Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from Divergent is not mine. This Disclaimer is true for this chapter and all that follow.

A/N: Okay, so I've been sitting on this story for weeks now, wanting to get To Whatever End started before it. But I can't take it anymore! I must post it! With that being said, there are a few things I need to state before we get going with this:
- This is a mash-up of both the books and the movie, following the books a little more closely, with some of the movie changes thrown in. Hopefully it'll flow so you hardly notice it.
- Picture Eric as Jai since you can't have a good Divergent FF without him!
- The timeframe of this is a little skewed. I went with more the movie timeline. Ages were changed for the film and I went with Eric and Four being 24 to work my OC in better. So don't be alarmed!
- This story is rated M for a reason! If language, nudity, sex, abuse, or anything similar offends you than do not read past this point. There is plenty of all of it so if you can't handle it than don't read it. I will not be offended.

Okay, I think that's it. At least for now, and if there is anything I need to add, I'll add it later when I remember. Ha-ha. Now onto the story! And please do not hesitate to review! If you've read any of my other works, you'll know that I am not driven strictly by how many reviews I get. However, I will admit that every one I get is greeted with the excitement and enthusiasm as presents are on Christmas morning!

HAPPY READING!

Chapter One: Life

Choices.

They will make you or break you.

We all have to make them. Dealing with the consequences of each one.

At the ripe age of sixteen we were supposed to know who we wanted to be. Where we wanted to be. In my mind, what do sixteen year olds know? How were we supposed to know who we were supposed to be? How were we supposed to decide how to live our lives when we'd barely begun to live it? When my time came to make that choice, there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to be. But that was a wanting. I hadn't realized the strength and endurance I would need. Everything in my mind that I was raised to know no longer applied, throwing it to the wind, and becoming someone I never thought I could be. But as hard a decision as it was. As hard as the transition was. I had become the person I had always dreamed I would be. Feeling as if I had finally found where I belonged. Keeping the girl I was raised to be buried inside my chest, I showed the world what I was made of and I had persevered.

The rain pelted down on me but I didn't care. Running circles around our headquarters, my muscles were burning, wanting to give out, making me push myself just that much harder. My mind was racing, going through everything I'd been through over the past five years. Everything I had learned and had seen and heard and felt. Letting more and more of my old self go with every passing day. My body was nothing like it had been. I used to be soft and gentle, now I was hard and fierce. My body pierced and tattooed, calloused and scarred. Nothing like the smoothness it had once been. A choice had been made and I wouldn't change it for anything.

The shorter layers of my dark brown hair - now with orange, red, and yellow highlights - clung to my face, nearly obscuring my vision. My black tank and pants were drenched with water, weighing me down. When I finally finished my last lap, I slowed to a walk, making one more to cool myself down. When I once again stood at the entrance to the glass building, I sat on the curb, letting the rain continue to cool me. It wasn't cold but I could still see a thin mist coming off of me from my body heat.

Finally standing, I walked inside, moving past the fear landscape and making my way down the narrow path into the Pit. Walking the familiar route, I went to my apartment. It was one long room, nearly a full wall of windows that allowed me to see the city. The only part that wasn't was where my bed was. There was even a balcony. The other three walls had once been white, though I had been working on painting murals on them since I had been awarded such an apartment because of my ranking. I had a queen sized bed, a comforter I had dyed red, a desk with a lamp and artwork spread out all over it. Though my artwork wasn't just on the desk, it was everywhere. I had an attached bathroom, a square mirror hanging above the sink. I was also the proud owner of a mini-fridge. Though I didn't need much. I would be happy with just the bed and desk. As well as an endless supply of paper and pencils and pens. Which I did have. I had enough to last me a lifetime.

