A Different Divergent Tale (Eric and Tris)

Chapter 33 (Eric's POV)

"Where are you?" I say into my phone as I pull into the parking garage. 
"In my apartment.  I was just about to call Max," Tris says. 
"Call him and tell him I'm coming up to get you," I say. 
"Alright," she replies.  I can hear the smile in her voice. 
"I'll be there in maybe five to ten minutes," I say. 
"Okay.  See you in a few minutes," she says softly. 
I hang up and park my truck.  I toss my keys to the attendant who catches them and stride quickly in the direction of her apartment.  I exit the elevator to Max locking up his door. 
"You got back here fast," he says surprised. 
"I missed my girl," I admit. 
"You didn't hit anything, did you?" he laughs. 
"No.  Abnegation is only thirty minutes away," I say. 
"I probably shouldn't even ask this but do you want me to wait for you?" he questions. 
"No, I could use a minute with her but guess what?" I say. 
"Hmm," he hums a reply. 
I lean forward and whisper, "Natalie just showed me how to block our hackers."
"You're kidding?" he says surprised. 
"Apparently she knows how to handle it," I tell him shocked that I know.  "We'll have to talk privately soon.  We'll need to train some people we trust, interrogate them first.  She also gave me some information we'll have to discuss with Jude also."
"Man, maybe we need to visit them more often," he says in awe. 
"I'm already inviting them here when we get everything under control," I tell him. 
"Things are going good," he says patting me on the back.  "I'll give you a few minutes but we definitely need to talk."
"Alright," I say with my eyes fixed on her door.
"See you down there," he says but I'm already at her door unlocking it.  I step in to see her on the sofa reading.  I stride over quickly and get on my knees before her.  I set the book aside and kiss her.  She smiles into the kiss. 
"I missed you," I breathe onto her as I kiss her cheek, her temple, her neck. 
"I missed you, too," she giggles and she wraps her arms around me. 
I capture her lips again.  My hands caress her and I feel a jolt.  I peck her lips gently and back up.  I caress her there again and she jolts more shoving my hand away.  "Are you ticklish?" I ask grinning.
"What made you think that?" she asks rolling her eyes. 
"This," I say doing it again. 
"Eric," she whines dragging my name out and pouting. 
"Sorry," I say biting her lip playfully before I kiss her again softly. 
I back away and admire her.  "Did you grow while I was gone?" I tease. 
"Probably," she laughs.  "How was it?"
"It was nice.  Your mom kind of gives off some sort of spy-like vibes but good," I say. 
"What?" she laughs.  "My mom, a spy?"
"She showed me how to stop the hackers.  She said she has Abnegation on a tight lock down and she also confirmed that someone friendly was watching us talk in her office today," I tell her. 
"That's... that's unbelievable... and weird.  We're talking about the same person here, right?  You went to Abnegation and spoke with Natalie Prior, right?" she confirms. 
"Yeah," I nod.  "Your parents want to let us in on Divergent stuff, too.  Jeanine was all about accusing them of hiding Divergents but I told them leadership and I are going to protect you.  It's like I said the magic word and I'm invited into the club or something."
She laughs disbelievingly, "It's like I didn't even know my parents."
"They're happy though—about you and us.  Your mother already gave me her blessing with you," I admit.  "Your father may need some time to process but he shook my hand when I left his office."
"My Dad?  He shook your hand?" she asks.  I nod.  "Did you initiate it?"
I shake my head, "No, he did."
"He must like you," she says.  "He's not into physical contact and only rarely with family."
I smile at that admission.  Maybe he's starting to think of me as family. 
"I'm sad I didn't get to go," she admits. 
"I'm sorry I didn't bring you.  There was so much going on that I forgot to set up an appointment for your faction visitation, too.  We actually talked about so much.  It's like they almost didn't want me to leave," I tell her. 
"Good," she smiles leaning forward to kiss my lips gently.  "Maybe they love you as much as I do."  She kisses me again.  My heart aches at the feeling of her lips on mine, her parents accepting us together, and especially her telling me that she loves me. 
I pull away from the kiss slightly sighing.  "We've got a lot to do today, plus I don't get to be with you tonight," I say frowning. 
"We'll be together all day tomorrow," she says.  "And maybe something will happen with us in public," she teases running her fingers through my hair.  I sigh shakily.  I love everything about her—her touch, her voice, her thoughts...
I kiss her once more gently before I climb up to standing.  I realize she has one of her cookbooks open.  "Is that a turkey?" I ask. 
"Or a chicken.  I was thinking of something I could try in the future.  I guess I'm just hoping to have a big crowd for Visiting Day next year," she admits. 
