Caleb had always pictured the moment when he would be alone with Four. Rehearsed what he would say and how Four would react. But he never thought that he would actually have a one to one conversation with him. Now standing at his doorsteps he can feel all his body tightened. He rings the door bell.
He remembers Four when he was just Tobias Eaton. He had always seen him at school. At his mother's funeral. Four always had a look on his face as if he just wanted to escape. His dark blue eyes always saddened. They had never spoken to each other at that time because Caleb thought of him as a shame to the abnegation faction. But things were different now. Caleb respected Four.
The door opens with a thud and Four comes out. His eyes swollen. His hair messy and long. He is wearing jeans and black shirt. At first he looks shocked on seeing Caleb but it soon turns into annoyance.
"Perfect timing," Four whispers to himself. "What do you want? " This time aloud.
"I really wanted to talk to you. It's very important." Caleb says, wondering if he came at the wrong time.
Four sighs. "Fine," he says. "You can come in."
Caleb had never been to Four's house and as soon as he entered he wished he didn't come. Every possible wall, corner of the house had pictures of her. Laughing….Smiling..looking so young As she always did before the chaos. Caleb suddenly felt a tinge of guilt in his heart. Tris was everywhere.
"See, I don't have time for this." Four blurts. "So if you can talk fast and leave, it would be better. It's 4 am in the morning anyways"
"Well I don't want you to freak out but yesterday night we found a serum in front of Cara's doorstep."Caleb speaks. "And it is really a powerful one."
Four had believed that whatever Caleb had to say would have been nonsense but now hearing about the serum, he got shocked.
"What?" Four fumes. "What the hell is happening? " Four had learned to keep his rage in control over the past few years. This was a perfect moment to do it.
"Tell me the whole thing." Four continues.
Caleb recited the whole event to him. Leaving the part that he was the one who suggested to further investigating in this matter all for Tris. Four stood patiently and listened to every part of what Caleb said.
"A serum that can make a person immortal?" Four stressed on the point when Caleb had finished. "That's bullshit."
"No, it's not." Caleb argued. "I told you Jeanine was researching on it."
"Well, lets just agree it's possible." Four says. "But how in the earth do we know that it works? How do we know who made it? "
Caleb smiled at that. "I know exactly what my next step would be."
"What?" Four asks.
"Well I think I want to crash into the erudite headquarters." Caleb says.
"You do know that no one has the permission to enter it? That it's all well secured so that no one finds out that their memories had been erased, right?" Four says,confused.
"I know about that." Caleb explains. "But that is the only way to find out about what is happening. See when I was working with Jeanine, she told me that if we succeeded in making this serum, she would reward us by telling us about the first immortal man. I can bet that file is still there."
Four finally looked hopeful. "So why are you telling me all this?" Four asks.
"Well I can't possible ask anyone in the lab to help me out. They are not trained in that sector. Moreover, they lost their memories. So if they come across files about faction, they could have a serious trauma." Caleb explains further. "And you are the only one who can help me break into the department."
Four said nothing for a moment.
"I like your plan. But I don't understand how that old man will be helpful to us?" Four says finally.
"I don't know. But I am sure the answers lie within the headquarters. " Caleb says.
"Okay. I will contact Christina and others. Message me the time and date." Four agrees.
"Thank you so much." Caleb says happily and starts walking towards the door.
"Wait," Four says from behind. "Why are you doing all this?" A quizzical look on his face.
Caleb turns and looks at his eyes and says softly.
"For Tris." Caleb admits. "Maybe I will be able to forgive myself after this."
"Hmmm…" Four nods. "I wanted to tell you one more thing. Do you remember Susan?"
Susan. Susan Black. The most beautiful girl Caleb had ever seen in his life.
"Yes," Caleb says, looking confused.
"Well she is here. If you know, you wanted to meet her." Four says.
"No, thank you." Caleb says. "I am not in a state to meet her plus I did wrong to her."
"If you say so." Four adds and turns back and sits on the couch. He picks up a glass of beer from the table and a picture of Tris and just stares it. Caleb realizes why he had those swollen eyes. And he hurriedly leaves.
Susan slept on the bed holding Caleb's hand. And suddenly three men from erudite appeared in front of him. He leaves her where she is sleeping and goes out.
"Jeanine has sent us for you." One of them said. "She is ready to give you one more chance."
"No," Caleb said "I don't want her forgiveness."
"She will even promote you and make you the head of the department where you work. Lot of money and luxury. " the man said again.
"Tell her I don't want any of it." Caleb said.
"If you don't come with us, the beautiful lady in front of you will die. A slow and painful death."
One of the man moved towards Susan and held her at gun point. Caleb looked at Susan how peacefully she had been sleeping. Her fingers still waited for Caleb to come and hold her.
"We ask you one last time." The man said.
"Fine. Fine." Caleb said at last. "I will come with you. Give me five minutes."
The three men moved towards the door and stood there.
Caleb looked at that beautiful face once more and thought he would never let anyone hurt it. He walked slowly, not to wake her. And bent down when he reached her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"I will always love you. I am so sorry." Caleb said.
With that he leaves the room, never glancing back once.
Caleb thinks about that day. How it all started. He couldnt have left Susan to die. He wish he would have done something like that for his own sister. Now probably, Susan doesn't even remember better if he doesn't meet her. As he drives the car back to the department all set to prove that he is not the coward man he once was, he wonders what Tris would have said. Whether Tris would have been proud of him. And he suddenly felt disgusted thinking that. How could she? He had killed his own sister. He was a murderer. Just a murderer in his eyes. And no one deserved to be with him. Not even Susan.