All rights to Veronica Roth….I own nothing.
I lower my gun and slowly turn. When I do, I experience something like a punch in the gut from some invisible force. My knees go weak and I fall. Crumbling to the ground.
Before me is a large glass tank full of water, and in the center, Beatrice. She floats angelically. Not quite alive but more alive than the last time I saw her. My heart starts to break and something comes over me. Her simulations, she kept finding herself in that glass box of water. They even tried to kill her that way before.
" OH. MY. GOD !" I cry out, scrambling to my feet, my vision blurry.
Before I get to her I turn, seeing the cabinet Matthew told me about. I yank the door open, nearly pulling it off and begin to fill my pockets with all the items I can possibly carry. Zipping the pockets shut, I turn.
" How do I get you out?" I ask myself. Turning in circles. I can't shoot the glass; that could put her in danger. I see a chair in the corner and I go for it. Grabbing the chair, I slam it to the ground a few times, breaking pieces off. I turn back to the tank and begin to bang on it, harder and harder. I feel my hands sweating and I keep losing grip. I'm about to give up when I see a small crack form. I'm engulfed in empowerment.
" Hold on baby! HOLD ON!" I yell to her, hammering my hand onto the glass. I continue to smash the broken chair into the tank and with every hack I see the crack growing. I cry out and, putting every last once of strength I have, give it one final blow.
The crack expands the entire length of the glass and there is a horrible breaking noise. Before I can get out of the way the entire pane cracks in half and water and glass shatters every direction. I fall to the floor and feel a heavy weight crash into me. Without thinking I wrap my arms around her and lift her into me. I find an IV sticking out of each arm, and with reckless abandonment I yank them out. She's gonna be pissed about that one later.
I stand and hold her tight, running for the door. Outside is total anarchy. People are running everywhere and the fire alarm continues to wail. I run in the direction I came from and I nearly run smack into Zeke.
" Is she?" He yells over the alarm
" Yeah!" I yell back " WE GOTTA GO ZEKE! WHERE ARE CHRISTINA AND MATTHEW?"
" Christina has the elevator open and secured, waiting for us, and Matthew is procuring transportation!" He tells me, his eyes squinting from the loud alarm.
Something I hadn't even thought of. Leaving this part of town. We can't just run all the way back like this with her in this condition. I remember I'm holding on to her and I press her a little more firmly into me, I swear I feel her move.
Before I let this affect my judgment I flash a look at Zeke and we start running. We take off towards the elevator banks again. The last one on the left is propped open my Christina's foot.
" HEY!" she calls to us, " DOWN HERE!"
We push through a group of doctors scrambling to get out of the way. The screaming is piercing my eardrums. Thankfully the elevator is still working with the fire alarm sounding. Zeke and Christina face forward, guns drawn, as we ascend.
" Fuck!" I think out loud looking down at her still body. "I should have covered her up, it's freezing outside!" In my infinite wisdom and in the sake of hurrying I didn't even really notice she was completely bare.
Without turning, Zeke removes his long coat and passes it to me. I grip his arm as he gives it back. I crouch down and pull her from my arms and start wrapping her in it. The creases of her elbows are bleeding a little from the IV's I ripped out, but it's nothing to fret about. I bundle her as tightly as I can. Christina still won't turn around.
" Are you okay?" I ask, tapping the back of her leg.
" I can't ", she says. She remains forward, but I hear a cracking in her voice, " not yet."
Just as the elevator doors open, I scoop up Beatrice again, and we're off. Suddenly the same guard at the front desk stands up, holding a rather small gun. I look down the barrel and all I can think is how wrong his stance is. No wonder his gun is small, anything bigger would knock him over. Zeke lifts up his rather large gun to eye level and approaches the man.
" Listen here alright! I don't want to shoot you, but I will. And unlike your gun that could blow a hole in my head, if I shoot, you will lose your head. All of it! So please Robert, " He says, flicking an eye to the guards badge, " Let us go! Save four lives instead of taking them!"
Dropping the gun to the desk he slowly raises his hands in the air, stopping and bringing one back down. Zeke charges the man, gun still raised and yelling, " What did I tell you? I tried to give you an easy…"
But before he can finish the man hands him something. Zeke looks down and sees it's a winter knit hat. As he takes it from the guard he says, " It's frigid out there. Her head is soaked, don't want her catching a cold!"
Zeke nods and returns to us, stretching the hat over Beatrice's head. His eyes begin to tear. Looking to me I realize he hadn't really looked at her before. The moment consumes me and it makes me disgusted I cannot give him his brother back. I lower my eyes as Matthew calls over to us.
" Guys! We gotta get out of here!"
As we rush through the building and out the door I get one last glance at the guard. His hands are still in the air and he smiles, giving me a nod. I realize he will probably be killed for this, for helping us. And I think he knows that.
The cold air fills my lungs and takes my breath away. I see Matthew standing next to a broken down van. I have seen a few of these around for deliveries. Matthew takes the drivers seat, as the only one of us who knows how to drive. The rest of us pile into the back. Zeke gives me a hand up into the back.
I sit on a crate and lay Beatrice across my lap. Her skin is cold and shivers. She's shivering! Signs of life, no matter how small, elate me. I'm touching her face, looking at her, and yet I can hardly believe I'm doing so. How could I forget this face? My fingers retrace the lines of her jaw. Time has stopped and I'm not even sure I'm breathing. There's a flash of black and suddenly Christina is knelt in front of me. She starts sobbing and collapses onto Beatrice's chest. There isn't really any noise, just movement as her body begs for air between sobs. She lifts her head, blue and purple makeup streams from her eyes down to her chin. Zeke reaches out and rubs his hand down her back and she moves herself away from us slightly, taking her seat again. She grasps one of Beatrice's free hands and holds it to her mouth. I can't hear what she is saying, but her lips are moving.