Undressing on the way to my bathroom, I turned on the water, letting it grow hot before stepping under the stream. Cleaning the sweat from my tanned skin, I ran my hands along the tattoos that littered my body. I preferred ink to piercing, but had my fair share of those as well. Running my hand along the tree on my left shoulder, I thought of my family. They were no longer a part of my life but I still loved and missed them. Even five years wasn't long enough to forget. They had raised me, taught me everything I knew, I couldn't forget them. At times I missed them so much that I second guessed my decision. Remembering the kind voice of my father. The loving touch of my mother. The bond between me and my sisters. They remained in Amity while I became a completely different person. I no longer valued kindness, peace, and harmony. They were still a part of me, but I no longer strived to achieve them. I now was brave and strong and fearless. I was Dauntless. I was the first transfer in my family. It was a shock, but I had never quite fit in with them. I wasn't as kind as I should have been. My temper was too short and I was nowhere near as trusting. The only part of Amity that I excelled at was forgiveness, for without it I would have been forced into being factionless long before now.

Spending a prolonged time under the hot water, I finally left, drying myself off as I stepped in front of the mirror. My five-seven frame used to hold a nice cushion of fat, only now I was a lean, mean, fighting machine. Having held onto kindness in my heart, nothing shown to the world was kind. I was known for my quick temper and the pain that was associated with it. You don't mess with me unless you know you can win. And I refused to pick a fight that I couldn't. For as brave and strong as I was, I was no fool. I knew when to back down, even if all of me is pushing to act, sometimes it was easier to just walk away. That in itself is one of the strongest forms of bravery you can show.

Combing out my hair, I gelled it before letting it air dry, applying dark eyeliner and mascara. I was more or less a simple girl, adding just enough to make my hazel eyes stand out. Dropping the towel I was wearing, I pulled on a tight black t-shirt and tight pants, bunching up at the top of my boots. Scrunching the layers of my hair, the longest falling nearly to the center of my back, I left, knowing it would look fine no matter what happened. It was straight with just the hint of a wave, thick, and most of the time I didn't care what it looked like. By the end of the day it would probably have blood in it anyway.

"Hey, Pen." I heard my name from behind me.

Turning, I saw Claude, a six-foot, lanky, tough ass bitch who initiated the same year as me. She used to be Candor but now was happily Dauntless. She fit so well into the faction I was jealous of her. She was the number one ranker between the transfers and the initiates. I had the scars to prove how Dauntless she was. The woman knew how to use a blade. I had learned that the night she beat me, dropping my rank to number two. We had worked hard to get where we were and no one was going to argue with us, or take it away.

"Breakfast?" I asked her.

"Always." She smiled, draping her arm across my shoulders.

She was all muscle. Not a single speck of fat on her body. Her hair was long, neon blue tipped, and nearly always in a messy bun on the back of her head. Her ears were so pierced that you could hardly tell what they were. She had so many imbedded in her skin, chains falling around her chest and neck, attaching to places that didn't look remotely comfortable. But I wouldn't dare judge her for it.

"Claude! Pen!" Our names were yelled, turning to see Henry streaking down the hallway.

He was Dauntless born and initiated the same year as us. Ranking number three, we had all bonded through our accomplishments and mutual competitiveness. His blond hair bounced on his forehead, getting it his eyes, watching as he jerked his head to swoosh it to the side. No one could say that he wasn't nice to look at. His broad chest and shoulders held more muscle than my entire body. He wore it so well you wouldn't know he was as strong or muscled as he was until you saw him use them. He was charming and way too clean for Dauntless. His tattoos were hardly visible and he had only a few piercings. Something unusual for a Dauntless born.

Catching up to us, he pushed in the middle, draping his arms over our shoulders as we made our way through the Pit, and through the gaping hole in the wall, finding seats at the lines of tables in the Dining Hall. Grabbing a muffin, I started to devour it, grabbing another before the first was half gone.

"Careful." A deep voice said from behind me.

Looking up, I furrowed my eyes at Four. "Whatever. I need to build up my energy now. The new initiates are only a few months out."

"You still going to help me?" He asked.

"Of course." I nodded. "Not that you need it. You can handle it all on your own."

"Yeah, I can." He told me.

Shaking my head, I tossed a piece of muffin at him, knowing that he'd appreciate my help on the inside but not so much on the outside. The initiation process was getting harder and harder. If we wanted to build the strength we needed then we had to push them. Push them to the breaking point and see what they were made of. They'd either succeed or fail. It was up to them. We had to make the same choice. They broke us. Four broke us. And we just kept coming back. We'd shown them what we could do and now we would show the ones who chose us that they could do it too.

