Chapter 29: Tris – A New City

We spend the next part of the trip in darkness, discussing how to use the broadcasts to find the Control Computer. As Anna told us, the rebels have already narrowed its location down to two buildings, so the first step is to determine which of those is the right one – assuming either is. Beyond that, we're hoping to figure out which floor the computer is on, or at least to get a general sense of where within the building it is. In a skyscraper, we'll never find it without that kind of starting point.

"I doubt the computer does the actual broadcasting," Tobias tells us. "It's more likely that it sends a signal to some type of projection equipment. So, we'll need to find the projector first and then trace it back to the computer."

"But wouldn't there be more than one projector?" I ask. "It seems like they'd need one for each direction they broadcast in, unless the equipment can project in all directions at once."

"No," Cara says thoughtfully, "that's very difficult to do. It's more likely they have four or more projectors that each cover a range. They probably also have boosters or re-broadcasters located around the country, to transmit the signal to more remote locations. It would be hard to reach the entire population from one set of projectors."

There's silence for a moment while we try to translate Cara's words into a course of action.

"But the projectors in Philadelphia would all be in the same building, right?" Uriah finally asks a bit timidly.

"Very probably," Cara answers. "It would make sense to rely on physical cables to connect the computer to the projectors. That would prevent the signal from being hacked."

I feel Tobias' nod against my hair. "That should help us locate the computer," he states. "The cabling would be a pain for something like that, so they probably put the computer right in the middle to make it easier. That means if we can locate several projectors, we'll have a pretty good idea where the computer is."

Christina laughs, though she doesn't sound amused. "So…instead of looking for one computer, we're looking for multiple projectors? That doesn't seem easier."

I chew my lip, thinking about that. "Would the projectors be visible from outside the building?" I finally ask. "Like on the roof or mounted on outside walls?"

"Maybe," Cara answers, "but there's no way to know for certain since we're not familiar with this technology. We'll have to see where everyone looks during the broadcasts and hope there's something discernible."

"What do we do if there isn't?" Uriah asks, sounding concerned now. "I mean, we only have two people who can hear the broadcasts. And we all have to stay within sight of one or the other of them, right? That means we can only look at two spots during each broadcast. It could take days to find multiple projectors."

There's a pause, and then Christina says in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, "Chicago doesn't have that much time."

There's silence as we all realize she's right.

"We'll have to split up," I state flatly. I can feel Tobias' arms tighten around me in the darkness, but I continue anyway. "We'll get a lot more information if we have the building surrounded during each broadcast. Plus, we'll be less noticeable if we're wandering around as individuals or couples instead of in a big group."

Pari sounds annoyed as she responds. "Normally, I'd agree, but not if you two are going to draw attention again."

Peter smirks, drawling, "Don't worry – I'm sure they won't start making out and miss a broadcast. Again."

"Say what?" Amar asks in a somewhat strangled tone, and I wince. Apparently, no one told him about this afternoon. I don't want to admit our mistake, particularly in the middle of the current conversation, but I'd rather it come from me than Peter. I'm just opening my mouth to speak when Tobias does it for me.

"Tris and I missed the first part of a broadcast," he says reluctantly. "We were…distracted at the time."

Amar groans. "Damn it, Four, you know better than that! You could have gotten the whole lot of you killed!"

"I know," Tobias says heavily, and I can feel the stiffness in every limb of his body as he shifts slightly away from me. He doesn't like disappointing Amar. "It was a very private area, and no one noticed, but it was foolish. It won't happen again."

Amar makes a frustrated sound. "No, it won't, because you two are going to have to stay apart tomorrow." I start to protest, but he continues in a louder tone, "We can't let your lack of self-control put everyone at risk!"

The words make anger boil up inside me, but there's nowhere to aim it except at myself, because he's right. If anyone else had made the same mistake we did, I'd be furious with them. I can't ask for more leniency than I'd give the others.

I don't answer out loud, but I nod. Tobias is still close enough to feel the movement. His hands grip my arms for a second – whether in frustration or agreement I can't tell – and then he speaks just loudly enough for Amar to hear.

