She had no idea where Tobias might be, so Tris headed back to Matthew, hoping he would know. She knocked, swaying back and forth on her feet until he answered.

"Hey," she said as she walked in, pausing for a moment when she saw Tobias.

"You okay?" he asked, standing immediately. She hadn't been gone nearly as long as he had thought she would be, and her cheeks were rosy.

"Yeah," she said, brushing off his concern and gesturing for Matthew to lock the door. "I just had an idea."

Tobias sat back down, and she took the chair next to him. His eyes roamed over her, searching for any indication of what might have brought her back so wild-eyed and determined. He had to admit that he liked seeing that fire back in her; she was entirely too spirited to be kept down.

"Did you find something?" She interrupted his thoughts as she scanned Matthew's desk. There were a number of piles and assorted loose papers scattered between him and Tobias, many highlighted in various colors.

"Not what we were looking for," Matthew answered, pushing a pile towards her, "But yes."

She raised an eyebrow and picked it up, scanning the highlighted portions. She glanced at both Matthew and Tobias, then leaned forward, taking another pile to look it over. "They're all identical," she said, grabbing another pile to confirm her suspicions. "They have different dates, but the same numbers. What exactly does that mean?"

"It means," Tobias said, "That we're being lied to."

Her whole reason for finding Tobias was pushed aside as she helped them dive into the paperwork. They marked and sorted together, Matthew stopping every now and then to explain to her the different things the Bureau tests and records data on when they visit the outside cities. In the past few years, physical paperwork had been done away with, and everything was now being sent directly to David electronically; he in turn sent it on to the government agency which had oversight of them.

Tris had to pause to wrap her head around things a few times; the idea of a larger government had never really crossed her mind. She shook her head, smiling to herself because she was still stuck thinking of things in too small of a box; it was time to expand her point of view.

"Okay," Matthew said, stretching his back after being hunched over his desk for so long, "We've printed and combed through almost four years' worth of missions and found only thirteen different groupings of repeating data. So, they're either lying about going out there to collect data, or they're falsifying the data they're collecting."

"Are you sure?" Tobias asked.

"One hundred percent. Statistically speaking, the probability of all these variables bearing such close resemblance to each other based on the sample sizes used, the time span involved, and the number of tests performed? Nearly zero. I mean, we've found more differences than that just within the people tested at the compound and the Fringe."

"How come nobody has noticed?" Tris asked.

Matthew shook his head. "The Bureau is a sort of hub of its own. All information for the surrounding areas is bound to this location. There are a handful of other hub-like facilities scattered throughout the country, but being that Chicago is still an active experiment, most of the information from those facilities also comes directly here for comparison."

"So we're at the center of it all," Tris muttered, "And then David relays the information to the government."

"Exactly. He could tell them anything he wanted, and they'd believe him."

Tris sighed. She tapped her fingers on Matthew's desk, her reason for coming here making its way to the front of her mind. "While I was reading my mother's letters, I had a thought." Tobias's head snapped over to her, his eyes conveying the uneasiness he was already feeling. "She was close to David, and he trusted her. He told her secrets and gave her a special mission. Why couldn't I do the same thing? Four, even you said you thought David would treat me differently after this. I mean, if he thinks I'm so special, he'll want me around, right? It might be our best chance."

"Tris..."

"So, let's use it to our advantage," she continued, ignoring Tobias's warning tone. "Let him put me somewhere. If people with pure genes are placed in higher positions, I would imagine he'd want someone like me in a really important position. Maybe I can gain access to places you guys can't, or—"

"No." Tobias stood, trying to ignore the fear that was building inside him. "No way. You don't know what he'll want you to do."

"Four," she said, rising as well. "I'm new here, remember? I can ask a lot of questions under the guise of ignorance. I can get us information."

He paced back and forth, but Tobias knew she was right: between Matthew's computer skills and Tris questioning David, they could probably find out something. He didn't know what they would do with the information once they found it, but he knew it was better than being lied to. He stopped pacing to look at Tris; her face was set in stone, a hand on her hip as she stared up at him. He could beg her not to do it — he definitely thought about it — but it was clear she had already made her mind up.

"Fine," he sighed. He gave her a tight smile that did little to hide his reluctance.

Matthew just looked between the two of them, trying to decide if they had figured out that they liked each other yet. "I could probably speed it up, if you're sure," he said, breaking the small amount of tension in the room.

"How?" Tris asked, turning to face Matthew.

