Stacy stretches and then bounces on her toes. It was early but she wanted to get a run in before heading to the office. She knew something was going on in Dauntless. Max and Harrison were being secretive, and she knew something was up. Chavis and Victoria were younger additions to the leadership team and didn't know Max and Harrison as well as she did. She and Max had a romance several years ago and truth be told she still loved him. It had killed her the night they ended things between them. She thought they could build a life together, but he refused. When he announced at the new initiate banquet the first-ranked Abnegation transfer was his daughter, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
She jogs a few feet and stops when she sees Max heading for his vehicle. Where could he be off to at 6 a.m., alone?
She runs at full speed to the garage, swipes her leader key card to the area that holds all the vehicles reserved for leaders, and jumps in the first vehicle that she comes to. Stacy quickly puts the car in gear and pulls out of the garage. She bites her lip and takes a guess and drives toward the city instead of Amity. She speeds up bumping along the road fast and then slows up when she sees what looks like Max's vehicle ahead.
Max turns toward where the Dauntless parked when heading out to patrol the Factionless section. Stacy slows to creep and then pulls to a stop in front of one of the abandoned buildings. She reaches into the glove box of the truck and pulls out a pistol with a smile. Dauntless never left vehicles without a weapon. She hops out of the truck and sticks the pistol underneath her shirt.
"Today, I find out what you are up to Max," she tells herself out loud.
She takes off in a run, making sure she stays as close to the edge of the buildings determined to catch Max.
Stacey eyes Max ahead of her and ducks in a doorway when he stops and puts his hand on his weapon that was nestled in the small of his back. After a minute he keeps moving and Stacey does too. She looks curiously when he stops at a doorway and knocks before entering.
Stacey looks around and moves slowly. She still didn't see anyone else, so she moved closer to the door, getting close enough to listen.
"God, I missed you" Max sighs as he cups Natalie's face with his hands and leans down for a kiss. He was happy she had finally decided to give up and leave this area.
"I missed you too" Natalie wrapped her arms around him savoring his scent for a moment. "As much as I want to cuddle with you, I think we need to get moving"
"Something happen?" Max asks with concern as he pulls away.
"Evelyn sold me out to Erudite, she wants to use me to get to you."
"What?!" Max couldn't control his anger.
"They started testing here, Erudite are crawling all over the sector. Jeanine's going to come after me, to get to you, I got this from..." Natalie holds out the flash drive but they both stop when they hear gun noise coming from outside the door.
Max grabs the flash drive from Natalie and stuffs it in his pocket and draws his weapon while Natalie quickly grabs hers when Stacy walks in the door.
"Stacey...What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing" She snaps back looking at the woman that Max had protectively moved behind him. It doesn't take Stacy long to see the striking resemblance between this woman and Max's daughter. "Max, you want to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"You barged in here; we don't owe you a damn thing" Natalie snaps. Who the hell did this woman think she was?
"Nat..." Max grunts as he puts his gun back in the waistband of his pants.
"You have been sneaking around, holding secret meetings, ordering extra supplies, and since when is Erudite interested in what's going on in the Factionless section?" Stacy demands.
"Max, we need to go," Natalie tells him.
"I'll fill you in Stacy, but not right now and not here" Max urges grabbing Natalie's bag from the bed with one hand and Natalie's hand with the other. He brushes past Stacy as they walk out of the door.
"No, I think you need to tell me right now," Stacy says walking behind him, enraged that he was brushing her off.
Just then the sound of gunfire erupts behind them.
"What the hell is going on?" Stacy says mostly to herself as she draws her weapon and ducks down.
"Ahhh" Natalie screams when a bullet pierces her shoulder as Max and Stacy both fire back down the alley.
Natalie grips her shoulder and Max pulls her closer to him. She touches her shoulder, pain radiating through her arm. When she moves her hand, she sees the blood pouring from the wound.
"You need to get out of here," Natalie tells him through gritted teeth.
"I am NOT leaving you," Max tells her as he pulls his gun from behind his back and takes the safety off.
"You want to tell me who the hell is shooting at us," Stacy asks in a deathly tone as another round of shots come at them.
"We are sitting targets here, we gotta get in this truck and get out of here" Max yells at Stac as he shields Natalie with his body.
"Cover me" Stacy yells.
"When I say go, we gotta move, can you do that?" Max asks Natalie. She nods and then Max nods at Stacy.
"Go" Stacy calls with her weapon out and she takes off for the truck. Max sees movement and opens fire hoping to give Stacy time to maneuver.
