Chapter 2: The real enemy
I sit at the computer in the library and glance around the room. There's no one here, its well after midnight. The search bar pops up instantly and I type in two words: Simulation serum. The results appear-over 10 000 of them, but I'm good with computers and a minute later I have found the top-secret files that show what appears to be battle plans. Battle Plans? The only soldiers are Dauntless but these strategies are pure Erudite thinking. I read faster- Lucy always called me a computer, I can read so fast that I think I've read every book in the school library- and slowly realise what is happening. Simulations with transmitters that keep the user in suspended animation, and all of it tied into the documents about how corrupt Abnegation is. All of this makes sense- give all the Dauntless a serum that they can activate at a later time, then control the whole faction with at and force them to attack Abnegation while they are basically sleepwalking in response to orders. But how will they convince the Dauntless to take such a serum? Then I hear footsteps outside the window. I can't find that now. What I can do is save this information on the USB that I keep on me the whole time, giving it to the Abnegation when I transfer tomorrow. Because I know this now- I can't stay with someone who is going to fight a war with hypnotised soldiers against innocent civilians.
I glance upwards at the building that everyone calls the hub, twenty stories high. Lucy's elbow digs into my ribs and I can feel her shaking. Today we decide our own futures. Or rather, we take one of five predetermined futures. We enter the lift and shoot upwards, slowly stepping out into the room of the choosing ceremony. As I move I feel the weight of the USB drive banging against my chest. It no longer contains assignments and research on everything I could find interesting research on-now it holds the documents that could bring down a faction. And will. I sit in my seat and wait as the Abnegation man speaks. Eventually he stops and there's the sound of muffled applause. The boy next to me goes second, returning to Candor, the faction he came from. And then it's my turn. I walk calmly forward as my name is called and take the knife from the man. His name comes to me. Marcus. I look once at the Erudite bowl, the water glittering in the strange blue light, but I no longer call it home. I drag the blade across my palm and move without hesitation, watching my blood fall on the grey stones of Abnegation. I am brave. I will fight for what is right.
I look once at my old faction as their yells of anger swirl around the room, and my eyes lock with Lucy's. Then, feeling far less certain than I did at the bowls, I take my seat amongst men and women wearing plain grey clothes.