Chapter Twenty-Four: Small Victories

Abnegation was still under attack, making it the main focus for Erudite and Dauntless. Our plan was too leave, the road nearly completely open as we moved away from Abnegation. Tris' father, I now knew to be Andrew, had asked Tris what she needed. Who she needed. But she never got to decide. Caleb was Erudite, he would be of value. Marcus had insisted despite Tris' protests and my threats. Her father automatically assumed he would be going as well.

It was a small group, but all we needed, watching as the others ran in the opposite direction before we moved out. They were headed toward Amity. My former home. If that was where we went to join the others, I was okay with that. I'd be able to see my family again. For a moment I thought about going with them. But there was no way in hell I was going to abandon Eric. I couldn't abandon Four, or Tris, or anyone else I cared about. Looking at our little group - despite my wounds - I'd have to be the muscle. Tris was injured in a way that lessened her ability to fight. And the others were just plain inexperienced. I'd be there for them. I was anything but a coward. Knowing Tris wasn't one either, it was just a matter of keeping the others out of our way and making sure they listened to our every word.

"You good?" I asked Tris, checking the clip of my gun.

She nodded, "Are you?"

"Yeah." I nodded as well, slamming the clip back into place. Then I smiled at her, "Let's go."

Leading them all to the tracks, we stood there, waiting for the train. The train that would carry us into danger. Into the war that was unfolding all around us. Taking a deep breathe, I let it out slowly, last night replaying in my mind. Remembering the feeling of Eric's hands on me. His body moving with mine. The touch of his lips. His lips. Shutting my eyes, I brought my finger tips to my mouth, feeling warmth fill me, almost able to feel him.

"What time is it?" Tris asked Caleb, making me start, blinking repeatedly, before I looked at her.

He checked his watch. "Three twelve."

"Should be here any second." She replied.

"Yup." I nodded and sighed, looking in the direction it would be coming from.

"Will it stop?" He asked.

Unable to suppress a laugh, I shook my head, looking at Tris. She just gave me a look. "Sorry." I said softly.

She shook her head at him. "It goes slowly through the city. We'll run next to the car for a few feet and then climb inside."

Taking a deep breath, my muscles were already on fire with anticipation for the train's arrival. I can tell Tris is as well. Jumping onto trains was like second nature now. The others wouldn't have as easy a time, but between the two of us we'd manage. Even though it'd already crossed my mind to leave Marcus behind. Looking at him then at Tris, she sighed, knowing what I was thinking, but shook her head. Four would probably be pissed if we were the cause of his demise. But it didn't stop me from enjoying thinking about it.

Tris and I were both looking over our left shoulders, seeing the headlights burning gold against the gray buildings. She started to bounce on the balls of her feet while I rolled my shoulders, the lights growing larger and larger. Then the front of the train glides past as we both start jogging. We don't even bother to see if everyone else is behind us. They would follow us to whatever end now. Seeing an open car, Tris picked up her pace to keep stride with it, grabbed the handle, and pulled herself in with her good arm. Looking over my shoulder, I gripped Caleb's pushing him forward, keeping my hand against his back until he jumped into the car. Marcus was next, but I didn't bother helping him, leaving that to Caleb who quickly turned to aid him. Motioning for Andrew to pick it up, he did, launching himself into the car and away from the door. Keeping an easy pace with the car, it felt like nothing to grip the handle, and step on the small metal step and move into it. For a moment I caught Caleb looking at me with awe.

"What?" I shot at him.

"That was the most graceful thing I've ever seen." He replied.

Rolling my eyes at him, I moved to the door of the car, my toes over the edge as I looked toward the city. Tris was with me and I could tell she was anxious. She was worried about what we were going to find and how we were going to accomplish what we needed to. At least I hoped that was what she was thinking because that's all I was thinking about. My stomach a tangled mess of knots trying to avoid jumping to worst-case scenarios.

"Are you really going to try and get Eric out of there?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes." I nodded. "I know you don't care for him in the slightest but he's the man I love."

"I know." She stated but didn't sound happy about it.

Looking at her, she met my eyes, "Before I do that, I'm going to get Four back to you. I promise. He's under a simulation. He's in more danger than Eric. One at a time and yours is first."

"Thank you." She told me. "And despite how not close we are, I really am happy you're here."

"I am too." I replied. "And maybe after this we'll be closer."

"Maybe." She smirked at me.

Laughing, the feeling amazing, I nodded at her, "Four would be happy if we'd become all buddy-buddy."

"Not happening." She frowned.

Taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, I nodded at her, "I know. But somethings gotta give." She just nodded in response. "Anyway, I was thinking we should use the back entrance." I told her. "I'm assuming the majority of the soldiers are at the main entrance above the Pit."