"That sounds wonderful," I agree.  I pull her up with me and I realize, maybe she did grow a little.  "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good," she says. 
"Let's go get some lunch.  I'm starving," I say. 
"So, how was it being in a meeting with Marcus Eaton?" she asks. 
"He was not that bad.  I actually didn't hate him.  I don't think he's the greatest guy and the problem with Four is terrible but, he honestly doesn't seem unbearable.  Maybe he's just completely different in private than public," I say. 
"Hmm, maybe," she nods. 
We leave her apartment for lunch.  We arrive to the cafeteria and I smell something delicious.  I'm almost certain we're having something we don't have too often. I get near the front of the line to have my suspicions confirmed.  "I have no idea what these are called but the lamb one is the best," I tell Tris. 
"I've never had lamb before," she admits. 
"What are these called?" I ask Ralph, the lunch manager. 
He chuckles.  "Gyros," he tells me. 
"That's an interesting name.  They're delicious, though," I reply. 
"Thanks.  I love these, too.  Amity rarely sends us lamb," he says. 
I smile at him as he puts a fresh tray of lamb out. 
"There's a beef and lamb mix or just beef if you don't want to try it," I tell her. 
I grab two of the lamb ones.  She gets a mix.  I select the raw onions, tomatoes, lettuce, feta cheese, a pickle spear, and the sauce that I'm not even sure how to pronounce even though I see the name.  I observe Tris get the same but no onions.  I grab a bag of pita chips and hummus.  There's a cup of raw vegetables and I get a big one of those.  Tris gets the mini portion.  She gets a smaller portion of hummus, too.  I see some baklava and I grab one for each of us.  I'm not usually a dessert eater but this stuff is the best.  I decide to get the lemonade on the way out and she grabs an iced tea. 
I put my hand at her waist as we exit the line.  Four is watching us but looking away often.  I realize he does look a lot like his father.  He has the same eyes.  I'd never been so close to Marcus before to notice but now that I have, Four looks like a younger version of his dad. 
We take our seats and I sit beside Lydia.  "There you are.  Where've you been all day?" she asks. 
"Visiting with the future in-laws," I whisper jokingly. 
"You went to Abnegation?" she asks surprised. 
"Yeah," I nod.  "We're going to have to have a meeting soon with all the stuff I learned today."
"Hmm, well at least it was productive," she says. 
"Unbelievably so," I nod taking a bite of my gyro.  These things are fantastic. 
"This is incredible," Tris says.  "What the heck do they put in these?"
"I know there's garlic in there," I mention.  "But I'm not so sure about the rest."
"So... we'll need some gum after lunch?" she laughs. 
"Probably," I grin. 
I watch as she dips a slice of red pepper into her hummus.  "What is this dip?  It's really good," she inquires. 
"It's mostly ground chickpeas.  It's like a bean, cooked and mashed.  I think they put garlic, olive oil, sesame seeds, and maybe lemon in it," I say. 
She smiles.  "Do you cook much?" she asks me. 
"A little bit," I admit.  "Mostly just boxed macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, soup... things like that.  I can make grilled cheese.  I've also caught fish at the pond and cooked them."
"I've never been there," she says. 
"Maybe I'll take you sometime.  My grandma had a cabin there that we used to use," I explain. 
She smiles excitedly, "That sounds like so much fun."
"It was," I tell her. 
"Just don't eat the bread there," Jude says sitting next to Lydia. 
"Why's that?" I ask. 
"Amity puts peace serum in their bread," he says. 
"What does it do?" I ask. 
"It mellows out their population," he says. 
"Crap, I ate that bread so much as a kid," I admit. 
"That must be why you're such a pansy," Ryan teases.  I toss a stick of celery at him.  It hits his chest and falls onto his plate.  He laughs and dips it into his hummus. 
"Next time I go, I'm stocking up on bread before I leave," I say. 
"You know we have peace serum in the vault," Ryan says. 
"I meant our bread, genius," I say.  "I'm not bringing that crap back here."
"Ah, now I get it," he nods. 
"What'd you think?  That Eric needs to get high on peace serum?" Lydia teases. 
"Maybe he needs to loosen up," Ryan shrugs. 
"He just met his future in-laws so maybe," Lydia jokes out loud. 
"It sounded like my parents actually liked him," Tris adds before eating a carrot.  I'm surprised she didn't sound offended... or even uncomfortable at that thought.  I smirk smugly at that. 
"I thought Max was training you," Lydia says. 
"We talked on the phone," Tris explains. 
