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Amar walks out on the rooftop and sees Max, Hana, Tobias, Harrison, and Zeke standing waiting. Everyone had been instructed to meet at 8:00 am but it was 7:30.
Amar had tossed and turned all night after his conversation with Four. He wanted to put a bullet in Max's skull, but he promised Four he would give him a chance to fix it.
"Amar, thank you for coming," Max tells him.
Max notices how Amar has his jaw clenched.
"To be clear the only reason I'm here is because of Four," Amar says with venom in his voice.
"I can understand that. There's nothing I can say except I'm sorry for how I wronged you. I hope that you'll understand that I believed I was fighting for the greater good and I want Erudite to pay for their crimes."
"And what about you?" Amar challenges.
"When this is all over, I'll turn myself in. I know I have to answer for my part in this"
"Uncle Max, you can't..." Zeke interrupts and Hana grabs his arm trying to pull him back.
Max shakes his head at Zeke and Amar notices Max looks conflicted.
Suddenly the hatch opens and Christina, Uriah, Will, and Tris come up the stairs through the hatch.
"Hi Daddy," Tris says happily and runs over to hug Max.
Amar watches as Max hugs his daughter and kisses her forehead. Did Max know his daughter was divergent? He had to. Four had told him he would take care of coaching Tris through her fear simulation himself. He knew Tris transferred from Abnegation, and now that it was revealed that Max was her father, there had to be more to the story. Maybe Max finding out his daughter was divergent changed his thinking.
"Thank you all for coming" Max states, ending the chatter among the group.
"Why are we meeting here? Uriah asks Max and looks at his brother.
"Patience" Max chuckles knowing how curious Uriah could be.
"All of you have been assembled here because you have been handpicked to serve on a special task force. You will be given a job assignment as a cover to keep anyone including other leadership. It is imperative that anything discussed here and with this group is kept secret. You can't tell your family or significant others"
Tris bounces on the balls of her feet and then looks at Will and Christina. She and Uriah knew more than they did. She can see their eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Amar didn't have the same look so she reasoned that he must have been clued in.
"Why were we chosen?" Christina asks.
"We needed people we can trust, as new initiates we've been studying you the past two months and noted skills each of you have that will help us accomplish our mission" Tobias explains.
"And what's the mission?" Will then asks.
"Take down Erudite and stop their illegal experimentation" Zeke fills in and Will and Christina both gasp.
"Erudite has been developing a serum to create super soldiers. It was originally posed to Dauntless as a way to extend the life of our faction members. They've been using divergent to fuel their experiments"
"Why would they want to do that?" Will asks nervously.
"Because the Factionless are planning an attack and they have numbers now twice the size of Dauntless" Max explains.
"Double?" Amar asks, dropping his arms in shock.
Max nods his head in response.
"I agreed to help Jeanine at first, but I realized that what she is doing is wrong. " Max looks over at Tris and Amar knows that Tris is part of the change for Max. "I made a grave mistake thinking the divergent were expendable to protect our faction as a whole and I sacrificed five members of our faction who were divergent at Jeanine's request."
Hana puts a hand on his shoulder, and she sees Amar's jaw clench as Max talks.
"I'm trying to stop her, but we need more information and to be ready for whatever she will throw at us"
"Why don't you bring this to the large council?" Amar asks.
"Because Abnegation is involved too" Tobias explains.
"What!" Amar, Will, and Christina all shout at the same time.
Amar starts to pace a bit, realizing that the situation was more complicated than he realized.
"What about Candor and Amity? Are they in on this too?" Will asks.
"Not that we know of," Harrison tells him. "But we don't know if Erudite has plans to involve them. Amity won't take up arms against anyone but that doesn't mean that Jeanine isn't planning to use them some other kind of way, same goes for Candor"
"So, what are we being asked to do?" Christina now chimes in.
"We need to prepare for war and gather intel. Christina, your candor-born skills will be used for surveillance and interrogation. You're a human lie detector, we are going to need you to hone those skills. You'll be working with Zeke and Tobias on surveillance. Your cover job will be as a liaison to security working part-time in the surveillance room" Max explains.
"Uriah, you're the best shooter I've seen in a long time, you'll be working with Harrison on weapons. We'll need to test some new weapons, make sure that our shipments of food are guarded from Amity and if the time comes, you'll also be a sniper if we need one" Max explains next.
"Are we going to tell Amity what we are doing?" Uriah asks.
"Not right now, and it needs to stay that way" Max guides.
"Why aren't Stacy, Victoria, and Chavis involved?" Amar inquiries, standing still now.
"Because there are Erudite plants here in Dauntless and we don't know who or how many" Max adds. "Harrison and I are going to work on that"
"We all have to trust each other if this is going to work," Tobias adds. He stops and takes a breath. He knows Amar, Hana, Tris, and Zeke all trust him, but he had to get the others on board quickly.
"I'm divergent and I'm putting myself out here to show you that I trust all of you to help us win this fight not just for everyone else like me but for all of us"
Max smiles at Tobias, not only at his courage but at his eloquence. He was a natural-born leader even if he tried to fight it at times.
