After Allegiant

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Tobias
The guard's hard grip releases my arm as he pushes me through the door. All I can think of is seeing Tris left standing there, desperation in her eyes. All I want to do is be with her, now. And I will. I have to.
A lady steps forward, interrupting my thoughts. She stands half in the shadows and I can't make out her face. I rub my arm from where the guard gripped it. The woman clears her throat and the guard crosses the room and goes through a door submerged in darkness. I look back to her. She is tall, blonde, and she radiates power. She reminds me of someone. She steps into the light. Suddenly a name pops into my mind and bubbles out my mouth:
"Jeanine." I say. She smirks.
"Surprised? Yes I never died." I glare at her, questions swirling around in my mind. Jeanine continues, "Well maybe you didn't know as Tori as well as you thought." She smiles, the creases in her face deepening. Anger flashes through me like a streak of lightning. I am barely able to get out my next words.
"Tori was a traitor?" I spit out every word.
"Maybe you were too focused on that little girl of yours, Tris." Jeanine knows exactly which buttons to push, my friends, my faction, and Tris. She turns away and busies herself at a counter. I can't see what she's doing but my hands are shaking with anger. I can't take this. I look around the room for something to use, anything. I see a counter with needles, syringes, and bottles of multicolored shining liquids. I slowly edge towards the counter and then Jeanine's voice interrupts me.
"Don't even think about it." She says without turning. "Touch anything and an alarm will go off triggering a serum created by some of the best people in this facility, including me." She finally turns holding a syringe filled with a shining liquid in her hands. I know exactly what this is. I've seen it many times before in Matthews's lab: memory serum. She slowly starts toward me while holding the syringe out like an offering.
"Tobias," she says slowly, "I have an offer for you, something that could change your life forever. I'm giving you a choice. It may be hard but you have to think of the greater good of the people." She places the syringe on the counter in between us.
I don't know what she's talking about. My brain buzzes with questions and my hands shake nervously. What could she be talking about? I press my hands to the hem of my shirt to disguise the shaking, partly fear, and partly anger. My face remains a stony mask. I slowly edge closer to the syringe. If I can get the syringe, I might be able to get to Jeanine. I quickly evaluate my options. No, I can't just launch myself at her. The bodyguards would come in and it would have been for nothing.
"What are you saying?" I ask quietly.
"You see, Tobias, your attempts to stop the resetting of the city have failed. We have plans to reset the city, for 1 week from now." My heart stops. My mouth goes dry. 1 week? All this effort we put in the plan: Tris almost dying, my alliance with my mother, our defying the Bureau... I cringe at the thought of all that going to waste, and the city being reset. I am too angry to think logically, so I step closer to the needles.
"Why are you resetting them? You were a part of the city wouldn't you understand-" Jeanine cut me off. I step closer to the counter; I am five steps from the needles.
"I was a part of the city. And then it was ruined. To me, it is no longer the city it once was. So resetting it and taking over is precisely what it needs." She says her eyes hardening. Four steps.
"You're resetting the city and taking over? You have already failed once don't-" She cuts me off again. Now I'm not only angry but also annoyed.
Three steps.
"If you agree with what I will propose to you, you can avoid the resetting of the city." She says. Two steps.
"How?" I ask tersely. My hand discreetly hovers over the syringe.
One step.
"You will use the memory serum, and reset Beatrice Prior."
That's when I launch myself at her.