Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You wanna take a drink of that promise land

You gotta wipe the dirt off of your hands

Careful son, you got dreamer's plans

But it gets hard to stand

 

Soldier keep on marchin' on

Head down til the work is done

Waitin' on that morning sun

Soldier keep on marchin' on

 

Quiet now you're gonna wake the beast

Hide your soul out of his reach

Shiver to that broken beat

Dark into the heat

 

Soldier keep on marchin' on

Head down til the work is done

Waitin' on that morning sun

Soldier keep on marchin' on.” — Fleurie, ‘Soldier’.

Chapter Text

“They got hot breath blowing down my neck

Make my skin crawl

Make my hair stand up

Substance left inside my head

Keep me in line

Telling me I'm not allowed to

Feel this way

Oh at least don't show it

Yeah you got an image to protect now

Sell your soul if you don't we'll know it

So welcome to the masquerade

We're all tryna fool each other that we're all ok

Dancin' with the devil 'round the truth

Face your smiles

And hide your face

Keep it prim and proper there's no stopping the charade

Chant the words like you're supposed to do

‘I'm fine, how're you?" — Abe Parker, ‘masquerade’.

Eric Coulter isn’t known for being patient. Actually, his actions suggested the complete opposite—Erudite’s roots made him a quick thinker, a great strategist, and always prone to eliminating threats before damage could be done. After all, for soldiers, a split second could determine life or death. That was the calling of a Dauntless leader: order, bravery, and discipline. He believed that Jeanine Matthews had a similar line of thinking, but not today.

Today, he sat at her assistant’s desk waiting like a fucking idiot. For hours. Had no one gone to work that day?

Although born in the home of the know-it-alls, surrounded by libraries, labs, and technology, his eyes started to hurt from all the light. Dauntless lacked that modernity and brightness, the environment filled with dark and steep tunnels, damp air, and coldness that seeped to the bones. It felt like home. Erudite? A glass prison—and he felt like shattering it.

As he was just about to leave, Jeanine and her plans be damned, the glass door opened, and a brunette in blue clothing walked in. A large binder in hand and uncharacteristic messy hair, as if she had had no time to stare at the mirror in the morning. Erudites were always neat and professional. The young woman looked like she was having a day, but it wasn’t even 10 o’clock yet.

“Mr. Coulter, I apologize for keeping you waiting.” Her lips curled into her best smile. “I was just told that you were here.”

There was something familiar about her. A known face in boring Council meetings. Eric trusted his abilities to analyze people, and he could tell that her tone was fake although they had never spoken. Sweet and polite to appease. It wasn’t working.

“Finally. Are you the new assistant?” Eric got up from the uncomfortable chair, arms crossing over his broad chest. “Cause you suck at your job. I’ve got an initiation to oversee and a faction to run. The one that actually keeps this city from descending into chaos.” 

Upon hearing his words, something crossed her blue eyes, disappearing as quickly as it came. Concealed under the serene expression that she projected. Whoever she was, for sure it was responsible for putting out a lot of fires—Eric was sure of it.

“I’m not.” She crossed the distance between them and extended her hand. “I’m Kate Kempton, the new Erudite ambassador. It’s a pleasure to meet you, officially, I mean.”

He recognized her then. The shadow of the previous ambassador. Appearing to be the complete opposite of the ancient being who used to drag herself to each faction for meetings. Undoubtedly, one of the oldest people in Chicago. Had that fossil finally retired or kicked the bucket?

The perfectly manicured hand hung in the air just long enough to make it awkward. Eric wasn’t one for handshakes and pretty words but decided to put her out of her misery. The contrast between her smooth skin and the callousness of his hand didn’t go unnoticed—corroborating his early statement about which faction truly kept the city running—definitely not the almighty and influential Erudite, but the one whose members’ blood and sweat ensured peace.

“Erudite recognizes the importance of all factions, especially Dauntless. There’s a situation in one of our labs that required Mrs. Matthews’ attention all morning.” Kate began explaining. “Unfortunately, a miscommunication happened, so we didn’t know that you had arrived. I apologize, again.” 

Explanations held no weight after making him spend a couple of hours in the faction literally staring at a wall—right, to be fair, he did get some work done by answering his email backlog on his phone—but she didn't have to know that.

“I didn’t ask for your excuses.” Came his biting reply. “What kind of situation?” 

There was something incredibly sharp about him. More than his haircut, ironed uniform, or the striking black ink on his neck. Eric was the embodiment of discipline and the epitome of strength—undoubtedly could command any room. 

“That’s outside of Dauntless’ jurisdiction, but rest assured that it’s all being taken care of.” 

Kate crossed the other half of the room, reaching for Jeanine’s office door, and Eric’s soundless steps followed her. The leader’s office was as equally boring as her personality but hid much of her calculated cruelty. A silver key unlocked the top drawer of the desk. An even bigger binder overflowing with files and a black flash drive appeared. If Kate had access to Jeanine's keys and office, surely she was trustworthy in the eyes of Erudite—that was something to keep in mind.

“My soldiers are responsible for most of Erudite’s security.” Eric’s hands rested on the desk as he leaned forward to send a deadly stare in her direction. “If this is a breach, you better start telling me which lab it is.” 

Intimidation had always been one of his best weapons. For a second, she imagined that was exactly how he spoke to every one of his soldiers, and she wanted to recoil from his tone alone. Kate thought that Eric had a very good point. At the same time, an outsider in one of their labs could backfire. Jeanine wasn’t known for being the forgiving kind—perfection wasn’t just expected but demanded. One mistake could affect her career. Yet, the young woman also knew the seriousness of the situation. A breach on the maximum-risk laboratory was unheard of. Erudite’s protocols and strict security measures ensured that only the highest-ranking personnel could enter and their sensitive material couldn’t be stolen. If they ended up in dangerous hands…

That thought alone sent a chill down her spine.

… still, there was a small voice in her mind that wanted to talk back. If the almighty soldiers of Dauntless were responsible for keeping them safe, why hadn’t the leader been informed that something was going on? All morning chaos had reigned at Erudite, while he sat on his ass in that empty office.

But an ambassador could never say something like that. 

“Okay, follow me.” Came her resigned reply. Kate just hoped that she wouldn’t regret this.

Exiting the office, a couple of women eyed them curiously before continuing down the corridor. Eric wanted to bombard her with questions, but there were prying ears in every corner. Erudite was the curious kind. The elevator’s metallic ding broke the silence—Kate walked in first, scanning the palm of her hand on a reader and then pushing on the button for the lowest floor—doors barely closed when his first question filled the air. 

“So, what’s the body count?”

“Zero, Mr. Coulter.” Kate arched an eyebrow at his reply. Did his mind always go straight to murder due to the violent traits of Dauntless, or was Erudite just used to their blank walls and sterile faces? “They tried to steal something, and, thankfully, nobody got hurt.”

“It’s just Eric.” He scoffed, shoulders relaxing a little upon hearing that there were no casualties. “Nobody calls me that.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Kate glanced at the red numbers descending on the digital panel before her eyes found him again. “Eric, then.” 

“And you, ambassador? Is it Miss, or do you like to be called Doctor Kempton?” He mocked her. “Everyone likes that around here.” 

“Now that’s my mom.” Kate couldn’t even imagine someone calling her that. “She oversees one of our labs.” 

“So you’re Erudite through and through.” It was Eric’s turn to stare at the numbers. Although Dauntless had access to the building’s blueprints, he had never set foot at one of the lowest underground levels—where high-risk labs were located.

“Born and raised.” The elevator stopped. “We’re here.” 

Doors slid open to reveal such a well-lit corridor that anyone could easily forget the crushing weight of cement, rocks, and dirt above their heads. A few red dots splattered against an otherwise pristine wall were evidence that someone had disrupted Erudite’s sense of security. The surroundings were much quieter at first, but further down the voices sounded louder. 

“By the way… I know yours.” Kate suddenly spoke.

Eric’s attention drifted from the group of white coats ahead, which were clearly trying to learn what had happened that required Jeanine Matthews' full attention for so many hours, back to her.

“I meant your mother.” She explained. “Dr. Coulter is brilliant and has been a lifelong friend of my mom.”

“Really? Maybe we’ve met before you shadowed that old hag.” Eric didn’t recall her at all, but Erudite had only so many rooms and buildings. It was highly likely they had crossed paths.

“Probably as kids, yes.” Kate made a beeline for the last door on the right, where their most advanced and tightly secured lab was located, weaving through the crowd. Unlike some other facilities, this one had no glass allowing glimpses on their projects. Eric was clearly less gracious, bumping into a shoulder or two and receiving verbal reprimands that were quickly shut down as others recognized the imposing figure of the Dauntless leader. Didn’t they have something better to do?

An intercom was placed next to a palm screener and a keypad. To enter the lab, the personnel needed a code and their biometric information added to a very short list of approved people, making it quite difficult to break into the place—at least not without inside help. A high-ranking officer.

“Mrs. Matthews? The Dauntless leader Eric is here to see you.” Kate spoke on the intercom. The blond man half-expected that she would’ve access to that lab. Jeanine didn’t trust her that much after all—a piece of information for him to catalog in his brain.

They were met with silence, and when Kate’s mind began to anxiously expect the humiliation of having to turn around and escort the faction leader back in front of so many people, the door finally opened. As expected, Jeanine looked rather displeased at the intrusion and Kate’s inability to follow instructions—she was supposed to apologize to Eric and reschedule the meeting, not bring him to their most secured room. Jeanine shifted her focus, shooting a deadly glare at the gathering behind them, the sound of dress shoes clattering against the floor as the crowd hurriedly dispersed. Then, without uttering a word, the older woman motioned for them to walk in, and the door slid close—shielding them from any prying eyes or ears.

“Eric. I see that you’ve manipulated your way into the heart of this faction. Should I congratulate you…” Jeanine began as she moved around the cleaning room, taking notes on her tablet. “… for pressuring my naive and irresponsible ambassador?”

Kate saw that one coming—she was so screwed. Her stomach turned around painfully, and the ambassador could only look down at the white floor—if only she hadn’t seen Jeanine’s earlier message instructing her about Eric… Apologizing now would only make it worse.

“Manipulated her?” Eric cocked his head to the side, faking confusion. A smirk was cruelly forming on his lips. “But you’re the one who opened the door so willingly. Cool lab, by the way.”

At that, Kate’s gaze slowly rose up to stare at the Dauntless soldier. Was he defending her? The man next to her was known for being casually cruel, harsh, and impatient. Authoritarian. Definitely cold. Power hungry. Yet, what she didn’t know was that Eric usually aimed for his own version of fairness—enforcing the rules without much bias. Punishment must have purpose and be reasonable to teach people important lessons.

Respect. Strength. Survival. Uphold the faction’s vows to the city. Maintain order at any cost because that’s the world they live in—a place where balance always hangs by a thread.

He couldn’t see how Jeanine humiliating her subordinate was productive. Kate’s intention was to make sure the protectors of their society were aware of the facts so they could work on making Chicago safe—neutralize the threat. So, the man couldn’t help but shift the blame right in Jeanine’s face and enjoy the way the older woman's expression contorted in cold fury. In a few clipped words, the Erudite leader explained that two men in blue clothes managed to get their hands on a master key that unlocked the lab, but when they tried to open a cryogenic freezer, where a new serum was being kept, the lack of a biometric match made alarms blare, and they ran away. A guard managed to gun down one of the intruders at the end of the corridor—their body now laid at the General Hospital’s morgue, set a couple of blocks away from that building—while the other escaped into the night.

“Since you’re here, might as well make yourself useful.” Jeanine said before pointing to a couple of cameras in the room. “We only have footage from these cameras and one inside the lab, the ones outside were all turned off for 15 minutes. The initial report says that it’s like that all the way up to our south entrance.”

“And who has access to your feed?” Eric asked while walking closer to the glass wall that separated the clean room from the lab itself, where a few scientists in hazmat suits appeared to be checking their inventory. A glass table had been shattered. His hands were now clasped firmly behind his back, accentuating his rigid posture and making his muscles pop up even more.

“Quite a few people work in our control room, but the ones inside this lab can only be watched from my computer back in my office.” 

“I’ll need a list of the personnel in the control room and the security roster for last night. As you know, it’s your own team that secures underground floors.” Eric’s smirk was still present, and the tone clearly implied that nothing would’ve happened if his soldiers were in there at the time. “Dauntless can check the city’s security feed. We’ll catch the other one.” 

“Very well, I’ll have it sent to your office today.” Jeanine answered a text on her tablet before continuing. “Make sure to bring him back alive. We need to know what we’re dealing with.”

“It won’t matter.” Eric countered. “It’s not about who did it, but the fucker who ordered it. And that will be harder to find out.” 

Kate hadn’t stopped to think of it that way. A person who could get their hands on a leader’s master key and mess with the security feed definitely would hide behind disposable people. A pawn in a much bigger chessboard.

“I’m certain that you’re up for the task.” Jeanine replied, and a wicked smile curled on her plump lips. “I expect results before the Council meeting this week—that’s how long we can keep this under wraps.” 

Jeanine could almost be mistaken with Dauntless for her audacity. She was trying to shift responsibility to his shoulders. The pressure was on.

“I better get to work then.” Eric glanced back once more toward the lab. “And it looks like you've got your own mess to clean.” 

Then, his gray eyes found Kate’s blue ones.

“Mind taking me to your control room?” Eric inquired. “I need some answers.”

Clearly, he was giving her an out. Buying her time before being on the receiving end of Jeanine’s wrath. She agreed and, when her leader didn’t try to stop her, reached for the door’s lock. Curious people were no longer standing outside. Just as her stilettos crossed the threshold, Jeanine’s voice sounded behind her.

“Kate, come see me when you’re done.” 

And all Kate could do in response was look over her shoulder and nod in agreement. There was no escaping the earful.

They didn’t speak until the elevator door closed. Eric had spent a minute or two staring at the blood stain next to the elevator, where the unknown man had been neutralized, and another texting a picture of it to someone. The blood trajectory could tell the story that tempered cameras couldn’t. Now back in the suffocating metal box, Kate had lost confidence from only a few minutes ago. Before the whole Jeanine fiasco. 

“Thank you for what you said back there.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I just did what I thought was the right thing.” 

No reply came.

There was a feeling that the floor numbers were climbing slower than before, even if they were supposed to stop sooner. Eric had asked for them to make a stop at the ground floor first, while the control room was on one of the highest floors. Standing side by side, she couldn’t help but compare their profiles. Kate had an average height, even when wearing high heels, but the soldier was much taller and broader. For a moment, she wondered what her body would have looked like if she had chosen differently on the Choosing Ceremony. Skin and nails probably covered in dirt in the vast Amity fields, or having her curves hidden by the loose beige clothing of Abnegation. Strong and defined lines of muscle as a Dauntless. Candor probably would’ve meant looking rather the same, but Kate was a great liar—living a life of blunt truths would’ve been unbearable. 

Her thoughts were broken by the elevator dinging and a redhead man with blue eyes staring at them, looking rather distraught.

“Where‘s the fire!?” The unknown person asked, and only then she noticed the black uniform. Another Dauntless soldier. 

No, look at his jacket—Kate thought—that’s a leader too. She would’ve recognized someone with that hair anywhere. So, it was unlikely that he had attended any Council meetings. Definitely a lower-ranking leader. Younger.

“Who said anything about fire?” Eric’s tone didn’t hide his irritation. “Get in.” 

The nameless redhead stepped in and stood between the two of them. Kate took it as a cue to press the fourth-floor button, where their control room was located.

“I was a couple of blocks away! Did you know they opened a new coffee shop? Their cappuccino is the best!” The younger leader turned his body to the right and looked at her. “Oh, hi! Have you ever been there? At the new shop? Did you like it?” 

Well, that’s not what she was expecting to be his first words.

“Um… No, but I hear their chocolate muffins are really great.” She attempted a smile, but it came out as a grimace. Kate never had time for anything fun. If she visited places like that, restaurants or coffee shops, it was probably for a meeting or a one-on-one with Jeanine. Always work.

“You should! If I lived so close to Erudite’s shops, I’d totally go bankrupt!” The young leader exclaimed just as they arrived at the right floor.

“River, shut up. She’s not interested.” Eric reprimanded, but there was no real anger in his voice. “Which way, ambassador?

Oh, so that was his name. River. A very Amity name, which made her think that he had been a transfer.

“It’s fine. Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll remember that.” Kate replied with genuine gratitude but was still a little dumbfounded at the interaction. He seemed like a nice guy to be friends with. The complete opposite of Eric’s personality. “I’m Kate Kempton, the new Erudite ambassador, welcome to our faction.”

“It’s nice to meet you! Eric already said it, but I’m River, one of the leaders.” River stared at his surroundings with excitement and a glint in his eyes. “I’ve never been to this part of the headquarters. Everything is so bright!”

The brunette nodded and redirected her attention to Eric, reassuring him that they were almost at the control room. Now she walked a couple of steps ahead of them, guiding the soldiers toward one of the last offices on that floor. Another room that she wasn’t authorized to be in, so Kate simply knocked and waited. 

A woman who appeared to be in her mid-30s opened the door. Severity was a good word to describe her features. There was no confusion on her face as she was met with two Dauntless soldiers. Someone must have called ahead, or the people who worked there just simply expected the warrior faction to intervene—after all, they were the protectors of Chicago.

“I can take it from here.” The older woman didn’t even spare her a glance. “If you just follow me, the team from last night is waiting to be questioned.” 

Kate took a couple of steps back to allow them to pass.

“Well, I trust that you two can find your way downstairs by yourselves.” Kate smiled. Her job there was done, and it was time to face the consequences of her recklessness. “Erudite thanks you for your help.” 

“See you around!” River waved at her, and that made her slightly feel better about it all. There was a rare quality of genuineness about him. It was different from the unfiltered truths from Candor members. It was something pure.

Eric gave her a curt nod and entered the room, but she knew their paths would cross again—either at the next Council meeting or even sooner if the leader didn’t cancel another meeting, just as he did over the past few weeks.

Jeanine’s office seemed colder than normal, or maybe that was just the ice in Kate’s stomach. The ambassador had gone straight back to the lab, where the leader made her wait outside for about 15 minutes, and then proceeded to walk back to her office in complete silence.

“I thought that you had big dreams.” Jeanine perched on the edge of her desk, typing her password into the computer.

“I do.” 

“And that you were smarter than this.” Jeanine’s eyes locked on hers. They reminded her of liquid metal.

“I am.” Kate tried to keep her voice even. Show no weakness.

“Then tell me why Eric Coulter walked into my lab today. The one place in this faction that he should never have access to.” Jeanine pointed a finger at her. 

“He didn’t see anything important.” The younger woman countered.

“How would you know?” Jeanine cocked her head to the side in question, and her plump lips formed a fine line of disapproval. “You had never been there before today.” 

“You wouldn’t have opened that door.” Kate mirrored Eric’s words from earlier. “This isn’t about him. It’s about me. About my disobedience. You told me to walk him out, and I brought him to you instead.”

"Your senses seem to have finally returned to you.” Jeanine had the highest IQ of all of Erudite, and stupidity had a tendency to drive her furious. “You do as I tell you. Never more, never less.” 

“I thought that I was doing the right thing.” Kate sounded even softer now. “That he could help catch them.”

“Dauntless will do that. However, Eric being there was entirely unnecessary. A thoughtless risk.” The leader glanced at the clock, she had a meeting to get to. “Now, the right thing to do? I’m the one who gets to decide what that is. Am I understood?”

She nodded and fixed her posture. Blue eyes against watery gray. It wasn’t the first time that Kate had found herself on that side of the desk hearing a reprimand. Yet, before, she was just a dependent, and Jeanine imagined her as Erudite’s future—her legacy.

“Did you know that he was born Erudite? I’ve known him for a long time. He’s loyal to his city and our cause like a dog, but he’s not stupid.” Jeanine continued. “No, he’s ambitious, and ambitious men are truly only ever loyal to themselves.”

Something didn’t settle right with Kate upon hearing such a comparison. Being loyal like a dog? Jeanine hated pets—probably all living creatures that were seen as a waste of resources—and their only use was of being test subjects in her labs.

“I understand.”

“Then I’m sure we won’t have a problem again.” The blonde’s attention went back to the computer. “You’re dismissed.” 

Kate started to walk out, but Jeanine's voice echoed in the office again. 

“And Kate?” 

“Yes?” She turned around.

“I chose you a long time ago, thinking that you were the right fit for Erudite’s future. Don’t let me be wrong—there are dozens out there who would do unspeakable things to have your place. And I’ll gladly choose one of them if you fail me.”

“I won’t disappoint you.” Kate’s voice sounded higher now, tinged with desperation. She didn’t fear many people, but her entire career was subject to Jeanine’s whims. “I can promise you that.”

“Good.” Her eyes were still trained on the screen. “Reschedule my meeting with Dauntless leadership, and I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

Jeanine’s warning echoed in the back of her mind for the rest of the day.

Two days had passed since the break-in. Eric had returned to Erudite with a preliminary analysis of the surveillance feed and the testimony from the faction’s guards. There wasn’t a lot to go on besides a blurry picture that a city camera managed to record. An early-20s man with a shaved head and light-colored eyes. There was no match on Chicago’s records—but that could be a consequence of the low quality. As expected, Jeanine wasn’t pleased. Time was ticking, and the next Council meeting was scheduled for Friday when the whole government body would be aware of the breach. So, obviously, the leader wanted someone to personally pressure Dauntless’ leadership into better results, and that’s how Kate found herself in one of Erudite’s vehicles and a soldier to escort her. Kate didn’t know how to drive, such a skill was common in Amity and Dauntless.

The sun hung high in the sky and, for once, Kate wished to be outside, away from recycled air and the sterile smell of alcohol. However, upon seeing an increase in the number of military vehicles and soldiers with heavy guns, the idea was dismissed. The warrior faction had increased security around the city—was it because of the break-in? Was it a hunt or a different situation?

Their factions weren’t too far apart, and, soon enough, she was staring at the front gate. Patrol cars in black or silver coming and going. The contrast between both factions was almost funny. Erudite was always buzzing with people in blue clothing walking around, brains as their weapons, and only a few cars and trucks circulating. Some were food deliveries, others were lab equipment. Here, they painted a picture of a war movie even if they weren’t actively at war. Chicago was a pressure cooker—it could blow up at any moment—the Factionless were to blame for that. They were getting bolder, or so had Kate heard.

The car was parked in the shade, and a middle-aged woman was clearly waiting for them. The ambassador got out of the car, combat boots hitting the gravel and the sun warming her skin.

“Ambassador, welcome to Dauntless.” She had stunning green eyes and extended a hand to Kate. “I’m Lidia, Eric’s secretary. He’s still overseeing an initiation class, so we’ll walk to his office, and he’ll join us in a few minutes.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind waiting.” Kate followed her to the entrance while her gaze darted around, taking in the scene surrounding her.

The way Dauntless soldiers worked was marvelous to witness—reminded her of ants working in synchrony. They were loading trucks, checking cargo, or simply resting under the shades of large trucks after undoubtedly long shifts. The day was boiling hot, and Kate already regretted her outfit choice. Unlike other ambassadors, she believed that diplomacy went beyond long meetings and fake smiles—although, she was quite guilty of the latter. That’s why she had a different approach when it came down to visiting other factions: blue outfits that respected the culture of each one. Summer dresses and skirts for Amity, a uniform with black combat boots for Dauntless, and loose and modest garments for Abnegation. Candor's clothing was very similar to Erudite’s, but she tried to add some white blouses to represent their element of duality. Now, she was missing one of her skirts and a V-neck shirt. At least, the choice of a high ponytail agreed with the weather.

Thankfully, inside the compound, there was a breeze coming from deep within. Cold walls and slippery floors. A few soldiers hurried down the corridor, their boots echoing against the stone, one splashing a puddle a bit too close to Kate’s feet. Nobody ran at Erudite—only their calculating minds.

The two women stared at the elevator, which was taking too long. Was there something wrong with it?

“Can’t we walk there?” Came Kate’s question.

“Sure, if you don’t mind. This one has been acting up lately.” Lidia pointed to a dark corridor. “We can go down those stairs and walk a little before reaching another elevator, or go straight to those stairs and climb up. A good exercise.”

“I prefer the walk. That way I get to see a little bit of your faction.” Kate smiled at her, and the duo started to go down the flight of stairs. Lidia warned her a few times of the steep metal stairs and lack of railing. The light wasn’t good either. Dauntless seemed to be in a constant state of survival—very fitting.

“Is this your first time here?” Lidia asked after a few minutes. They had reached an underground level, where people seemed even busier.

“No, I’ve been to a couple of Council meetings hosted by Dauntless when I was shadowing the previous ambassador.” Kate almost ran into a girl with blue hair and face tattoos. “Oh, sorry! Um… And once with Mrs. Matthews, but there was no time to have a proper tour.”

“Let’s change that. You can see one of the training rooms and maybe the simulation room, so it must be empty. The new class isn’t on that stage yet.”

The two of them had taken so many turns that Kate was officially lost. Hopefully, she would never have to navigate that place alone.

“For the fear simulations? I’ve always been curious about that… About the number of fears that I’d have.” 

“The lowest number recorded was four. I had ten, and I’m sure that the sims cured my fear of spiders. You’ll find a lot of them here.” Lidia couldn’t hide a smirk from her face upon seeing the reaction from Kate. Arachnids would definitely be one of the ambassador's fears.

“No, thanks." Kate adjusted the heavy purse on her shoulder. She was carrying too many files—another poor choice. "I prefer to keep my fear of spiders.”

Further down a larger corridor, voices, and the occasional scream echoed the closer they got. It could only be coming from one of the training rooms. A commanding voice boomed above the noise. Someone wasn’t happy with the initiates.

It didn’t take a genius to guess who that was. Yesterday, Kate hadn’t been present during the rescheduled meeting but had read the meeting minutes written by the secretary. Jeanine had condemned the ambassador to some filling work, a boring punishment. Probably why Kate had also been chosen to come all the way to Dauntless in the morning.

Well, it could’ve been worse—Kate thought.

They silently reached the open door, and Kate took in the space. It was so large that she couldn’t see the end of it. Uncharacteristically bright with fluorescent lights above each fighting mat and a faint smell of sweat and rust. There were weights and other gym equipment. The floor was a mixture of thick rubber mats for sparring and hard stone—however, no sound of skin against skin reached her ears. Punching bags hung in one corner, while batons, guns, and knives lined the walls beside an indoor track. On the left side stood target practices, where the students currently watched the scene unfold.

What was happening exactly?

