Matthew launched into an explanation of how he had volunteered his time about a year ago to help make a surplus of various serums and vaccines for the Bureau to distribute to all their experiments. While the supplies had been given to each scientist under strict protocols, they hadn't been perfectly measured: for every eight vials of serum or vaccine, there typically had been enough left over to make a ninth. They were instructed to discard their leftovers from each batch, but Matthew had saved them, lying about broken vials to steal them and hoard a surplus for himself.

"I just wanted to be prepared, to have a backup plan of my own," he said, shrugging. "Guess that's what years of realizing something's not right does to a person."

"How many vaccines do you have?" Amar asked, impressed that Matthew had had the foresight to prepare for any eventuality.

"Enough."

"Do I want to know why you have memory serum, too?"

Matthew looked at his watch, ignoring the question. "I should be able to get back here in fifteen minutes. Is that enough time to formulate a plan? Because the cameras are probably back up by now, so we've lost the small amount of cover we had. If we're going to do this, we need to move quickly."

"We'll make it work," Tobias said.

Matthew took a deep breath, giving himself a chance to organize his thoughts, when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. "I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to go anywhere alone." Cara was staring up at him, a determined look on her face. "I'll go with you."

"No!" Caleb stepped between the two of them, quickly clearing his throat. "I mean, I'll go. You stay here."

Cara looked back and forth between Caleb and Matthew before agreeing. While she appreciated Caleb's enthusiasm for keeping her safe, she would have to remind him that she could handle herself. It had been her, after all, that had come up with the plan to get everyone out of Erudite. Matthew and Caleb slipped out of the room quickly, leaving the others to discuss what needed to happen.

"It's airborne," Amar reminded Tobias, "Which means once we release it, there's no stopping it, and it's going to affect everyone."

"Shit," Tobias muttered. Not everyone at the Bureau was responsible for what was going on, and they didn't all deserve to have their memories wiped away any more than the people in the city did.

"How many people are here?" Cara asked, stepping forward.

"Not sure of the exact number. Six hundred, maybe closer to seven."

"There's roughly five thousand people in the city. Probably more, because I don't think the factionless counts are accurate. While it's not ideal, there will be less of a loss generated here than in the city."

"Is there any other way?" Christina asked. "Can't we just find the people responsible and arrest them?"

Tobias slowly shook his head while Amar appeared lost in thought. "There is a chance that could work," Amar said, chewing the inside of his cheek while he calculated numbers. "But there are only eight of us in our group who know how to handle a gun, and just four that have the actual training to do anything like this. Bureau Patrol consists of one hundred and twenty-seven trained soldiers and reservists who might possibly have been ordered to shoot us on sight. It's clearly the bigger risk."

"I concur," Cara said. "We don't have the time to try and recruit more people to help at this point, so memory loss here is the lesser of two evils and the safest choice for us. So how do we go about doing this?"

Amar explained that the serum worked like a virus: once it came into contact with a host, it would easily spread to anyone else the host encountered. Maximum exposure would guarantee a quick rate of infection, leaving them a rough timeframe of a few days in which to help Bureau residents relearn basic information about themselves. They would help whoever they could; as long as David and those who helped him were held responsible and the city was free to make its own decisions, that was what mattered the most.

"Air ducts," Cara said as Matthew and Caleb slipped back into the room. "Is there an intake somewhere nearby?"

"Closest one is down the hallway that leads to the conference rooms and David's office," Matthew said. "Why?"

"Of course it is," Tris muttered.

"We need the memory serum to spread as much as possible. An air duct will be the fastest way," Cara added.

"Ahh, right. There's one towards the back of the research labs if that makes you more comfortable."

"No," Tobias said. "We need to move fast. We'll go for the closest one."

The vaccines were passed around, everyone helping to inoculate one another. Caleb and Matthew were talking quietly in the corner, Cara watching as they assembled a crude mechanism to disperse the serum.

"You okay?" Tobias asked Tris, pulling her away from the group. She kept her eyes down, but nodded. He placed his fingers underneath her chin and gently lifted her face until she was looking at him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I tried to get to you sooner."

