The first few weeks went smoothly. Tris went about each day the same way, learning what was taught to her, fitting in as best as she could, and contacting the Bureau when instructed. She missed Tobias terribly; it was always Amar or David who answered her check-ins. The Bureau had never intended for her to be in Erudite for very long, so she got her hopes up that she would be extracted sooner rather than later when David made an offhand comment about things not going as quickly as planned. She should have known better, though: the Bureau always seemed to find a way to make things happen when necessary. She shouldn't have been surprised, then, when she walked into the archives the next day to see Victoria scrambling around; normally, the old woman seemed to never leave wherever she was perched.

"Well, come on now," she chastised, prompting Tris to shoot her a look when her back was turned. "I have a lot to teach you, and only a few hours to do it." Tris set her things down and followed Victoria as she hobbled through the rows, disappearing through a door in the back that Tris hadn't noticed before; she stared in disbelief when she saw the room was full of electronics.

"What is all this?"

"It's backup equipment, for emergencies. I have to teach you how to use the recorders. Collin is out in Amity, something about the crops this year, and I can't stand sitting around during meetings and listening to them blather on about nonsense, so that leaves you." Tris eyed the stack of tablets she was standing next to as Victoria turned her back to pick up a recorder. She moved faster than she ever had in her life, snatching one and hiding it under her coat. Victoria turned and shooed her out, none the wiser. Tris allowed her to pass, then hid the tablet between two books at her first opportunity.

"You'll be covering an important meeting, so it is imperative that you listen to me closely and learn how it's done. We cannot have any mistakes, not now."

"Why now?" Tris asked, receiving an annoyed look.

"Times are changing and huge progress is being made. We cannot miss out on what could be one of the greatest moments in our history because you're too busy asking questions."

Tris grit her teeth, keeping every comment that was running through her head to herself, and sat next to Victoria. They spent more than an hour going over the mechanics of using the recorder, then Victoria had Tris recite the instructions back to her word for word. Victoria next drilled her on her responsibilities, protocol, and appropriate demeanor for the meeting. If there weren't a chance of gaining some useful information, Tris would have walked out: she didn't think she should have to put up with being treated like a child. She was finally dismissed with the instruction to have lunch, then head up to Meeting Room B. Victoria left her there while she packed up her things; Tris took a final look around before heading back for the tablet.

She knew there were cameras scattered throughout the campus, but she needed to get a message to her mother. She made a quick trip to her apartment to retrieve the items Matthew had given her, and decided to switch the tablets out while she was at it, placing the stolen one in her bag while she walked with the one assigned to her in her arms. She headed to the cafeteria and sat with Fernando at lunch, talking about nothing in particular while he showed her some spare parts he was tinkering with.

"It creates electricity," he said, holding a small, rectangular box out to her. "But don't turn it on. Accidentally zapped myself yesterday. It still hurts."

Tris smirked as she took it, turning it over in her hand. "Okay, so what exactly are you supposed to do with it?"

"Hey, I didn't say I had everything figured out."

Tris laughed, turning it over in her hand. "Would it power something? Or," she paused, a thought interrupting as she looked at his fingers, "Would it be a weapon?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Not strong enough to be a weapon. Yet," he added, snatching the box back from her. "I bet I could tweak it again. Give a real shock." He looked at her for a moment before standing up. "I have fifteen minutes. I gotta see what I can make this thing do." He shot out of the cafeteria, leaving Tris all alone.

She cleaned her mess and carried her things into a stall in the bathroom, tablet in hand. Quietly, Tris took out the stolen tablet, then found the encryption device and alcohol wipes she'd stashed in her bag. She attached the sticker to the tablet and opened the message program, inputting her mother's address from memory. She sat for only a moment before typing as fast as she could.

Mom-

This might not come as a surprise to you, but I'm alive. I've been at the Bureau; they pulled me out because I'm Divergent. Please don't worry about me. I just needed you to know that I'm safe, and I have someone amazing looking out for me. Someone you once helped. I love you and Dad. Don't respond— I'm destroying the device I'm using as soon as I'm done.

All my love,

Beatrice

She hit send before she had a chance to think twice about it. Tris removed the encryption device and then listened carefully, double-checking that she was still alone, and smashed the tablet on the ground, using her foot as leverage to snap it in half. She ripped an alcohol wipe open and wiped down the remains thoroughly, quickly disposing of them and any errant pieces in the trashcan. She covered it with some paper towels as a precaution, washed her hands, then carried her own tablet out in full view for everyone to see. She figured she should throw out the encryption device somewhere else, just in case the smashed tablet was discovered. She didn't want Erudite to come across the Bureau's technology if she could help it.

