Thank you all that have reviewed and everything. It means so much to me to read all of them. Helps me write more and more.
With that being said, this is the second to last chapter of Younger Sister. Now, I would love it if I could get some advice or thoughts of what you thought of the story. The next story will be up soon. Not sure if I'm going to rate it M or not for certain things I'm planning on putting in. If that's the case, then it's just to be careful with some things. Can't say without giving away too much. Let's just say Andy is going to be struggling through most of the next story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.
Chapter 20: Numb
"Stop it; I can walk on my own." I snap at the man with gun on my back. "I'm not dense." I thrash as I get him to move the gun. My hands are bind behind my back because I turned and lunged at Eric and tried choking him.
"Andy, knocked it off." Bass snaps at me. I growl and remain silent as I walk next to Bass and Tris. She got shot in the shoulder and isn't doing well. We are in the Abnegation headquarter that I know so well. We are walking to my father's room and I do not like it. The gun appears on my back again.
"I will take that from you and shoot you in the leg and then in the head." I threaten. "I know how to do that." Bass glares at me. "I can't walk with him that close." I defend before walking into my father's room.
"Well, send some of them back on the train, then." I look at the woman on the phone and she looks very familiar. "It needs to be well guarded, it's the most important part- I'm not Talk- I have to go." The woman snaps the phone shut and looks at Tris.
"Divergent rebels." The man that keeps shoving the gun in my back says.
"Yes, I can see that." she takes her glasses off and looks at Tris. "You, I expected. All the trouble with your aptitude test results made me suspicious from the beginning. But you…" She looks at my brother. "You, Tobias- or should I call you Four?-managed to elude me." She says quietly. "Everything about you checked out. Test results, initiation simulations, everything. But here you are nonetheless." She says as she rests her chin on her hands. "Care to explain to me how that is?"
"You're the genius." My brother says. "Why don't you tell me?"She smiles.
"My theory is that you really do belong in Abnegation. There for your divergence is weaker." She explains. I'm still confused.
"Your powers of deductive reasoning are stunning." Bass spits out. "Consider me awed."
"Yes, why thank you." She looks at me as she cuts him off. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"What?" I ask obviously confused.
"A lot of things are happening and your probably confused. Trusted me, things will be fine." She looks at the man. "Why is she cuffed?"
"She went after Eric." The man spits out quickly.
"Un-cuff her." She says annoyed. I glance as Bass and he looks emotionless. He doesn't understand. The man un-cuffs me and I rub my wrists.
"Jerk." I growl at him.
"See, that's why she shouldn't be treated like that." The woman shakes her head and stands. "How are you feeling, Aundrea?"
"What the hell is going on?" I ask her sharply. "You're killing people out there." I point to the window.
"I'm not doing anything that gets blood on my hands." She says firmly. "Do you remember me?" I shake my head.
"What does that have to do with anything?"I'm even more confused.
"I'm Jeanine Matthews." She says as she sits on the edge of the desk. "I came in a check on you the day you got the bug bite and had the allergic reaction." I shake my head.
"What does that have to do with anything going on? You're killing people even if you're not doing it yourself." I snap and walk forward. She doesn't move.
"Calm down, please. I'm remaining calm and I'm not hurting you. Please stay calm." I breathe in and out slowly. "You're being spared out of my own curiosity." Jeanine says simply. "Your mind seems to be split in two and it is quite… interesting."
"You want to do tests on me?" I ask her full of confusion.
"Both of you." She looks at Bass. "You all are both here for an extremely important purpose. You see, it perplexed me that the Divergent were immune to the serum that I developed, so I have been working to remedy that. I thought I might have, with the last batch to test." She tells them more than me. I don't understand.
"Why bother?" Tris asks and Jeanine smiles.
"I have had a question since I began the dauntless project, and it is this." she stops for a moment. "Why are most of the divergent weak-willed, God fearing nobodies from abnegation, of all factions?"
"Weak willed." Bass scoffs. "It requires a strong will to manipulate a simulation, last time I checked. Weak-willed is mind-controlling an army because it's too hard for you to train one yourself." I smirk.
"Damn right." I agree.
"I am not a fool." She laughs. "A faction of intellectuals is no army. We are tired of being dominated by a bunch of self righteous idiots who reject wealth and advancement, but we couldn't do this on our own. And dauntless leaders were all too happy to oblige me if I guaranteed them a place in our new, improved government." I can't keep my heart under control.
"Idiots?" I snap and Bass cuts me off.
