Divergent Short Stories (Eric & Tris Fanfics)

Chapter Ten-Eric

I slap my massive file folder down on the table in the interrogation room and take a seat.  Leadership and I have met together and decided how we're going to approach this situation.  Max and Jude join me on either side since this is such a serious case.  Four is already sat down across from us chained to the table and his chair—not in concern for our safety but to help move this along.  Knowing him over the last several years I've learned he's not an easy person to get a direct answer out of. He will protest this entire interrogation so he's bound to remain as he is in order to assist in this situation moving along more smoothly. 
"You know, I didn't think you'd be so petty about me and Tris," Four mentions irritably. 
"This has very little to do with the stalking and harassment of your ex-girlfriend," I mutter looking over my files and finding the list I wanted to start with.  I shift the second just beneath it and look up at him. 
Max places a black box onto the table that we commonly use to hold vials of serum and needles for injections. 
"What's the fear simulation serum for?" he asks confused. 
"I will be asking the questions here from now on and you will only speak to answer them.  Is that understood?" I say firmly. 
He grits his teeth but replies lowly, "Yes, sir."
"We are aware of what you've been up to—including the deletion of surveillance footage and the theft of firearms from the armory.  Would you care to elaborate on your actions?" I inquire. 
"No, sir.  I have no idea of what you're talking about," he responds. 
"Was this your first entry into the armory with Sargent Knolls's passcode?" I continue. 
He looks down at that. 
"This was the first time," he says softly. 
"Where were you taking the weapon and ammunition in your satchel?" I question. 
"To Officer Knolls," he replies. 
"Why?" I question. 
"Because he asked me if I could do him a favor," he shrugs.  "He said he needed it for his next shift."
"Are you acquainted with Sargent Knolls?" I continue. 
"Yes, sir," he nods. 
"Are you aware that the use of another member's passcode is grounds for dismissal?" I persist.  He shakes his head and replies negatively.  "Are you aware that giving your passcode away also results in the same penalty?"  His response is the same. 
I nod to Max to give the serum in his box over to the guards.  They take it from him and inject Four with a vial of truth serum—not the fear simulation serum that he thought it was and is familiar with. This serum is only available for faction leaders—the Candor serum.  It's immediately obvious he's under the influence of the drug. 
"State your birth name," I say. 
"Tobias Eaton," he responds. 
I repeat some of my previous questions and he divulges exactly what I've expected—every prior word he spoke was an absolute lie.  I find out that he has no Dauntless conspirators in his treachery and that he's the only person working with Factionless.  He divulges that he's the one who shot me along with other Factionless—the ones with terrible aim.  I move onto my second page since we have time with the serum effects and I find out he's been using anyone's passcodes he can get a view of in surveillance.  I find out that his mother is leading the Factionless.  I ask if we can expect a breach because he handed over approximately twenty of our weapons to untrained oafs. 
"No.  They don't know our weak points as of yet," he states. 
"Do you?" I question. 
"Yes," he replies. 
"And where do you believe our weak points are?" I ask. 
He remains silent and I know the effects have worn off. 
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, traitor?" Max asks angrily. 
"You made a poor choice in the company you keep," Four tells him. 
Max scoffs at that. "You could've been a leader if you hadn't quit," he points out the foolishness of his statement. 
"You preferred a barbarian like Eric over my ideas," he counters. 
"You could have come up with a plausible alternative," Max says dismissively.  "When he suggested something that you didn't like, you had no real counter argument or options. Instead, you tucked tail and ran... apparently to your mother who abandoned you as a child."
Four looks away at that. 
"Eric isn't what you think," Four states. 
"Oh?  Pray tell, traitor?  What am I?" I question curiously. 
"You're the traitor.  You're working with Jeanine Matthews and betraying your faction for another," he insists. 
I guffaw at the ridiculousness of that declaration.  "What has brought you to that brilliant deduction?" I inquire mockingly. 
"You're responsible for Amar's death.  You're frequently meeting with Jeanine.  And you're searching out Divergents to hand over to her," he responds meeting my eyes. 
"Amar killed himself, Four," Jude tsks—his first time speaking during this interrogation. 
"Check the footage.  I've seen that there's tampering with his supposed suicide," Four replies defensively. 
"Eric was an initiate at the time.  Even if he were supposedly involved, he would have no access whatsoever to surveillance," Max points out a dramatic flaw in his logic. 
"Nevertheless, he was involved," Four asserts. 
"Regardless of such a theoretical mystery, that has nothing to do with your betrayal to the faction you gave your blood to," Max says.  "We're done here."
We all rise and leave for the conference room upstairs on our office level.  The three of us deliberate on our findings sending information out to Jax to double our security guards at all entrances as well as change all passcodes for everyone and everything—armory access, surveillance logins, Amity gate access, elevator passwords, computer logins, and so on.  I give a list of tasks for surveillance to keep an eye out for. I also give out orders for soldiers to add more bulletproof cameras to the Factionless boarders as well as within their parameters with armed escorts of no less than forty trained soldiers. 
Once everything revealed today is dealt with, the other two leaders turn to me. 
"What was he talking about relating to you?" Max asks confused. 
"I honestly don't know anything about the Amar thing," I admit perplexed.  I mention that I think his concocted story is both delusional and implausible since I had nothing to do with it whether he likes me or not.  But I do divulge that I've been talking to Jeanine because she's threatened my sister if I don't appear to cooperate with her.  "My sister will hopefully be transferring this spring so I can stop the ruse with her.  I have told her I'm searching for the Divergents she's looking to test on but I'm honestly just saying that to appease her.  I have no interest in them."