"Easy. I haven't sent David the analysis of your sim footage yet."

Matthew smiled. His fingers flew across the keyboard, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. Tris could feel Tobias's stare from beside her, burning into the side of her head. She was hesitant to look at him; she knew how easily he could be her undoing. She swallowed thickly, turning to see him locked onto her. His eyes roamed, taking in every last inch of her face before finding her eyes. He held her gaze until Matthew turned his screen towards them.

"I embellished a little," he said, his mouth turning up in one corner as they both sat down to read it over.

"Well, why don't you just add in that I can fly," Tris said, raising an eyebrow at Matthew. "Seriously, you don't think it's a little too much?"

"Nah. It's not really lying. I just shaved a few minutes off your time, which will probably happen anyway if you go through it again; he won't pay enough attention to notice the discrepancy. I played up your manipulation skills, your ability to recognize it was a sim, and the fact that you only had six fears — oh, congratulations, by the way. That's an accomplishment in and of itself." He grinned. "Four and Six," he said, pointing at each of them as he tried out the new nicknames. "Almost perfectly usable code names."

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Are you sure?" he said, turning his attention back to Tris. "If we agree to start this, I don't know if we'll be able to back out."

"I'm sure." She looked between Matthew's and Tobias's stares; it had been a while since they hovered over her, making sure she was alright. She smirked, feeling a little nostalgic. "I'll be fine, really," she reassured. Her words didn't stop her heart from beating a little faster as Matthew pressed 'send'.

She was surprised it took David until the next day to send Zoe after her. Tris and Tobias started their day normally, waking early and working out. It hadn't been very long, but she could feel herself getting stronger and she didn't tire as easily. The bag moved a little farther every day as she punched and kicked, Tobias's encouragements pushing her harder. Her confidence was growing, and she was certain if the situation ever arose, she had enough experience to defend herself.

Tobias wiped his forehead with his arm, watching as she walked to the cabinets after their workout, pulling a few knives out. "I should be familiar with at least one weapon," she said. She felt him pass behind her, grabbing a few knives for himself. Tris took a step back, looking over her shoulder as he passed back by. She didn't know how to describe her pull towards him; it was magnetic, instinctive. She smiled when he looked back at her, too, before focusing her attention on the target.

Zoe was beaming when she found them in the cafeteria, wishing everyone around them a beautiful day before singing a salutation to each one of them. "As soon as you finish, David wishes to have a word with the two of you." She pointed at Tris and Tobias, before spinning in place and skipping out of the cafeteria.

"Looks like someone upped their dose of peace serum," Matthew quipped; Tobias snorted.

"Does it really make you like… that?" Tris asked, motioning towards the door Zoe just exited.

"Only if you take too much. Don't worry. She'll come down in a few hours and only be mildly irritating."

Unable to really discuss anything in the crowded cafeteria, they took their time, enjoying what they imagined to be their last moments of normalcy; going through with their plan had the potential to change everything. Tris scooted closer to Tobias, her forearm resting on the table against his; she ducked her head, blushing slightly when Matthew winked at her. It shouldn't have surprised her that he would notice. "Well," he said, looking between the two of them, "Shall we get started?"

Tris was nervous as she walked down the halls with Tobias. She knew that pursuing her idea was the right decision, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier. She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, reminding herself that if her mother could do it, then so could she.

Tobias gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a stop. "If something feels wrong, you can always say no," he said.

"I know."

"No, Tris, I mean it. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this. It's not worth it to risk…" He trailed off, his eyes drifting behind her as his thumb began rubbing circles on her wrist. His eyes found hers. "Only you are in charge of you. We can always find another way." She was amazed by how he could make her feel so important, so cared for, in so few words. She gave him a quick nod before continuing on.

"Ahh, Miss Prior," David said as they entered. "Allow me to begin by saying that I cannot thank you enough for your cooperation. Things may have started off a little rocky, but the information you have provided us will, without a doubt, be seen as invaluable to future generations. Please, won't you sit." He gestured to the seat in front of his desk, a wide smile plastered on his face. His genuinely nice façade brought her fear to the front of her mind; she took the seat, trying to shake it off.

"And I must thank you, too, Four, but I think we can handle it from here. You can speak to Amar and resume your normal duties."

"Sir—"

"Thank you." David looked up at Tobias, his smile completely gone. Tris saw a flash of something behind his eyes; the difference between how he spoke to her and Tobias was palpable.

