After-An Allegiant fanfic

Part 33-Now

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words.

Now:

"It seems like we are going to have less time than we thought to come up with a plan to stop my mother,” I say as I walk into Zeke and Shauna’s apartment. “She’s executing her plan tonight. There are people coming in from the Fringe as we speak. She plans to bring them in, and prepare them to fight. But before their weapons are raised, Marcus and I are going to address the city and ask them to leave ‘kindly’, which won’t work, obviously.”

“What are we going to do?” Zeke asks, standing up and meeting me where I stand in the middle of their apartment. 

“We don’t have a choice,” I say, trying to sort through the many thoughts fighting for my attention in my head. “We have to fight back. Now. Marcus will say his bit, and then instead of the speech Evelyn has given me to say, I’ll, I don’t know, rally them or something.”

“Oh yeah, cause you are oh so good at speeches,” Zeke says sarcastically. 

“Well, I don’t really have any other options, do I?” I run my hand through my hair, trying in vain to think of a plan that will work. But everything I come up with just seems…weak. “And then, well, we fight.” 

Zeke sighs and sinks into the couch next to Shauna. He shakes his head once, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “Okay. If that’s the best we’ve got, then we’re just going to have to do it. I’ll tell Amar, and get some guns. I have a feeling we’re going to need them.”

“Maybe we won’t,” Shauna says, placing her hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “Maybe if we show them that we are willing to fight they’ll back down.”

“Maybe,” I say, running a nervous hand through my hair. “But I doubt it,” I look down at my watch. Almost time. “I’ve got to go. Can you call Christina and fill her in? And tell Cara and Caleb. There’s no sense in leaving them out now.”

“Okay,” Shauna says, and I walk towards the door. Just as I’m about to step out of their apartment, she calls out to me. “Four!” I turn. “This is going to work, right?”

“I hope.”

And with that I’m out the door. 

…….

“All right, are you ready for this, Tobias?” Evelyn asks, standing stoically next to me. There is a new look on her face today, something I’ve never seen before. She looks excited. She looks happy. 

“As I’ll ever be,” I say, trying my best to give her a realistic smile. 

“Good.” She pauses, seems to be debating weather or not to say something. Finally she nods slightly to herself, deciding. “I’m very proud of you, Tobias. For deciding to join me, but also for figuring out where you wanted to be in this society. For being able to let go of the past, and recognize your mistakes,” the way she says that words is like a knife, slashing down on me. As if everything I’ve done, everything I’ve cared about, was wrong. I know it’s not right, but it still feels as if someone has slashed my throat, stealing my breath.

Evelyn is looking at me expectantly, but I can’t trust myself to say anything. So I just nod. She smiles, seemingly satisfied, and walks off to speak to someone else. I simply wait there, in this factualness building by millennium park, waiting until it is time. 

‘Time’ comes all too quickly. 

And then I am standing out there next to my father, hearing, but not listening to, his speech that my mother wrote, and trying desperately to think of something that I can say. And then it’s silent.