Stacy reaches the truck and Max calls out to Natalie to run. They run as fast as they can but Max skids to a halt when he sees Stacy wasn't sitting in the truck. She was firing on a man who had stepped from in front of the truck. She's out of ammunition and before Max can fire to help her the man overpowers Stacy picking her up by the throat. He turned her head, looking at her curiously as she struggled, her feet off the ground as she gripped the hand around her neck.
Max and Natalie both look in horror as the man snaps Stacy's neck, her lifeless body falling to the ground.
"Run, Nat, run! " Max urges as he fires again, but realizing he is out of bullets now.
"This way," Natalie yells as they take off. She didn't feel the bullet would now, adrenaline running through her. They duck down a short all, hearing more shots behind them. Natalie guides them through a small side street into an abandoned building and out its back door to another small alley.
"Here," Max says seeing an opening to another building.
They dart in and look left and right but Max pulls them behind what looks like a desk.
Natalie covers her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut as she feels the pain now. Max puts a finger to his lips as he hears footsteps.
Max closes his eyes and slows his breathing as the footsteps slow seemingly in front of where they are hiding.
The footsteps continue and then stop again when a voice calls.
"George let's go. We need to deal with this. Jeanine needs to know about what happened."
There's no verbal response but the footsteps retreat out the door. Max and Natalie both let out a breath. Max shifts until Natalie is laying between his legs. He takes off his shirt and tears it to make a sling for Natalie's arm.
Neither of them speaks, but Natalie assumes that Max is waiting for the cover of night to move. Natalie allows herself to relax as much as she can in his arms. She has no idea how much time passes but she knows she falls asleep.
Jeanine picks up a glass and throws it against the wall.
"You were supposed to be bringing me Natalie Prior…and you're telling me a Dauntless member was killed instead?"
"What do you mean they got away" Jeanine asked through clenched teeth as she gripped the edge of her desk.
"We weren't able to locate them, and we needed to dispose of the body," Eric tells her.
Jeanie gets up and starts to pace. A Dauntless leader was dead. This was going to throw off all their plans, and now there was no mistake that Candor and Amity would know all their plans.
"We could just move the timeline up, there are more than enough Factionless for the plan to still work" Cara adds. Inside she was shaking, hoping that they weren't on to her. Knowing that Natalie was on the run now, she needed to get to Dauntless as soon as possible.
"We can still take out Max, once we do Dauntless will fold, they wouldn't be able to withstand an attack from the simulations soldiers" Eric reassures her.
"Yes, but Evelyn will have to be dealt with. She still thinks her little band of rebels can control things"
"We get the stem cells, and the soldiers online, we eliminate her, and the city is ours," Eric says with a shrug.
Jeanine nodded and walked to her window to look out into the city. They still had to stick to the plan. She needed to remain calm. Losing her temper was not logical.
"Yes, we stick to the plan. Dauntless will fold, but first, we deal with Abnegation as soon as we have the numbers we want," Jeanine says as she smiles to herself.
Tris paces back and forth in the conference room of the Dauntless Leadership offices. She'd successfully managed to avoid Tobias all day. She was so confused. She was with Lynn, but did she love her... she couldn't say. After she and Tobias made love, she'd known that her feelings for him were real but how could she act on them without hurting Lynn? She had to put all that out of her mind when Zeke showed up at her door concerned that Max and Stacey were both missing. Zeke and Harrison had checked the entire compound but there had been no word from either of them.
Now she was waiting with Harrison, in the conference room for everyone else. She'd called her mother on the emergency radio that Max had in his apartment and there was no answer. That's when she really started to worry.
"Did he say anything about going to visit Natalie today?" Harrison asks Tris. Normally Max told him or Tris when he was going to see Natalie and he usually wasn't gone all day.
"No, and I've called her four times on the radio and she hasn't answered" Tris wondered if she should try and contact Caleb but she didn't want to overact. The fact that her father was also missing added to her concern.
Harrison pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. This wasn't like Max or Stacy.
Both Tris and Harrison look up when Tobias, Zeke, Amar, Chavis, and Victoria come into the conference room.
"What did you find out?" Harrison asks standing up.
"Max and Stacey were both seen in the garage this morning, but it was early around 6" Tobias tells them. He and Zeke had been out interviewing folks all afternoon.
"Do we go look in the factionless section?" Zeke asks hesitantly.
"Why would we look there?" Chavis asks with a confused look on his face.
"Were he and Stacy working on something?" Victoria chimes in also confused.
Tris feels Tobias get next to her and she consciously moves to the other side of the conference room, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Max was yes, maybe he filled Stacy in" Harrison murmurs.
"I can go, I know what area to look in," Tris says. She was anxious and she needed to know her parents were okay.
