CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
TOBIAS POV
It has been a week since the trials. Graham was executed as soon as we got back to Dauntless, the day of his trial. Max didn't want to have to listen to member's suggestions of how we should have him executed. So he took Graham into the Pit pulled out his gun and shot him on the spot. Not the usual way that it would have been done but just as effective.
It started a week long party in Dauntless. We finally got to have the new members banquet and from there it was one long week of drinking, dancing and hangovers. I'm glad it's finally over and we can get back to work.
Tori and Eric are still in cells at Dauntless. We are about to have a meeting to see what we are going to do with both of them. We also need to start training Josh and Uriah. Tris started her job as an ambassador yesterday. She seems happy, she will be the faction ambassador for Abnegation. Which means getting to see dad a lot. The Abnegation ambassador for Dauntless doesn't like to come to our compound unless it is absolutely necessary. Can't blame the person really, I would find it overwhelming coming here if I had decided to stay in Abnegation.
I walk into the meeting room and find Josh and Uriah already here. "Morning," I say.
"Four," Uriah says. While Josh just nods.
"What's on the calendar today?" Josh asks.
"We need to talk about Tori and Eric," I say.
Max and Scott walk in just as I finish my sentence. "Good morning," Max says.
"Let's get this started," Max says as we all take a seat.
"First let's talk about Tori. Scott has been in talks with Johanna from Amity and I think we have found a solution to this problem," Max says. "Now Josh and Uriah, I am happy to hear input from both of you but until you are out of training we will not be allowing you to vote on issues."
"So Johanna has offered us a solution for dealing with Tori," Scott says. "She is willing to let Tori go and stay in Amity for a time period that we feel is fitting the crime. There she will be given extensive counselling and a work program to complete. What do you think?"
"I think it's a great idea," I say. I didn't want to see Tori executed and I couldn't have dealt with sending her to the factionless.
"So do I," says Max. "Now we need to decide how long should we have her stay?"
"I think that it should have a clause in the time period," Scott says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well if her councillors don't think she is ready to return to us then she should have to spend longer in Amity," Scott says.
"What about two years? Then if she needs to stay longer she does. But, she can't come back before that time period is up even if they think she can," I say.
"I would be happy with that," Max says. "Does anyone else want to add?"
"Will that be too long?" Uriah asks.
"Why do you think that?" I ask. I can see Uriah start to sink in his seat a bit. "Uriah it's not like I think what you are asking is wrong. Sit straight you are going to be a leader. I would just like to know your reasoning behind the question."
"Oh right, sorry Four," Uriah says. He sits straighter in his chair and puffs his chest out a bit. I am trying not to laugh. "Well, what I am thinking is that Tori is our best tattoo artist. Will having her gone for two years be too long."
"All of what you have said is true Uriah and I agree with what you have said, but saying that, we need to show that what she did was wrong. If we make it a shorter time frame it is going to make it look like we favoured her. I also think that two years is a reasonable amount of time for her to get the help that she needs," Max says.
"I agree with Max," Scott says. "Uriah, Four is right. You need to remember that you are training to be a leader now. Be confident in what you are asking and be even more confident when you are asked a question. It will be good training for when you have to take on full leadership responsibilities with our members.
"Scott can you take Tori to Amity this week?" Max asks.
"I can do it tomorrow," Scott says.
"Do you think I could do it?" I ask. "It would mean a lot if I could be the one to take her."
"Four you can take Tori," Scott says. "I'll let Johanna know you will be there tomorrow."
"Now what should we do with Eric?" Max asks.
"Shoot him," says Josh.
Max starts to laugh. "I'm sure most people would agree with you Josh but the only charge we have him on is stealing dead factionless. And he has helped to save some of our members from Jeanine," Max says.
"I am not having him near the initiates anymore. I don't need to keep having him turn up in half the initiates fear simulations," I say.
"Remember when he was in leadership training and he totally disrespected the guys in maintenance?" Scott says. "Well why don't we give him a job with them?"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" I ask.
"Look, he is a total ass. I get that and I think that this is the best that we should offer him," Scott says.