"I think you're right." She nodded.

Looking at those who were following us, I sighed, "Do you think they'll be able to handle it?"

"They will or they'll die." She replied.

I frowned at her, "That is your family you're talking about."

"I wasn't so much talking about them. They can handle it. Marcus though…"

"Don't even get me started on Marcus." I shot at her.

She nodded, her hand on my shoulder, "I know, Pen. Believe me, I know."

I frowned at her before a smile crossed my face. "He took you through his fear landscape." She nodded. "Good." I nodded. "He told me his fears but I'm happy he shared them with you. You're good for him, Tris. You're the reason he stayed."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

Sighing, I felt tears in my eyes. "He was considering leaving Dauntless and becoming Factionless. He didn't say he was leaving, but he did say he had thought about it. Something has been off for a long time now. I knew he was on the edge. But then you showed up and changed his world."

"He loves you." She frowned.

"Not enough to stay in a place that he hates." I smiled at her. "So, thank you for choosing Dauntless."

She smiled and nodded. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "And you're good for Eric." She stated, making me look at her. "I never would have thought he was capable of caring about anyone. But he refused to shoot you. He defied Jeanine. And the sound of him yelling…" She paused as she took in my pained expression. "That says a lot about him." She went on. "Maybe he has changed."

"For the better." I told her softly. He didn't want me dead but I still ended up in a tank. He could have tried harder. Not that I was going to hold it against him, but there was still something about it that made me wonder if he really could see past my Divergence.

"Doesn't mean I like him any more than I did before." She stated, making me smirk at her. "But I believe that with you he can be a better man. I'm just terrified of what he'll become without you."

Meeting her eyes, my brows started to furrow. "Let's not find out." I stated with determination before looking out the car again. "I'm coming, baby." I whispered into the air, silently praying that I could get him out of this.

"I assume you now regret choosing Dauntless." Marcus told us.

Looking at him, it took all of me not to hit him again. Tris shook her head, while I replied, "Not for one second."

"Not even after your faction's leaders decided to join in a plot to overthrow the government?" Marcus spit back.

"There were some things I needed to learn." Tris replied.

"How to be brave?" Andrew said quietly.

"How to be selfless." Tris replied. "Often they're the same thing."

"Is that why you got Abnegation's symbol tattooed on your shoulder?" Caleb asked.

Noticing a faint smile on her father's face, she smiled the same way and nodded, "And Dauntless on the other." Smiling at her, I nodded, suddenly proud of sharing a faction with her.

"And why wouldn't you return to your family at the first opportunity?" Marcus asked me.

"Because I chose Dauntless." I replied without looking at him. "I love my family and miss them terribly. But I have a family in Dauntless. One that I will protect with all of me. One that I will not abandon."

When we finally neared Dauntless, the glass building above the Pit reflected sunlight into our eyes. Standing, I moved to where Tris was standing next to the door. We were almost there. Then we'd leap from the train and launch ourselves into Dauntless.

"When I tell you to jump," Tris told the others, "you jump, as far as you can."

"Jump?" Caleb asked. "We're seven stories up, Tris."

"Onto a roof." I stated. "We're jumping onto a roof."

"That's why they call it a test of bravery." Tris added.

Half of bravery is perspective. Remembering the first time I jumped, I had been terrified, never able to do it first. Same went for the net. I didn't have the guts to jump first. I'd made it third though. Something I was still proud of. I'd done many hard things since joining Dauntless, but I felt that what we were about to do now was going to top all of that. And if we succeeded many more hard things would be in our future. We'd all be factionless with no idea what to do next.

"Dad, you go." Tris told him, taking my wrist and moving back so he can stand by the edge.

It was all about timing. I knew what she was doing, which made me slightly nervous. Yes, they were older, but we were wounded. Giving them the shorter distance was smart but I was afraid we weren't going to make the distance if we waited too long.

The train tracks curved, and when they line up with the edge of the roof, Tris shouted, "Jump!"

Andrew bent his knees and launched himself out of the car. Before we can see if he made it, I yelled at Marcus to jump. He did. Tris pushed Caleb in front of her, standing on the edge of the train car and jumped without being told to. Seeing Tris looking at me, I looked back, taking a deep breath before we both ran, launching ourselves out of the car.

Hitting the cement running, I was breathing heavily as I turned to see Tris breathing hard as well, sitting down to catch her breath. My side was screaming with pain, making it hard to catch my own. Seeing Andrew and Caleb at the edge of the roof, I realize that Marcus isn't on top of it, but being held by the other two men as he dangled between life and death.