Tris's identification card had been given access to the meeting room for the day, and she positioned herself in the chair designated for her upon entering. She adjusted the recorder and sat patiently, curious to find out what was so important, while members of Erudite filtered in, giving her their names to be recorded.

"Caleb Prior." Tris froze for a moment, keeping her eyes down before snapping out of it and typing his name down. He continued on and took his seat without giving her a second look. Her heart was pounding by the time Jeanine entered, obviously not feeling the need to give Tris her name. She sat for a few moments, wondering when the meeting would begin, when people clothed in black began making their way in. They filed past her to take their seats, giving their names as if they had done it before.

"Eric Monroe." She looked up, recognizing the greasy-haired, pierced man that had laughed as he commanded a Dauntless to shoot himself in the head. She nodded and typed his name. Realization came to her as Max and another leader of Dauntless gave their names; her attendance at this meeting couldn't be mere coincidence. She was fairly certain that the Bureau had acted to ensure that she was the one selected to monitor this meeting. Jeanine looked at her, motioning for her to begin recording and Tris complied, eager to get things underway.

"Good afternoon, and thank you for meeting on such short notice," Jeanine began. "I have news for you, but would like to hear your reports first."

"First tests went well," Max stated. "The serum appears to be successful. Each member it was tested on seemed very responsive, some even going so far as to shoot themselves."

Jeanine's eyes narrowed when Eric chuckled. "The guns weren't loaded."

"I see. Were there any Divergents in your samples?"

"No. We have no known Divergents in Dauntless at this time."

"I find that hard to believe," Jeanine retorted. "Every faction has a Divergent population."

"Including Erudite?" Max asked. A cold sneer crossed Jeanine's face. "Dauntless has… let's just say, taken care of our problem over the years. At this point, if there are any, they have managed to evade detection."

"Fair enough," Jeanine said, looking between the two men. "Then this brings me to why I called you here. We are working on another version of the serum, so our plans are pushed back until I can perfect it. We ran a series of tests on a girl from Candor. She was turned over to us for suspected Divergence, and Jack was correct; she was almost able to withstand the effects. Eventually, it took hold, but the results were unacceptable. I need more Divergents to test the serums on."

"And that's where we come in, I assume?"

Jeanine was silent for a moment before nodding her head, adding, "It seems an agreement is necessary."

"What are your terms?" Max asked.

The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop; Tris wondered if the recorder would pick up her breathing. Jeanine looked between a few members of Erudite's council, all of them giving her a nod of approval. Tris was surprised when the final one came from Caleb.

"A position on the new council, in exchange for Divergents."

"Aww, come now, Jeanine. You can do better." A smile crossed Max's face. "We were already promised that."

Tris could see the annoyance on Jeanine's face. "Fine. What would you like?"

Max leaned into Eric first, then towards the woman named Dana. "Two positions on the upper council, but majority leader on the lower council. Also, we would like to be in charge of supply distribution after everything is said and done."

Jeanine mulled it over for a few minutes, not bothering to consult a single person before making her decision. "Agreed."

Tris felt a sense of dread as she watched the Dauntless, smug with their small victory. "Well, then, where should we begin looking?"

"Candor is already cooperating with us willingly, which leaves Amity and Abnegation—"

"What about your own people?" Dana interjected. "You were willing to sacrifice some of ours for your cause. Why not your own?"

Jeanine leveled her with a glare. "Dana, is it?" she asked in a mocking tone. "My people are the ones who created this serum. If I ask them to test their own creation on themselves or their friends or families, do you think they'll appreciate that? Or do you think perhaps they might be a little bit upset?" Dana visibly bristled. "I can't run the risk of them sabotaging anything or walking away from this project. After things are perfected, I will deal with them. In the meantime, we will keep this on a strictly need to know basis, understood? Now, can we get back to business or are you going to ask more questions?" Dana stood and exited the room to chuckles from both sides. "Now, as I was saying, Amity and Abnegation. For now we have to leave Amity out of this — we can't disrupt the pact we have with them, nor the food supply. Abnegation is expendable, but will put up a big fuss if too many of their people go missing."

"What other option is there?"

"Factionless."

Max tented his hands up in front of his face, tapping his fingertips together. "Are we sure about that? I thought Abnegation was the goal."

"By all means, if you can grab a stray Abnegation while they're out in the field, do it. But offering the factionless a few hot meals is enough to get them to come willingly."