A terrified-looking teenager with greasy dark hair and a cut on his lip stood in front of a target, appearing as if he would pee himself. Next to him, a slightly older man, who she guessed was an instructor, tried to convince Eric of something. 

“You’re gonna stand there while I throw those knives. And if I see you flinch, you’re out. One thing that you’ll learn here is that orders are not optional.” Eric commanded as he reached for a side table full of blades. There were many shapes and sizes, although she couldn’t see the details from such a distance.

“What’s going on?” Kate practically demanded from Lidia. She wasn’t liking it.

“It’s a disciplinary action. Insubordination and cowardice aren’t tolerated here.” Lidia explained, and there was something severe on her lips. “Don’t worry, Eric knows what he’s doing. Shall we continue?” 

“I wanna see.” Kate shook her head and took a few steps forward. There was no intention to make herself known, but a low metallic sound in the suddenly quiet room caught the attention of the class and its instructor. Kate had kicked some sort of chain.

That was just great.

“Looks like we got some company.” Eric whipped his head around to stare at her with a hint of surprise, taking in her outfit and the concerned look that creased her eyebrows. “The esteemed ambassador of Erudite. Are you here to watch?”

The blond man redirected his attention to his secretary, and something darkened on his face. Oh, he really was in a bad mood.

“I thought the ambassador would prefer to wait in my office.” Eric was smart to know that Dauntless' optics wouldn’t look good if other factions knew that he would use his initiates as target practice. Not that it was any of their businesses. “I'm almost done.”

Of course, that wasn’t just it. The leader could feel time running out, and there was no intruder to torture in the interrogation room. The council meeting was two days away, and Jeanine Matthews planned to dump the blame on him. Eric was the youngest leader in the history of Chicago, the second in command at Dauntless, but might as well be the first. After Max threw himself into the Chasm on a quiet night and Harrison took over, the blond leader began to have even more responsibilities, while his only superior began to drown in alcohol to keep from having the same fate as Max. Harrison was this close to being written off. There were many secrets lying in the dark corners of Dauntless—if you don’t swim… You drown.

And Eric has to be ready to pick up the pieces when Harrison finally snaps.

“I’m fine here if you don’t mind.” Kate replied as she crossed the room with Lidia a couple of steps behind. “I’ve always been curious about your initiation.”

“And what do you think?” Eric glanced at the initiate that stood in front of the target and then found her gaze again.

“I won’t question your methods, but… I see this as illogical. Anyone can stand in front of a target, and you’re just risking losing a soldier.” She motioned toward the terrified initiate. “It doesn’t prove anything.”

Uneasiness filled the air and mixed with the sweat. No one—especially not Eric—could believe that an Erudite was openly talking back to the ruthless leader.

“Then it should be easy for you to take his place. You’re even dressed for the occasion.” Eric saw the terrified look that crossed her blue eyes—it pleased him. She was openly questioning him, even if her words said otherwise. He had enough crap to deal with already. How dare she?

“What? Isn’t there any space left for bravery in your big brain?” He mocked her again. 

Suddenly, it was obvious. This was a test.

“Sure thing.” Kate dropped her bag on the floor and walked with confident steps toward the target, while the initiate had almost run back to his colleagues. She placed her hands behind her back to hide the slight tremor in them.

Despite the pulse beating loudly in her ears, she wouldn’t demonstrate any fear. Eric was testing her, and she would oblige—if that was what it took to gain his respect. Kate was young, new at her job, and aware that leaders and other ambassadors wouldn’t simply give her the time of day. She had to earn it.

“If you hit me, I guess you can’t complain about your students’ aim anymore.” Kate raised a challenging eyebrow at him and even got a reaction from a couple of initiates. Two could play this game.

“Shouldn’t you be worried about yourself?” The leader tested the weight of the silver weapon in his hand. The metal glinted against the light. “These could kill you.”

“This is a bad idea.” The trainer next to him tried to intervene, but Eric didn’t even spare him a glance. Erudite and Dauntless were now face to face.

“No. If you kill me, I’ll just be dead.” Blue eyes analyzed the reactions of the teenagers behind him. All now frozen in place, watching the moment unfold, the realization hit them that this was truly happening. “It’s a part of life.”

“How analytical of you.” Eric pointed out as the first blade flew out of his hand.

The young woman barely had time to register the movement before a knife embedded next to her left shoulder. The wood vibrated with the dissipated energy and the whooshing sound echoed in her ears. It had been close but could be better.

“What about a haircut?” Eric was seething now. The Erudite had challenged him in front of his class. If he lost their respect, it was over. "You could use one." 

“No, I like my hair. Make sure to miss it.” There was no life flashing in front of her eyes. Still, her knees felt like jelly, and her pulse hammered in her ears.

A second blade cut through the air even faster, and then a third—she hadn’t even seen that he had so many in his hands. One just above her ponytail, which could’ve been a hair disaster, and another close to her neck. Too close. That last one had touched her, and a shaky breath escaped her lips. Cold metal against her feverish skin. One of her hands shot for her neck to feel if there was any blood, but it came back clean.

That seemed to snap Eric out of it. He crossed the distance between them to pick the knives from the target. Kate still remained in place, trying to slow down her heartbeat.

“Points for bravery, not that it means anything to you.” Eric reached for the one that got too close and invaded her personal space. A whisper traveled to her ears. “Do you got a death wish, or do you just want to spite me?” 

What she didn’t know was that he also took the time to inspect her neck—guaranteeing that he hadn’t truly hurt her. Upon confirming that porcelain skin remained intact, his shoulders lost some of their tension. The gravity of his actions still hung in the air. 

“Intimidation won’t work on me.” Eric wasn’t Jeanine—he didn’t hold her future in his hands. She wasn’t scared of him like the initiates or even the rest of his soldiers. Before Kate could think it through, her body leaned even closer to whisper something that only two people knew. “My aptitude test… I scored Dauntless.”

Eric took a step back as if her words had burned him. The look on his face was priceless as she finally moved from her position and snatched the blade out of his hand—no reaction came to stop her. As if he wasn’t afraid of her using that knife to hurt him or someone else. As if he knew that the woman was simply curious about the sharp object.

For some reason, the revelation stunned him. He had spent only a brief time with her, but, as he said on that elevator ride, she was Erudite through and through. Now that Kate had challenged both Jeanine’s orders and his teaching methods, his gray eyes saw her in a different light.

Eric Coulter was intrigued. 

Kate took in the sharpness of it and how light it felt on her palm. She expected it to be much heavier to produce such a loud noise against the target. The energy seems to still reverberate against her skull. 

“I thought that they would be heavier.” Kate commented to no one in particular before placing it back on the table with a clink. All eyes watched her—some even risked a smile. The class felt vindicated from all the pressure and cruelty that had been experienced so far. Everyone knew to fear the leader. No one stood up against him—at least not publicly. Her eyes met brown ones for a brief moment—the other instructor—and he seemed the happiest of them all.

“Follow me.” Eric snapped, his booming voice filling the room again as he marched in her direction, barely slowing down to throw another command over his shoulder. “Class dismissed.”

Taking one last look toward the initiation class, Kate left the training room behind.

Eric hadn’t expected much from the new ambassador. Two days before, she had appeared as a people-pleaser with her soft voice and controlled expressions—that fake smile that he wanted to wipe from her lips. Reaching such an esteemed position in her faction at a young age—as he once did—left no question of her intelligence or capability. At first glance, another stuck-up bitch in blue clothing, but smart nonetheless. Yet, upon the first knife embedding in the wood, something cracked in his perception of her. On the outside, she remained calm. Gone was the challenge in the arch of her raised eyebrow, but the audacity still danced in the pool of her eyes. That made him mad, and knives cut through the air one after the other. If one hadn’t gotten too close to her skin, he would’ve continued.

When her hand shot to her neck, searching for blood, it was like an ice bucket had hit him. Shocking him back to reality. What was he doing? Attempting to murder Erudite’s ambassador in front of an audience? For what? Yes, he knew why—ego. Kate had walked in with her blue combat uniform, threw a few sharp remarks into the air, and taken control of the room. Threatened his carefully constructed image in front of the initiation class. He couldn’t stand that. Had to remind them that nobody challenged leadership—that meant him—without consequences. They train soldiers, not rebels.

But this time… His method was questionable.

Eric had a silver tongue. A biting remark and his towering height could technically intimidate her. Shut down the scene. There was no need for a show. The leader had made a spectacle out of it and ended up looking like a deranged fool. If word got out… It wasn’t great optics. Again.

Sensing that things would get heated, Lidia hadn’t followed them. Eric’s boots uncharacteristically echoed through the tunnels—in contrast to his usual light steps—as he reached for the elevator. The ambassador had fallen behind, unable to keep up with his pace. When she finally got in, no words were exchanged. A silent ride to the leadership offices—one of the few floors above the ground. 

“You challenged me in front of my class.” 

Eric's office was the second door to last. The whole floor was quiet.

“I simply accepted your test.”

"My test?" The leader unlocked the door, revealing a neat office space covered in black and leather. The only mess was a pile of documents. It lacked warmth—it was very him.

“Don’t play coy. You could’ve insisted that I waited in your office, but instead, you called me the esteemed ambassador of Erudite and asked if I wanted to watch his punishment.”

“That was a compliment.”

“You would’ve failed at Candor.” A dry laugh escaped her throat. “You mocked my title, and you know it. You don’t respect me or my rank, so I gave you a reason to.”

“Respect isn’t given, it’s taken.” Eric pointed out.

“Then I took it in front of your whole class. Happy now, or do you want another round of target practice?” She was still angry at him. “Maybe this time you’ll get to spill my blood.” 

It felt like she had taken the day to push every single one of his buttons. What would happen if he strangled her?

“I wouldn’t have hit you.” Eric’s jaw clenched. The idea was ridiculous. There was a need to scare her, show who was in command, nothing more. “Don’t doubt that. My aim is impeccable.” 

They should be discussing the investigation or the increase in violent activity from the Factionless instead of standing around in his office seeing who will win their verbal sparring. There was no denying that Kate could hold her own. Eric had gotten under her skin—beyond the layer of false pleasantries—showing a witty and brave person. Careful, although straightforward when needed to be. It amused him—the lengths she was willing to go to earn his respect. The clothes. The attitude. There was spite, but there had been respect. She pushed his buttons, and he returned the favor. Of course, both could’ve done things differently—ironically enough, something in his mind was glad that the whole spectacle had happened.

“You pushed it too far.” She crossed her arms in defense. “I stood in front of that target because I wanted to prove a point, but I still had to trust your aim. You’re the youngest leader in history after all. The perfect soldier.”

Something softened in her face.

“I did fear for my hair at some point.”

There was a hint of something else in there. An attempt to break the ice. She didn’t want to argue anymore—a headache was creeping in—or be at the receiving end of more knives.

“You’re something.” He laughed. He actually laughed at her. His shoulders were shaking as he lost his attitude for a few seconds, her audacity baffled him. “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery. You’re brave, no matter how weird that seems. I can respect that.”

Damn him.

“Now you’re mocking me again.” 

“I’m not. I’m just glad that you’re not like that old hag who you replaced.” The laugh was his way of coping with the short circuit in his brain. She had surprised him in many ways and stole his self-control. It was unsettling but also amusing. “You’ve got guts.”

To her surprise, he extends his hand. Eric’s now the one offering a handshake. The opposite of when they met. Leaving the bruised ego aside and the need to exercise power. A truce.

“Let’s start over.” He offered sincerely.

His calloused hand was still hanging in the air for her to shake. The sleeve of his jacket revealed a hint of ink underneath, and she wondered what kind of tattoo it was. 

“I’m Eric.” 

“Kate.” The young woman shook his hand. Both grips were firm and lasted a second too long before their hands fell back. They still stood in the middle of his office, studying each other.

“You’re gonna give me trouble, right?” Eric couldn’t hide a playful grin, and he took a few steps back, circling around his desk to sit on his chair—motioning for her to join him. There was much to discuss about the break-in.

“No more than you will.” Came her witty reply. Gray eyes met blues as she sat on the opposite side. Both were ready to get to work.

There was a change in the air of Chicago, and it was more than just a promise of rebellion from the Factionless—it was the start of something new.

Chapter Text

“I can be rude, be in a mood, I can be rotten
I can be cruel, might act a fool, but never forgotten
Creeping in the dark waiting for you

Yeah, I feel like a monster
And I'm just here to haunt ya'
I become your nightmare steppin' in your dreams
I'm the definition of the worst kind of mean.” — Willyecho, ‘Monster’.

The Erudite delegation was halfway to Candor when the news reached the driver’s radio. A “10-79” just two blocks away from The Merciless Mart, where the Council meeting would take place. No one but the Dauntless soldier driving knew what that meant—a bomb threat—and was advised to reroute to Amity, the default Plan B for situations like this — not that they had experienced anything like this in years. There was no need to gather more information to know that the Factionless were getting bolder and more deadly.

Thankfully, by the time the vast fields came to view, a Dauntless unit had already confirmed no casualties, but an abandoned building had collapsed and blocked a rundown street. As expected, Jeanine started another one of her speeches on the threat to social order and how the Factionless could only blame themselves for their failures, Chicago shouldn’t have to pay for it. While Kate was conditioned to agree that they were a problem and had all failed on their own, there was a part of her that also felt bad for these people. They were still humans—neighbors, friends, known faces that had failed initiation or were expelled as punishment. None had committed heinous crimes, as those were punished with death or exile from the city. The government needed a better plan than just some low-paying jobs that nobody else wanted to do — like maintenance of the sewage system and trash removal — or feeding them with the help of Abnegation and, let’s be honest here, Amity, that secretly allowed some of the harvests of the crops in exchange for some produce.

They had to do better—or so Kate thought.

Once Jeanine established all of her disdain and the vehicle stopped right in front of the communal dining hall, she stepped out the car and hastily went in search of Jack Kang—good luck to him — while the ambassador was left behind. Kate thanked the driver and decided that she might as well take five minutes to enjoy the sunshine. It would be some time until all Council members and faction representatives rerouted to Amity. The sun was shining brightly, and her nose caught the smell of freshly cut grass. It was nice, better than the smell of alcohol and cleaning products ingrained at Erudite.

She waved at a group from Candor, their leader not in sight, and then spotted one all-black uniform against the crowd — Eric — and he looked… Well, furious. Two days had passed since he had used her as target practice in front of his initiation class, and, although they had decided to start fresh, she was still waiting for a proper apology. There was no need to be a genius to know that would never happen. So, why not mess with him a little bit? The leader couldn’t throw knives with the Council around, and he deserved it.

“That doesn’t look like an I-have-all-the-answers face.” Kate approached him with her signature ambassador smile, but it was a sincere one. 

“I'm not in the mood for jokes.” Eric kept his eyes trained at the tablet, watching the security footage of Millennium Park, right next to Erudite’s headquarters. “Go bother someone else.”

“Really? I thought that we were friends now. Friends push each other’s buttons through the chaos.” Kate peeked at the screen, recognizing her sector. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching footage from Candor?”

Her eyes didn’t miss the way his shoulders tensed further. Nobody had to tell him what to do as he knew his damn job all too well. The more he spent time with her, the more the leader confirmed his suspicions that Kate would cause him trouble.

“River is handling that.” Eric’s stormy eyes found hers, and he held back a remark about how he expected her to be wearing an Amity dress to keep with her idea of blending in. “And I don’t need more friends.”

“I’m wounded.” She feigned disappointment, a perfectly manicured hand resting on her chest. Today, she had opted for a white blouse with a V-neck and blue dress pants to resemble a Candor look, their duality. “I thought that we bonded during target practice.” 

Eric all but visibly winced. If it was anybody else, he would have already snapped, but vivid was the memory of what he had done to her two days ago. Flashes of Kate challenging him in front of his initiation class and subsequently him throwing knives at her flooded his mind—the leader hated that he lost control like that. Hated how she knew just the button to push.

“That was a lack of better judgment.” Eric stared back at the screen again, a prominent vein on his forehead and how rigid his movements indicated the obvious stress—Dauntless would be questioned if they couldn’t address the current crisis. Plural.

“I guess that’s your idea of an apology. I could help you if you admit we’re friends.” Kate moved closer to him, watching the footage on loop. It was clearly the same man that had been seen outside of Erudite after attempting to steal the new serum. On the corner of her eye, she could see a Candor woman blatantly staring at them.

Eric didn’t look convinced, an eyebrow arching in question. The meeting was minutes away, and there hadn’t been any progress besides using software to find the mysterious man in a few more cameras through the city over the past few weeks. Nobody spoke to him, and he never returned to the same place twice, mostly in the Factionless sector, where no one would willingly answer to soldiers snooping around. One dead end after the other.

It couldn’t hurt to ask the ambassador. She was smart—maybe too much for her own good.

“Fine. We’re friends now.” Eric handed her the tablet—he was that desperate.

“I knew it.” She put her phone in her white tote bag before accepting the tablet. “Another stage of my plan has been achieved.” 

“What plan?” Eric crossed his arms, showing the black ink that contrasted against his skin. A maze tattoo with the Dauntless symbol, his leader’s jacket forgotten on his truck—the day was too hot anyway.

“To make every faction leader like me. Now I only have to convince Lauren, Johanna, and the Priors.” She zoomed in on the video to confirm what she already realized from only a first glance at the footage. “Mystery man is Abnegation-born.” 

The blond leader didn’t know which information to unpack first, proceeding to snatch the tablet from her hand to stare at the video again. How did she know?

“His face doesn’t scream stiff to me.” Eric pointed out not really trusting her opinion on the matter, although... Erudites did study human behavior just like soldiers learned to read people. It was part of their jobs.

“First, don’t call them stiffs, 'cause that’s bad for diplomacy.” There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. “And secondly, that footage shows that big metal sculpture that reflects the surroundings of the park. You can even see our headquarters in it. I go there sometimes.”

“And?” 

“And… Watch as he sees his own reflection. It spooked him.” She snatched the tablet back, they looked like kids fighting for a toy, pausing the video at the right frame. Playing it again, the mysterious Factionless man seemed scared by his own reflection, taking a couple of steps back from the large sculpture before changing his mind and staring back at himself. A good minute later, he shook his head and left. “It’s very Abnegation—if I say so myself.”

It made sense. Why didn’t he see it sooner? Eric had stared at that footage all morning, frustrated by the lack of progress on the investigation of a useless Factionless man. As if he had nothing better to do, like overseeing the initiation, keeping Dauntless running, deal with the increased tension around the city, and now there was the bomb... Fuck him. 

“Good catch.” Eric admitted through gritted teeth. “But it doesn’t explain why we can’t get a match on the database. If he’s Abnegation, he should be in there.”

“Also easy to explain. He looks around my age, don’t you think?” Kate put the screen next to her face for comparison. The man looked a little rough—the streets will do that to you—but appeared to be in his early 20s. “During my initiation, there were a couple of Abnegation kids, and I remember there was a problem with the records of Abnegation transfers. They weren't digitized, so all the other factions had to ask for printed copies. If this man stayed at his original faction, the information was probably never in the system. That file still exists in the faction's records room and could be the key."

There was no hiding the surprise on his face. Eric took a look around and didn’t find any beige stupid clothing. Probably their leadership wasn’t here yet. 

“I have to call this in. Maybe there’s still time to ask the Priors to bring the files or one of our units.” Eric sounded… Almost excited. Hopeful, even. He reached for the phone in his pocket and placed a hand on her shoulder, lightly squeezing it as a thank you before disappearing toward a less crowded area. 

Eric was probably incapable of saying the words “thank you", so she settled for that small demonstration of acknowledgment.

Only then did Kate feel the weight of the tablet still on her hand. After wondering for a second if she should still go after him, the device with a black sturdy case was placed on her heavy bag, and she walked inside the building, where the long dining tables had been rearranged for the meeting. Without Eric as a distraction, the tension that had been building in her chest was back at full force. This meeting was important, it could make both Erudite and Dauntless look bad.

Not twenty steps later, her gaze fell upon Jack and Jeanine parting ways. The woman still looked annoyed, while the Candor leader remained with his blank expression intact. For a man who couldn’t lie, he was damn good at hiding his feelings. People had a misconstrued idea that Candor members were an open book, but Kate believed they were the complete opposite. Too much honesty could mean trouble, especially in a reality where stakes were always high, which meant they had to keep themselves in check—excellence in the art of concealing. How can truth bring light to things if they’re so hidden in the shadows that you don’t even know that they’re there?

When his eyes met hers, there was no escaping him. Jack Kang was the most influential member of the Council, navigating the troubled waters with experience and a stronghold of his values. If he was on your side, then your career was on the right track. And Kate could definitely say that she had charmed him — in more ways than one. 

“Jack.” Kate offered her hand and a sweet smile. “I’m glad to hear nobody got hurt at Candor today.”

“Kate.” There was a hint of a smile on his trained face. “We got lucky this time, but it shouldn’t have come down to that. We need more patrols. Was that Eric you were talking to?”

Oh, that wasn’t good. Everyone knew how both leaders felt about each other. The only thing in common was the fact that they were the youngest leaders in history. Besides that, Jack and Eric were constantly at each other's throats. One was viewed overly cautiously — the blond would call him weak if he could — while the other was a brute. Violent. Some saw their fists as a diplomatic tool, while the other believed in dialogue.

“I was asking about the investigation.” Kate replied. It shouldn’t be a big deal.

“Yes, we all look forward to Dauntless’ report about the break-in, and I need to speak to him about more soldiers.” Jack wondered for a moment where Eric had gone. “But I don’t see him anymore. Where did he go?”

“To make a call.” 

It wasn’t a lie. There was no need for him to know about Dauntless’ lack of progress until minutes ago.

“I see. Just make sure that next time you speak to him... It doesn’t drag so much attention to yourself. For someone looking from afar, it almost seemed like you two were bantering as friends.” Jack leaned closer. “He’s the last person you want to be associated with. Eric Coulter means trouble, and there’s no reasoning with him. You could end up damaging your career, but I do not believe you to be stupid like that.”

What was she supposed to say to that?

“You’re reading too much into it, Jack.” She nervously licked her lips, an action that betrayed her image of calmness. “It was just about the break-in.”

“Good. Violence is a disease, and young minds like yours are easily contaminated by it.” Jack’s hand fell on her upper arm, offering a gentle squeeze. It felt different from Eric’s. This one was a warning.

“Now you’re reminding me of the lyrics of a pre-war song.” She couldn’t help but let a shaky breath escape her plump lips.

“Which one?”

“I can’t remember the name, but the lyrics say so casually cruel in the name of being honest.” Their eyes met again, and the contact of his hand against her bare skin was gone.

Relief flooded her, trying to drown the tension in her veins.

“Well, that’s me. The truth is always the answer. Dishonesty is what got humanity into this mess.” A voice in the distance called his name, and his eyes snapped up. “I have to go, but let’s schedule one of our meetings. We haven’t… Caught up in a while. I miss our talks.”

She knew exactly what he meant by that. 

“Of course, I’ll schedule it with your assistant.” The smile was still glued to her face. She had gotten herself into this mess with no clue of how to get out. When the ambassador position became hers, she claimed that they couldn’t see each other anymore. It was too dangerous, especially for people in prestige positions. Apparently, Jack imagined that time would change her mind.

It wouldn’t.

The Dauntless ambassador, Swan, had requested that the bombing and the break-in be the last subjects of their meeting—they were actively collecting vital information—which was granted by the Council. The rules of Chicago proceeded with the usual boring topics: the final stages of this year’s initiation, Abnegation receiving more food than other factions due to their desire to feed the Factionless, a weather report that indicated a hurricane formation by the sea, and a concerning creaking sound at the Ferris wheel in Millenium Park — someone definitely needed to check on that.

When they appeared to be running out of topics and she could feel a drop of cold sweat running down her back, Eric was nowhere in sight—why did she even care if Dauntless looked bad by the end of it?—loud voices called her attention. The dining hall had big windows, and a cool breeze circulating around them to alleviate the high temperatures both from the environment and some heated arguments, which allowed them to see a small commotion outside.

Eric was yelling at River for something. The redhead was sitting on the grass next to Lauren, all of them surrounded by stacks of binders, the latter failing to ignore the drama around her. Some papers were escaping and threatening to fly away with the wind. Those must be the files from Abnegation... Andrew and Natalie Prior had arrived late, but she hadn’t seen them carrying anything special, which suggested that Dauntless had to drive all the way to the other faction to retrieve them. That explained River’s presence—he never attended meetings.

But wasn’t he taking care of the Candor bombing?

Before Kate couldn’t think it through, she had whispered to Jeanine that there was an emergency regarding the investigation and had all but bolted out of the hall. The sound of the double doors closing behind her captured the attention of the three soldiers, who stopped arguing to watch her walk toward them.

“Everyone can hear you.” Kate pointed out before kneeling on the grass, right between River and Lauren, who eyed her curiously. They clearly hadn’t found the criminal’s file yet. “Let me help before you run out of time.” 

Without waiting for permission, after all these weren’t even Dauntless files, she reached for an untouched pile of papers—unknown faces greeting her. It had been an atypical year, with many dependents choosing their faction, and she didn’t remember anyone in particular besides her fellow initiates from Erudite.

“Careful or you’re gonna get your pretty outfit dirty.” It would’ve been a friendly warning if it wasn’t for the way that Lauren spoke it. The female leader was tough as nails, especially by being the only woman in a leadership position, and hadn’t particularly liked the gossip that reached her ears about Kate and Eric’s showdown in front of the initiates.

“Then it’s a good thing that I care more about finding this man than getting dirt on my clothes.”

At that, Eric silently kneeled down too, and went back to his own pile of files. It was five minutes later that River finally found him—of course, it had to be hiding in the last pile.

“Got him! Meet Chris.” The younger leader pulled his picture and placed it in the middle of their half-circle. “Oh, wow, I’ve never heard of someone failing Abnegation before.”

The Factionless man—Chris—looked younger. He wasn’t sporting the same shaved head from the camera’s footage. Kate didn’t know why but expected his green eyes to be livelier. They looked dead inside. No wonder he failed initiation. 

“Alright, Lauren and I will present this to the Council.” Eric grabbed the file and got up from the ground. The black fabric kept the dirt from being visible in his clothes. “I expect a full report later today. Don’t be late.”

That was directed at River, who still looked annoyed at his superior—and best friend. 

“I wouldn’t be late if you hadn’t pulled me from Candor to get the files from Abnegation.” River talked back.

This felt like a private conversation, so she quickly finished placing everything back in almost neat piles.

