Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

Tris

I try to get Tobias alone after the rankings are announced, but the crowd of initiates and members is too thick, and the force of their congratulations pulls him away from me. I decide to sneak out of the dormitory after everyone is asleep and find him, but the fear landscape exhausted me more than I realized, so soon enough, I drift off too.

I wake to pandemonium and people shouting all over the place. I blink and rub my eyes several times, panicking inside. Did I wake up too late? Has the Erudite's plan already been executed? I throw the covers off and join my friends where they stand, in the center of the dorm.

Thank God, I was wrong. Apparently Jeanine Matthews has been arrested, along with many of her accomplices from Erudite! A disgruntled lower-level employee, I think her name was Therese, decided to blow the whistle on the Erudite's illegal activities. One night, with help from her coworkers, she snuck out of the Erudite sector and was on her way to the factionless part of town. One of the council members, returning from a meeting late at night, caught her. To avoid exposing the plans of the factionless, she told him all about what the Erudite were doing.

Now Jeanine is in prison and awaiting trial, and so are most of the Erudite who worked with her. As for the files she sent to the Dauntless, the council's investigating that, too. All five of the current Dauntless leaders were found to have been involved in the plot in some way, so they've all been temporarily stripped of their duties and are being kept in custody.

"Whoa," says Will, when he finishes reading that part in the paper. All the rest of us gather around him, even Peter and his friends. "So Eric's guilty, too?"

"Probably," says Christina. "In fact, I'd be surprised if he wasn't! But all the others? Even Max?" She wrinkles her nose. "Can't believe it."

"I can't believe it, either," I say, and I'm being truthful. But not about Jeanine's plan getting exposed, nor the revelation that the Dauntless leaders were involved. I'm shocked that justice has been done. Now all of us will be allowed to move on. We won't have to worry about Jeanine anymore, nor the external threat that Erudite posed. From now on, all I have to be concerned about is whether I'm being the best Dauntless I can be.

Well, as long as Jeanine, Max, and Eric are convicted and imprisoned for life.

6 Months Later

I'm actually becoming a Dauntless leader.

I still find it hard to believe. At first I was reluctant, me being Divergent at all. I still fear one day someone will discover who I truly am, and I'll be made factionless or worse. But one day I decided, the good I can do outweigh the risks. At my core, I'm still part Abnegation. I still am capable of thinking selflessly.

I was getting ready to choose my job, and I hesitated. I thought I was firmly against the idea of putting myself in the spotlight, opening myself up to danger. But then something Tobias said came back to me. He told me once that he'd been offered the position of Dauntless leader, and he'd refused, not wanting to become a pawn for Max and Jeanine. But the night Edward was attacked in the initiates' dorm, he realized he should've said yes. He could've prevented that incident, could've put himself in a position where he'd be able to say "no" to Eric implementing his cruel policies. Where he'd be able to hand down punishment to Peter after his assault on Edward.

I want to be able to do that. I realized, I want things to change in this faction as well. Because the Dauntless may be depraved, but it's still a faction worth saving. I want to help them become brave and honorable again. When I'm sworn in as leader, I'll restore Dauntless to its former glory.

I swear, I'll do my best to improve the culture in initiation. Stop the fights in the combat phase before anyone gets too injured. Make it clear that violence and harassment in the dorms won't be tolerated. Promote team building and cooperation over competition and ego-boosting.

Then I'll try to prioritize the weak and vulnerable in this faction. Take away the requirement that elderly Dauntless leave. Install better safety measures to protect the children and youth. Teach the police and security to give aid to victims, rather than leave them to deal with the issue themselves.

I've got fewer barriers in my way now. Jeanine and some of her closest allies are serving life in prison, and the former Dauntless leaders who were convicted are banned from holding office again. As for Eric and Max, to my surprise, they were found not guilty.

I almost didn't believe it at first. But something's changed in Max. Within the first week after the three Dauntless leaders were convicted, he had the entire population gather in the Pit to listen to his speech. First, he issued a public apology for the state Dauntless is in right now, with the festering corruption of its leaders, and the excessive violence that keeps going unchecked. Second, he vowed to begin making changes to ensure that something like the Dauntless-Erudite conspiracy never happens again. Last, he announced that he'd selected Tobias to be his apprentice, to replace the Dauntless leader that's now in prison.

So life in Dauntless is going smoothly for us, so far. I'm anticipating passing the test that'll make me eligible for leadership. Tobias could become a leader himself very soon, and I know he'll do a good job, to make up for his inaction last year. Christina works as an initiation instructor, she and Will are still dating, and Peter hasn't messed with me in a while. Things are looking up.

