Chapter 4

TOBIAS

"Zeke we need to get back," I said. "We have been out here for six days! We are due to see them again. I can't have her thinking I am standing her up," I said, struggling to keep my voice down.

"I know Four, believe me I know! None of us realised how volatile the situation out here was," he replied and rubbed his forehead with his hand. We were on the brink of civil war. Apparently a proletariat group in Milwaukee had decided that the people of Chicago had it too easy and were spreading rumours throughout the Fringe about Chicago still not creating equality. They were calling themselves the Peoples' Revolutionists. Really they were the Peoples' Antagonists! They were so far recalcitrant, trying to force the hand of the people who were so far content with the changes occurring.

So now the Fringe wanted to be their own city, their own state, with their own government and police force and all the extras they now believed they were entitled to. They were pushing the thoughts that we were trying to push them out and eradicate them or make them slave labour for us.

Which don't get me wrong, I don't object to per se. But the people of the Fringe had government representatives. They could see that we weren't withholding information, or trying to force them out. We were constantly helping them. That was what the company that Christina worked for were doing. Helping them integrate and get set up in Milwaukee or Chicago or wherever they wanted to go.

Our presence out here had initially incensed the people of the Fringe and we spent the first three days trying to calm them down. We didn't sleep much those nights. It had calmed slightly but we still had a lot of work to do in trying to make sure that the Fringers weren't going to start attacking overnight with homemade weapons.

"I think we almost have this under control. Amar is on his way out here to take over with another squad and after your excellent example, another couple of government folks to help encourage the peace. Amar should be here in an hour or so. Then we can hand over and head back," Zeke said and I grinned.

"Excellent. I'll start packing," I said and left, feeling the butterflies in my stomach increase in the anticipation of seeing her. I hadn't dreamt about her since I had been here. Yet another reason why I wanted to get home. Perhaps there I could dream about her again. Anything to be with her. Already the obsession was driving me crazy. I did feel slightly sorry for Zeke, but we did need to get back. We had only expected to be gone a day, maybe two at most.

I finished packing then lay back on the bunk I had been sleeping on in the police building on the outskirts of the Fringe.

"Tobias," Tris said as she snuggled into me tighter. "I have missed this." I tightened my arms around her and kissed her forehead, right between her eyes then rested my forehead on hers.

"I've missed everything about you," I replied truthfully. "Even your annoyingly stubborn streak, always thinking you know best." She laughed and her breath tickled my face. Even though I knew we needed to talk and that time would be short, I couldn't help myself. I brought my lips to hers and kissed her hard. She surprised me by deepening the kiss then swung her leg over my lap. She looked down at me, her blonde hair looking like spun gold in this light and her eyes as clear as a summer's day. "I love you."

"I love you more," she said and leaned down and kissed me again. We kissed for a few minutes then she suddenly pulled back. "We gotta go," she said abruptly and I opened my eyes. I was still laying on my bunk. I sat up quickly then heard a noise outside my door.

"Four, are you ready?" It was Zeke.

"Yeah, I'll be right out," I said and grabbed my bag. Zeke and I drove back into Chicago with the squad we went out with. Amar had evidently replaced us while I had fallen asleep. And getting so caught up in the feeling of being with Tris, I hadn't asked her all the things I needed to know. I needed to get better control. Better focus.

"I'm going to head straight back into HQ to put myself in the landscape. It's a pity we can't go in together. I've never done that but it would probably be helpful. But I think it would draw too much attention if we both suddenly started going through them together all the time," Zeke said quietly and sighed. I looked into the back to make sure the others weren't listening but they all appeared to be asleep.

Perhaps this "upgraded" serum of Cara's could put us together. Though I wasn't sure I relished the idea of sharing Tris with anyone yet, even Zeke and Uriah. I was definitely not built for Abnegation. Though the Factions no longer existed and were too regimented, they worked to a degree. It enabled people to have a clear focus on what they wanted to achieve, and what their values were. For those who liked getting direction, it definitely gave them what they needed. Though I loved the new freedom now and I was looking forward to getting Tris back so she could see the new order.

