The entire room goes silent when Jason mentions Divergents under the truth serum. There's a huge misconception in our city that Divergents are a danger to our society and need to be eliminated. I wonder if any of the people in this room honestly care that suspected Divergents are being assaulted and killed. There has to be a way to hide the truth and make everyone think the names on the list aren't Divergent. Use your Erudite brain, Tris.
"I need more details about these lists, Jason," Niles says.
"There are two lists of names for each faction, except Abnegation. The first list consists of suspected Divergents," Jason says. There's our salvation, suspected Divergents. They don't know without a doubt we're Divergent, and it's possible some of the names aren't Divergent. Not that I deserve to die because of how I was born, but just because someone is suspected of divergence definitely doesn't mean they should have a target on their back. "It's our mission to eliminate these people as quickly as possible. They bring down our society. They are worse than the factionless. The second list consists of a class member who's paid to inform on the Divergent. They keep track of their movements and report back to us. It's simple but effective." I see Tobias write something down on his notepad then catch Jack's attention. He comes over to where Tobias and I are sitting.
"Have Niles ask this question," he quietly says. Jack unfolds the piece of paper, reads the single question scrawled across the page, and nods at Tobias. He then walks over to Niles and hands him the paper.
"What makes you think the people on the lists are Divergent?" Niles asks, reading from Tobias' note. For the first time today Jason pauses before answering the question and looks like he's in excruciating pain.
"I don't know," he finally spits out.
"Why do you think they're Divergent at all?"
"That's what I was told," he says. The answers to the past two questions revealed that Jason is just a pawn in someone else's game.
"Who gives you your orders, Jason?" Niles asks making the same realization I just did.
"Cameron does," he says. "But Asher has also."
"Have you ever been ordered to hurt anyone in a faction?"
"Yes, I have."
"Do you know what their names are and what factions they came from?" Niles asks.
"I was ordered to kill Samantha Brandon and Carrie Lemming from Erudite; Jake Walters from Amity; Bailey Young, Trent Smith, and Darby Ross from Candor, which I did; and Daniel Parks from Dauntless, although I wasn't part of the assault on him. Jared and Cameron did it. I was also ordered to kill Andrew and Natalie Prior from Abnegation, Beatrice Prior from Dauntless, and Caleb Prior from Erudite. Jared and I tried to get to Beatrice on Christmas night but her boyfriend is extremely protective of her. We couldn't catch her alone so we decided to attack in hopes of killing them both. That isn't what happened," he says hanging his head. It seems so easy for him to be talking about killing all these people. "Four injured me and killed my brother, Jared." There's silence in the room, except for the whistle of the wind. I see Jack pull his phone out of his pocket and look at something. The look on his face tells me he's corroborating Jason's story. He looks furious right now.
"Do you know of anyone's involvement beside Jared, Cameron, Ben, and Asher?" Niles asks, regaining his voice. Jason frowns at the question but doesn't answer. This time he doesn't look like he is in pain.
"I don't know her name," Jason says after a moment. "They never told me."
"Have you seen her?" Niles asks.
"No, I haven't," Jason says. This time Tobias gets up and whispers something in Niles ear before returning to his seat.
"I know you don't know her name, Jason, but do you know who this woman is," Niles says.
"Cameron's mother," he immediately says then frowns and looks around confused. Ah, Drusilla.
Jack looks at Tobias, and they nod at one another in silent communication. Tobias pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends a text to Will obviously telling him it's time to bring Dru in. Almost immediately I hear Tobias' phone sound letting him know he has a message. He looks at the screen then hands the phone to me. My eyes take in the sketch filling up the screen. I look up into Tobias' eyes, and he has the same bewildered expression on his face. I pull his ear down to me.
"Who's this?" I whisper.
"The person Samaire saw at the train," he replies. "Tori just drew it."
"Do you have any more questions for the prisoner, Four?" Niles asks looking annoyed he just caught us talking.
"Actually, we have one more," Tobias says. He gets up, walks to Niles, and hands him his phone then he quietly says something that I can't hear.
"Jason," Niles says holding the phone up in front of him. "Who is this?"
"Jared," he automatically responds. So that's what Jared looks like without the severe head injuries.
"Do you have any other questions?" Niles repeats to Tobias returning his phone. Tobias looks at me, and I shake my head. I think we've learned everything we can from Jason.
"No, we don't, Niles," Tobias says.
"Very well. I have one final question for you, Jason," he says looking at the prisoner. "We ask everyone who goes under truth serum this question. What's your biggest regret?" Jason once again raises his head to look at Niles. I'm surprised to see wetness in his eyes.