"Let him fall." I told Tris.

She looked at me, and I knew that part of her was thinking the same thing. But he didn't. Andrew and Caleb managed to haul him into the roof. Helping Tris to her feet, she brushed the gravel off of her pants. Turning and going to the edge of the hole, I looked into it. Without waiting for anyone else, I double-checked that the safety was secure on my gun, before launching myself into the hole. I hated heights and wanted to spend as little time at the top than I had to. Tris could handle getting them down the hole.

The breeze was appreciated, bouncing once I hit the net, the impact making me cry out. Rolling to the edge of it, I fell from it, landing hard on my hands and knees. Putting my hand against my side, I took it back to see red. Swearing under my breath, I got to my feet, pulling my gun back out and flipping off the safety, holding it up, making sure no one was waiting for us in the shadows.

Finding myself alone, I returned to the net and waited for everyone else to get their asses down here. Tris is the first and I swiftly tilted the net toward me, helping her down from it. Her shoulder feels hot and I knew that she was probably in as much pain, if not more, than I was. She nodded at me, tears in her eyes, before she looked back up the hole. Caleb is next, following the same routine with him and their father, who threw up over the side of the platform. But when it came time for Marcus, both Tris and I stepped away, moving down the stairs. We honestly didn't care what happened to him. He thought we needed him here because he knew something about computers. Well, we didn't. We'd figure it out for ourselves.

The cavern is empty and the hallways stretch into darkness. Jeanine had made it sound like no one was left in Dauntless except the soldiers she sent back to guard the computers. If we can find the soldiers, we can find the computers. We both looked over our shoulders to see Marcus on the platform, pale but unharmed.

"So this is the Dauntless compound." Marcus stated.

"Yes." We said together.

"And?" Tris added.

"And I never thought I would get to see it." He replied, his hand skimming the wall. "No need to be so defensive, Beatrice. And Pen." He added looking at me.

"I don't like you." I told him with disdain.

"Do you two have a plan?" Andrew asked.

"Yes."

"Yeah." I added. "Wait. We do?" I said looking at her.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Are you gonna fill me in?" I asked as we started down the hallway towards the Pit. "The only plan I have is to get to the control room."

She just nodded. There's light every ten feet as we walk down, when we walk into the first patch of light, there's a gunshot and we drop to the ground. Crawling into the next dark patch, someone must have seen us, the spark from the gun flashed across the room by the door that leads to the Pit.

"Everyone okay?" Tris asked.

"Yes." Andrew replied.

"Stay here, then." She replied. "Come on." She said looking at me.

Running to the side of the room, the lights protrude from the wall, so directly beneath each one is a slit of shadow. Tris is small, able to hide in the shadows if she turned to the side. She could creep along the edge of the room and surprise whatever guard is shooting at us before they get the chance to fire a bullet into our brains. Maybe.

"Just go." I whispered to her. "I'll make a distraction if necessary."

"Don't get yourself killed." She shot at me.

Getting a glare in return I told her, "I'm Dauntless."

"So am I." She frowned. "And Dauntless has prepared us for this."

Sighing, I nodded, "Yeah, yeah, eliminating fear, blah, blah."

"Are you saying they haven't taught you that?" She frowned.

"Do we really have time to argue about this right now?" I shot at her.

She didn't have time to respond as another shot rang over our heads. Tris and I exchanged a glare and started to move through the shadows.

"Whoever's there," a voice shouts, "surrender your weapons and put your hands up!"

"No fucking way." I whispered to myself. Another shot rang.

The darkness is silent. Part of me wanted to call out for Tris but knew that if it was quiet that the plan was working. I recognized the sound of the voice of the soldier in the darkness. By now I was sure Tris knew who it was as well. I silently told Tris to shoot him. He deserved it. If anyone did, he did.

There was still silence until I heard flesh against flesh and there's a shout in the dark. Rushing forward, I found Tris with a gun pressed against the top of his head. Peter. He was on his knees, clutching his face.

"How are you awake?" Tris demanded.

He lifted his head, and Tris clicked a bullet into its chamber, raising an eyebrow at him. My gun is already trained on him, ready to shoot him at a moment's notice.

"The Dauntless leaders…they evaluated my records and removed me from the simulation." He replied.

"Because they figured out that you already have murderous tendencies and wouldn't mind killing a few hundred people while conscious." Tris stated. "Makes sense."

"I'm not…murderous!"

"Which leaders?" I demanded.

"What? Worried that your lover-boy might have had something to do with it?" He retorted with a smirk.

"You son of a bitch." I said through clenched teeth as I stepped toward him.

