Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.
The Pit is in a state of chaos. Tori's tattoo parlor has been raided, and Dauntless police scurry in and out of it. Onlookers point and stare from the sidelines. One of them is an amused-looking Peter.
Gus has snagged Uriah's arm and is now hauling him away. The young man struggles to free himself from Gus' grip, but it's no use. "Hey! Somebody bail me out!" he shouts at the onlookers, but none respond. "Please!" He sounds more desperate. "I didn't do it! I just work for the tattoo lady, that's all!"
"Come with me, sir. Come," Gus instructs, and he begins tugging Uriah in the direction of the prison.
All of a sudden, Father Vincent appears. He seems to have materialized out of the dense crowd. Gus nods at him respectfully. He may not be Abnegation, but he knows a selfless servant of God when he sees one.
"Good day to you, sir," the priest greets Gus.
"And you, Father," responds the control room supervisor.
"What cowardly thing has this young man done?" asks the priest. He motions to the writhing, struggling Uriah. Gus looks at the boy in his grip with scorn.
"Don't know all the details," says Gus, "but it appears we have a faction traitor in our midst. This boy here's been caught harboring Divergents."
Father Vincent walks up to Uriah and wags a finger at him. "Shame on you, young man. You made a vow to your faction upon becoming a member. This means you swear to uphold the virtue of bravery above all else, and align yourself with no one but the brave. Tell me, did you feel like a coward when you went against those laws, and gave shelter to several known faction traitors?"
Uriah gulps. "Well, I guess so. But…"
"No more," declares the priest. "Any excuses come straight from the devil. It's time for you to mend your ways and restore true courage and honor to your heart. Go, and I pray that you repent."
Gus nods at the priest, then he continues to drag Uriah toward the prison. From the sidelines, a grinning Peter points and laughs.
The Pit has now been emptied of people. The area is deserted, and the only signs that people were ever there are the scraps of trash on the floor. The tattoo place is empty, too, its windows dark and its entrance blocked off with crime scene tape.
Two people are still in the vicinity, though. Father Vincent surveys the scene, his expression downcast. Peter walks up to him, a bottle of liquor in his hand.
"So Mr. Stiff," Peter greets him casually, "you see Max lately?"
The priest ignores the insult. "I have not," he replies, "but wherever he is, I hope he'll continue to be brave."
"Yeah, right," scoffs Peter. He tips his bottle back and empties the contents into his mouth. Then he burps loudly and rudely. "You know," he continues, "they say Max went to the Amity sector so he could secretly have an affair. What do you think of that?"
Father Vincent smiles thinly. "He's no Evelyn Eaton," he says matter-of-factly, "and if I were you, I'd refrain from speaking that way about my own leader."
"Come on, Mr. Stiff. I know Max," protests Peter. "He's too cowardly to lead the Dauntless. He just ran away to the Amity sector and put Eric in charge, instead of staying and fighting for the people like a man."
"So," says the priest, "you do not approve of the way Eric leads?"
"Course not," Peter declares. "He's way too tough on us Dauntless men. If Max came back, I bet he'd get rid of the new child support law. He'd have to, otherwise he himself would have to pay to feed a thousand kids."
"What's this?" The priest scowls. "You're wrong about him, surely."
Peter grins. "I'm not," he says proudly. "If every other Dauntless man's got a sword, Max might have a machine gun that never runs out of ammo. He'd get drunk while doing it, too, this I know."
Now the priest approaches Peter, a warning glare on his face. "Either this is the green-eyed monster speaking," he scolds, "or it's your own selfishness and cowardice. Would you say all these things if Max were standing here right now?"
"Maybe not," says Peter, slyly, "but I swear, if you gave me truth serum, you'd know I'm right."
"Very well." The Abnegation man looks expectantly at Peter. "I'll ask the council to call upon you, so you may verify your claims. After all, they're the ones responsible for running this city, they need to make sure the leaders of the other factions act accordingly. I'll tell them your name, what is it?"
"Well, Mr. Stiff, my name's Peter…"
"And your last name?"
"Hayes," replies Peter. "You can also tell the council that Max doesn't know how to lead. Last year I told him I was ranked too low. I can't be in fifth place, I said. He just ignored my request, so here I am, not a Dauntless leader. Oh well. I'll see you around, Mr. Stiff."
He walks off, the bottle still in his hand, whistling as he goes. The priest shakes his head in exasperation, before turning and walking out of the empty Pit.
"Go. Bring her to prison," Harrison commands. The guards maintain a tight grip on Tori's wrists, then they start to haul her away. She looks with desperation at the man in charge of the prison.
"Harrison, this isn't like you," she begs. Her eyes sparkle with tears. "You know I did no wrong. I always just did my job, and I tried my best to help people. Why are you letting them put me away?"
Harrison directs an icy stare at the former tattoo artist. "You were seen offering shelter to confirmed Divergents. You deserve whatever they give you." And then, to the guards, "Go. Take her."
"Please," Tori cries, as the guards snatch her by her arms. "The one you really want, it's not me. It's the young man who told on me, Peter Hayes. That girl Nicole was pregnant by him, and her kid's been with me for a year and a half. I'm raising that little boy myself, and look how that menace repays me."
