Beatrice was led down the alleys and into the basement of an abandoned building. She was quiet, observant, and left wondering how they were supposed to get out of the city from inside of a building. Her eyes widened as two more men joined them.

"Guys, this is Beatrice. The short one is Jones, and the one with the fat lip is Briggs. I'm Four."

She wondered if everyone outside of the city had such odd names. "Hello." It was barely more than a whisper, and she bowed her head in the only greeting she knew. Briggs laughed.

"Hi," Jones said, shooting Briggs a look.

"You stick with me," Four muttered under his breath. She took a step closer to him.

She watched as they pulled a shelving unit aside and pressed on the wall, revealing a perfectly hidden doorway. Four stepped through and offered his hand to her; Beatrice hesitated for just a second before taking it. Her eyes immediately focused on the gurney and she backed up, panicked, only to run into someone.

"You're not having second thoughts, are ya, sweetheart?" Briggs said from behind her. Four's eyes snapped to him.

"Enough." Even Beatrice understood it was a command to be taken seriously. "Get the gurney." Briggs let out a loud breath and knocked into her as he passed by.

"Don't mind him," she heard, and turned to see the other guy ― Jones ― smiling at her. "He's an ass."

Briggs led the way, and Four motioned with his head for her to follow. He held a dim light, so she focused on that as they walked. She heard only their footsteps and the gurney as it rolled along, until a few turns resulted in another door. Briggs swiped his card; there was a beep followed by the door opening. Her mouth fell open when she saw the clean, well-lit room and a van that looked to be in working order.

"Ever been in one?" Four asked. She closed her mouth and shook her head. There weren't many cars in Abnegation; it would have been too selfish to accept a ride in one anyway. "I'll drive slowly, then."

He opened the door for her, and she was surprised at how comfortable it was when she sat. Much more comfortable than the bus, and she didn't have to worry about giving her seat up to anyone. Four walked around to the other side and climbed in. "Ready?" She nodded. He started the car, and she felt herself tense; there were lights and buttons everywhere, and an obnoxious dinging noise sounded throughout. "You have to put on your seatbelt." Her head whipped to the left, and she watched as he reached behind him and pulled some kind of strap across his body, clicking it in place. She fumbled around for a second, and did the same. The dinging stopped.

Her stomach lurched as the van began to move. She knew how she must seem to them ― sheltered and naive ― but she didn't care. They clearly understood where she was from, so they had to expect this type of reaction from her. Her eyes were glued to the road, watching the tunnel light up as they drove, and she felt anticipation rising in her when she could finally see daylight up ahead.

Beatrice wasn't sure what she had expected to feel once they emerged, but disappointment wasn't it. There was nothing but trees and sparse grass and an old road that seemed like it could have been transplanted from the city. It looked exactly like the pictures she had seen in her history book.

"Hey," Four said softly. She turned her head to see one side of his mouth lifted a little higher than the other. "Look in the mirror." She stared at him for a moment until he motioned past her with his head. She turned towards the window; she hadn't even noticed the small mirror attached to the side of the van. The wall loomed larger than life in it, even though it was far away. Her heart rate increased when she realized she had never seen this side of it. "It'll be okay," Four said. She wasn't sure why, but she felt relaxed around him.

Her eyes scanned every inch they could as they drove. When another building started to come into view, she sat a little straighter. They passed it, and again it looked like some weird factionless transplant from home. The decrepit road, the shambles of a building: perhaps the war really had been as bad as they had said.

The buildings grew in number as they continued. Some of them looked worse than anything in the factionless sector, while others looked like they just needed to be dusted off before they could be habitable again. Some were as large as the one Abnegation hosts the Council meetings in, while others were no bigger than her own home.

They also passed signs with pictures and words she didn't understand. Most of them were faded or torn, but there were still pieces of them there: a smiling mouth, a toothbrush with the word Colgate underneath, a glass filled with something brown. She tried to guess what word the letters OLA belonged to, but came up blank. She eventually gave up trying to make rhyme or reason out of any of it. Nothing made sense.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked.

"It's kind of hard to explain without seeing it. We'll be there soon, though." She nodded her head and looked back out the window. She didn't have to look in the mirror anymore ― she could see the Hub towering over the wall in the distance. She leaned her head against the cool glass and caught her reflection in the mirror. She knew she should look away, but she didn't.

Her ears perked and she turned her head when Four cleared his throat. "We're here."

The first thing she noticed was a fence. She looked at Four with concern on her face, but he just motioned for her to look ahead. The road took them directly to a little building.

"Hey, Four," a woman said. "Out doing patrol?"

"Extraction."

"Oh." The woman looked around him and gave a very quick nod to Beatrice. "Just need your badge." He unzipped his jacket and handed it to her. She scanned it, looked at her tablet, and handed it back to him.

"Quick run," she said.

"Good subject," he replied. The woman glanced at her once more before pressing a button. A loud buzz startled Beatrice, but the gate started to move and suddenly they were inside. They drove for a short while until they came upon another gate. They went through the same routine, and Beatrice got the same look, from a man this time, but she was too distracted by the enormous building in front of her to notice.

