Contents
Chapter 27: Tris
Overview
Tris and Four race by train to Candor headquarters after spotting a fire, arguing whether Evelyn orchestrated it as a distraction. They force their way against evacuating crowds and ascend the stairwell. Reaching Candor’s glass central chamber, they witness smoke and the start of fire-containment protocols sealing the space.
Summary
Seeing smoke at the Merchandise Mart, Tris and Four sprint for the train, aiming for Candor headquarters. Tris blames the timing on Evelyn, who knew of Mae’s hearing; Four challenges Tris’s loyalty, calling her Evelyn’s errand girl. Tris erupts, insisting she acted to protect Mae, not to serve Evelyn.
They board the train and endure a detour before returning toward the burning building. At the platform, alarms blare and crowds surge for the exits. Four, recalling a past Candor hearing, leads the way; he shields Tris as they push against the tide toward an emergency stairwell.
Driven by fear for Christina, Mae, and her father, Tris climbs with Four, the two holding hands intermittently for steadiness. As smoke thickens on the upper floors, they reach a glass-lined level and enter an octagonal chamber studded with reflective panels and a central podium, likely Candor’s system access point.
Smoke spills from above while an automated voice announces fire-containment protocol. As they rush to cross the chamber, metal barriers begin dropping to seal off passages, signaling the building’s effort to confine the blaze and leaving Tris and Four at risk of being trapped inside.
Who Appears
- Tris (Beatrice Prior)Protagonist; races to Candor to help, defends her motives about Mae, leads with urgency despite fear.
- Four (Tobias Eaton)Guides route to Candor, challenges Tris about Evelyn, protects her through the crowd, navigates to the central chamber.