"Okay. We'll go in whatever groups you designate."

I hate hearing the defeat in his voice.

I wake up to the sound of Margot and Pari arguing. They're not being overly loud, but they're nearby, and with my wrist already throbbing, the noise is enough to rouse me.

It's still too dark to see well and too cold for me to want to leave Tobias' warmth, so I sit quietly and listen.

"Oh, come on," Pari is saying in annoyance, "he's not going to help the whole group just because you used to screw him."

"No, but if I can get in, then I can let the rest of you in later," Margot counters. "It's safer than going to your sister."

"The hell it is! You don't even know if he's resistant. At least Tammy is. I only got out because of her."

"Which makes her even riskier right now!" Margot snaps. But then she continues in a more resigned tone. "You know it does."

"That's a fair point," Amar says softly, and I realize he's awake too. "We need to avoid everyone who knows why you left."

Pari lets out a frustrated sigh. "And that doesn't include her ex-boyfriend?"

"We broke up before I left," Margot snarls. "He has no idea I'm resistant."

"Did anyone in Philadelphia know about that trait?" Amar asks reasonably. "Because if one person went to the police, they would have questioned everyone you knew there, right?"

"No one in Philly knew," Margot insists. "I didn't find anyone like-minded until I moved to Pittsburgh."

Pari is clearly still angry as she retorts, "But those 'like-minded' people knew where you came from, didn't they? And one of them could have turned you in, so the same rule applies. We can't trust him."

"I never said anything about trusting him," Margot responds caustically. "But he's still our safest choice. Think about it – we just put everyone I knew in Pittsburgh onto a truck and sent them out of the city. Even if they get caught, it'll take time to trace me back to Philly, and even longer to connect me to Simon. There's no way he knows at this point, or is being watched. We have days, at least, before that could happen."

"That's probably true," Amar says, "but we've had a lot of assumptions go wrong lately, so I'd prefer to avoid the risk. And we do have money. Isn't there a place we could rent?"

"We don't have enough for anywhere private," Margot says dismissively. "Besides, hotel staff are always on the alert. That's probably the most dangerous place we could stay." In the dim light, I can see her running an aggravated hand through her hair. "I'm telling you, Simon is our best bet. He'd be the only person in the building, and if I distract him, the rest of you would be able to plan without any danger of being overheard."

"He might not even work there anymore, you know," Pari comments, but her tone is less hostile and more thoughtful now. "Or they might have increased the security. It's been almost two years since you left – anything could have changed."

"I highly doubt it," Margot answers. "The owner's cheap and doesn't like change. It's probably exactly the same."

"Hmm," Amar grunts. "The privacy aspect is appealing, but I still don't like the overall idea." He's silent for a moment, thinking through the risks and options. "Are there any abandoned buildings we could break into, as an alternative? They could have the same advantage."

"Yes, because no one ever thinks to live in those!" Margot answers, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Somewhat unnecessarily, she adds, "They're even more crowded than the camps."

"All right…." Amar says with a long sigh. "It was worth asking. I guess we don't have much choice. But you need to think about what will happen if things go wrong. Are you willing to shoot him if it comes down to that?"

"I thought about killing him a few times before we broke up," Margot mutters, but it's clear she's not serious, and the others don't say anything in response. Finally, she adds something that's too quiet for me to hear. It must be an affirmative answer, though, because they begin discussing logistics in detail. Their voices are more subdued now, and without the ability to hear what they're saying, I gradually drift back to sleep.

Pari's voice wakes me again sometime later, but this time she's deliberately rousing us. It seems we're getting close to Philadelphia.

"We need to jump off before we get to the station," she tells us. "The railroad doesn't like people hitching rides, and trust me, we don't want to get caught."

Amar leaves to retrieve Marcus from the other car while the rest of us finish waking up and collect our few belongings. I don't have anything to gather, and if I did, Tobias probably wouldn't let me hold it right now anyway, so I just watch the landscape we're passing.