"My biggest regret is asking Jared to join Cameron, Ben, and me on our mission. He didn't want to be a part of the group. He thought we were foolish to listen to Asher but I talked him into it. Now he's dead, and it's all my fault," he says, tears spilling down his cheeks. This is the first time he's acknowledged his part in his brother's death out loud.
"Thank you for your honesty, Jason," Niles says and every member of Candor joins him sending an echo throughout the room. Niles then goes to the Candor and Dauntless guards and quietly gives them orders. They pick Jason up from his seat and drag him out of the room. Tobias comes to sit next to me. He has a worried look on his face.
"Divergents," he quietly says so no one else can hear him. "We knew that's what this was about but it's hard hearing it out loud."
"I know," I say angling myself toward him. "What are we going to do when they find out our names are on Dauntless' list? How do we convince them it isn't true?" He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head.
"I don't know, Tris, but we'll think of something," he says. "Do you want to talk to your mom and dad, too?" I look up and see Caleb talking to our parents.
"Not now," I say. "Mom and Caleb haven't seen each other since the morning of our Choosing Ceremony. They need some time together."
"Are you okay?" he asks, concern in his voice, after we've been quiet for a while.
"Actually, our early morning is catching up with me. I could really use a nap," I say, snuggling closer to him and closing my eyes. All I need is a minute or two of rest. I feel one of his arms tighten around my waist as his other arm caresses my back lulling me to sleep.
The echoing bang of the double doors jerk me awake, and I pull away from Tobias confused. I can't believe he let me fall asleep here in the middle of the Candor interrogation room. After taking in how I feel, I almost instantly realize I'm not as tired, and I'm definitely more alert than I was just a few minutes ago. I look at Tobias and mouth thank you to him. He just smiles in return.
I finally turn my attention to the prisoner who was escorted into the center of the room and shoved into the interrogation chair. My eyes widen with recognition and surprise. I must still be asleep. In front of us is a tall, thin, lanky young man with shoulder length dark hair that's parted down the middle and tucked behind each ear. He has piercing light blue eyes and a menacing look on his unattractive face. If he had multiple facial piercings, this prisoner would look exactly like Eric.
"God, why didn't I figure it out earlier?" Tobias says mainly to himself but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him. He turns and looks at me. "Ben Riley, Eric's brother no doubt. They look like they could be twins. I knew the name Riley sounded familiar to me. I don't know why I didn't make the connection until now." It's obvious to see that this creature who slouches in front of us is related to Eric when you look at him. At the mention of Eric's name, Ben looks over to where Tobias and I are sitting. His eyes narrow into little slits as he glares at us. He obviously knows who Tobias is. Miles, Jack, and Niles give Tobias a warning look. He waves them over.
"What is this about, Four?" Miles says.
"I am 99% positive this is the brother of Eric Riley, one of the Dauntless leaders who was executed a few months ago," he says. "I don't know if this information is useful to you or not. Just the look on his face tells me he's a lot like Eric."
"Thank you for the information. It does help," Jack says. "Niles you can continue."
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Tobias says bowing his head Abnegation style. "My apologies." Jack narrows his eyes at him. I think he may just have unknowingly given away one of his secrets.
Niles walks to Ben and gives him his name and tells him he's going to be conducting the interrogation. He also tells him he'll be using the stronger truth serum on him. None of us want a repeat of yesterday with Jason. This news doesn't seem to faze Ben. Niles hands him an alcohol swab and tells him to wipe off the left side of his neck. Ben does so with no hesitation and no emotion. Niles retrieves the second syringe of truth serum from the black box on the table then puts his hand on top of Ben's head and roughly tilts it to the side, exposing the left side of his neck for the jab of the needle. I watch as Niles injects the cloudy bluish serum into Ben, and immediately Ben slumps in his chair, and his eyes glaze over. He's ready for his interrogation.
"What's your full name?" Niles asks.
"Benjamin Keith Riley," he replies, then a frown settles on his face.
"How old are you?"
"20," Ben says.
"What are your parents' names?" he asks.
"Brad and Sherry Riley," Ben says.
"Are you related to the late Eric Riley, Dauntless leader?" Niles asks.
"Yes, he was my brother," he says. So it's true, Eric had a brother.
"What faction were you born into, and which faction did you choose?" he asks.
"Erudite," he says with no inflection in his voice, "for both."
"Is your loyalty with your chosen faction?" Niles asks, saying it like he knows the answer.
"I have no allegiance to Erudite. They haven't done anything for me," Ben automatically says then he looks like he can't believe what just came out of his mouth. It's obviously the truth or he wouldn't have said it but maybe it's a truth buried so deep he didn't even know it existed. Caleb scoffs when he hears Ben's putdown of Erudite.