"I never knew a Candor who was such a liar." Tris commented, tapping the gun against his skull. "Where are the computers that control the simulation, Peter?"

"You won't shoot me."

"People tend to overestimate my character." She replied quietly. "They think that because I'm small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can't possibly be cruel. But they're wrong."

She shifted the gun three inches to the left and fired at his arm. His scream filled the hallway, blood spurting from the wound. He screamed again, pressing his forehead to the ground. I looked at him with an evil smirk as Tris shifted the gun back up to his head.

"Now that you realize your mistake," Tris stated, "I will give you another chance to tell me what I need to know before I shoot you somewhere worse."

"If she won't, I will." I stated, pointing my gun at his head as well. He's isn't selfless enough to keep quiet.

He met my eyes before turning and looking at Tris. His breath is shaking as he considers his options. "They're listening." He spit. "If you don't kill me, they will. The only way I'll tell you is if you get me out of here."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I shot at him.

"What?" Tris frowned.

"Take me…ahh…with you." He said wincing.

"You want us to take you, the person who tried to kill me…with us?"

"I do." He groaned. "If you expect to find out what you need to know."

"Tris." I said with disdain. She's considering it. "Tris!" I shot at her.

"Fine." Tris told him, almost choking on the word. "Fine."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I shot at her.

"We don't have time to argue about this." She shot back.

Knowing she was right, I clenched my teeth, stepping forward and pressing my gun against Peter's forehead. How badly I wanted to shoot him. Tris swiftly gripped my wrist, meeting my eyes. Feeling the sting of tears, knowing what he'd done and what he would do, it took all of me not to pull the trigger.

"Fine." I said still holding my gun at the ready.

Hearing footsteps, both of us still holding our stance, the others walked toward us. Andrew took off his long-sleeved shirt. He's wearing a gray T-shirt beneath it. He crouched next to Peter and looped the fabric around his arm, tying it tightly.

As he pressed the fabric to the blood running down Peter's arm, he looked up at Tris, "Was it really necessary to shoot him?"

"Yes." I replied when Tris didn't answer.

"Sometimes pain is for the greater good." Marcus stated calmly.

"We don't need your help." I said turning my gun toward him. "You lousy sack of shit."

"Let's go." Tris said. "Get up, Peter."

"You want him to walk?" Caleb demanded. "Are you insane?"

"Did I shoot him in the leg?" Tris replied. "No. He walks. Where do we go, Peter?"

Caleb helped Peter to his feet. Now my gun is toward Caleb, "Don't."

"Is she stable enough for this?" Marcus asked.

Hitting him again, I looked at Tris. "I'm sorry." I said moving closer to her. "I'll behave."

"No you won't." She grinned at me. "Now where?" Tris demanded.

"The glass building." He told us, wincing. "Eighth floor."

Tris looked at me. Nodding, I moved to the lead, quietly moving through the halls. Peter is right behind me, then Tris, followed by the others. Walking into the roar of the river and the blue glow of the Pit, it's empty. Scanning the walls for signs of life, there is no movement and no figures standing in darkness. Not taking any chances, I kept steady as we moved to the path leading up to the glass ceiling. It's too quiet. Too empty. Feeling a shudder, I took a steadying breath, continuing to move forward. Only then the silence was broken.

"What makes you think you have the right to shoot someone?" Andrew asked.

I couldn't help but slow as we passed the Parlor. It was as much home to me as the rest of Dauntless. My heart ached for Tori, wondering where she was. Where everyone I cared about was. Would Eric be in the control room? Would Claude? Where were they?

"Now isn't the time for debates about ethics." Tris replied to her father.

"Now is the perfect time," he told her, "because you will soon get the opportunity to shoot someone again, and if you don't realize—"

"Realize what?" Tris said without turning around. "That every second I waste means another Abnegation dead and another Dauntless made into a murderer? I've realized that. Now it's your turn."

"There is a right way to do things."

"What makes you so sure that you know what it is?" She shot at him.

"Please stop fighting." Caleb interrupted, his voice chiding. "We have more important things to do right now."

Glancing over my shoulder, I'm unafraid as we kept moving. Meeting Tris' eyes, I knew that she loved her family, and was thrilled to see them again. But her mother was dead, Four was under a simulation, and her father was chastising her for doing what was right. He didn't know Peter or what he had done. If he knew what Peter had done to his daughter, he would have shot him himself. She was not the same girl she was just weeks ago. She'd learned so much since she made her choice. I suddenly felt like I knew her better than her own family. I knew the Dauntless Tris. They knew the Abnegation Beatrice. The girl that felt like she was out of place. She had found her place, changed her name, and had become the person she always wanted to be. She was Dauntless. More than that, she was Divergent.