"Improved." He snorts.
"Yes, improved, Improved, and working toward a world in which people will live in wealth, comfort, and prosperity." Jeanine says as if it will work.
"At whose expense?" Tris doesn't sound good.
"All that wealth… doesn't come from nowhere." She says. "Currently, the factionless are a drain on our resources."I glare at her. She wants to kill them. "As is abnegation. I am sure that once the remains of your old faction are absorbed into the dauntless army, Candor will cooperate and we will finally be able to get on with things." I'm having a hard time controlling my anger right now. But Bass's looks tell me I have too.
"Get on with things." He snaps bitterly. "Make no mistake. You will be dead before the day is out, you.." I can kill her right now. They didn't take my knives and scissors. They didn't bother checking, I can kill her.
"Perhaps if you learned to could control your temper, like your sister."Jeanine says. "You would not be in this situation to begin with, Tobias." Me, control?
"I'm in this situation because you put me here." He snaps. "The second you orchestrated an attack on innocent people."
"Innocent people." She laughs. "I find that a little funny, coming from you. I would expect Marcus's son to understand that not all those people are innocent." She looks at me sympatric. "Have you even told him everything that happen once he left, little one? Have you told him the many times he touched you and pinned you to your own bed to try and rape you? Have you told Tobias how you had to beat him off of you so you could keep your innocence's?" I bite my lip. "Can you tell me honestly that you wouldn't be happy to discover that your father was killed in the attack?" She asks him, but I can't take it.
"YES!" I shout and she looks at me confused. "I wouldn't be happy if someone else killed him." I lean closer to her. "I get to kill him. If I find out you killed him, you will get want I am planning for him, you bitch." I growl out and Jeanine bats her eyes and looks at Bass, for his answer.
"We have hers. What about you, brother?" She deadpans.
"No." He seethes out. "But at least his evil didn't involve the widespread manipulation of an entire faction and the systematic murder of every political leader we have." Bass says as he stares at her. I'm inches away from being able to lung at her and cut her throat.
"What I was going to say." She clears her throat. "Is that soon, dozen of the Abnegation and their young children will be my responsibility to keep in order, and it does not bode well for me that a large number of them may be divergent like yourselves, incapable of being controlled be the simulations." I don't get her. She is some type of crazy. She stands and walks over to Tris. "Therefore, it was necessary that I develop a new form of simulation to which they are not immune. I have been forced to reassess my own assumptions. That is where you come in." She walks back of to me. She is pacing. "You are correct to say that you strong- willed. I cannot control you will. But there are a few things I can control." She stops and looks at them. "I can control what you see and hear." She tells them. "So I created a new serum that will adjust your surroundings to manipulate your will. Those you refuse to accept our leadership must be closely monitored." Kill them before taking their free will, you bitch. "You will be my first test subject, Tobias. Beatrice, however…" She smiles again. What is she planning? "You are too injured to be of much use…" She is going.. "so your execution will occur at the conclusion of this meeting." I break out with more tears, angry tears.
"No." I hear Tobias. "I would rather die."
"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in the matter." She says as if it's not a problem. I look at Bass for something. He just turns and kisses Tris. When I see him turn away from her, I know the look. He tackles her to the desk and grabs her throat. I pull a knife and hold it to one of the guards throats as the other one doesn't know where to aim the gun. The man shoots at me and hits me in the leg. Shit, that hurts. The knife drops and they attack Bass as I fall to the ground and hold my leg. They peal him off of her and pin him to the ground and I breathe in heavily as I go to grab another knife. Tris tries to help him, but she is pushed in the shoulder and she is unable to fight. I lung at the one pinning him down. I grab his shoulders and wrap the knife around his throat.
"Get up off of him." I hiss into his ear as I point another one in his back so he can't move. "I said.." Something hits me in the neck and I feel something fill my blood and I let go and the knives and fall on Bass's chest and stomach as I slump back. I look up, can't move, looking at Jeanine as she huffs and puffs to Bass with another needle in her hands.
"No one bothered to search her?" She asks in between breathes before bending over and out of my view, but I know she is putting the needle into his neck. I want to scream out and go after her. But I can't move.
"Let him up." Jeanine says. I watch as the man I held the knives to, gets up and grabs the knives. Bass pushes me off of him and get up.
"Tobias." Tris cries.