I just hope Eric's found it in himself to change, too.

Tobias

The conference room is packed, filled to the brim with Dauntless leaders and those who work under them. I'm here too, because Max is my immediate superior now, and I'm required to attend all meetings with him. I honestly didn't want to show up, because I risk running into Eric. But I need to land this leadership job, and I'll do anything to get it, because letting Eric continue to be in charge would be cowardice.

Max stands at the head of the table. He raises a hand for quiet, and even though the Dauntless stop yelling, some of them continue to mutter among themselves. "Fellow Dauntless," Max says in his booming voice, "I want to make an announcement. It won't be easy for you to hear, but I know you can handle it. You're some of Chicago's finest, the best and brightest in this city, the brave men and women who always answer the call to action. So, what I'm about to tell you should scare you no more than going through your fear landscape."

He lifts his finger and beckons to someone in the crowd. "Eric," he says, "step forth, please."

I watch, perplexed, as Eric comes forward. He looks just as confused as I feel.

"Eric," says Max, "you're a worthy member of this faction. Your bravery shows, and anyone can see it. But, like all other virtues, bravery that's only shown in a simulation might as well be useless. Think of our faction's symbol, the flame that lights a torch. If you were to walk in the dark without first lighting the torch, you may as well not have one at all. Dauntlessness works the same. It's for this reason, Eric, that I'm passing the torch to you. You now have every opportunity to show how fearless you are in leadership."

I stifle a gasp, and others around me do the same. Is Max seriously doing what I think he's doing?

Apparently he is. He continues to address Eric. "My apprentice, Four…" Here he points at me. "Finished ahead of you in the ranks, but now he serves under you. So go ahead, take this honor."

I'm too stunned to even move. Me, almost eligible to be a leader, and now I'm playing second fiddle to Eric once more? I look at my enemy to see his reaction.

He's shocked by the news, too. "Now, sir," he says with hesitation, "I think there should be more tests of my courage before you just hand all this power to me."

"No need," says Max, with a short wave of his hand. "After much deliberation, we decided on you. So take the honors. And now, to the second part of my announcement. I've been called to the Amity sector, to discuss matters that must be kept secret. I'll be leaving very soon. After this meeting concludes, in fact. I'll be sending you the appropriate messages, but I trust you to keep order here. So this is my goodbye to you."

"I hope you accomplish whatever it is you're doing," Eric pipes up, though he still looks uncertain.

"May God keep you safe while you're away," I say, and many others shout their agreement. Max says his thank yous and goodbyes, and then he departs, quick as a flash.

The whole room is buzzing with anticipation. We can hardly believe what just went down. Max announced his departure, handed his position to Eric, and then went out the door, all in the span of less than five minutes. Now the majority of the power in Dauntless is in the hands of its youngest leader.

I know what that means. Cringing inwardly, I work up the nerve to approach my former enemy. "Listen," I say to him, "we still aren't friends, but I hope I can talk honestly with you. About these roles we're going to occupy, I mean."

He's silent for several seconds. At last, he makes eye contact with me. "Yeah, I can do that," he sputters out, still looking uncharacteristically nervous. "If you want, we can talk about this later. When we're away from all these people."

"I'll be waiting," I tell him.

7 Months Later

"And I'm telling you," Peter slurs, drunk on the cheap liquor he just purchased in the Pit, "there's not one Dauntless man who actually wants peace. They all want Jack Kang to declare war against the council. That way, they can sign up to fight. Think of those soldiers standing around the fence all day, holding their guns. How many of them want peace?"

"I don't know," mumbles Peter's current sidekick, Gabe. He slumps over the table, every bit as drunk as Peter. "I never heard any Dauntless say he didn't want it."

"I believe you," Peter says sarcastically. He takes another swig from the bottle, then burps loudly. "I think that's 'cause you've never patrolled near the fence."

That gets Gabe's attention. He sits up, an indignant look in his eyes. "What do you mean? I have. A dozen times at least."

"What?" retorts Peter's other friend, Sean. "In a simulation, maybe."

"Or in his fear landscape," Peter chimes in.

Sean snorts. "Or in someone else's fear landscape." He and Peter simultaneously crack up, until they both have to hold their sides to keep from falling over. Gabe glares at them.

Their fun is interrupted when they hear a series of footsteps. Tori, the tattoo artist who works in the Pit, is fast approaching them. Peter puts his bottle down and squints at her. "Hey Tori," he calls out. "Heard you got a secret tattoo. Wanna show us where it is?"