"Cara has been developing an updated serum," I replied keeping my voice low. "It hasn't been tested yet and requires you to be facing your fears at the time. So I am going ziplining when we get back," I said and shuddered. I would test it out and perhaps once it had been injected, we could work on concentration over fear for activating it.

"You? Ziplining? I never thought you would do that again. I can meet you on top of the Hancock building if you want me to strap you in? Just give me time to get through the landscape while you meet with Cara?" he asked and I nodded. I hadn't even thought about how I was going to do it on my own so it was helpful to have someone who knew why I was going it and didn't suspect anything. We should be able to keep it quiet. The Dauntless tradition had been kept a Dauntless secret for years.

"Ok I will wait for you atop the Hancock building," I replied just as we pulled up outside my apartment block. Zeke let me out then continued to the Police HQ. I had a quick shower and dumped my gear then headed back out to meet Cara. She would still be at the labs no doubt. Caleb saw me and waved, rushing over to me.

"Have you heard anything?" he asked me anxiously. I looked at him curiously.

"Anything about what?"

"Oh you haven't heard," he said.

"Heard what?"

"Cara has disappeared! She's missing! She was working on some secret project and I heard some crashing coming from her lab but when I got in there, she was gone! The lab was trashed! I'm really worried about her. No one has heard a word from her since!" Caleb burst out emphatically.

"Caleb calm down, when did this happen?"

"Four days ago, I'm really worried Tobias!" he said again. He seemed particularly agitated. I wondered if there was something going on there. After everything that had happened, Susan, his former "friend" from Abnegation had chosen to move to Milwaukee. I think there had been too much happen for her to stay. But I was very worried as well. I wondered if it meant that Tris and Uriah were in danger. I needed to warn Zeke.

"I'm going to see what I can find out. Let me know if you hear anything!" I shouted and ran back out the door. Over half an hour had passed since Zeke had dropped me off. Do I head to the Hancock building as planned? Or out to Police HQ? I pulled out my phone and dialled in his number. It rang out. I cursed under my breath. I hadn't had a phone long, and was wondering the point of it when no one answered.

Hancock building I decided. Zeke would have heard about Cara and would head there to meet me. I hoped. I ran down there and jumped into the lift hitting for button for the hundredth floor and went out onto the roof.

"Zeke?" I said, hoping he was there. No one answered. I kept walking around to the zipline. "Zeke?"

"Four," finally came a response. Zeke was there, his face pale. "I heard about Cara. I'm worried they are in danger. I couldn't let myself go into the landscape."

"At least one of us will have to. Let's go back to my apartment and work out our next move. We will have to get our hands on the serum at some point anyway. We need to contact them."

"You mean this?" Zeke asked, finally grinning as he pulled vials of the serum out of his backpack.

"Glad you used your brains," I joked and we made our way back down the lift. We really needed somewhere we could go in secret, particularly if this was going as dangerously as it seemed. With Cara disappearing and the "secret formula" in who knows who's hands. That was a worrying thought with the not so distant past. Plus Cara's safety was paramount. I was concerned at who could have taken her and why. We walked in silence for a few minutes. "What do you know of Cara's disappearance?" I asked Zeke, wondering if the police force had any ideas.

"Not a lot. No one has claimed responsibility. It appears it was definitely some kind of abduction. The lab was trashed. All her notes and experiments were gone. The video footage was run on loop so there was no live taping. And had it not been for the noise, would possibly have gone unnoticed for some time. The only conclusions they have drawn is that she was taken via the back stairs through the service entrance. No one even knew it had a service entrance!" Zeke said throwing his hands up. "It hadn't been used on umpteen years and was boarded up until recently."

We finally approached my apartment building and started heading inside. Alma stuck her head out as we came up. "Hi Tobias, welcome back!" she said, greeting me warmly. "How are you Zeke?" she asked. Zeke had met her on a few occasions when visiting me. After we mended fences about Uriah's death, we would hang out occasionally.