"Tobias, please—"

"It was all I could think about," he continued. He needed her to know that he didn't willingly leave her there alone to fend for herself. "I confronted David, demanded that we go in and rescue you, and instead he locked me in a cell. Tris, it killed me to watch you go through the things that you did."

"You saw?" Her eyes darted back and forth as they began to fill.

"I saw everything, Tris. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She nodded and stepped forward, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. She felt so safe, so secure in his embrace that she didn't want it to end. She wanted to stay in that moment and forget that everything else existed but the two of them. "I love you," he whispered. She nodded, unable to say the words back. Tris knew she loved him, but after everything that had happened, she needed to take some time for herself to adjust and deal with the loss of her parents. It somehow felt wrong for her to love when they no longer could.

"Can I have a minute with Caleb?" Tobias took a deep breath and let her go, heading to Caleb to send him over. He looked nervous as he went to his sister. Tobias watched her hold out their parents' rings for him to see. He had to fight the urge to put some of the blame on Caleb; whatever Tris decided — to forgive or to blame — he would do his best to respect it. After a few moments, he watched as Caleb brought his hands up to his face and Tris barreled into him, her arms squeezing him tight. The small group quieted, watching the siblings as they reconciled, giving them a little time to grieve together.

"We should move," Amar said, Tris pulling away at his words.

"Wait." Matthew pulled out a few extra vaccines. Tris walked over, taking them all. "Caleb and I already decided we'll be the ones to deploy the serum. We'll give you five minutes." He looked at his watch, prompting Amar and Tobias to do the same. "There are only three vials, so you'll have to decide who gets them and who doesn't."

Amar immediately reached out and took one from Tris. He knew George would be in his office at this time. He rolled the syringe between his fingers, debating on whether he deserved it or not. George had turned into someone he hardly recognized anymore, but he was still George and he still loved him. He looked to Tobias who gave him an affirmative nod.

"Neil," Tris said. "Any objections?" Nobody said anything. "Okay. Then that leaves one, so speak up."

"Emma," Tobias responded quickly, and Tris turned to look at him. She knew how important Emma was to Tobias. The tattoo artist had been one of the first people to learn his secret, and to give him comfort and guidance in choosing how to deal with that pain. She looked to the others, who seemed to have no objections, and handed Tobias the last syringe.

"Okay. Five minutes," Tobias said. "Is there anyone who wishes to not be a part of this?" He looked around at the faces slowly shaking their heads, and took it as a sign that everyone was willing, until his gaze landed on Cara. She was holding her head high, but Tobias could see the fear in her eyes. "Cara, it's fine if you want to stay here. In fact, I'd prefer it if you felt like you were going to be in the way."

"No," she said, her voice slightly wavering. "I can do this. Just tell me where I'm needed."

"Let her go with Ben," Ruby said. "She can be his lookout. I'll take all the newbs with me directly to the hangar. Can you handle that?" Cara nodded emphatically. She quickly followed Jones out of the room, the two of them needing more time to cut the power and trigger the emergency beacons for the second time that day.

"Good. Everyone else clear on the plan?" Tobias waited for them all to agree again, and looked to Matthew who gave him a thumbs up.

Zeke, Uriah, and Christina all checked their guns, then huddled around Ruby who instructed them to shoot to kill anyone trying to stop them before they reached the hangar. If no planes had been deployed yet, it was up to them to make sure it stayed that way. Matthew worked to make Caleb look more relaxed. He tossed his Erudite coat aside, ruffled his hair, and undid the top few buttons of his shirt in an attempt to make him look more like one of the scientists and less like an outsider. Tobias had his eyes locked on Tris the entire time, watching her shift back and forth on her feet as her eyes drilled a hole in the floor.

"On my mark," Amar said, catching everyone's attention. Everyone with a watch held their arm up, pressing the timer when Amar said, "Now."

Ruby quickly led the Dauntless out of the room; their destination was the farthest away. Within twenty seconds of their departure the power cycled down, leaving the others free to head out as a group. Bureau members milled around the compound, complaining loudly about how the power grid was failing and the infrastructure wasn't what it used to be. Tris found Neil easily; she apologized as she told him to stay calm and that she wasn't going to hurt him. He nodded and flinched when she discreetly pressed the needle into his arm. She apologized again and quickly left to where Tobias was waiting; Neil stared on as he tried to piece things together.

