I'm trying to keep these chapters coming for y'all before life gets crazy again! I hope y'all see this update because my email notifications are still messed up! Love Y'all!
"How could you be so stupid?" Jeanine roars as she throws the first thing she can pick up against the wall.
Eric is sitting in front of her getting patched up after his encounter with Will. He looks over as the healing serum is applied and his arm is placed in a sling by the doctor with quickly leaves once he's done.
Eric grinds his teeth and narrows his eyes at Jeanine. She taps on the computer, not only had Cara downloaded all the most recent test results she'd scrambled the system with a virus that no one had been able to crack for the past few hours. Jeanine knew she was brilliant, it was the reason she kept her close all these years, teaching her everything she knew. She had great plans for Cara and her betrayal was crushing.
"I told you exactly what happened…Your favorite assistant is the one that screwed you" He seethes.
Jeanine paces, never had she anticipated Cara would betray her. Eric had mentioned it but she had ignored him.
"You should have shot her, how the hell did she manage to escape…"
"Like I said two Dauntless showed up out of nowhere, they had to be doing surveillance…"
Jeanine walks up to Eric and slaps him across the face hard.
"This is the second time you've fucked up. Take accountability for that. You should still be in Dauntless where I needed you. I expect you to make this right Eric. Mess up again and you can be another fighter for my test subjects. " She tells him through gritted teeth before storming out.
Eric rolls his tongue over the back of his teeth. He saw what was going on while she was blinded by thinking she had everything under control when in truth her quest for power was teetering on the edge. Now the question became, did he stay loyal to Jeanine? And based on her actions tonight, she'd pissed off the one person who could still help her quest to take over Chicago.
Zeke smiles as he wakes up and looks down to see Tori snuggled up against him. He was in the hospital bed, both wanted to make sure Will was okay after Zeke got him back to the compound. She had fussed over him while Hana and Helena worked on Will. He'd lost a lot of blood and Hana had to do surgery to repair damage to a blood vessel or something that would take several hours. They both were so tired, they crawled into the bed in an empty room to sleep a little while Hana operated.
He gasped when Tori moved and her hand curved around his rib cage like it normally did when they slept like this. Eric had caught him in the ribs and he had a nasty bruise and maybe a cracked rib. He'd insisted everyone look after Will. Tori however had fussed over him, cleaning out the gash on his forehead he received in the fight.
"Sorry, Sorry" Tori apologizes as she sits up and winces realizing she hurt him.
"Good Morning beautiful" He whispers and leads up to kiss her. "And don't worry about me, I can take the pain"
"Stop being so tough…." She fusses which causes him to chuckle as she stretches rolling her neck from side to side. "How long did we sleep?"
"About three hours, I need to get up and check in with Victoria, everyone should be leaving Candor soon" Zeke determines as he looks at the clock on the wall.
Tori gets up out of bed and takes time to inspect the bandage on Zeke's forehead. It was her first attempt at stitches but she thinks she did okay. She leans over and kisses it gently.
"Baby I'm fine, I promise," He says, sitting up on the edge of the bed and pulling her close.
"I was worried" She confesses cupping his face and looking into his eyes. She couldn't even put into words how worried she had been. Zeke had crept his way into her heart and now she couldn't imagine a day going by without him.
"I will always come back to you, I promise" he whispers. He was itching to tell her how much he loved her. He knew without a doubt but he wasn't sure if now was the right time to say it.
Tori's heart swells and she leans in to kiss him. It's a sweet kiss, he wraps his arms around her to hold her for a few more minutes.
"What the hell happened to you?" Tobias asks as he and Tris walk into the conference room to meet with Zeke and Victoria.
"Eric is what happened…but don't worry, he looks worse and I put a bullet in his arm"
"Well we got two Erudite in the holding cell downstairs waiting for Christina when she gets back," Tobias says proudly.
"No shit, how did that happen?" Tris and Tobias tell all the details of them surprising the two body dumpers and the fight that ensued. They were no match for Tobias. Tris was a good fighter but she was also quick, she used that to her advantage. One of them fell flat on his face and Tris quickly hit him with her stun gun and handcuffed him. Tobias threw a few punches and knocked out the other so that they could bring them in for questioning.
