Defected - A Divergent FanFic

Chapter Twelve

FOUR IS PATTING my face and I force my eyes open, usually I come out of the fear landscape drenched in sweat; this time I'm acting as though I have just woken up from a dream. Four helps me to sit up and tries to talk to me but I don't respond.

"Blue? What happened?" Four asks.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know! What did happen? Why did it happen?

"I can't breathe." I push him away roughly and stand up, I move to the corner of the room.

"I've never seen anyone do that." Four looks at me warily. "You completely overrode the protocols from inside the sim. How did you do that?"

I shrug and look at my hand. Even though it was a sim, I'd been ready and able to pull the trigger without a second thought.

"Blue? It wasn't real." Four's voice is uncharacteristically soft and I look into his piercing eyes. "It wasn't real."

I shake my head and open my mouth to say something but the words don't come - I don't know who I am anymore. I raise my hand to tell Four that I'm done and then leave the room, there are a few initiates waiting their turn and their eyes follow me as I pass them.

I don't know what to do with myself. I've never felt so lost. The twisting maze that is Dauntless, passes by me and each time I awaken from my mindless amble, I'm somewhere new. I find myself sitting on the edge overlooking the Chasm, the water below me roars furiously and cold droplets land on my jeans - leaving a small imprint.

"Don't do it."

I turn around and Toby approaches me and sits down next to me. We sit in silence for a long while and, in that time, I quickly wipe away a few escaping tears.

"What's wrong?" Toby asks.

"Something happened in the fear landscape that shouldn't of."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Toby tentatively slips an arm around my shoulders and pats my arm awkwardly. I rest my head on his shoulder and Toby kisses the top of my head. I cringe slightly at the intimate contact but Toby grips my shoulders painfully to stop me from moving away any more.

I get the desire to move around quickly and I wiggle out of Toby's controlling embrace.

"I've gotta go check something." I say quietly and turn to leave.

Toby grabs my arm and squeezes it - hard. "I'll see you later."

"Sure." I reply and it's only when I walk away, do I realise that it was a statement of assurance rather than something more casual.

I remember what Fiona said, that Erudite was up to something - big. I have to find out what. During my time in Dauntless, I'd repeatedly seen Erudite scientists and Max entering an area that was restricted to other members of Dauntless.

There are two guards, armed, standing in front of a red, metal sliding door and I greet them.

"Hey guys." I wave. "Max wants you guys to take a break, told me to stand guard until your replacements get here."

The two guards exchange a look of delight and one thrusts his gun towards me before they both march off to get something to eat.

I eye the gun and roll my eyes. "Idiots." I murmur under my breath and toss the rifle onto the floor.

My hands find the latch and, with great effort, I manage to open the thick, metallic sheet. Behind the door is another corridor, it runs past rooms which appear to be filled with server towers and flashing lights.

I jog to the end of the corridor and see, on the left hand side, a large room with a white interior and glass viewing screens. I peek inside and see that the coast is clear, I step in and examine the screens and then notice something peculiar.

Stacked in glass containers are little vials filled with an orange liquid. I step closer to investigate and I'm just about to take one for closer inspection, when a voice stops me dead in my tracks and sends my blood ice-cold in my veins.

"Something caught your interest, Blue?"

I whip around and am greeted by Eric's snide face. He's standing with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, completely at ease - like a powerful predator stalking its prey.

"I was...er...just checking for intruders." I gesture aimlessly behind me.

Eric starts walking towards me, slowly and threateningly, before circling behind me.

"Don't think I don't know who you are." He says quietly then stops behind me and pulls down the back of my shirt to reveal my tattoo. "Interesting."

His fingers are cold against my skin and I flinch away but Eric whispers in my ear.

"Jeanine misses her daughter, Cassidy." Eric croons. "Why don't you go back?"

"What's going on here? What are you planning?" I hiss.

Eric grips my neck and exposes my jugular, he drags a knife down the part of my skin where the muscle bulges.

"You'd do well to keep your mouth shut."

"Eric! What are you doing?"

Both Eric and I look to the source of the voice - Max stands in the doorway, staring at the knife in Eric's hand which is pressed, sharp edge first, against my neck.

"She was snooping, Max." Eric pushes me away but keeps a hand closed around my bicep.

"You're needed elsewhere, Eric." Max says shortly and Eric casts me one last look at me before marching away. "You'd best get out of here, Blue - I look forward to your final test."

I rush past Max and rub my neck where Eric had pressed the knife to it. That was close. But what were the abundance of serums for? I think about all the Erudite technology that was present in the room, why was it there? What was it for?

I need answers and a thought occurs to me. There's someone I can ask - but she's in the heart of Erudite.