"I'm great thanks," he said and we waved, heading into my apartment and locking the door behind us. Zeke must have remembered my warning about not saying anything because he chattered about random things, like the improvements of the knife throwers since I had been there, and how Hana was doing and the most recent girl who had stolen his heart (Vanessa, another political assistant like me though Vanessa was from the Fringe). Zeke continued his conversation as I quickly checked that the statue was in my bedroom and I closed my door and we went into the loungeroom.

"Shall we go in together, or do you want me to keep watch out here?" Zeke asked me.

"Perhaps I will go in first and if it's all good we can then both go in together?" I said after a moment. That was the safest option and I won't lie, it did give me a minute alone with her although this time we did need to focus.

"Sounds good," Zeke said and began setting up. "Be brave," he said using the old Dauntless line. I nodded and relaxed in the arm chair. Here we go. I closed my eyes and forced myself to focus on getting straight through the rest of the landscape to get to her. I struggled again at Evelyn but pushed on. There were more important things at stake.

I had tears streaming down my face, kneeling down on one knee after Evelyn had round two at me, bringing back to life every fear and every concern I had about not being "whole" or deserving of Tris. I struggled to get my breathing under control, resting my head in my arms over my knee. Suddenly arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I felt Tris rest her head on my back.

"I'm sorry you have to keep meeting me this way," she said and I slowly stood, bringing her with me then I turned so I was facing her.

"You're worth it," I murmured, pulling myself together. I had known what I was going to face. Each time with Evelyn did seem to get harder though. I kissed her quickly and then forced myself to focus. "Zeke is waiting," I said and she laughed.

"So are the others," she said mysteriously. "But they wanted to give us a second together first."

"The others?" I asked her and she laughed again.

"Go get Zeke. This time when you come back through think only of me. Think of me," she said and I opened my eyes.

"Let's go Zeke. They're waiting," I said and blushed, thinking about how I would have looked to him when I was kissing her, remembering belatedly that you can see the actions of a person while they are in their landscape.

"Well given you're Four, and my lowest is seven, we'll go through yours yeah?" Zeke asked me. For a second I hesitated. But he was right, it made sense to go through mine. Plus he already knew one of my fears. Wouldn't make a lot of difference if he knew the others. Plus Tris had said to think solely of her.

"Let's do it," I replied and we both injected the serum and went back in. I could feel the wind around me and feel the sway so I knew I was on top of the Ferris wheel. I thought back to climbing it with Tris the day we beat Eric's team at Capture the Flag. Thinking of her kept me calm and we quickly moved on to the squeezing box, with the walls compressing in on Zeke and I.

"Good job man, let's move on ay?" he asked, a touch nervous at our tight quarters. I thought about the day Tris had accompanied me in here and had manoeuvred her body around mine even then and forced me to face the reality that it was all in my mind. And so thinking of her, we moved on again. This time with Evelyn, I picked up the blue statue and rubbed where she had and there was no camera.

And then I was in her arms again and she held me tight to her.

"That was the fastest yet Tobias," she said, sounding so proud of me. I couldn't help it, audience or not, I had to kiss her. I pressed my lips to hers and expected to hear the wolf whistles of Uriah for every time he had seen us thus, that was his reaction. But when I pulled away and looked up, Uriah was lip locked with Marlene. Marlene? She was here too? Wait where was Zeke? Tris whistled and Uriah and Mar looked up sheepishly.

I looked around and saw Zeke staring at them in awe. Uriah rushed over and hugged Zeke and they both began talking a million miles a minute and finishing each other's sentences. "Are they always like this?" I asked and Tris laughed. Oh how I had missed that sound.

"No worse than us," she replied and took my hand and I linked our fingers as she pressed close to my side.

"Aren't you even going to say hello to me Four?" came a voice behind me. It couldn't be?