"We had a conference call in the training room storage area," Max adds. 
"It sounds like everyone was involved," she says sadly. 
"Don't worry, we'll let you in on it," I say.  "Let me make a phone call in my office and we can meet in the conference room."
She nods in understanding.  "Who are you calling?" she asks. 
"Jeanine," I admit. 
"Yeah, I want none of that," she says shaking her head. 
"Neither do I," I mumble. 
I notice Tris's tray get pushed away but she grabs her baklava and a fork.  She takes a bite and looks at the dessert questioningly. 
"It's good, isn't it?" I ask. 
"Yeah," she says surprised.  "It's just this flaky stuff and nuts?"
"Honey, too—I think," I say. 
She nods and finishes it.  I take the remnants of her gyro and stuff the onions that fell off of mine into hers before finishing it off.
Tris sips her tea until I'm finished.  "You ready?" I ask.  She points at my pocket.  I grab my gum and offer her some first before I take my own.  We grab our trays and take the back way up to the offices.  Tris stops at the members' entrance room, opening it up with her fingerprints.  The door buzzes open and the net is gone. 
"Maybe next year, sweetheart," I say closing the door. 
"Yeah," she says sadly. 
We ride the freight elevator up, then the second one.
"I need to call Jeanine.  Do you want to stay in your office for a bit?" I ask. 
"Do you think it'll be a problem if I hear your conversation?" she asks. 
"It doesn't bother me but if she knows I'm not alone, she might not tell me everything she wants to say," I admit. 
"Will you let me know, then?" she asks softly. 
"Of course," I whisper.  I walk her to her office and have her start on her paperwork.  I step back to mine and sigh before grasping my office phone.  I look at the time and see she should definitely be in her office by now.  I'm just hoping she's not already on the phone or in a meeting.  I dial her office number that I know by heart and it rings twice. 
"What is it, Eric?" she asks.
"I requested a census to be done.  I'm training our next leader here and we noticed the numbers aren't current.  Abnegation agreed to run one.  I'm just giving you a heads up that they'll be sending you information soon," I explain. 
"A census?  I don't recall ever doing one," she says. 
"Neither do I , that's why I asked," I tell her. 
"So, you have a leader-in-training?  Anyone I know?" she asks. 
"Tris Prior," I tell her. 
"Really?" she asks raising her intonation surprisingly.  "What has she done to get such a prestigious position handed to her?"
"She ranked first.  The second and third weren't leadership material.  She's actually a perfect fit for us," I explain. 
"That's interesting.  I actually liked her the two times I've spoken to her recently," she says. 
I find it odd that she admits to liking anyone but a thought occurs to me...  "Two?" I question confused. 
"I spoke with her at the Choosing Ceremony.  I was hoping she would choose Erudite but her brother is a good fit here, very easy to bring in under my wing.  Perhaps she will be as good for you as young Caleb is for me," she says and my stomach turns as she speaks of her brother in such a manner. 
"I guess time will tell," I say. 
"I suppose so," she replies.  "Anything else to add?"
"That's all I've got for you," I admit wanting to end this as soon as possible. 
"Let's not waste time on pleasantries then," she says and there's a dial tone.  I hang up my phone, relieved it went so well.  I'm concerned about Tris's brother, though. 
I decide to get Tris and work on security from my office.  She sets her things on my coffee table and comes around to my computer.  She leans over me watching as I open up the same network that Natalie showed me.  I've never done this before but I am a quick leaner—not as quick as Tris, though.  I slowly start to search through the network, punching in codes and blocking off access.  It takes longer than I expected and I feel Tris slump against my chair. 
"Falling asleep, sweetheart?" I ask. 
"Hmm," she says.
I turn and grab her as she leans heavily against me.  I pick her up and carry her to the sofa.  I situate the pillow before laying her down and covering her up. 
I step back to my desk and continue for a while.  I'm shocked at how easily I'm blocking off outside access.  It took some time initially but now that I've got it down, I feel like it'll be easier to maintain.  I don't touch the top line of code like Natalie said, though.  This must never be touched, she insisted. 
I honestly wonder who was calling her.  It's obvious it was whoever was watching us.  Perhaps they have someone who's the equivalent of Jax for us...
I shake that thought out of my head and I'm actually surprised when I've gone through the entire system.  Check it often, she said.  Especially when you're expecting to talk about extremely sensitive information.  You can lock them out from viewing old files but they can still get into live feeds.  Turn off all computers when not in use.  They can't hack a computer that's off.
I sigh as I check once more.  Nobody was currently hacking the system but I saw holes in the system from previous attacks. 