She turned to face Tobias, knowing that he wouldn't go unless she made him. "Thank you, Four. I appreciate everything you have done to help me get settled." She smiled. His eyes flicked between the two of them before he gave her a firm nod, spinning on his heel to leave them alone.

Tobias strode through the halls, fuming. He had hoped he would have been allowed to stay for their first meeting to assess the situation. And there was another, smaller part that hoped David saw more in him than just being her escort — that he could trust him on more than just issues regarding security and keeping the Bureau safe — but it seemed as though David didn't value anything he had to say about Tris. David had completely written him off; he wouldn't even have her if Tobias hadn't forced him to give her another look. He stopped short, getting looks from the people who had to go around him in the hall. He glared back, shooting some of his hatred for both David and himself at them, as it dawned on him what was really making him angry: Tris wouldn't be in the position she was in if it weren't for him. He stood there for a moment before heading to see Amar.

"Now, Beatrice—"

"It's Tris, now." She smiled when he didn't respond right away.

"Yes, of course. Changes are to be expected, and I appreciate you doing what you feel you need to do to fit in. However, if I'm being frank, I'm at a bit of a loss on where to place you."

She wasn't sure how to reply. He narrowed his eyes just enough for her to wonder if he was testing her. "I'm still not familiar with everything around the compound. Maybe if you told me what you were thinking, we could figure it out, together."

"Four didn't inform you of everything?"

"No," she said quickly. "No, he was fine. I know my way around and have a general idea of everything that goes on, but I have a feeling that he doesn't know even a fraction of what you know. He is just security, after all."

A snarl formed over David's teeth; it made her stomach turn. She was right that David viewed Tobias as a lesser being. She returned his smile, though, needing to sell her superiority above everything else.

They spent the morning talking about finding her housing, how they would continue her schooling depending on where she was placed, and the various positions he had in mind for her. The most important one he mentioned would put her in training to be a part of his council. While it could take years to accomplish, it was her best chance at getting in close, so she steered David in that direction. His questions to her were direct, her answers expected to be the same. Yet her questions to him were answered just vaguely enough that she was always left needing more. While it helped play into her naïve newcomer persona, it wasn't really gaining her anything new.

"I have a serious question, David, and I would appreciate an honest answer."

"Of course, Tris."

"I really want to know what makes me so different. I mean besides my genes."

It was a power-play move, forcing him to open up to her if he wanted to gain her favor. He sat forward, elbows on his desk, his fingers tented up in front of him. She was more apprehensive than she had ever been; she didn't know if he would answer, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear what he would say.

"It's a bit… complicated," he started. "But it really does come down to your genes, plain and simple. Your healed genes tell me that you won't lie or cheat or steal, and that you don't have the desire to harm anyone. You are everything they cannot be." Tris had to work hard to maintain an impassive expression; David had no idea how much she wanted to hurt him for thinking that Tobias was incapable of being a good person simply because of his DNA.

He sighed, continuing on when she didn't respond. "Those that are damaged cannot be trusted; their values are unpredictable and ever-changing. We are generous enough to employ them, yes, but we have to keep a close eye on them. What's to prevent them from, say, harming someone? There have been plenty of arguments here at the Bureau between the genetically damaged, with violence almost always coming into play." His choice of words made her question if he knew that Tobias had hit Briggs. "It's embedded deep inside of them, and the only way to cure it is to cull the damage, and replace it with purity."

"I'm not sure I understand," Tris said. "What do you mean by cull?"

"Perhaps cull is too harsh of a word," he said, sitting back in his chair. "But the mixing of pure and damaged genes isn't going to help our society. We monitor places outside of the Bureau in order to locate the genetically pure anomalies, such as yourself, so we can bring them to safety and ensure that their genes are passed on. By keeping the pure and the damaged separate, we increase our chances of fixing the mistakes that were made in the past."

Tris nodded along, but David's demeanor struck her as odd: he wasn't as engaged as when they first started talking. He had pulled away from her and his voice was slightly higher in pitch. Tris couldn't help but think he was lying to her, though about what she couldn't be sure. She was relieved when he dismissed her with plans to meet the next morning at his office.

There was a door immediately to her right that led outside. She burst through it, relaxing immediately; it was hard to not feel stifled inside the building, especially after spending so much time with David. She took a deep breath, playing back in her mind everything that had just happened. As she stared out at the fields that surrounded the Bureau, a flock of birds landed just inside the fence. She idly wondered why they would choose to land there when they were free to go anywhere.