"Everyone needs to shut up." I ordered from the lead.

The silence felt weighted but it was better than all the bantering that was going on behind me. If anyone was close they would know exactly where we were. We couldn't afford to be surprised.

"Pen." Tris said softly as we reached the base of the metal stairs that will carry us to the glass ceiling.

Turning, I can hear the huffing and puffing. I forgot that they were older and not used to this type of activity. I suddenly can relate better to the Dauntless way of dealing with the elderly. I couldn't imagine climbing these stairs when I got old. Though part of me knew that I was more than likely not going to be alive long enough to find out. I'd probably die today. Which I was fine with, if I got to see Eric at least once more, and as long as we were able to save Four.

Looking up, I watched the light cast on the Pit walls by the sun. Seeing a shadow, Tris moved next to me, watching as well, waiting for another shadow to appear. The guards made their rounds every minute and a half, stand for twenty seconds, and then move on.

"There are men with guns up there. When they see me, they will kill me, if they can." Tris told her father quietly, looking up at him. "Should I let them?"

He stared at her for a few seconds before replying, "Go, and God help you."

Frowning at him, I put my hand on her good shoulder. "I've got your back." I told her, frowning at her father. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

Climbing the stairs carefully, stopping just before our heads emerge. Waiting, watching the shadows move, when one of them stopped, I stepped up, pointed my gun, and shot. He crumbled to the floor. Another shot rang as Tris shot a second guard, hitting his arm. She had hit his shooting arm, his gun falling and sliding across the floor. Darting through the hole, I picked it up, feeling a bullet whiz past my head. Shooting the already injured guard, Tris twisted, flinging her right arm over her shoulder, and fired three times. She managed to hit one, only when I looked at her she had tears running down her cheeks. Pulling her down, we dropped to our stomachs, our guns aimed at him. Only his gun is already in Tris' face, but he didn't shoot. He jerked his chin to the side. He must have been Divergent.

I nodded at him, watching as he slipped into the fear landscape room, and he's gone. Looking at Tris, I could feel her relief and I was sure my own was obvious on my face. "Whew."

She smiled and nodded. Then she shouted, "All clear!"

"Shoulder?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She replied.

Getting to my feet, my hand against my side, I helped her up. She held her right arm against her chest. She's in a lot of pain. I can relate. Tipping my hand away from my side, I see fresh blood. Nodding, knowing there was nothing I could do about it right now, I looked at Tris. She looked at the second gun, jerking her head toward Caleb. Frowning, she nodded at me. Sighing, I checked the clip and everything before offering him the extra gun. He took it nodding at me but was clearly uncomfortable about it. His grip alone told me he'd probably never held a gun before in his life.

"Can you handle it?" I asked him.

He looked at me for a long moment before he nodded vigorously, too vigorously, "Yeah."

"I think you and Marcus should stay here with him." Tris told her brother, jerking her head toward Peter. "He'll just slow us down. Make sure no one comes after us."

Taking a deep breath, I know she's doing this to protect him. He may be willing to go into battle with her but she doesn't want him to any more than he actually wishes to go. We'd already come to terms with the fact that once we go up into the building, we weren't coming back down. For the first time Tris and I are in agreement. As long as we can stop the simulation before we're killed, our time here wouldn't be wasted. The feeling was both freeing and heavy. Only then Eric filled my mind and I realized that I wasn't going to die. I couldn't. Not here. Not now.

"I'm surviving this." I told Tris softly. "Please tell me you're going to as well." She didn't reply.

"I can't stay here while you go up there and risk your life." Caleb replied.

"I need you to." Tris told him.

Peter sank to his knees. His face glistened with sweat. I don't feel sorry for him. He deserved so much worse than what he'd gotten. He deserved death. He had done so much wrong that there was no coming back from it. He was as evil as Jeanine. As…I didn't want to think it let alone say it, because it wasn't true. It wasn't true. Not anymore.

While Tris dealt with her family, I stripped the guards of their weapons and ammo. We'd need all the help we could get. When Caleb finally agreed, Tris and I made our way to the elevators on the right side of the room. Level eight.

Once the elevator doors close, Tris leaned the side of her head against the glass and listened to the beeps. Andrew is with us as well. The silence is awkward as I hand her father a gun and ammo. I felt like someone should say something, but what were any of us going to say that didn't sound like a goodbye? There wasn't enough time to say as much as any of us would want to say.