"Where would Emma be?" Tris asked as they hurried down a hallway.

"She works night shift, so sleeping or tattooing. Her room is the closest, so let's try there first."

They sped quietly through the housing area, urgently knocking on her door after making sure no one was around. Tobias pressed his ear to the door, listening for any signs of life, then banged again as hard as he could. Two and a half minutes had already passed, and they couldn't wait any longer. They no longer cared about making noise as they ran through the dim corridors, pushing people out of their way without apology. When they threw the door open to Emma's tattoo room, it was empty.

"Shit!" Tobias looked at his watch and ran his hands through his hair.

"Where else could she be?" Tris asked, trying to simultaneously catch her breath and keep her weak limbs from shaking. Tobias only shook his head. "Emma!" Tris called out in frustration.

"What?" The two of them looked at each other in shocked surprise, then peered down the hallways trying to figure out where she was. "Who's there? I can hardly see in this damned low-ass light."

Tobias took off first, Tris just behind him. "Ow! What the… Four? What the hell did you stab me with?"

"No time," he said, holding her firmly by the shoulders. "Just… find somewhere out of sight for now. And stay there until Tris or I find you, okay?" She looked between the two of them, seeing the seriousness etched on both of their faces, and nodded.

Tris led the way back to the screen bank, expecting to see a crowd of people with blank expressions. Instead, as she passed, she could hear their voices continuing to discuss the Bureau's power outage. Neil looked at Tris and Tobias with a mix of curiosity and confusion, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Something's wrong," Tobias muttered as he looked at his watch. "It should have deployed already. These people should be anything but coherent."

"Maybe it takes longer or it hasn't reached this part of the Bureau yet?" Tris offered, though she wasn't willing to wait around to find out. She upped her pace as she started down the hallway Caleb and Matthew should be in.

"Tris, wait. Maybe we should—"

Tobias ducked, grabbing Tris on the way down as a few gunshots rang out. Tobias couldn't be sure which direction they had come from. Tris was trembling in his arms, and he pulled her closer, trying to soothe her as best as he could. "Wait here, okay? I'm just going to check if those shots came from the lobby, then I'll be right back." He held her gaze until she nodded, and then sprinted back the way they had come.

Bureau members were crouched down everywhere he could see, and the few conversations he could hear indicated that they didn't know where the shots came from, either. He sprinted back, his heart rate shooting even higher when Tris wasn't where he left her. He rounded the next corner to see her leaning against a wall.

"Tris," he said, turning her to face him when she didn't respond. Her eyes were glazed over and she was pale as she stared off at nothing. "Tris!" He shook her slightly, worried that she had been injured somehow. He quickly looked her over, feeling on her arms and running his hand down her legs. "What is it? Please talk to me."

"Why?" Her eyes finally found his, the glazed-over look replaced with brimming tears. It wasn't the word she used, but rather the way she said it, that made Tobias question her response. Her lower lip trembled as a moan filled the silence. She squeezed her eyes shut, spilling the tears that had gathered. Tobias pulled her into him, and as his gaze shifted, lifting off her and moving down the hallway, he finally understood what was distressing her so much — Matthew and Caleb were lying on the ground, motionless, blood pooling around them.

He released Tris and stepped around her, guarding her from whoever had shot them. He could see the device still in Matthew's hand, and he crept forward; the plan still had to go through. Tobias inched forward and peered into the adjoining hallway, only to hear another shot ring out."Fuck." It was the hallway to David's office, and there was someone with a gun guarding it.

"Who is it?" He turned to see Tris right next to him, her eyes suddenly full of fire and her voice full of venom. He shook his head; it was just dim enough that he couldn't see, the only light coming from the emergency beacons. Tris tugged on his arm gently, then more insistently when he wouldn't move. He reluctantly stepped aside, watching as she crouched down and peered around the corner. He held his breath, waiting for the shot, waiting to leap or pull her back, but it never came. She reached out towards the device; her fingertips were only inches away when the power abruptly turned back on.

"Tris!" Tobias yelled as a succession of shots rang out. She let out a loud cry as he pulled her back, clutching her arm. "Are you hit? Let me see. Let me see!"