"He doesn't know you." Jeanine says. Bass turns and starts walking close to her and his arms up and he chokes her. I can only let out a squeak as I try to move and do something. "The simulation manipulates him." She says as if Tris isn't being choked. I try and force my body, but my hip and leg throbs. Blood is pouring out of both now. "by altering what he sees- making him confuse enemy with friend." I watch as one of the guards finally pull him off of her. "The advantage to this version of the simulations is that he can act independently, and is therefore far more effective than a mindless soldier." Jeanine explains. I want to grab for my knife and practice some knife throwing but I can move. So all I do is squeak again. I look at me brother and feel tears well up. Bass isn't Bass anymore. He lost his freedom. Tears fall down without my consent and I just watch. "Send him to the control room. We'll want a sentient being there to monitor things and, as I understand it, he used to work there." I watch as my brother is lead out like he is another pawn. I don't like this. I lost my freedom. "And take her to room b13." She waves her hand and Tris looks at me, panicked as they drag her out. B13, that is the room that I will find and break her out of. The door shuts behind then and one Guard is left. "Search her." Jeanine walks to the other side of my father's desk. The guard looks at her wide eyed.
"Ms. Matthew, She is known be able to fight anything. Eric says she is a Divergent too." The man stutters.
"She is, but right now she isn't under anything other than a sedative, so you're perfectly fine. Aundrea can't move." She says as she sits down behind me. I try my best to glare and the man as he walks over to me and sits me up and starts patting me. My heart is racing as he touches my hips and chest. I squeak and the man jerks away. "She can't hurt you, Coward." She stands up and walks around the desk. "Let me do it." He moves out of the way and let's her. She pulls out my last two knives and my scissors and hands them to him. "See, nothing happened." Jeanine deadpans before looking at me. "Aundrea, you need to remain calm. I am going to help you and your mind. So you are going to have to trust me." I do the best I can to talk.
"You." I form a word and her face changes to one of curiosity.
"Bring the chair around." She snaps her fingers and the man jumps to do what she says. He brings it over and she has him put me into the chair. "Can you fight it?" I breathe as fast as I can.
"Took." Her eyes light up and she encourages me to continue. "My. Brother's." That was painful. "Freedom." She smiles.
"You are very interesting, young lady." She pats me arm, before turning to the man. "Get her cleaned up and taken care of. I will take her back with me to the Erudite Headquarters for testing when she is better." Jeanine tells him as he walks over and picks me up and over his shoulder. Braver than before.
000
I slowly gain control over my body, but they put something in me. Something to keep me calm and submissive, at least my body. I sit up in the little makeshift bed I'm in and sit up. It has only been few minutes since I finished, I should be still out. I push myself off the bed. The only thing I can think of is to grab a gun, medical supplies and go to room b13. I know where that is. I walk to the door and it's locked.
"Damn it." I whisper in my Abnegation voice. I look around; this is normally a supply closest. So the door shouldn't be too hard. I look at the door and walk backwards, then I charge the door. I smile when it breaks. I stumble and the pain in my leg and hip isn't there. Must be on a lot of pain killers. Something I will have to steal. I run along the hall and find a room where there is chattering coming from. I lean against the wall and peer in. Dauntless and from the look of it, not out. I look at my cloths and smirk, I still have my cloths. Even my brother's sweatshirt. Here comes my weapon. I slip in and creep up to the closest one and wrap my hand around their mouth and point two fingers into his back. He freezes and I pull him out of the room and into the hall. I punch him hard in the temple and he goes down and I steal his gun and ammo. I shove the ammo into the sweatshirt pocket and shove the gun into my waist band. I look at the knocked out Dauntless member. About Bass's size. So I pull off his pants and slip them on. I, with the sweatshirt hood and pants, can pull myself as someone else. I pull the pants on and steal his shoes as well. And run down the hall to find the medical room as I braid my hair and shove it into my hood and pull it on. I find it after looking for about ten minutes. Time is important. Tris is going to die soon. I walk in as they are cleaning up.
"Yes?" One of them asks kindly.
"I need pain meds, Needle and thread, gauze and something to clean the a wound." I tell them in the best male voice I can make.
"Where is the injured? Let us look at them." I pull the gun out and pull the hood back.
"She isn't here." I tell them as I aim the gun at the head doctor. The oldest one. They are shocked to see me. "So you're going to give all that to me and I won't shoot you."
"You're supposed to be out still." He states slowly as he gathers what I asked for.
