Divergent One Shots (Eric & Tris)

Seventy-Six-You Save Me, I Save You 21.7

Eric

I arrive at Abnegation early in the morning. I feel like Factionless was watching my activity as I drove through.  They were standing on street corners and just observing me pass by. That unsettles me.
I enter their headquarters and I'm immediately greeted by a receptionist.  A man is called in and he escorts me to the top floor.  He knocks on the door and we're let in.  I see my in-laws but Marcus Eaton and Robert Black are present.  I hadn't realized there would be more. 
I stride in following my escort and greet them.  There are no friendly hugs today, just Abnegation nods.  I take a seat and explain the situation—all of it. 
"I told you she was testing on them," Marcus Eaton comments. 
"I believe that was me since I'd witnessed others, nevertheless, we must decide what we should do about this," Andrew says. 
"I think we should show him the film.  Perhaps if more leaders were aware of their reasons for being, there would be less destructive behavior in response," Natalie suggests. 
"Perhaps Natalie is right.  They are showing up and it's noticeable.  Instead of people being scared about them, they should feel relieved at their arrival," Mr Black adds.
Andrew agrees but it takes Marcus some more convincing, especially since he's their leader—they need his permission. He eventually allows it for the good of the city. They play an old recording but it looks better than anything I've ever seen—like a movie, even though we don't have those here. But this was real and based on real events. I see photographs and films of wars—from many different times. It's explained that our ancestors tampered with their genetic structure to create what they believed were perfect offspring but in doing so, they were lacking in empathy and other such traits. Our ancestors agreed to enter the city and wipe their memories. They were inoculated with a treatment to correct our genetic damage over time. The goal of this is creating the Divergent—those who have genetic healing, the perfect children.
I sigh shakily as the woman in the recording tells us her name... Amanda Ritter. Her name is changed for life in our city to Edith Prior. I look to Andrew and he nods.
"She was my ancestor. We didn't keep a genealogical record but my family are the only Priors in the city," he explains.
"So... if those in the city are ancestors of volunteers, are there people who are still alive outside the city?" I ask.
The men look to each other but Natalie watches me.
"We honestly don't know the answer to that," Robert Black explains.
I nod in understanding.
"Is there another way to test for Divergence beyond the Aptitude Test?" I inquire.
They all shake their heads.
"My point is, that outside influences could affect a person's choice," I mention.
"How so?" Marcus Eaton questions.
"For example, mine... I would have chosen to be stubborn, but my aunt yelled at me to choose so I did. I chose what she geared me to choose," I divulge.
"Please explain what you mean?" Natalie asks.
I elaborate on how Jeanine raised me, encouraged me to go to Dauntless and threatened my sister if I didn't listen. I would've protested the options in the simulation, but because I heard a familiar order shouted at me by my tormenter, I did as she had previously instructed.
"We can obtain another type of test," Natalie says.
"What? Where would that even come from?" Marcus asks confused.
"I have some connections," she tells him. "But I'll only obtain them if we can convince all of Dauntless leadership to join us."
"So, I've got some convincing to do," I nod.
"What else did you need to speak with us on?" Andrew asks.
I explain the situation with Four—who he is and how he attempted to shoot me, hit Tris, and then escaped and is now at large in Factionless. I explain that Evelyn Eaton is now leading the Factionless mob.
"Evelyn is dead," Andrew says confused.
"Not exactly," Marcus sighs. He explains that she left him and that the funeral was a ruse to hide his shame.
We discuss the situation a bit but they're worried about caring for those who look to harm. They tell me to keep them informed on Factionless movement and if they are violent, they may stop food distribution.
"Perhaps you should make an announcement when you distribute," I suggest. "If they want to eat, maybe they won't fight us. Winter is coming and it'll be difficult without supplies. Perhaps that'll weigh on their consciences and make some split away for the sake of survival."
"You chose the knife?" Andrew questions.
"And you chose the stones," I point out.
"Yeah, well I didn't follow what my test dictated," he divulges.
"And I budged my test results," I admit.
He laughs at that and nods.
"Yeah, we need a better test to know for sure," he agrees.
We finish out our talks and I head home for lunch. I remember that I'm being watched in Factionless so I take a different route through Abnegation. I arrive at the road that leads to the fence and turn heading toward Dauntless.  I come across an abandoned truck blocking the street. It's an Amity truck used for shipments.  The back doors are open and it's empty.  I make a call to security and get them on their way as I assess the situation. I step out of my vehicle and pocket my keys. I remove a firearm and stride out to see what's going on. I discover the Amity driver tied up. I untie his bonds and find out that he was bringing a delivery of food to Dauntless. He explains that Factionless blocked the road and when he stopped, they held a gun to his head. They emptied the truck and bound him.
I call it in.
I guess they're stepping it up to violence.
Security arrives and does an investigation. I give my statement and I observe as they examine everything. I receive a call from Max.
"Why were you out there?" he asks.
"I'll explain in a meeting after lunch," I tell him.
"Alright. See you soon," he says.
I drive home and I see no Factionless presence on the way. Beyond food theft, I wonder what their other plans are.
I arrive at the compound and the garage seems hectic with chatter about what happened. Jax meets me with my wife in tow.