"It's just a scratch." She grit her teeth and moved her hand; he pulled her long sleeve up, revealing a graze along her forearm.

A laugh rang out: it started low, then grew louder until it was a full belly laugh, filling the quiet corridors. "Oh, little girl," a voice taunted, "I'm not done playing with you yet."

Tobias tore at his own sleeve until it ripped, tying a piece of the fabric around the wound. The pit in his stomach grew as the words repeated in his head, the voice just out of his memory's reach until it finally dawned on him. "What the hell are you doing, Briggs?"

Briggs laughed again; Tobias's anger rose at the mocking tone. "Just put the guns down and surrender. I promise I'll go easy on her."

Tobias closed his eyes and clamped his jaw shut tightly. He knew their plan wasn't foolproof by any means and that David would likely place a guard at the first sign of suspicious activity, but why he would choose Briggs of all people was beyond him. There were at least ten other guys he could think of that were more trustworthy and reliable; he had to be missing something.

"Oh, come on, don't be shy now," Briggs called out. "You two were so gung-ho just a moment ago, running headfirst into a situation when you're two steps behind everyone else."

Tris scrunched her eyebrows as she digested his words. She elbowed Tobias, and motioned for him to follow her lead. Before he could protest, she was standing next to Matthew, her hands held up in surrender.

"Hello, sweetheart." Tris fought the urge to vomit as a smile curled over his teeth. "Long time no see. Give me your guns."

"I don't have one."

"But your little boy-toy does, and if he wants to keep you in one piece, he'll do what I say. Hand your gun to her, slowly. Don't want you getting any ideas."

"Fuck," Tobias whispered. He stepped out with one hand raised and handed Tris his standard issue. She eyed it, then Briggs, as Tobias slowly knelt down and took a knife out of his boot, hoping the extra piece would be enough incentive to buy Tris time for whatever she had planned. He tossed it carefully, holding his hands up only halfway as he stood; he still had a gun in the back of his waistband. "Tris," he muttered. She nodded and slid the gun down the floor to Briggs.

"Good girl. It's not like you were going to shoot me anyways," he taunted, kicking the weapons aside. "Now, how about you walk towards me real slow so we can get this wrapped up?"

Tris kept her feet firmly planted. "I'll cooperate if you tell me what you know."

"Who says I know anything?" he teased.

Tris was sure that Briggs was hiding something, especially if he was taunting them, acting like he knew more than them. She had been through so much: being captured, being tortured, losing her family. She was desperate for any information that could help her fit all the pieces together and make sense of everything that had happened.

"Then I guess we really aren't two steps behind," she said, cracking a smile. "You'll have to tell David—"

"David?" Briggs said with a laugh. "And they call me dumb."

Tris glanced at Tobias trying to figure out what Briggs was insinuating. He shook his head slightly as Briggs brought his gun up and scratched at his temple.

"All you supposedly brainy types are too smart for your own damned good. You never think about people like me, about what we might have to offer. Did she ever think that I could maybe get my hands on information that would be valuable to her? Nope! I had to sit around and wait until she contacted me. And look what happened! You were able to waltz right in and poke around there for a month and nobody even knew. But once she found out, well... all of a sudden, I was useful to her again. And you!" Briggs said, pointing the gun at Tobias. "I was doing really well here until your obnoxious ass showed up. Then I had to sit by and watch as they took each of my important duties and passed them over to you, while I did all the piss-ant grunt work. Turns out that being stuck in the security room watching monitors has finally worked in my favor, or else I might not have had the chance to catch you and your band of idiots attacking the compound. Now we'll see who David's golden boy is gonna be."

Tris watched as Briggs shifted from foot to foot, working to connect everything he was spilling out as he looked back and forth between her and Tobias. Jeanine had called her a spy when she was in Erudite, and had gloated that David wasn't the only one who had spies. Tris took a few steps towards Briggs; Tobias took a tentative step after her. "How did Jeanine do it? How did she get you to be her spy?" Briggs narrowed his eyes at Tris. "Call it my Erudite curiosity," she responded.

"What's it matter?" he snorted. "Won't change the fact that she considers you a loose end. I'm gonna kill you first and watch while he suffers."