"There better be some decent transfers. I'm starting to doubt the strength in people. They're too flimsy and weak." Claude stated coldly.

"Says the transfer." Henry grinned.

"I'm more Dauntless than you." She said punching him hard in the arm.

"Ow." He said and laughed. Her knuckles were more scar tissue than skin. I doubt she felt pain anymore.

As soon as we were done with breakfast, Claude left us to return to the control room where she worked. Having ranked the highest, she had a choice and she had jumped at the opportunity to work in the control room. She was smart and efficient. Always able to see the end result before it happened. At times you'd think she could see into the future. I also had the option of working in the control room, but that wasn't for me. Not that I couldn't do it, I simply didn't want to. Tapping into my inner Amity, I had become the head nurse – by default – in our medical area as well as a tattoo artist. Amity were the only artistic faction and I had embraced that aspect of myself since I was a child. I was well sought after for my work and I was more than happy to deliver.

So began my day, checking up on the few members we had in the infirmary before running to the tattoo parlor to set up before people started to file in. In never failed, every day was busy, everyone wanted something.

"You're late." Tori told me.

"Barely." I smirked at her. "Besides, I had a wound oozing puss that needed to be drained and cleaned before patching it back up. I'm a busy girl."

"And that's the way you like it." She stated, having heard me say that on a nearly daily basis.

"Yes." I smiled at her.

"Any new work?" She asked me.

Sterilizing my workstation, I nodded at her, "Maybe."

"Can I see?" She asked with a raised brow.

"They're not ready to be seen." I told her. "But if you want, I can bring them by your place later."

"You know I like to see your work, Pen." She told me gently.

I nodded at her, "I know. I'm just particular about it until I think it's ready."

"It's always ready." She smiled at me. "Any more birds this time?"

"I'm constantly working on my ravens." I told her. "Been playing with trees a bit." I added touching my wrist.

"Remember you're Dauntless." She stated. "We like hard edges and bold statements."

Turning to face her, leaning against the counter, I folded my arms. "Believe me. There is plenty of that as well."

As if to reiterate her words, I spent the entire afternoon tattooing sharp edged symbols on many of our faction members. The broken segments giving them a hard look. The occasional Dauntless symbol was also given. But I was lucky enough to get a random request for a python to be wrapped around this guy's arm with flames coming out of its gaping maw. It was more complicated than I had anticipated, not to mention the guy was far more obnoxious than I had expected him to be. He made me re-stencil it onto his arm three times before he allowed me to put ink to it. Normally, I would have done the outline and had him come back, but he insisted that it had to be done today. I wasn't upset about that, but he had this annoying need to talk and I hated to talk while I worked. I wanted to lose myself in my art. Nothing made me feel freer then when I was either drawing or tattooing. But I had to be careful. Art was the Amity in me and it must show more often than it should since both Four and Tori enjoyed reminding me that I'm Dauntless now. I was well aware of who I was, and believe me, I was far more Dauntless than I was Amity.

It was far later then I had expected when I finally closed up the Parlor, making my way through the pit. Though the guy left well satisfied, going as far to tell me that it was the best he'd gotten. I wasn't modest about my gift, telling him that I knew and to tell his friends to come to me if they wanted amazing tattoos. He had several tattoos and it was obvious that they had not been as skilled as I was.

Going to my apartment, I changed and jogged to the training room. I was in need of some movement since I'd been sitting in a chair all day. Finding it empty, I started to jog around the room, doing sprints from one end to the other when I'd given myself a good warmup. Then I took to the punching bags. Despite holding a tattoo pen all day, my hand and wrist didn't pain me in the slightest. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I hit the bags until my hands were close to bleeding. Shaking them out, I started to go through the forms I'd been taught during initiation. Forms that Four had taught me. He was amazing in nearly every way. He was what every boy who entered Dauntless should aspire to be. And he was as good a role model as any. There weren't many people around here you'd want to aspire to be. Not unless you were looking to become ruthless and unfeeling. If you wanted to be an attack dog or assassin. Then there were plenty of people you could aspire to be. But I didn't choose Dauntless for any of those reasons. I chose it so I could become brave and fearless. I wanted to be able to protect myself and those I cared about. I no longer aspired to be kind and gentle. I was hard as nails and a force to be reckoned with. Something many learned the hard way. Something I enjoyed showing off every now and again. Otherwise you'd consider me even tempered. At least more so than much of Dauntless. But I would have them any other way.

