AN: So, I got some follows, and a review, which makes me so happy! I'm so happy others like this idea :) Thanks for the support, and I hope you keep enjoying this.
Chapter 2
Tris nervously smoothed the grey skirt of her dress as she stared up at the tall building.
She glanced down at the address in her phone, then at the number on the building.
She was in the right place.
She had made a snap decision to attend her meeting, and even though she had grown more apprehensive as the date drew nearer, there was no way she was backing away.
Tris walked into the foyer of the foyer and approached the front dress.
"Excuse me, I'm here for an 11.30 meeting with Harrison Thompson," Tris said. "I'm Beatrice Prior."
While Tris waited for a response from the receptionist who was looking at her computer screen, smoothed an imaginary loose hair back. Her sensible bun did not allow for stray hairs, but nonetheless, Tris fidgeted.
The receptionist then looked up with a smile and said, "You're right on time. I have a pass for you, giving you access to the 5th floor, where Harrison's office is. You'll see where to go from there."
Tris accepted the pass, a little crease of uncertainty on her brow. This was easily the strangest scholarship meeting she had attended.
Tris looked at the receptionist, who appeared to sense Tris's uncertainty, and she actually seemed to be amused by it.
"Thank you, Shauna," Tris said, reading her name tag as she offered her thanks, even though they were a mere courtesy, instead of a genuine parting remark.
Tris headed for the elevator, her low, sensible heels making no sound on the rug covering the foyer. As an almost eighteen year old American girl it would have been more than normal or acceptable for Tris to wear high, fashionable heels, with a sleek suit or a pencil skirt. Instead, she was plainly and simply dressed - fashion was not something Tris was very interested it.
Tris pressed the up button and waited.
As she waited, her eyes scanned the large room. It was nicely decorated, but rather impersonal. Or rather, there was nothing in the décor to define the room, to set it apart from any other office building. There were no clues to add to Tris's futile search for more information on the people behind the scholarship fund. She had searched the internet and had found nothing. It was unsurprising, seeing as that had mentioned that secrecy was important, but she'd hoped there might have been something.
The elevator arrived and Tris stepped into it, scanned her pass and pressed five.
Less than a minute later, the elevator landed on level 5 and Tris stepped out.
She looked around, the quite, deserted floor. It was odd – there was no noise, no people moving from here to there.
There were plenty of offices, so Tris assumed the floor must be dedicated to a specific type of staff – those who worked in offices.
There was only one office with Harrison Thompson on the door, in large, clear writing.
Tris approached and knocked.
"Come in," a deep voice called.
Tris turned the knob, and after a brief moment of hesitation, walked confidently in.
She approached the desk, where a blond man, around thirty, sat. He stood, and she noticed he was tall, and well toned.
He offered his hand and said, "Miss Prior, I'm Harrison Thompson. Please just call me Harrison."
"Nice to meet you, Harrison," Tris replied, shaking his offered hand. "Thank you for meeting with me. Or rather, thank you for asking to meet me. It's intriguing to be offered a scholarship meeting for a scholarship you've never applied for, from a committee or organisation that seems not to exist."
Harrison smothered a grin and resumed sitting. "Please sit, Beatrice."
"Tris," she automatically corrected.
"Tris," he repeated. "Well, I can tell you've already got a lot of questions, and you're full of fire and curiosity. Those are just a couple of reasons you have been hand picked and offered a place in our program."
"Which is what, exactly?" Tris asked, her hands fighting her lap with eager frustration.
"How about I explain everything in full, and when I'm done, if you have questions, then you can ask them," Harrison suggested firmly, but kindly.
Tris nodded, and Harrison continued.
"This offer is not exactly what the letter makes it out to be. I know the letter was vague at best, but this is not the scholarship offer it seemed. This is a different kind of offer, and the training you are being offered, is free, it's just not a college education that you will be getting," Harrison began. "Our organisation has, scouts - if you will - placed throughout the country, we have departments and branches across the country, and the key to continuing our organisation is gaining new recruits. We want the best, and only the best. Our scouts look for those with enquiring minds, determination, individuality, intelligence, bravery, physical ability. Our agents need these skills so we can train them to become the best, the best secret agents possible. We do what needs to be done, we go where we're needed to go, we make impossible decisions and take impossible cases. We're invisible, we have presence, we're top secret, and we're the best. We are brave, courageous and fearless. We are Dauntless."
"And you want to recruit me?" Tris asked partly dazed, partly incredulous. And awed. Definitely awed. "How does this exactly all work?"
"Well, should you choose to accept our offer, you will go through extensive training, and if and when you pass training you will be a fully fledged agent. Most agents go on to do field work, the nature of which you will learn more about in your training. We do of course have agents who are involved in training and leadership and a couple of other areas, but these positions are specialist and again, you will learn more later on," Harrison explained.
"Is it like some cult?" Tris queried. "Will it be like I never existed in the real world, will you fake my death or something? Will I ever see my family again?"