"This," Four said with a sweep of his hand, "Is the Bureau of Genetic Welfare."

"The what?"

He let out a small laugh while she stared on in confusion. "Just trust me when I say you're going to have to come inside to understand."

She looked over, wanting to distrust him, looking for any reason to think that this was a bad idea, but she couldn't find one. Again, his eyes caught her attention, and they brought a sense of familiarity along with the instinct to trust. She gave him a small nod and watched as he got out of the car.

She looked at her own door, but didn't have the first clue what she should do. By the time she noticed a handle that looked like it could be pulled, Four was already opening it for her. She leaned forward, then shook her head when she realized she was still strapped in. She looked at where the belt connected and pressed the red button. Nothing happened.

"It sticks sometimes," Four said. She pressed it again, more firmly, but it held fast. "Here, let me." He reached over her and she held her breath as his forearm rested lightly against her hip. He tried not to think about their proximity as he pressed and wiggled until it let go.

"Thank you," she breathed out.

"You're welcome."

She hopped out of the van and followed Four toward a set of glass doors. She could see some people inside, but they looked nothing like she had imagined. They looked like people, of course, but their clothes and their hair and even the way they walked was foreign to her. Beatrice was used to a life of making herself small and unnoticed; these people walked with confidence, almost like the Dauntless.

Inside, a variety of sounds and smells assaulted her all at once, leaving her unable to separate or identify any of them. Four held out his badge again, this time to a woman with a wide smile who wasn't much taller than Beatrice. She scanned it and looked quickly from her tablet to Four to Beatrice.

"David will want to see her right away," the woman said.

"No, she's not ready. Let's get her in the dorms and out of those clothes if she wants. A hot meal, too. It's almost dinner and the cafeteria isn't happening tonight." The woman nodded as she started to type something on her tablet. "Oh, and Zoe? Set me up with her." Zoe looked from Four to Beatrice and back, a smile growing on her face.

"I know I promised you answers, but let's get you out of the main unit and into someplace more private, okay?" Beatrice didn't know what to think, or even where to look, so she just nodded and followed Four like a little child following its parent. They took a few turns, which she tried to memorize, but gave up after a while. She was surprised to see Zoe meet back up with them so quickly.

"So, let me properly introduce myself: I'm Zoe."

"Beatrice."

"I know. So listen, I know this is all scary and new, but between me and Four, we're gonna get you situated, okay? I have someone from the kitchen bringing you some food, and someone from housekeeping is grabbing some clothes for you if you want to change. We'll get you a tablet and let you navigate with it while we tell you all about the program and testing, and get a meeting set up with David, and―"

"Zoe," Four interrupted. He was watching Beatrice try to wrap her head around every word that was coming out of Zoe's mouth.

"Oh, sorry! I forgot that you don't really know what I'm talking about. Four will get you settled then, and I'll be by to check on you in a little bit." She smiled, and Beatrice tried her best to return it. "Two and three," Zoe added before leaving again. Beatrice didn't even realize they had stopped walking.

"It's a bit confusing at first, but you'll get it soon," Four reassured. "Which room would you like?"

"Room?"

"Yeah." Four motioned in front of him to the doors right next to each other with a large two and three on them.

"Oh. Umm, three, I guess."

He opened the door and waited for her to go inside. It looked remarkably similar to her room in Abnegation: a twin bed, a dresser, and a desk. No window, though. Based on all the turns they took it made sense, since they seemed to be nowhere near an outer wall.

"Housekeeping," a woman said from behind them. She was in a green jumpsuit and was pushing a small cart full of various items. "Oh," she said, looking at Beatrice. "Zoe didn't tell me you were so small! No matter. Take what fits, and leave the rest in here. I'll bring you some smaller things tomorrow. There are some toiletries in here, and sheets for your bed, too. Oh, and there's an extra blanket in one of the drawers." Four took the cart from her and wheeled it into the room, thanking the woman.

"Do you want to shower or change or anything?" Beatrice didn't know how to answer the question, so she shook her head. "Okay, there's no rush. I know they're sort of persistent, but like Zoe, they tend to forget that you don't know anything yet. Speaking of which, let me go and get a tablet, and then we can talk." He gave her a tight smile, and left her alone.

Unsure of what to do, she made the bed and picked up a few articles of clothing before setting them back down. Blue, green, red, black, brown. She had never dreamed of wearing anything like what she'd been brought. She was torn between wanting to never take off her simple gray clothes, and wanting to burn them so she never had to see them again. She turned when she heard a knock on the door.

"Ready?" Four asked, and she nodded. He motioned for her to follow him, and they walked down the hallway to a small room outfitted with a couple of tables, a couple of couches, and a large green plant. For some reason it struck her as out of place.

"This is just a common room," Four said as he led her to a table with food on it. "I know you're in no rush to get out there and be bombarded with questions."

"Or tests," she said as she sat down.