“I can’t trust this shit to some random unit. You’re a leader, so figure it out.” Eric took a couple of steps, and Kate could see from the corner of her eye the boots crunching grass right next to her. “C’mon, we’ve got to get back.”

A strong hand appeared in front of her face, followed by an arm with that intricate maze tattoo. Kate gladly accepted his help, grasping Eric’s hand to get up. The contact ended just as fast as it had occurred when the young woman tried to brush the dirt away from her clothes. Nothing that a washing machine couldn’t fix.

Lauren said something about talking to River before going in, and Eric barely acknowledged it before motioning for Kate to follow him. She could feel the burning gaze from a few Council members witnessing the whole drama from the windows. No doubt it was bad timing to give back his tablet—unwanted questions would be raised—so she said nothing.

The duo walked side by side until reaching the entrance. Eric placed a hand on the door handle and hesitated before turning his body slightly to look at her.

“Thank you.” That was all that he said before opening the door and walking in first, leaving her to almost trip on her high heels. 

Had he just thanked her for helping? With words!? Who knew that Eric had those in his vocabulary?

The manhunt had lasted all weekend and Monday. When Chris was found hiding on the outskirts of Amity, Dauntless took 24 hours to announce his capture. Furious with the lack of communication, Jeanine had all but shoved her ambassador into one of their cars and ordered Kate not to come back without a full report on the interrogation. Per city law, the warrior faction could only keep a suspect for questioning for 72 hours before delivering them to Candor to be prosecuted. However, anything said during the interview would be kept confidential until said public trial. If Erudite didn’t send a representative to observe now, they would know barely anything—relying on whatever the leaders would be willing to share—for weeks, and that wasn’t helpful. The other reason to go was safely placed inside a silver case: a batch of truth serum. Apparently, the interrogation wasn’t going according to plan, and Dauntless wanted to use it as an alternative but had run out of it. 

This time, the driver’s name was Peter, who didn't seem very nice. The ambassador had to ask three times before he even bothered to introduce himself—she considered it to be thoughtful to ask the names of everyone who worked with her—and the rest of the trip had only been filled with the sound of rain hitting the windows and the whooshing of the wind. A hurricane warning had been turned into a tornado warning, but the weather forecast wasn’t reliable. Even before the war, Mother Nature had already started to fight back against humans. Extreme weather was a consequence of progress—or so politicians and CEOs thought at the time. Even hundreds of years later, Chicago, and most likely the rest of the world, still faced the consequences of it.

There were fewer vehicles on the road. Weather like this meant calling back most patrols, canceling any outer-faction activities, and asking citizens to remain inside their homes or headquarters. Only Jeanine could make her leave Erudite in such circumstances, and, because things weren’t looking very bright, Kate already regretted not bringing warmer clothing—her own instead of the blue Dauntless uniform. If the tornado hit, she would be stuck at the other faction for hours, maybe even all night.

That was just great.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it. Kate had left a big problem back at Erudite: since returning from the Council meeting in Amity, she had been unable to locate her copy of Jeanine’s keys, the ones for her office. She had just bought a keychain for it at the market, thinking that would keep her from losing them. But no, of course not, the universe really had it out for her. Turning her apartment upside down or her office produced zero results, and she even called Johanna—Amity’s representative—to ask if anyone had seen keys with a black cat keychain. Nothing so far. If she didn’t find it soon, the locks would’ve to be replaced, and Jeanine would find out about it.

Another lighting strike shook her from her thoughts, and as she stared at the road ahead, the Dauntless compound came into view.

Upon arriving at the loading dock, only a few soldiers were subject to the storm's wrath. A few ran around with guns and boxes, a truck was being loaded quickly, while several vehicles were returning from various parts of the city. Surprisingly, Peter took mercy on her and parked the car in front of the entrance. Opening the door and running inside, Kate realized that he only did it because Harrison was there waiting for her. The primary leader hadn’t been publicly seen for weeks, and many excuses had been used, but he looked well except for the characteristic bags under his eyes.

“Kate.” Harrison's tone didn’t match the tiredness on his face. “It’s good to see you. 

“Harrison.” She shook his hand. “Glad to know you’ve recovered from your flu.”

Nobody believed that for a second. The ambassador hadn’t seen him at all since the promotion, and if it wasn’t for the current crisis, Kate was certain that he would be nowhere to be found.

“Thank you. Dauntless has a completely different ventilation system from Erudite. Damp and cold all year.” The duo started to walk to the elevator that hopefully had been fixed. “And I’m not that young anymore.”

The primary leader was younger than Max by a few years. Although much older than Eric, Kate had always seen serene and juvenile qualities about him, managing the warrior faction without weariness of the job. Now? She could see lines and years across his face, and there was something rigid about his posture.

“Don’t say that. You got good years ahead of you, and this place needs you.” Came her poor attempt at lifting his mood. The leader only nodded in agreement.

The elevator dinged, and they walked in—finding nobody else inside. Unlike her initial thought, they weren’t going upstairs but to a deep underground level.

“I almost forgot... I never officially congratulated you for becoming the new ambassador.” Harrison broke the silence as the numbers continued to climb down. “I know you’ll make a real difference.” 

The doors opened, and they were met with several pairs of eyes: the highest-ranking members of Dauntless. 

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Kate replied before stepping out, sensing the tension in the air. 

“You can hand it over to Lauren.” Harrison instructed before stepping away to talk to a face that she recognized. The same instructor who had been teaching that initiation class with Eric and had tried to stop the whole knife-throwing situation. Warm eyes met with hers, and he gave her a court nod before following his leader.

Lauren politely greeted her briefly before taking the suitcase and opening it to check its contents. There were six doses of truth serum, more than enough for an interrogation, most only needed one—or two if the effect started to wear off.

There was another she wasn’t familiar with, a man with the broadest shoulders she had ever seen, armed to his teeth—probably the Armory Chief—and wasn’t speaking to anyone. Next to him, Swan was engrossed on her phone. The Dauntless ambassador had blond and a vintage deep red leather jacket and was about five years older than Kate. If she remembered it correctly, that woman was a Candor transferred, and it definitely showed. A bit too honest with her dislike for other people, and it had taken some time to win her over, too, an arduous task that started when Kate was only an apprentice.

Lastly, there was Eric, leaning against a wall while staring at his phone. His hair looked a little out of place, and his uniform jacket was uncharacteristically wrinkled—the manhunt had taken its toll. He had worked all weekend alongside the rest of the leadership, and there was a brand new concern to top off his list: the investigator had produced zero results.

“Hey.” Kate’s voice cut his line of thought. She had crossed the small distance between them and settled next to him, leaning against the cold stone. “Any good news to share, or are you guys gonna keep everything a secret?”

“With you here, I’m sure everything will be out in the open.” Eric didn’t even glance in her direction.

“Lots of secrets are hiding in the dark corners of this place. Like how you captured Chris yesterday and only got in contact with us because of the serum.” She wasn’t wrong, not that he would admit it aloud. Eric was up to his neck in secrets—not all his own.

“Not my call.”

Yet, if it were, the leader would do the same.

"You forgot your tablet with me back at Amity." Kate remembered to bring it with her. She reached for it at the bottom of her full bag and offered it to Eric, who gave her a quick nod as a thanks. The leader had completely forgotten about it.

Silence hung in the air, and only then did Kate realize it was too quiet for a leadership meeting. Where was River and his inability to stop talking? Her eyes darted around the long corridor, and there were no signs of red hair anywhere.

“River is not around today. Is he out on patrol? Did you two stop fighting?” Kate didn’t miss the way the man next to her visibly flinched. “Eric?” 

“He’s having surgery now at Erudite.” He kept his eyes trained on the phone, she could see it was a text chain with a contact saved as Dr. Useless. 

Oh, he was waiting for updates.

“Surgery!? Why?” Her voice was louder than it should have been, drawing the attention of most of the leadership.

Clearly, she got the short story version, but it was enough to understand that River had been checking on a patrol unit around Amity when they stumbled upon a group of armed Factionless hiding in the woods. The group was eliminated except for one—the person they had been looking for all along. That Factionless man.

“A bullet to his shoulder and another deep in his abdomen.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth. “Doctors don’t know if he’s gonna make it.” River was his best friend—his only friend, actually—and his polar opposite. Somehow, their friendship made sense, no matter how much they annoyed each other.

Before Kate could say anything, still dumbfounded by the terrible news, Eric revealed something else.

“We were fighting because of you.” Eric let out a frustrated sigh. “Because of what happened in the training room. Initiates don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.”

Damn her. What would happen if River died without them making amends? Would Eric hate her forever? 

“When River wakes up, and he will, you can tell him that’s all forgiven and forgotten on my part.” Kate didn’t know what else she could say. In all honesty, she had forgiven him on the very same day, when they decided to start from scratch. An apology wouldn’t hurt—but that paled in comparison to River's wellbeing. “I don’t really know him, but he doesn’t seem like the type to hold grudges. You two are gonna be fine.” 

For a second, Eric just stared at her. Gray eyes lit with what she’s almost certain was cold fury, but their bubble was burst by the sharp clinking of metal chains against the stone. On the other side of the corridor, two guards guided the Dauntless prisoner, shackled in his wrists and ankles and wearing dirty clothes that seemed flimsy for the temperatures of Dauntless.

“You’re right about one thing, you don’t know River at all.” Eric’s clipped tone made her throat feel tight, pushing himself from the wall and walking away. 

Eric’s ruthless reputation preceded him. However, considering the circumstances, Kate decided not to hold that against him. He was hurting for his friend.

On cue, the other members of leadership returned and instructed her to follow them to the interrogation room. The dimly lit space was split in half by a one-way mirror and a side door, revealing the prisoner who had been cuffed to a metal table. There was an intercom, and, on their side of the glass, a coffee table stood in the corner amidst a few scattered chairs. An unknown soldier remained on the opposite side, and Lauren handed the silver case to him—which could only mean that the man was the lead investigator—and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

“Harrison, whenever you’re ready.” Lauren said before sitting on one of the chairs. Everyone else remained standing.

The primary leader pressed the intercom button, allowing the soldier to begin. The man, who looked to be in his mid-40s, pressed play on a camera placed on a tripod against the wall, directly facing Chris. Through the sound system, they could hear the investigator explaining the procedure to the camera, the recording would be sent to Candor, attached as evidence, and holding the first shot of truth serum. It was one big needle—just the thought of it made her shudder. Kate wasn’t afraid of needles, just had an unpleasant memory associated with that serum. To be sworn in as an ambassador, any person had to pledge an oath to the city regardless of their faction.

From that point on, the interrogation didn’t go as planned. As the hours passed, one shot turned into two, and then three, and Chris resisted the effects. The information that spilled from his lips was already known—completely and utterly useless. The high level of control shown by him went so far that he could even lie. Presenting one plot twist after the other, it honestly didn't surprise her that he was Divergent.

"That’s enough.” Eric ordered sharply through the intercom. The investigator stopped, gave a quick nod, and packed things up before announcing to the camera that the interrogation was over and had been unsuccessful.

“What happens now?” A feminine voice asked, and only when eyes fell upon her did Kate realize that she had been the one to say it.

“We’ve attempted to interrogate him with and without the serum. Per our protocol, the lack of results allows us to try any means necessary to get answers.” Harrison explained before approaching Eric, who remained right next to the glass—his expression concealed by the lack of reflection on that side of the one-way mirror.

“Are you going to propose it?” The primary leader asked Eric. Kate understood the meaning behind their words. Torture someone for a confession, but she didn’t know the fine lines of their protocol.

“Yes.” 

“Very well.” Harrison turned around to face the rest of the group. “Eric cannot vote since he’s the one proposing it and River is out of commission. So, it’s up to us to decide what happens next.”

Kate’s eyes scanned the room, and the most obvious expression to read was from Lauren—clearly, she didn’t agree with it. Sam had a pensive look, deepening the lines of his face. And Swan? That woman looked terrified.

“Should I step outside?” The Erudite ambassador felt really out of place. This was their jurisdiction, not Erudite’s, and Kate was glad that this wasn’t her call at all.

“It’s a good thing you stay. We could always use a witness.” Harrison said. “I’ll start the voting by saying yes.”

In the same hierarchy order, they voted one by one. Lauren was vehemently against it, just like Sam. Harrison and Four were in favor, leaving Swan with the gruesome decision. 

“Alright, we've got a tie. Swan, it's your turn." Harrison announced and didn’t miss the way his ambassador winced. Swan didn’t expect that kind of responsibility to fall into her hands. It was too much pressure. Who was she to decide if a man should be tortured? “Do you want a few minutes to think about it?”

Swan’s mind was a mess. Every noise was muffled as if her head was underwater, and her brain kept giving her several reasons to say yes but also to choose not to go through with it. Sensing the turmoil, the leader told everyone to take five, and most of the leadership walked outside, leaving Kate, Swan, and Eric alone—the latter typing on his phone with a worried expression. He had no updates about River’s condition.

“In all my time as an ambassador, I’ve never had to break a tie like this. We voted to torture prisoners before, but... I always voted no, and that was it, letting others decide for me.” Swan locked eyes with her and tightly balled her fists—feeling the nails digging into her skin. The pain would keep her grounded. “Can I ask your opinion on this, Kate?” 

“I don’t think you should. I can’t interfere here, it’s not my place nor my faction.” Kate shook her head and felt uneasy creeping in. 

“I’m not asking you to.” Swan’s eyes scanned the room and landed on Eric, proceeding to ask him to stay a minute. With a confused expression, the man approached them, taking his eyes off the screen. “Eric can witness that this is not about my vote, okay? Just let me ask you this: is it logical to torture someone in this case?”

Gray eyes met blues again, and disapproval was clearly written all over his gaze. Of course, Erudite wouldn’t support an idea like this. It went against their values, and he knew that especially as an Erudite-born.

“Violence is part of human nature. Acts of violence are the reason the world ended, so we have to fight against those instincts. Search for reason, dialogue, and wisdom to solve core problems in our society.” Kate swallowed dry before continuing. “Now… With that being said, and don’t quote me on this, it’s not an official Erudite statement, everyone knows that our scientists study dangerous substances in the name of the greater good. Someone breaking in to try to steal and unleash something like that? I don’t find it to be illogical to use all that is at your disposal to get to the bottom of it.”

Swan bit her lip, deep in thought. Kate’s gaze traveled from her colleague to the leader, who listened attentively to every word—and she couldn’t bring herself to break eye contact.

“Whatever values a faction holds cannot be more important than the need to protect our citizens. Whatever it takes? That sounds logical to me in this case.” Kate continued. “It doesn’t mean that I would vote yes because no matter how someone wants to separate themselves from a professional situation, your values will still guide your decision. You have to choose what will allow you to sleep at night—the safety of our people or staying away from the profanities that ended our world in the first place.”

Was that the right thing to say? Kate didn’t know. At least, it was her honest opinion.

“This was actually helpful. Thanks, Kate.” With one last look and a quick nod, the blonde ambassador walked out, leaving Eric and Kate alone.

“I’m not trying to overstep.” Kate declared. She didn’t want any more trouble, especially with him and especially on a day like this.

“I don’t think you did.” Eric answered. Before he could continue, his phone rang. Taking that as a cue, she began to walk away. Immediately, a cold hand reached out to her, encircling her left wrist to keep her from leaving. There was no real strength in it—Eric just wanted to ask one more thing, so he declined the unimportant call so as not to miss his probably only chance.

“Your vote.”

“What about it?” Kate's eyes darted between her wrist and his face. Expression unreadable.

“What would it be?” Eric had to know, but the reasoning was lost to him. Why did he even care about her opinion?

“It doesn’t matter.” She countered. “I’m not part of your leadership.” 

“Answer the question.” He inched closer, invading even more of her personal space. Studying every detail that she was willing to give away.

In the end, it was hypothetical, so she figured there was no harm in answering it.

“Fine. I’d have voted yes.” Escaping his grip, Kate left the room as fast as she could, mentally cursing Jeanine for putting her in this position, or maybe this could be just the consequences of her own actions—both options made her want to scream at herself.

Eric would be the one to torture Chris. It had been his proposal, so he had to carry it to the end. Of course, the whole procedure would be recorded for Candor, and the rest of the leadership would continue to observe, but he was adamant about Kate not witnessing it. Not for believing that her Erudite stomach couldn’t handle the gore, but there was a part of him that didn’t want the ambassador to see him in that specific light—not yet and maybe not ever. For some reason, the young woman had sparked his curiosity—if she could be an ally to his plans was yet to be determined—and even with their ups and downs, Eric could tell that she was intrigued about him too. Willing to listen and talk to him when most stayed away. It was a rare thing that he wanted to try and build on. Building toward what? Allies during Council meetings? Bring her into Jeanine’s plans? Or simply be able to grab a coffee with her on a random lazy afternoon? Maybe a beer? Well, he knew that bathing the floor of the interrogation room with that man’s blood would fundamentally change that. He could feel it in his bones.

So, he had to think of an excuse—fast. When the sound of another lightning strike shook the air around them, the leader knew he had it.

“Swan, take the ambassador to eat something before the power goes out.” Dauntless had several generators, but if the faction went dark during the hurricane, it would be difficult to navigate other routes but the main corridors.

“Good idea!” Swan was also eager to flee that room. “Kate, you don’t know how long you’ll be stuck with us. Let’s go, we got burgers today.” 

“Burgers?” Kate didn’t want to admit it, but her mind was starting to swim. A lot was happening at once. The rest of the high-ranking officers were starting to leave, some didn’t even have a reason—they just didn’t want to witness the horror—while the sound of the storm outside grew louder and more dangerous. When Eric reached for a black suitcase that sat in a corner and the inside revealed a series of knives and other sharp objects, her stomach clenched tightly. 

Oh my… Eric didn’t even seem bothered by it.

“Show me the way.” It felt like the coward's way out. Kate was supposed to witness it all—how could she just walk away? But before Eric’s gaze could travel from his instruments to the storm brewing in her blue eyes, both ambassadors walked away.

The escape lasted no more than 30 minutes. Kate and Swan had faced the growing line of hungry soldiers at the Mess Hall, grabbed a couple of sandwiches and some coffee—night was approaching, and it didn’t seem like any of them would catch a wink soon—and ended up sitting at a corner table, talking about everything and nothing, as long as it didn’t involve the words “torture” or “Factionless”.

“… and that’s how I became the first female ambassador at Dauntless.” Swan finished her story just as her coffee cup became dry. The blond woman had something about her that Kate just didn’t know how to describe. A contradiction, perhaps. As if she had revealed much about herself and nothing at the same time. 

Many people felt like that—not only at Dauntless. Her colleagues at Erudite, the Abnegation members... Others were downright cagey. Amity kept to themselves. Their representative, Johanna, disliked any kind of interference from other factions, especially from soldiers, who wanted more cameras and patrols around their vast fields. For Candor, they spoke no lies but managed to conceal their truths—getting a read on them was quite hard. Kate would never admit that to anyone—a secret that could end her career—still the only time she understood Jack Kang was when his cock was buried deep inside her. Desire clouded his mind and cracked some of his walls. There was no love there—not at all—and it was incredibly dangerous, but it had been necessary. The ambassador had learned from a young age that sometimes the right thing is the necessary one.

The ringing of Swan’s phone cut through her thoughts, and with an apologetic look, she accepted the call from Andrew Prior.

“Andrew, how can I help you? Everyone okay in this crazy weather?” Swan greeted him with an enthusiasm that didn’t reflect on her face. “Yes… We still have until tomorrow afternoon to interrogate him.”

Now she really looked annoyed.

“No, that’s not what happened. Can you just give me a moment?” Swan muted the call. “Sorry, their leadership wants a full report about that man. Can you ask a guard to take you to Harrison’s office?”

“Don’t worry about it." Kate replied, gathering her things and watching Swan disappear the way that they had come.

Lights flickered again. Maybe there was something in the water, something that made them brave because Kate found the courage to go back to the interrogation room—although not enough courage to get stuck in an elevator during a hurricane. So, she faced the steep stairs and dark corners and definitely had to ask for help more than once, until finding that corridor again. This time, the only person who stood there was a guard, stationed just outside of the interrogation room with orders not to let anyone in. 

Quickly figuring out that he wasn’t the chatty type, they spent the next couple of hours staring at stone walls and listening to the symphony of Chris’ screams.

Many times, Kate had to remind herself that she would have voted yes.

Screaming, punches, and the sound of bones colliding against bones made her skin crawl. At some point, Eric even tried waterboarding the unknown man. The leader didn't hold back. It kept going and going until silence filled the walls.

"He's out like a light." Eric walked out of the interrogation room not noticing Kate sitting on the floor—her feet had been screaming at her, and she wasn’t even wearing heels. He directed his attention to the guard, who was supposed to drag the Factionless back to his holding cell. "Let Harrison know I'm…" 

Eric stopped dead in his tracks, watching Kate slowly getting up. "... Done." 

Annoyance covered his face, splattered with blood. Crimson striking against porcelain skin even in the dim light. At some point, lights had gone out and the emergency system kicked in. 

“Where’s Swan?” Eric stepped closer. Hands were covered in blood and it traveled up to his arms, concealing some lines of his maze tattoo.

“Andrew Prior called about him.” Kate’s eyes traveled to the scene over his shoulder. The guard quickly disappeared down the hall with Chris thrown over his shoulder—almost unrecognizable under the blood and swelling that had started to settle in. “So I found my way back. I don’t know how you don’t get lost around here, every hallway is the same.”

That impressed him. Kate had navigated those halls alone. A misstep could kill around here, especially on a day like this. When rain found its way through the cracks and made everything even more slippery.

But that discovery wasn’t enough to distract him from the feeling that was crawling in his brain. He could almost see the blood reflected on her clear eyes. He felt dirty. Tainted.

“You should’ve stayed at the Mess Hall or found Harrison.” Eric's lips were a thin line of disapproval. 

“I’m supposed to be here. I have a report to write.” Kate countered. “I’m not trying to keep you from doing your job, so stop interfering with mine.”

“We’re not savages. I won’t make a spectacle out of it.” Eric leaned closer, his features hardened. There was the same man from that interrogation room, so different from the one who had asked to start over or who had uttered the words “thank you” back at the Council meeting. “Besides, he said nothing.”

“I know. I only heard his screams.” The ambassador replied. An edge to her tone. Not because of the pain he had inflicted, the crush of bones, the track of blood on the floor, but the frustration behind it all. 

Eric didn’t know that—her words felt like a slap, and that showed on his face. He clenched his fists, wanting to punch a wall or drag that man back again for another round.

“It had to be done.” Eric took a couple of steps back. He wanted to check his phone to see if there was any news about River, but there was just too much blood—sticky on his hands, dried on his arms.

Silence hung in the damp air. Those walls had never felt so suffocating.

On an afterthought, Kate bridged the gap between them with a white face towel that appeared from the depths of her bag. For the blood. The blond reached for it wordlessly, tongue heavy on the mouth.

“For what’s worth, I don’t think any differently about you. It would be hypocritical if I did because I told you that if I could, I’d have voted yes.” Kate stared into his gray eyes. “So, what happens now?”

The honesty in her words eased the pressure in his chest—even if just a fraction of it—and the urge to take a deep breath arrived with force.

“Now I’m going to my apartment.” It was hard to ignore the way the towel had turned crimson. He started to walk down the corridor—discreetly breathing in and breathing out the adrenaline in his veins. “Are you coming or not?” 

There was a note of uncertainty in there, but her quiet steps quickly followed him. The horror wasn’t left in the interrogation room—Kate had chosen to walk beside it. What did that say about her?

After many turns—and definitely too many stairs—Eric punched a code into a keypad, unlocking the fire door at the top of the stairs. Leadership apartments occupied the upper two floors of that building; only a few soldiers were granted rooms above the ground. On a day like this, with a hurricane raging outside, Kate wished they had stayed underground instead. 

Looking down the corridor, she noticed five doors, imagining that all must be occupied except for Max’s old apartment. So far, Dauntless hasn’t announced plans to fill the vacant position. Dauntless needed five leaders. All she knew was that the offer was always meant for the highest-ranking initiate. Four years ago, Eric ranked second and was only offered the position because someone else refused. That way, he became the youngest leader in history.

A black keycard emerged from the inside of his jacket, unlocking the second apartment closest to the elevator—the same system used back in Erudite. However, in the case of Jeanine’s office, the leader opted for an ordinary set of keys, not trusting the idea of someone getting their hands on a master key or adding their biometric fingerprint into the system. 

Walking inside his apartment, the living room sprang to life when, to her surprise, all the lights turned on. 

“The generator works here? Fancy perks of being a leader.” There was a lot to take in. The place was very... Him.

“Only for 12 hours. After that, we level the playfield.” There was a hint of a smirk as he closed the door behind her. “Hope the system is back on by then, or you might just freeze.” 

“Sounds fun.” Mindless steps guided her around the space. Eric mumbled something about her not touching anything and that he would be right back.

The apartment was exactly as expected. Black on black, and even more black on the furniture, spotless, and the same feeling of emptiness even with several office boxes lying around filled with paperwork. The sole surprise had been a bookshelf standing in the corner of his living room. She didn't dare to touch anything but recognized several titles that could also be found on her own shelves. Even as an Erudite, Kate loved to read fiction but didn't find the time anymore. Emails, meeting minutes, and memos occupied her hours instead. 

Walking closer to the opposite wall, the raging storm sounded stronger near the boarded windows, which had cardboard pieces secured with tape. The ambassador almost wished that she could see the power of the winds outside and if it would end any time soon. There had been no updates on her phone for hours, and since the power went out, the signal had gone with it.

Just as her bag was placed on the corner of his couch, Eric appeared from his bedroom, with wet hair slicked back and fresh clothes—a black long-sleeve t-shirt that was one size too small and sweatpants. 

“You need to bandage those up.” Her eyes found his still-bleeding knuckles. “Could get infected.”

The leader stared into the evidence of what he had done—the violence that he had inflicted—bruises that would serve as a reminder for others not to cross his path.

“Let me help. She offered. “Where’s your first aid kit?”

That surprised him, but, again, Kate had a tendency to do that from the start. Eric hesitated for a moment—someone like him didn't need help over something so simple—yet he still found himself pointing toward the cabinet under his sink. Kate washed her hands before grabbing the kit, barely stopping to notice all the modern appliances. There were many, which could only mean that the owner actually used that place.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Eric asked as he settled on the black leather couch. Kate feigned a look of offense before placing the supplies on his glass center table.

“Huh, I could stitch you up and you’d survive it, okay?” She scoffed. “When I was 13, I had a fixation on learning how to do it, so my dad brought me surgical material and banana peels to train.”

