Enmeshment

A day later, sun went down and the Pit was full with people chilling around after having dinner at the cafeteria. I was hanging around with my friends. Jen was sitting next to me and her bubbly personality was nowhere to be found. I saw Uriah walked pass us but he didn't bother to come and said hi to Jen. I looked at her and Jen was a little annoyed when she saw Uriah.

"I better go searching some information about my brother. I'll see you guys later!" She got up and left us behind. She worried sick about her brother not knowing what happened to him since game night and I hadn't tell her about anything. About him attacked me and about him getting kicked out by Eric. I didn't know where to starts. Plus looked like something gone wrong between Uriah and her.

"She broke up with Uriah?" I asked my friends.

"I think they never in a boyfriend girlfriend situation. Beside Uriah is actually pretty close with Marlene now," Tris pointed to a blonde girl walking beside Uriah. I didn't really know the Dauntless-born initiates well like Tris did. Looked like Tris spent some time with them.

A moment later one of the Dauntless patrol members coming forward to our group. "Which one of you name Roxy?" He asked as he looked at the girls in my group one by one. I raised my hand and moved forward.

"Roxy! Max wants to see you in his office." He told me in his bold voice.

"Max?" I mumbled myself. "Something's wrong?" I asked him as I got up from my seat. There were concerned show up in my friends' faces and they started to look at each other asking if there was a problem that made Max wants to meet me.

"What do he wants?" Tris step up and asked them.

"I don't know. He just ask me to bring her to him right away!" He stated as another patrol member took a step forward and stood behind his teammate. "Come!" He turned around ready to leave but then looked at me, waiting for me to follow him. I walked behind this two patrol members to the upper floor where all the leaders' offices located. Max's office was located at the very top of the Pit, right below the Glass Building.

"Can you tell me what is it all about?" I asked and one of them turned his head around before started to talk. "All we know it has something to do with the factionless." He told me. I was wondering myself, what it had to do with me if factionless caused any trouble. I wasn't part of the official Dauntless member yet.

They stopped on front of Max's office and told me to get inside. I knocked on the door and waited for Max to let me in. "Come on in!" He shouted and I opened the door.

"You're looking for me sir?"

"Yes Roxy." Max was standing in front of a blackboard with some weird stuff that I didn't understand and map hanging beside it. "Close the door." I closed the door behind me and walked closer to his desk after he closed the blackboard with a big piece of cover-up so I couldn't see it.

"Take a seat!" He said as he took a seat behind his desk and I took the chair before him. "There is a small riot happen in section near the Abnegation compound. Some factionless is causing a little bit of trouble in there, but we're taking care of it as we speak." I was listening to what he said but still didn't get why I was called here.

"I heard about what happened to your parents," said Max and I was confused how did he knows about this then I realized Eric must be the one who told him. "We would like to catch the guy. Some of our intel already in the field looking for him."

My heart immediately sank and the rage that I kept inside all this time was starting to boil up again, but I tried my best not to show it in front of Max. Joined Dauntless is one of the main reason for me to found my parents killer. After all this years, they didn't really care about what happened to a regular people in Abnegation but they finally did something today. Then I guessed that it was all because of Eric, he was the only one knew about it. He was helping me again without me knowing it.

"And if you want, you can also join them," he added.

"I c-could sir?"

"Yes! We still need someone to verified the suspect and you're the only one who've seen him," I nodded. "It's been a decade ago, do you think you still can recognize the person?" I could never forget the man who robbed and the shot my parents in front of my eyes. For years I've been holding myself not to go after him, not until I joined Dauntless. I never thought that the opportunity would come this fast, not when I was still an initiate.

"I do think I still remember the person, sir. If I could I'd like to help."

"Good!" Max nodded in approval. "One more thing. If you interested, I'd like to recruit you to become the field intel."

"You offer me a job?" My eyes widened not believe about what I just heard.

"More like a training. I can't guarantee that you can pass the initiation without the final test, but if you did you're securing yourself a job. Not so many people can become an intel."

"I'm flattered for your offer, sir!" I smiled so big then Max probably found it weird to see me like that.

"I trust Eric when he said that you can become a great addition for our main team," he continued.

"Eric asked you to give me a job?" My smile gone when he said Eric was the one told him to gave a job to me. I didn't want Max gave me an important position just because Eric said so. Why couldn't he understand that I want to get my spot because they saw that I was good not just because they were afraid of Eric and did whatever he wanted.