He and his buddies guffaw, and Tori rolls her eyes. "Well, boys," she says solemnly, "I'll warn you. There's another one like you who's about to get dragged to prison, and he's still worth more than five thousand of you."

"Wait, who?" Gabe stares at Tori.

"Well, sir, that's Caleb. Mr. Caleb Prior."

"Caleb Prior, the Nose? Going to a Dauntless prison? No way." Sean shakes his head, and he and Peter and Gabe exchange anxious looks. Of course, they know there's a law which went into effect a while ago, that states that anyone who commits a crime on Dauntless premises will be subject to Dauntless law. But no one imagined it would ever be enforced.

"Well," says Tori, "it's true. I saw them arrest him just now, and in a short time they'll have him in the chair. And the penalty's for knocking a girl up, and not paying child support."

Sean and Gabe look at Tori with dismay. "It's probably true," remarks Peter with a shake of his head. "I saw him here a few months ago. He said he came to visit his sister, the Stiff. He probably went to one of the clubs in the Pit, and hooked up with a girl there."

"Come on," says Sean. He and Peter and Gabe get up from their chairs. "Let's go find out."

They stagger away, still drunk and taking wobbly steps, while Tori rolls her eyes at them.

Caleb's in the lobby of the glass building above the Pit, where ropes hang from the ceiling and various members of Dauntless fight with sticks. Armed guards flank him on either side. Some of the Dauntless shout and jeer at him, fling pieces of food at his face, or pelt him with paintballs from their guns. He stands out in the crowd, being the only person dressed all in blue, with a pair of useless spectacles on his nose.

"Hey! Caleb! Caleb Prior!" Peter elbows his way through the mob. His two friends trail him on either side. "Why're they putting you away? You commit a murder?"

"No." Caleb hangs his head, his cheeks red. His glasses threaten to slip off the end of his nose.

While the people in the crowd continue to hiss and boo, Peter makes his way over to Caleb, faking sympathy. "So what was it? A sex crime?" He raises his eyebrows.

Caleb sighs. "You could say that." At the same time, the guard directly behind him nudges him with the butt of his gun. "Let's go, Prior," he snaps.

"One moment, please," pleads Caleb. He looks to Peter, knowing the young man might be his last hope. "Listen. Please. I'll explain what happened. I met Maria at the club one night, and before I knew it, we were in her bed, fooling around. She just got pregnant, and I was ready to support her, too, except I didn't yet have a job waiting for me back home. You see, they hadn't yet completed my background check. So we thought it'd be best to hide what happened when we made love, at least till we got what we needed to stay in love. But it just so happened that the thing we most needed to hide, is the thing that's plainly obvious on Maria right now."

"Her pregnancy?" Peter lifts his eyebrows a second time, and Caleb nods, his expression bitter.

"Sadly, yes. And that young leader whom Max left in charge, whether it's 'cause he's new, or he views his own people as a punching bag, and he only just figured out how hard he can hit, whatever the reason, he's decided to hit me hardest of all." And Caleb bows his head, looking simultaneously ashamed and afraid.

Peter's at a loss as to what to do. He didn't think the Dauntless would ever enforce this law, one that's been neglected for nearly nineteen years. But the leaders have been discussing the problem of the astronomically low birth rate in Dauntless, and the young Dauntless woman's preference for abortion. They concluded that, in order to encourage Dauntless women to keep their children, they must do something to discourage the usual practice of hooking up, and leaving without taking responsibility. And that, they said, starts with ensuring that all children are financially taken care of, under pain of death.

With this thought in his mind, Peter's heart starts to beat faster. He looks at Caleb with sympathy. "Write to Max and appeal to him," he suggests.

"Can't be done," says Caleb despondently. "He's gone off to the Amity sector. Please, I don't know your name, but I think you know my sister. She's about to become a Dauntless leader. She's pretty important here, and she's good at persuading people. See if you can get in contact with her. Maybe, if she finds out about me, she'll make friends with that young leader, Eric, and tell him to set me free."

"'Kay, I'll go talk to her." Peter jumps at the suggestion. "You have my word, Mr. Prior."

"Thank you," says Caleb, tears of relief running down his cheeks.

"See ya later," says Peter. "If you're not dead by then." And with that, the guards standing behind Caleb push him forward, directing him to the prison.

AN: And that's it for the first chapter! I hope you all review my new story! For obvious spoiler-related reasons, I won't say on here which play it's based on, though some might be able to figure it out.

The story starts from Chapter 33 of the first book and then diverges from canon. The text in italics at the beginning is all Veronica Roth's, not mine.

Happy reading everyone!