Kate smiled at the childhood memory. Her relationship with her father had changed since then. That was a different story.

“Why are you not wearing scrubs?” Eric hissed in the last word as Kate started to apply ointment on the first knuckle.

“I've got at least three reasons... Yeah, definitely three.” Kate grabbed another cotton swab and continued to clean it. The white fluffy cotton turned red quickly. “For one, the fixation passed, and if a patient threw up all over me, well, for sure they would find out what I had for breakfast too.” 

Laughter filled the room, dissipating the tension between them. For the first time during that awfully gray day, they had a reason to laugh.

“That’s disgusting.”

“I know! Plus, my dad works there. We don’t have a great relationship, and I can’t imagine having the hospital director breathing down my neck.” 

Kate started to clean the knuckles from his opposite hand. There were way fewer bruises, which indicated that Eric was right-handed.

“Your dad's the director?” The leader seemed genuinely curious about her family.

“During my initiation, he was chief of surgery, and our class got to spend some weeks there at the hospital. I bumped into him at every fucking corner.”

It felt suffocating.

“He got promoted a few months ago.” She continued as he attentively listened. “Oh, I did text him about River, but so far no response. I guess Erudite’s out of cell service too.”

Wrapping gauze between each finger, Kate continued around his hand until reaching the wrist and tucked the end under the last layer.

“I got nothing too.” Eric’s eyes were trained on the gauze. As a soldier, he had his fair share of bruises to clean. Her technique wasn’t bad at all. “What’s the third reason?” 

A lightning strike illuminated the sky, light seeping through the uncovered cracks of the windows.

“Jeanine. She had everything planned out for me. She offered me a life, and there weren't really a lot of other choices. That’s always the case with her.” Kate’s voice became awfully quiet. There was more to that story, but some things were better left unsaid. “It was the right thing to do.”

Realizing that she had stopped wrapping gauze around his other hand, Kate quickly resumed the work, hoping that Eric would drop the subject.

“You say that a lot.” Eric noted. “The right thing for her or for you?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Kate tucked the end of the gauze in, let go of his hand, and began organizing the kit again. “All done. How did I do?”

Kate was deflecting. There was a puzzle piece missing—one that he found himself wanting to understand. She was the most interesting thing that had crossed his path in a long time. The Aptitude Test proved that she should’ve been Dauntless. Why did she stay? 

“Not bad.” Eric stood up, taking the first aid kit from her hands, and moving to the kitchen, where he placed it back under the sink. “Looks like you’ll be staying the night. I’ve got an extra bedroom unless you prefer a dusty guest apartment a few floors down.”

“Oh, I guess we get to be roommates for a night then.” Kate smiled at him. “Thank you, I promise you won’t even notice I’m here.” 

“You’re hard not to notice.” The leader muttered under his breath before motioning for her to follow him. Quickly, she grabbed her bag from the couch and trailed behind him.

Down the small corridor, there were two doors. The first one led to his guest bedroom with an en-suite bathroom that looked spotless as expected. There was a queen-size bed with a black bed frame, a black wardrobe, and a full-length mirror in the corner. If that was the extra room, she couldn't help but wonder what the master bedroom looked like.

“I’ll grab some towels and sheets for you.” Eric disappeared towards his own room.

Kate placed her bag at the foot of the bed and couldn’t hold back a yawn. It had been an emotionally exhausting day. When Jeanine all but dragged her out of Erudite, she didn’t imagine having to spend the night at another faction. It was the first time something like this had happened. And sleeping on Eric’s of all places? Hopefully, on this day no other surprises in store. 

“Here you go.” Eric dropped everything on the bed. It was all black, of course. “Need anything else?” 

A thought crossed her mind, and she could feel the heat rising on her cheeks. Kate had nothing to wear—she hadn’t exactly planned this.

“Yeah, actually… Um, can I borrow a shirt? I didn’t expect to spend the night here.” 

“I thought you had everything in that bag of yours.” He snickered before disappearing into his room again. 

Walking closer to the mirror, Kate unzipped the jacket and untied her ponytail, loose curls falling like a curtain around her face. There were visible bags under her eyes that makeup no longer concealed. She looked as tired as she felt. The fog in her brain was real, not even noticing Eric’s steps as he returned to the bedroom but catching him on the reflection. Maybe her mind was starting to play tricks on her because the woman could swear that he stood in that doorway for a few seconds too long just staring at her.

Eric placed a stack of clothes on the bed as she turned around to thank him.

“It’s not like any of them are your size, but you got options.” Eric commented. He was at least half a foot taller, probably more.

“Thanks, Eric.” She walked closer. “Sorry for the trouble.” 

Eric noticed something glimmering under the artificial light, his gaze dropping toward the necklace hanging around her neck. A golden chain with a small blue stone. No doubt pre-war jewelry.

“What’s that?” 

“A family heirloom.” Kate hadn’t noticed that the jewelry was now visible over her shirt. She always kept it hidden. It was rare, most people had nothing passed down from the generations that lived through the horrors of the war. “Erudite blue.”

“Like it was meant to be for your family.” Eric picked the necklace by its string, one of his fingers slightly grazing her skin, and analyzed the way the light hit the stone. It was delicate but unbreakable—like her. “It matches your eyes.”

“Right? I guess it would look good with your eyes too. Blue against gray.” Her gaze moved up from the necklace to meet his eyes. “It’s funny how your eyes have the same color as Jeanine's, but they’re so different.

“Can’t say that I like the idea of physically resembling her.” 

“I’m serious. Her eyes are like liquid metal, but yours…” She leaned a little closer to take a better look. “Yours are like the storm outside.”

“One that you wanna run away from?” Eric’s voice dropped lower. “Find shelter?”

“Some people run toward the eye of the storm head-on.” She countered without really thinking it through.

“Was that a pun? ‘Cause you suck at this.”

“Not intended.” Kate smiled at the leader, who remained playing with the stone on his fingers. “I’m saying that I can handle you, Eric Coulter.”

There was no denying that. Over and over again, the ambassador had proven it. Eric gently grabbed her wrist, making the necklace hit against her chest again, bringing her closer. One eyebrow arched in reaction to her words.

“I’m not that simple, Kate.”

“Never said you were.” Kate licked the bottom of her lips while she pondered her next words carefully. “I think you and I are more alike than we would like to admit.”

And she regretted it instantly. There was barely any air left to breathe in the room—tension had filled every corner of it. And the leader wasn’t saying anything. Slowly, his calloused fingers left her wrists, never losing contact until he held her hand. His palm was so much bigger than hers but equally pale. There was a storm inside just as strong as the one that mercilessly fell upon Chicago. 

In that room where nobody else could see them, there was a pause. No rules, no factions, no drama or schemes—just two people closer than they should be, but they couldn’t walk away.

It could’ve lasted a few seconds—maybe even a minute—as they carved into their memories details about each other. The couple of tiny moles on his forehead and the small cut on his jaw that was probably from shaving. The Cupid’s bow in her lips was a little uneven, and the freckles that painted her cheeks were always faint because Kate never got to just stand outside bathing in the sunlight.

A lightning bolt crossed the sky and illuminated the bedroom, shattering their moment in space and time. Kate was still very much Erudite, and the logic in her brain screamed at her: run, run, run!

“Good night, Eric.” Parting words that made him let go of her hand before she could pull away. The blond was a master of deceit, masking his emotions well, but the look of hurt across his face was still there. It would’ve hurt more if his feelings weren’t mirrored in her face. Both knew that whatever connection they felt had to be broken.

Kate turned around and headed straight to the bathroom, not bothering to bring the towels or clothes forgotten over the bed. Closing the door, she almost missed the whisper that escaped his lips.

“See you tomorrow.”

Whoever said soldiers were logical had never seen them on the battlefield. It was emotion that ruled them, much more than war strategy. Rage, loyalty, and love for whatever they believed in—as long as it only put themselves in danger, not their brothers in arms.

The head and the heart are forever at war.

Chapter Text

“We're not in love

We share no stories

Just something in your eyes

Don't be afraid

The shadows know me

Let's leave the world behind

Take me through the night

Fall into the dark side

We don't need the light

We'll live on the dark side

I see it, let's feel it

While we're still young and fearless

Let go of the light

Fall into the dark side.” — Alan Walker, Au/Ra, Tomine Harket, ‘Darkside’.

For the first few seconds after waking up, the brain has to catch up—find its bearings. The walls painted black, the unfamiliar mattress, and the dark sheets... It made her heart jump until the memories of the day before hit her like a train. The hurricane, Chris’ being captured and tortured but, most importantly, being a guest in Eric’s apartment. Speaking of the leader, Kate was currently staring at him, who was removing the cardboard pieces from her window, revealing a gray sky and the aftermath of the hurricane outside. He had woken her up a minute ago, throwing a bunch of clothes at her face. Apparently, Swan and Lauren had dropped them by—which was very nice—and that scared the shit out of her. Eric didn’t even notice her wide blue eyes as she sat up on the bed, clothes falling around her and scattering to the floor. 

When his eyes finally found hers, Kate sat straighter.

“What time is it?” The ambassador held back a yawn. Kate had all but collapsed on the bed after taking a shower. His water pressure was much better than the one in her apartment back at Erudite, and surely the shampoo she had used smelled just like his. Currently, Kate is wearing only a dark long-sleeved shirt that belonged to him and a sweatshirt. All too big, going down to the middle of her tights.

“Eight-thirty. I’ve been up since five dealing with shit.” A sharp ping echoed through the room, a notification arriving on his phone for the millionth time that morning. His eyebrow furrowed, but he didn’t reach for the device in his pocket. “There’s damage from the hurricane, and someone stole guns from a patrol unit.” 

“Do you think it was the Factionless?” Kate reached for a shirt that had fallen from the bed. 

“Unless Candor gave up on using the law as their weapon.” Eric picked up a pair of pants so long that they could only belong to Lauren. “Or Amity dropped their peaceful bullshit.” 

“Maybe it was Abnegation wanting to start a revolution.” She ironically added as she grabbed the pants from him. “This is really nice of Lauren and Swan.”

“Nice isn't a word for any of them.” He scoffed, walking toward the door. “Get dressed, we got things to do.”

“Then maybe it was just girlhood.” Kate rose from the bed, forgetting about the lack of pants and not missing the way his gaze dropped to her legs. The ambassador wasn’t as tall as some Dauntless women and definitely not as fit, but she liked to think that she had nice legs.

“Girlhood?” Eric cocked his head to the side, forcing his eyes to meet hers again.

“You probably don’t have much of that over here. It’s predominantly a male faction.” Kate pointed out. 

“Are you calling us misogynistic?” He stared at her in disbelief. Eric didn’t give a shit if a soldier was a man or a woman. The only thing that he didn’t tolerate was disrespect toward his female colleagues. For everything else, he saw them as equal.

“No, I just said there’s a lot of men.” A smirk covered her lips. She loved pushing his buttons. “You could use a feminine touch. Especially for the decor, all very monochrome and dull around here.” 

Eric rolled his eyes and reached for the door handle to give her some privacy.

“If you got time for that bullshit, be my guest.” Eric narrowed his eyes on her. 

“I already am.” 

Always so clever—he thought.

“But fix your hair first. Looks like you faced the hurricane, just like the day I met you.”

A pillow flew in his direction, and Eric used the door as a shield, a smirk escaping his lips as he closed it.

When was the last time he had fun in the morning? Especially during a tense situation like the one with Chris and the Factionless?

“Get out! You're a terrible host!” Kate’s cheeks burned. Her appearance was something that she valued a lot. Transmitting a sense of professionalism and of being put together. But she had just woken up, and her hair was a far cry from the slick, gel-tamed, short hair of his.

“Coffee is getting cold.” Eric didn’t dare to open that door again, finally leaving her alone. The blond didn’t care if her hair was messy. Actually, he thought that she looked way better than last night. There was just a need to push her buttons too. Get a reaction.

As his steps faded down the corridor, Kate reached for her phone. Dozens of messages were delivered after the signal returned. From Jeanine’s assistant to the leader herself, one from Natalie Prior canceling their scheduled meeting, and one from Jack Kang.

[9:30 p.m.] Mrs. Matthews: I told Candor about your presence at Dauntless. They expect an official testimony tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for your report.

Damn, that meant an interrogation under the truth serum. That was just great—she could almost feel the future headache coming in.

[7:45 a.m.] Jack: I’ve cleared my schedule this afternoon to take your testimony. I’ll see you later.

[8:05 a.m.] Mom: Jeanine said you got stuck at Dauntless during the hurricane. Let me know you’re okay.

Quickly typing her answers to the most important texts, Kate started to fix the mess in his guest room. The woman had never spent a night out of her faction; it was a rare thing in general—unless you were a soldier out on patrol or a patient at the hospital—but she knew better than to leave a mess behind. 

Analyzing the borrowed clothes, Lauren’s pants were all too long, but a long-sleeve shirt fit perfectly. She paired it up with pants from Swan, who was still a bit taller than her, but it was a better fit. Wearing her own boots, Kate finished it off with Eric’s sweatshirt—the same one she had slept in. The damp and cold cavernous environment was foreign to her, and, now that she was no longer under the covers, a chill had quickly settled in her bones.

After splashing some cold water on her face, Kate couldn’t help but stare at her reflection as she fixed her hair. The blue uniform that she wore to meetings was one thing; wearing authentic black Dauntless clothing was a whole other deal. It was like an alternate version of herself was staring back. A glimpse of a reality where she had followed her heart and chosen Dauntless.

It hurt. Probably the same way a punch to the guts would hurt. It didn’t matter anymore—her decision was set in stone and stained blood-red—still regret threatened to creep in.

Taking a deep breath and picking up her bag, Kate decided to face that day like any other: with a fake smile and whatever lie she had to conjure to keep people from realizing the truth about her. It was the price to pay for her own doings.

The daylight revealed the details about the kitchen that Kate hadn’t noticed before. There was an array of appliances organized over an L-shaped countertop, a central island, and lots of cabinets. Everything looked spotless, even if Eric had barely finished making breakfast.

“That’s mine.” As Kate walked into the living room, Eric couldn’t help but notice that she was still wearing his sweatshirt.

“Apparently the girls here don’t feel cold, and this was on your pile.” She sat on the stool and placed her bag on the ground. “What kind of host would let their guest freeze to death?” 

“This host made you coffee and a sandwich.” A gray mug with steaming liquid was placed in front of her next to a plate with a delicious-looking sandwich. “Eat so we can go.” 

Kate took a sip and scrunched her nose. Bitter was an understatement. Of course, Eric was a cliché like that.

“Thanks, but do you have any sugar?” Kate took a bite of the sandwich—as delicious as it looked. “By the way, Candor is expecting me to give a statement too, so I’ll get a ride with your unit, if that’s okay.” 

Eric nodded, and the sugar bow got sat next to her, and with each spoonful of sugar added to her mug, the leader looked more horrified.

“Are you trying to poison yourself?” Eric asked, sipping his own coffee. There was something weirdly domestic about the scene unfolding.

“Are you trying to have a stomach ulcer?” Kate countered, and, before the leader could answer, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. 

Jeanine.

Almost choking on a piece of cheese, Kate hurried to pick up the call.

“Good morning, Mrs. Matthews. Is everything okay?” Kate slapped Eric’s hand away as he tried to steal the sandwich that he had ironically made for her.

The words “missing keys” filled her ears, followed by a series of questions. Jeanine had somehow found out about the ambassador losing her keys and wanted to know why Kate hadn’t said anything about it.

“Oh, about that... I…” Jeanine kept talking her ears off for a good minute before Kate could finally explain. “Yes, I misplaced your office keys. I was going to tell you yesterday, but with everything going on so fast about the Factionless man being captured. Yes, I’m writing that report as we speak.”

Eric eyed her curiously and couldn’t stop a chuckle when Kate almost fell off the stool as she tried to pick her bag from the floor. The blond took mercy on her and circled the kitchen counter to pick it up for her. A blue notebook and a pen were her goals. 

“Shut up… And thank you.” She mouthed the words to him, who looked rather amused at her disgrace.

“I just wrote it down.” Kate scribbled fast on a random page. “I’ll search for the keys one last time later today, and if I don’t find them, I’ll personally see to the replacement of the locks. My apologies.” 

The line cut, Jeanine never bothered with goodbyes.

“Don’t say anything.” Kate mumbled as she finished her coffee.

“How the responsible and organized Erudite ambassador managed to lose her leader’s keys?” Eric asked as he picked up her mug and rinsed it in the sink. 

“Let me help with that.” Kate offered as she took the last bite off the sandwich. “And I honestly don’t know. I haven’t seen them since Amity. I asked Johanna about it, but nobody turned them in.”

Eric refused the offer. Letting his impromptus guest finish taking some notes as he washed the dishes.

“It’s probably forgotten under a random piece of shit in your office.” Eric reached for his leader's jacket. “Unless somebody took it.” 

“I searched everywhere, and I even bought a very cute keychain at the market a couple of weeks ago just to keep track of it.” Kate followed him to the door. “A vintage black cat keychain that has now proved to be useless.” 

As they stepped outside of his apartment, there was a visible change in him. Always so sharp, Eric was able to fix his posture even straighter, shoulders back, and gone were any traces of emotion on his face. Kate had seen a glimpse of River’s best friend, a guy that was guarded but not the tough leader 24/7. Now? Eric was back to being the person that she was familiar with. So, as they walked side by side to the elevator, the ambassador fixed her posture too.

“Do you really think someone took it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re just irresponsible.” He watched her from the corner of his eye. “Or somebody took a chance.”

“I didn’t leave my bag unattended at Amity... I honestly don’t even know anymore. Maybe it’s just somewhere back in Erudite.” It was so frustrating. Kate was always careful. “Sometimes I have this memory of placing it on my kitchen counter... But I guess I’ll just have to replace the locks.”

The elevator stopped on a dark but busy floor. Following Eric—and trying not to be swallowed by the mass—they reached a different elevator. It was a shorter ride. They arrived at the underground level where the interrogation room was located. Everyone was already waiting for them. After being so focused on Jeanine’s keys, Kate had forgotten to ask what the next step was—they were only a few hours away from delivering Chris to Candor.

“Good morning, Kate. I hope Dauntless has been accommodating.” Harrison welcomed the duo, eyeing Eric critically. The man expected Kate to be half way back to Erudite after being scared off by the young leader.

“You mean me.” Eric pointed out.

“Eric has been a great host. Thank you.” Kate answered sincerely before approaching Lauren and Swan, who were talking a few steps away. 

“Hi! Just wanted to say thank you both for the clothes. I didn’t expect to stay so long here, so you two really saved me today.” Kate smiled at them.

“Don’t worry about it.” Lauren said, curiously eyeing the big sweatshirt that she recognized from somebody else... Eric.

“Still, I think we’re not the only ones who helped out, right?” Swan had a playful smirk dancing on her features. “I don’t think any of us wear that size for a hoodie.” 

“Oh… It’s just really cold here.” Kate tried to play it off as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I basically stole it.”

“Stay around long enough and you’ll get used to it.” Lauren stepped away to speak to Four—Kate had learned the trainer’s name during yesterday’s voting. Swan gave her a reassuring smile before walking into the interrogation room, and everyone else followed.

“Alright, everyone, you all know how this works.” Harrison called their attention. “We have to deliver him to Candor in the middle of the afternoon, so Eric is proposing we continue with the same method. I’ll start by voting yes.”

One by one, everyone repeated their vote, but this time, Swan seemed less conflicted, while Lauren looked even more troubled. Next, the primary leader texted someone on his phone, probably whoever was responsible for escorting Chris.

“Alright, he should be here any minute. Unless you would like to witness it, everyone else is dismissed.” Harrison stepped closer to Eric. “The unit just arrived with River; I’ll visit him in the infirmary now.” 

“I’ll try to drop by before leaving for Candor.” Eric nodded. Relief was written all over his face. 

“River is back?” Kate approached the leaders. A smile tugged on her lips. She didn’t know River well but had been rooting for him. Only now she realized that her father never texted her back about River’s status—not really surprising.

“He was released to our care this morning. There’s still a road to full recovery, but we’re glad to have him closer.” Harrison explained. “If you excuse me, I have to make sure River won’t try something stupid, like going out on patrol.” 

“The truth is that he was kicked out.” Eric leaned in to whisper the information into her ear as if his best friend’s shenanigans were some sort of secret. “Nurses were going insane.”

“I’m glad to hear that he’s okay.” She smiled. “I imagine that Dauntless nurses are used to River's... Extra energy.” 

“You could call it that.” 

Before they could say anything else, steps sounded closer. It was the same guard from yesterday; this time Chris was walking—barely—and his face was almost unrecognizable with all the cuts and bruises. Left eye was swollen shut, and there was a deep gash poorly dressed in gauze. Probably someone was sent to take a look at him. Kate didn’t think Chris would be allowed in the infirmary with other patients. As one green eye met hers, his gaze traveled down to her clothes, and a wicked smile crossed the prisoner’s face.

“Hey, ambassador! Don’t you get tired of playing pretend?” Chris' voice was rougher than she had imagined. 

Unconsciously, Kate took a step closer to Eric.

“Keep walking.” Came the guard’s command, shoving the prisoner through the second door.

“Ignore him.” Eric noticed her standing closer. “Maybe you should take a walk.” 

“I already told you that I need to write my report.” Kate focused on how their arms were almost touching and stepped back again. “So far I’ve got less than a page.” 

Eric didn’t like that at all. Her words from yesterday echoed in his mind, reassuring him that what she had witnessed didn’t change anything for her—the brutality didn’t scare her away. Still, the leader wished it did.

Scanning the room, his eyes landed on Swan, the only other person left, who was mindlessly scrolling on her phone. 

“Swan, do your job and keep her company.” Eric commanded before grabbing the same suitcase from yesterday, filled with bloodied tools, and walked into the room just as the guard left. The door shut with a loud bang. Chris was secured to the metal table, and there was something about him that felt... Shifted. Maybe a consequence of all the torture—or perhaps he would be more talkative today, as he had been so far. 

Provocative was a better word for it.

The blond ambassador walked closer to her, eyes still glued to her phone. Obviously, Swan didn’t want to watch it.

“You don’t have to stay.” Kate offered as she sat her bag on the table. “I’m fine on my own.” 

“Eric would skin me alive.” Swan answered honestly. “And I should be able to stomach what I voted for.”

“If you change your mind, I’ll be okay.” Kate gave her a tight smile as her blue eyes took in the details of the scene happening on the other side of the one-way mirror. 

The camera was already recording, and the suitcase opened with several sharp options at his disposal.

“Want to do this the easy way or another round of the hard way?” Eric offered even though he already knew the answer. He had sensed the shift in Chris’ demeanor as well but didn’t expect the guy to just start talking.

To his surprise, there was an answer.

“The Erudite. Is she watching?” Chris asked. “I’ve gotta question for her.”

What was that supposed to mean? When the Factionless walked in accusing Kate of faking it—which was very perceptive of him—it didn’t appear to be on purpose. An impulsive comment from a cornered person. Now, could it be personal?

“I’m the one who asks questions around here.” The shining blade of a pocket knife captured Kate’s gaze, and she swallowed dry.

“I thought you wanted me to talk. I’ll talk to her.” Chris leaned back against the chair, weirdly relaxed. He wanted some resemblance of control. Would he get it?

There was an intercom. Kate could simply say that she agreed to it, but that meant disrespecting Eric’s authority. So, she quickly searched for her phone on the bag and shot a simple text agreeing to it—if he didn’t mind it. 

Eric felt the device buzzing in his pocket and already knew what to expect. Kate was stupidly brave for an Erudite in Dauntless clothing—but that had been her aptitude as well. Gray eyes looked to the mirror as if he could see past the reflection, and Eric simply nodded. 

“Wish me luck.” Kate muttered under her breath before crossing the room with determined steps. She needed to know why Chris was interested in her or if everything was just a game for a desperate man.

Opening the door, Eric was waiting for her. No knife in sight. 

“The shackles are tight; he won’t hurt you.” Eric pointed toward the silver chains. “I’ll stay over there just to be sure.” 

“Okay, thank you.”

She circled the metal desk and sat right in front of Chris. The surface full of torture devices was the only thing between them. Eric was in her line of sight, standing next to the wall behind Chris. This way, he couldn’t be seen by the prisoner, but he hoped that his burning gaze would be enough of a warning.

“Hi, Chris. I hear that you wanna ask me something.” 

“Kate, you look great in black. I wonder what Jeanine Matthews would say if she could see you.”

“Is that what we are here to talk about? Borrowed clothes?” Kate cocked her head to the side. Up close, the bruises were nastier.

“No. I wanna ask something else.”

“You can ask me anything, as long as I can ask you something first. That’s fair, considering your situation.” Kate wasn’t stupid; she wouldn’t give real control to him. “Or I’ll just walk away.”

“And how will you know that I’m not lying to you?”

“I guess we’re just gonna have to trust each other. I won’t lie, and I expect an honest answer from you as well.” Something crossed her mind. “You know what? I’m feeling generous today, we can both ask two questions.” 

It was more than he deserved after almost killing River.

“I’ll start then.” For a moment, her eyes met Eric’s, who was fascinated by the whole interaction. Every moment with her made him even more certain that she had picked the wrong faction. “You don’t look relevant to be the brain behind it all. Who is responsible for the break-in at Erudite?”

Chris hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to answer.

“Our leader is a woman. She knows it all and got people on the inside. We’re everywhere.” He licked his busted lips before continuing. “Like you said, I’m not important to actually know her.” 

Well, that was just half of the population of Chicago. Should be easy enough to find.

“You can ask your question now.”

“What happens to me when we’re done?”

“Like any other prisoner, you’ll be delivered to Candor and prosecuted for your crimes.” Kate answered. It didn’t matter if he was Factionless or not. All were treated the same way. Death or exile should be his punishment.

“So, I won’t be sent back to Erudite?” 

Oh, that’s what this is about. Chris was afraid of becoming a lab rat for being divergent. It wasn’t a secret that Jeanine was fascinated by his kind.

"No, and that was two questions.” Kate smirked at him. “My turn.”

Eric mouthed a single word to her: bomb. They needed to know about Candor.

“…The bomb in Candor was sophisticated. Pre-war, I mean. How did your group get your hands on it?” Kate asked.

At that, Chris laughed. A manic laughter that sent a chill down her spine. 

“I’m not even afraid of telling you this, because for over two hundred years it was never found.” Chris motioned for her to get closer, the chains pulling and rattling. With the reassurance of Eric being a few steps away, the woman leaned closer. “There’s a bunker under Chicago. Nobody ever found it. Just us. There’s a lot of toys to play with. To make things go boom!”