"I know, but I'm not. Now put it in a bag and hurry up or I will start shooting." I snap. Someone finds a grey bag in one of the cabinets and hands it to the man so he can put everything in there. "I hate to do this." I tell them as I take the bag. "But you left me no choice." I run before they can even understand that I'm not going to shoot them. I find the stairs and run as fast as I can, even jumping over the railing to get down faster. I get to the ground floor and the entrance and someone comes in. As I land, there is a gun on my head. I have the gun aimed at her stomach, even if I can't see. "My aim was the best in my initiation class." I warn. "I don't need to see you to kill." The gun leaves my head and look up.
"What are you doing here?" She asks me. It's Natalie Prior.
"Beatrice is in room B13." I tell her as I straighten up. "I had to get a few supplies; she was shot in the shoulder." I tell her and she nods.
"Are you willing to kill?" She asks me bluntly.
"To protect Tris, I will do anything." She likes my response and we run down the stairs.
"Good, you're going to have to shoot and not think about it." We get down to the last set of stairs and I take aim and hit both of the guards in the head, just to prove to her I can. She just runs and opens the door and we run in as she takes care of the two in the inside. I look around for the room and gasp.
"She's in a tank." I call her over. Natalie walks over to the glass and rests a hand on the glass. I take aim and shot above her head. The loud sound of the glass shatters around her and water sprays everywhere. Tris falls into her mother's hands and breaths in.
"Beatrice." Mrs. Prior says. "Beatrice, we have to run." I watch as she takes her daughter and helps her put weight on her feet and I hear something. As they walk over to me, I turn and look out the door. Dauntless guards, their out. So take aim and shoot, not bothering to figure out who they are. There are a lot on the floor now. They didn't have a chance to react.
"Clear." I say as they get to me. Her mother nods as she takes off her jacket and makes a sling.
"Mom, you were dauntless." Tris breaths out as I watch the door.
"Yes." She says. "and is has severed me well today. Your father and Caleb and some others are hiding in a basement at the intersection of North and Fairfield. We have to go get them." Something in her voice is unsettling. "There will be time for questions, now we must go." I look over and watch her hand Tris a gun. Then we move on to the stairs. I walk first just because it's not a reunion for me.
"How did you find me?" Tris asks.
"I have been watching the trains since the attacks started." I walk and look up the stairs. "I didn't know what I would do when I found you. But it was always my intention to save you." She tells her. "Thanks to Aundrea, I did."
"But I betrayed you, I left you." Tris choke out as we slowly make our way up the stairs.
"You're my daughter. I don't care about the factions." There is a pause and I take the time to look carefully. Don't want to miss the reason she is quiet. "Look where they got us. Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again." She says. I look up the stairs as we get to the door where I meet Prior. No one. So I open the door and get ready to shoot, nothing. I follow her mother's lead and lay flat on the wall as we go down.
"Mom, how do you know about divergence?" Tris asks. Maybe I can finally find out what one is. "What is it, why…"
"I know about them because I am one." She says as she clicks a new bullet into place. I decided to reload now. "I was only safe because my mother was a dauntless leader. On choosing day, she told me to leave my faction and find a safer one. I chose Abnegation." I place the bullets in the gun and click the barrel back in place. I'm ready to go. "But I wanted you to make the choice on your own."
"I don't understand why we're such a threat to the leaders." Tris says what I have been thinking, kind of.
"Every faction conditions it members to think and act a certain way. And most people do it. For most people, it's not hard to learn, to find a pattern of thought that worked and stay that way." I look around the corner and see people. So I come back. "But our minds move in a dozen different directions. We can't be confined to one way of thinking and that terrifies our leaders. It means we can't be controlled. And it means that no matter what they do, we will always cause trouble for them." I think I get why Bass was concerned now. "Here they come." She says as she looks around the corner. Tris sees them now. Mrs. Prior looks at me. "Go to North and Fairfield." I nod and she looks at her daughter and I know that look Bass got it when he went to defend me against my father. "Go with her and find your father and brother. The alley on the right down to the basement. Knock twice,then tree times. Then six times." She cups her face. "I'm going to distract them. You have run as fast as you can." I'm glad the calming meds is on board. I would be crying right now.
"No." Tris shakes her head. "I'm not going anywhere without you." I am about to offer myself, but her mother's smile stops me.
"Be brave, Beatrice. I love you." There will be no changing her mind. She kisses her before running into the middle of the street and holds her gun in the air and shoots three times. They run after her. I grab Tris's wrist and pull her to the other alley and I hear more shots ring out. I know her mother is died. I can tell when Tris stops running and I start dragging her. Her body reacts and soon starts running, so I'm able to let go of her hand and shoot better.
