AN: Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites! This chapter is just the first step in the aftermath from the last chapter, I hope it answers enough questions, and has enough Fourtris for you :)
Chapter 28
Tris awoke to white walls, white sheets and bright, white light.
Oh, I recognise this place. Welcome back to stage one of recruit training – spending time in the infirmary after getting repeatedly beaten up. Hurrah, Tris thought, gaining her bearings.
Tris moved a little, experimentally, wondering about her injuries and pain levels. Her shoulder was stiff and heavy, but not too painful. She just felt bruised in general, but quite well rested.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, looking for a pair of shoes. She was dressed in a hospital gown, so she hoped there was a matching pair of slippers around.
There were, just under the bed, so she put them on, and gingerly set off to find someone who could tell her what exactly had been going on.
"Marlene!" Tris croaked, catching sight of her friend, sitting at a desk, looking at paperwork.
"Tris, you need a drink, and you should still be in bed, you goose," Marlene scolded.
Marlene quickly grabbed a glass of water for Tris, who drank it gratefully.
"Now I don't sound like a transvestite," Tris muttered. "So can you tell me what's going on? I feel fine, if a little stiff. I'd really like to get out of here."
"Well, I'll get Mike, he's the doctor on duty, and I'll have him check you over," Marlene decided. "I'll give you today's paper to read while you wait, that should answer a few questions."
"How long was I out?" Tris asked, as they walked back to her bed.
"It's Saturday afternoon, so you were only out about 24 hours," Marlene answered. "In you get and here you are. Take your pick, we have The Post, The Times and The Inquirer."
Tris settled down with The Post, looking at the headline.
DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JEANINE MATTHEWS ORCHESTRATES THE ASSASSINATION OF VICE PRESIDENT POWELL
Yesterday morning, Vice President Powell was shot dead in his office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The assassination was the plot of Jeanine Matthews, Deputy NSA to National Security Advisor Jim Patterson.
Matthews did not commit the murder herself, but hired someone else to do her dirty work. It is unclear yet why they Deputy NSA targeted the Vice President, but it seems as though she may have had some sort of psychotic break.
Government officials were involved in the aftermath of the situation and are in the process of a thorough investigation to discover exactly how this tragedy came to pass.
The White House security levels have been dramatically increased, and The President's personal detail has been further reinforced.
The article ran on, with further speculation and minor dramatic details.
Tris wondered how they were going to explain Eric and Max's part in it all, without exposing Dauntless. Tris assumed they would just become CIA agents or military officials, for secrecy purpose.
On the next page the following headline read:
SENATOR MARCUS EATON ARRESTED LAST NIGHT, FOLLOWING THE MURDER OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
Senator Marcus Eaton was arrested yesterday evening, on a slew of charges, none of them relating to the devastating murder of the Vice President earlier in the day.
Eaton was apprehended by Federal Agents in his Washington office and taken straight into custody. He will stand trial for many crimes, ranging from embezzlement to conspiring with terrorists.
Eaton has no family to speak of, his wife died over a decade ago, and his only son is completely estranged from his corrupt father, which can only be a good thing for him. It doesn't seem as though there will be anyone to mourn Eaton's crimes, or to visit him in jail once he receives what will most likely be a life sentence.
Tris's heart sank as she noticed a small, grainy picture of an adolescent Four next to the article, with the caption 'Tobias Eaton' underneath it. It wouldn't be long before someone recognised Four, Tris realised with chagrin.
"Well Tris, I see you're caught up on the media's coverage of your day yesterday," the doctor said, coming in with a smile. "I guess you want to get out of here and take care of some things."
Tris nodded vigorously.
Fifteen minutes later Tris was discharged and headed for her room, ready to change out of the sweats Marlene had got for her and into Dauntless gear. She wanted to look as tough and as professional as possible as she met with Harrison to discuss her part in the day before. She was sure there were a lot of questions she would have to answer, no matter how much Four had explained on her behalf.
It was Saturday, so on a normal day, most agents would be enjoying their weekend, but the halls were suspiciously vacant.
Tris pulled out her cell phone.
Tris: Christina, where is everyone?
A moment later:
Christina: We're all in the big lecture room. Prepare yourself, it's a madhouse in here.
Tris hot footed it from her room, dressed in fresh gear, her hair thrown into a ponytail, ready to face the music in the lecture room.
She walked in to about five people yelling over the top of one another, not to mention forty or so people talking in the backgroud.
The room quietened and stilled at the sight of her.
Four jumped down off the podium where he, Harrison and Lauren were standing.
"This doesn't look at all productive," Tris said quietly.
"It's not, but Max is dead, and things have kind of become momentarily out of control," Four told her.
Tris set her mouth, then walked determinedly onto the podium and up to the microphone.
"Do you mind?" she asked Harrison crisply.
"No, go for it," Harrison said, very curious.
Tris turned to the room full of agents. Everyone who wasn't on duty in a position that had to be filled seemed to be there.
"Thank you for your silence," Tris began. "I'm not sure what the ruckus in here was about, but I can only guess it's to do with the occurances of yesterday, so I think it's important we get a few things straight. Two men died yesterday, both were great men, who had worked hard to make a difference in this world. One of them was an important part of our work here, and it's going to take time for our leaders to work out how to move forward after this loss. So, before you speak, think about the fact that there are many people suffering from loss, and that there are many people who have a lot of hard work ahead of them to resolve the aftermath of yesterday. You will all be issued an email as soon as a decision has been made regarding the changes that need to be made. Enjoy your weekend."