"Thank you. For protecting Caleb." Andrew told his daughter. "Beatrice, I—"

Only before he can finish, the elevator reached the eighth floor and the doors open. Two guards stand ready with guns in hand, their faces blank. Before they can shoot, I'd already fired, both slumping to the floor. Looking behind me, both of them are on their stomachs. They nodded at me and get to their feet. Guards run down the hallway on the left. They sound too alike for them to be awake. Watching Tris drop to the floor, Andrew looked at me, a long moment passing between us before I nodded back. I knew what we had to do. In the next moment, he took off down the hall while I quickly looked at Tris.

"Save him." I told her. "And if you see Eric, tell him that I love him. I love him more than anything. Tell him that I'm sorry."

Then I'm running. I have no idea what I'm running into but I would give her the time to reach Four and pull him out of the simulation. She was the only one who could. She was the final hope of our little mission. I caught up to Andrew, hearing the Dauntless guards pursuing us. Stopping, I turned and shot at them, hitting two. Keeping running, Andrew attempted to do the same, only then I heard the groan, turning to see red moving from his gut. He's still firing as I turned and shot at the guards. My body jerked as bullets blazed through my skin, one grazing my arm. Reaching him, he leaned against me as we both slammed into the wall. Still shooting at them, I felt another bullet before the final guard fell.

"Dad. Pen." Tris said barely audible.

Andrew slumped to the ground, looking at his daughter. My hands were against his shoulders, keeping him steady. He opened his mouth like he's about to say something, but then his chin dropped to his chest and his body relaxed. Putting my fingers against his neck, I sighed, looking at an already traumatized Tris.

"I'm sorry." I told her. "Go." Then everything started to fall away and I fell backward, my head slamming against the floor. There is a long moment before I hear her retreating steps. "Go, Tris. Save them." I said aloud before everything went black.

"Pen."

My name is softly called.

"Pen, wake up."

Opening my eyes, Eric is looking down at me. We were in the hall I'd collapsed in. Smiling, I put my hand against his face, staring into his eyes. "Are we dead?" I asked him.

"No." He smiled. "Not yet."

"Am I going to die?" I frowned at him. "Because that would really suck."

He laughed lightly. "No, baby, you're not going to die. If you do I'll have to kill you."

"Are you okay?" I frowned, gripping his head in my hands.

He nodded, kissing me deeply. "As long as you're alive, I will be okay."

"I will find you, baby. I will find you and we will be together."

Then his face turned into a frown. "Run."

"What?"

"Wake up. You have to get up and run."

"Eric."

"Run, Pen!" He yelled sounding distant. "Wake up! Run!"

Getting to my feet, I looked around for him. "Eric!"

"RUN!" He screamed and it felt like he was inside my head.

My eyes shot open, and I once again stared at the ceiling of Dauntless. Coughing, I swiveled my head, trying to get my bearings again. Feeling my legs draped over something, I looked up to see Andrew's body, just the way it had been. Tears brimmed and I attempted to sit up, only to be met with pain, making a scream erupt from my throat before I could stop it. Sobbing for a few minutes, I finally forced myself up, moving myself to the other side of the hall and away from all the bodies that were there. Seeing the pool of blood where I had just been, following me with a long smear, I looked at my left arm to see blood running down it. But it was just a graze wound. Another graze across the top of my right shoulder. There was a hole in my right ribcage, blood spilling down my side. Touching it, it felt like the bullet had ricocheted off my rib. It hurt like hell. Scoffing, laughing lightly, I had been lucky. Pure luck that I hadn't been as seriously injured as Andrew. My eyes fell upon him again, unable to stop myself. My laughs turned to sobs. God how I wished Eric would appear and sweep me off my feet. Even now, he was the first person that came to my mind. I needed him.

"Please." I sobbed, still looking at Andrew. "Please, Eric."

Letting them take me over, I sobbed uncontrollably, feeling that the force of them would break my ribs. When my mind un-fogged enough for me to think clearly, I knew I had to get up. I had to move. I had to get up and move. Moving to my hands and knees, I used the wall for support as I attempted to get to my feet. I made it halfway up before I fell again, the hallway spinning as pain erupted through my body. Trying again, I got to my feet, making my way back toward the elevators.

Once I was up and moving, my heart started to race, starting to dump adrenaline back into my system. Gun in hand, I staggered to the elevator doors, pushing the button. Touching my various wounds, finding another graze against my thigh, tears once again filled my eyes. Then I heard footsteps running in my direction. Dropping to the floor, I pressed my back against the elevator, my knee bent, my arms resting on top of it as I gripped my gun, steadying my aim in the direction they were coming from.