"Come on, shake it off and let's kill them." I whisper as she runs with me. We turn the corner and I shot and as she run down the street. We go down and I see three others come after us, so I follow her lead and run into an alley. We both hear the gun shoots that are fired at us and she dives, when I push myself against the wall. They can't kill me, but they will kill her. I aim my gun at one of their heads and freeze. A short shaggy-haired boy…Will. He is under the simulation and there is nothing we can do. I hear Tris shoots hit the other two as they run and we stare at the boy, our friend. What can we do other than shot? He stops and aims the gun at her. He will kill her and take me back to be drugged again. I can't have that. I look at Tris as I hear gun shot. If I'm dead, she can run. I dive towards her so that the bullet Will just shot at her will hit me. I grab her shoulder as she shoots and I pull her to the ground. The pain in my right shoulder tells me she is still alive as we crash to the ground. "Sorry, but you can't die yet." I tell her with a groan and roll off of her. "Go run. I got some cleaning and foraging to do." I point to the end of the Alley. "I will get there in a second." Tris opens her eyes and looks at me and then runs. She doesn't look at Will. That's good, because she is dead on. I press my hand to my shoulder as she runs off. The pain isn't going to kill me, but God it hurts. Taking a deep breath in I stand and look at his body. For some reason I don't react to seeing the bullet hole in his head. Will is…was like a brother to me. I should be upset. Right now it's like looking at a sleeping boy and going whatever. Will isn't sleeping. I kneel down next to him and rest my other hand on his neck for some reason. I know his dead so why bother checking. That's when I start to choke. But I don't do anything else. It feels like I'm numb. Like on a sedative and I don't get to have much emotion. Must be something the Erudite doctors gave to keep me calm. I grab his gun and slip it over my other shoulder because it's a big gun. Then I slip the ammo pack into my sweatshirt pocket and I look at the other two dead bodies towards the opening of the alley. I run over there and do the same. I pick their dead bodies clean of weapons and slip their smaller guns into the large pockets of the pants I stole and I stand up. No emotion is easy when I got a sedative on board. So I turn and run the way Tris went.
Some more Dauntless guards run down the street and I press myself against the wall of the alley and pull my hood back on and watch them run together because their mind is one. I don't have enough bullets for them all in this hand gun, so I remain against the wall and use the black shadow to my advantage. I watch them run and I see the street signs that read North and Fairfield. I move my eyes to the building next to the sign. There is the alley. I turn and look at the people marching and I should be just fair enough. So I run as fast as I can. My hand grabs the grey bag I have swung over my shoulder with the gun and I hold it so I make less noise. I slip into the alley and press against the wall and look back out to the street. No one noticed. I breathe in for one of the first times in a while and run down the stairs. The pain in my shoulder is bad and the pain meds is wearying off. I trip down the stairs and hit the wall at the end with my shoulder. I have to bite my lip not to scream. This is worse than the hot metal pan. I get off the wall and see a small pool of blood, Tris is here. I raise my hand to the door and try to hit the door twice and the pain shoots up my arm.
"God damn it, Open the door. I can't knock and I'm not going to." I snap. I step away from the door and wait. "Two three and six. Pretend I did it and open the God damn door or I will shoot the cursed thing down." The door opens and I see a confused Caleb in grey clothes. "Aundrea Eaton, now let me in Caleb. I got meds for Tris's shoulder." He moves to the side and I walk into the room. There is a pallet in the middle of the floor and a lamp is next to it. Tris kneels next to her father who has a knife. I pull the bag off with some struggle and hand it to her brother. "There is some pain meds. Get it and give it to me." He looks at me confused.
"What?" He stutters out as he takes the bag.
"I don't know what it looks like and I know how to inject it. So use your Erudite knowledge at deducing and get it." I snap before walking over to her and her father.
"Aundrea?" Andrew asks and I nod as I kneel down and hold out my hand the needle appears in my hand and I bite off the cap and stab Tris in the neck and push half of the meds into her blood stream.
"It should be a lot better now." I tell him as I pull it out and I see relief hit her face. I wipe the end off and shove it into my neck and inject the rest and recap the needle.
"Thank you." Tris breaths out before her father nods. Then Caleb hands his father another needle.
"This will clean out the wound." He tells him.
"I know what it is." Andrew pushes the cleaner into the wound and I breathe again and grab her hand.
"How are you holding up?" I ask her she smiles a little bit.