It took all of her self-control not to jump from her seat. That couldn’t be true. How could they not know about this? After so much time? Liar. He had to be lying.

“I don’t believe you.” 

The eerie smile was still there. Kate wanted to wipe it from his face.

“It’s the truth. Believe it or not, it won’t change anything.” He pointed out. “Now I’m gonna ask what I really wanna know…”

There was a pause. 

“Did you find the black cat already?” As the words left the prisoner’s mouth, Kate felt like her surroundings went into slow motion. Chris' laughter filled the interrogation room in a never-ending joke. She shot forward faster than Eric did, and the world came crashing down around her. 

“How do you know about that!?” Kate shouted. Her hands were gripping the edges of the table on Chris' side, noses almost touching, and her eyes wide. “Did you get them? What do you want?”

Chris had got exactly the wanted reaction. If he was gonna rot in Candor or die, he wanted one last moment like this. When people like her lose their sense of control. Fear the unpredictableness of life beyond their factions and color-coded lives.

“Too many questions. Can I ask some too? No?” Chris taunted before trying to butthead her but was yanked back by Eric, who held the collar of his worn-out T-shirt in a tight fist. 

Kate reeled back. She wasn’t hurt, but the dizziness hit her in full force. Only then did the woman realize that her left hand hadn’t been holding to the edges of the table but clutched tightly around one of Eric’s bloodied knives.

Startled, Kate let it go. As the blade hit the floor, all of them stared at it in disbelief. Why had she grabbed it? Was it instinct? Was it the brutality of Dauntless slowly poisoning her? Was it inside of her all along? It felt like she had crossed an invisible line, and there was no turning back from it.

“She’s got fire! I like her!” Chris giggled again, not caring about how Eric held him tightly in place. “When we take over the city, I’ll make sure to take good care of you, pretty girl.” 

That was Eric’s last straw. The deafening sound of Chris’ skull cracking against metal echoed through the small space, making Kate feel even sicker. A part of her wanted to make that man bleed, while another was absolutely terrified at the honesty of his words. The threat was tangible even as he sat shackled to that table.

“Don’t look at her. Look at me.” Eric grabbed him by the neck, turning his head to the side. Both men were now eye to eye. “You and I are gonna have some fun.”

Kate hadn't needed to be told twice to leave. Stumbling out of the room with shaky legs, head spinning upon knowing that her missing keys had something to do with the Factionless’ plan, she was guided to a chair by Swan. The two ambassadors exchanged a worried glance before focusing on the scene developing on the other side of the glass. Chris' question had awoken the fury inside Eric, and it was terrifying to watch.

Every punch.

Every splatter of blood and crunch of breaking bones.

Enthralling acts of violence and, this time, fueled by cruelty more than just a sense of duty.

When Swan had turned green, salvation came in the form of a storm. River walked into the room with a sling on his arm and too much healing serum pumped on his veins.

“Did you miss me?” He sounded just like before. If they didn’t know better, it would be hard to tell that he had been fighting for his life not long ago. It was incredible how far medicine had come, allowing his wounds to be much improved after less than a day. Still, the redhead should be resting.

Both women forced their gazes away from the glass and welcomed him with a relieved smile—but haunted eyes.

“Kate! You’re still here! I was sad when they told me you were here and I was stuck at the hospital!” You know you’re my favorite Erudite ambassador? You can’t be my favorite of all because Swan here would be mad. But you’re my favorite from Erudite!”

“River, I’m glad that you’re okay.” Kate got up to meet him and slowly embraced him, aware of his wounds. There was no sense of intimacy, although he had always been friendly, but she figured that they both needed a hug. “And I’m the only ambassador in Erudite, so I’d be worried if I wasn’t your favorite.”

A giggle escaped his mouth, hurting his bruised ribs and pulling at his stitches. They slowly let go of the embrace, and an understanding passed between them—the weight of everything that had been happening, even if the young leader hadn’t caught up with the recent discovery in the interrogation room. If only briefly, they felt lighter. She couldn’t help but think how Eric was lucky to have him—there was nobody like that for her back in Erudite—envy slowly seeping into her mind. No one ever got too close—especially not since her Choosing Ceremony. Everyone had their initiation to focus on, and when Kate became an apprentice, the only ones to keep her company were leadership members, who weren’t interested in befriending a 16-year-old. Four years later, at least she had managed to gain their respect. Nothing else.

“I know! But if there was more than one, you’d still be my favorite.” River gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm. “You know what? Scratch that. My favorite Erudite, there you have it!”

“I appreciate that. You’re my favorite Dauntless!” Kate gestured to the chair she had been sitting in. “You should be resting. At least sit down if you plan on sticking around.” 

“You sound just like the nurses that I ran away from.” River commented before sitting down, trying to hold back a wince. “That place is torture! They wanted me to eat soup! Soup! I’m craving a burger.” 

At that, Swan excused herself, mumbling something about a forgotten meeting with the Abnegation ambassador—which was probably a lie—and trusting River to keep company with their guest. Before Kate could reply that the nurses were right, a question drew their attention to the torture on the other side of the glass.

“Hey, tell me, did your friend make it? The ginger one?” Chris spat blood over his shirt that was already caked in red—from today and the day before. “We got him good.”

Anger flashed in the gray of Eric’s eyes. As if he needed another reason to torture the man. Right as a retort would come out of his mouth, River jumped out of the chair and hit the intercom button to speak.

“Hey, fucker, I’m alive! I’m just not in there 'cause I’m on leave!” River’s voice echoed inside the room, and Kate didn’t miss the slight raise of Eric’s eyebrows. The blond didn’t know about his best friend’s presence until that moment, and his lips curled into a sinister smile while Chris’ face morphed into defeat—at least, the Factionless had hoped to take down someone from Dauntless leadership along with him.

“You have your answer.” Eric grabbed a different knife. Smaller. Sharper. “I guess it wasn’t worth it.”

After that, the symphony of punches and cries of pain returned, and Kate had quickly caught River up with what had transpired earlier. The young man still carried uneasiness on his expression upon learning about the keys—afraid of the attention that the Factionless had directed to a non-soldier like Kate, but those thoughts he had not shared with her yet. Their side of the room fell into a tense silence, while the other... Well, the maniac look that remained glued to Chris' face proved to be more unsettling than the sound of the crack of his jaw or of his ribs. Through all the pain, it looked like he had won something. A secret prize. Had he lost his damn mind? On that chair sat a man with a dreadful future ahead of him: tortured by the ruthless leader in a dark room with no escape, sat to be prosecuted by Candor, and sentenced to death or exile. 

“He wants Eric to kill him.” As she spoke, the sharp realization almost knocked the wind out of her. “When I talked to him, he asked about his future... He thinks that Erudite is gonna experience on him for being Divergent.” 

How sick was it? To goad your torturer into killing you as a desperate attempt to escape the possibility of a worse fate? Kate was well aware that her faction had a special interest in the genetics and mind of a Divergent—they wanted to fix it. It was a matter of how. She just wasn’t high enough on the rankings to know how far their scientists were willing to go. A part of her didn’t want to.

“Eric won’t do it.” River reassured her without taking his eyes off his friend. “Dauntless follows protocol.”

“I know.” Kate replied before finally settling in the chair next to his. 

A resigned sigh escaped her lips, and silence filled their side of the room again.

The hours ticked by slowly. At some point, a nurse called River, urging him to come back and take his medication. Kate had all but dragged him back there. She had been to the compound enough times to know that the infirmary was right next to the loading dock entrance. Soldiers hurt on patrol came back through the gate and straight there. An easy access. The young woman used the opportunity to steal a towel from them and stopped by the Mess Hall to grab a couple of sandwiches before finally making her way back to the interrogation room. Well, eventually she did get lost and had to ask a guard for help, but she was getting the hang of those dark corners and dangerous stairs.

The middle of the afternoon arrived with the news that Dauntless had officially run out of time. Harrison walked into the interrogation room with a hurry on his step and a quick nod in acknowledgement of her presence before hitting the intercom button and announcing that a team was ready to take the prisoner. The primary leader was out of the room before Eric could even cross the doorstep, leaving the door open so a guard could come and drag Chris out. 

“Is River okay?” Were the first words out of Eric’s mouth when he noticed the empty spot next to her. 

“I had to drag him back to the infirmary; it was time for his meds.” Kate explained as she handed the white hand towel to him. “Whatever it was, made him fall asleep, and then I stole this from a nurse.”

“Might have to arrest you for that.” There was a hint of playfulness there. Eric had a drop of blood right next to his right eye and another couple of dots around his eyebrow, as if he had decided to pierce his other eyebrow too.

“Such a terrible crime.” Kate smirked at him.

It was weird how a few hours and a couple of revelations had transformed her demeanor about the situation. The first time they had been in this position—him covered in blood and her witnessing what he was capable of—the ambassador had been horrified. Constantly having to remind herself that Eric was doing his job. Now? A part of her was almost glad of it… She wanted retribution for being a pawn into the Factionless’ game.

A guard walked in, the same as before, and the leader shifted his attention to him.

“Wipe off the blood and give him a dose of healing serum.” Eric ordered. Voice stern and posture stiff. “We’ll meet you at the entrance in fifteen.”

“Yes, sir.” The guard answered, holding back a groan as he slung an unconscious Chris over his shoulder and walked out—heavier steps echoing against the stone.

“I need to change, and you need your stuff.” Eric gestured to the door.

This time, there was no storm to keep them from using the elevator as the faster route. Obviously, Kate had been the one to push the button. Eric’s hands and arms were still caked in blood—although the towel had turned into crimson, barely leaving a white spot untouched.

“Are you sure your keys went missing at Amity?” Eric focused on her as the elevator began moving. “You said something about thinking that you had brought them home.”

“Yeah… Sometimes I think it’s a memory, but maybe I’m mixing it up with literally any other day. I always put them on my kitchen counter when I get home. Got a cute little bowl for it and everything.” She unconsciously scratched her neck in confusion. “But if that happened... Then did someone take them from my apartment? When I was asleep?”

The idea was terrifying. A chill ran down her spine just as the door opened into the same floor from earlier. Now, there were fewer people walking around, it wasn’t rush hour yet. Dauntless' shifts ended at 6 p.m. for ordinary jobs. It worked differently for guards, kitchen workers, or nurses. 

They crossed the space fast, aiming for the elevator that led to the leadership's apartments. Eric’s answer only came when the doors opened and they were alone again.

“We got a guard in Erudite’s control room. Tomorrow I’ll ask him to look at the feed that covers your floor. If they tried something that night, we’ll know.”

“Okay, thanks.” Kate didn’t know, as Eric was always a difficult person to read, but the leader was worried as well. If someone broke in while she slept defenseless… What would keep them from attempting something worse?

The doors opened again. Stepping out, they saw Four walking out of his apartment, lips turning into a thin line as he noticed the blood-covered clothes of Eric.

“Eric… Is he alive?” The trainer asked in a serious tone. They had been in the same initiation class and never got along. Eric would rather jump off the Chasm than get over the fact that the other man beat him and ranked first.

“What do you think, Number Boy?” Eric replied before unlocking his apartment. Bloody fingerprints now on his keycard and door handle. “Focus on your initiates. I hear you’ve done a mediocre job with them. Again.” 

Kate walked in wordlessly, uncomfortable with the sudden charge in the air, and relief cursed through her veins when Eric slammed the door shut in Four’s face.

“Your clothes are in the dryer. We leave in five.” The leader told her before disappearing toward his bedroom.

Had he taken her uniform to wash? Really? As she approached the washer and dryer machine in his kitchen, her eyes grew larger with surprise. It was there: the clothes that she had arrived in yesterday. Earlier, she had joked about what kind of host Eric was, but he really had been thoughtful.

Knowing that they were running late for the prisoner transfer, Kate only had time to change into her blue uniform, fold all the borrowed clothes into a neat pile—hoping that Eric could return them to their owners—and fix the mess that her hair had become. Returning to the living room, the woman half-expected to find an impatient leader waiting for her, but it was empty. There was a faint sound of water coming from the end of the corridor, not loud enough to be the shower, so she drank a glass of water and waited. When five minutes passed and a curse was heard, Kate got worried. Why was he taking so long?

Abandoning the cup on the sink, she thought that there was no harm in checking it out. The door to his bedroom was slightly opened, and she knocked before entering. On the left side, inside the en-suite bathroom, stood Eric in front of his sink, shirtless and with a clean pair of pants. 

He was trying to get the blood off. 

Blood mixed with water and dripped from the marble countertop to the ground. Everything was black, but the inside of the sink was white and now stained with red, too. Eric had gotten most of it off, but still she could see it on his hairline, on his left ear—how did it even get there?—and faint spots on his arms. Gone were the dressings that she had wrapped around his hands the previous night. Yet somehow it didn’t seem like the second round had broken his skin again.

When his eyes met hers, they hardened. Although it was too late, she had already seen his haunted expression. The job affected him—he was only human after all. His arms fell to the side, hands closing on tight fists.

“Need a hand?” Kate leaned against the door frame. “Candor hates tardiness.” 

“I need a minute.” He replied after clearing his throat.

Kate ignored his words and walked in, upper arm brushing against his bare back as she reached for a clean hand towel in the hanger—fluffy black fabric instead of white. Her brain computed the information that his skin was cold. 

“What you need is help.” She wet the towel and closed off the tap, feeling the sticky blood that was drying up there. “Don’t argue, we’ll be even more late.”

His hairline was first. Her fingertips touching his scalp—buzzed on the sides and set in place with gel on the top—delicately as the towel rubbed the flaky blood off. Next, his left ear. A hand placed on his strong jawline to wordlessly turn his head to the left, allowing her to inspect the other one. It was clean. 

Making sense of his own emotions was hard. No one had ever done that for him. A side of him was mad that she had even walked in there, while another was glad for the help. No, that wasn’t what Eric was glad for. It was something else. Something that he couldn’t name yet.

“Close your eyes. I don’t want a stranger's blood to fall in.” Kate explained before aiming for a dried patch just above his eyebrow. The leader hesitated for a couple of seconds before admitting defeat and doing as he was told.

Unconsciously, Kate rested her free hand on his broad shoulder. It was ridiculously large when compared to her smaller frame—maybe she should start working out more. The only thing she ever does is go for a run if her mind is too loud. 

Last night, as the storm raged outside and they stood in his living room, she had a chance to engrave some details onto her mind. The couple of moles on his forehead, the black dermal piercing striking against his pale complexion, the lines of his neck tattoo, but now her brain focused on something else entirely. The feeling of her fingertips against his skin, the faintest stubble that began to appear. The smell of his shampo was almost overpowered by the characteristically metallic smell of blood.

“You can open them again.” Gray eyes adjusted to the brightness of his bathroom. Pupils were large rather than small as she stood so close to him. “Almost done.” 

Her critical eyes fell upon his strong arms, which remained motionless against his body. Holding onto one of his wrists to bring it forward, Kate wiped the remaining blood from his left arm. Upon close inspection, the maze tattoo was even more impressive. Did it hurt? Did he wish for more tattoos? As she let go of it, both of the balling fists relaxed, and she inspected his right arm—there was a missed spot above the elbow. 

"And... We’re done.” Her fingertips no longer touched him. It had been warm—her skin touching his cold one. Eric wanted—no, needed—to have that feeling again. 

Facing the sink, Kate opened the tap again with the intention of rinsing the towel. The stickiness of the blood was a weird feeling, and she caught herself staring at her bloodied hand. And then his hand was there. Encircling her wrist just like during the stormy night and making her turn around to look at him. Eric realized that he felt terrified for the very first time since his first night at Dauntless, when he had been just a transfer, a night where nobody slept from nerves and fear, no matter how brave you were supposed to feel or how right it felt to let blood hiss against burning coal. The idea of seeing blood on her hands due to something caused by him disgusted Eri. 

It downed on her what Eric had been staring at. Her bloodied palm.

Why? Why did it bother him so much? Why did it make his skin crawl? 

“I’m gonna wash it, and we can go.” Kate’s voice was soft now. Not commanding like a couple of minutes ago.

Suddenly, her back was pressed uncomfortably against the edge of the countertop—she had stepped back when Eric leaned forward—one of his palms resting on the marble while the other still held on to her. Effectively trapping her against him.

“Eric?”

“I just needed a minute.” Okay, that was a pathetic response. Eric meant to say something else. “Now there’s blood on your hands too.”

“I can handle a little bit of blood.” Kate realized there was something vulnerable about that moment. She had interrupted something inside the safe walls of his apartment. The woman meant to be practical—useful—because they were going to be late. Instead, she had seen another storm in his eyes. “And I already told you this, but I can handle you.” 

His grip tightened on her wrist. There was a battle inside his mind. He didn’t fully believe her. Kate had no idea what it meant to be Dauntless, how far they had to go to protect citizens against the threats inside the Fence—and the unknown dangers that could be hiding in the horizon. She also didn’t know what it meant to be a leader. The youngest of all. There were expectations. A job to get done. It wasn’t pretty and not optional. And most importantly, what did she gain from it? For choosing to maintain whatever that connection was supposed to mean?

“No, you don’t.” He leaned closer, inspecting the blue in her eyes. “My own soldiers coward away from this. You should too.” 

“It’s the job, Eric.” Kate leaned in too. Eyes never leaving him. “You’re not here to be liked; you’re here to lead. And I’m not your soldier, so I’ve no reason to fear you or the blood that stains your hands in the name of this city.”

“What if I enjoyed it? What does that make me?” Eric asked.

A monster. She should say that and walk away.

Say it. Just say it.

“What if today I did too?” Kate taunted him instead, heart hammering in her ears. “Does it make me a monster? Is that what you want me to say about you?” 

It angered him. Profoundly. Simmering underneath his skin and threatening to burst. But it also brought him a sense of relief—maybe someone even surrounded by the sterile walls of Erudite could still understand it to some degree.

A heavy burden to carry. Could he ever truly share it with someone? He had never done it, not even with River, who was a leader just like him. The difference was that the gruesome work—the lines that most didn’t want to cross—always fell upon him.

“I’ve learned to live with the blood on my hands, but can you?” Eric let go of her wrist. Abruptly storming out of the bathroom, only stopping to grab the clean shirt that lay on his bed, he said that he would wait outside. 

Eric definitely needed a minute to compose himself. 

Turning around to look in the mirror, Kate let go of a shaky breath. Could she live with it? Would she ever be forced to fight with something more than her brains? To stand for something that wasn’t what Erudite believed in?

Feeling the flaky blood on her palms, Kate thoroughly washed her hands—and the tap—before following him. There was no hiding the relief of washing away that violence.

Transporting the Factionless was a joint effort. It required three armored trucks, one leading the way with guards, a prisoner transport vehicle in the middle, and another unit behind. Eric was the driver for the middle one, Kate was in the passenger seat furiously typing the forgotten report on her tablet, and, in the back, four guards were keeping Chris company. Candor wasn't too far away, but they knew that the trip back would be in the dark.

They should’ve been at the Merciless Mart—also known as Candor’s headquarters—a few days ago, when the Factionless attack happened. Taking a sharp turn to the right, the trucks passed right next to the aftermath of that bomb. Debris was blocking the sidewalk, but construction machinery had already cleaned one of the street lanes. Even after 200 years, Chicago hadn’t fixed most buildings affected by the war—the same would apply here. The government focused on what was necessary for the factions and their members, letting the weather turn everything into rust or dust. However, the Factionless found use to some of them. Ruins turned into makeshift housing to try keeping the cold at bay. Well, Kate imagined that didn’t work out well.

As the impressive building came into view, Kate quickly saved the report into a flash drive, hoping it was decent. Definitely not her best work, but who could really blame her? The past few days had shook her to the core. All that she wanted was her own bed and the sea of Erudite blue that usually drowned her—it was better than walking in the darkness of Dauntless. That place gave her dangerous ideas that Kate shouldn’t have and desires that she threatened to give in.

Speaking of one of them, Eric hadn’t said a word since the ambassador had the brilliant idea of wiping blood from his skin. That map of carefully crafted muscles painted with faint scars and tattoos...

No. Just no.

Focusing on her surroundings, Kate realized that their vehicle had just stopped right in front of a team of Dauntless soldiers that were waiting alongside Jack Kang. Today, Jack set duality aside to wear a full white outfit—a striking contrast to the sharp uniforms surrounding him. Feigned innocence. Someone from the past would call him angelical—Kate could almost hear violins and angel choirs, but that was quickly replaced by the memory of the dirty things that they usually did in his office that required way less clothing. 

Exiting the large truck before Eric could even turn off the engine, Kate strode the few steps separating her from Jack. Knowing that Eric and the Candor leader didn’t get along—okay, that was an understatement—approaching him first was the best call.

Jack’s skin was as cold as Eric’s—it was the first that Kate noticed while shaking his hand. Suddenly, she caught herself feeling for calluses on his skin. But there were none. That almost made her fake smile falter. Jack’s weapon was the Law— not knives and guns, and definitely no fists. The world around her seemed to come into focus; the whispers between soldiers became louder, the sound of chains clinking, and she didn’t need to turn around to know that Eric was now standing too close. The stomp of his boots had been loud against the pavement, and, most importantly, the giveaway had been his incredibly tense demeanor. The blond was seething. Posture stiff—still he would detest any sort of comparison to Abnegation. Dauntless had done its job. Followed protocol to a T, but all three knew that Candor was always looking for a flaw in the carefully crafted system. Especially if that meant getting rid of the ruthless leader.

“Kate, it's always good to see you. Although I wish the situation was different.” Jack suspiciously eyed the Dauntless leader, his lips forming a thin line in disapproval right before his tone changed from soft to cold. “Eric, it hasn't been long enough.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Eric's upperarm bumped slightly against her shoulder. Kate wished she could grab and drag the blond back to the truck—away from that place full of walking-lie detectors.

But she couldn’t. So, Kate cleared her throat, taking back the reins of the conversation. 

“Here's the file with all the information gathered. The first few pages are from his years as a dependent in Abnegation; there's a couple of transcripts too from today.” Jack took the file, carrying the smile she knew too well. “And this is my report about the interrogation.”

The small blue flash drive now rested in Jack’s palm.

“Candor appreciates all the effort done by Dauntless and Erudite to deal with the situation. Hopefully, this puts us one step closer to solving the Factionless issue.” He paused, signaling for a young Candor woman to approach. 

Her eyes were the calculating kind. 

“All that's left is getting your statements under the truth serum, but it won't take long. Eric, you can follow her inside." Jack stepped closer to the ambassador. "Kate, I have the time to personally take your statement, shall we?”

Of course he had.

“Sure, lead the way.” She couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder, capturing the gray eyes that followed her every move—and the way they narrowed when Jack’s hand gently rested on her elbow, guiding her to exactly where he wanted her.

In his territory.

Jack Kang's office was the polar opposite of the one designated to Abnegation's leaders. From the ceiling to the ground, everything was black and white marble, expensive and grand. Approaching his desk, the leader opened a small suitcase containing doses of the truth serum. It was one giant needle. Kate wasn't scared of them but couldn't deny that they hurt.

“I remember you mentioning that it made you sick when you got sworn in.” Jack picked up the metal syringe. There was a cylindrical glass barrel filled with truth serum that swam around—a sea of justice or their version of it—as he placed it directly at the top of the table. It was industrial-looking and ergonomic; one could say it was almost too complex for such a brief use. “I promise to make it quick.”

“It’s the job.” She reassured him. Ironically, Kate had said the same thing earlier, directed at Eric. The weight of their responsibilities was always heavy on her mind. She would always do whatever it takes to keep her vows to Chicago and its citizens.

“And I’ve heard that you’ve been executing it beautifully.” Jack motioned for her to sit in front of him in a comfortable leather chair, just as he perched on the edge of his mahogany desk. “You would’ve thrived even more here.”

“I’m Erudite through and through.” Kate smiled sweetly, hands resting in her thighs as she nervously played with the seams of her sleeve.

Another lie. 

Could he pick up on it? Jack usually got distracted while having her around. A large hand found her ponytail, carefully swooping it to the right shoulder, exposing the back of her neck. Any sense of personal space was gone as Jack leaned in, his high cheekbone grazing the side of her jaw, his lips only inches away from her smooth skin.

“You smell different.” Jack pointed out, inhaling her scent. “It’s not sweet... So unlike you.”

Oh, fuck. Kate realized with horror that she smelled just like Eric. She used his shampoo, slept in his apartment wearing his clothes, and spent an awful amount of time surrounded by him. Even worse, she did it willingly. Fuck, fuck, fuck! 

“I took a shower at Dauntless.” She swallowed the dryness in her throat. “Lauren and Swan let me borrow some things.” 

There was pressure against her ribs as Jack’s other hand explored the curve of her waist. The rib cage was more prominent against her skin, as she had recently lost weight due to all the stress of her new position. Damn it! Why couldn’t she just push him away? Her mind had to scramble for a simple answer. His cologne was everywhere, just as the white of his clothes. Was the pressure just the feeling of his hands, or was it the anxiety bubbling in?

“That makes sense.” Jack planted a kiss on her neck—sending cold dread down her belly—then another, and another. “They’re not known for being hospitable. Was everything okay?” 

“Everything was fine.” Finally, her arms found the strength to move, palms meeting the slope of his shoulders—slimmer than Eric’s—pushing to create a small distance between them. “We’ve talked about this. It can’t happen anymore.”

“It's a shame that you decided to end our arrangement... We used to have so much fun.” Fun. Fun on his couch, on his desk, even on the damn cold floor. They didn’t risk it against the window. Anybody could be watching.

“Too risky.” Came her reply as she still tried to push him away. Jack's fingers ghosted over the side of her face, high on her cheekbone, and then dipped lower all the way to her plump lips. It felt familiar but wrong. “You know it.”

“What about reliving it for old time’s sake?” The leader offered as if they hadn’t fucked on that very same chair just a couple of months ago.

“Jack, it’s getting late, and I've got to catch a ride back with the patrol unit.” Kate tried reasoning with him. Jack was many things, and reasonable happened to be one of them. At that, Jack nodded. A look of defeat painted his face—still there was a sense of understanding. Kate had to go back to her world. The ambassador didn’t belong in Candor or Dauntless.

Then, the truth serum was right in front of her face. Needle shining brightly against the office’s lights. The side effects would be almost welcomed because it meant that Jack had decided to focus on her statement. The job, not her or the way his skin felt against hers.