I explain a bit more about the Divergent for their sake because Erudite does keep their interest in them quite confidential and private.
"I trust Eric more than Four," Jude mentions.  "Eric is right.  He's delusional.  He's had several opportunities to join leadership and change the faction if he desired a say.  Instead of helping us and working with us, he betrayed us... for the stupidest reason.  His mother abandoned him as a child but he's willing to fight for her cause instead of making a positive difference with us.  He's a traitor—plain and simple."
I nod in agreement. 
Later on that day, I admit to Tris that it's Four we arrested.  Zeke came up to me freaking out that Four was taken off his department's schedule and that he hadn't seen him.  I divulged that he's currently being questioned.  Regardless of me not disclosing anything of consequence, I knew there'd be gossip... and there has been.  I figured telling her first was important.  She was devastated initially so I explained a little about why he's being held.  She was beside herself with grief that he was the one who shot me.  I've seen her all week looking at my chest as if seeing the wound that she mended.  It's as if he broke her heart. 
Throughout the weekdays, I spend time interrogating him one on one.  The serum works for just a matter of minutes and can only be administered every twenty four hours safely but he refuses to give us anything to work with without it.  He's furious that leadership listened to me and not him... but I've done nothing but aid this faction.  He's been betraying it and attempting to cause dissent.  I find out everything he's done, details of the Factionless chain of command, leads on frequent locations.  I learn what he knows about our defenses and what he's divulged to them.  I ask why he helped them, why he shot me. 
"I hate you," he replies. 
"I don't like you either but I'd never outright attempt to kill you for no reason," I reply evenly. 
"You killed Amar.  You're hunting Divergents and handing them over to Erudite.  She's not safe here with you!" he shouts under serum. 
"Who's not safe?" I question confused. 
He's struggling, fighting the truth serum in pain.  I ask him the question again and he's dripping with sweat, almost tortuous towards himself.  I ask a third time and he cries out in pain shouting her name and I stop asking questions in shock.  I blink in surprise and he's moments from tears as if I'd harm her—the woman I love. 
"I don't give them to Jeanine," I respond softly. 
"You're a liar," he demands. 
"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true," I say rising. 
The serum hasn't even worn off but I leave telling the guards to lock him up when it's run its course.  I glance to the guards and they're the usual crew—trustworthy. 
I leave the interrogation room and take the elevator up to the main level of the Pit.  I stride straight toward the infirmary and see her walking to a back room.  I follow her and surround her with my arms. 
She laughs lightly, "I missed you, too."
"I love you," I tell her softly. 
I feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes deeply.  Her heart is hammering like crazy, clearly moved by my words.  It takes her a moment to do anything but she turns to me in my arms and wraps hers around my shoulders.  "I love you, too," she whispers. 
She kisses me and I respond.  I lean our foreheads together and we stand here breathing each other's breath for a moment.  I peck her lips again and she stares deeply into my eyes. 
"Dr Prior?  A patient needs your attention,"
Taylor—a second shift nurse—informs her.
"I've got to go," she tells me gently.
"I need to see you tonight," I tell her.
"Alright," she nods. "I may be working late but I'll meet you at your apartment when I get off."
"Do you promise?" I question.
She meets my eyes once more. "I'd never lie to you," she tells me earnestly. But then it looks like she remembers something... and can't meet my gaze. "I'll see you later," she whispers and kisses my cheek before she walks off.
I close my eyes. She's fearful of me. I know it. That can't continue.
I handle everything I can for a Friday night and go to a late dinner. She committed to working late tonight so she could take the weekend off to be with me.
I bounce my leg in anticipation of seeing her.
"Why so jumpy?" Ryan asks.
"I miss her," I admit.
"Yeah, the big date," he grins.
I don't correct him. I don't know what to expect next. I don't want to lose her. I've got to convince her that I'll protect her.
I return to my apartment and pace the living room waiting for her arrival for an uncountable amount of time. I know it's getting late but I'm not going to bed until I've seen her. In the midst of my pacing, I hear a gentle tapping on my door.
I swiftly stride to it and open up to see her standing there still in her scrubs. I pull her in and immediately capture her lips. My kiss is fervent and full of so much emotion for her. I tell her I love her over and over. I feel her trembling in my arms though.
I decide to pull her in and sit her down beside me on the sofa. I wrap my arms protectively around her. I kiss her temple and tell her everything will be alright.
"I have something to tell you," she says with her voice wavering.
"You know, I love you no matter what," I tell her gently.
She frowns at that.
She starts talking about her initiation and I feel like I know where this is headed. I put my fingers to her lips and take over telling her that I know what she is, that I don't care about that, and that I'll keep her safe from Erudite.
She sighs and looks to me in disbelief. She stares into my eyes, searching each one to verify if what I said could possibly be true. It's as if she makes a decision and hiccups in disbelief before crashing her lips with mine. I respond with the same passion in reply. 
We spend far too long making out on my couch, but eventually I walk her home.  I tell her I'll see her in the morning.  She kisses me once more at her door in goodbye. 
I turn once she's in her apartment to leave but notice someone saw us just now—a gossip from the parking garage guard staff from what I can tell.  I sigh and walk on figuring that everyone will know about us by tomorrow... and that thought doesn't bother me at all.  I walk through the Pit as it's closing up on a late Friday night.  I pass a shop that catches my attention and stop, looking through the locked gate.  I can see the wares on display in the cases but the lights are turned off.  I sigh and walk back home.  I'm seriously contemplating getting her one of those sparkling pieces in that case... one that makes this relationship between us more permanent and meaningful.