Tris looks at Tobias and notes his courage and Zeke, Christina, Uriah, and Will's eyes all turn.
"Me too, I'm divergent too" Tris steps up.
"So am I" Hana adds and Zeke turns quickly.
"Ma…. Why didn't you ever tell me." Zeke says softly.
"The same reason I didn't" Uriah speaks up moving to stand next to his mother.
"Does being divergent run in our family?" Tris asks now, realizing that she, her mother, her sister, and her cousin all were.
"It would seem so, but we've been so scared to talk about it and really understand what it means. Having to hide who we are" Hana finishes.
"We shouldn't have to hide who we are" Amar states firmly.
Hana smiles at him for speaking up too.
"But what does it mean?" Christina asks.
"That our brains don't conform to one faction, that's all. Not fitting into one box scares people" Hana tells her.
"Simulations can affect divergent differently too which is why I think Jeanine is using stem cells for her test subjects. I will make this right and I promise all of you, I can't take back what I did but I can work to make sure none of you have to live in hiding. I know some of you don't trust me right now, but I plan to show you that you can" Max tells the group and Tris walks over and grabs his hand, squeezing tightly.
"I trust you Uncle Max but how do we know we can trust him?" Uriah asks, narrowing his eyes at Will.
"Uriah" Hana scolds.
Will's eyes go wide, and Christina grabs his hand. She and Will were spending so much time together, they'd shared several kisses already and she trusted him.
"I had no idea about any experiments, I swear," Will says.
"He's not lying," Christina says, looking at Will as he spoke.
"I believe you" Tris offers and Max nods.
"Will, we know we can trust you and we also need someone on the team with some knowledge of Erudite. You'll also be training with me in the infirmary. If war is coming, I'll need medical staff and some to help with triage if there's a battle" Hana explains.
Will nods and takes a deep breath. He had never felt fully Erudite. He'd been relieved when his aptitude test came back with a Dauntless result. Dauntless were the protectors of this city, and this is what he signed up for when he chose.
"Amar, you'll be moved to working in faction relations, Abnegation doesn't trust me or Four, they need a new face that can be the go-between. We know Marcus Eaton and Andrew Prior are working with Jeanine. We have someone on the inside in Abnegation, but it will be easier if you take the lead. With the murder of one of their lead council members, which we think was an attack from Erudite, the window is open for an increased presence from Dauntless" Max tells the group and then looks to Amar who nods in response.
"Zeke is going to continue in faction relations and surveillance, we need to keep an eye on any movement and look for places in the city that will provide cover if we need to make an attack. We can make a stand at Dauntless, but we can't leave the other factions out there if war breaks out"
"What about me?" Tris asks her father after he finishes Zeke's assignment.
"You'll be in the leadership training program as the first-ranked new initiate, which will give you access to files to be able to assist with planning and coordination. You will also work with Hana on increasing medical supplies, increasing food rations, and reviewing surveillance data. You'll be surveying the Factionless and outlying areas. We plan to spread out to provide safety for Abnegation, and Candor."
Tris smiles as Max explains her role. She knew this was a way for her to be able to spend more time in the Factionless section and see Natalie when she could without questions being raised.
"It's been said several times already but if this is going to work, we have to trust each other. I can't tell you how important the element of secrecy is here" Max tells the group again.
Tris feels nervous. She and Lynn were getting closer, but she had to keep this from her. How was she going to hide it from her? She had no idea. Max gives a few more instructions and Tobias places a hand on her shoulder. She leaned against him. She was a little overwhelmed, but she trusted this group of people and for the first time, she felt like she and Tobias weren't alone in fighting the war that was coming.
'Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lynn asks, carrying a box into her and Shauna's new apartment.
Sure, she and Shauna had lived together their entire lives but them living alone together seemed like an interesting dynamic.
"Haven't we always talked about this? This is why I stayed at home this past year instead of applying for a one-bedroom so we could get all this space" Shauna grunts dropping her box on the kitchen table.
Lynn grins, the two-bedroom apartment was spacious, much better than any one-bedroom either one of them would have gotten considering they didn't rank in the top three in their initiation classes.
"And you'll have the place to yourself most of the time anyway" Lynn shrugs. She'd taken a job as a supply commander, overseeing food shipments from Amity. Part of her job would also be supervising guard duty at the fence between shipments when needed.
"Can't you get your girlfriend to call in a favor with her dad to get you a better position? Or I could ask Four or Zeke" Shauna offers opening a box and putting a few dishes in the cabinet.
Lynn shakes her head.
"I don't want to be that person; besides, I think this job isn't that bad. It will suck in the winter but it's still a supervisory position instead of just a lower-level fence guard. And I'm definitely not cut out for an office job. At least now I might get to see some action when the Factionless try to steal supplies."
"Good point" Shauna agrees knowing that her sister would go crazy if she worked in the position that she had. 'What's this?"
Shauna moves the empty box she just finished unpacking to the floor next to the one Lynn sat down and there were several newspaper articles on the table with the same content. All the newspapers were the ones recently published about divergent.
