Determinant: One choice will change everything

Chapter 6: Tobias - Meeting

Chapter 6: Tobias – Meeting

We reach the Hancock building about ten minutes after eleven and watch from a quiet spot for a while. No flashlights or voices break the night air, so we approach the building cautiously, guns ready. The lobby is completely dark, without even a faint glow from the emergency lights or the elevators. The generator must still be off.

"What do we do now?" Tris whispers to me, like I have any idea what I'm doing. But we shouldn't stay here, so I lead them into the back stairwell and partway down toward the basement. Whoever turns the generator on, assuming they do, is likely to use the other staircase, so we're probably safe here. And from this spot we should be able to hear people as they arrive.

It's a long wait. The others eventually sit on the stairs, letting their legs rest, but Tris and I stand together a little apart from them. This isn't the time or place to talk, so we wait in silence, leaning against the wall, our sides pressed together. Neither of us has had a chance to bathe in the last two days, but Tris' hair still has a sweet smell that tantalizes me as I lean close to her. It's always hard to focus around her, though at the same time I notice more when she's near. It's when I'm most awake.

I finally begin hearing movements and voices around eleven-thirty. Someone shouts a question I can't quite make out, but I catch the word "generator." Another ten minutes pass, and then the emergency lights flicker on. Many of the bulbs have burned out over the years, despite the sporadic use they get, but a few still burn feebly.

Tris pulls my arm, and I lean down so my ear is right by her mouth. "If they're turning on the generator, that means they're going to the roof, right?" she whispers. "Maybe we should climb a couple of flights and catch the elevator from there."

"Good idea," I whisper back, and we quietly collect the others.

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We're the first people on the hundredth floor, so we have time to decide if we should stay here or climb the ladder to the roof. Where the meeting is held will depend largely on who's conducting it, and how many Dauntless attend. That triggers a short debate, with Christina and Uriah convinced that we should climb to the roof, and me determined not to. I'm pretty sure Tris only sides with me because she knows how much the height terrifies me, but I appreciate the support anyway. Cara ends up being the deciding vote when she comments that we could easily be trapped on the roof if someone simply removes the ladder.

So, we move away from the elevators to a more shielded area and wait again. Occasionally, I whisper a scenario to Tris, and she practices aiming. Even if she can't pull the trigger here, it seems to help her think about targets.

After a while, Christina begins leaning on Uriah for support. Her leg is undoubtedly bothering her, but I have to give her credit for holding on this long without complaint.

Finally, people begin arriving. I hear voices I don't recognize, conducting the same debate we just did and coming to the same conclusion – that they should hold the meeting on this floor. A smile tugs at my mouth, and Tris gives my hand a squeeze of amusement. Behind me, I can almost hear the annoyance in Christina's breathing, but I don't turn around or say anything. We need to stay focused.

The voices launch into another debate, about whether or not to use floodlights, and it's all I can do not to join in. They'd be crazy to draw that kind of attention to a building you can see from miles away, particularly when the moon is already so bright tonight. It casts enough light to manage, and fortunately they eventually come to that conclusion.

As it gets closer to midnight, more and more people arrive, mingling and speaking in loud voices. I recognize some of them, especially Tori. Perhaps I should have taken the time to warn the others about her, though I don't think she's a threat to anyone except me. And she may have gotten the worst of it out of her system today. I can hope so, anyway.