At first, it's mostly dark – presumably, this stretch is sparsely populated. But then I notice a series of large, flat buildings barely visible along the crest of a distant hill. They're well lit in a way that nothing in Pittsburgh was, with grand front entrances and curving driveways that are outlined by lights. An old word from school comes to mind: mansions. If I had to guess, I'd say those buildings are home to NUSA's small wealthy population. I watch quietly, wondering how many of the people we saw crowded into hand-built shelters could live comfortably inside each of those palaces.

There's more darkness after the mansions, as if the wealthy don't want other people living too close, and then we begin to see a city that's more like Pittsburgh – but far larger. Lights flicker all around us as we pass through an enormous swath of low-lying buildings that are surrounded by hand-built shelters. It seems endless, and judging by the stench that's carried to us on the wind, living conditions here are no better than what we walked through this morning.

The scale is amazing. The train slows down more and more the farther we travel into the city, but it seems to keep going forever. If we moved at this speed through the parts of Chicago that are still inhabited, we'd have reached the other side long ago, but instead it's clear we're still on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I think back to the map in Anna's office, remembering that this city was much bigger than the others in NUSA, but there was no way I could grasp what that really meant at the time. Now, I begin to get a sense of it.

The train is practically crawling along at this point, and I realize that by Dauntless measures it shouldn't be hard to jump off. That's good, since I can't grip anything as I launch myself, and I certainly don't want to scrape my hands on the ground if I don't land well. Even the thought of that makes my stomach churn and causes pain to radiate from my wrist.

As if reading my mind, Tobias moves up beside me and takes hold of my arm. I hate relying on other people, but I give him a smile anyway, knowing that I really could use the help – and that I'd much rather receive it from him than anyone else. I suppose that's part of love: wanting to take care of each other, and letting the other do that for you.

"Get ready," Pari calls. I glance at her, and my muscles immediately tense as I spot Marcus between her and Tobias. I didn't notice when he and Amar joined us, but they're now getting ready to jump too. I'm determined to show Marcus that he doesn't intimidate me, so I stare at him coldly, evaluating his condition. He seems wobbly on his legs, and his nose is crooked – it's clearly broken. The sight brings a very non-Abnegation-like smile to my face. I make sure Marcus sees it before I turn back to the edge of the car.

"Just ahead," Pari says, and I begin scanning for a good landing spot. But it's all cement. We're passing through what looks like an industrial area, with well-lit sprawling buildings and roads and walkways that cover every inch of ground. It's virtually deserted – it must be closed at night, and clearly people aren't allowed to set up shelters here.

"Go!" Margot calls, and I prepare to spring, but Tobias holds me in place.

"On three," he tells me solidly. "One, two, three!" And we leap, his hand keeping an iron grip on my arm as we land, running forward a few steps to regain our balance. Neither of us stumbles.

We turn back in time to see Christina leaping with Pari, and I'm relieved to see the others already on the ground. At least there was no repeat of what happened to Lisa.

Tobias keeps his hand on me for another moment as we walk toward the others, but then he gives a final squeeze and lets go. I know it's a concession to Amar, so I try not to feel it as abandonment.

As we join the rest of the group, Christina steps beside me, taking my arm casually. Her eyes move between Tobias and Amar before she gives me a grin. "Hopefully it was a good kiss," she whispers, and I give her a small smile in return. At least she's not mad at me.

Margot takes the lead, and we begin walking. Now that we're on the ground again, with potential listeners all around, we stay quiet, following her through the web of cement and out to the street beyond.

It's a long walk through the night. We pass more people than I thought the world held, and it's difficult to tell our progress because the buildings and shelters look very much alike from one block to the next. But gradually the buildings get taller, so I assume we're not moving in circles.

Eventually, we come to a bridge over a wide river. It's not nearly as high as the ones in Pittsburgh, but it's still tall enough that it must bother Tobias. If so, he hides the fear well, marching along without hesitation. But I suppose that's Tobias – strong when he needs to be no matter how difficult it is for him. I twitch my fingers automatically, wanting to hold his hand, but the flash of pain reminds me I couldn't even if I were allowed to right now.

