Chapter Text
The scenes on the screens pass before my eyes but my mind is somewhere else. The control room isn't part of my usual duties but with one of the regular operators transferring to initiate training full time for the coming weeks I offered to pick up some of his shifts. While I wouldn't usually volunteer, the control room provides me with access to every inch of video surveillance in and around the Dauntless compound which will be helpful to my mission.
Tomorrow is the day of the choosing ceremony and in less than twenty-four hours a new batch of initiates will arrive at the compound excited to start their new lives. They will be a lot less excited once they realize initiation is a fight to the top and only the strong succeed in becoming full members of Dauntless. Unlike other factions, Dauntless doesn't blindly accept new members. Every member of this faction must prove themselves to be worthy or they will be cut.
I hear a knock at the door and turn around quickly to see who it is. The door to the control room opens revealing the familiar, stony face of Jeanine Matthews, leader of Erudite.
"Good evening, Eric," she says with a small smile.
"Jeanine," I reply standing up.
She closes the door behind her before walking across the small room, slowly scanning the monitors in front of us.
"I trust you are prepared for tomorrow?" she says.
She’s referring to the arrival of the new initiates. I have been asked to oversee their training once again.
"As prepared as I can be," I reply.
"Do not take this task lightly Eric. I recognize that you have been working on this for some time now, but the new crop of initiates is always our best chance of identifying them," her stony grey eyes bore into mine and I want to look away but instead I force myself to stare back with conviction.
I'm not a child. I was given a mission, and I will follow orders. I don't need reminding.
It takes everything I have not to say these exact words to her. But I manage, and instead, I unclench my jaw and say, "I understand."
"Good," she says, turning her attention back to the monitors. "These will be useful. It's not easy to identify Divergents and you must take advantage of every resource provided to you."
I suppress a frustrated sigh as she repeats the same lines she has been feeding me since the beginning of the mission.
She turns and looks at me sceptically. "Eric," she says in a patronizing tone. "It is of the utmost importance that we identify those who demonstrate acts of divergence before they become full members of our factions. They are a very real threat to our society and our way of life. The sooner they can be eliminated, the easier this will be." She pauses for a moment and once again locks eyes with me. "That is why you have been tasked with overseeing the training of the new initiates. As usual, the combat trials won't be of any help, but the simulations, the fear landscapes, this is when they will reveal themselves. Until then, use the intelligence and curiosity that your former faction engrained in you and watch for any signs that these individuals don't fit into the Dauntless mould."
"If there are any Divergents among the new initiates I will find them," I say confidently, suppressing an eye roll. "They don't belong in our society."
"Good," she replies. "For now, focus on the transfers. It is more likely that one of them will show an aptitude for divergence than a Dauntless born who has chosen to stay within their faction. But when the combat trials are over, you will need to keep a close eye on them as well. Be especially aware of any Abnegation transfers. We have come to realize that the majority of 'inconclusive' results during the aptitude test are from members of Abnegation. This result is often a sign of divergence."
"Noted," I reply curtly, wondering if she is almost done.
She purses her lips slightly before walking towards the door.
"I expect weekly reports on your findings," she says over her shoulder. When she reaches the door, she turns to face me once more. "And Eric?"
I nod in response.
"Don't disappoint me," she says, her eyes threatening. “Failure is not an option.”
"Yes, Ma'am," I reply as she closes the door behind her.
I let out a breath and sit back down in from of the screens.
"No pressure," I say aloud to myself. "No pressure at all."
The new initiates will have gathered in the dining hall by now. Laughing and chatting, excited that they made it off the train and down the hole. Their excitement won't last when they find out what we have in store for them. Before I get to crush their spirits, I have to track down Four. I don't know why Max couldn't just deal with it himself, but I may as well get it over with. I'll be stuck dealing with him for the foreseeable future anyways. It's so much easier to ignore his existence when he cooped up in the control room, but he had to go and volunteer to train the new initiates and now I'm stuck overseeing the training.
He's probably in the dining hall. I have to go there anyways to gather the transfers and show them to their dormitory so at least I'm not having to go too far out of my way. I reach my destination quickly and note that the atmosphere immediately changes upon my arrival. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I almost want to laugh at the number of people looking at me, but I keep my eyes cold and my face straight as I scan the room for Four. As the youngest leader in Dauntless history, I've had to work hard to earn the respect of my faction and if that means they fear me then so be it.
I find him nearby sitting with two girls I don't recognize. They must be transfers. I walk over to their table and sit down next to Four. None of them say anything.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" I ask, nodding towards the two girls.
"This is Tris and Christina," he says grudgingly.
I take a quick look at them. Now that I am closer it is obvious which factions they belonged to just hours ago.
"Ooh, a Stiff," I say, smirking at the small blonde girl dressed in all grey. "We'll see how long you last."
I can't help but stare at her for longer than would be considered appropriate. 'Be especially aware of any Abnegation transfers'…I hear Jeanine's words repeat in my mind. I can't imagine that this girl is Divergent. A threat to our society my ass. She doesn't even know how to eat a damn burger I note, seeing the plan patty before her.
I tap my fingers on the table and return my attention to Four.
"What have you been up to lately, Four?" I ask.
Four lifts a shoulder. "Nothing, really," he says.
In the corner of my eye, I notice the Stiff looking back and forth between the two of us.
"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up," I say. "He requested that I find out what's going on with you."
Four looks at me for a second before saying, "Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."
"So, he wants to give you a job."
They have been trying to recruit him into leadership since he came first in our initiation year. I can't for the life of me figure out how he could be of any use. He's such a self-righteous dick. Jeanine and Max would never be able to convince him to join the cause. There's too much Abnegation left in him.