His movements were fast, but Tobias was faster. He shouted her name as Briggs clawed at her, trying to pull her towards him. She dropped to her knees, crying out when Briggs grabbed her arm, twisting it. She stayed as low to the ground as she could and curled into a ball, the gunshots deafening in such close proximity. She was afraid to look when they stopped: Briggs's hand was still wrapped tightly around her. It wasn't until she felt his fingers being pried away that she opened her eyes.

"Are you hurt?" Tobias was as gentle as he could be as he scrambled to look her over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. What about you?" She sat up, looking at Briggs's slumped body first before taking Tobias in; she inhaled sharply when she saw the red spot forming on his thigh.

She was careful as she examined his wound, pulling off her top shirt and using it as a makeshift tourniquet. Tobias looked over her thin frame, seeing for the first time the physical evidence of just how much she had been through. Her tank top hung on her loosely where it used to fit snugly, her collarbones were more pronounced, and her arms had lost the definition they had once had. He stopped her busy hands and pulled her close, softly cupping her face. She was fighting back tears, looking everywhere but at him.

"Tris," he whispered.

"You'll probably need stitches," she said, pulling away. "We need to finish this and get you to the infirmary."

She helped Tobias stand, carefully watching as he limped towards Caleb. She hesitated, took a deep breath, and followed after him. Tobias was examining the device, trying to figure out how it worked, when they heard a loud, ragged breath.

"Caleb?" Tris dropped to her knees and grabbed Caleb's hand. "Stay with me, Caleb. We'll get help, okay?"

"The… s-switch." His voice was no more than a strained whisper. Tris followed his eyes up to Tobias, who was frantically trying to find a switch on the device.

"Caleb, there's no switch. How do I do it?" Tobias leaned down as much as he could, holding the device directly in front of Caleb.

He brought a shaking hand up slightly, and pointed to a hole in the side. "B-broken."

Tobias angled the device towards the light, noticing there was a trigger inside the hole. "I need something small, like a pen or something to push in here, Tris." She was reluctant to let her brother's hand go, but she began searching his pockets for anything that could be useful. She turned to Matthew, taking a second to feel for a pulse first. When she was sure there was nothing, she started to feel around his pockets. As she did, she noticed a small pouch lying next to him; there were tiny screwdrivers inside. She held one out to Tobias, who gently pressed it into the device.

They could hear the hissing immediately, and Tobias stood tall, holding both his hands up as close to the vent as he could manage. Tris watched, listening to the air intake run, pulling the serum in. There had been a continuous stream of voices from the direction of the screen banks, but within a few minutes, the noise died down until there was nothing.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out." He turned to hobble down the corridor.

"Wait. I'll go."

"No. I'm fine, Tris. This is more important." He motioned to Caleb. "I'll bring help."

Tris nodded, then realized there could be no help: they had just wiped the memories of everyone who could possibly save her brother. She let out a sob and leaned down, holding him against her.

"I love you, Caleb. Please hang on. I can't lose you, too." She could feel the warm stickiness of his blood on her arms and face, but she didn't care. He turned his head slightly, and she pressed her cheek to his. The movements underneath her were slowing, his breathing becoming more shallow. His hand found hers, and though it was barely felt, he squeezed with all of his remaining strength, trying to tell her that he loved her, too, until his breaths stopped and his body went slack.

"No! Caleb! Don't leave me!" Tris wept, holding his body close, willing him to take another breath. Her sobs echoed off the walls; she had lost her entire family in one day. They weren't perfect, but they were hers, and now they were all gone.

Tris wiped her tears as best as she could, and took one last look at both Caleb and Matthew. They didn't deserve to die like this. Nobody did. She stood slowly, focusing all the anger she could feel building onto one target. She picked up Tobias's gun from the floor as she walked past Briggs's lifeless body, steady and determined, to confront David.

A/N:

I know this was a serious chapter, but I have to take a second to gush over the new trailer. I mean, I don't even think I need to say anything more than naked Theo lol. March cannot get here fast enough.

As always, thank you for the amazing reviews. Each and every one of them are appreciated! 4 chapters left and still so much that will happen. :D