I call Max.  "We're free to speak.  I've cleared our system.  Did you want to meet with everyone and let them know what's going on?" I ask. 
"Yes, definitely.  I want Jax up here for this," he says. 
"Tris is asleep," I mention. 
"Do you think we should wait?" he asks. 
"It's up to you.  I can leave her a note when she wakes or we can wait for her.  I'll definitely fill her in though if we start early," I explain. 
"Let's get started then," he says. 
"Alright.  You get everyone situated.  I'm keeping an eye on my computer to make sure nobody is breaking in," I tell him. 
"You have to keep a constant watch?" he asks. 
"Why don't I just explain once to the whole room?" I suggest. 
"Fair enough.  I'll meet you in there," he says. 
I write a note for Tris to join us when she wakes and set it on the coffee table next to her.  I carry my computer across the hallway.  I plug it into the projector and have a seat there.  Jude is the first to enter the room. 
"It sounds like you've had an incredibly productive day," he comments. 
"Yeah, so I've got a question for you.  Natalie told me about the various serums in the vault.  She said we should use a particular serum for interrogation, for teaching this to people we trust.  She recommended a light green serum instead of the truth serum.  I think I've seen it but never had access to most of them," I explain. 
"The honesty serum," Jude nods. 
"So, you know them?" I ask surprised. 
"Only the head of Dauntless leadership has access to them all.  I don't think we've even used much in there.  We've replaced the truth serum a couple times though since we've used it for interrogation," he explains. 
"Do you think we need to question Jax with that?" I ask.  "I trust all of leadership and I have trusted Jax, it's just that that's what Natalie recommended we do."
"We can vote on it," Jude says.  "It usually takes him longer to arrive."
Everyone else files into the conference room and I ask what they think. 
"I don't know about that.  We all trust Jax," Lydia says. 
"Maybe we could start with basic questions and see how it goes," Max suggests.  "He's always been the most trustworthy.  He would've been a leader had he not turned it down."
I recall what Hale said the other day and I can understand why Jax wouldn't want to be moved up.  He already has great responsibility now but his duties would be more than doubled as a leader, leaving less time with his family.  He'd also miss out on weekends and evenings with them like we do sometimes.  He's only brought in on absolute emergencies at times and those are rare. 
"I agree with Max.  I think Natalie just wanted us to use it on subordinates, not our inner circle.  Jax is a part of that.  If he happens to say something evasive or seems to be dodging questions—which I doubt—then we could use the serum," I say.
I monitor the network while we wait and nothing happens. I'm actually grateful it's going so well. Jax finally knocks and enters the conference room. We begin to ask him questions and he answers them perfectly. He even offers to let us use a serum on him to test his loyalty—knowing full well that we have them since he's been present before as we've used them.
"Let's vote," Jude says. We all raise our hands and decide he's trustworthy enough to go without. I'm about to start my presentation when there's a knock on the door.
Max calls them in and Tris opens the door.
"Come join us," Lydia says patting the seat beside her. "Eric was just about to start."
She smiles and looks at me. I check over the network once more to see that it's clear. I explain where the gaps were in the system, how I've closed and blocked them. I show them all how to go about checking the system, the passcodes and parts to change.  I write down the additional codes on the dry board and I see them all taking notes, except for Tris.  I smirk knowing that she won't forget these. 
"Try to memorize these so if there ever were a break-in, we won't have a further security kerfuffle," I say. 
Max laughs.  "Nose," he teases. 
Ryan chuckles. 
"Yeah, yeah," I wave dismissively.  "Does anyone have any questions on this so far?"
Jax raises a hand.  "How are we all going to handle this in the future.  We're all quite busy.  Are you looking to appoint a staff to manage this full-time?" he says. 
"That's exactly what I was thinking," I respond.  "I was considering some staff already familiar with the surveillance and computer systems.  You could select those you think are most trustworthy and reliable, those who work a shift to give us full coverage at all times.  We could see if they're willing, interrogate them, promote them and train them."
Everyone at the table nods and pounds the table in affirmation.  I smile. 
"Next order of business?" I ask. 
"I've got it," Max says.  "You go monitor that system of yours.  It'll probably take me some practice before I've got it down."
I nod and walk back over to my computer keeping an eye on it. 
"So, we discovered looking over our population counts that the numbers in the system are way off to what we currently have. Just the initiation counts, birth rates, and male to female ratios are wrong to date. Eric and Tris discovered that the city hadn't done a census in over fifty years. He requested one and Abnegation agreed," Max explains.