Amar had dismissed Tobias as soon as he showed up, telling him to take the day and get himself back into the right frame of mind. Tobias appreciated the gesture, but he needed the distraction: without it, he wasn't sure he could keep himself from barging back into David's office and demanding answers. He wandered the compound, his feet carrying him down the familiar hallways of their own accord, until he found himself pushing through the door with the Dauntless flames.

He often wondered if he would have fit in with them. He was glaringly adept at handling a weapon, and he knew he could easily keep up with the qualifications required to become a member. He had watched the screens when he was younger — infatuated with the things his father hated the most — taking notes and practicing on his own, at least until Amar arrived at the Bureau. He became more serious about it then, the two of them forming a friendship the first day they met inside the Dauntless area. Amar had been quick to point out that he needed to keep tension in his core if he was going to succeed at anything other than wearing himself out — advice he had passed on to Tris.

Every thought brought another surge of energy out of him, another reason to vent his frustrations, another hard hit to the bag. The hours passed as his thoughts ranged from his father to George to David to Tris — they always seemed to find their way back to Tris. His pace slowed, his irritations becoming less important as thoughts of her took over. Each hit had less anger, less vitriol, until they stopped altogether. She calmed him and pushed away his demons simply by being there, by treating him as if he were no different than her.

She was so unlike anyone he had ever known in his life; he let himself believe for a moment that she really could be the answer to everything. His heart was becoming more invested each day, with every moment that they spent together. It scared him sometimes, all the new feelings he was experiencing. The way she so easily made the awful parts of his life disappear, like they never existed in the first place. If she could do that to him in just a few short weeks, he imagined she could do so much more in a lifetime. Tobias smiled to himself, feeling the heat of his flush on the back of his neck. He had to remind himself that no matter how bold she seemed, she was still fresh out of Abnegation. Even he hadn't lost all of their teachings, and he'd been gone for years. He let out a loud sigh and put away his gloves, too tired to continue the assault on himself.

He stood in the shower, trying to let the hot water wash away all of his thoughts so he could try and relax, change his focus as Amar had ordered. But images of Tris kept coming to him: the way she smiled, her carefree laugh, the way she looked up at him through her eyelashes, the way she tasted on his lips. It was impossibly hard to ignore the thoughts that were invading his mind. He gave in to his body's urges, his pleasure increasing as he thought of Tris, until he reached his peak, his hand hot and sticky.

His ragged breathing and racing heart calmed as he rinsed off. He felt ashamed that he had been thinking of Tris like that, using her for his own gratification, until he convinced himself that it was better to think of someone he cared about rather than some random girl he had never met.

He sighed when he opened the shower door; exhausted and distracted by his thoughts, he had headed straight for the showers without stopping to grab clean clothes. He secured his towel around his waist and gathered his sweat-soaked things, then strode out into the hallway.

Tris assumed Tobias and Matthew were both busy with work. After taking a moment to think over everything, she knew she needed to write her conversation with David down; there was the possibility that they would need to refer to specific details in the future, and any discrepancies could be used as a starting point for them. She rounded the corner to the hallway, noticing that Tobias's door was cracked open as she passed by. A flash of movement caught her eye; she pushed the door further open, her mouth dropping at the sight before her.

"Tris!" Tobias said as he whirled around, catching her wide-eyed and open-mouthed, still wearing only his towel.

Her eyes roamed his body for a moment before making their way to his panicked face. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" She pulled his door, slamming it shut.

Tris covered her face as she stood in the hallway. She had no idea how she could ever apologize enough for barging in on Tobias in the middle of changing. Her entire body felt as though it was on fire, her embarrassment beyond evident in her red skin. She became more flustered when she realized that if she had been just a few seconds later she might have seen even more. But underneath her mortification there was acute curiosity; both for what she saw and what, if she were honest, she'd like to see again. Impossibly, she felt herself get even warmer as the door opened behind her.

Tobias could see the flush on her neck and her arms — the same flush that was across his own face. He'd panicked when she surprised him; catching him mere moments after he had imagined her for his own pleasure was awkward enough, but now he was tasked with explaining what she had seen. It wasn't the easiest thing for him to talk about, and he had hoped he would be able to bring it up on his own terms.

"Tris?" She shook out her hands and turned, avoiding his eyes. He could see hers, though, darting around his torso, trying to piece it together. There was no ignoring it anymore; it was time to tell her the rest of his story.