There was a sting, and, staying truthful to his words, Jack made the whole thing quick. Questions flowed easily about the past 24 hours. A few times, he circled back to that day in Erudite, and the measures taken by Jeanine to secure it wouldn’t happen again. Eventually, Kate found herself talking about the missing keys. A feeling of dread creeped in, and even incompetence threatened to swallow her whole, but she couldn’t fight the serum to keep it all to herself.

“It’s less concerning if the keys fell out of your bag.” Jack had a pensive look on his face. “But if you can’t guarantee that’s what happened, then we have a serious problem in our hands.”

“Eric said Dauntless got someone in Erudite’s control room, so they’re gonna check out the cameras.” Her vision had started to swim, and her stomach turned painfully—damn whoever invented that serum.

“Hum… Let me know how that turns out.” Jack eyed her up and down, noticing how her skin had paled. It was time to wrap things up before Kate got sick all over his carpet. “One last question... That prisoner looked rough. Do you think Eric crossed a line today?”

There it was. It took long enough. Jack couldn’t miss the chance to try and point fingers at the other leader.

“He did his job. There’s a lot at stake here, and Dauntless followed protocol.” The clipped answer revealed her irritation but omitted her satisfaction at seeing Chris being hurt. Retribution. “You’ll see that on the recording.”

"Very well, we’re done here. The serum should be wearing off soon. I'll get you some water." Jack stopped the recording device on his desk. It was the easiest way for the truth serum to be diluted in the bloodstream. Still, she'd be talking too many truths for a while longer.

Kate took a moment to observe Jack again. He wasn't too tall but carried himself in a way that made him seem like that. Silky black hair, the white attire, and a serious expression that usually went away when he talked to her. Jack Kang was powerful, trusted, and decent in bed most of the time. Secretly, even if she had chosen Candor, the young woman didn't believe there would've been a relationship there.

Finishing the glass quickly, the ambassador stood up; the headache wouldn't give in for a while, and she almost felt like sitting down again. Kate didn’t trust her own legs. Nonetheless, there was a desire to climb into the armored truck and get a ride home. Was Eric still being interrogated? No doubt the Dauntless leader was eager to get away from Candor.

“Thank you for taking the time, Jack.” Kate offered a hand for him to shake. It lasted a second too long. “I hope this and my report will give all the answers you need.” 

“I’ll see you at the next Council meeting.” Jack gestured to the door but only followed her with his eyes. He still had a job to do—ensure that everything was alright with the new addition to Candor’s cells.

Attempting to conceal her wobbly legs, Kate made her way to the entrance. Every step was closer to getting back to her apartment and her own bed.

“Kate, one last thing.” Jack called her just as she opened a crack in the door. Kate didn’t bother to turn around, only glancing at him over her shoulder. Her stiff neck was protesting at the movement. “If you ever change your mind, we could have fun again. No one will ever know.” 

Kate had to give it to him—Jack was persistent.

“Have a good night, Jack.” Kate replied tiredly. Shoulders dropping as she accepted that this was a consequence of her own actions and it would take time for Jack to let her go. Stepping out and closing the door behind her, Kate immediately felt a known presence. Turning around fast, her eyes grew large as gray ones angrily stared at her. She got caught right handed—and by the worst-case scenario. Eric was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed, and a scowl covering his features.

She was so screwed.

Maybe it had been her fried nerves or the surprise of seeing Eric right there, catching her completely off guard, but Kate didn’t even feel as the Dauntless leader shot forward from the wall, grabbed her by the elbow, and all but dragged her to a secluded corner—a space between two walls in the empty, dark corridor. When her back was pressed against the cold surface, it violently threw her back to reality. Mere inches separated them, and the leader’s pupils were blown wide. He was mad. No, he was furious.

“You were fucking him?” His fingers pressed harder against the fabric of her uniform. Voice laced with venom and loud for everyone to hear—if there was a soul hanging around those empty halls at night. “Of all people, you chose him!?” 

“Let go of me!” Kate tried to yank herself from his grasp. “I’m not your doll to just drag around!”

When she tugged harder, Eric let go of her arm—surprised by his own lack of self-restraint—and took a step back, allowing her some room. Kate’s chest was heaving, her heart feeling as if it would explode. Kate’s mind was a mess. Having her dirty little secret discovered by someone who could destroy her... The sickening truth serum... It was all too much. She wanted to cry and scream and disappeared to never be found again.

“Inter-faction relationships are forbidden; did you forget that?” Eric looked down at her with an air of superiority, as if she were stupid. She was just as furious and couldn’t meet his eyes.

“I know the law.” Kate took in a shaky breath, trying to compose herself. She raised her chin, deciding not to be intimidated by him, and finally stared back. A challenge. “What is it to you? Are you going to tell? Go ahead.”

Eric didn’t answer. Mind reeling as he calculated risk and reward.

“C’mon, do it! You hate him, this is your chance. Disgrace us both!” Kate leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper that still sounded too loud with her pounding headache. “Destroy his reputation, maybe you’ll even get him demoted, and I’ll probably end up Factionless.”

Jack was a leader—from Candor, nonetheless—and she was a replaceable ambassador. Jeanine had said it herself: there were many who would do unspeakable things to take her place. One of them would survive it; the other—herself—would probably prefer to be dead by the end of it.

Silence filled the space between them. If Kate looked down, she would see his hands clenching into fists, veins popping angrily against his skin, and sneaking up to his arms.

“It should be easy for you.” Kate taunted. “Don’t even need to get your hands bloodied.” 

Really, it was almost comical how a few hours had changed everything between them. Kate went from the person who cleaned blood on his hands to another name on Eric’s list for slaughter. Who would clean her own blood from him?

But for Eric, her words felt like a slap in the face. Kate hadn’t judged him even after all the violence—the screams, the blood, and the sound of breaking bones. Her touch had been gentle, a stark contrast to what his hands could do. Eric damaged everything around him, even himself, and he could do that to her. In all honesty, the leader had no right to judge her. Still, Eric was only human, and the idea of Kate and Jack together disgusted him. 

Why?

Before he could think it through, Eric ended the distance between them, hands holding to each side of her jaw. He leaned in as if their lips would meet and whispered just inches away from her face. “Was it all for a good fuck? Do you love him?”

No reply came. The idea itself sounded ridiculous in her mind. 

“You’re not stupid.” Eric’s jaw ticked. “This? This is so freaking stupid. It could cost you everything.”

As if somebody needed to tell her that...

“That’s up to you now.” Kate didn’t dare to move, eyes flickering to the hallway that was still hauntingly empty. “You’ll never understand what it's like to be in my position. And no, it’s not about love; it never was. It’s about power. Everything in this damn city is about power.”

Eric knew that the truth serum was still running through her veins. Even if it wasn’t, he could see the truth in her eyes and the vulnerability in her stance. He was the youngest leader in history. Driven by power. He had done and planned to do unspeakable things in the name of it. However, hurting her, no matter how mad he was at the nasty secret, well, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You fight with your fists. Others have different weapons.” There was bitterness in her words. Her slim fingers reached for one of his hands, the one touching the side of her face—tracing the bruised knuckles that she had wrapped in gauze just the night before. “If you want to end me, go ahead. If not, don’t hold it over my head. I can’t take that.” 

Such a thing would make her crumble from all the pressure. Kate’s hand dropped, and she swallowed the knot in her throat. Eric’s gaze attentively followed the movement, and, for a few seconds, they just existed there, taking each other in—or waiting for the killing blow. The atmosphere was broken by the sound of a door opening down the corridor. Jack Kang, it had to be him—her eyes widened and Eric’s fingers tightened ever so slightly. Thankfully, the exit was in the opposite direction, and they silently waited until his steps faded away.

It was time for his move. He could drag her down the hall, call for an emergency council meeting, and blow it all to pieces. Not wanting to hurt her was one thing; losing the chance to get rid of a thorn in his flesh was another. Yet something tugged at the back of his mind. Memories about knives, grass covered by Abnegation files, and one of his sweatshirts in a much smaller frame. How fun and light had been waking up to somebody else in his apartment—even if she threw a pillow at him and called him a terrible host. No, especially because of it. 

Eric shook his head in denial before opening his mouth to speak—it was like standing on the edge of a precipice. Would he take mercy on her? What mercy even meant here? Let her go back to Erudite to continue living a lie? Or expose everything, end the whole farce that haunted her blue eyes, and wake up one day to find her body thrown from the top of a depilated building either because of her own desperation or the act of somebody else?

No.

“We’re leaving.” Not sparing her another glance, he started to walk away. Without the weight of his judgment, Kate’s knees almost buckled as relief washed over her. She wanted to cry—maybe say thank you—or ask what that would cost her. It had to cost something, right?

But that wasn’t the place nor the time, so she simply followed him instead.

They were in a different vehicle now. Earlier, part of the unit had returned in the prisoner transport that they had arrived in, leaving two armored trucks behind. Eric was driving the one at the front, while two soldiers followed on the other. Silence was deafening, and the road was too dark. Kate had never been outside so late and, suddenly, she understood the weight of responsibility that Dauntless carried—and they weren’t even on the outskirts of Amity or venturing further than the edges of the Factionless sector—real danger usually lay there. Candor was next to Erudite, so it shouldn’t take long. Yet every minute dragged by. When Eric took a sharp turn and changed course, her heart skipped a beat.

“Is something wrong? You should’ve taken a left there.” Kate asked, sitting straighter on the passenger seat. She didn’t turn to look at him; instead, her eyes darted around to try and find the danger outside.

“We’re going straight back to Dauntless.” Came his clipped reply. He took another turn, and there were even fewer street lights.

What was happening?

“Eric, I've got to be back tonight!” She protested. “You know that!”

“It’s late, I’m following protocol.” Eric kept his eyes trained on the road—hyper aware of his surroundings. “You sleeping on your own bed doesn’t qualify as an emergency to spend more time out in the open with only a couple of armed soldiers.” 

“Bullshit! This is about earlier, isn’t it?” Kate’s despair grew proportionally to the distance between her and Erudite. “Stop the car! I’ll just walk back!” 

It was a ridiculous idea. Dangerous. Reckless. Suicidal, even.

“No.” Eric gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “I’ll take you back first thing in the morning.” 

“Eric, stop the damn car!” Kate’s voice grew higher, echoing in the secluded space. 

Eric was on his last straw.

“Fine.” 

The car slowed down as Eric reached for a radio that sat on the cupholder between them. Would she really walk back in almost pitch-black darkness? There were wild animals and wild people—if you could even call the Factionless “people”. Void of any social norms, except for the few who worked gruesome jobs that nobody wanted; they had no goals, no homes, or basic means to survive. It was brutal, and it turned them into animals sooner rather than later.

“Unit 2-4, we’re stopping for a moment. Stay in the vehicle.” His tone carried authority and clear annoyance, eyes narrowing as he stared at her.

When the truck came to a halt, Kate gripped the door handle and couldn’t help but hesitate, eyes scanning the surroundings beyond the tinted windows—which made it even harder to spot possible dangers lurking outside. There was a row of burned-out street lights followed by two flickering ones. Grass was tall enough to mask danger and wait... What was that? Kate could swear a shadow of a person had disappeared as quickly as it came right next to a flickering light.

Next to her, gray eyes tentatively followed every movement. It was a gamble: Eric would never really allow her to walk back alone in pitch-black darkness. Right now, the ambassador was his responsibility, but, deep down, it was more than that. Thoughts that he didn’t want to process. If Kate really got out of the damn truck, he would’ve to drag her back—and the soldiers on the other vehicle would witness it.

Swallowing dry, Kate realized that pride would get her killed. She was too rational to die like that. There was a difference between bravery and stupidity—knowing the difference is what kept people alive. Letting go of the handle, her back rested against the seat again, and a frustrated sigh escaped her lips. Damn him. Damn the Factionless, too.

“Fuck you, Eric.” Kate didn’t even turn around to meet his eyes. If she did, the leader would see tears that threatened to spill. “Just drive.”

“As you wish, ambassador.” Eric reached for the radio again to give the order to continue their route. A single drop of cold sweat dripped down his neck while relief ran through his veins. “2-4, let’s keep moving.”

Every mile away from Erudite made Kate’s chest tighten, and she knew that whatever happened next, Eric had the upper hand. Yet, she would find a way to survive it. 

Kate always did.

Chapter Text

“One look and I can't catch my breath

Two souls into one flesh

When you're not next to me

I'm incomplete

'Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns

I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to

These flames tonight

Look into my eyes and say you want me, too

Like I want you

Oh, love, let me see inside your heart

All the cracks and broken parts

The shadows in the light

There's no need to hide.” — Ross Copperman, ‘Hunger’.

Eric has never considered himself a fool. If you don’t create false expectations, you cannot be disappointed. Prepared ahead. Expect the worst. Be the leader they need, not the one they want. However, nothing could’ve prepared him for Kate Kempton. A rather average frame, a desperate need to be liked, and hauntingly blue eyes. Eric could drown in those. 

He almost did.

If Kate was an ocean of sadness masked by a shining smile, Eric was a sinking ship, being engulfed in dark waters to fade into nothing. In their world, everyone was replaceable. Life was flimsy. Failure was unacceptable. The leader had allowed himself to show parts of him that should have stayed buried. In return? Blindsided over and over again like a damn fool. From that day in the training room to Kate’s hypothetical vote to torture the Factionless man… There was no preparing him for Kate’s actions. 

Yet, Eric had started to allow himself to be surprised by her. It was intriguing. Fun. When was the last time he had had fun before her? Maybe some random night at the Pit when River had too much to drink and embarrassed himself—and his superior—in the process. Of course, that was different. That was friendship. The one and only he allowed himself to have. Kate wasn’t truly his friend, no matter if he had told her that day back at Amity just to please her. There was no intention of being friends. Actually, what Eric wanted couldn’t be named—not yet. And now, maybe not ever.

Not ever because the truth serum had revealed more than the last couple of days at Dauntless, Eric wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping on Kate and Kang’s conversation. He was simply waiting for her. An urge to leave the marble walls of Candor behind, while also wanting to drag every minute, because that meant not driving the ambassador back to her home. Back to Erudite.

So fucking stupid.

Fuck.

Fuck him.

The thing was Eric’s inability to hurt her. Not physically—obviously he could never do that—but emotionally. Upon knowing of Kate and Kang’s affair, nothing was stopping him from demanding an emergency council meeting—expose them, get rid of that smug leader and his stupid suits, and end Kate’s life. Figuratively. She would’ve been made Factionless, maybe even exiled from Chicago. Made an example to keep people from pursuing inter-factional relationships. But Kang? Too powerful to lose it all. Demoted but capable of conquering everything he would potentially lose. A price too steep for a flimsy reward.

That’s why when Kate and Eric returned to Dauntless—silence between them too loud and their bodies no longer gravitating towards each other—he simply let her be. The ambassador locked herself in the guest room with all her words left unsaid, and Eric did the same in his own room. Before the sun came out, he left his cold black sheets and went to work, giving her some space and only leaving a note abandoned at the kitchen counter. He ordered a trustworthy soldier to drive her home later in the morning and had every intention of never speaking to her again for both of their sakes. At least, that’s what Eric told himself during that sleepless night.

Well, the leader wasn’t the only one who didn’t sleep a wink.

If there was something that Kate couldn’t possibly do, it was sleep after the world came crashing down around her. Silent tears running down her cheeks and regret burning in her chest were her sole companions as the night stretched. Tossing and turning. Tossing and turning some more. There were so many questions hanging in the air. What was the price for Eric’s silence? Would he change his mind by morning? Why would he waste his only chance of ending Jack? A mix of shame and relief coursed through her veins. Maybe becoming Factionless was better than putting on a show every single day. But why did she feel like all that shame was connected to the leader being the one finding everything out? Would she feel less terrible if there had been somebody else? 

Damn him. Damn, Eric Coulter and his stormy gray eyes. And damn her for ever thinking that she could play so many games and get away unscathed. Truth was… Well, Kate always knew the price to pay and bet everything anyway. In a world like theirs, the ultimate price would always be their place in society, but hers had been wrong for so long—since stopping her blood from burning on hot coal.

The sound of heavy boots walking down the corridor snapped her out of reeling thoughts. Kate sat straight in the bed, waiting for the moment her host would storm in and drag her downstairs to the cells. The same ones that kept a bloody Chris for days after each torture session. Yet, it never happened. For a few minutes that felt like an hour, the possibility of Dauntless guards showing up to take her away felt highly likely. When the front door finally closed with a loud click and the ambassador felt like she could breathe again, Kate basically jumped out of bed and ran down the corridor. What was she hoping to achieve? Escape the compound through the front door, heavily guarded by his soldiers? Was she even a prisoner to begin with? Should she call Jeanine and elaborate yet another lie? Hide in a low, abandoned level, probably flooded and full of death traps?

In the end, she opted for none of it. A small piece of paper placed on top of the black kitchen countertop made her stop dead in her tracks—it wasn’t there the night before. Eric’s precise handwriting was so… Characteristic of him. The man had written two lines that were enough to leave her dumbfounded. 

A soldier will pick you up at 8 to take you back home.

Don’t overthink it. It’s the right thing to do.

— Eric

The right thing to do… Kate had said that sentence so many times in the past few days. Even Eric had pointed it out. Two days ago, in that very same room, he had asked if Kate had chosen Erudite because that was right for herself or Jeanine. It didn’t matter for whom, though—those lines had blurred a long time ago. But what about now? Had Eric decided to let her go because he cared about the consequences of revealing the affair? Was he protecting her or avoiding unnecessary attention to himself at such a delicate time? Could he no longer deny that they were more alike than they should be?

As the first rays of sunshine streamed through the windows, Kate’s shaky legs found their way to the nearest stool. His pen rested next to the note, so she flipped the piece of paper backward and spent countless minutes staring at the blank space, unsure of what she was supposed to say. 

Thank you for saving my career—no, it was more than that.

Thanks for understanding? Nah, Eric didn’t understand. He found it all to be incredibly reckless and stupid.

Maybe she shouldn’t say anything.

When a sharp knock broke the silence, overthinking was over. Before she could regret it, Kate scribbled something on that paper, retrieved her bag from the bedroom, and hurried towards the front door—still wearing Eric’s oversized sweater from her sleepless night. Later, the leader would find the paper lying on the floor, swept by the wind and just waiting to break his resolve to stay away from her. A few words conveyed more than Kate probably should’ve said and, at the same time, not enough. 

If the cost is the blood on your hands, I’ll take it. Make it mine.

— Kate

Erudite hasn’t felt like home for the longest time. Precisely since the day Kate’s blood colored the water of Erudite’s bowl during her Choosing Ceremony. Still, as the truck approached Millennium Park, relief coursed through her veins, and she longed for her own bed—baby blue pajamas, stainless steel kitchen cabinets, and even the blaring sound of her alarm clock. Kate just needed a steaming shower and her bed—maybe sleep would come then, even if plagued by nightmares. She would welcome them.

Her driver had been a different one. A blond man with tattoos starting on his neck and going down both of his arms. High cheekbones and intense eyes—an Armory worker named Jace who had been pulled from his duties specifically to drive the ambassador home, or so he had told her. Once it became clear that she wasn’t in the mood for small talk, Jace kept his mouth shut, only wishing her a cordial good day as she hopped off the truck, right in front of her apartment.

Home. Lonely, stress-inducing, and cold. Home nonetheless—maybe she had taken it for granted. No matter how much she had desired to choose Dauntless, those cavernous walls would never be her home either. As her face was scanned by a camera and the whirring sound of the lock filled her ears, Kate thought that maybe, just maybe, things would turn out okay.

Maybe Eric would forget about her. Wouldn’t accept her offer of making his sins hers. Somehow Chicago could survive a few more years of walking on a tightrope around the Factionless.

Maybe, somehow… The favorite words of the desperate ones.

That feeling was short-lived as a notification popped on her phone. Jeanine wanted a debrief session in an hour—of course, she wanted one. A couple of days ago, as storm clouds formed in the skyline of Chicago, that woman had all but thrown Kate inside a car and decided that she could only return when Chris’ interrogation was over. The catastrophic sequence of events since then had been unpredictable, but the ambassador had always known that her life would never be her own—only her tragedies.

“I’m certain you’ve missed decent coffee and ambiance lighting.” Jeanine remarked as she sat at her desk. Maybe the time spent underground surrounded by darkness had made Kate’s eyes sensitive, but there was something too bright about her leader’s royal blue dress. “Sometimes, sacrifices just have to be made.”

Kate’s eyes diverted from the dress to the cup of steaming coffee that had been brought to them by an assistant. In all truth, she didn’t want to drink it—couldn’t stomach it—which would’ve been suspicious. So, she drank it and even managed to make a small noise of satisfaction as bile threatened to rise from her stomach.

“I understand, Mrs. Matthews.” Kate replied evenly when her stomach complied. “I’m glad to be back home and ready to work.” 

“Good.” Jeanine reached for a folder sitting at the top of her desk. “I’ve received your report and a copy of your statement at Candor. Very thorough. I’m happy with it unless you would like to add anything else.” 

There was a beat.

“No, I just wanted to highlight that this bunker needs to be found before the Factionless attacks claim more lives.” Kate's fingers nervously traced the hem of her pencil skirt. Blue, right as it should be. Uncomfortable, unlike the black uniform of Dauntless. “I don’t think that man was lying.” 

“I’ve spoken to Harrison about it. Dauntless will comb through every alley, basement, or crack in the walls. We’ll find it.” Jeanine's grey eyes burned into hers. “Now, I’d like to talk about something else.”

Liquid metal, so different from the stormy grey eyes of Eric.

“I’m a firm believer that the future belongs to those who know where they belong.” Jeanine stated. Eyes never leaving hers. “Kate, I’ve always known where you belong.”

Yes, her leader had always been clear about that. There had never been a choice to be made on Choosing Day.

“And you’ve proven to me that I’m not wasting my time believing in your potential.” Jeanine got up from her chair. The power in her stance was unmatched. Kate envied that. “In fact, yesterday Jack Kang gave me what could only be described as a stellar review of your work. He’s a hard man to please.”

Not if you know what to do with your mouth—Kate couldn’t help but think as she rose from her chair and followed Jeanine to the door.

“Today, you’ll see how I’ll ensure that the flaws in our system are eradicated.” Jeanine closed the door to her office, locking it with a different key. Locks were changed after Chris’ revelation regarding her keys.

“Eradicated?” Kate almost stumbled upon her heels. 

“Follow me.” 

As they walked down the corridor, busy faction members sparing a second to look at them, the word eradicated continued to echo in her mind. What could possibly be going on? Ironically, it seemed like she had Jack to thank for whatever secret was about to be unraveled. The problem was… Kate wanted nothing to do with it. Another headache, another secret, another reason for her to hate her reality even more. She just wanted to catch a break. 

The elevator’s metallic ding broke her line of thought, and as Jeanine scanned her palm on a reader, Kate’s eyebrows shot up. They were going to the basement floor where the high-security labs were located. Not long ago, it had been Kate and Eric going down that same floor. It felt like months ago, not weeks.

And a whole lot of shit had happened since then.

Doors slid open to reveal the well-lit corridors rid of any trace of the violence that had taken place there. No blood on the walls. No bullets. No curious lab techs and scientists trying to listen outside of the reinforced doors. 

They didn’t walk down to the end of the corridor, where the breach had happened. This one was just as secure, and Kate had known a scientist who worked there for a while before taking over a different project. Her mother.

“The first stop.” Jeanine pointed out as she typed a code on the keypad. The palm scanner was next; the green light sent a shiver down her spine as the door opened. “I’ll give you the codes after the tour.”

The lab was even brighter than the outside. A dozen scientists were spread around in the room, much larger than the lab she had seen before. Screens were lit with numbers, graphics, and videos of what appeared to be… Fear simulations? In the center of the room, the scene in front of her made cold sweat drip down her neck. There was a person. Frail, grayish skin, and definitely malnourished man, trapped in a chair. Bruises and blown veins indicated that they had been injected over and over until a central line was placed on their neck.

“Who’s that?” The question left her lips before she could stop it.

“Our test subject.” Jeanine walked closer, examining a chart placed on a desk. “You see, divergents are particularly resistant to our serums. We’ve tried everything to override that but to no avail. So, our focus became stabilizing the formula and mass-producing it. At least, if everything goes according to plan, the ones who resist will be easily identified as divergents.”

“Is he Factionless?” 

“Failed out of Candor and brought here.” Jeanine's eyes focused on a female scientist who was placing a vial of amber-colored serum in an injector. Fluorescent lights made the metal shine. “Give it to me. Everybody, give us the room.”

A white coat bumped into Kate’s shoulder before disappearing from the room, followed by every other scientist. The three of them were the only ones left, but now the lab felt even more suffocating. 

“They don’t know the details of the plan.” Jeanine held the serum injector, a finger tracing its shapes over and over again. “Come closer.” 

Kate’s heels echoed in the room as her feet brought her next to that poor man strapped to the chair.

“This is a simulation serum. A better version of it.” A wicked smile stretched her plump lips. “It modifies a person’s perception, allowing them to be controlled while retaining their consciousness. A vivid dream. And it will be injected into every soldier in this city, starting with the new batch of soldiers coming from Dauntless after their final testing.”

“That’s next week.” Kate couldn’t hide her surprise. “What is… What‘s the purpose of it?”

‘What the fuck’ would’ve been a better sentence. 

“Eradicate the threats to our system, as I told you before.” The leader was now closer, stretching her arm and inviting Kate to pick up the injector. “But we still need a little more time to make more batches. This is just the first step of our new phase.” 

“So… The soldiers are controlled like puppets? They lose all sense of free will?” Kate asked.

“Once the program is active, yes, but it can be deactivated through the computers here. We will use it when everyone is in position.” 

The injector felt heavy against Kate’s palm.

“And our target?”

Our. That word felt like poison on her tongue. The glint in Jeanine’s eyes told her that it was the right answer.

“You tell me. Which faction has been wasting resources with the Factionless? Call themselves selfless but rule this city as they please?” The blond leaned closer, her voice becoming higher. “Believing to be morally superior but taking and taking from us and giving nothing in return? Weeds spreading through the blooming gardens of Chicago?”

Oh, no.

“Abnegation.” It felt like a death sentence because it was. Kate could feel her stomach turn as realization hit her. It would be a massacre. Innocent children, frail elders, a population of selfless people doomed by the same thing that had destroyed humanity in the first place. 

Not lies and deception but greed.

Who else even knew about this?

A cold hand held her jaw. Nails scraping her skin.

“Salvation is one dose away. Those dogs will do everything we order them to. Starting with Abnegation.” Jeanine seemed to catch herself just as her eyes had grown larger. Her desire for power had almost taken over. “And you’ll be right by my side, Kate. My legacy.” 