"Lynn, are you letting Mom and her conspiracy theories get to you"
Lynn rolls her eyes. "Shauna, you and I both know Mom can't be wrong if Erudite is writing about this being a problem"
Shauna nods slowly moving the papers and continuing unpacking. There was something unsettling about it for sure, that much she did know.
Tris cocks her head to the side and looks at the sofa that Tobias and Uriah have moved for the third time in the last hour.
"Tris I swear…" Uriah threatens.
"Okay, Okay, here is good, I promise," Tris says holding her hands up in surrender.
With everyone receiving their housing assignments that morning, she was excited to be in her own space. Being a transfer, she didn't have any belongings except the clothes she had bought. Max had happily transferred 100 credits into her account from his, telling her to go crazy to fix up her apartment. There were standard items such as the couch, kitchen table, chairs, and bed in the apartment, which had been empty for a while. Tris was amazed when she went into the commissary of all the things that Dauntless had that weren't allowed in Abnegation. Pictures, blankets of assorted colors, throw pillows and vases. It was a bit overwhelming. She bought some paint and planned to paint an accent wall at Hana's suggestion and a yellow quilt for the bed. Tobias and Uriah had come over to help her move the furniture around and bring an armchair that Hana had given her, but Tris couldn't decide how she wanted the room set up.
"Thank God, now if you no longer require my services I'm going to get moved into my place" Uriah sighs.
"You're the best," Tris says playfully with a big smile.
"I know, but you owe me" He chuckles and waves goodbye to Tobias.
Tobias flops down on the couch and laughs as Tris walks over to flop down next to him.
"I can't believe I have this whole apartment to myself," she tells him.
"Yeah, it was weird for me at first too. I'm shocked you didn't want to move in with Christina"
"We talked about it, but I really wanted my own space."
"Yeah, this hall for lower-level leaders is nice, it's close to the floor Max is on and there are more one-bedroom units since this section has been remodeled for those of us working directly with leadership"
Tris was fortunate enough because of her rank to get a larger apartment in the Pire. Her unit was on the floor below Tobias' unit. There were several other people on the floor that Tris hadn't met yet, but Uriah was on the same floor and Zeke was on the same floor with Tobias. Will and Christina were on the opposite side of the compound from all the other housing units.
"Want to go grab dinner?" Tobias asks.
"Ummm, I promised Lynn that she and I would spend some time together and have dinner together… I haven't seen her since we've been working the past two days with all the task force stuff…"
Tobias feels his face fall. "Oh"
"I'm sorry, Tobias…" Tris can tell he feels bad at seeing his expression change.
"No, it's cool, I have been with you the past few days" It wasn't a lie, after the first meeting with the group, Tris had been thrown right into work with the task force. She and Tobias had worked late the last two nights, going over all the information Tobias and Max had gathered about the Factionless as well as Tobias pointing out what things related to Dauntless law that she needed to quickly learn.
"I know we haven't spent any real time together outside of work. How about tomorrow? And when Lynn has to go train at the fence, we'll have tons of time together"
Tobias gives her a smile, hearing the sympathy in her voice.
"I missed you," he tells her honestly. Tris leans in to give him a hug. Tobias savors the moment of having her in his arms.
Tris moves her hand to his neck, touching the ink of his tattoo that was peeking through. She'd been curious ever since she came to Dauntless to see it. Tobias feels his breath hitch at the intimate gesture, and he looks down at her. Their eyes meet, they were so close with Tobias still holding her close. For a moment, Tris feels heat coil in her belly at the intensity of the gaze and Tobias looks down to her lips. Tris wasn't sure if he was going to kiss her.
Tobias shakes his head and Tris clears her throat leaning back a little, breaking the moment.
"Can I see your tattoo?" She asks softly and a little unsure of herself.
Tobias nods and moves to stand up and removes his shirt. He closes his eyes when he does to remind himself to get his shit together.
"Wow," Tris whispers and gently rubs her hands over the ink.
"I wanted something to cover the scars and represent who I want to be"
"All the factions..." Tris whispers again as she moves her hand over each symbol. "This is amazing"
Tobias reaches for his shirt, her hands on his back, lightly touching, driving him insane.
"What did you get?"
Tris grins as he turns around after putting his shirt on. She lifts her shirt and holds it up to her neck exposing her bra to him. Tobias had to fight a groan because he wanted to pull her to him and pull off the rest of her clothes. He focuses on the tattoo to get himself under control. Underneath her breasts were two wings like a bird gliding.
"What are these for?" Tobias asks, again resisting the urge to trace the ink as she had done with him.
"My Dad has the same wings, he said he got a pair of wings for my mom because wings were the first tattoo she got when they were 15. It seemed like it should be my first tattoo"
Tobias smiles as she lowers her shirt.
"I think I want one like yours"
"Really?" Tobias asks curiously.
"Yeah, something the two of us share, to cover our scars"
Tobias pulls her into a hug and Tris wraps her arms around his waist. She rested her cheek against his chest and Tobias rested his cheek against her head. He had to tell her how he felt at some point.