Harrison smiled at her extreme notions, and replied, "No. You family can never know about Dauntless, but you will be able to see them, provided you're willing to uphold whatever cover story you are given. Each recruit and agent is given a cover story to help them maintain a façade of a cover life in the real world. This is often important for whatever mission you're assigned to. Sometimes the best type of secrecy is to live as a normal person while completing your assignments."
"And if I don't want this?" Tris asked slowly.
"Then you leave, no questions asked," Harrison replied. "In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that you have to drink a serum that will while any memory of your contact with us from your mind. This is for your sake as well as ours. If you choose to continue your life as it is, you need to be able to do it without the weight of this knowledge hanging over you."
Tris nodding, thinking over all of his words.
"You can have half an hour and a quiet room to think your decision over," Harrison offered.
"I don't need any time," Tris replied, a light in her eyes, excitement in her voice. "When do I start?"
Harrison stood, and offered his hand to Tris again. She stood as well and shook it.
"We're happy to have you aboard, Tris. Your training will start this fall. Instead of going to PennState, you will be coming to us," Harrison explained.
"How, where, when, what do I tell my parents?" Tris asked in a rush.
"Everything will be explained in due course. I am going to take you to see another agent, who is in charge of new recruits, and she will explain where to go from here to you," Harrison told her simply.
They walked down the corridor, and stopped at an office three doors down on the left.
"See you at Dauntless," Harrison said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He then rapped three times quickly on the door.
The door opened, and Harrison walked off.
Tris walked into the new room.
Once Tris's eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, she had a chance to take in the person she was now with.
She was petite, with dark, angular eyes, and straight black hair. She was clearly of partly Asian ethnicity. Tris noticed a couple of tattoos peaking out from under her black clothing, but couldn't quite identify them.
"Hi Tris, I'm Tori," she said.
"Hi, Tori," Tris replied.
"Welcome aboard," Tori continued. "This is my favourite time of the year – getting to meet our new recruits, and setting them up for training and initiation."
Tris just nodded and Tori smiled reassuringly at her.
"Today, we're going to come up with a good cover story for you and I'm going to explain what you'll need to bring in the fall, and some things you'll need to expect," Tori explained. "I won't be telling you much about what comes after you first join the Dauntless training base, because it's important for a lot of training that you don't know too much of what is coming."
"Right," Tris said, her brain spinning quickly.
Tris and Tori talked, and together they formulated a cover story for Tris to tell her family. As they talked, Tris filled out the necessary paperwork for a new Dauntless recruit.
Tris was going to tell them that she had received a late, full scholarship offer from a college across the country that she couldn't, so she would not be making many, or any trips home during the coming school year. She'd still be able to write and call, but her schedule and the distance would make visits from either end unlikely.
In reality, Tris would still be in the borough of Faction, only about forty-five minutes from her home. Dauntless had one training base in Faction that served as a base for the whole of Faction, including the districts of Candor, Amity, Erudite and Abnegation, as well as greater Pennsylvania. The base was closest to the city of Harrisburg, only a couple of hours drive from WashingtonDC.
Tori explained that the training base was where many agents lived, all recruits lived during training, and most senior agents in leadership for the region where based out of the building or compound.
Many agents also had homes outside of the Dauntless compound, but used them for specific missions, and more commonly lived in the compound as it was more practical.
From the outside, the building looked like a common office, for a construction company. Anyone who mistakenly entered the foyer was merely turned away and pointed in another direction.
Tori also explained that the building they were currently in they just rented out for the purpose of these interviews.
"So, you won't really need to bring anything with you on September 1st, but you will of course need to pack things so you're family thinks you're going away for nine months," Tori explained. "So, we suggest you pack a suitcase as if you were going away to college for nine months, and pack an overnight bag of the things that you'll actually need here. We'll keep your suitcase in storage."
"What exactly should I pack?" Tris asked enquiringly.
"Some personal effects, just a couple, maybe a few photos. We have a library, a media room, a communal computer room, so it's not necessary to bring a laptop, books or your own movies. We also issue you with uniforms, and you are able to buy clothes or bring clothes to wear when you're off duty or not training," Tori answered. "As agents we wear a lot of black, and that usually sticks, even in our casual clothes."
"So, I guess this kind of will be like college," Tris mused. "There will be classrooms, teachers, learning, dorms, a cafeteria, and I'm packing a bag come fall."
"That's where the similarities pretty much end," Tori said with a smile. "Oh, one last similarity – you'll be meeting plenty of new people and hopefully, making new friends."
"Hopefully," Tris agreed with a smile. Maybe here she'd finally fit in and make friends.
"One last thing before you go, Tris," Tori added. "We like to give our recruits a little insight to Dauntless before they return for the fall. We are called Dauntless. Our motto is Ne altius quam ferro secat. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Courage, bravery, fearlessness are our most important traits. This is what you're signing up for."
AN: So, what do you think? Really excited with where this story it going :) Thanks for reading, reviewing and following!