gene. It will be genocide." TJ says darkly.

The room goes immediately silent and I see everyone shift uncomfortably in some way.

"That's why it's important that you see our memories. We can't explain everything or tell you everything, but if you see it for yourself, maybe you can understand better."

"Okay." My father says. "Show us more."

I shake my head. "No more tonight. It's after midnight and besides…it's draining for us. It puts a lot of strain on our minds."

Cara looks down at her watch and her eyes widen a little. "I can't believe we've been here for two hours. I have work in the morning."

She raises up and brushes off her blue chiffon blouse. "I've decided that this Resurgent dilemma is one that is both complex, surprising, and interesting. I believe it's in our best interest to destroy that file. When should we meet again?"

I grin at her and say "Tomorrow. What time does everyone get off work?"

Cara shakes her head and says "I leave whenever I choose."

TJ laughs a little and I look over at him. He hasn't smiled once since we've been here. I forgot how bright it can look.

"Well, I'm working late. Amar has me on patrol starting at eight." Zeke says rising from the floor. "But if I tell him what happened here tonight—

"No." I say sternly. "Amar can't know or help. It's important that he stays out of it. Trust me."

Zeke grimaces and shakes his head. He throws up his hands and says "Okay. You're the boss, kid."

"I don't have to work tomorrow. I need to go see Susan. Then I'm free." Uncle Caleb says. He looks determined and curious like he always has to me.

"Tris and I can leave work early." Christina says looking at my mother who nods.

"I'll be sick then tomorrow." Uriah grins widely at us.

Everyone laughs a little and I look at my father. He sighs and says "Johanna won't be too happy, well—-I don't have to go in tomorrow either."

I shake my head and say "No, you have to go to work Dad. All of you do really. You can't forget about your daily lives here. You have to go about this like everything is completely normal, or whatever that is for you. Don't draw too much suspicion. Remember, we're about to break into a federal building and destroy top secret documents."

Cara nods and says "Very wise, Natalie. I agree. Now what time and will we be back here?"

"I think we should do four o' six in the evening. Get it?" I say nudging my brother who rolls his eyes and cracks a small grin.

"Perfect." My dad says walking over to stand with my mother.

"But we should meet somewhere a little more private." Mom says.

"In Candor, there use to be small private courtrooms. They've kept them all intact as far as I know." Christina says.

"Perfect." I say. "You'll lead us there?"

"Of course. Anything for my, um, niece." She laughs.

Everyone motions to the elevators to leave and Cara, Zeke, Uncle Caleb, Christina and Uriah get on first.

Before he leaves, Uriah leans down and whispers behind his hand to me "So, can you tell me if I'm Uncle Uriah or not?"

His grin is kind and bright and I can't help but laugh. He really is infectious as Mom and Dad told us when we were younger.

"Maybe you'll find out." I grin.

"Sweet. I can't wait to see what you'll show us tomorrow." He says as the doors open and they all pile inside the car.

"Yeah. You'll get to see us train a little. We studied with the Black Lion of Dauntless, so it'll be interesting." I sigh.

Uriah holds his arm out as the doors begin to close and his face, as well as his brother's lean out in shock and amazement.

"What did you say?" Zeke asks slowly.

"What? Us training a little?"

"No. You said Black Lion of Dauntless. That's not possible. He's dead." Zeke says darkly.

"I heard he was a myth!" Uriah says looking at his older brother. "There's no way a guy like him could've existed."

I chew my bottom lip and look nervously at TJ who shakes his head. He pushes Uriah's arm back in the car says "Good night, everyone."

The doors close and we're left alone with our parents who are standing close together.

"What's a Black Lion of Dauntless?" Mom asks curiously.

"You never heard of him? Not even you Dad?" I say looking at my father. He sighs and squints his eyes together.

"Maybe. But—-no. It was something some of the older Dauntless members used to joke about when I was first going through initiation. I never thought much of it. Who is he?"

"You'll see." TJ says coming from the corners with our backpacks. He hands me mine and I push the elevator button to call the car.

"Wait." Mom's voice comes softly as the elevator dings open. I turn to her and so does my brother.

They both look at each other briefly. Mom's eyes are bright and stern as she gazes into my father's indigo stare. They say nothing, but then he nods and looks up at us.

"You can't stay in Dauntless. You should come stay with us." He says firmly.

I feel my heart swell with elation and my face grows hot. I look to TJ who's eyeing me with a slight frown.

"I don't know if that would be smart." He says. "If someone see us with you all, it could ruin everything. We don't even know what kind of damage we're doing right now to our future."

"But TJ…we're already here. We've already revealed so much. Besides there's…there's things that only they can see. We can't invite everyone into our memories."

He grimaces only further and says "We're already being a burden to them."

Mom's face flushes red and she says "Don't be silly, TJ!"

Dad reaches out his long, muscular hand and puts it on TJ's shoulder lightly. TJ looks back at him and his hand with a mixture of perplexity and gloom.

"It doesn't matter. We believe you. You're our children. No matter how weird or crazy all of this is right now. We protected you where you came from, we'll protect you now. We're family."

TJ bites his lip and Mom places her hand on his opposite shoulder and nods lovingly. I look pleadingly at TJ who shakes his head and sighs in defeat.

"Okay. I suppose. But we have to be careful. Very careful."

I grin and then we all step inside the elevator. Mom and Dad stand behind us as we descend down the building. I look over at my brother who's standing directly in front of our father. They look like two mirrors. One longer and the other shorter.

I reach and take my brothers hand into my own and he grips it tight without look at me. I see him smile.

As we reach the lobby, I see the street is completely pitch black, the only lights come from the street lamps lining up down the row. Our parents walk out first and then we follow.

We reach the train tracks and wait for the twelve-fifteen train to come. I imagine what life would be like once this is all over. I imagine peace.

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