When my muscles burned with exertion, I finally moved toward the door, looking up to see a figure in the doorway. Freezing, I took in the tall form of Eric. His shoulders looked broader than usual as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His impressively toned arms. His hair was partially shaved, the center longer and gelled back. His toned body was like a door itself. Meeting his eyes, the blueness of them bored into me, chilling me to the bone. His full lips turned up at the corner as if he was humored by me looking at him. Feeling anxious, not knowing what he wanted, I continued forward, turning myself to the side and slid past him, avoiding any touching. He stepped into the room as soon as I was past him, taking only a minute or two before the sounds of a fist hitting the bags reached my ears. Swiftly moving away, I went to my apartment, showering before settling down on my bed with my sketchbook.

Without meaning to I fell asleep, waking to pounding on the door. Getting up, I slowly made my way to the door, opening it to see a petite girl with long black hair and oval eyes that were slightly slanted. She was heavily muscled, needing to make up for what she lacked in size. Her look reminded me a lot of Tori even though there was no relation between them. And she could out talk anyone, and seemed to always find the bright side to everything. She was my sunflower. Despite the time of the day, she stood with a smile on her face as she rocked back and forth on her feet and her hands behind her back.

"Simmy?" I frowned at her.

"Hello, Pen." She smiled. "I've got something in the infirmary I could use your help with."

"It's late." I frowned, leaning against the door. "What is it?"

"An abscess." She grinned.

Smirking at her, I turned and changed, quickly following her. We weren't in a hurry but at the same time I was eager to see what she had found. She was my prodigy when it came to the med area, eager and willing to learn. You'd think there would be more volunteers to help out but people enjoyed causing pain, not many wanted to help cease it.

Walking into the med area, there was a clear stench in the air. Going to the only occupied bed, I put my hands on my hips as I took in the guy laying on it. He was older than me but, by the looks of it, not by much.

"So, what did you get yourself into?" I smirked at him.

He gave a short laugh, grinning as he pulled back the towel that was covering his leg. "I got a tattoo and I'm having some sort of reaction."

"Tattoo?" I frowned. "From who?"

"Mizer." He replied.

Sighing, I nodded. "Figures." I looked at his leg. "Jesus!" I exclaimed as I took in the abscess that was nearly the size of an orange on the back of his calf. "And you just realized that you should get this checked out?"

"My girlfriend made me come." He smirked.

"And where is she?"

"Sleeping probably." He replied. "It was starting to hurt and so I figured I'd see if anyone was here."

"And there was." Simmy smiled.

Nodding, I gently touched it, seeing him wince. "Okay." I sighed. "Simmy, we'll need lidocaine, an emesis basin, a 10-blade, and some lavage." She nodded and started to move away. "Simmy." I said stopping her as I looked closer at it. "We might need a few basins." Once everything was ready, I looked at him. "Okay. I'm gonna start. Let's make some small talk." I told him as I put gloves on. Injecting his skin around where I was going to make the incision, I took a deep breath, picking up the 10-blade. "So, what's your name?"

"Nathan." He told me.

"And what do you do for our faction?" I asked next as I put the blade against his skin.

"City security." He told me. "Though I have considered doing some volunteer work here."

"We can always use an extra hand around here." I told him. "And if you're with security than you much know Henry." I replied making the first incision. "Feel that?"

"Not really." He replied. "And of course I know Henry. He's a badass motherfucker. Scary as shit when he wants to be."