It's then Zeke's turn to relay everything that happened. Hana came in for a quick update on Will who was asleep now but she still considered him in critical condition.
"Where's Cara now?" Tris asks. She was exhausted after the morning they had.
"I left her in my apartment to clean up and get some rest" Tobias notices Zeke looks at him as he said it to not catch Victoria's attention.
"And has the convoy left yet?" Tobias asks Victoria who was looking at a map of the city and marking where Tobias noticed the body was dumped.
"Yes, they should be here, they will radio in to let us know they are on track in a few. Uriah and Christina have already checked that they are in position. Tris, have you contacted Amar and Harrison?" Victoria asks.
"Yes, I caught them before they left Abnegation, I radioed my Dad right after" Tris confirms.
When Victoria goes to give orders to someone Zeke leans across the table and Tris and Tobias lean in to"
"Cara's not in your apartment is she?" Tobias asks.
"No, she's with Aunt Natalie, She was really shaken up, but Tori is going up to go over the simulation data after she had a chance to get some sleep" he confirms. "You heard the ones dumping the body specifically say they knew about moving Jack Kang?"
Tris and Tobias both nod.
"Even with everything we've done…." Tobias says in a frustrated tone.
"We still leak the inside…the question is who" Tris finishes.
Caleb blinks awake and realizes that he's alone in bed. He'd slept so hard after the emotionally draining day before, he hadn't felt Marlene get up. He looked over at the clock realizing it was almost 6. He hears voices downstairs and realizes she probably got up early to make breakfast for Harrison and Amar.
He quickly dresses and makes his way downstairs. It was cold,
"Good Morning everyone, What's wrong?" Caleb asks as Amar, Harrison, and Marlene all have concerned looks on their faces.
"I just talked to Tris over the radio… We've got some information that the Factionless plan to take Abnegation as soon as the impending blizzard clears"
Caleb whips his head to the window and he notices snow flurries.
"After finding out all that is about to go down, I'm glad I asked Max to switch details for the transfer with Chavis…" Harrison reflects. He knew Max wanted him by his side, but Abnegation wanted to look at things from a security standpoint.
"Agreed," Amar says taking a sip of his coffee. He'd come to trust Harrison more in the past few months from working so closely with him.
"We think the best course of action is what we laid out last night, Stick to that plan. Radio as soon as anything happens. We can't take a chance that they will attack the perimeter as soon as well with Abnegation as a diversion but we will have people on standby that can get here" Harrison says looking to Caleb and Marlene.
"We understand," Marlene says as Caleb walks over, grabs her hand and squeezes it.
"You two have everything you need?" Harrison asks.
"Yes, We have Dauntless clothes and weapons, Natalie gave us a few as well, so we should be okay," Marlene tells them as she goes over everything they had hidden in their go bag upstairs.
They pull out the map from the night before, to go over escape routes one more time.
"Well stop off at these two on the way to Candor. There should be radios and some supplies in case you need to hold up for a few days but it won't feed many. If you two could split up that would be ideal. It would be even better if there is a third person to lead be in command of this safe house here" Harrison mentions as he squints while looking at the map.
"Is there anyone in Factionless you could still trust, without a doubt?" Amar asks. He was still a bit concerned, but Dauntless was stretched thin at the moment.
Marlene and Caleb look at each other and nod, knowing they are both thinking the same thing.
"Yes, Stephan and his wife Elena. They have two small children. Stephan was Dauntless born and initiated, he only left when his father got too old. He and his wife were friends with my mother, they are good people. We can trust them" Caleb tells them.
"Do you think you can get in and get out to speak with him before the day ends?" Harrison asked, his interest piqued.
Caleb takes a deep breath in through his nose and then nods, the Abnegation were stubborn, there was a feeling that things were shifting in the factionless, despite everyone being clueless as to what was going on. Marcus and Andrew had not warned them to be cautious at all, a few people had been injured recently, and the volunteer groups were sticking closer to the outskirts, especially with Dauntless gone the past few months.
"Be careful," Amar warns.
