When Districts Collide

Chapter 7: Wren

How did I automatically just transform from Dauntless and brave, sneaking out of the compound, to Erudite? No one did that, at least, not without explanation. Tobias had told me that the ability to think wasn't exclusive to Erudite, and that had been his philosophy for his entire life. I believed that, but really, the ability to exit an adrenaline pushed mind to a logical thinking frame was near impossible instantaneously. Somehow, I did it, and we started experimenting.

First, I needed blood samples. That was the most important. After I finally coaxed Four into giving me some of his precious Divergent blood, I took some of mine and set the tubes aside. One vial would be control from each of us. The other would find out what transmitter the serum contained. Half a vial for the memory and one for the death.

"How will you notice the changes?"

"Shouldn't be too difficult if you know what you're looking for. Microchips connecting to the blood cells. I should be able to tell."

"We're not doing everything today, right?" He kept asking me that. I didn't think he liked this place.

"Well of course not, you said that yourself. It needs to set. Get me more memory serum, I want to take a look at that on its own. And we'll have to sneak some of the fear landscape serum from Dauntless, and the 'new improved' one from Erudite. To see the differences and the reaction with blood."

"Am I gonna have to give you more?" he groaned.

"Stop being such a pansy cake about a little bit of blood. Yes, you will."

"It's just tedious and an annoying process."

"I know. Get over it." I sped through my instructions, changing the subject, and he took notes.

"Should I write down more details for a complete procedure so you don't forget?"

"Nope. I've got it. We'll wait for results after a week and then we'll write those down, take pictures, whatever needs to be done. I don't need to be exact." I guess that was kind of Dauntless, any Erudite would cringe if I didn't have a step by step log written down.

"When are we going home? I don't want to be here too long. It's starting to get to me."

"About an hour, if you get me my serum." We had already been here for more than six hours messing up the pristine condition we found everything in.

Four went to another storage part of the lab and got me the liquid. It was clear in the vial, and it looked normal, like drinking water. I took if from him after I made sure to put gloves and a mask on. I wasn't an idiot, I didn't want to forget anything.

I took the tube to the microscope and dropped some on a glass plate. Under the scope, I knew exactly what to look for in the blood. Microchips. They would work themselves into the bloodstream and attack the hippocampus immediately, causing long term memories to be unable to be retrieved. I assumed the death serum would target the brain stem, controlling all the major functions of the body. Four taught me the technical term, but I knew what it would do.

"See anything?" he peered around, trying to look at the small screen as well. He looked bored, but sounded interested, even excited about what I was doing.

"Yeah. Take a look if you want." he looked at the screen on the scope as I stepped down.

"So, actual chips. I guess you were right. They attach to the cells and work their way up."

"Somehow I got it right!"

"Should have been an Erudite." he rolled his eyes at my comment.

"No way, Dauntless pride."

"You sure you used to be Abnegation?"

"Not anymore, no." I said, that time long gone.

He looked at me funny, his face sort of scrunched up. "Neither do I."

It was like the journey home went a lot quicker than the escape from Dauntless. Of course, we still had to wait for dark, so we couldn't leave the airport until then, but Tobias made sure the labs were off limits for me as I waited for dark. He thought I was having too much fun. I was.

We had toured around more of the place, and since the going home would take about five hours, we left around eight. The walk was filled with silence, but this time I actually had my gun, so I could protect myself without speaking to him or relying on him if I needed to. I hoped to God I wouldn't, but with the Capitol always lurking about, I could never be too sure.

"Every week." I answered the unspoken question.

"What?"

"Every week we go back. Only at night though, obviously. Anyone asks, and we tell them we were at the Amity compound for some reason. We'll always need to be back at morning.

"So what, we just leave right after dinner once a week?"

"We'll go to dismiss that guards to their dinner and take their place, being the leaders. Then we leave, and they'll come back thinking we had to go off somewhere on duty."

"You're too good at sneaking out."

"As I recall, someone said that the ability to think wasn't just for Noses. That includes the ability to escape." I one upped him. He sighed and kept walking.

When we got near the gate, it was about one thirty in the morning. Two guards were by the fence, but not where we climbed in. No one protected the Amity gardens, there was no need. Four took his gun and motioned me to climb the fence first. I got to the top and looked around, making sure there was nothing suspicious. As soon as my feet hit the ground, Tobias began his ascent. Luckily, all went smoothly for him.

"Easy." I nodded at him. "Right?"

"Right. Now to sneak onto the train."

We followed the paths through the gardens and ended up near the tracks. The train was just turning the corner as we came to the side and we jumped on, waiting for it to take us around. We would be passing by the Erudite facility.

"Why is it always the Erudite? Check the lights." I said as we approached city limits.

"Peter. He's always been a little like Eric, but more easily swayed. I guess the memory serum didn't affect him as much as I had hoped. Of course, I had been against it in the first place. All systems go corrupt eventually, it just takes the right person to set them off."

"You know a lot about the faction system, Four."

"Let's just say my mother helped me learn about it."

"Someday I want to hear this story. Four, the Traitor." I smirked.

"Heh, Four, the Traitor. That seems like a good title for it. Someday, I'll tell you this story. But not now. Now, we look."

The Erudite headquarters were on our right, and sure enough, the lights were on in their labs and people milled about, carrying trays and tubes and hooking electrical wires up, sending people in and out of a panic.

"You know," I shouted out the train, even though they couldn't hear me, "You really shouldn't have glass walls if you don't want people to know what you're doing."

"But of course, they're logical. They know best." Tobias tagged along with my remark.

That was the end of the conversation as we looked around for Dauntless, and we jumped in front of the stairs leading to the Pyre. We walked quickly and silently up the stairs and through the glass doors.

"One more thing, just in case. Wait here." We were in front of the control room. There was one person in there besides him, someone he knew, and they spoke a few words, nodded, shook hands, an walked out. He beckoned me to follow him.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Footage. Making sure there was 'nothing suspicious by the gates.' There wasn't, our cover isn't blown. We're clear."

"Good."

"So my room or Theo's?"

"I am not sneaking into his room at two in the morning. I'll take the couch." I had a room? Since when? I've just been staying in both of theirs.

We walked up to his room and I laid my gun on the table like I did every time I went in. I took my belt of knives off as well and laid it next to the gun, took off my shoes and jacket, and fell onto the couch.

"Long day, huh?"

"Exhausting." I sighed.

He stood for a minute before sitting on his bed. "You did good, Wren. You're doing good."

"Thanks, Tobias, for helping me." I shut my eyes as he turned out the lights.

"Anytime." he answered.