"In other words – awesome." I smirked up at him. "You're going to feel some pressure." The blade cut the skin but not the pocket. Cutting deeper, I felt the give and just the faintest amount of pink tinted pus started to lead out. Putting my pinky finger into the wound, I felt the pop, removing my finger to have a nice steady flow follow it. Simmy was right there to catch it. "And has he been behaving himself?" I asked.

"Of course not." Nathan smirked.

Laughing, I nodded, "Sounds about right then."

"You're Pen, right?" He asked.

"That's me." I replied, gently pushing on the back of the abscess.

Nathan looked at the wound, growing slightly pale. "He talks about you all the time."

"I'm a very popular girl." I said with sarcasm, grinning up at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine if I don't look at it." He said staring at the ceiling.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because watching that come out of my leg is disgusting."

Nodding, I looked at Simmy, "And if it was coming out of someone else?"

"It'd probably be awesome." He replied.

"Maybe you should volunteer here." I smirked at him.

Simmy grinned up at me. "It'd be fun."

"Maybe." He smiled at us. "If my girl doesn't mind."

"Does it matter?" I frowned at him.

He just looked at him for a moment, "No. Not really. But I respect her enough to ask her anyway."

Smiling, I nodded. "So there is a decent man still out there."

"Not many but a few."

"Did you transfer?" I asked numbing the area more before putting my finger into the wound and scrapping out anything that was loose.

"Nah." He replied. "Born and raised Dauntless."

Rinsing the shit out of it with saline, I packed it with iodine gauze, putting a large bandage over it to keep anything out of it. Taping the edges of it, I looked up at Nathan who was looking more at ease then he had earlier.

"Feel better?" I smiled at him, pulling my gloves off.

"Much." He told me.

Laughing lightly, I nodded, "And there is still enough time to get a few hours of sleep."

"I do enjoy sleep." He smiled back.

"Me too."

Simmy just shrugged, "I'm good."

I smiled as I furrowed my brows at her, "That's because you are some sort of freak." She just nodded. "Okay, guys. Let's get out of here." I told him. Helping Nathan to stand, he put little weight on his leg. "Put as much weight on it as you can handle. Keep the packing in for at least a couple days. You'll probably wanna soak it to loosen up the gauze when it's time for it to come out. If there is any problems just find me or Simmy or anyone else who's here. We or they will help you out."

"Thanks." He nodded.

Simmy walked him out while I started to clean up. It wasn't much but it was enough for us. Looking at the large narrow room, the two rows of beds against each wall were all empty, all the curtains pulled back, making the room seem bigger. Hearing Simmy, I looked behind me to see her at the nursing station on the opposite side. She was jotting down what had happened tonight in the log. Finishing my cleaning, I restocked the few supplies we had used, writing down the ones that were low. I'd eventually have to make a run to the main hospital to gather supplies. It was one of the few times I left Dauntless. It was just enough to make me feel content. After days in and days out of tattooing and dealing with the sick and injured, a drive to the hospital was refreshing.

"Heading out?" Simmy asked as I stepped up to her. I nodded, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I told her. "Just another satisfied customer."

"You should get some sleep." She smiled.

Nodding, I stifled a yawn. "Sleep does sound appealing."

"But?" She asked.

"But if I go back to sleep I'll never get up."

"So?" She countered. "I think everyone will survive without you for one day."

"Not the point." I told her. "I am dedicated to this job and the other. And I can still tattoo exceptional work running on little sleep."

"I know." She smiled, running her hand along the scorpion on the bottom of her forearm.

Grinning, I nodded at her. "That was a good night."

She nodded. "So what are you gonna do?"

"Probably grab my sketchbook and grab some breakfast."

"Can I join?"

"Of course."

Making our way back to my apartment, I grabbed my book before we headed to the Dining Hall. Today there was toast, eggs and bacon. Grabbing plenty, we sat down and Simmy watched as I nonchalantly ate while I moved the lead across the paper, bringing things to life. I didn't notice much around me until I saw Simmy tense, steps coming from behind me. Seeing a hand grab a piece of bacon, they swiftly moved on. I tensed as well, knowing who it was by the smell of him. As soon as he was gone, Simmy relaxed, looking at me. I just glanced in Eric's direction before returning to my work.

