The Dauntless depart from Candor headquarters. Jack Kang is horrified to discover that they have tried and executed Eric and are taking their Divergent colleagues with them to the Dauntless headquarters, leaving Jack unable to meet two out of three of Jeanine’s demands. His faction, who have no protection without the Dauntless soldiers, is completely at Erudite’s mercy.

Dauntless engage in a gigantic paintball fight to destroy Erudite’s cameras. The fight reminds Tris of the positive side of Dauntless—their freedom and ability to live in the moment.

Tobias asks Tris to accompany him to a meeting with Evelyn and Edward, because she is better at reading situations than he is. Along the way, Tobias tells Tris that he went through his fear landscape again, and it has changed. Instead of shooting an unknown woman, he has to watch Tris die while he is powerless to help her. 

At the meeting, Tobias, as a Dauntless leader, agrees to an alliance with the factionless. Evelyn’s goals are to destroy the entire faction system and to give the factionless an equal voice in the new government. She also wants Jeanine Matthews dead. They agree to join forces to take down the Erudite headquarters.