"Fine." She says in a calmer voice.
"Stitching time." Andrew says as he threads a needle. I hold her hand because I know she will still feel it. "One, two, three." He warns her by counting down and I feel Tris squeeze my hand as she is stitched up. Caleb takes me place and I slip back, only paying attention to her as they both help her into one of Caleb's shirts. I miss my brother. Andrew looks at me. "Your shoulder is bleeding to, let me look at it." I shut my eyes and shake my head.
"I can handle it." I reach my other hand to the wound and bite as I pull the bullet out and hold it to show him. "This is the third shot today." I drop it into the tin with hers in it and he nods.
"So where is your mother?" He asks Tris slowly. She glances at me and looks to the ground.
"She's gone." I say with no emotion. "She saved us." I glance at Tris. "Your wife was an amazing woman and her death will not be in vain." I rest a hand on her other shoulder as Caleb breaths in.
"That's good." Andrew's voice sounds strained. "A good death." I nod and feel the meds taking effect. Just like the Whiskey. We all help Tris up and I stand behind her as she looks at the rest of the room. My eyes stop as I see the person I didn't expect to be here. Marcus, he stands up and I stiff with Tris.
"We are only safe here for so long." He says in an even voice without looking at me. "We need to get out of the city. Our best option is to go to the Amity compound in the hope they'll take us in. Do you know anything about the dauntless strategy, Beatrice? Will they stop fighting at night?" I feel my body jerk forward and a hand grip my bad shoulder.
"It's not their strategy." I snap at him as pain floods my body. He looks at me as I am pulled back and I feel a needle in my neck. I feel the same way as I did in his room. My body slows down again.
"This whole this is masterminded by the Erudite. And it's not like they're giving orders." Tris says calmly.
"Not giving orders. What do you mean?" Andrew asks as if I didn't snap.
"I mean, ninety percent of the dauntless are sleepwalking right now. They're in a simulation and they don't know what they're doing. The only reason we're not just like them is that We are… the mind control doesn't affect us." She says as I look at my father. I wish I can glare at him, but there is too much drugs in my system.
"Mind control? So they don't know that they're killing people right now?" Andrew asks her.
"No." Tris says quietly.
"That's… awful." Marcus shakes his head and I laugh. "Waking up and realizing what you've done…" his voice drops.
"Like you really care." I deadpan. I can't have any emotion right now. So my voice is low. "You're probably impressed with Jeanine right now."
"We have to wake them up." Tris runs over my words.
"What?" He is asking both me and her.
"If we wake the dauntless up, they will probably revolt when they realize what's going on." Tris explains. "The Erudite won't have an army. The Abnegation will stop dying. This will be over." Innocent.
"It won't be that simple." Andrew tells her. "Even without the dauntless helping them, the Erudite will find another way to"
"And how are we supposed to wake them up?" Marcus asks.
"We find the computers that control the simulation and destroy the data." Tris says simply. "The program. Everything."
"Easier said than done." Caleb says from behind me. "It could be anywhere." But it's not. "We can't just appear at the Erudite compound and start poking around." He states.
"It's…" Tris starts.
"It's in Dauntless Headquarters. She isn't dense enough to put it at her own front door. She sent…Four there and said he will be in the control room. And she said when we walked into the room that it was important to keep it guarded. Part of the army is there." I state in an emotionless voice.
"They have everything on Dauntless stored there. Why not control them there too?" Tris states.
"Are you two sure?" Andrew asks. I nod.
"It's an informed guess." Tris tells him. "And it's the best theory I have."
"Then we'll decide who goes and who continues to Amity." Andrew announces. "What kind of help do you need, Beatrice?" She looks stunned then at me.
"Anyone that can fire a gun." She states. "And isn't afraid of heights." I know what she's talking about. The members only entrance.
"And willing to shoot people that will be willing to kill you, no matter what it takes. If you have to shoot for the kill, you better." I tell them as my eyes scan the room. "I have three extra guns on me and ammo." I pull out the guns that I have stashed in my pockets.
000
I remain silent as I hop onto the train last and keep my breathing slow. It's painful even trying to think about killing my father. I refused to give him a gun, but Andrew gave him his. So I gave him my hand gun. I will not let the rifle anywhere close to Marcus.
"I assume you both now regret choosing Dauntless." I turn from the opening and shove the end of the barrel to his forehead and Tris shakes her head.
"Remove the gun from him." She tells me in the same firm voice as Bass. I move it and crouch by the door, looking out. I hear my father breath. So damn close.