"Why does he have to smell so good?" Simmy asked. "It masks how evil he is."

Laughing, I shook my head, "I don't know. Just stay out of his way."

"I know." She replied. "You tell me that all the time."

"I'm just looking out for you."

"He transferred a few years before you, right?" She asked. I nodded, putting down my pencil and looked at her. "Was he always like this?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "If anything he might be a little less malicious than he used to be."

"Really?" She asked.

"I don't know, Simmy." I told her honestly. "I really don't know him. He's been a leader since he was seventeen. He's Four's rival. He lingers in odd places. I mean, I don't know him, Simmy."

"You sound angry." She commented.

Laughing, I shook my head, "He's a bad guy. Just his name leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The things he's done…"

"I know." She nodded. "We all know."

"What do we know?" Claude said sitting next to me.

"Hey." I grinned wrapping my arm around her, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

"It's before dawn, what are you two doing here?" She asked putting her arm around me as well.

"Fun times in the med area." I replied.

"Have you ever heard of sleeping?" She said gently shoving me.

"I've heard of it but I don't really have it down yet." I smirked at her.

As soon as Claude had eaten, I joined her in the training room while Simmy went off and did whatever Simmy did. Working out together, we went through the motions of our forms, attempting not to hit and wound each other too badly. I could take her on with hand to hand as long as she didn't have a blade. I'd attempted to reach her level with a blade for years without success. However, I was still champion when it came to guns. I never missed my target.

Landing hard on my back, I backward summersaulted, bouncing onto my feet. Facing her again, I licked the blood from my lip as she wiped hers from her cheek. Both of us were frowning at the other, sweat dripping down our bodies. She lunged at me, making me swivel my torso forward to avoid her fist, slamming mine into her ribs. Her feet momentarily left the ground, hearing the air leave her lungs. It didn't slow her for long, her elbow coming down onto my shoulder blade. Falling to one knee, I swiped her legs out from under her, rolling onto my back as she fell onto hers.

"Done?" I asked her.

"Done." She smiled at me.

"Draw?"

"I win." She stated.

I laughed, "Like hell you win."

"Pen won." We both looked over to see Henry leaning against the wall. "Fair and square."

"No." Claude said getting up. "Pen gave up."

"Pen is tired." I complained with a childish tone.

"Claude is too." She said mimicking me.

After parting from my friends, I once again returned to my apartment, showering before once again making my way to the Pit. Tori would be there by now and I was sure that she would be ready to work. I just hoped Bud was there as well so I could tell him about Nathan and what Mizer had done. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but I had been warning him for months about his tattooing. He sucked. He needed to stick with piercing. At least he followed the rules when he was piercing things. If I had to I'd go to Max and get him reassigned. Even he couldn't deny the safety of our members.

Walking into the Parlor, Tori was there with a content look on her face. "Morning." I smiled at her.

"Hey." She smiled back. "Did you bring me your book?"

"Per your request." I replied, handing her my sketchbook. She sat down and started to go through them while I went and grabbed a cup of coffee, returning to see her in the exact same position. "So, what do you think?"

"Amazing as always." She smiled. "I enjoy this one."

Looking, I couldn't help but smirk and shake my head. "That one is honestly just a random drawing. I never intended on it to actually be put into the collection."

"I like it." It was a stalking wolf. Simple and elegant. No dripping blood, ragged fur, or barred teeth. It expression more curious than anything. "It's probably about time I got another tattoo."

"No." I told her.

"No?"

"Even if I wanted to tattoo that onto someone, it's not ready."

"You never think your work is ready." She stated.

I was about to get into it with her about it when Eric walked in. He didn't say a word as he looked at the art on the walls. Tori looked at me, closing my sketchbook, sitting straighter. I attempted to look relaxed, watching him closely. My eyes moved to the tattoos on his neck, done by my own hand. I hated those simple tattoos with no depth. But that's what he had wanted. Though as soon as he had come he was gone.

"That's the third time within 24 hours that he's randomly shown up." I told Tori softly.

"You don't think…" She frowned at me.

"I don't, no." I replied.

"Then why?"

"You're guess is as good as mine."