Harrison is about to say something, then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Four approach them. "She's right," says Four. "The young man who informed us has a record of his own. He isn't the most reliable source. I say we investigate further, at least before we punish this woman."
"Thank you, Four. Bless you, Four." Tori dissolves into tears of gratitude as she clings to Four's arm. Still, Harrison gives the okay for the guards to take Tori away. She's marched off in the direction of the prison, then she's gone, delivered to the place where Eric's to decide her fate.
The Fringe is mostly quiet at this time of night. It's the place where lower-level Dauntless gather, as a sort of safe haven. Glittering lights hang on strings above everyone's heads, illuminating the dank, sewer-like space. Music plays softly in the background. A few people mingle in little groups to chat, drinks in their hands.
Nita sits next to the stereo, her glass already half empty. She doesn't talk to anyone, just remains sitting, twirling a lock of her black hair around her finger.
Then she spots the new arrival across the room. She hurries to straighten herself in her chair. "Wasn't sure you'd come," she says to Father Vincent.
The priest gives her a reassuring look. "I'm here now. Tell your friend Rafi to turn the music down, so I may make my plans known to you. You'll be moved up the ranks in the end, this I can promise you."
Nita smiles and nods, then she does as the priest told her. Father Vincent wanders off and stands close to the entrance, until he sees Tris appear.
"Welcome," he greets her. "What's the news from Eric?"
Tris looks tired, but underneath the surface, she's buzzing with nervous energy. "He agreed," she tells the priest breathlessly. "It wasn't hard to convince him. I just need to know what we'll do with the serum."
"I have told you," says Father Vincent. "Leave that to me. I know many of the employees within this compound. I'll make sure our plan comes to fruition."
"Okay," says Tris, shrugging. She squints a little at the Abnegation man. "Gee, you're real good at sneaking around down here. Are you sure you're not secretly a member of Dauntless?" She laughs a little when she finishes, so the priest knows she isn't being serious.
Her laughter stops when she sees the grave expression on the priest's face. He calls Nita forward, and the two of them talk quietly for a minute. Once they're done, Father Vincent beckons for Tris to join them. She does, a little confused, but willing to do anything to help her brother.
"I've not yet made our plans known to Nita," the priest clarifies to Tris. "I have a feeling she'd more readily speak with you, given the trauma she's endured here. Would you please tell her?"
"Of course," says Tris. "That's why I became a leader, to serve the Dauntless like her." She glances at the girl, Juanita. Nita, as the priest said she preferred to be called. She's pretty, with golden brown skin and long, dark, flowing hair. In another life, Tris would probably have to keep her boyfriend away from Nita.
Not today, though. Today, they'll be working together, to bring Eric down.
Father Vincent is impressed by Tris' willingness. "For a Dauntless youth, you're incredibly selfless. You're just the right person for this job. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you have aptitude for more than one of our factions."
He misses the sudden look of nervousness that appears on Tris' face. It vanishes as quickly as it came.
"No matter," says the priest. "Our factions are constantly in conflict these days. The last thing we need is a Divergent traitor. So, young lady, I advise you to be brave and take this new assignment. Tell Nita what we've planned for her."
Tris nods, satisfied. "Could you please come aside?" she asks Nita.
The two women go off in a separate direction, and Father Vincent's left alone in the Fringe. He waits for them to return, checking the clock on the wall every few minutes. He notes the types of people standing around him, the ones who made it through initiation by the skin of their teeth, the junkies and gang members and poverty-stricken workers with old tattoos and ratty, sweaty clothes.
Looking at all of them, the priest whispers something under his breath, about how a change has to be made in this faction. And then footsteps can be heard. Tris and Nita have returned.
The priest hurries to compose himself. "Welcome back. Are we all agreed?"
Tris smiles brightly. "Yes," she says, looking over at Nita.
"Only because that's my dream, to be able to raise a family with him. But Tris…" Nita's hands are shaking, and she's trying to conceal it. "I'm having these doubts again. I don't know if I have enough courage. Or maybe I'm worried we've crossed the line between justice and brutality. I mean, think about it. In some circles they say it's just a 'bed trick,' but is it not rape by deception?"
Tris lets out a sigh. "I don't exactly have another option," she admits. "And I know, it's not a perfect situation. But in times like these, we've got to have the courage to take action, and do whatever's going to help as many of the people we love as possible. And once you're all done with whatever you need to do, you can say that all's well that ends well."
Nita forces a smile. Tris embraces her with one arm.
"Have no fear," Father Vincent assures Nita. "Your friend, this courageous Dauntless leader-to-be, will help you every step of the way."
"You just have to tell Eric to remember my brother," Tris reminds her.
"I'll do it," Nita responds.
"Excellent. Excellent," says the priest. He smiles at the two young women. "With you two working together, you may be able to achieve anything. Your bravery could move mountains. In a few days, Nita, you could have the family and children you've waited for so long. And Tris, justice is coming. Keep an eye out for it."
He ushers Tris and Nita out of the Fringe, just as the sun starts to rise and light peeks through the glass windows above the Pit.
AN: And here we are! Next chapter will be out soon. I hope you guys enjoyed the random references I put in this chapter.