"I remember the last one," Jude says. "I was less than ten so it's been a while. Dauntless has changed over the years. I remember more families then. My initiation group had over a hundred Dauntless-born alone."
"That's incredible," Lydia says. "Mine had maybe thirty Dauntless-born and close to that in transfers, too."
"How many made it into the faction?" Ryan asks curiously.
"I don't recall anyone ever getting kicked out," Jude says. "The training was more physical, spending the whole month earning points to stay. There was a little mental aspects but nothing as it is now. There was a fleet of trainers. We had over twenty for the Dauntless-born. We always had one on one attention with them."
"That sounds incredible," Tris comments.
"It was," Jude agrees.
"We were talking about changing up initiation next year," Max says. "Tris brought up that we had around forty dependents before the Choosing Ceremony. Only eleven stayed. Maybe we ought to change things back to the way they were."
"I'm for it," I say.
"But you were wanting to switch up training the last two years," Ryan points out.
I sigh and double check my monitor, "Yeah. I made a mistake. I listened to Jeanine's advice. Now I'm thinking it was bad advice. Maybe she had seen our numbers decline and wanted Dauntless to disappear so she wouldn't have anyone with real strength to stand up against her injustices."
"That's pretty big of you to admit when you've done wrong," Lydia replies soberly.
"We all have," Max says. "This faction has been dwindling in size for a while but the real problem may be my fault. I've been eliminating many of the females—not intentionally, though. Many of them can't beat the males. Even Lynn couldn't beat Uriah. Maybe we should separate them—have the females fight each other and rank them according to their skill like that."
"That would probably help with the sexual harassment issue, too," Tris adds.
"Yeah, I even had problems in my initiation," Lydia mentions. "Maybe we should separate them."
"Should we vote?" I ask.
Everyone pounds the table, even Jax with a smile.
"All in favor?" Max says.
We all raise our hands. "It's unanimous. We'll work on a plan for next year," I say.
"Yeah, but... how are you thinking of getting them to stay?" Lydia asks.
"Good point," Jude chimes in.
"Will, our new aide, brought an issue to our attention," Max starts. "He was saying that he helped on the school newspaper staff with layouts and some writing. He was talking about how the current city newspaper in Erudite is filled with hearsay and libel."
"You sound like Jack Kang," Lydia chuckles.
"He may be right," Max agrees. "Abnegation mentioned that in the past, census information was published in the paper, but it may be slanted due to the bias of their leader."
"I agree. I know Jeanine. This is intentional. She's trying to cause dissent on a citywide scale," I chime in.
"What can we do about that though?" Ryan asks.
"Tris mentioned to Abnegation in our conference call that each faction could make up their own newspaper," I say. "We could start out with something small, like the front and back of a sheet of paper. We could spread it around the faction and even give it to the other factions as well."
Lydia laughs, "That's amazing. I'd love to hear about more that's going on inside the city, especially from an insider's perspective."
"But wouldn't Erudite have a problem with that?" Jude says.
"They might. I'm almost certain it will piss off Jeanine," I say.
"Yeah, but everyone can form their own opinions," Lydia says. "The city paper is more like a tabloid at this point."
"That's true. It's full of opinions and garbage," I agree. "I get the paper daily but I would read the others as well."
"Who would start the paper though? I mean, who would be willing to write Dauntless news?" Ryan asks.
"Since Will brought it up, I actually asked him after lunch. He was flattered and already started a layout for me," Max says.
I grin at this admission.
"I love this idea," Jude comments.  "I'm all for this."
"Shouldn't we vote or something though?" Tris asks.
"We already have Abnegation approval. They're the governing body over us. It's like they just gave us permission—the same with the census. We're just letting the others know," I explain for her benefit. She smiles and nods.
"What's he planning on writing about?" Lydia asks intrigued.
"He's starting off with the new members. He's putting their ranks, pictures and job selections for the whole faction and city to see. I mentioned that we'll be having a census so to write something about that. He'll meet me in my office for an interview either today or tomorrow. Let's see... he was interested in writing about the incident with Molly and the city paper. I gave my approval for that. He will probably be interviewing others, including Tris who should probably just state truths only. I recommend you don't say anything that can be used against you as fuel to anger Erudite," Max says.
"This is a good idea," Jude chimes in.  "We should definitely put that in first along with the new members."
"What would you recommend I say though?" Tris asks about the previous article interview.
"Well... that at the time you were out of faction on a trip, that nobody ever made any effort to interview you. That what was said in there was untrue and tell them what your parents were really like. I would emphasize discipline in the home since that's what was in question," Max suggests.