Four raised an eyebrow and joined her. "Or tests."

They ate soup and sandwiches in silence. While it was a common meal in Abnegation, she had never had soup like this before. It was so full of chicken and noodles and vegetables, completely unlike the watered-down version Abnegation made. And the sandwich, a simple cheese one, was hot and delicious. She devoured both like she was factionless, and felt heat creep up the back of her neck when she realized Four was watching her. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," he said, waving his hand. He slid the other half of his sandwich over to her. "I remember the first time I had real food, too." She eyed him for a second before pushing the plate back.

"Beatrice, this isn't Abnegation. You don't have to live by those rules anymore." She contemplated his words for a moment, then nodded, taking the sandwich when he offered it again. When she was finished, Four slid his chair a little closer to hers and set the tablet down between them. He showed her how to turn it on and off, and how to navigate her way back to the starting point if she ever got lost.

They began their evening by looking at pictures of cities before the war. Her eyes were glued to the screen as he took his time scrolling through each one until the smiling faces and beautiful scenery slowly gave way to ugly, violent images. Her heart ached at the looks of anguish and terror and anger on people's faces, and she was left wondering what could create such a change.

"Genetics," Four said, as if reading her mind. "There were scientists who thought if they could find a way to take all of the bad attributes out of people, they could create a perfect society. They asked for volunteers and about half the population stepped up. But things didn't go like they planned and the bad traits became the dominant ones. The people were violent, destructive. They stole and killed and slowly destroyed themselves one by one." He paused, allowing Beatrice a moment to process.

Her face was unreadable to him, but her heart and her mind were racing. She reached out and took the tablet. He watched as she scrolled through the photos, back through the damage to the world that existed before. "I don't understand," she whispered. "They all look so happy. Could it have really been that bad?"

"I don't know," Four stated. He had sometimes wondered that himself. He was surprised at how well she was taking things.

"So, there really was a war?"

"Yeah. The genetically damaged, as they were called, against the genetically pure ― those who didn't volunteer. You saw the damage that was done."

She sat for a moment, thinking about everything she had seen on her way to the Bureau and everything she knew ― or had thought she knew. "So, how do I fit in?"

"Divergent," he said, tapping the side of his head. "It's not as dangerous as you think it is." She raised an eyebrow at him. "The scientists ― the same ones who messed it all up ― their successors tried to find a way to correct the damaged genes. And they set up cities like yours as an experiment."

Her mind raced as she thought about her entire life ― about her family and her schooling and her friends and the factions ― and how none of it was real. She felt like crying; everything she had ever known had been a lie. It was all for nothing. Beatrice didn't want Four to see her break down; he thought she was strong enough to hear the truth, and she didn't want to let him down. She stood up, the chair scraping against the cold tile, and started to walk away. "Beatrice," he called after her, but she closed herself inside of room three and slid down the door as the first tear fell.

"They found the body," Four heard. He looked up quickly. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, looking at the pictures on the tablet and giving Beatrice the space she needed. Zoe's face didn't have its usual smile.

"How are they taking it?"

"The usual. Crying. Comforting." She left when he didn't say anything. He struggled with wanting to let Beatrice know and keeping the pain from her. He sighed and stood; he was startled to find her standing there.

"My parents?" she asked, having overheard what had been said. There was no use in keeping it a secret, so he nodded. She bit her lip; he could tell she had been crying. She looked like she might do it again. Four wanted to comfort her ― she deserved it, at the very least ― but he worried about her upbringing and whether it would make things worse for her. So he waited until her eyes met his. There was sadness on the surface, but underneath was that determination he had seen on the screens.

"It was the only way," he said. She nodded once.

She didn't have to say the words she was thinking out loud; he walked past her and she followed silently. Four made sure she was paying attention to each turn until they ended up in the main unit, where he led her over to the screens. Her eyes were clear and focused again, all signs of crying gone.

"This is the screen bank. It's where we watch the city." He spoke so only she could hear. "It's how we knew about you." While they hadn't gotten into the specifics, she wasn't an idiot. She knew they came to her for a reason. Her eyes went from screen to screen ― from Amity to what looked like Erudite ― until they landed on her parents.

They were inside the Council headquarters. There were others there, and she knew by their looks and their hand gestures that they were discussing what to do about her death. Her heart squeezed tightly as she watched her mother's head fall and her shoulders shake. Her father patted her mother softly on the back; it made Beatrice angry. She was dead, and they were still too polite to properly grieve and comfort each other.

She looked at Four, and for a moment she blamed him for everything. But there was a look in his eye, something akin to sadness, that stopped her. She knew then that blaming him was misdirected. He didn't make this decision; he wasn't the one in charge.

She watched as her parents exited the room. The people in front of her said a few things before the screen changed: she was now looking at what was supposed to be her body. The face could only be described as meat ― it wasn't even recognizable as belonging to a human being. She leveled Four with a glare. This he was responsible for. This she could be upset about. She walked away, not wanting to watch what would happen next.