"I'll go with you" Tobias volunteers.
"I think Zeke should go with me...Four might need to be here with both Max and Stacy missing...in case something happens" Tris amends quickly.
"Good thinking Tris" Harrison praises. "Amar, Four come with me. Victoria, Chavis, check to see if anyone who just came off shift from Factionless, Abnegation, or shipment duty has seen anything. Start with the shift supervisors"
"On it," Chavis says hopping up.
Tris and Zeke run to grab their tactical gear and head out to the garage to a vehicle.
"So, you want to talk about what's going on with you and Four?" Zeke asks as soon as he drives, noticing how quiet Tris is.
"What makes you think something's going on?" Tris squeaks.
"You two are usually two peas in a pod...you seemed off just now"
Tris groans. She had no idea how she was going to handle it.
"I'm just worried about my parents... that's all" She deflects.
"Ummm Hmmm" Zeke wasn't convinced. He was well aware that his best friend was in love with his cousin and even though Tris was dating Lynn, it was obvious that she wasn't completely bought into Lynn.
"Zeke..." Tris whines, not liking the way he is smirking.
"You know I'm here if you want to talk... Four's my best friend, but we're family"
That makes Tris smile. She wasn't used to having so many to confide in and support her.
"Thanks, Zeke, that means a lot," she tells him honestly.
"Shit..." Zeke says as soon as they reach the truck that Stacy was driving that morning.
They park and hop out and quickly check the vehicle and find nothing out of the ordinary.
"Come on..." Tris urges, feeling more anxious now as she sees another Dauntless truck parked in the area she knew her father would park when he came to the Factionless section.
"Oh My God" Tris whispers. The truck was riddled with bullets.
"Which way to Aunt Natalie's?" Zeke asks as he draws his weapon.
Tris nods her head in the direction they need to go and follows Zeke's lead pulling her pistol out. They stick to the sides of buildings as the sun was going down to avoid being seen.
"Mom...Dad..." Tris calls as she reaches the alley with Natalie's small home and sees the door open.
Zeke lowers his weapon when he follows Tris inside. The place didn't look like anything was out of the ordinary as Tris moved a few things around. She sees Natalie's radio still on the counter. She stands there in the middle of the room and bites her lip.
"Is there anywhere else she could be?"
"No... I... don't think so...She's been staying clear of the other factionless the last few weeks..." Tris closes her eyes and puts her hands on her hips and tears start to fall out of worry and frustration.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, we'll find them," Zeke says pulling her in for a hug.
Natalie felt groggy, the pain in her shoulder was throbbing and she could hardly focus. She feels Max gently shaking her awake and she winces at the pain in her shoulder.
"Hey, Baby, we wake up, we gotta move" It was cold now, and he had been holding her close to keep warm. The past few hours had given him an entirely new perspective. He had no idea how she spent so many years on the streets like this. He had to get them to safety.
"Ugh...It hurts..." Natalie groans.
"I know, it's dark now, we can move" Max reassures her. He needed to get Natalie to Hana. He didn't want to chance moving in broad daylight or going back to the vehicle in case Erudite was waiting for them, especially with no weapon. He was shaken if that's what Jeanine's super soldiers could do. Things were going to get bloody.
"We can't walk back to Dauntless; we're going to have to jump the train. Can you do that for me?"
"Yeah, I can make it, but why are we going to Dauntless, I can't walk through the front door," Natalie asks more alert now as she stands up on wobbly legs.
"You don't have to, and this is our only option, we're dead if we stay out here," Max tells her as he holds her up.
Natalie takes a deep breath. Her legs were fine, she just had to fight through the pain in her shoulder. They stay hidden until they hear the tracks rattling. Max jumps first and grabs Natalie once he's in the car. Natalie was lightheaded from the blood loss.
"The flash drive..." She says with her eyes closed trying to push through the pain when Max sits them down.
"I have it, don't worry" He reassures her, patting his pocket where it was tucked away safely.
It would be another 30 minutes before they would have to jump so Max tries to make her as comfortable as possible. He says a prayer that no one else would hop the train car until they could get back to Dauntless. He would do what he had to, but Natalie was in no condition to fight.
"I'm sorry" she mumbles as the cold wind whips across her face.
"For what" Max asks holding her tight and thinking about how the last time they did this, they were teenagers.
"Your friend...'
"Stacy's death isn't on you Nat. And she died a Dauntless death. What Jeanine is doing, this is madness."
The jump off the train is awkward, and Natalie twists her ankle a bit, overcompensating for her shoulder. It takes a few minutes before she's able to keep going.
"Where are we going?" she asks as Max slings her good arm over his shoulder as they start walking.