Max looked at Eric, who nodded. "How many?"

"As many as you can. The more you grab, the higher our chances of finding the ones we need and achieving success."

"And if they're not what you're looking for?" Max asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nobody is going to miss a few less mouths to feed."

Tris listened to the remaining few minutes of the meeting in a daze; she was sure there was some talk of resource allocation to help offset the added bodies that would be coming into Erudite, but all she could focus on was how nonchalantly they discussed going after the Divergent and the factionless as if they were disposable and nobody cared about them. She cursed herself for sending a message to her mother so hastily; it was too risky to take another tablet, and now she had no way to warn the Abnegation about the plans being set in motion.

She was excused as soon as the meeting ended. Tris packed her things and headed back to her room; transcribing, indexing, and filing the recording of the meeting could be done anywhere. She was wondering what the Bureau would think when they fully realized what the Erudite and Dauntless were trying to do when it hit her — the reason she had to be there to record the meeting was because the cameras in the room had no sound. Tris debated with herself for a few minutes; she wasn't scheduled to call in for three more days, but the Bureau needed to know this information right away. She shut her bedroom door and pulled out the earpiece.

"Tris? Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

Her heart hammered in her chest as Tobias's deep voice came through. "Four," she whispered, adding, "Fine. I'm fine. I just have information that couldn't wait."

"Give me a sec." She could hear him moving around. "Okay, the recorders are on."

She spouted everything as fast as she could, leaving her breathless by the time she was done; his silence worried her. "Four?"

"Shh," he said, and she could hear him moving again. "Recorders are off now. Tris, I'm coming to get you," he said after a moment.

"What? Why?"

"It's not safe. What if they find out about you?"

"Tobias, I told you, I'm fine."

"Tris, you are exactly what they're after. What if they—"

"I know," she said cutting him off, unwilling to hear him say the words out loud. "But you can't come get me. I need to be here. I love you." She ended the communication before he could respond. She fought the tears she could feel welling up and sat down at her desk, spending the rest of the afternoon maintaining the upkeep on her cover.

Tobias raked his hands through his hair. "Told you it was going to be a bad idea if you answered," Amar commented over his shoulder. "You're stressed out now."

"Of course I'm stressed out," Tobias spat. "She's in the middle of the most dangerous situation of her life. Alone."

"Having someone with you isn't always easier, you know."

Amar spun in his chair to face him. Tobias could see the hurt in his eyes; he nodded, understanding Amar had a different kind of pain. George had left the day before without saying a word to Amar. It was better, Tobias knew, considering George was somehow involved, but that didn't make it any easier. "I'm sorry," he said, and Amar gave him a quick nod.

Tris was quiet at dinner, more than usual, and it sparked Fernando's curiosity. "Bad day?" he asked.

"No, not really. Just exhausting, I guess."

"All those words got you worked up?" he teased, a smile crossing his face.

She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that's it."

"We're all meeting up outside in a little bit. You could come, you know. Take your mind off things."

Tris thought for a moment. "You know, maybe I will."

She followed him across an expanse of grass before ending up near a large, metallic sculpture. She looked around at the few people that were there, spotting both Caleb and Cara. She made a face before turning abruptly and walking away.

"I know they're the brains of this class and all, but that's no reason to run away," Fernando said when he caught up to her.

"I'm not."

"Could've fooled me."

Tris huffed and stopped walking; out of the corner of her eye, she could see him staring at her. "Fine. Let's just… keep a little distance."

"Good thinking. Don't want the smart cooties to rub off on us." Tris laughed loudly; Fernando always seemed to find a way to cheer her up.

They kept their distance, talking in a small group that included Karen, and sipped on fizzy drinks. If Tris was honest, she hated the taste; it seemed like she only found it bearable when it was mixed with alcohol. She tried to ignore Caleb, but it became harder as time went on. He seemed to get louder, boasting that he was going to be a part of the greatest development in Erudite history. Most of the people around him fawned over every word he said, possibly hoping to get some of the glory themselves, but Tris noticed that the people she was with seemed to turn their noses up at him.

"A flipping transfer," Karen said.

"Hey."

She smiled at Tris. "I don't mean you. You're nice. He's just… awfully cocky for someone who came from Abnegation."

"Yeah," Fernando added, snorting. "I wonder if Jeanine will just appoint him leader, too."

She watched Fernando for a moment, trying to piece together what he meant by his comment; she wasn't sure it was the right time to question him on it. Tris turned to look at her brother; she was certain there wasn't enough left of the boy she grew up with to care about anymore. It dragged her mood down, yet at the same time she felt relieved; she didn't have to worry about hurting him, she only had to look out for herself.