"So what do you say, Roxy?" He asked me again made my thoughts back.

"With all due respect, sir. Can I think about it first?"

Max was surprised when I didn't immediately jumped and took the job he offered but then he just shrugged, "opportunity like this won't come to you twice, Roxy," he paused and I listened to him. I knew he must be thought that I didn't grateful but it wasn't the problem. "One night. I give you one night to consider it."

I got up from my seat and slightly bow to him, "thank you sir!"

"Meanwhile, Eric is waiting for you in the main gate. He would like to take you out in patrol with him tonight." Max face showed that he didn't like the idea of me joining the patrol team not when I was officially a Dauntless member, but seemed like he couldn't do anything if Eric already said his will.

"Thank you, sir!" I nodded a bit before leaving the room.

I headed to the main entrance where I saw Eric was already standing near the gate ready in his uniform. There were also other guards wondering around back and forth between the gate and the warehouse not so far from it. Eric was wearing his sinister face around the guards and he was frowning the whole time. I approached him and he saw me coming; his face lit up a little but still maintaining his leader pose.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded.

"Why you want me to come with you tonight? Looks like Max doesn't like that you want me to go on patrol."

"Who cares about Max's feeling!?" Eric stopped a guard who walked pass us. "Take off your vest!" The guard was looking around but then he unclasped his vest and handed it to Eric. He then put it for me to wear on. "Just pre-caution" he said as he helped me clasped the side of my vest and tighten it up.

He then opened the back door of the Light Armored Patrol Vehicle and I quickly jumped inside, followed by Eric. There were also two guards sitting in the front. The vehicle started to roll over and I could see another Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle following us from behind. By the look of it, I was guessing that the riot wasn't that small if they need heavy-duty vehicles like this.

"Are we going to the scene now?" I asked and he just hummed.

"One of our intel have an information that your parents killer might be in there," he paused. "We don't know for sure but we will interrogate some factionless that probably with the suspect the day when it happened."

I gripped my own hands tightly yet it didn't feel hurt somehow. It was pretty tense sitting inside this vehicle with Eric holding his rifle tightly to his chest. "Do I need one?" I asked and he glanced at me to see me referring to the gun on his hand.

"No!" He quickly answered.

"How do I protect myself?" I was annoyed.

"You just need to stay close to me." His leader tone was back again.

"You can't babysit me forever." I whispered just loud enough for Eric to hear.

"Initiates can't carry weapon outside the training range," he breathe harshly and I just sighed knowing that arguing with Eric in front of other people will be useless.

"Did Max already talk to you about it?" He asked and I knew that he was talking about the job offered.

"I didn't want to get a job just because you tell them to give me the job..." I paused. "You told me that I shouldn't feel helpless and yet you make me feel like one again, Eric!" Not realized my voice was getting louder and the guard who drove the jeep glanced a little to the back seat, but then back away when he saw Eric was gave him a death stare from the rear view. I also shut my mouth.

A few minutes later the jeep stopped and we arrived at the riot scene. We all quickly got out from the vehicle. I looked around and the place was pretty much damage and burned down. Eric walked closer to my side and his hand placed on my back, gesturing that I should stay close to him.

"Set the perimeter!" He shouted to his inferiors and they immediately scattered around the place leaving us both standing outside the vehicle. "I don't ask Max to give you the job. I recommend you to him. I also offered Edward to him but he's out." He clarified and I felt stupid for accusing him being soft to me again. "But yes I admit I use my position to make the intel tracked down your parents killer."

All Dauntless members were going all over the place; most of them went to the riot scene to help the others handle the factionless that started all of this. One of them jogged closer to us from opposite direction. "Sir, this way!" He said to Eric and he pushed my back a little to follow his inferior.

We walked to an open ground where I saw three men knelt on their knees with a lot of Dauntless guards standing behind them. We walked closer and Eric told me stay behind the guard who stood up a few meters away from the suspects. Eric approached them and he was standing in front of them waiting for them to looked up and saw his face. One of them slowly looked up, I could see Eric was smirking before he hit the person with the back of his gun. That person fell down to the ground and his nose was bleeding. "So… You three were the ones behind the riot. What punishment should I give to you!?" he taunting them but none of them dare to speak. "In many cases I'd just kill you all right now in an instant!" he paused and the other two were looking at each other. "But… I'll spare you this time if you can give me an information."