When the figures appeared, the tears took me over again, my gun falling to the floor as Four slid to his knees in front of me. I was in his arms a second later, pressing myself as close to him as I could get. Tris was leaning against the wall, throwing up at the sight of her father. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling, but in this moment there was so much relief that Four was okay that I couldn't bring myself to care. He was awake and okay and I felt like we may actually get out of this alive.

"Can you stand?" He asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. Helping me to my feet, he took my head in his hands and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "I love you." I told him. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I love you too." He smiled before taking Tris' waist, the elevator doors opening, leading her into them. "How badly are you hurt?" He asked me on the way down.

"I'm gonna be okay." I replied. "What happened in the control room?"

"The simulation is over. Everyone is awake and we have the drive with the data on it."

"Good." I nodded. "That's good."

"How are you holding up?"

"Have you seen Eric?" I countered.

"No." He replied. "Pen, tell me how you are."

"I'm fine, Four." I shot at him a little too harshly. He looked at me sadly. Sighing, I shook my head, "I don't know how else to be right now. So, I'm fine."

Then the doors were open and there is a frenzy of activity. There is a shouting crowd of Dauntless soldiers dressed in black. I search the crowd for Eric but I knew that he wasn't here. If everyone was awake then they would have retreated back to Erudite. But I was still holding onto my hope of seeing him.

Going outside, Caleb rushed toward us, Tris falling against him. He immediately asked about their father. I turned away, not wanting to hear. I was there. I had been touching him when he died. It wasn't fair. She had lost both her parents in just a matter of hours. It just wasn't fair.

Turning to Four, he stopped mid-step, his entire body going rigid as he laid eyes on his father. It's obvious that Tris hadn't told him that his father had come with us. Marcus walked up to him, wrapping his arms around his son. Four remained frozen, his arms at his sides and his face blank.

"Son." Marcus sighed.

Four winced. In the next second I pulled Four back as I shoved Marcus in the chest, moving him away from his son. Tris was there in the next moment, stepping in front of her man.

"Stay away from him." I shot at Marcus. "He is none of your concern."

"Stay away." Tris hissed.

"Beatrice, what are you doing?" Caleb asked.

"Tris." Four replied.

Marcus gave us a scandalized look, his eyes are too wide and his mouth is too open. All I wanted to do was smack it off his face, I can tell Tris was thinking the same thing.

"Not all those Erudite articles were full of lies." Tris said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"What are you talking about?" Marcus said quietly. "I don't know what you've been told, Beatrice, but—"

"The only reason I haven't shot you yet is because he's the one who should get to do it." She told him. "Stay away from him or I'll decide I no longer care."

Four put his hands on Tris' arms, squeezing them. Marcus looked at them for a few seconds before finally looking away. Scanning the space around us, I looked for anyone I knew. I needed my family and as far as I could tell they were nowhere, making me think the worst had happened to them.

"We have to go." Four told us unsteadily. "The train should be here any second."

"Four." I told him with heavily furrowed brows. "I can't leave yet. I need to find Eric. I need to find Claude and Henry and Tori. I can't go."

He gripped my arm tightly, making the graze wound sting, "You can't stay here and I'm not leaving you behind. Eric is the bad guy in this, Pen. I know he refused to kill you, I'm proud of him for that, but he is still working for Jeanine. As for the others?" He sighed, shrugging as he shook his head. "We don't have any idea what they are thinking or feeling or where they are. We can deal with it later. For now, we have to go. I need to you come with me, Pen."

Tears were in my eyes as I just looked at him. I wanted to tell him no and that I would accept the consequences of me going off on my own. But in the end I nodded. I couldn't break from him. Not yet. I needed Eric but couldn't deny that he had a point. Eric wasn't the bad guy, but he was working for Jeanine. I wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by staying. Not even to those I so desperately wanted to find.

For a few agonizing minutes, Four held tight to my arm as we walked over unyielding ground toward the train tracks. I wasn't going anywhere. When he finally released me, he seemed tenser than ever. His jaw was clenched and he was staring straight ahead. It was Marcus's fault. Having him with us was probably one of the hardest things he'd done since he transferred. He loathed his father and to have him suddenly appear, embrace him as if nothing happened, and then follow him…I didn't know how I would react. Tris should have let him deal with his father his own way. But something told me he was grateful for her taking charge. He didn't want to confront his father, not really. All he wanted was for him to be gone.

"Sorry." I hear Tris mutter.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He replied, taking her hand.

"If we take the train in the opposite direction, out of the city instead of in, we can get to Amity headquarters." She stated. "That's where the others went."

"What about Candor?" Caleb asked. "What do you think they'll do?"

"Who knows?" I replied under my breath. "Who cares?"

"How you holding up?" Four asked me. Meeting his eyes, I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. "It's gonna be okay." He told me gently.