"Through a special entrance"
It's about another 15 minutes when Max stops, feeling along a wall that seems to just be the side of a building. He turns a wheel, grunting as the iron squeaks finally turning after he leans into it. He ushers Natalie in and looks behind him to make sure they weren't followed and closes the heavy door, turning the wheel on the opposite side to seal the door.
The tunnel was damp and wet, Max felt along the wall for a flashlight.
"Where are we?" Natalie asks, leaning against the wall. This was no place she had ever seen in Dauntless.
"A secret access tunnel into the compound. This route was designed in the event the leaders need to make a getaway if the compound is on lockdown. It can also be used to run off water from the river."
They keep walking making more twists and turns until there's a juncture with a small iron staircase with another door like before. Max helps Natalie up and then punches numbers into the keypad and this time the door unlocks on its own.
Natalie steps inside while Max fumbles for a light switch and then closes the door so that it locks in place. The room was a small bunker. There was a twin-size bed, a table, shelves with food and weapons, and a staircase that led upward.
"When I became leader, this was shown to me, it was only disclosed to other leaders in case there was an emergency. I've never had to use it before now." He explains as Natalie looks around.
"Where does that lead?" She asks, nodding to the staircase. She was barely able to keep her eyes open now.
"To my apartment. So, no one will know you are here if we don't want them to. It's the best plan we've got right now."
Natalie nods, too tired and in pain to argue. Max goes to the top of the stairs and enters another code which allows another hatch to pop and then comes back down to guide Natalie up.
"I need to go get Hana so she can look at your shoulder. Come lay down for me"
Natalie nods and her eyes close. She hears Max promise he'll be back as he grabs a jacket from by the door to pull on since he had used his shirt to make Natalie a sling.
Max runs as fast as he can to the elevator not sure of what time it actually was. He bangs on Hana's door until she comes to the door clutching her robe.
"Max what the hell is going on" She snaps but then furrows her eyebrows as she looks him up and down. "Where have you been? Everyone has been worried sick. We've been looking for you and Stacy everywhere"
Max looks around and pushes his way into the door closing it.
"Get dressed, do you have any medical supplies here? You need to remove a bullet from someone's shoulder"
"Max you are scaring me…" Hana tells him as
"It's Nat, we got ambushed. We had to hide out until nightfall, she's lost blood and I patched her up as best I could but…'
Hana gasps, nods, and runs back to her bedroom. She's back in a flash with the black scrubs she wore in the infirmary on. She grabs the medical bag that she kept in the house. She'd learned quickly once she became a doctor that people would show up needing her help in the middle of the night often. Dauntless were so rowdy and restless that there was often a need to see people at all hours of the night. She quickly double-checks what she has and runs to the bathroom to grab a few more things. When she goes to get her coat, Max grabs her hand and shakes his head.
They run together back through the apartments and to the Pire. Hana is nervous the entire way. This isn't how she imagined seeing her sister again after she learned she was alive after all this time. When they reach Max's apartment Hana immediately rushes to Natalie's side. Natalie is unconscious and Hana moves her fingers to check her pulse.
"Help me lie her on the floor"
Max comes over and gently places Natalie on the floor on her stomach so Hana can work better. Grabs scissors from her bag and cuts away Natalie's shirt. The minute Hana pours peroxide into the wound to clean it Natalie jars awake at the sting.
"It's okay, It's okay. We have to get the bullet out" Max soothes.
"I'm sorry, Nat" Hana sighs as she grabs her tools.
Natalie grits her teeth and screams as Hana digs to pull the bullet out.
"You're doing good Baby, just hang on" Max coaches.
"I just need to close up this wound," Hana tells them.
Natalie feels tears fall and she breathes heavily while Hana sutures the wound. She was having a hard time focusing but she could feel the pain in her shoulder.
"Hana..." Natalie says softly, her eyes barely open.
"It's okay, don't try and talk, just sleep, you're okay" Hana soothes.
Hana applies a healing salve that Erudite developed for quicker healing and then applies dissolvable stitches to close up the wound. Max breathes a sigh of relief when Hana is finished. Natalie closes her eyes, exhaustion overcoming her body when Max picks her up gently and walks to the bedroom where he places her in his bed. Hana couldn't stop the tears that fell.
"I missed you so much" Hana sobs as she sits on the bed and holds Natalie's hand.
Max leans against the door not wanting to interrupt Hana. He's had his moments with Natalie, so he quietly gets up and moves to the kitchen to see what he has to eat. His body was exhausted as he felt the adrenaline leave him. He goes to grab a glass of water and he stops wiping his face with his hands. Stacy was dead and it was his fault.