The room sat in stunned silence, before filing out in meek submission.
"I told you we should've gone with a lecture, instead of an open forum," Lauren muttered.
"Maybe they just needed to hear from Tris, afterall, she was the one knee deep in everything yesterday," Harrison pointed out. "I had no idea that public speaking was something on the long list of things you excel at, Tris."
"It's not, but overstepping the mark is. I'm sorry Harrison, I don't know what came over me," Tris apologised.
"That's alright, extraordinary times sometimes call for extraordinary measures," Harrison said, waving away her apology. "I think we should head upstairs and you should brief all of us on your part in yesterday's events. Then we can decide where to go from there."
Lauren, Four, Harrison and Tris headed up to Harrison's office, and Tris explained in detail, the extent of her knowledge of the plot between Jeanine and Eric, starting from the day during training that she overhead them plotting.
"While you were out, we've received more information on Jeanine's reasoning behind her vendetta against Max," Four interjected towards the end of Tris's recount. "It turns out Max did kill Jeanine's brother, as part of a mission when he was a younger agent, in the field. Her brother was in gun smuggling, and a dangerous man, but Jeanine had always worshiped her older brother and refused to believe the worst of him. When she started working in government intelligence she looked into his death, found out about Dauntless, and that Max was responsible for her brother's death. He had completed the mission requested of him, but all Jeanine could see was that he'd killed her brother."
"How awful, but it's still so wrong," Tris said sadly. "Personal suffering is never a good enough reason to cause such trauma to others. And Eric, that bastard has no excuse, he was just power hungry."
"Very true," Harrison agreed. "Do you have anything further to share Tris?"
Tris wrapped up her tale, and she and Four waited for Harrison to respond, while Lauren looked on.
"In theory, I wish you two had to come to me with this, but I don't know what else we could've done with the minimal information you had," Harrison said, heaving a great sigh. "We'll all need to compelte a report, which will be submitted to the Dauntless Director, but I'm the only one who will have to speak with him, as I now have the most seniorority. I expect there will be promotions to fill the gap left by Max's death, but it's certainly not something I'd ever hoped for."
"How will you address it with the other agents?" Four asked.
"I think we'll stick with what Tris told them, we'll send out an email, hopefully tomorrow afternoon, once the changes are finalised. For now, we'll fill out our reports, then you three can take a well deserved break while I take care of the other things," Harrison deicded.
They did as Harrison had instructed, and soon they were out of his office, Tris having been given particular instructions to take it easy, in addition to the fact that she would be on 'desk duty' until her injuries were sufficiently healed.
"Can we just go to your room?" Tris asked tiredly. "I don't want to see anyone."
"Are you okay? Are you in pain?" Four asked in concern.
"I could use some more painkillers," Tris replied in a strained voice. "But I could really just use some peace and quiet, and a moment alone with you."
Four scooped her up into his arms and they headed for his room.
"I can walk," Tris protested weakly.
"But I'd rather carry you, instead of having you collapse on me, like you did in the Situation Room," Four countered, a small smile on his lips.
"What did happen after that?" Tris asked.
"Oh, we rushed you out of there and we all headed straight for the plane," Four said. "Shauna looked after you, she has some medical training. We wanted to get you back here, where you'd be safe, as soon as possible, and your injuries weren't life threatening."
"Just very painful," Tris said wryly. "Then what?"
The reached Four's room and he set her down on his bed.
"Oh the usual, we spent a lot of time on the phone with various officials, making reports, answering questions, watching the fall out unfold in DC," Four replied. "I sat by your bedside as much as possible, and Christina spent quite a bit of time there too. Then, just before you appeared, we called a meeting with everyone in the compound who wasn't on duty to discuss things, and that's where you found us."
"I'm glad I was out of it," Tris said, accepting a glass of water and some painkillers.
"I'm glad you were too," Four said, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I can't believe I sent you into that situation yesterday, but I had no other option, and I knew you'd hate me for putting your life ahead of the greater good of others."
"You're right there," Tris said wryly. "I knew what I signed up for, as an agent, and danger was pretty much on the top of the list. I could do without the injuries though, or quite so much convulted plotting from within our own organisation."
After a pause Four said, "Eric will probably get the death penalty, you know."
"I don't see any problem with that," Tris said coldly. "He's an unbelievably awful person."
Tris snuggled into Four's bed and he got in beside her.
"There's an old, smally, grainy photo of you in the article about Eaton's arrest," Tris said softly. "Has anyone said anything to you about it today?"
"No, I hadn't seen it myself," Four said, bothered. "I guess that's what happens when your leader is murdered and the senior agent who murdered him also murdered the VP. No one really pays much attention to the arrest of a corrupt senator."
"But they will. Things will settle down and they'll read the paper, especially as the news that we were on that mission will circulate," Tris said quietly. "Someone will recgonise you. Do you know what you're going to do when that happens?"
"No," Four admitted. "I guess I'll just face it when the time comes. For now, I just want to make sure you're okay."
"Okay. Could we just stay here like this, at least for now?" she asked sleepily. "I feel warm and safe."
"I'll always do my best to keep you safe," Four said, kissing her gently. "I love you, Tris Prior."
The words washed over Tris, but she was too tired to even respond, all she knew was that she felt peaceful and happy, for the first time in many weeks.
AN: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will really get into leadership changes, and people finding out that Four is Tobias Eaton :)
Please review!