"Check in after you get back and when you get to one of the safe houses. If you get captured at any point, we will find a way to get you out, your mother will have my head if I don't" Harrison emphasizes.
Caleb smiles and chuckles. He knew his mother would be worried sick. He missed her terribly. They had a few calls over the radio and Amar had been nice enough to pass a few letters between them.
"We need to get moving, Keep your eyes open" Amar announces looking at his watch.
"We will," Caleb and Marlene say as they walk Harrison and Amar to the door.
Marlene wraps her arms around Caleb and they stand there for a moment.
"Everything is going to be okay, we can do this" Caleb reassures her, but also trying to reassure himself as he kisses the top of her head and then tightens his arms around her.
"I hope so," She mumbles into his chest. The truth was, she had a bad feeling that she couldn't shake.
Uriah and Christina make their way to the spot determined for the best view of where Max and Jack would hop into a vehicle. They had a backup plan just in case. Uriah, being a sniper, had his high-powered rifle and scope. He and Christina had worked on her shooting and she had a smaller rifle that could be used if Uriah needed backup.
"Sparrow, Come in" Tobias calls over the radio.
"Go for Uriah, What's up Four?" Uriah responds as he surveys the room. The room was still shadowy as the first rays of light of the morning were coming in. The sky was gray making the visibility lower than normal.
"You in position?"
"Locked and loaded" he replies, giving Christina a wink and a smile that should be illegal.
Christina chuckles and shakes her head, she loved how cocky Uriah could be.
"Erudite knows, stay on high alert"
"Copy that, thanks for the heads up" Uriah furrows his eyebrows. The chances that he would have to act just increased exponentially. This is what he trained to do and he knew it needed to be done.
Christina bites her lip as she looks out the window. She wasn't afraid of heights but her heart was beating wildly. One of her fears was watching her mother and sister die. She'd told Uriah that last night as they huddled together in a sleeping bag. The snow flurries were swirling in the air, and the sky was gray as an indication of the impending blizzard.
"We can do this, they won't be aiming for your family, and they are in a separate car"
She leans into him as he wraps his arms around her.
"That's the signal" Uriah observes seeing Chavis emerge from the building.
"Here we go" Christina mumbles mostly to herself taking deep breaths through her nose. She was feeling more confident with her shooting, but she would never understand how Uriah could be so calm and collected with his finger on a trigger.
"Remember what I taught you?" Uriah asks as he raises the rifle and looks through the scope.
"Aim small, miss small" Christina mumbles as she hoists her rifle on her shoulder.
"That's my girl"
Uriah places his finger on the trigger ready to pull at the first sight of trouble.
Max leans against the wall. He wasn't happy after talking to Tris over the radio that morning. He was furious but he had to focus on the task at hand. He and Harrison had conversed when he and Amar arrived from Abnegation, they considered the pros and cons of changing the day of the transfer but with the snow starting to fall they decided it was now or never.
"Stephanie, Are you ready to go?" He asks the beautiful umber-skinned woman walking in with a bag and a young teen girl, who looked to be about 14 clutching a backpack to her chest as she looked around with wild eyes.
"Yes, we are, thank you, Max. This is my youngest daughter, Rose" Stephanie tells him softly. Max could see the resemblance between Stephanie and her daughters when he met her the day before. She was a great beauty and carried herself with a regal poise.
"Nice to meet you Rose, are you maybe a little nervous and a little scared?" Max asks in a comforting tone. She nods clutching her bag tighter.
"Well, we are going to take care of you. We can look after you better in Dauntless. Your sister is excited to see you and I've got something that might make you feel better"
Max reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bracelet that belonged to Christina. She knew her sister would be scared and the one thing she had brought with her that she knew she could keep hidden on Choosing Day was a bracelet that Rose had given her. She'd saved all of her allowance credits to get it for Christina's 18th birthday.
Rose's face brightens instantly as she takes the bracelet and holds it in her hand.
"Thank you," she says quietly with a soft smile.
