ANOTHER CHANCE (Divergent Story : After Allegiant)

CHAPTER 19 : Stress

Tobias P.O.V.

I close the door to my apartment and turn to Tris. I take her hand and we head out into the city. We must take the train to the courthouse, so we go to the station. These are where the trains stop to pick and drop people. I can see Tris is getting nervous as we get closer to the court. I feel her palms are getting sweaty and she is starting to shake. We get to the station just as the train stops and we get on. We take a seat together and I turn to Tris.

"Hey, I will be there with you, I promise. I know this is hard, but we will get through it and make the Bureau pay. I love you Tris" I say to her. I see she has tears in her eyes. She turns her head to me and says, "I love you too." I bend down and give her a short kiss. The train stops and I take her hand again as we head out of the station. I keep a hold on her hand, not wanting her to get lost in the city.

We walk a few blocks until I see the courthouse. We walk mostly in silence, only with me rubbing circles on the back of her hand, hoping that it will calm her a bit. As me and Tris near it, I see Zeke and Amar standing on the sidewalk talking. Zeke sees me and motions for Amar. He turns and they both head our way. Zeke walks to Tris and embraces her in a hug. Amar shakes my hand and asks how I am doing. "Fine I guess, just a bit stressed at the moment." I answer him. Amar nods his head in understanding.

"Okay, lets head inside," Amar says and walks next to me. Once inside the lobby, I see Johanna and Matthew talking near the entrance to the elevators. They turn to us and wait for us to get closer. "Hey guys," Matthew greets us and we go to the elevator. Tris must have felt my uneasiness, because she hold my hand tighter as we enter the elevator. I feel myself starting to panic, this is why I take the stairs. Tris turns to me and stares into my eyes. I get so lost looking at her that I forgot where we are until the doors opened and we stepped into the hallway.

"Thanks," I whisper to Tris and she gives my hand a squeeze and a small smile. After everything, with all the stress she is going through, she is still the one that calms me down in the elevator. I will never be able to thank her for just her presence in my life. Once down the hallway, following Matthew and Johanna, we reach a door and enter it. "Hi guys," we get greeted as we enter. "Guys, this is Luther, Luther this is Tris and Four. You know everyone else." Matthew introduces us. "Hi" Tris says from my side and I go and shake his hand. "Nice to meet you," I tell him.

"Okay, down to business before we head to the Machine. Matthew filled me in on the basics and the rest we will find out once Tris is in. I just want to know if this is really what you want? The Bureau is a large place and we will need a strong case to even consider taking them on. I am willing to do it if you are, as I am sure Johanna, Amar and Matthew are. So my final question is, are you 100% sure, because this might take a long time to get the evidence and it is going to bring up some bad memories for Tris and assuming you are going to be with her, same to you Four." he says, while looking at me and Tris.

I turn to her and ask her silently. She nods her head yes and I turn to Luther again. "Yes we are," I say to him. "Okay, then we can begin," he says and stands, walking to a cupboard in the corner of his office. I returns with a bottle of whiskey and gives me a glass. "Drink, you are going to need it in there," while handing me the glass. "I know you think I am crazy, but I know how this can effect some people, and we need you to be strong for Tris." I down the glass as he puts the bottle away and shows us to follow him.

The whiskey burnt going down, I but definitely feel calmer already. We follow Luther down a few more doors and get to a room with two security guards in front of the door. They open the door and we enter. I don't really know what I was expecting, but this wasn't really it. It looks about the same as the last fear simulation setup from Dauntless. A chair with straps in the middle with a few cables and a lot of screens to the side of the room with chairs.

Someone comes in behind us and introduces herself as Romi. She goes to the chair and starts turning some things on. I also see someone at the screens with Matthew as they are franticly typing stuff on the computers. I turn to Tris, who has been very quiet this whole time. "Are you okay," I whisper, so only she hears me. "No, but I guess I better be, because there is no turning back now." she whispers back. I take her in my arms and just hold onto her, until someone calls my name.

I turn to see it was Matthew. "We are ready when you guys are," he says and motions for Tris to the chair. Tris gives me one last hug and I whisper, "Be brave." She moves to the chair and Romi starts working on her. I can see she starts to panic as Romi tries to fasten the straps on her arms. I look at Romi and she answers my silent question, "It is only so she doesn't thrash around and hurt herslf or pull on the wires while under. I promise that is all it is used for."

 I turn to Tris and try make her understand. We eventually get the straps on and Romi puts the cables on her. I go over to Matthew and he tells me what they are going to do and what I should expect. When he is done, he tells me I can go and sit next to Tris. She will be able to hear me, but not respond. I need to help her stay calm throughout this whole thing. I can see everything she sees and help her through it as much as possible.

"I love you Tris, I will be with you every step of the way. Please try to remember that this is not real and that you safe." I tell her before giving her a kiss.

They inject her with something and I take her hand, holding it in both of mine. She looks at me one last time and drops her head against the headrest of the chair. Matthew switches on the screens and it starts.

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So sorry for the late update, I have been in bed ill this past week.

Enjoy

Diane