"I think I'm gonna go," Tris said, the boisterous laughs from the other group tanking her mood even further.

"I'll walk you back. This party sucks." She looked up at Fernando, and offered him a small smile.

They were silent as they walked. Karen had left with them, too, but broke off to head to a different elevator, leaving the two of them alone. Fernando held every door and pressed every button, always allowing Tris to go first. It wasn't something she expected from an Erudite. "You know, it wasn't that bad of an evening," she commented as they approached her door. "Thanks for letting me tag along."

"You can tag along anytime, Mel. Actually," he stopped for a moment and focused on his feet, "I wouldn't mind if we hung out more."

"Yeah, okay."

"You want to have dinner tomorrow?"

Tris scrunched her eyebrows. "Yeah. I mean, we have dinner every night, right? Or am I…" She trailed off as what he said hit her. "Oh!" She wasn't sure who was blushing harder. "I, umm… I'm flattered, but I can't."

"Yeah, sure. No problem. I understand," he said, the words rushing out so fast they almost sounded like one. "Goodnight." Tris felt a little guilty as Fernando raced to his room, slamming the door behind him. She did like him, a lot actually, just not in that way.

Her three weeks in Erudite quickly turned into four, with no new information crossing her path that could be described as even remotely close to useful. She spent her days doing her job and her evenings with Karen or Fernando, their awkward moment almost a distant memory. She still caught him from time to time staring at her, but she simply ignored it, choosing instead to preserve their friendship. It was a compliment, after all.

By the time her next check-in came around, she knew the Bureau was getting desperate. "There's a box," Amar started, "It's hidden underneath the bush on the north side entryway of the Archives building. Drop something, anything, on your way out and grab it. It's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so you won't have to worry about concealing it."

"What do I do with it?" Tris asked.

"It's a small device that you plug into the USB port of a computer. In the library, one of the desk units is partially hidden by a bookcase. It's the only one you'll be able to use without being detected. They're numbered: station thirty-seven. All you have to do is plug it in, and we'll take care of the rest."

"For how long?"

"Until it's detected. Make sure to wipe your prints off the drive before you leave the station. Are we clear?"

"Affirmative," she replied, smirking to herself.

"Copy that. Communicate in seventy-two hours."

"Seventy-two hours. Got it."

The earpiece went silent, and Tris's hopes of leaving anytime soon diminished completely; the Bureau wasn't going to stop until they had what they wanted.

Picking up the box was easy; it was making sure she wasn't seen placing it or wiping it clean that was the real issue. She browsed the nearby shelves, trying to get a feel for the flow of the room. While most people didn't touch the books, they occasionally grabbed one or two and flipped through them. As soon as the group closest to her got up to leave, she made her move.

She sat down, pulling the already opened alcohol packet out of her coat pocket. She used it to wipe her hands before reaching in her pocket and grabbing the tiny drive with it. In one swift move, she set her hand near the computer and pressed it into the port. Nothing visibly happened; she wiped down the keyboard to make it seem reasonable that she had the wipe, and began doing some research. She had already decided that she would research fizzy drink under the guise of figuring out how to make it taste better, a lie that could actually benefit her.

An hour later she was satisfied that nobody was any wiser to what she had done. Tris stood and stretched, tossing the wipe on her way out. Passing the Archives building, Tris saw Victoria through the glass, struggling to pick up some papers she had dropped. Though she had been granted the afternoon to herself, Tris couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the old bat. She heaved a heavy sigh and pushed through the doors.

"Can I help?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you." Tris scrunched her eyebrows: the old woman never seemed to be in any mood other than disgruntled. It wasn't until she had picked up all the papers that she noticed Victoria was crying. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that my husband was rushed to the hospital, and I couldn't get ahold of Collin so I could leave—"

"I'll stay." Tris wasn't overly fond of Victoria, but she did know the importance of family. She hadn't even realized her supervisor was married.

"Thank you, Melody. I've just been inputting these forms into the system. The digital copy is exactly like the paper one. All you have to do is type in the information. If I'm not in tomorrow, there's another stack of these forms on my desk."

"I got it. Take your time."

"These ones will be out of order now…"

"I can handle it. Go check on your husband."

Victoria left without another word, and Tris realized this was a common trait among the Erudite: callous indifference to everything, at least until it involved them directly. For a moment, she wondered if it was because of their genes.

