Tringggg! The blower rings and everyone sits right back up. It has been almost a day since they went to the Erudite headquarters but there has been no change. After their little discovery, they had come straight to Christina's house. A duplex in Aleey lane. The blower rings again.
"Hello! Zeke? Did you find him?", blabbers Christina as fast as she could.
"No, I am sorry but I am sure, we'll find him." answered Zeke.
"Dammit! That nincompoop," Swears Christina. " Contact us when you find him." She keeps the blower down and announces, "No news of Caleb."
"Where could Caleb disappear? " questions a confused Amar.
"Isn't it his habit?" says Matthew. " To bail on his friends and family."
""Shut up, Matthew," says Four. "It's really not a time to curse each other." Matthew grunts. "I am going out. I will come back in an hour or so." Four continues.
Four reaches for the door and whispers to himself, "Caleb where are you?"
The wind is howling and dark clouds thunder above. The nature violently shrieking. The only thing quite and sulked is Caleb.
Park has always been his favorite place to come and think. To find peace. He wanted an apartment near the park but apparently the apartments were not of exquisite level and renowned scientists had to live in luxury. But, today he wasn't here to think, he was here to regret.
Seeing Susan after a year made him remember how wrong he has always been. How he had sacrificed both Tris and Susan for Jeanine. If only he could have visited her once after Jeanine died. Now, she was gone so far. The memory serum has erased very bit of Caleb in her heart and mind.
Suddenly he came to his senses. It had been almost a day since he had come here. He looks at his watch. It's 9'o clock. He gets up and start moving towards Christina's house. Knowing that even if he could curse himself, it wouldn't be enough for the sins he had committed.
Four reaches the Security Force Department in North Chicago. He works here now. Defending is nation has always what he had done and will do. He enters the premises and walks straight to the girl in khaki pants and black shirt with black boots. Susan Black.
She turns back and sees Four standing in front of her.
"Oh! You are here. I was expecting you." Susan says with a glint of smirk.
"What did you want to talk about?" Four asks.
"Well as you already know I am disappointed by your little act yesterday, I still want you to do tasks for me."
"Susan, I know that you were away for the past six months doing your services in England but now that you are here doesn't allow you to boss around with me." Four replies with rudeness.
"Ahh!" Expresses Susan, a little taken aback. " Well I am telling you all this because I have been ordered to take care of the responsibility of Ms. Johanna in her absence. I too don't want to boss around." Susan continues.
"Good to know," Four says. "You should also know this that I am doing not a single task you assign me because I have other business to take care of. And as a matter of fact I have taken permission from Johanna."
"Ok, then. You are free to go." Susan replies with a little harshness in her tone.
Four gives her a nod and starts moving towards the door and pauses.
"Susan, I really hope you get back your memory. You are missing a lot of stuff in your life that I will never get back. But you, you can get them back. Don't let yourself fall into the pit of oblivion." Fours says with a smile and exits the department.
"Where were you? "asks Christina with a sigh of relief.
"Just went down to find peace." Caleb answers.
"Make sure you inform us from next time." Amar says with a wink.
Caleb nods. "Where is Four?" he asks.
"I am here." Four says with half a smile.
"Yay! Family reunion." Matthew says sarcastically. "Let's get back to business."
"What have you guys planned?" Asks Caleb.
"Well, to begin with. Let's go meet Mr. Monk." Four says.
As they descend into the lane, no one utters a word. Think about a very vintage street and that's how exactly downtown looked like. It was not hard finding Mr. Monk's house, it was the most unhuman thing on the lane. Big wooden doors with gold embedded here and there. The house was dome shaped with no windows. The hair on Caleb's back shriveled, upon looking at the house.
"Woah! That is some creepy house," exclaims Christina.
"So, who is going to knock?" asks Matthew. "I am sure this Monk or whatever is as odd as his house."
Caleb did not pay any attention to them. He just kept staring at the house. How could any human ever live in a house shaped as a dome. How suffocating it would be. Unless, he is no human.
"Are you thinking exactly the same thing?" asks Four, quite exhausted.
Caleb just nodded and together they walked towards the door. Four knocked thrice. For some time, no one answered. When Four was just about to knock again, the door opened itself.
"Who are you? What do you want? I have nothing." Shrieks a man, whose silhouette was only visible.
"Sir, we are not here to harm you. We just want to meet Mr monk," says Amar, calmy.
"I don't know any Monk," replies the man with arrogance.
"We want to know about the Amrit, says Zeke.
"What did you say?" questions the man, suddenly being interested.
"The Amrit. The one Jeanine was after." Christina says.
The man realizing something, finally shows himself. He looks of about 40 years, skinny arms and legs but a rather fat belly. His face looks shaggy like it hasn't been shaved for years. He must be about 5 feet.
The man looks sharply at everybody and finally moves aside, inviting them inside. Four instructs Zeke and Amar to guard, and follows the tiny man inside with Caleb and Christina by his side.
"Sir, may I ask who you are?" the man says as softly as he could.
"Umm….," Caleb answers, " I am Caleb Prior and this is Tobias and Christina. We are here looking for answers from Mr. Monk."
They keep following the man into a well0litroom, filled with bottles of green, blue, pink. Potions, maybe. The man sits into a wooden tool and look at everybody with teary eyes.
"I knew Albert Monk. Such a good fellow," says the man. "By the way, I am Robin. I take care of his house."
"Can you tell us more about Monk?" Christina asks, urgently.
"Yes, yes….I remember him very well. He wanted to change the world, wanted to help people, serve his country. He had plans and oh! His ideas, they were ravishing. He had developed a plan to make everyone live longer, where everyone would not die. But that cruel lady with blonde hair," spats Robin as he talks.
"Jeanine," whispers Christina, spitefully.
"You say you are trying to know about the Amrit," continues Robin. Well, that was his best invention and he succeeded in being young forever. But poor Albert sir. He was in love with that lady. Jeanine, as you say. He shared his ideas with her when they met. But Jeanine was smart and intelligent. She discovered the darker side of the serum. She modified it with the help of sir's DNA and what she got next was unbelievable. She knew what the serum could do and tricked my beloved sir into injecting him with it. It was going well but because there was no master to serve, he started to be his own servant. Eating his own skin. What a poor sight it was to see. " sobs Robin.
Caleb and Christina had tears in their eyes. Though Four did not move a muscle.
"So where is Mr. Monk?" Four asks.
"No one know," replies a heart broken Robin. " He disappeared after that. But people say that he will be back one day to avenge his death. To make everyone his servant because now he is too fragile."
"Oh my god! Mr. Monk is the villain," Christina says, putting the final piece in the puzzle.
"Don't call him that," Robin says.
"Listen, can you take us to Monk?" asks Caleb.
"Yes, I can. But what will I get in return? Asks Robin.
"Whatever you want," Four says.
Robin doesn't reply and they take that as yes.
"Guys, first we should go back home and make a plan."
"Christina's right," Caleb agrees.
Together they move out of the house with Robin beside them.
Caleb looks at the sky and whispers to himself, " Beatrice, I will make you proud."