"I w-will tell you anything you want! P-please don't kill me!" one of them begged Eric and made the other one glared at him. "Shut your fucking mouth!" he shouted and made Eric smirked again.

"I want you to tell me about the raid factionless did a decade ago to Abnegation and made a couple died!" told Eric and all of them were staring at each other again. "Come on! I know you fuckers know something!

"I w-wasn't in there, b-but I sort of know about it! There was only one person who we knew killed someone in the day we raid Abnegation ten years ago," said the older man.

"Then fucking tell me now!" Eric started to lose his patience.

"I don't know his name but all I know he was living in the outer skirt of the city center right now."

Eric was staring at him but then suddenly he cocked his gun and pointed to the man. "How do I know you're not lying!?"

"P-please! Please I'm telling you the truth. That's all I know! Please don't kill me!" The younger man begged him while the older one already faced his head down to the ground ready for anything that would happen.

He punched both men before walking away from them. "Lock them up!" he shouted and the guards quickly held the suspects and carried back to one of the vehicles. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, this was the first time I saw Eric on duty and being Dauntless wasn't an easy job. Eric walked back to me and he grabbed my hand headed back. Two guards who were with us in the jeep followed us when they saw Eric walked back to the jeep.

"What are you two doing?"

"We're driving you back to the compound sir!"

"Take another vehicle, I have something to do!" Said Eric and the guards stood still obeying his order. "Get in!" He shouted to me as he opened the driver's door. I rushed myself to the opposite direction and took shotgun.

"Where are we going now?" I asked but he didn't reply. He drove around to an area that I've never gone before. Most of the buildings were ruined, much worse than the buildings in the city. The road was dark, the moon and the jeep lights were the only lighting we had. I didn't ask him anything anymore until he stopped in front of an abandon building.

"Where are we?"

Eric unbuckled his seatbelt, "stay inside, and don't go anywhere. I won't be long!" He then jumped outside the jeep and headed to a warehouse across the street. My eyes followed his direction and he entered the building. There were some Dauntless guards standby in front of it and there were some trucks went in and out from the garage next to it. Dauntless members weren't the only one, I recognized some people with sleek and touch of blue color clothes came into the warehouse. What Erudite doing with Dauntless in this place?

I was sitting inside the jeep for almost half an hour when suddenly someone banged on the door making me startled. "Get out from the vehicle!" One of the guards opened the door. "Step outside! Slowly! Hands in the air!" I raised my hand and jumped outside. One of the guards grabbed my wrist and twisted me around to face the jeep. "What are you doing here!?" He shouted while the other one pointed a gun to me. "This area is forbidden for everyone!"

"She's with me!" I heard Eric screamed out to the guards before I could say anything. "Let her go now, if you don't want end up guarding the fence!" His eyes were menacing and the guard let my hands go immediately.

"Apologize, sir. We don't now."

"Get off my sight!" The two guards rushed back to the warehouse leaving us in the dark street. "You alright?" He grabbed my hand to check up on my wrist. "Get in!" He titled his head told me to get back inside the jeep.

"What are you doing in there?" Eric glanced at me and his jaw was tightened. Looked like I shouldn't ask him anything but I was so curious about what was happening between Dauntless and Erudite in that warehouse.

"Just a job thing! I ask you not telling this to anyone especially your friends!"

"W-why?"

"Just tell me you won't tell anyone!"

All this things made me suspicious, "o-okay..." but I thought promised him was the right thing to do for now.

We went back to Dauntless compound in silent. I didn't ask anything and Eric was keeping his mouth shut the entire trip. We entering the main gate and he told the other Dauntless member to took over the vehicle while we walked back to the Pit. It was so late and nobody was in the Pit when I was heading to the path that led back to my dorm.

"You can stay in my apartment."

"I think it's best for me to stay in my dorm tonight. I don't want my friends wondering where I am every night..."

"Okay..." He pulled me closer to him. He hugged me and whispered something to my ear "I trust you..." He kissed me before he left. I was sure what he meant was about me not talking about his meeting at that building with Erudite, but I just didn't understand why he wanted to keep it a secret. What were they planning?