"If we do this, it is going to upset a lot of people," Uriah says. "What is wrong with him going back to his IT job? He was good at it and I think we may want to punish him because we don't like him not because he deserves it. We have to remember that he saved people. And he did what we all would do, he followed the orders he was given without question."
"I think Uriah has some really good points," I say. Who would have ever thought I'd be saying that. "We can't punish him because we don't like him. I just think stealing bodies warrants a little more punishment than three weeks in a cell."
"What if we give him six more months in the cell?" Max asks.
"I don't think having him in a cell is productive," Josh says. "Why don't we have him on house arrest for the next six months and that he goes to work. He is only allowed to go to work and the dining hall. The rest of the time he is to be at home."
"I think that should work," Max says. "I will have him monitored by one of the patrol team. Does everyone agree?"
"Yes," Scott and I say at the same time.
"Now we need to talk about next week's council meeting. I would like to have a motion brought forward that people who are Divergent cannot be hunted or experimented on. What do you think?" Max says.
"I think it is a great idea," I say. "I think we need to go further though. I would like there to be a committee put together to monitor Erudite and their serums."
"I agree Four," Scott says. "I don't trust that Camille and I don't know anything about Cara or Fernando."
"Okay this is good," says Max. "Uriah you are going to help me to write up the motion for divergent people. Josh you work with Four on a motion to have the committee set up to monitor Erudite."
"What are we going to do about the factionless?" Scott asks. "We all know that they are becoming more and more like their own faction every day. I think we need to stop having Abnegation baby them and make them work for their handouts."
"We really need to talk to Abnegation about this. Scott have a talk to Tris, she is our ambassador to Abnegation now. She can talk to them; we will need to see what they think. We also need to look at what types of jobs are around the city that they could do," Max says.
"Abnegation would be the best to talk too about the jobs," Scott say. "Should we try to talk to Evelyn? See how the factionless feel about this."
"No, I think Evelyn would just try to block it. She wants control over the city and to rid us of our faction system. She is poisoning people's minds. We need to encourage them to break away from her. There are probably more factionless than any one faction. We need to split them up," I say.
"Scott, I think you and Four should look at this. Put a brief together that we can take to the other leaders. Let's get their input before we put a motion together," Max says.
"Thanks Four," Uriah says to me as we walk to the dining hall for lunch.
"What?" I ask.
"For what you said in the meeting. I didn't even realise that I had slouched when you questioned me. I need to look at how I do things," Uriah says.
"Uriah you wouldn't have been offered the position if we didn't think you could do it. You will get the hang of it. It takes time. There were only two people that Max would offer the position to this year. You and Tris, If you hadn't taken it then we wouldn't have been offering it to another initiate. Remember that you earned the position and that you won't learn it all over night."
"Thanks," Uriah says.
"Now let's get in the dining hall so you can take Zeke's cake off him," I say. "I'm really enjoying watching him have to hand it over."
"Ha, yeah it's great and all but now I am having to work out twice as much to work off the damn cake," Uriah says and we both laugh. "But I'm not going to tell Zeke that."
"Hey," I say as I sit down next to Tris.
"Hey," Tris says.
"We decided how we are going to punish Tori," I say.
"She isn't being executed is she?" Tris asks.
"No, two years in Amity," I say.
"How is Tori going to last two years in Amity?" Zeke says.
"Well she doesn't get a choice," I say. "She should be grateful that she got that as a punishment," I say.
"I would think death would be easier," Zeke says.
"I'll remember that if you ever decide to shoot someone," I say. I'm starting to get pissed at Zeke.
"What? It's not like you would have executed her," Zeke says.
"Yes it is Zeke. It doesn't matter that Jeanine was pure evil. We can't just go around killing everyone who is. We have processes that we need to uphold," I say. "I agree that Jeanine needed to be put down but if we don't go about it the right way then we are no better than them."
"I guess," Zeke says. He is just about to take a bite out of his cake when Uriah takes it out of his hand. "What are you doing?"
"The bet was for a month Zeke, not a week," Uriah says.
"Maybe I will just let you shoot me Four," Zeke says.
"That's not funny Zeke," Shauna says. "Here, you can have some of mine."
"Thanks," Zeke says.