"So it would seem," Four says.
"And you aren't interested."
"I haven't been interested in two years."
"Well," I say. "Let's hope he gets the point, then."
I clap Four on the shoulder, hard, before standing up and turning towards the Stiff.
"Try some ketchup," I say quickly before walking away.
Well at least one good thing came out of that conversation, Four has no interest in leadership and I'm happy about that. I head over to the other side of the room where Max and the other leaders are eating their dinner and join in. I'll talk to Max about my conversation with Four tomorrow right now I just want to eat.
My eyes wander back over to Four's table, and I notice that the Stiff…what was her name? Chris? No that was the other one…Tris, right…Tris has picked up the bottle of ketchup. I watch as she examines it closely before flipping it over and tapping some onto her burger. I don't know how Abnegation can possibly enjoy life without the pleasures of delicious food. She picks up the burger and tentatively brings it to her lips holding it there for entirely too long before taking a small bite. I accidentally laugh out loud at how ridiculous she looks. Never in my life would I have thought someone could be afraid to eat a hamburger. My table becomes quiet and realize that my small outburst has caught their attention. I break my watch and look around the table.
"What?" I say in my iciest tone, staring them down one by one.
Max looks at me curiously for a second before raising his hands slightly as if to say "whatever man" and returning his attention back to Sam who is sitting across from him. Everyone else at the table follows suit.
When dinner is over, I lead the transfers to the dormitory in silence. None of them say a word the entire way there. This is the first time I'll get a good look at the new recruits. With eleven dauntless born in the running, nine transfers and only ten spots total I doubt many of them will make it through to become full members.
As we reach the wooden door that leads to their dormitory I stop, turn and cross my arms. I wait as they quickly gather around me. I scan their faces and see a mixture of fear and confusion. Not a single one of them looks Dauntless to me. Although one Candor boy does stand out. He is quite tall, around my height and even wider than I am. If it wasn't for the pathetic look on his face, I would say he might have potential. I take in their outfits: five Candor, three Erudite and the Stiff from earlier. I guess she is the only one I'll have to pay special attention to. I was surprised and a bit impressed to find out at dinner that she had volunteered to jump first upon arrival at the compound.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Eric," I say. "I am one of five leaders of the Dauntless. We take the initiation process very seriously here, so I volunteered to oversee most of your training."
Volunteered my left foot.
"Some ground rules," I continue. "You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day. Training takes place every day from eight to six, with a break for lunch. You are free to do whatever you like after six. You will also get some time off between each stage of initiation."
"You are only permitted to leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless," I add. "Behind this door is the room where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks. You will notice that there are ten beds and only nine of you. We anticipated that a higher proportion of you would make it this far."
"But we started with twelve," the Candor girl I met earlier protests.
"There is always at least one transfer who doesn't make it to the compound," I shrug. "Anyway, in the first stage of initiation, we keep transfers and Dauntless-born initiates separate, but that doesn't mean you are evaluated separately. At the end of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born initiates. And they are better than you are already." And I doubt any of them look like they are about to wet themselves right now. "So I expect –"
"Rankings?" a mousy-haired Erudite transfer says, cutting me off. "Why are we ranked?"
Here it comes. I smile, readying myself for the outrage I am sure they are about to express.
"Your ranking serves two purposes," I say, starting them out gently. "The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available."
"The second purpose," I smile just a little bit wider, "is that only the top ten initiates are made members."
No one moves as I take in the sea of shocked faces before me.
The petit Candor girl is the first to open her mouth again, "What?"
I ignore her outrage and push on. "There are eleven Dauntless-borns, and nine of you," I continue. "Four initiates will be cut at the end of stage one. The remainder will be cut after the first test."
"What do we do if we're cut?" a Cander boy with green eyes says.
"You leave the Dauntless compound," I say indifferently, "and live factionless."
I watch as the mousy-haired Erudite clamps her hand over her mouth and begins to sob. I can already tell that she won't make it through initiation. I would have expected the Stiff to be the first to be cut but looking at her now, I can see the resolve on her face. She isn't breaking down, if anything she looks colder than she did in the dining hall. Interesting.
"But that's…not fair!" the broad-shouldered Candor girl says.
My god these Candor transfers need to learn how to shut up.
Her voice sounds angry, but she looks terrified. "If we had known—"
I cut her off, too irritated by all of their outbursts to let her finish. "Are you saying that if you had known this before the choosing ceremony, you wouldn't have chosen Dauntless?" I snap. "Because if that's the case, you should get out now. If you are really one of us, it won't matter to you that you might fail. And if it does, you are a coward."
I've had enough of this. I open the door to the dormitory.
"You chose us," I say sternly. "Now we have to choose you."
And with that I turn and walk away, leaving them to discuss what they have just learned amongst themselves.
I consider all of the candidates as I make my way to my apartment. There's the big Candor one, he shows a bit of potential. He will probably make it through the combat trials but based on his response today he may or may not make it through the sims.
There's the tall Candor girl, if any of the female initiates are likely to excel in the combat trials it would be her but inferring that she wouldn't have chosen Dauntless if she had known how the initiation process worked makes me question how brave she is.
There's the small Erudite who started crying, she won't make it through the combat trials. The two other Candor boys didn't show me much either way. Same with the two boys from Erudite.
That leaves the Candor girl, Christina, who clearly doesn't know when to stop talking but she did seem spirited and that could get her through to the sims if she works hard.
And lastly the Stiff, Tris. The potential Divergent who has already proven to be more Dauntless than the rest by volunteering to be the first jumper and reacting with what looked to be courage and resolution at the idea of the trials.
She may yet prove to be a threat.