A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to post another chapter. I'm the worst, I know. There's just been a lot of shit going on in my life lately. Also, I apologize for the lack of Tris/Uriah in this chapter. I pinky promise there will be tons of them after the whole thing with the bureau died down. Thank you again for all your reviews! I love you all.
I have never been more confused in my life. I stand there for a few moments, contemplating my next move, then I bolt out the door and call out Uriah's name, but I hear nothing. I rush to our sleeping quarters, but all I find is his discarded hospital gown.
It takes me a few seconds to realize that finding him would be much too time-consuming. I don't have much time to prepare and sneak into the lab before Caleb gets the chance. The unfamiliar walls and terrain of the compound has only barely been ingrained into my memory. I think that Uriah had been exploring with Christina far more often than I have, so he could be anywhere.
I let out an exasperated grunt. What could he possibly have meant? I fight the urge to bring a finger to my lips. The mere thought of his kiss frustrates me. It was nothing like how Tobias would have done it. Uriah gave off a great sense of urgency that was oddly familiar, almost like he just had to kiss me, but I could feel him being cautious-cautious not to go too far or reveal too much. So many questions circle my head simultaneously and I sprint out the room, desperate for answers.
I recognized the strain behind his stare, but I can't recall now when exactly I'd seen it before. I keep running until I reach hallways I've never gone through. My head is flicking left and right, searching for any trace of Uriah. Instead my eyes fall on my brother. Caleb's gaze is fixated on shelves of ammunition. He must have sensed me coming near, since he rips his eyes away from a row of bullets to look at me.
"Is something wrong?" he asks.
"Weren't you just up there with Cara-" I ask at the same time.
"Yes," we reply simultaneously.
His expression shifts almost instantaneously. The amount of concern behind it surprises me. He almost totally reminded me of my father. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," I answer quickly, "but Uriah's around here somewhere when he's supposed to be on that hospital bed, not trying to give up his life to save yours and mine."
"What do you mean?"
I exhale. I can't let Caleb know about my initial plan to spare his life and face the death serum myself. He would probably let Caleb go through with it, or even if he does find Caleb with me, I would have two people telling me not to go through with it.
"It's a long story," I say instead. "But if we don't find him in a matter of minutes, he could die."
I see him almost flinch at the last word, and I realize why he's down here. He's frightened out of his mind at the thought of his own death. Although Tobias had trained him to fight and Matthew had told him everything he needed to do upon getting inside the Weapons Lab, he was nervous and afraid.
He nods and tells me that I should keep searching, and he would go and ask Cara and Matthew to help us find him.
"Thank you so much." I abruptly wrap my arms around Caleb, and after recovering from a few seconds of shock, he hugs me back. "You're going to be okay," I tell him.
He pulls away and laughs to himself. I frown. "What is it?"
"Nothing. It's nice to see how much you care about whether Uriah lives or dies. And I know it's unfair to think, but a part of me just wishes you felt the same about me."
When Caleb walks away, I know exactly where I need to go next.
Caleb's backpack hangs from my shoulders and it feels heavier than it should. No one in the compound seems to be suspicious of my actions. Everyone else is fixed on their own mission. Aside from the occasional whispering and phones ringing, the only sound that resonates in my ears are my own footsteps.
For each step, I think of a person that I will never get to see again, that I won't get to say goodbye to. Matthew. Amar. George. Cara. Peter. Christina. Caleb. Tobias. Uriah. With every footstep, my chest feels weighted down. But I continue. With every footstep, I convince myself that what I am about to do is for them.
I imagine Caleb doing the same thing, if he were in my shoes. What names would pop into his head? I'm sure he's found a friend in Matthew, and maybe Cara too. But aside from them, he has no real friends left except me. I am all he has left, and he thinks I couldn't care less about his life.
I find myself at the doors Nita and the invaders broke. Two guards stand by them. I fish the detonator and explosives out of my backpack and clutch them to my chest. With my other hand, I hold a gun I'd found and stolen near the shelf of ammunition Caleb had been standing by. I am able to shoot one guard in the chest and the other in the leg. I shoot the latter again more accurately, and he is still.
I run past the doors and down the hallway, and set the explosives against the metal bar where the two doors join. I stumble backwards, making sure I distance myself far away enough from it.
I imagine Caleb doing everything I have just done. Would he have been able to kill the guards? Would he have been able to shoot them at all? Although Caleb had been so ready to let me get killed, I know he would struggle with actually ending someone's life. He would have been shaking so hard right now, on the verge of breaking down, and I would have been somewhere else in the compound, dealing with the guilt caused by believing that I needed my brother to give his own life for me to forgive him.
My memory darts back to what I had told him before: "I would never deliver you to your own execution."
I love Tobias. I love Uriah. But I have loved my brother far longer and I will do anything to save his life.
I hit the button on the detonator, bracing myself for the noise and the debris. Only a few of the flying scraps of metal manage to hurt me, but the explosion still rings in my ears. When the smoke clears, new smoke is sprayed in a vestibule beyond the blasted-open doors and I have a strong feeling it's the death serum being emitted. I catch a glimpse of the suit Matthew had mentioned, but I know I don't have enough time before guards come to check on the explosion and the death serum begins to take effect on me.
Beyond the vestibule must be the Weapons Lab. I quickly stagger forward. I am braced to fight the serum, not only for myself, but for Uriah and Caleb as well.