"This is Amar, he's going to be with you the entire way, You two will ride with Amelia, her husband and two boys, and Grant and his wife," Max tells him as he stands up and motions for Amar to join them. Amelia and Grant were two of the judges who rounded out Candor's leadership court and reported directly to Jack and Niles. Normally Stephanie was not considered to be a part of the leadership court or a judge but Jack had been happy to honor Max's request to have her take a special seat and join them in Dauntless.
Amar talks briefly with them, explaining what is about to happen and that they need to move quickly. Max looks at his watch, and motions for everyone to move once Jack enters the room with his family.
"We need to move quickly, I've gotten some information that it seems Erudite knows about us moving you" Max informs Jack.
Jack nods as he clutches his bag with one hand and his wife's hand with the other, their son following close behind him, followed by Niles.
"Put this on please" Max hands Jack and Niles a bulletproof vest similar to the one he and the rest of the Dauntless were wearing.
"Command, on the move" Chavis calls over the radio.
"Uri, 9 o'clock…" Christina says looking through her binoculars. She sees a small group emerging from behind a building with guns raised and aimed toward the building where Max was exiting. They had tactical gear, but she could tell they weren't Dauntless. Max had specifically had their team wear red armbands just in case the Erudite or the Factionless tried to confuse them.
"Unfriendly, Call it in," Urirah tells her after taking a quick look and making the same observation she did as soon as he saw the group that has about 7 members.
"Eagle 1, Unfriendlies spotted approaching the area of the motorcade at 12 o'clock."
Max hears Christina over the radio and rushes Stephanie, Rose, and the others assigned to ride with them into the first vehicle. Amar pulls his weapon but Max tells him to go with the first vehicle as planned.
"Take 'em out" He calls back to Christina and then tells the driver to go.
Uriah hears Max and starts to fire, he quickly takes down two of them as they look around bewildered trying to see where the shots came from. Two others start to fire as Chavis starts shooting before ducking behind another vehicle.
"Jack, Move quickly, now" Max yells shielding Jack and his wife, Vivian, and son, Cameron.
Christina picks up her rifle and quickly knocks down two more while Uriah reloads.
Max takes out another that emerges while helping Jack's wife into the truck while Harrison fires and takes out another of the rebels firing on them.
Just as Niles is about to enter the car, a shot rings out striking one of the Dauntless guards. Max, Harrison, and Chavis look up knowing the shot didn't come from the two rebels left on the ground.
"Uriah take out that shooter" Harrison yells over the radio as he frantically looks around.
"Where the fuck is he?" Uriah panics for a minute as he searches in the direction he thinks the bullet came and he sees a few Dauntless pointing in the direction they think it came from.
Uriah and Christina are scanning the area looking for any additional shooters but don't see anyone. It had to be another sniper.
Another shot rings out and Niles is hit. Jack gasps as he's shoved in the truck. There is yelling from all over as Jack's wife holds Niles' head in her lap as she sobbed. Cameron was staring with his eyes wide gasping for air as he watched blood pour from the wound in his neck.
"Hold that wound" Harrison yells as he shuts the door and bangs on the door to tell the driver to get going.
"Go now!" Max yells as the second vehicle speeds off and he takes a shot at the final rebel firing on them from the ground who grabs his arm and stumbles before falling after Max fires a second shot.
"There you are you son of a bitch" Uriah murmurs as he looks at a window high up, in a close-by building with his high-powered binoculars.
Another shot rings out and Max dives and yells, "Take cover" pushing Chavis out the way but is struck. He falls to the ground from the velocity of the bullet hitting him in his chest.
"Up, third window from the right, gray building" Christina yells as she sees the shooter finally.
Uriah quickly takes two shots, hitting the other sniper. Uriah doesn't take his finger off the trigger or his eye off the scope.
"I don't see any more movement," Christina says, her heart still racing and her palms sweaty as she looks at the windows of the building.
"Fuck….Let's get a move on it," Uriah blows out and lowers his weapon. He and Christina start to quickly pack up the gear and follow the convoy back to Dauntless. Neither was sure who was injured as their attention was focused on taking down the other shooter. All they could see were the vehicles speeding away heading toward Dauntless.
"Max, Max!" Chavis calls as he grabs him and he and Harrison place Max into the last vehicle. "Command, Max has been hit! I repeat, Max has been hit"