"Yeah, my worst punishment was a scolding or being sent to bed without supper. That was when I was really little, though," Tris says.
"That would be perfect. It's true. Erudite can't dispute it, even if your brother says his situation was different," Jude nods.
"Do you think he would lie?" Tris asks.
"Jeanine told me earlier that she has a great interest in Caleb, that she's taking him under her wing. I'm actually concerned about him being in that situation with her. If she finds a weakness, she may coerce him into anything she wants," I admit.
Tris looks devastated. I reach over and rub her back.
"We'll do what we can for him," I tell her softly. She meets my hand on her shoulder with hers and squeezes it slightly.
"What else do we have to discuss?" Jude asks.
"The Divergent," I point out.
Jax looks disbelievingly at all of leadership but he notices our serious expressions.
"I was under the impression that this idea was an urban legend," he says confused.
"It's real," Jude says.
Jax looks lost and kind of overwhelmed.
"They are able to think differently. They can easily fit into more than one faction," I explain as I closely monitor my computer. "They can manipulate simulations under serums and can do the impossible. Outside of that, in the real world, they just are more well rounded. They take on attributes of two or more factions."
"Could you give me an example?" Jax asks.
"Someone could be honest and brave," Lydia says.
"Or intelligent and kind," Ryan adds.
"Or brave, intelligent, and selfless," Tris says listing her results.
Jax nods. "That kind of sounds like everyone, though. I mean, I'm brave. It's my defining characteristic, but I'm also honest. I'm kind to my family and strict with my team. This just sounds like everybody."
"It kind of does," I agree. "Jeanine believes people that test this way under simulations—who are kind of split evenly with the way they think, rather than having one definite trait—should either be executed or brought to her for study."
I look to my screen to make sure it's clear then back to Jax. He looks absolutely disgusted by what I've said.
"Forgive me for speaking ill of a faction leader but how is it that she thinks that is acceptable?" he responds.
"She's warped," I shrug.
"How in God's name did someone like that become a faction leader?" he questions outraged.
"She killed my parents," I admit.
I see an expression that's never crossed his face before and he has to reign in his temper.
"That's just an accusation," Max points out.
"When I spoke to Natalie today, she told me it was true. I have no idea how she was aware but she confirmed my suspicions," I tell them.
"Perhaps we need to reinstate the police force," Max suggests. "We also need to work more closely with Abnegation and probably Candor considering what's going on there."
"I agree. We need to pull these barriers of separation away from us and communicate better," I say. "If we want to have peace in this city, this needs to happen. I feel like Jeanine is prepping our society for war. That's not what we want. That's not what our society wants. We need to work together to overcome these personal biases of hers she's shoving down everyone's throat."
I see everyone in the room nodding with me but when my eyes land on Tris, she's looking at me in awe, as if she's just seen who I really am, as if she's actually seeing what's truly in my heart.
"How can we protect these people Jeanine wants to annihilate?" Jax asks.
"By working with Abnegation. I've already invited the Priors to visit once we have our system up and running. I won't be able to meet with them if I'm the one running this," I say nodding to my computer.
"Okay, so first order of business is to select a crew from the two departments and have a crash study course," Jax says. "I'll meet with the soldiers I have in mind and we can interview them first thing in the morning tomorrow with leadership if that suits you."
"Don't put Four on that list," Max says.
"I would hope you'd know me better than that," Jax laughs. "He's not being considered for anything until he proves himself for a year or two."
"Good man," Max responds patting his back.
"Anything else?" Ryan asks.
"I think we're done with Jax. There's a leadership only issue I want to discuss," I say.
"Alright. Thank you for the information. I'll start on this immediately," Jax says standing. He salutes us and we all nod before he leaves.
"What else do you have for us?" Lydia asks curiously.
"Natalie also mentioned a serum in the vault. She said the light green one would be better for interrogation of this type of training," I explain.
"I don't even know what all of those are," Ryan says.
"Only I have access to them all. Let me get my list and I'll be right back," Jude says standing.
He leaves the room.
"That's really how you feel," Tris says scooting closer to me. I remember that look she gave me just a moment ago.
"Yes," I admit easily to her. She squeezes my hand as Jude enters. She moves her seat back again but glances at me smiling.
"Okay. This is the list of the serums in the vault storage. We don't really use most of them. The information I was given by Egan before he retired says that these were the serums used during the formation of our society," Jude explains. He passes the list around and we all take our time looking the list over.
"Egan explained that only the head leader has the ability to use them all," he shrugs. "If we need some though, I have the ability to grant access to certain ones or all of them for that matter."
