Convergent

Chapter Nine

Tris

I try to shake off the cold, it doesn't work, I shiver and Tobias pulls me closer to his side. I will not go to another hospital, I will not be prodded with anymore needles, and I will not be plugged to another machine by dozens of wires. We are slowly making our way to The Bureau; where Caleb is, I don't want to go back to that place, the place where Uriah was found to be brain dead, the place where I was put into a coma, on the verge of deaths door, but I need to see Caleb, I need to tell him that his only remaining family isn't dead, I need his help with the transmitters, and I need to tell him about our mother.

The truck pulls to a stop and we get out; thanking the guard as he drives back into the city.

"Here we are." Tobias says and helps me to the ground.

"Hey, it will be okay, I promise, Caleb is here and he will help you, we will get those transmitters out of you. I won't let anyone hurt you." With those words he tightens his grip around me, giving me a sense of security. By "anyone" I know he means David, and a surge of gratitude goes through me, he may not have any of his memories, and he may not be the same person, but that doesn't make me feel safe, all I can see is his hand on the trigger, and the determined gleam in his eyes, I shudder violently. We walk through the doors, Tobias with one arm squeezing my waist, and the other guiding me by the small of my back, we take a left, then two rights, and go up a staircase, once at the top of the staircase we take another left and I see several rooms on either side. We walk past a couple than he turns; inside I see Caleb, hair tousled, shirt buttons in all the wrong holes, his nose deep in a scientific book; just like he used to look that thought slightly comforts me, but I'm in too much pain to pay much attention to the thought.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

His eyes are full of concern, and I force myself to stand up straighter; to look stronger.

"No." And with that I push open the door.

***

At first Caleb doesn't notice we're there, then his eyes lift up from the book and meet mine, they are filled with disbelief and shock. He just sits there gaping at me, with his mouth hanging open, then finally breaks the silence.

"Beatrice?" It barely comes out as a whisper; his voice is so thick with emotion it's amazing the word comes out at all.

I don't say anything, I wrap my arms tightly around him and squeeze, my tears falling on his back, I missed him so much, the one who I sacrificed my life for, so he didn't die, Caleb, my brother.

"It's me Caleb." I say through my tears.

"I thought you were dead, two years, why did you never come?"

"I almost was, I was in a coma, up until a few days ago, I made my way to Tobias, and he helped me make my way to you."

"Are you-" He gulps "Are you hurt?"

"Well...that's sort of where the complication lies. No, I'm not hurt; my wounds were healed for the most part... It's more of how I was healed."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean-" I gulp "I was taken back to Erudite headquarters

, Where they experimented on me while I was unconscious. They- they put a new batch of transmitters in me; everyone who survived getting shot has them in themselves, they weren't bullets the Erudite were controlling the Dauntless to shoot, they were new transmitters... And even the Divergent aren't immune. The person that was the head of my experiments.... Was our mother."

"Mom? But- but Mom is dead."

"No...She's not. I never went back, I saw her fall and ran, she was alive. She crawled away to Amity where they discovered that they were not bullets she was shot with, but new versions of the transmitters."

"Oh god. And you're sure she was the one in charge of the experiments?"

I nod.

"And they're... In you?"

Again I nod

"I should be able to remove them, with the proper equipment, but first we need to know where, they are, I'll have to take a digital scan of you, maybe a blood pressure model-" My excitement for seeing him fades.

He is interested; He is intrigued at the transmitters inside of me. This sick reality fascinates him, he is a monster, the Erudite cruelness still shows in him. I back away from him slowly, going towards Tobias, he will protect me, as long as I'm in his arms I am safe.

"Caleb-" Tobias says warily, wrapping his arms around me, "Can you get them out of her?" I can't look at Caleb, right now it is just too much to bear, so I bury my face into Tobias's shoulder, letting his scent of safety surround, and calm me.

"Once we identify where they are, yes, I should be able to. Beatrice-" He points to a long lab table with a heart monitor. "Lie down here please." Suddenly I'm back in Erudite headquarters, hazy from drugs and I see Caleb there; helping Jeanine, suddenly I see Tobias stabbing himself with a knife in the gut slowly driving the blade farther and farther into his stomach, Suddenly I see Jeanine leaning over me, injecting the serum that was supposed to end my life, my palms are sweating.

And I can't breathe,

And I can't think.