She could imagine the blood. So much blood. Jeanine wanted to paint the city red, and Kate was supposed to... Comply. Help. Enjoy. 

No.

Dread pooled in her stomach. There had to be a way to stop this before it was too late. A scream stuck in her throat was pushed down for the millionth time. She was good at it. Years of doing just that: complying and helping with a fake smile to pretend enjoyment. It all had to come to an end. For that, she needed to buy time. 

“How can I help?” She calmly asked as the gears in her brain started to shift. For once in her life, Kate would fight back. Her home wasn’t Erudite or some Dauntless fever dream. Her home was Chicago. Every depilated building, dark corner, the endless Fence, and the vast crop field beyond it.

She would die for her home.

The second stop of Jeanine's tour was never made. There was a crisis somewhere to be solved—something about an initiate—so the wretched woman decided that Kate should have the rest of the day off to absorb all the information and, not less importantly, replace the code of her apartment's smart lock—a Dauntless soldier in Erudite’s control room found the footage of the break in. A Factionless man indeed stole the office keys from her apartment. He had her code, which could only mean that it was an inside job. A mole. A traitor. Something for them to investigate further.

For a second, Kate wondered if the order to review the cameras came from Eric, who—before shit hit the fan—had reassured her that a soldier under his orders could investigate or… If Jeanine had been the one to do it, upon learning that the ambassador had lost her keys. Well, did it even matter?

No. The real question was Eric’s association with the plan. How much did he know? Was he on board with it? At least Harrison had to be in it; he was the primary leader, after all. Truthfully, there was an ache in Kate’s chest and a persistent headache for just considering the possibility—a highly likely one.

And that’s how Kate spent the rest of the week: the more she wondered about it, the more her sanity derailed. As one week bled into the other, between a mix of her usual tasks as the ambassador and bits of new information provided by Jeanine, the day of the final test at Dauntless arrived. 

Erudite’s cars—and trucks—came and went out of the compound. Computers and serum vials are being delivered in enough quantities to equip an army. It was all coming together. Today, it was just a few dozen soldiers getting injected. Soon, Jeanine would control the whole faction and, one day, the entire city.

Kate’s eyes were locked on a smudge on the car’s window—a smeared digital—while her brain was focused on telling her lungs to expand.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Repeat.

The car came to a full stop, and their driver—Peter, a Dauntless soldier who lacked manners—stepped out without a word. Leaving the women there. The blue dress felt too tight, which made no sense—Kate had lost weight. No appetite as the impending doom neared Chicago. The bags under her eyes had been thoroughly concealed, and the rosy blush hid her sickly complexion. The wicked woman sitting beside her was slowly poisoning her with plans and secrets. If there wasn’t an immense amount of pressure to explain her migraine, Kate would have gotten herself checked out at the hospital.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Repeat.

That was a terrible idea. As the hospital’s director, her father would be notified of her admission.

Inhale—

“Kate, did you hear me?” Jeanine’s voice reached her muffled ears.

“Sorry?”

Jeanine’s eyes narrowed at her. A single finger tapping repetitively against her tablet’s screen. This wasn’t the time to test her patience. 

“I said that I have a meeting with Jack Kang after testing.” The leader repeated herself.

Kate thought Jeanine had plans of bringing Candor to her side, but she had never openly spoken about it. If her affair with Jack had taught her something, it was that he would never get one of his white suits bloodied. Jack wanted order, to be a neutral voice in the middle of a conflict. He would never behave otherwise.

“You’ll head back on your own and check in with the team at the lab. We need to make sure the program is locked and ready on all initiates.” The tablet was placed in her hands. A list of all the names in this year’s initiation class. “Can’t afford to make a mistake now, can we?” 

“Of course not.” Kate agreed just as their driver pulled into the loading dock. Kate had never seen so many blue uniforms at that place.

Without another word, Jeanine stepped out of the car, promptly being welcomed by Harrison and Eric, who had been supervising the delivery.

A grin adorned the young leader’s lips. Eric knew. He had to know about Abnegation.

Inhale.

He looked so pleased.

Exhale.

If Eric was willing to overthrow Abnegation and kill all those people, then his cruelty wasn’t just a reputation. It was his nature.

Repeat.

Climbing out of the car, gravel made her steps wobble against the uneven surface. Damn, those high heels; making her legs look good wouldn’t be worth anything if she sprained an ankle—or broke a bone. Now wasn’t the time for an injury. 

“Ah, Kate! Welcome to Dauntless!” Harrison greeted her with fake enthusiasm. The man looked worse than she did this morning—no makeup hiding it. “An exciting day, isn’t it?”

“Harrison.” She shook his calloused hand. “A promising day. I’m sure your initiates are counting down every minute.” 

“They sure are. We just need to rip off the last of the weeds, and we will have a strong, new unit of soldiers for Chicago.” 

Kate nodded—even if she disagreed with the term. Unable to help herself, Kate’s gaze fell upon Eric. Posture always rigid—hands clasped behind his back—not a single wrinkle on his full uniform, as the solemn occasion demanded. 

“Ambassador.” The blond greeted her as their eyes inevitably met. There was no warmth in them.

“Eric.” 

“Shall we?” Jeanine asked, checking the time on her watch. “We’re running behind schedule, and I’ve got other engagements.” 

“Follow me.” Harrison commanded after clearing his throat. Clearly, he wanted to resemble some sort of control, even if this was all Jeanine’s idea. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, it hurt more than his pride.

The Dauntless leaders guided them towards the main entrance—a place she was more than familiar with—passing the infirmary towards an elevator. Jeanine's eyes tracked every Erudite member or soldier who crossed their path, carrying the precious equipment for her plan. The elevator ride that followed was just as uncomfortable as Kate anticipated. She pretended to pay attention to every name on the initiation list, glowing brightly on the screen, but there was no stopping her flinching when Eric’s shoulder bumped into her by accident—not exactly smooth on her part.

Thankfully, the doors opened to reveal a large room on one of the upper floors. Anxious eyes of initiates followed every step of their leaders. There were senior soldiers—the curious kind—Jeanine’s inner circle and Kate also recognized other familiar faces. The trainer whose class began Eric and Kate’s showdown weeks ago—the ambassador could still remember the whooshing sound of blades cutting through the air. 

Was his name Four? 

Oh, and there was Lauren—the only female leader—talking to Four. Two people who were strangers to her so far.

Screens were scattered on the edges of the room. This way, everyone could observe the simulations. Every fear that every soldier had, facing them—and doing it fast—was the only way forward. In the center, they had placed a large examination chair with a sleek white frame and glowing orange panels arranged in a pattern—not that it needed something so eye-catching; they were all there to stare and evaluate the people who would lie down on that chair.

Kate imagined that even the most confident initiate felt suffocated. There were so many people staring. The high ceiling gave room for a mezzanine, where even more members waited. A redhead caught her attention. River was all the way up there—alone—tapping his foot anxiously as he leaned against the metal railing. Why wasn’t he downstairs with the rest of the leadership? There was something wrong with him. No characteristic smile, which was replaced by a frown that creased the lines on his forehead. Lately, she had wondered about him too. Could such a bundle of joy, a personality that lit up every room, also be planning to overthrow Abnegation? Or was River’s absence on the floor with the rest of them a nod to his cluelessness—or his refusal to take part in any of it?

Hopefully not. Kate truly liked him. There was something genuine about him. The young leader was a soldier, but he wasn’t consumed by violence. If River was a part of it, well… then there was no doubt that Kate’s judgment was broken.

I have to be right about something—Kate thought as the first initiate stepped into the center of the room. A girl with electric pink hair and purple lipstick. Voices quieted down. Next to her, a woman with jet-black hair and countless tattoos wished good luck just as she injected the simulation serum into the initiate’s neck.

As the screen revealed that girl’s deepest fears like a movie session, Kate couldn’t help but be amazed by the technology. It never failed to surprise her, even if it had been around for decades. Seeing what someone else was hallucinating. It felt empowering on her side. Although it could only be incredibly vulnerable for the ones who would sit on that chair.

In the end, the pink girl did good. 

Classmates followed. One after one, their fears were revealed. Spiders, darkness, hurting their loved ones or themselves. A guy with a shaved head was afraid of butterflies—a kaleidoscope of them almost suffocated him. Another one, a blond girl with long hair in a ponytail, used a puddle to put out the fire that engulfed her tied wrists, which prompted a tank to fill with water and almost drowned her. 

She did more than okay. Great timing. The relief on her face was palpable.

And just like that, the day continued. Some failed; others completed the task but were too slow. Others had better control. Being brave wasn’t the absence of fears but the ability to face them head-on.

What would her fears be? Something silly, such as insects? A storm? The fear of disappointing her family? Herself? Or would she see the corpses of murdered Abnegation members? Would the air smell like metal from all the blood? Was the hallucination that detailed? Kate couldn’t remember that, nor was she sure of desiring an answer.

Would she have failed initiation? Would she have thrived? Eric was older than her. Would he have been her trainer? Personally threw her out if she wasn’t what they were looking for?

“That one won’t make it.” An Erudite pointed out to another in blue. There was a smirk on her face as if this was all a game.

“Quiet.” Kate ordered. She had no idea who that member was, which meant they weren’t important. Her rank allowed her to do that even if giving orders wasn’t really her thing. “You’re here to observe, not comment.”

Her clipped tone left no room for argument as the other two moved away from her.

“Good, you’re finding your backbone.” Jeanine pointed out. The compliment took her off guard. “An important quality for a future leader.”

Oh, yes, her legacy.

“Thank you.” It tasted bitter on her tongue.

As the last initiate completed the simulation, Harrison instructed the class to wait in a different room while leadership deliberated the final ranking. On cue, Jeanine joined the others to discuss her opinion of potential divergents hiding in the group, leaving her alone. For one, Kate hadn’t noticed any patterns. Maybe they were all safe.

“I had seven fears.” River appeared out of nowhere, attempting to put a smile on his face—one that didn’t reach the eyes and looked more like a grimace. “Well, I’m pretty sure I only got over one of them.” 

“Seven is a good number.” Kate pondered. “I probably have dozens.” 

“Does any of them include a fear of what could happen to this city soon?” River’s voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned in. “If you’re here today, I think you know what I mean. And I also think you don’t agree with it.” 

“Is that why you were upstairs? You want no part in it?”

“Kate, my favorite Erudite…” River bumped into her shoulder playfully. The first sign of his usual personality. “You would offend me if you thought anything differently.”

Kate’s shoulder relaxed an inch.

“So, are you in or out?” River insisted. He had to know.

“Now you’re offending me.” She winked. “I… Well, this isn’t the place to talk about it. I just… I really need someone to talk to.” 

“Talk to Eric. That’s what you have to do.” River turned to look at his friend ahead. “You’re the only one who can change his mind. Then, text me later. We can drink our sorrows in a cool bar on the edges of Amity or… Celebrate, if he actually listens.” 

“Me? Have you tried?”

“Too many times.”

The voices became quiet around them. 

“They’re done.” River started to step away. “Go talk to him. I’ll distract them.” 

To avoid seeming so out of place, Kate picked up the pace to catch up with River, who cheerfully greeted the Erudite group—inviting them to eat Dauntless double-chocolate cake.

“C’mon, we made batches of it! No one can leave without trying it!” One of his arms looped around Eric’s neck, pulling him closer just as he whispered something to his friend, before releasing him with a pat on the back. Then, River’s blue eyes zeroed in on Jeanine—who looked annoyed—urging her and the other Erudites to follow him downstairs.

As the group walked away, guided by River and Harrison, both Kate and Eric slowed down their steps. When the door finally closed, leaving them alone, he turned around to face her.

“River said you wanted to talk. If this is about Candor…”

“It’s not.” Kate cut in—eyes fixed on his jacket’s collar. It was easier than staring back at him. A weird feeling hit her chest. Longing. She missed falling asleep wearing his comfy dark clothes.

What the…?

No.

“Actually, can we talk somewhere else?” 

This room felt too exposed—many places for someone to hide.

“Okay.” Eric pondered for a moment. Eyes narrowed as he thought of a quiet place for them to talk. “Follow me.”

Together, they walked out of the testing room. Instead of going left towards the elevators, Eric took a right, continuing down the long hallway until reaching a rusty fire door. A sign that had seen better days warned that the stairwell was deactivated. He produced a keycard from his pocket, and a red light turned green.

“Some soldiers come here to smoke, but it’s usually empty.” 

Eric opened the door and motioned for her to walk in first. Speckles of dust danced under the one flickering emergency light still shining. As Kate approached the railing to look up, she only found a couple of other lights working; the rest of the floors were engulfed in darkness.

Eric leaned against a wall, arms crossed, making his muscles pop, as he blatantly stared at her. Suddenly, Kate didn’t know what to say. There was no instruction manual on how to try to stop someone from committing genocide.

“It leads to the roof and also all the way down to the basement.” Eric explained even though there was no need to. He just wanted to fill the silence between them. “It’s flooded… The basement. Better to talk here than risk being eavesdropped on by our snipers on the roof.” 

Well, Eric definitely wouldn’t want people to hear what she had to say. Something in the way Eric held himself reminded her of earlier. Something… Casually cruel. The ambassador remembered the scene from earlier when the man in front of her appeared to be so damn satisfied with the arrival of Erudite’s serum.

Satisfied by an impending blood bath. That made her angry. That made her mad. 

“You know, people say a lot of things about you and expect even worse, but I never thought you would stoop this low.” Kate crossed her arms defensively. This wasn’t the type of confrontation that she was used to. 

For a moment, only silence prevailed. Her words were met with confusion. Then, Eric shifted in place.

“You know.” Realization hit him. The mild irritation in his face was replaced by a look of shock he couldn’t mask. The dermal piercing moved as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Gray eyes growing large. Kate had managed to catch him by surprise again.

“About the genocide you’re planning? Yes, she told me all about it.” Kate stepped closer. “How dare you? Who do you think you are to wipe out an entire faction, overthrow the government, and rule as you please? You’re not some Old World war god, Eric. You don’t get to decide who lives or dies because of your fucking agenda!”

Eric quickly schooled his features back to his usual mask of annoyance. For an ambassador used to dealing with the city’s politics, Kate was proving to be naive—which was disappointing.

“Open your eyes, Kate. Chicago is at a silent war already. Every day there are more factionless, more divergents, and Abnegation protects them, protects their own interests. That will destroy our system. Destroy Chicago.” It was his turn to step closer, towering over her. A default move to intimidate. “I’m a soldier. I’ll do what it takes to protect this city.”

Protect—Eric had lost any sense of a moral compass. That word had been twisted by Jeanine into something so acutely opposite. Was he really that far gone?

“You’re not a soldier if you do this. You’re just her fucking puppet.” An accusing finger hit his chest. She wanted to push him. Slap him. There was so much anger threatening to burst from underneath the surface that she simply didn’t know what to do with it. “I told you that you could make the blood in your hands mine. But I didn’t mean a massacre. How could you even consider following her plan?” 

Kate didn’t even let him answer. Words kept spilling from her lips just like the innocent blood he wanted to cover Abnegation with. 

"There are children there! Innocent, young children that you vowed to protect. I thought Dauntless had to protect our city from the unknown dangers outside of the fence. But it looks like the danger lies within, standing right in front of me!”

If someone was at the stairwell, surely they would be listening to every word.

“Kate, calm the fuck down!”

"Are their lives worth nothing to you?” Indignation was written all over her delicate face. “How dare you call yourself a protector of Chicago! Abnegation is a faction just like Dauntless! I might not agree with all of their politics, but I'd never hurt them for it!"

Painfully naive—Eric thought.

"Kate, sometimes blood is the only answer!” Eric raised his voice. “If you’re not going to help, let me end your fantasy right here: there’s no stopping it! There’s nothing to be done. Get out of the way before you get hurt too."

Oh.

Kate took in a shuddering breath. 

“Is that a warning? A threat?” There was no telling if this was a twisted way of protecting her or if the person that she thought she knew was truly gone, replaced by someone willing to kill her, too.

“Take it as you will. I don’t fucking care.” Eric grabbed her wrist, tired of her hitting that accusatory finger at his chest. There was no force behind it. Just cold fingers around her warm skin. “If you get in the way, Jeanine and Harrison won’t tolerate it.” 

What about him? Could Eric tolerate it? If she pushed too far, would he simply shoot her too? That was messy. Maybe simply throw her down the stairs and make it look like an accident… 

No.

Kate abruptly escaped the hold of his hand, but her feet didn’t move an inch. Actually, she stood even taller. 

Not once had she feared him. Not when he threw knives at her in front of the initiation class. Not when he tortured Chris twice. Not even now, alone in the dark stairwell. Eric could have destroyed her upon learning her secret. He didn’t.

Eric cared.

Eric cared about her.

And that was heartbreaking.

“Can you stop pretending for a minute that you don’t care about me?” Kate begged him, and both her hands found their way to her chest, pressing hard to calm herself. She could barely breathe through their screaming match. Heart pounding in her ears. 

“Care? I care about you? That’s rich.” Eric dismissed her, almost sounding offended, yet the storm in his eyes gave away that Kate was right.

“Oh, please. You undermined your own authority to keep my secret. Your chance to destroy Jack Kang because you knew that would be the end of me. I’ve pushed all of your buttons, and you’re still here.” There was sadness in her eyes. No matter how strong the ambassador appeared to be in that moment, confronting him all alone, it was the sadness of it all that Eric would remember the most. “Because you care, and there’s nothing wrong with caring. It's the most humane thing a person could ever do.” 

“Maybe I just didn’t want to see you hurt.” The words slipped out of him before he could help himself. His tongue betrayed his calculating mind. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, too.

“And what do you call that?” Kate leaned closer again. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin. “Why do you want people to see you as a monster, Eric? Let people in. Care for them. Trust them.”

Impossible.

“Trust is a liability I can't afford.” He deadpanned to her. Eric was pragmatic—there was room for nothing else.

“That’s a very lonely existence. Believe me, I know all about it.”

Eric did. Eric believed her. Felt it in his bones every day. River had been the only one who he ever truly saw as a friend. It was the kind of thought that hurt—that settled in a void space of his cold heart and ached. Even River was pulling away now. When their plan became reality, their friendship would be lost forever.

Still, there was no time to feel heartache—or the pressure against his skull getting worse at every word—he needed to shut her down.

“I’m sure you do with all your fake smiles to hide your misery.” A wicked grin painted his thin lips. “Kate, do you know what I see when I look at you? I see a sad, lonely girl who made the wrong choice and has to live with it. But guess what? You’re not that special. Everyone has their own shit to live with!”

There was barely any space between them. Chests almost touching as resignation hit her like a train. 

There was no changing his mind.

“I never thought that I was special, Eric. And I will live and die by all the choices I’ve made. Because at least, in the very fucking end, I get to go down by the consequences of my own decisions, not by being the puppet of a wicked, monstrous woman.” 

Kate turned to leave, but the Dauntless traces in her mind wanted to punch something. Do something. So, she glanced over her shoulder, blue eyes meeting gray that were still staring at her, and whirled around, her feet stopping just inches away from the leader. If there was no salvation for him. For the man who, deep down, she couldn’t deny that she cared about, then she would say her piece.

“You know what? The idea of you being a monster has never ever crossed my mind. All I see is this pathetic excuse of a man who has no guts to do what’s right. You stomp upon the weak because you can, but your tunnel vision keeps you from seeing that for her—for Jeanine—you’re just as weak as the rest of them. And when you’re no longer useful, she will discard you like the piece of trash that you are.” 

Eric was fuming. Body consumed by anger. A vein popped in his neck, another in his forehead. Fists clenching on his side. Every word hit him not because of the meaning of them, but because of who was saying it. So angrily. So sad.

“And when that happens, you’re gonna remember the sad, lonely girl who told you to fight back, but it’s gonna be too damn late!”

There you have it. She had said it all.

Eric took a step closer, forcing Kate to back away. Then again, and again, until the cold railing against her spine reminded her that there was nowhere to go. Darkness was the only thing below. The hands that reached for her were shaking but surprisingly gentle as they held each side of her face. Would he strangle her? Then, his thumb caressed her smooth skin where a drop of cold sweat had trailed down her forehead. 

“What happened to us being—what did you call it—much more alike than we would like to admit?” Every muscle in Kate’s body was tense, eyes following his every movement. Waiting for him to lash out in some way. To throw her over the railing. His hands fell from her face, and for a moment, something akin to hurt crossed his features. “Don’t worry, I’d never hurt you. And if you think for a second that I would, then that hurts more than anything you could ever say to me, Kate.”

On that note, Eric stormed out—the sound of the fire door echoing against stone walls—leaving her alone in the stairwell just as the first tear slid down her cheek. Exhaling a shaky breath she didn’t even notice she was holding, a final confession fell from her lips.

“You already did.” 

“Congratulations, new members of Dauntless!” Harrison stepped forward to the center of the room. “Before you go, there’s one final step until you’re finally one of us.”

Harrison’s voice snapped her out of it. For the past few minutes, Kate had been blatantly staring at a wall, mindlessly eating a slice of Dauntless cake. After the confrontation at the stairwell, she pulled herself together and rejoined the group, which had been eating at the Mess Hall. If her heart hadn’t been broken into tiny pieces and her head felt like it might explode, the image of Jeanine sitting at one of those tables with her own metallic tray would’ve been funny. 

But it wasn’t.

Because they were already wrapping up, only waiting for the leadership to kick out the initiates that didn’t make it, Kate grabbed a piece of cake and a napkin, choosing not to sit next to Jeanine—she needed to breathe. Half of the slice was gone when River returned to take them to a different space, where the new members would officially be welcomed to the warrior faction.

A silent question hid in River’s gaze, and Kate shook her head in response when their eyes met. There was no hope for Eric—it was what she hoped to convey. His friend got the message; whatever was left of his bubbly personality burst, being replaced by disappointment.

Refocusing on her surroundings, the new members had been chatting enthusiastically. A sea of black clothing on young, bright teenagers, who were expected to become killing machines. Truthfully, some of them had already become that—others would follow suit. Erudite stood to the side, observing in the shadows, making sure that Dauntless’ leadership would go through the next phase of the plan. The first major step before taking control of the city.

“Alright, listen up!” Eric’s voice boomed from the other side of the room. He was at the top of a rusty stairwell, hands holding on to the rail as if he had no fear of it giving in and falling down several feet. Even as they stood several feet apart, Kate could feel his eyes on her. “Before you leave tonight, I want you all in four lines. Everyone gets a tracking device. Don’t ask questions. It’s just a precaution.”

Quickly, the teenagers followed the command. Rows were formed, and the occasional hiss fell from the teenagers’ mouths as they were injected with the serum. Kate lost her appetite, abandoning the cake at the nearest trash can. At some point, the Erudite’s leader had seen enough and motioned for her ambassador to approach again.

“We’re done here.” Jeanine said as she typed a final note on her tablet. “Jack Kang sent a car that’s waiting for me outside. You know your task. I expect a full report when I get back.” 

“Yes, Mrs. Matthews.” Kate replied right as a presence was felt behind her. Before she could turn around, the person cleared their throat. 

“Jeanine, your car has just arrived.” Harrison announced, stepping closer to stand between the two women. Eric was nowhere to be found. “I’ll walk you out.” 

That seemed like an invitation for a private conversation.

“Good, this place is a maze.” Jeanine’s heavy gaze fell upon her again. “And Kate? You’ve got chocolate on your cheek.” 

It was the disdain that got to her. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth, trying to wipe it as her cheeks burned in shame. Harrison and Jeanine left her with no other comment, other Erudites trailing behind them.

“That was a lie. There’s nothing there.” Eric’s voice surprised her, making her jump in place. “Let’s go. I still got more shit to deal with.” 

Couldn’t he leave her alone?

“I can find my way out.” Kate bit back. She wasn’t sure which one was lying to her, but she abandoned the task of trying to find crumbs on her face. “Or River can do it.”

“River is conveniently busy right now. Do me a favor, keep him out of your plans.” Eric replied as he started to walk away. Kate let out a frustrated sigh before following him.

“I’m not doing anything.” 

For now.

“I think you will.” Eric kept his gaze forward. “River knows and wants no part in it. That’s fine by me. Now, if either of you two tries something, I can’t stop the consequences.”

They stepped into an elevator. The leader violently hit the ground floor button, and the doors slid closed to separate them from the rest.

“What happened to all of your power?” Kate mocked his pride. It was his weakness.

They had hurt each other earlier, and she had no problem in continuing the destruction. Kate and Eric were like that—misery loves company.

“It has limits.” Gray found blue. “So let it go.”

“Is that your conscience speaking? Your guilt? Have you come to realize that you really are just a pawn?” She glanced at the glowing floor numbers before searching for his eyes again. “In the end, Harrison is the one scheming with Jeanine at the loading dock, not you.” 

“Get out of my head, Kate.” Eric snapped at her just as the doors slid open again. Cold fury was replaced by indifference as he stepped out into the open space, and she followed. 

A few soldiers were coming and going from the loading dock. A young man with purple hair stumbled out of the infirmary with a casket on his arm and large pupils giving away the high dose of healing serum in his system—Kate almost clashed with him.

“Sorry.” She apologized over her shoulder. Ahead, the blinding sun had been replaced by twilight. At a distance, they could see Harrison closing the door of Jeanine’s ride. A car in Candor’s colors sped away. Other vehicles that had brought the Erudite’s delegation were already leaving, too. Everyone was eager to get back to their faction, wrap things up, and hit their pillows.

“There. You did your job.” Kate said as she approached the car she had arrived in. The front seat was empty, with no sign of the soldier that was assigned to it.

What was his name again? Oh, Peter.

“I’ll just wait for the driver here.” Kate tried opening the rear door, which was thankfully unlocked. “Goodbye, Eric.” 

“Someone finds Peter. The ambassador is waiting at the loading dock.” Eric commanded on his radio.

A response came right away; no one had seen the soldier since lunchtime.

Great.

“That’s not ours.” Eric’s eyes snapped to Kate, who was leaning against the seat to get a better look at a bag placed on the vehicle’s floor. It was black and dusty, tearing at the seams. It looked old and had definitely seen better days. “I think this is the wrong car.” 

It wasn’t. There were no other cars around them, only trucks. The last rays of sunshine slipped away on the horizon.

“Let me check.”

Kate stepped to the side as Eric reached for the bag. The sound of a zipper opening was followed by the hitch of his breath. For a fraction of a second, Eric just stared at the glowing countdown and the array of wires, the red light illuminating the car’s interior.