Tris waded through the small stack of papers. After a few, she realized that Erudite was creating a personal history archive of all their members, one that included all sorts of information like faction of origin and parental heritage, and even blood type. It piqued her interest as she watched for transfers, mentally keeping track of which faction came to Erudite most often: she was surprised to learn it was Candor. Lost in the mindless work, it took her a moment to realize she had typed out the name Jeanine Matthews.

She picked the paper up and studied it meticulously, wondering if there was anything useful on it. Jeanine's parents were Stephen and Moira Matthews, both of Erudite origin. She had been at the top of her class, choosing genetics as her field of study. Tris tried to recall whether Erudite had a council then, or if that was a recent change. She lost her train of thought when she noticed that the faction of origin was blank.

Tris flipped through the remaining papers in the stack, then briefly looked through the ones that were on Victoria's desk: not a single one was missing any information. Tris went back to Jeanine's paperwork and scanned it again, finding that this wasn't the only anomaly. All the other files were signed by someone named Deborah Watson, while Jeanine's was signed by Norton. She knew she had to ask Amar to look into it the next time she called in; it was far too odd to let it pass.

The small surge of triumph she felt at finding something dwindled when a flash of gray caught her eye, followed by two more. She was rooted to the spot as she looked out the windows at the Abnegation that were walking past, heading up to the main building, when it dawned on her: they were there to collect donations to prepare for winter.

Tris cleaned her mess and calmed her nerves before she walked outside; somehow she just knew her mother would be with them. She paused for a moment, pretending to take in the clouds that were rolling in — the first signs of a pending weather change. She cursed herself that she didn't even realize how close they were to cooler evenings and falling leaves. When she felt enough time had passed for the Abnegation to get set up and even take a few donations, she made her way through the main entrance of Erudite.

They were huddled in the corner, a few Erudite dropping things into their collection bins; it only took an instant to recognize the slightly different posture and the standard bun that belonged to her mother. Tris hated that she was so new, that she had nothing that had tears or holes that she could donate. She looked around quickly, then tugged on the pocket of her coat, pulling the corner loose. She gave it one hard yank and pulled it half off, leaving a hole and a hanging pocket.

Three steps towards the bins and she had to stop; her mother's green eyes were looking directly into hers. Tris thought there was no way she would recognize her, but then her mother's face softened just a little. They could change her hair or her eyes, but Natalie would know her daughter anywhere. She had checked the program she used to contact the Bureau almost daily hoping for word from the outside, any sliver of hope that would validate her suspicions. The last thing she expected to receive was a message from Beatrice herself, attached to an Erudite address.

Tris pulled her jacket off slowly, and walked forward; her mother's eyes were already dampening. Tris gave her a smile and a nod, and handed her the coat. Their fingertips touched briefly, and she longed to hold her mother's hand one more time, to have her wrap her arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. They were frozen in place, until a memory snapped her out of the moment.

"Erudite is testing mind control serums," she whispered. "Dauntless will target the factionless and Abnegation to get test subjects." Her mother held her eyes for just a moment longer before taking the coat from her and placing it in the bin. Natalie gave her a nod and Tris turned away; it was admittedly the hardest thing she had ever done. She looked towards the elevator, startled to see Caleb. His eyes shifted from their mother's subtly anxious expression, to Tris, and then back again. Tris turned to the right, aiming for the cafeteria.

"Wait." She ignored him and upped her pace, until she felt a firm hand on her arm.

"Ow! Let go!" she yelled, trying to wrench herself free. The people closest to them stopped and stared, trying to judge if they needed to intervene or not.

"What did you say to that woman?" he asked, pushing her into a corner.

"What woman?"

"The Abnegation woman who took your jacket."

"I thanked her. Can't I be polite?"

He grabbed her firmly by the jaw, turning her head left and right; Tris held still, trying to keep calm. He let her go, but looked her over once more. She let her tears well up; the people nearest them were starting to crowd around Caleb. She closed her eyes, opening them to a familiar voice.

"Mel? What's going on?" Fernando was looking between her and Caleb; his eyes landed on her red jaw before flitting to Caleb's hands and back. "Come on," he said, trying to maneuver between the two of them.

Caleb held his arm out, stopping him. "No," he said. "She needs to come with me."

A/N:

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, and that Santa was good to you. :)

It's hard to answer questions if you review without an account, so to the guest reviewer who keeps asking how long Tris is going to be in Erudite: she's been there for a month now, and it doesn't look like she's going anywhere soon. Ultimately, you'll just have to wait and see...

Thank you for all your follows and favorites and reviews!