We leave the van a few blocks away from my apartment and walk the rest of the way, using the back door to the building. Quietly slipping to the door of my place, I hand the keys to Matthew, who unlocks the door. I rush in and take her straight to the bed. Laying her carefully, I make sure she's on her side. I walk to the dresser and pull out a pair of socks and her too big grey shirt, pausing to look at it. Never thought I'd ever have to give this back to her.
I shield her body and pull off Zeke's coat. For a second I look at her three birds. I had forgotten how beautiful they were. Quickly, to keep her warm, I pull the shirt on her and then the socks, and even grab a towel from the bathroom and try to wrap up her hair in it. I cover her with a blanket when I'm done.
I stand back and just look at her. She's so peaceful. Christina passes by me and sits on the end of the bed, placing a hand on her ankle.
" Can she hear us?" she asks.
" I'd tend to think so!" Matthew says, leaning near me on the wall, " She is just drugged, not comatose. I have no real doubt she can hear us in her subconscious."
He walks forward and, turning her arm in his hand, presses on her IV wound. Suddenly her muscles twitch and her arm gives a short spasm.
" She moved! " Christina yelps. Turning to me and smiling, " Did you see it?"
" I thought she moved when she was in my arms. I squeezed her and I could have sworn she adjusted herself."
" She's in there alright!" Matthew confirms, " She's reacting to pain. That's a great sign. It means her brain functions are fairly normal!"
" Is there a chance that they wouldn't be?" Zeke asks entering the room finally.
" There could be a chance." Matthew says grimly, " They had her on a huge mixture of drugs. She won't be out the woods for a while." He leans down and does a few short checks on her before continuing, " Her pulse is good, weak but good. And her breathing is shallow but that's to be expected, she's used to being on a breathing machine."
I remember the bottle in my pockets and quickly unload them on the edge of the bed next to Christina. I drop nearly 30 bottles down and a box of needles from my jacket.
" This is good!" Matthew tells me, smiling, " She's going to need all of this. Worst case scenario I can get more if we need now that I know what's she's been put on."
" When will she wake up?" Christina asks him, frowning.
" Well she's no longer going to be getting that IV of simulation, so soon I'd gather!" He says, rubbing his neck.
" What is it?" I ask, stepping from the wall.
" Well", Matthew says walking to Zeke and myself by the door, "it's just. Remember what Abe said? She was in a simulation of perfection. She is in a world of her wildest dreams, her desires. And we are pulling her out and bringing her back to reality. That world is all she's known for two years now. It's going to be an adjustment. I mean she may not even want to accept that she is here. And lets all keep in the back of our minds that we can't go rushing in to tell her things. Let the whole two years talk wait until she's ready. We don't want her going in to shock.
It's getting late and Zeke heads home, promising he'll be back soon. I know he is having a hard time with this. It must be hard to see someone you thought was dead come back and not be able to bring back your own loved one.
After he leaves Matthew approaches me. " I should probably get going too!"
" Are you sure?" I ask, " You're going to be safe right?"
" I'll be fine!" He tells me with a small smile. I can tell he isn't sure of that. Before he leaves he goes over the different injections I'm going to have to give to Beatrice, explaining them carefully. When I ask what to do, he says he leaves it to my best judgment.
I watch him walk out the door, and Christina stops near my shoulder. She takes my arms and guides me into a tight hug.
" This is all you." She speaks quietly, " You did this! You brought her home to us! I owe you more than you will ever know!" I feel her body tighten as she holds back a sob. Quickly she pulls away and walks out.
I walk back to the bedroom and lay down next to her. She's so still, so quiet, that it scares me. The days events take their toll on me and my eyes grow heavy. I close my eyes as I close my hand around hers.
I awake with a start. I look at my watch, I had only been asleep for two hours but it feels like a lifetime. What woke me? Then I feel it. Her fingers are twitching around my own. Then I remember what Matthew said.
" Tris!" I whisper into her ear, " It's me. It's Tobias. I'm here Tris! Please wake up! Please come back to me!"
Something comes from her lips that sounds more like a moan than anything else.
" There you are!" I tell her, touching her face to mine, " I hear you Tris! Come back to me baby!" I would never call her such a thing, but it come from my mouth so easily.
I see her chin lift a little. Then, under her eye lids, I see her eyes shifting back and forth. Her lips part and she breaths her first normal breath. Heavy but she takes it all in and exhales normally. I sigh in relief. Her fists and feet start moving awkwardly. It looks like she's trying to move. Then I think about it. She may not have realized she was in water, but her body did, and she's reacting to it. Her knees bend and kick slightly. She's swimming. I sit up watching her every movement. Her arms move out and her chin goes tilts up again. This time her mouth opens wide and she gasps for air. And then she goes perfectly still.
" Tris?" I speak quietly as to not frighten her, " Tris, it's me!"
Her eyes flash open and she seems to look everywhere but at me. She begins to scream, but since she hasn't had to use her vocal cords in so long it comes out deeper, and cracked. She grips the bedding around her and starts pushing herself around like she's unsure of her stability. I have to act. I lay down nearly on top of her, taking her arms in my hands and holding her down.
"NO!" She screams, " NO!"
Writer's note: Sorry i didn't upload yesterday, when i went to do so last night the site wasn't loading whatsoever.
If you find any edits, let me know…i'm really tired right now haha