"I want surveillance watching what movement we can. I want those bulletproof cameras installed today. Have them climb wherever needed and send a guard detail—riot gear since they're armed. Take rappelling gear and put them high. Some with sound would be nice where we've seen them meeting. I also want notifications from every faction detailing the transportation of all food. If Amity is sending shipments, I want a full guard detail. No less than thirty highly trained Dauntless armed to the teeth," I explain.
"I'll get it done," he nods to me. "You can go to lunch. I'll handle this. Mine was packed today," he tells Tris.
"Yes, sir," she replies.
I look her over as Jax leaves to get everything taken care of. She's incredible. The more I learn about her, the more I'm fascinated. "God, you're perfect," I sigh taking her in my arms.
She giggles as I kiss her.
"Not quite. Only God is perfect, but I'm trying to be like him," she smiles.
I grin at her and lead her to lunch. We eat together with the rest of leadership. She gets a call from Jax telling her to be present at the meeting until he arrives.
We head up and I take her hand.
"Jax is coming but he's still carrying out Eric's orders. He asked me to sit in for him," she explains to the rest of leadership humbly.
"Alright," Jude agrees.
We all take our seats around the conference table. I explain what I saw on my return and the orders I gave Jax to carry out.
"That's good," Max nods. "But I'm still wondering why you were out there," he questions. I can tell he doesn't trust me like he used to.
"I went to Abnegation," I admit. "I met with Andrew Prior, Marcus Eaton, Robert Black, and Natalie Prior. I mentioned the issue of Divergents and they showed me a recording from the founding fathers."
Jax knocks. I motion for him to join us and he enters, taking the seat beside my wife.
"So, what you're saying is, you just committed an act of treason," Max says flatly to me.
"What?" Jax asks confused.
"If that's how you see it, that's a shame. You're willing to work with Jeanine blindly," I point out.
"Let's hear him out," Jude suggests.
"I agree," Ryan says.
"Lydia?" Max inquires.
"I'm not going to call this treason without first hearing what he had to say. Eric?" she replies encouraging me to continue.
"Abnegation made me a copy of this recording from the founders of our society. There was only one other copy made from an unauthorized access. I was shown who had tapped their computers and you won't believe who hacked their system once. It has been secure ever since. They have a tight lockdown on their system now but they want Dauntless to see what was left for them. It's completely unedited especially since we don't have the capabilities to reproduce something such as this," I explain.
I put the file into our computer and project it for the room. They watch and I can tell they're shocked. Jude doesn't seem as surprise but he might've known.
"So what Abnegation is saying is that these Divergent are a protected species?" Max guffaws.
"I think they're what we're evolving to become," Jude explains. "Or repairing... however you want to word it."
"Do you believe this, Eric?" Ryan asks.
"How do you not take the word of someone who started this system? It wasn't always so. They were aware of our lack of empathy, our different natures so they grouped us according to our strongest qualities and let our offspring move as needed to where they saw fit. It makes sense. But the whole... when more come, there will be no further need for the faction system. That sounds like Jeanine wants us to remain as we are," I point out.
"She hacked them, didn't she?" Max questions.
"It was Erudite. The time frame may indicate either Norton or Jeanine. It was just before he passed away so it could've been either," I explain.
"So, she knows," he deduces.
"Her very words are Divergent are a threat to the faction system. They aren't a threat. They're the cure for the need for us all to remain separated. We have to decide if we want progress or regress," I explain.
"What do you mean by regress?" Ryan asks.
"If we were to kill them off, we will most likely get to the point where there are no people left here after a few more generations," I point out. "We will exterminate life in this fence for fear of what we will eventually become. All of our ancestors received that inoculation. Divergence is inevitable."
Lydia sighs heavily.
Ryan appears shocked while Max looks shaken to his core.
"How has she been deceiving us for so long?" Max asks. He looks betrayed.
"She's pure evil," I say. "All of her motives are selfish to move her toward a position of more power."
"I see your point," Max nods. He sighs harshly. "We'll have to discuss this later. Let's finish up and handle the issue with Factionless."
We all agree. We decide to hold off on sending Jeanine any more of our people. We will assess each member we receive from her requests to find out where their loyalties lay. We handle the issues at hand with Four and Factionless, observing their activity and making a few changes in protocol. We speak with Abnegation in a video conference about their donations and the situation today. We explain what we've decided and they seem pleased. We also request to patrol Factionless since they're armed and threatening citizens.
"Agreed," Marcus nods. "On the stipulation that it is not Dauntless's intention to shoot to kill. We request that the weapons are retrieved."
We share a look and nod.
"It is not our intention to kill any unless they threaten the lives of others. In battle, if a life is threatened and there is no other option, you must understand that shots are taken. At that point, the shot will be taken to save the most innocent lives," I explain.
"That is understandable," Andrew nods. "We accept those terms."
Marcus appears upset but that's the best we can offer.
"What about the Divergent issue?" Marcus questions.
"We've discussed it," Max replies. "It's new information that we must process." He continues to explain that if requested by Jeanine, we will take the Divergent aside and interrogate them to determine if they are a threat. "But based on the recording and Tris, we do not believe they are all as Erudite had previously portrayed."
Ryan and Lydia nod. I sigh in relief.
"Eric mentioned security issues. We can assist with locking unauthorized access to your computers and surveillance systems," Andrew offers.
Max looks to me in disbelief. "What do you think?" he asks us.
We all pound the table.
"We would appreciate that," I tell them.
"I'll have a team brought over tomorrow to teach your staff," Marcus explains.