"Did you see Eric at all?" I asked him. "Do you know if he's okay?"

I watched him clench his jaw, seeing the hate in his eyes, but he pushed it all aside and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Pen. I don't know what happened to him."

Nodding, tears were in my eyes, remaining until we reached the tracks. Tris looked like she was going to fall over, prompting Four to lift her into his arms. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Looking at our small party, I thought I'd feel safer now that the simulation was over. But other than Four and Tris, I felt less safe with Marcus and Peter amongst us. Caleb was basically useless but he needed to be here for Tris. She'd lost nearly everyone she ever cared about. Things were going to get worse before they got better.

Only it wasn't just us I was worried about. My family was more than likely waking up from the simulation, realizing that they had been made murderers and factionless all in one day. If they weren't going to join Jeanine then they sure as hell couldn't go home. Where the hell were they? What were they doing? Or thinking? Would they know what they've done? Then Eric entered my mind, wondering what Jeanine did to him once I was pulled from his sight.

The tears returned with a vengeance as I stood there, silently crying as I waited for a train that could take me to safety or to my death. If we made it to Amity, I knew I could find a measure of peace. My family would take me back. They would open their arms to me and I would once again be there daughter. But I knew that it would only be temporary. Amity was the immediate solution though it wasn't permanent. We'd have to move on and I would move on with them. I was Dauntless. Divergent. I didn't belong anywhere anymore. Neither did Four or Tris.

When the train came, Four put Tris down so she can jump on. Jogging a few steps next to the open car, I watched Tris get herself inside, followed by Caleb and Four. Then it's my turn. Feeling every wound on my body open as I got myself inside the car, I moved to the back wall, laying down and staring at the car ceiling. Then Marcus and Peter get themselves inside. Four and Tris are sitting at my head, everyone quiet.

Now that we had a destination, and that destination was my former home, I let a small wave of relief fill me. But it would only be a matter of time before Erudite and the corrupt Dauntless leaders looked for us, and we will have to move on. But that was tomorrow's problem, right now we just had to get there.

"My parents." I heard Tris say to Four. "They died today. They died for me." She told him and paused, looking down at me. "For me and Pen."

"They loved you." He told her. "To them there was no better way to show you." She nodded as she stared at him. "You nearly died today." He stated. "I almost shot you. Why didn't you shoot me, Tris?"

"I couldn't do that." She told him. "It would have been like shooting myself."

Listening to them made tears fill my eyes again. I wished for nothing more than to share such sentimental words with Eric. I would have died for him. I would have done anything for him. I wished I knew what was happening to him or what Jeanine was saying to him. Would she make him believe something that wasn't true? What would he be or do the next time I saw him? Would I ever see him again? I was in agony without him. I needed him. Not only that but to have to watch the pain and death that Tris had to endure, feeling the life leave her father, it was all too much. My body hurt and I was exhausted yet too afraid to sleep. Everything was lost.

Four and Tris started whispering to each other, the sound oddly comforting. When the talking died down, Four put his hand against my shoulder, gently moving his thumb back and forth. Relaxing at his touch, I shut my eyes, focusing on my breathing, picturing Eric in my mind; I felt sleep start to take me, trying not to think about what happened today.

Abnegation and Dauntless are both broken, their members scattered. We are as good as factionless now. I don't know what the future holds. All I know was that I had to keep fighting. I had to keep moving forward as long as there was hope to find those that I loved. I'd find Claude and Henry. I'd find Tori. More than anything, I would find Eric. I would save him from Jeanine and be with him. I had a path to follow and I would follow it until the end. I would fight and not stop fighting until we won the war or died in the process. This wasn't over. But I would see it through until the end. Despite everything that had happened, we would fight for what was right. Someone had to. If that had to be us than so be it. We'd already lost more than anyone should. There was no going back. Tomorrow I'd be reunited with my parents and my sisters. Tomorrow my old faction would decide our fate. Tomorrow…at least we were alive to find out what tomorrow would bring. Something I both dreaded and was eager for. Either way, we couldn't stop tomorrow from coming. It was going to happen whether we were prepared for it or not. All we had to do was face it head on, and be brave.

THE END

And there we have it! The end of To Be Brave! A HUGE THANK YOU to all who have been a part of this story!

And for those who may be freaking out, even for those who aren't: the story is far from over! This is but one of three stories. Since I have been following a more canon timeline, I've broken it down so it's one story per book with a few difference from the movies and such. I hope to upload the next story sooner rather then later! So keep an eye out! Much more exciting things to come!

And again, THANK YOU to all who have read it!

Until next time...