"Not even after your faction's leaders decided to join in a plot to overthrow the government?" Marcus spits out. I glance at Tris and she doesn't seem fazed.
"There was something I needed to learn." She states.
"How to be brave?" Andrew asks.
"How to be selfless." Tris corrects. "Often they're the same thing." I glare at my father the best I can and he looks away from me.
"Is that why you got the Abnegation's symbol tattooed on your shoulder?" Caleb asks.
"And dauntless on the other." She says.
"Got any Abnegation tattoos" My father asks. I roll my eyes and pull down the side of the pants to reveal the half bandage Dauntless symbol.
"Dauntless, all the way." I deadpan. These are someone else's pants. And I can piss my father off. So I pull the pants off all the way and throw them out the door and smirk as they fly out. I unzip the sweater and tie it around my waist and look at him. "Never was Abnegation." He glares at me as I look back out the door. I watch until I see the glass of the pit. "Tris." I only need to say that. She stands with me and she holds onto the rail.
"When I tell you to jump, You jump as far as you can." She says.
"Or you die." I add just to see my father's reaction.
"Jump?" Caleb asks. "We're seven stories up, Tris."
"Onto a roof." She says as if it's not crazy. "That's why they call it a test of bravery." I move to the side and nod. "Dad, you go." She says. I feel the train turn the corner and she shouts. "Jump." Her father does as he is told and jumps off the train. I smirk as she pushes Marcus towards the opening. "Jump" she tells him. He doesn't move. Caleb jumps instead as I glare at Marcus, who I can simply push. I do, as Tris jumps. I watch as he leaps forward and Andrew and Caleb grab him right before he can fall to his death. I guess it wouldn't be a worthy death. So I jump and land in a crouch the farthest away. I stand and turn around and Tris is sitting on the ground.
"I think I have some more pain…"I start.
"No, I'm fine." She says before standing up. "This part is why I asked about fear of heights." She goes on as if she isn't in pain. Tris walks over to where Max stood the first day. It's like that day over again. Her shirt flopping in the wind. "There is a net at the bottom." She says as she looks over her shoulder. "Don't think, just jump." She looks at me. I nod. And she turns and lets herself fall backwards. They watch her fall and don't know what to do. I look at the watch on my wrist.
"One of you, go." I point to the hole. My hand moves the gun and I threaten to shoot the air. "Move or I will have people swarm us and we all die." Caleb moves and jumps off. I look at my watch and wait the 1 minute until he should be clear. "Another." Her father moves. "You better go with him. Or I will kill you." I threaten in the emotionless voice I get from the drugs that Caleb and the doctors and Jeanine inject me with. He moves without saying a word. And I walk over the edge and watch his body leave and I look around. No one. So I jump. I tuck the gun to my chest as I fall. I land on my back and I roll off the net and stand up quickly. The pain meds have left my system now and I need to run on adrenaline.
"This is how you guys come in?" Marcus asks.
"Yeah." I snap with Tris.
"No need to be so defensive, Beatrice, Aundrea." I glare at him and walk over to Tris.
"DO you have a plan, Beatrice?" Andrew asks.
"Yes." She says and we walk along the dark hall. I'm not afraid right now. We approach the first light and I hear a click. I grab Tris's shoulder and pull her down. A gunshot goes off and she crawls to the dark again. "Everyone ok?" She asks.
"Yes." Her father speaks up. I stand up with her.
"Stay here then." She says before looking. "The flash came from the end of the hall." Tris whispers and I nod. We run along the wall and I stop at the next patch of light as I watch her slip through the small gap of light. I slowly follow her and press my body tight to the wall and make it.
"Whoever's there," I know that voice. I point my gun where I know the door to be. "Surrender your weapons and put your hands up!" he shouts. We slid against the wall silently as we get closes. Peter never been that good at shooting. Tris and I get to where we can see the coward. He will not talk with us. She runs up and knocks him to the ground. I move when she has the barrel to his head. I walk over and crouch next to her.
"How are you awake?" she asks as she gets ready to shut.
"The dauntless leaders… they evaluated my records and removed me from the simulation." He breaths out.
"Because they figured out that you already have murderous tendencies and wouldn't mind killing a few hundred people while conscious." Tris rolls her eyes. "Makes sense."
"I would be removed if she said I can kill Marcus." I mumble.
"I'm not murderous!" Peter snaps.
"I never knew a Candor what was such a liar." She laughs. "Where are the computers that control the simulation, Peter?"