A bomb—and only 10 seconds left on its clock.

Then, his instinct kicked in full force.

“Run back inside. Now!” Eric commanded as he zipped up the bag again. 

Kate didn’t move. Completely frozen in place.

Eyes glancing around, Eric found an empty spot near the outer fence. Only a truck, no people. With no time for anything else, Eric threw the bag with all of his strength.

“Bomb! Clear out!” Eric yelled as his arms reached for Kate, and he threw her on the ground at full force. Her back collided against gravel, air escaping her lungs, before his body slammed against hers, protectively covering her just as the bomb exploded. 

The air shook—it sounded so damn loud.

Her head snapped back, teeth biting her tongue. Blood filled her mouth—an awful metallic taste.

For some reason, Kate didn’t expect it to be so high-pitched. It wasn’t like the movies, a deep, bass sound of an explosion. It was louder and higher, hurting her ears while windows exploded, showering them both with glass.

Dust covered the air like a blanket, and she finally heard the screams, followed by commands. Boots against dirt. The world had slowed down until a different sound cut through the air.

Gunshots.

Her brain focused again on what was right in front of her. Well, on top of her. Eric’s crushing weight, there was a cut in his forehead, probably from the glass. A large hand grabbed her jaw, turning her neck to both sides as he checked for injuries.

“Are you okay? I told you to run.” Eric’s voice was muffled against the ringing in her ears.

“I… I froze. I’m not used to this!” The ambassador yelled back as she tried to sit back up.

“Don’t move.” Eric’s other hand reached for his radio. “Code black. Full lockdown. Every guard to their assigned positions now. Snipers are clear to fire. We’ve been breached, gunfire from an unknown position. And get me River to the main entrance.” 

“Gate closing in 10 seconds, clear out!” —A female voice yelled on the radio.

The shrill sound of a siren went out, slicing through the air.

The gunshots sounded closer, coming from both sides. Commands mixed with more shots made it impossible to understand it all, but it was clear that closing the gates hadn’t been enough. The enemy was inside.

“Copy. On my way.” River’s voice came through. “Eric, what’s your status?” 

“I’ve got Kate. Cover for us.” Eric ordered. “Let me know when you’re in position.” 

A gunshot hit the car right next to them. More glass followed.

“Two down. At least a dozen of armed Factionless are still loose. Don’t let them get inside.” Harrison’s voice cut through static. “They’re trained.”

“Damn it.” Eric muttered under his breath before slowly moving from atop her. “Okay, here’s how we’re gonna do this. Keep your head down, move fast when I tell you to and try not to die. Use the trucks for cover until reaching the entrance. Got it?

Kate nodded, sitting back up. She could feel a burning sensation on her elbows, probably bleeding, but she had no time to check them. This was nothing anyway. She could’ve been blown up to pieces—and could still be shot by those bullets.

“In position, let’s do this.” River warned on the radio.

Eric reached for the gun in his holster. The safety switch was unlocked as he kneeled next to the car, using the car mirror to check the perimeter before motioning for her to get behind him. A soldier ran past them but didn’t stop. And somewhere near, a body hit the ground with a thud.

“Now.” Eric commanded before running towards the nearest truck, head low. Kate stayed close. They hid behind it as bullets flew past them, hitting someone behind her. She whipped her head around to stare at a Factionless bleeding on the ground, a shot right between the middle of his eyes. 

They were green.

“That was close.” River spoke on the radio. “Keep going.”

A loud bang sounded far away, in the opposite direction, making the ground shake again. 

“Another one.” Eric’s eyes caught movement ahead, a man in Dauntless clothing, and he fired twice. The body hit the gravel soon after.

“Wait, that was one of yours.” Kate’s eyes grew large in surprise.

“It wasn’t. I know the face of every soldier in the compound.” Eric reached for his radio again. “Some of them got our uniforms. Keep an eye on it.” 

“One just went down at the entrance. He was carrying another bag.” An unknown woman reported. “No bomb inside, just guns.” 

“We need to move faster.” Eric fired again but missed whoever he was trying to kill. “See that larger truck? We go to that one now.” 

“Okay.” Came her shaky reply. She could feel her hands shaking.

“Don’t be scared.” Eric was still checking the perimeter. “I got you.” 

They reached the next truck as an array of bullets was fired right behind them. Kate could see the entrance now; River’s fiery hair gave away his location behind a pillar. She attempted to take in a deep breath as they crouched behind the vehicle, but all she got was a need to cough that horrible dust.

Something warm and wet had splattered her feet. Looking down, there was a puddle of blood around them. Kate swallowed thickly as she took a better look, finding the body of a young soldier—or a Factionless in disguise—half hidden under the truck. He had tried to crawl under for protection but bled out anyway. Several gunshots in his stomach. A pistol on his limp hand. Eric grabbed it, checking for ammo—it was empty.

“Are you out of bullets?” Kate asked, still staring at the corpse. 

“Not yet.” Eric fired again and again until he was met with a dry, metallic click. No bullets left. “Fuck.” 

“Eric, what’s taking so long!?” River’s voice cut through. “Hey, you, fall back!”

“Kate, we’re gonna run. Don’t stop until you reach River, okay?” Eric turned around to look at her. “No matter what.” 

“Got it.” There was no need to say it twice.

“River, I’m out of bullets.” He glanced around the perimeter again. Seeing bullets flying around too close to their spot. “We’re gonna run.” 

“Copy, do it now.” 

Kate could see River putting himself in a direct line of fire to cover for them. An assault rifle in hand. Eric grabbed her arm, forcing Kate to get up and run. It was all a blur. The concrete beneath their feet, empty cases of bullets, and shattered glass—bodies scattered around. The droplets of blood when she stepped on a puddle.

They got behind a pillar right before another shower of bullets hit the concrete. Kate’s wild blue eyes met River’s. Eric grabbed a rifle abandoned on the floor, checking the magazine—it had bullets left. 

“Took you guys long enough.” River commented before reaching for a magazine in his pocket. “Harrison thinks they got in on a large truck. Ours.” 

“Then one of our units was killed out there.” Eric pushed Kate’s body towards River, who caught her with a hand on her waist, as the blond barked an order. “Get inside, keep her safe.” 

“What about you?” Kate didn’t want him out there. No matter what happened, she just couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him hurt. 

“I’m gonna end this.” Eric motioned towards the main entrance. “Go now.” 

“Kate, c’mon.” River was still a loyal soldier. An order was an order, especially if it meant protecting someone he cared for in such a short span of time. 

They ran towards the door, leaving the leader behind. His booming voice ordering around became distant, and just as the infirmary came into view, everything went dark.

The lights were out. A blanket of darkness covered the long hallway. Some soldiers were coming and going, only their eyes visible.

“Shit.” River muttered under his breath. “We’re taking the stairwell.” 

The duo took a right, passing the elevators. A scream was heard coming from the opposite side. Kate tripped over something solid. Bulky. Probably someone, which she didn’t have time to think about.

“Don’t we need a keycard?” Eric had used one earlier.

“Not if the lights are out.” The leader explained, reaching for the handle. “The generator should’ve kicked in by now... For some reason, it didn't.”

The rusty door didn’t move at first, but Kate and River threw their body weight against it until it gave way with a screeching sound. Inside, a single emergency light. 

“This is the same deactivated stairwell that goes to the testing room, right?” Kate asked once the door closed behind them.

“Yeah, did you two talk in here?” River approached the railing, checking the pitch-black darkness down below.

“Yes, it wasn’t exactly successful.” 

“I got that earlier, at the Mess Hall.” River swallowed dry. “We gotta keep moving. Wanna go down to the flooded basement or Eric’s apartment? One is more comfy, but… there’s only one way out.” 

“I’ll take my chances at the apartment.” The idea of being stuck underground with water slowing them down was worse than barricading the door of his apartment.

They ascended the steps as quickly as possible without falling down in the darkness. Through it all, Kate had managed to do it while wearing heels—a clicking sound echoing against the walls—but if she almost twisted her ankle, River didn’t need to know.

“How much further?” Lungs burning, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Almost there, two floors up if I got my math right.” 

They passed another flight of stairs, this one with a flickering light, and climbed another one. 

“Should be it.” River adjusted the grip on this rifle. “I’ll go first.” 

The door opened easily. Unlike downstairs, the leaders’ floor had emergency lights working in the entire corridor. It was eerily quiet.

“Clear. Keep moving.” 

Without working electricity, the door to Eric’s apartment was unlocked. She stood at the kitchen while River swept the apartment for intruders.

“Clear.” River zeroed in on the leather couch. “Help me move it. We gotta barricade the entrance!” 

Kate’s entire body ached as they moved it. She had finally ditched the blood-stained heels, thankful for the cold floor against her feet.

“Alright, that’s it.” River let out a tiring sound, heart still racing from all the adrenaline. “I’ll keep an eye out, but I don’t think anybody will climb all the way up here. Dauntless will get it under control soon. Are you hurt?” 

“No… Just scratches. Could be worse. The first bomb was in our car.” 

“Really!? You arrived with Jeanine, didn’t you?” River’s eyes grew wide. “It was probably meant for her.” 

That made sense. Jeanine wasn’t exactly liked by people—especially by the Factionless.

“I guess you’re right.” Kate sat down at the nearest kitchen stool, feeling the tension leave her body. “Eric found it. Threw it as far as he could.” 

“I gotta say, they knew how to take advantage of an opportunity. We were all so busy with initiation that we didn’t even see them coming.” River leaned against the wall, facing the front door, his body sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. He looked exhausted. “There should be some candles and matches in one of the drawers. Can you look for them?” 

Wordlessly, Kate dragged her feet to the other side of the kitchen counter, blindly rummaging through the drawers. Sweat dampened the back of her dress. Eventually, she found them, and lit a single candle, bringing a bit of warmth to that terrible hour. The curtains were drawn, but River didn’t want to produce too much light—it could draw attention.

“Keep it away from the windows… And from flammable things.” River rolled his eyes playfully. “Got a bad history with fire.”

“What did you set on fire?” Kate giggled, some tension bleeding from her body.

“An Amity field. I was high on peace serum.” River smiled as if it had been nothing serious. “Most fun I ever had. First year of leadership too, Eric put his job on the line to keep Max from kicking me out of the program and ending up at the Fence.”

“Most fun I ever had was probably when I was still a kid.” Kate tried to recall a nice memory; none were clear. “After Jeanine became our leader, she saw me as her legacy. Then, the fun was over. She made sure of that. I had the best tutors, and she followed my every move.” 

“That sucks. Is she your relative? Aunt? How did you get tangled with her?”

“No, she used to be close friends with my parents. Never had any children of her own… Then, she saw something in me. Something I never truly did.”

“Eric told me you scored Dauntless.”

Was that a question?

“It didn’t matter then.” Came Kate’s meek reply. “And it definitely doesn’t matter now.”

“Of course it did.” River pursed his lips in annoyance. “For what’s worth, I think you would’ve been a good soldier.”

“I don’t know about that. I couldn’t do anything to help today." Kate moved from the stool, sitting on the floor next to the redhead. “But I think you and I would’ve been friends.”

“Kate, we’re friends.” One of his hands let go of the rifle, and he offered it as a silent question. Something warmed her chest before she intertwined their fingers; the hold was strong.

“I wish I had someone like you back at Erudite.” She confessed while staring at the blood stains on her dress. “Can’t trust anyone there.” 

“This might shock you, but I’m not the most popular guy around here. No one took me seriously before Eric took me under his wing…” River rested his head on her shoulder, and Kate placed her head on top of his. “I was the weird kid from Amity. Then, stuff went down, and Eric started to glare at anyone who treated me badly. He thought I didn’t see it, but I did. It was surreal… And I was powerful for the first time.”

“Did he cross his arms over his chest and look murderous?” Kate giggled, imagining the scene. Still, she didn’t miss how her hands were still shaking. No distraction would take the edge off any time soon.

“Exactly like that! Scared everyone but me. And Max… Oh, and Harrison.”  River recalled. “Can’t forget Lauren, she’s the scariest of them all.”

“Gotta be tough around here, being the only girl and all.”

River took a moment to listen to their surroundings, checking if no sounds were coming from the other side of the door.

“…Yeah, she’s cool though. Scary but cool. Lauren trains the class of Dauntless born.” 

After that, silence filled the room for a minute as they tried to rest physically. However, there was one question left to be asked.

“River, why did you think Eric would listen to me today?” Kate couldn’t help herself. Although the ambassador was, deep down, afraid of the answer.

River moved, their hands still intertwined as he turned to face her.

“C’mon, Kate. I see the way you two look at each other.” His eyebrows furrowed. “It’s crystal clear for anyone with eyes. Don’t deny it.” 

“It’s complicated… I don’t know how to explain it.” Kate began. “Besides the obvious crime of inter-faction relationships, Eric wants to follow through with Jeanine’s plan while I want to stop them.”

“I think there’s still hope for changing his mind, especially after today.” He got closer to her, a burning gaze filled with honesty. “Eric doesn't do anything halfway. If he lets you see beyond his walls, it means there's no going back. It's the kind of privilege that comes with a warning, so I'll give it to you now.”

River took a calming breath.

“Kate, if you choose him, Eric could burn Chicago to the ground just to please you. You would be his moral compass. If you choose fire, he'll burn for you and with you."

That sounded insane to her.

“I’m not sure I can wield that much power over him. Besides, the last thing I want is to watch this city burn.” 

“Then tell him that again. You didn’t see the way Eric stared at me when he ordered me to protect you.” River confessed. “You don’t get it, but I’m telling you, he would totally kill me if something happened to you. That’s how much he cares.”

The lights blinked around them, and the faction came alive again, bursting their fragile bubble.

“Let there be light.” Kate murmured a famous quote from an Old World book. With darkness at bay, she cataloged the smudges of soot on River’s face for the first time. The splatter of blood of someone who got too close was a perfect match for the color of his hair.

“With you, there might just be.”

None of them moved from that floor for hours—they just listened to the sounds coming from outside and the eventual crackle of radio updates. It had been a larger attack than they had first imagined. Factionless came from all sides even after the gates were closed. Even with clear signs of training, they weren’t a match for the real soldiers, who protected the compounds and massacred the enemy. At some point, River decided to check the perimeter, taking a walk around the leaders’ floor. The door to Four’s apartment was ajar; clothes missing—apparently, he had left in a hurry. The leader reported the situation and was met with shocking news: Four had attempted to escape Dauntless and got killed on the spot. A supervisor from the main gate—who was friends with River—texted him that the now-deceased trainer had been slipping from the faction every night, claiming to be following orders from the leadership.

It was early to tell with no formal investigation, but Four seemed to be the one who trained the Factionless for their uprising. 

A traitor.

Eventually, as River and Kate raided Eric’s kitchen to make sandwiches, an order came through to do one final sweep at the compound. It was after 10 p.m. that Harrison’s voice cut through static to announce that their perimeter was secured. Dauntless remained on lockdown and would convene tomorrow for a faction-wide meeting. The injured needed to rest. There were casualties. And the city needed to respond appropriately to the threat.

For Kate, it sounded more like the Factionless sector would meet the same fate planned for Abnegation—that thought almost made the turkey sandwich come right back up.

She understood both sides, which didn’t justify the violence either way. You could only hit and oppress someone enough times before they fight back. Still, understanding didn’t justify the violence—the Dauntless soldiers who fell today didn’t deserve such a fate.

In all truth, Chicago’s delicate balance was crumbling, and maybe, no one would be left standing.

“You should go wash up that blood.” River suggested it when the clock hit 11 p.m. “It’s safe for now, and Eric should be here any minute. I’m sure you can find something of his to wear. It wouldn't be the first time.” 

A playful wink followed, prompting Kate to threaten him with a throw pillow.

“I’m not the only one who smells.” Kate pointed out. They were both covered in sweat and soot, although she had to admit to being the one who was covered in more blood.

That wasn’t even hers.

“Well, only one of us can actually go wash up.” River placed his rifle against a wall. “Just help me put the couch back in place before Eric comes back and complains about our mess.”

“He would have a meltdown if he saw my apartment.” On the count of three, they started to drag the couch back into place. “So much heavier than earlier. Fuck.” 

“Adrenaline helped back then.” He pointed out as he reached for the gun again. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m staying until Eric gets here. You’re okay.”

It was like River could read her mind. Being with him was still safe, even though exhaustion crippled him hours ago; the mere idea of relaxing or falling asleep felt impossible—wrong.

“Before you know it, your body will crash. And even if it feels… Wrong right now, things will eventually go back to normal. Luckily, humans are extremely adaptable. That edge you feel in your nerves? It’ll pass.”

Kate swallowed dry before agreeing.

“Thanks, River. Not just for everything you did back at the loading docks…” Kate sustained his gaze. It was warm. “But for the company, the protection, and your words. You’re… Weirdly wise, you know?”

“That might be the best compliment I ever got.” River smiled at her, stepping closer. “And you’re, like, super smart… And with a good heart. You’ll know what to do.” 

That felt like the furthest thing away from the truth. 

“River, do you copy?” Eric’s voice came from the radio. “Report your status.”

She felt a pang in her chest. There was no helping it. There was relief in knowing that Eric was alive mixed with the dread of everything they had experienced over the past few days. As if the Universe wouldn’t allow them to catch a break.

“Go. I’ll catch you later.” River shooed her towards the guest room. “Copy. The floor is clear. What’s your ETA?” 

And that was the last thing she heard before shutting the door.

Her brain didn’t register at first, but the guest room appeared to have been left untouched since that awful night the week before. The neat piles of borrowed clothes, the bed that smelled of Eric’s shampoo—as if he hadn’t even walked in there. Choosing to not overanalyze it, Kate stepped into a boiling shower. When the blood and grime were gone—washing away all that violence, hopefully—and every cut on her skin stopped stinging, comfort was found in Eric’s oversized hoodie and a pair of leggings that belonged to Swan.

Any other day, the queen-sized bed would’ve been inviting. Actually, she would've passed out by now. So why did her brain refuse to let her lie down and fall asleep? When a sound came from the hallway, her heart skipped a beat. It had to be Eric, right? Maybe River… Definitely not a Factionless man with a vendetta… No one could amount to that much bad luck.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Repeat.

There was nothing lying around for her to defend herself. A light metallic sound echoed through the walls, and Kate cracked the door open, just enough to peek outside. There, in the kitchen, Eric leaned heavily against the counter. Body slumped from exhaustion, arms folded tightly and braced against the cool surface, his head dipped low, hidden away between his forearms—as an attempt to block out everything that just happened. Her heart skipped another beat upon noticing the bandage wrapped tightly around his left upper arm. The bandaid on his forehead was a reminder of the glass that tore into his skin when he shielded her from the bomb. His jacket was gone; a black t-shirt was the only thing left, which allowed her to see the blood that had dripped down on his skin and traveled all the way down to his hand. The bloody aftermath of being wounded.

The door creaked loudly against the silent apartment—damn those old hinges—and Eric’s head shot up, staring straight back at her. Bloodshot gray eyes met frightened blue ones.

Kate left her hiding spot, bare feet padding across the cold floor until reaching the living room. There was only one lamp turned on, at the joined kitchen, casting shadows around them.

“Are you… Is that… Did you get shot?” Kate stared at the blood staining the dressing. “Are you okay?”

The leader crossed the kitchen slowly, taking heavy steps to meet her in the middle. There were hints of ashes in his clothes and a tear in his pants at knee level. Deep, dark circles adorned under his eyes. 

“Are you?” Eric asked.

His bloodied hands searched for bruises and life-threatening injuries. Fingers on her jaw, her neck... Traveling down to her arms. She was wearing his clothes, making his pupils blow wide and something tug at his chest.

It was exasperating. 

“I’m fine. Eric, you should be at the infirmary… Or at the hospital. Sit down.” Kate gestured to the couch. 

“It’s nothing.” Eric reached for a strand of damp hair that had fallen over her eye. “I couldn’t stop wondering if you were okay. I know that you were with River, and he told me everything was good, but… I needed to see for myself.”

“Don’t worry, I’m alive and well, less paperwork for you to fill.” A terrible attempt at a joke. “But really, you should sit down.” 

“Like I said, this is nothing. Doesn’t even hurt.” Eric insisted, eyes still scanning the small cuts made by glass on her face. If she was okay, nothing else mattered.

“Liar.” She furrowed her eyebrows in distaste. Such a strong-headed man.

“It’s the healing serum.” Eric smirked at her reaction.

“The mighty and tough leader got his dose of healing serum? I’m shocked to hear it.”

“The doctor didn’t give me much of a choice. I got no authority there.” Eric rolled his eyes at her. Not having control was against his nature.

“Good.” There was relief in her voice. She inhaled a calming breath, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “Eric, I just wanted to thank you. You saved my life, and I know words aren’t enough, but I won’t forget that.”

There was a beat.

“Just doing my job.” Eric’s hands finally stopped searching for wounds that weren’t there.

Okay… That hurt. Why did it hurt?

Eric turned around and walked into the kitchen, reaching for a couple of glasses in the cabinet and a bottle of good whiskey. He didn’t even ask if she wanted one—they could all use a drink. Kate stepped closer, leaning against the counter. Watching him from behind, she could see the marks on his neck where glass had showered him while protecting her. On his back, there was a deep cut and dried blood mixing with the black fabric of the collar.

“Just your job, huh?” A glass was pressed against her hand. For a second, the disappointment in her mind told her to not reach for the alcohol —and walk away—but the burn of a drink was inviting, so she accepted it. 

“Damn, that’s awful! How do you even drink this?” Kate coughed, feeling the burn all the way down to her stomach.

The counter stood between them, but the distance felt even greater than that.

“It’s either that or punching a sandbag until my knuckles bleed.” Eric was a bit too honest there. “And I’ve lost enough blood for a night.”

He placed the empty glasses inside of the sink. The clinking sound was the only noise around them. What was she supposed to answer? While her mind was torn between making another joke out of it or asking about the attack, the leader circled the counter and stood in front of her again.

No words left her lips. There was a desperate need to do something—say something. 

None of them moved. 

Then, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button, his strong arms were suddenly around her. Encircling her protectively, his head found heaven on her neck. The smell of blood, sweat, and gunpowder hit her nose, while he could smell his shampoo on her hair. It was calming. It was terrifying. Kate hugged him, too, hands balling around fists on the ruined fabric of his t-shirt—afraid of letting go and the world around them erupting into chaos once more.

Eric was heavy. That much was obvious. As the man allowed himself to relax against her embrace, part of his weight became supported by her. She didn’t mind—but hoped they wouldn’t eventually end up collapsing on the floor. Pressed hard against him, there was no mistaking the rapid drumming of his heart against his ribcage.

“I’m sorry.” A muffled apology hit her ears, and she couldn’t quite believe it.

“What? What are you sorry for?” Her fingers traced small patterns against his back as an attempt to comfort him.

“I’m sorry.” Eric repeated with no better explanation. Was he sorry that she got caught in the crossfire? Was this about everything that had transpired over the past few days?

When it came down to it, Kate didn’t care. What mattered—what truly mattered—is that they survived. Tomorrow was a chance to figure out everything else.

“We’re here. We’re okay.” Kate answered. “Nothing else matters tonight.” 

For just a few hours, a single night, there was a need to forget about it all. Not think about the war brewing in the city. Jeanine’s plan. The Factionless attack, or the hurt between them.

Out of nowhere, Eric let go of her abruptly—as if she had burned him—almost making her lose balance. 

A small distance was created between them. Once again, the blond was back to blatantly staring at her. The urge for an action was transparent in his eyes. As if he was fighting an idea. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he muttered a curse under his breath and started to walk towards his bedroom. Leaving her feeling the whiplash. She turned around as well, eyes following his steps. They lacked confidence.

“Eric?” Kate’s voice cracked. It was all so confusing. Today had been so much, and there was no room left for more questions or hurt in her mind. She needed him to be clearer. 

She needed him.

And he needed her, too.

Eric stopped but refused to look at her, hands balling into fists until knuckles turned white. His resolve was as weak as the thread that kept Chicago from falling into another war—if tonight hadn’t already been the beginning of one.

He breathed in.

Out.

A decision was made.

Eric turned around with purpose—he had given up on his losing fight—and crossed the few steps between them in a confident stride. 

“Fuck this.” 

Large hands reached for her jaw and engulfed her face, ending the distance with the clash of their lips. Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden feeling of his cracked lips against hers. The kiss wasn’t soft by any means. Teeth clashing and pulling—tongues fighting. It was demanding, raw, and tasted like blood and whiskey. Eric’s resolve had snapped at the sound of the hurt in her voice. Actually, he had walked into his apartment wanting nothing more than to embrace her and never let go. Keeping her in his line of sight, where nobody would ever hurt her again. He wouldn’t allow it. But Eric thought that he couldn’t do it—kissing her meant never letting go, and he would have to. Because they belonged to different factions.

When the lack of air became known, it was he who broke the kiss. Gray eyes filled with something she had never seen on them.

A different kind of storm.

“Why did you have to choose Erudite?” Eric was out of breath, still holding tight to the sides of her face. “Damn it, Kate.” 

Smaller hands touched his, and blue eyes filled with regret stared at him.

“I never had a choice in the first place.” The confession escaped her lips in a bare whisper. Emotions clouding her better judgment. “But do you really wanna talk about my Choosing Ceremony right now?”

“I want to talk about the fact that I don’t know how to stop thinking about you… Or how you make me question every single damn thing I believe in.” His lips found hers again briefly, but it burned just the same. 

When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper. Words were some of the best weapons, and it scared him to say them aloud. Confessions made real could cost him dearly, but he chose to say them anyway.

Something—someone—to hold on to for as long as he could.

“And I don’t know how to let you go, Kate.” 

A single tear fell from her eyes, landing on her swollen, red lips. What a tragedy it must be to not completely belong anywhere but find home in a person, someone you could never truly hold on to.

“Then don’t, at least not tonight.” It was her turn to reach for his lips, but with the tip of her fingers that delicately traced them. “Don’t let me go tonight.”

His gaze dropped to her hand. No one had ever been so gentle with him.

Could a monster be allowed such care?

It was an illusion—hope. They would have to wake up to the painful reality that they could never be more than whatever this was. But not tonight. In matters of the brain and the heart, sooner or later reality always comes knocking on the door. Demanding and cruel—just not tonight. Whatever war they had to wage was left outside of that apartment—outside of their hearts. It was just Kate and Eric now.

So, when Eric’s hands moved to her legs and her bare feet no longer touched the floor, Kate straddled his hips—her back soon colliding against the nearest wall. The black sheets of his bed would soon be underneath them.

And that had to be enough.