"Who are you loyal to then, Ben?" Niles asks.
"Cameron and Jason," he says through gritted teeth, pain visible on his face. "They're my best friends. I would die for Cam and Jason." You'll probably die with Cameron and Jason, I think.
"Do you know about the lists?" Niles asks.
"Yes." That wasn't a specific enough question for Ben.
"I remember your brother," he says. "I interrogated him before he was executed for his crimes. He wasn't very forthcoming even under truth serum. It looks like you are the same way. It also looks like you will be joining him very soon." I look around the room and shock seems to be the dominant emotion on everyone's face. Ben just looks pissed off at the moment. "Tell me what you know about the lists, Ben."
"You're an ass," he says, then he relays the same information of two lists per faction except Abnegation that Jason just told us.
"How are the suspected Divergents weeded out?" Niles repeats for Ben. Confusion crosses Ben's face.
"I never asked and was never told. I just did what I was told to do," he says. Not only does he look exactly like Eric but he acts exactly like Eric, too. Niles takes a deep breath, calming his nerves I imagine.
"Have you ever been ordered to attack any member of Erudite, Amity, Candor, Abnegation, or Dauntless?" Niles asks.
"Yes," Ben says matter-of-factly, although he doesn't elaborate.
"What are the names and factions of the people you assaulted?" Niles asks getting more irritated and impatient by the minute. Ben pauses for a minute, confusion washing over his face.
"I don't know their names. They were Divergent. Their names weren't important," he says. I glance at Tobias, and he's glaring at Ben with a murderous look on his face.
"What about their factions?" Niles asks. "Tell me what the factions are of the people you assaulted." Ben sits quietly, not saying a word. He doesn't even look like he's in pain.
"I killed people in Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, and Amity," he easily says. Oh, my God. This is more widespread than any of us realized.
"Who knows the names of the people you attacked and killed, Ben?" Jack asks interrupting Niles. This time Ben looks uncomfortable.
"Asher and Cameron," Ben finally replies. "Dru maybe."
"Has Dru been arrested yet?" Jack asks.
"Let me check on her status," Tobias says. He takes his phone out of his pocket and dials Will. They have a short conversation then he hangs up the phone. "I'm afraid they're still looking for her. It seems she figured out she would be arrested today."
"How?" Jack asks.
"We're not sure exactly but Dr. Zander Parrish, Asher's brother, was tipped off to his brother's arrest last night by Nathan Wright, Dru's husband," I say. "Four and I discussed how he would have gotten the information. It seems to me that Cameron has been in contact with Dru and she told her husband."
"I want an arrest warrant issued for this Nathan Wright also," Jack yells. No one moves. "NOW!" Several Candor guards scramble into action. Tobias takes his phone out of his pocket once again and this time sends a message to Will. He gets an immediate response.
"Jack," Tobias says. "Nathan's at his apartment. He's told my guards he doesn't know where Dru is, and she's the one who told him that Asher was arrested. He will be brought here to Candor but I'm not going to have him arrested. I don't want a good Dauntless member having an infraction in their file for no reason." Jack looks increasingly angry. He obviously doesn't like having his authority tested. Maybe no one's ever done it before.
"Very well, Four," he says with spite. He calls over one of the remaining armed Candor guards left in the room and gives them instructions to stop the arrest warrant for Nathan Wright. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Me, too," Tobias says under his breath. He sits down beside me again.
"I just thought of something, Tobias," I quietly say. "Jason, Jared, Cameron, and Ben don't match Hana's second sketch. I think we need to ask who else is involved." Tobias gets up and relays what I said to Niles. He nods.
"Ben, we need the full names of every single person involved in your group," he says.
"Jason Grant, Jared Grant, Cameron Wright, Asher Parrish, and Dru Wright," he says.
"There has to be others," Niles says. "Do you know of anyone else?" Ben looks amazed.
"I just told you who's involved, man," he says. "That's all I know. Ask someone else your stupid questions." Niles looks our way and Tobias shakes his head at him. He obviously doesn't know much either.
"Ben, I have one final question for you," Niles asks sounding weary. "What is your greatest regret?"
"Getting caught," he says matter-of-factly. Oh, he's definitely Eric's brother. I see Niles shaking his head at him.
"That is exactly what your brother said when I asked him that question three months ago," Niles says to Ben with disgust in his voice. "Take this piece of crap away." Two armed Dauntless guards approach Ben and drag him out of the room.
"Bring in Asher Parrish," Jack says in his authoritative voice.