Spitfire - Eric Coulter

Chapter XXX

My brother's apartment is not far from Erics and when I enter he is not alone.

"Hello Tris", I smile at the girl also eating breakfast at the kitchen counter. She blushes furiously.

"Well, brother of mine, good for you. Didn't think you had it in you."

"Haha, very funny. Why are you here?"

"Why can't I visit my favourite brother?"

"Because you'd trade me for a piece of chocolate cake"

"True, but...we need to discuss something"

He raises his eyebrows.

"I...there have been weird meetings between Jeanine and Max. Early in the morning up by the conference room on the 5th floor. It feels weird...I don't know, I think something is happening."

Tris nods slowly.

"That's not the only place. She was in the basement with Max as well. I couldn't see a lot behind the door, it looked like a lot of tech."

My brother seems to ponder over something.

"Follow after me."

My brother leads us across the rooftops of the Dauntless complex, behind the water reservoirs, where he crouches down and points down where people unpack cargo boxes. erudite.

"Next to It equipment, this is what they are unpacking", Tobias says, holding out a vial with dark yellow liquid.

"It's a serum? Like the simulations?", I question.

"But what for? What are they gonna do with it in that amount? It's too much for just initiates", Tris adds.

"And what would Jeanine have to do with it? Erudite has no ties to Dauntless beyond the usual we like each other because we rely on each other, but secretly the division of our society makes us hate each other stuff."

"Under the serum, next to activating your fear center, you are open to suggestion, with the amount they are transporting, they could create an army", my brother explains.

"And Dauntless could be that army? For Erudite, who developed this serum?", Tris questions, "What would they want with that? There is nothing to conquer here, nothing to overthrow but..."

"But the government. Currently lead by Abnegation", I conclude.

"Yes."

"I...", I think about Eric, the fear, the anger, "this is happening. And it is going to happen to us."

"What?"

"Just, trust me."

"Okay, then it would be after final testing in four days."

"Then we better get ready."

The next two days I don't catch a glimpse of Eric, my brother is leading the separate training group, in the mornings I train with Edward, and the afternoons I spend with either Tris or Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, and Sammy. As night falls, we try to figure out a way inside the basement, but it is always guarded, the few glimpses we can catch allow us to see computer set-ups, and screens, but nothing more. It's the day before final testing, my simulation with Lauren as awful as ever, but successful and I am making my way into the cafeteria. I only pick at my food, don't follow the excited conversation between my friends. Sammy places his hand on mine.

"Are you alright?"

I snap out of my thoughts and look at him.

"I don't know, maybe the many simulations getting to me. I am just happy when this is finally over."

"Well, only one more day and you are leading on the scoreboard. Maybe you even get into leadership."
"I won't be first though. Uriah, Edward...they could lead."
"Yes, but Uriah doesn't want to go into leadership, he wants to become a squad leader, and Edward, well, it's not only about the ranking, it is about the person, Edward is great, but he has not broken a single rule, has not challenged anything, you have."

"And that's a good thing?"
"Sometimes", he smiles at me and pushes his dessert into my direction. "Eat."

--------*-----------

I sneak out that night again, Eric's hoodie pulled into my face, his dagger on my thigh. I do not hope to see anything from the inside, instead I jog around the compound. There was moonlight inside the room when we saw it yesterday, which means somewhere there are windows. Maybe windows that I can open. Much to my dismay it starts raining just as I turn the corner, the last moonlight hiding behind heavy clouds. But it is my last chance to figure out something about this program, the serum, the plan. Maybe figure out why Eric is working with them, and why he is avoiding me at all costs. Our eyes locked a few times when passing in the hallway, his flickering to the high-necked shirts. But he hasn't talked to me.

I creep closer to the brick wall, my boots digging into the mud as the ground slopes down slightly. And then I see a small red flickering coming from ahead in the wall. It is low on the ground and I need to crouch to make out the window. I creep closer sliding in the mud, I can barely make out the screens. Instead, I press closer to the ground, my face closer to the window. Now I can make out some of the pictures on the screens. Abnegation, a population count, then dauntless names, each on what seems to be a small card. Just as the picture changes I hear footsteps behind me, almost silent, trained footsteps, I move back into a crouch, just in time, because the very next second I am hauled up and pressed into the wall. My dagger is raised the very same second, at my attacker's throat.

"Tess?!", the person exclaims, lowering the gun that was pressed to my temple.

"Eric!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Just some late-night stroll to calm my nerves...what do you think I am doing?!"

The rain picks up, pouring along his leather hood, into my face. My clothes are soaked and covered in mud, the cold seeping into my bones. I remove the dagger.

"Do you have any idea how stupid you are being?! How reckless?! This is dangerous."

"I know. That is why I chose Dauntless, because this is who I am. I won't just watch. Especially when I might find a way to help you."

"You can help me by not endangering yourself", he says, hand moving to my face, cradling my cheek.

"That is not who I am. And it is the reason you started liking me in the first place."

His eyes bore into mine. Those beautiful icy blue eyes.

"True" he grumbles and then kisses me. My hood falls back, his hand moving into my wet hair, tilting my head up to deepen the kiss. When we break apart he pulls me close, into his chest, holding me tightly. I let him. Even as rain continues to pour down, even as I start shivering.

"You are going to get hypothermic. Come."

He pulls me back inside, through the halls.

"Wait", I say as we start towards the private hallways. I bend down and take off my muddy boots, to not leave even more traces. He nods and slows down the pace a little so I can follow on socks.