"Natalie mentioned that head leaders only have access to all of them in Abnegation, too," I agree. I reach for the list and Tris looks at it over my shoulder.
"Peace serum, death serum, paralytic serum, truth serum, honesty serum, memory serum?" I question as I read some of the list.
"That's the Abnegation serum," Jude says.
"The grey one? In the big drums?" I inquire. "I thought it'd be like the peace serum."
Jude sighs heavily, "If we were ever overrun with a faction-wide mob, we're supposed to use it. It's for population control. It's intended to stop mass genocide."
"Not calm a mob?" Lydia questions.
"I know it sounds awful. It's not my idea for sure but I can understand why the founders put it there. If... say an entire faction surrounded us and were revolting, looking only to be satisfied by blood, we're expected as the leaders of our society to save mass amounts of life with drastic measures.  This is the one way—as protectors of our society—the brave and fearless are to rescue the people from themselves," Jude explains.
"What exactly does the Abnegation memory serum do?" Tris asks.
"It wipes the memory. It can be injected with syringes, drunk in various quantities like the aptitude test, or even used as an aerosol spray. Different amounts can be administered. The whole syringe can wipe an entire memory with the exception of things like breathing, walking, speech... you know, basic functions. Small amounts can wipe shorter memories like something that just happened," he elaborates.
"This is terrible," Tris says.
"Yeah, I didn't know this one," I add.
"What's this control serum?" Tris asks as we pass the paper to Lydia.
Jude grabs a piece of paper from the stack he brought in and reads, "It says here that you can inject someone with it and control their actions. It says they're susceptible to suggestion. There is a program I have access to in our system that will place the person in a simulation in the mind but their body proceeds with the actions I suggest in the program."
"That sounds horrible, too," she replies.
"Yeah, it does," Jude agrees. I nod as well, Max and the others following.
"Why would we even have such a thing?" Ryan asks.
"My information doesn't have a reason why," Jude tells us setting down his papers.
"This is just an assumption on my part but it's likely at the formation of our society, that our governing body thought that all serums were vital," I suppose.  "It could have been created for a purpose—it may have been good or bad. I mean, our society supposedly destroyed itself. It's possible that someone with Candor or Erudite traits thought that all serums ought to be preserved, regardless of what was done with them—for the sake of historical preservation maybe."
"That sounds likely," Max nods.
"Yeah," Lydia agrees.
There's silence in the room. "Do we have anything further to discuss?" Ryan asks.
"Andrew said he'd send me information on the census. I just haven't even checked my email yet today. I could see if it's there. I should've probably informed him that I spoke with Jeanine, too," I mumble the last bit.
I see that nobody has attempted to breach our system and change the screen back to my home page. I open my email and see several from Abnegation. The first is an invite to come and speak with Andrew and Marcus. I close that. I can't believe Natalie didn't tell him I was coming. The next has all the information with the census. There's two others.
"If everyone wants to grab your computers, we can go over the census now," I say forwarding them all a copy of the message and attached files.
"We can do that," Max agrees.
They all stand and exit the conference room. I send Andrew a message saying that I've spoken with Jeanine and it went okay with the census information. I read the other two messages, one from Andrew thanking me for the visit on behalf of himself and his wife. I reply to that. The next is oddly from Marcus Eaton. He thanks me for my time and says he appreciates Tris and me bringing this issue to his attention. He also thanks us for our informed suggestions and looks forward to our future successes in the city. I'm incredibly surprised by this. It takes me a moment but I thank him and respond politely to each of his points. I notice a new message pop up from Natalie saying that Abnegation can pick up food donations starting Monday morning after each meal. I respond thanking her for setting everything up.
Max and Tris return the fastest to the conference room when I'm finished.
"Could we have used the projector for this?" Tris asks.
"We could," I nod. "But I'd prefer us all to read it first and we can pull up a specific page on there to highlight."
"That's true. This print is small. It'd be difficult to read on the screen," she notices as she must be opening the files.
"We may have to explain to our faction that people living together is different from marriage. Perhaps we ought to let Abnegation know that. I have performed very few marriages," Max comments.
"We could just consider them roommates, even though they're having the benefits of marriage without the commitment," I say.
"Is that really so common here?" Tris asks alarmed.
"Sadly, yes," Max tells her.
"Zeke and Shauna live together," I point out.
She frowns at that. "I was glad that Christina and Will didn't share an apartment," she comments.
"Yeah, that's probably best," I agree.
Lydia, Ryan, and Jude all join us.
"Wow, this is extensive. Is everyone in Dauntless going to understand how to fill this thing out?" Ryan asks.
