Contents
Chapter 51: Four
Overview
Four realizes he and the initiates are in a simulation controlled by Eric via a portable signal repeater and breaks free through will. Eric intends to frame Four while sending armed initiates to assassinate Abnegation leaders, including Andrew Prior. Pretending compliance, Four slips away from Will to protect Andrew.
Summary
On a moving train, Four distributes real guns from a crate to initiates for what he’s told is a “training exercise.” Eric refuses a weapon and wears a backpack device that makes Four feel an invasive mental itch, prompting rising doubt about the mission.
Clues cascade—lethal bullets, factionless-smuggled weapons, silent armed initiates, and Christina’s inexplicable presence—leading Four to recognize a simulation akin to his aptitude test, not a fear landscape. Recalling Evelyn’s dream of ending factions, he rejects being used, concentrates, and breaks the simulation’s control.
Determined to prevent bloodshed, Four keeps his freedom secret as the train stops. Eric lines up the initiates, and Will arrives with reconnaissance, reporting on Abnegation council targets. Eric reveals the plan: a portable signal repeater extends Dauntless control, and framing “abused” Tobias Eaton enhances the narrative.
Eric assigns initiates to specific leaders—naming Andrew Prior among them—while ordering Four to accompany Will to find the council head. As Will leads toward Abnegation headquarters, Four weighs saving Marcus versus Andrew. He chooses Andrew, ducks into an alley, and runs for Building A to intervene.
Who Appears
- Four (Tobias Eaton)Protagonist; recognizes and breaks a simulation, feigns compliance, then escapes to protect Andrew Prior.
- EricAntagonist overseeing the operation; uses a portable signal repeater to control initiates and frame Four.
- WillInitiate acting as scout under Eric; escorts Four toward Abnegation before Four slips away.
- Andrew PriorAbnegation council member and target; his endangerment drives Four to run to save him.
- Marcus EatonFour’s abusive father; initially considered Four’s target, but Four chooses Andrew instead.
- Jeanine MatthewsErudite leader behind the simulations; approved using Four to craft a narrative.
- ChristinaInitiate seen among the armed, controlled group, indicating broad simulation reach.
- EdwardInitiate who receives a gun from Four at the start of the mission.