The farther we walk into the city, the more people we see out on the streets instead of huddled in shelters. Clearly, Philadelphia has an active nightlife. There must be more variation in wealth here, too, because people are milling in and out of buildings with food and drink in hand. But the Abnegation in me notices that others watch hungrily from the shadows, stepping forward quickly to grab anything that's discarded by the revelers. And my stomach twists to see how many of those watchers are children.

Margot leads us through a network of streets that get gradually cleaner but also emptier. This must be a business section, and as with the industrial area, it's well lit and free of shelters. We see a handful of people, but it's clear they're just passing through on their way to somewhere else.

Margot waits until no one is in sight and then takes us into an alley that runs along the back of the buildings. She finds a secluded spot and whispers, "Wait here." Then, to my surprise, she takes Christina's arm and pulls her over to Amar. They have a short, whispered conversation, during which they point at one of the closest buildings. Finally, Margot and Christina head to the building. Margot's ex-boyfriend must work there, I realize, presumably as a security guard or something along those lines. I can see why it's an appealing place for us to stay; it's certainly much more private than the shelters. But I wonder why she's taking Christina with her.

We wait a long time. I've decided that something must have gone wrong and am about to suggest that we mount a rescue when Amar finally gestures us forward. We move along the back of the building to a door that's barely visible from the alley. Christina is waiting at it with her finger on her lips to keep us silent.

She leads us into the dark interior, and I'm reminded of my first day in Dauntless as I stumble along without being able to see where I place my feet. But unlike then, Tobias moves close to me and takes my arm, feeling the way for both of us. Despite our current circumstances, I find myself smiling a little, remembering how I watched him that day – and every day afterwards. At the time, I never would have guessed we'd end up like this.

Eventually, Christina stops. "Watch your eyes," she says, and even though I'm sure she's whispering, her voice sounds loud after our quiet walk. "I'm going to turn on the lights," she adds. I shield my eyes – at least my hands are still good for that – and see brightness flicker on.

We're standing in one of the strangest spaces I've ever seen. Pipes hang from the ceiling and walls, surrounding us in a maze, and pieces of large equipment are scattered among them, connected to them and each other. The floor is cement, covered with years' worth of dust and smeared dirt that emanate a musty smell. Still, it's far cleaner and more private than most of this city.

"Margot said we need to stay here until exactly five-thirty," Christina tells us, "and then go back out the way we came in. She'll make sure Simon is distracted then." She looks around, and Amar nods to confirm his understanding.

Christina continues, "She said we'd be safe here because there's nothing worth stealing in this part of the building, so there are no cameras. We can use the bathroom down the hall – take a left out the door, and it's halfway down. But we're not supposed to go any farther than that. And when we leave, we have to move quickly. Everyone understand?"

We all nod or make small affirmative sounds.

"How did she get you down here?" I ask curiously.

Christina looks hesitant as she says, "She brought me in as her friend, and we both talked with Simon for a while. Then, she asked him if I could sleep somewhere else so they could be alone, and he agreed to let her show me to this room." She looks away as she adds, "She gave me instructions and went back to keep him busy so he wouldn't see me let you in." Her eyes drop to the floor, and it's clear she's not comfortable with something that happened or was said.

I bite my lip, watching her, and suddenly I realize just how Margot is planning to keep Simon occupied. Bile rises in my throat at the thought, and for whatever reasons my eyes find Tobias. His face wears the same expression of distaste that I'm sure is on mine. But neither of us says anything. What is there to say, really? Margot made her own choice, and I suppose there are worse things than sleeping with your ex to free the entire country. Still, it feels deeply wrong, like taking something that should be sweet and loving and turning it into…I don't know what. Something I hope I never feel.

"All right," Amar says calmly to the group. "We'll take turns on guard duty. Peter, you're first. Everyone else, try to get some sleep."

"Come on," I say quietly to Christina. "That corner looks good." She nods and walks with me to an area that looks as comfortable as any, and we sit on the hard floor. Tobias joins me, staying on my other side to avoid disrupting Christina, and Uriah sits nearby. At least it's warm in here, warm enough to fall asleep. And we do, because tomorrow – or I suppose it's today now – will be a long day.