"We were just talking about all of the couples living together. I haven't performed many marriages over the years. Some live together with kids, some just live together with none. Maybe we should call Abnegation and ask the question," Max says.
"I think we'd be better off calling Natalie Prior over anyone else in Abnegation about this," I say.
"What makes you say that?" Tris asks.
I think about my metaphor earlier about Jeanine and I can't exactly come up with a better way of expressing it to my girlfriend. "Well, we were talking and it seemed easier for your mom to understand the Dauntless behaviors better than your father," I say. I don't even know how I just pulled that off. It's like I opened my mouth and the words just came out.
"You're probably right," Max nods.
"Why don't we go over the whole census, write down all of our questions and ask them at once," I suggest.
"That would probably be for the best," Jude agrees.
"I don't see it on here but what if someone is gay?" Ryan asks.
"Which part are you looking at?" Lydia questions.
"Like married or whatever," he shrugs.
"We'll put that on the living together question," Max says making a note.
"This whole what grade completed part is confusing," I mention. It's law that all dependents attend school.
"I think they use this for Factionless, too," Jude states.
"You might be right," I nod.
I scroll through the whole list of forms and it's not too bad. There are parts about skin color and eye color for individuals that may be harder for some. There's white—which I'm assuming they mean me—black, and various shades of brown. It's kind of subjective but I guess they're just figuring out statistics. Jobs, pay, and rent should be easy for most.  It's the family aspect that may be difficult for some to answer. Tris called that living in sin. It is a little difficult to describe because it really isn't the norm in the city. People are just doing whatever they want.
"Has everyone finished reading?" I ask.
"I think we all have," Jude says.
"Any other questions?" I ask.
Everyone shakes their heads. I pull out my cell phone and dial up Natalie again.
"This is Natalie Prior. How may I be of assistance?" she asks.
"Natalie, this is Eric. We have you on speakerphone. Dauntless has a couple questions about the census," I say.
"Wow, that's fast. I doubt anyone else has even looked at it," she replies.
"We get things done here," I tell her. "We've already handled our security issues and our head of the guard is currently looking into officers to train in the future."
"You really do work hard there," she comments. "So, what questions can I answer for you?"
"We were curious about Dauntless that don't fit into the marriage category—the couples living together in the same household. Does that count as roommates? Some have children together, some not..." I explain.
"That is a difficult question. Let me look at it. I'm opening the file now," she says pausing.
"Yeah, these are typical questions for Abnegation. We all have a strict code of conduct to follow when it comes to courtship. Let me speak with a few people and we'll have to get back to you on this."
"I've got one more question. I doubt there's many in Abnegation but Ryan was wondering about homosexual couples living together. I think there may be a few here," I say.
"Have them list as roommates and nothing else. The purpose of this kind of census is to count the population but also to project the possibility of future reproduction within the city. The whole point from what I'm reading is mostly to predict and see potential population growth. Those couples will have no growth," she explains.
"That makes sense," Max responds. "We could easily see the possibilities with male and female population counts. All males make it easy to see there will be no future growth, hence our problem here."
"Yeah. The city wants babies. That's what it all comes down to," Natalie replies.
"You hear that Tris and Eric? Even your mom's talking about it," Lydia chuckles.
"What?" Natalie laughs.
"Lydia is dreaming of blonde haired, blue eyed grandbabies for you," Max informs her.
"Really, Lydia?" Tris says blushing.
"Maybe in the future," Natalie says. I can hear the smile in her voice, though.
"They're our first leadership couple. That's why we're all so excited," Jude explains.
"I didn't know that," Tris's mother responds. "I really am happy for you two."
"Thanks mom," she replies.
"I'll look into the unmarried couples. We may have to send you a newly created form or alter the current one. I'll have to see if it's a problem in the other factions as well. I'll get back to you quickly though since it sounds like you're working hard to get things done," Natalie says.
We thank her for her time and end the call.
"Alright. It's getting late," Max says looking at his watch. "Let's call it a day."
I look to mine and realize that dinner is about to start and I frown. Tris is going off with her friends.
Max exits the door and Jude follows.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask Tris.
"Will said he'd wait for me and walk me to Christina's apartment, then his. Although, it is kind of late," she says looking at the clock on the wall. I notice her adjusting her watch and winding it again.
"Let's see if he's still out there," I suggest.
"See you at dinner," Lydia waves leaving the conference room.
"Bye," Tris says. We step out and Ryan follows. He's holding his computer and I'm holding mine. The staff room looks empty. We step over to Will's desk. He left a note.