"You won't shot me." He says. I aim my gun and shove it in his side and his face pales.
"People tend to overestimate my character." She says quietly as she looks at me. "They think that because I'm small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can't possibly be cruel. But they're wrong." I laugh.
"I heard Eric in the room next to me screaming as they took his bullet out." I scoff to freak Peter out more as Tris move her gun and shoots his arm and he screams. It's too loud. So I cover his mouth and glare at him. "It doesn't hurt that much, Coward." She moves the gun back to his forehead as I remove my hand.
"Now that you realized your mistake," Tris says. "I will give you another change to tell me what I need to know before I shoot you somewhere worse."
"They're listening." He spits out. "If you don't kill me, they will. The only way I'll tell you is if you get me out of here."
"What?" Tris doesn't like this.
"Take me… ahhh. With you." He whines.
"You want me to take you," She states. "The person who tried to kill me… with me?"
"I do." He groans. "It you expect to find out what you need to know."
"Don't." I say emotionless. "Kill him. I know where Bass is. He told me where he worked and I been there. Eighth floor. Left hall, only door." I tell her. "Your information is unneeded." I hiss. Footsteps are behind us. "Your breath is a waste of air." Shove the gun farther into his side and get ready to pull the trigger.
"Fine, Andy. Stop." Tris says firmly. I pull the gun away from his side and look at her.
"He tried killing and Raping you. I can't let him live." I tell her as I stand up and put the gun down and let it hang.
"Stop it, Andy." She says as her father pulls off his shirt and helps Peter with a sling.
"Was that really necessary to shoot him?" He asks her.
"Sometimes pain is for the greater good." I snap my head to my father.
"Can I kill him now?"I snap at Tris.
"Knock it off." Tris snaps. "Let's go. Get up, Peter." I don't understand.
"You want him to walk?" Caleb asks. "Are you insane?"
"I walk with a bullet wound in my hip and leg. I'm still walking. If your concern, take the bullet out." Caleb helps him to his feet. "Don't talk." I tell Peter. "I will shoot your legs and throw you over the chasm." I threaten before walking first and taking the lead. Tris is going have to deal with her father. I push out their talking and look around the room and get ready to shoot. No one. So I follow the path up and look around. I let Tris take the lead when we get to the top of the stairs. She shoots and grabs a gun and I follow after her and shoot another guard. This reminds me of Bass and the capture of the flag night. Back to back, shooting at people who are trying to shoot the other. Tris falls to the ground and I aim my gun at the last one. He has his gun on us and then lowers it and moves his head to the side.
"All clear." Tris calls out as I hear the strain in her voice. I watch the guard run into the fearscape. First thing I do is grab the guns and ammo from the fallen and stash them in my bag. "I think you and Marcus should stay here with him." She says as I shove the guns away. "Make sure no one comes after us." I stand up and walk back to the group after grabbing three guns.
"I can't stay here while you go up there and risk your life." Caleb protest.
"I need you too." Tris says firmly before following me to the elevators with her father in tow. I press the button and wait. I can't help but play with my lip ring and bounce on my heels as I wait for the door. The doors open and we walk into the elevators and I make the doors shut and press the number eight.
"Thank you. For protecting Caleb." Her father says. "Beatrice, I..." The door opens and I pin her to the wall. Guards. I aim and shoot twice. She pulls me to the ground and her father runs out and follows the retreating men.
"Oh God." I breathe out as I shut my eyes. Gun shots ring out of the hall.
"Dad." Tris cries and I help her up. I open my eyes and see her dead father looking at us. I walk slowly over and close his eyes as she finally follows me.
"He is in the door." I point to the left hall. "I will go in there if you need me." I tell her as she keeps walking. I don't look up from him as I take his gun and slip it into my pocket and look around. She won't handle seeing him. I take him the end of the right hall and rest him there. I can't do much else. So I start taking the ammo supply from the guards he and I killed and shoving it into the medical grey bag I have along with the other guns. As much as I want to see my brother, I don't think I can handle it. All I see is his freedom being taken away from him and I don't think I will sleep. To me that is the most frightening thing ever. I take the sweatshirt off and shove it into the bag and zip it back out. I will need to steal another one before we leave, if this plan works. I crouch on the ground waiting.
Now, please either review or PM me with your thoughts on how the story is and if there's anything I should work on in the next story. Also, if any of you have an idea for the title of the next story tell me, it will be great to hear because I'm not too happy with Her Family as the title. Thanks again.