Blood is a river
Flowing darkly among the tangled roots
Of the tall shining city
Crazy flowing mantide migrations
Full-scale rebellion.. this is the end. This will be the final battle, fought on the grounds of the Capitol itself. Gale fought his way through the many people, and he knew in his heart that the rebels would win. The people of the Capitol didn't know how to fight, and all of their Peacekeepers were in the Districts. By the time they arrived back, the Capitol would have fallen. Yes, Gale thinks, This is time we will not be defeated. And he laughs as he shoots arrow after arrow into the crowd, at the Capitol tools, and the manic glint in his eyes is hard to miss.
Engorge the big ventricle of heartbroken America
So many heaven hoping
Hopeful groping breathers
All tap together quietly and desperately in unison
Katniss tries not to cry as she thinks of Peeta, alone in some Capitol torture room and she hates them all the more, for doing this to the boy with the bread. For making her realize exactly what she feels for him. And she hates herself for denying it for so long. She shakes in anger and fear as she stealthily moves from rooftop to rooftop, and resists the urge to loose arrows into the mass of fighting bodies below her. She will need all of her arrows to save Peeta. And Johanna, she reminds herself. Her mission is to save the two of them. All Katniss can do is hope and pray that they are both alive.
Hey, hey, hey, is anybody listening?
News from the front; News from the front
We're living in troubled times
So many fighting for their lives
Why do the troops despise the news from the front?
"Hey!" yells Haymitch, effectively quieting the rebel forces. "Pay attention!" he barks. Every face in the room turns to him. "The Peacekeepers in One and Two are overtaking our troops there. They need back-up, before more of them die." This is when he loses them. They hiss and he narrows his eyes. "Are you saying you aren't going to help your fellows? You're just going to let them go off to their deaths? This is a rebellion!" He pounds his fist on the table and everyone jumps. "You do what you have to! You risk your life for your peers and for the innocents! This is war!" The men and women are silent. Haymitch takes this as agreement and begins shouting orders.
Ignorance is the root of fear
Fear is the kindling of anger
War is the bringer of shame
"What do you mean..you have no information for me?" The messenger cowers as President Snow's fury is turned on him. "S-sir, there isn't anything to tell. We couldn't gain access to the rebels. They've moved since the last time. We can't find them." President Snow's eyes are reduced to slits as he considers this. They know next to nothing about the rebels. Therefore, said rebels could attack their camp directly and they wouldn't see it coming. This could mean his life is in danger. President Snow doesn't mind the idea of death-as long as it isn't his. He sees this lack of input as the reason for his endangered life. "Go! Leave!" he commands, and the quivering young man exits the room. He puts his head in his hands and sighs. "They will not win. They will not humiliate me. I will dominate them."
But never has the burden
Lain so heavily upon the victim
Rage and desolation; pain and loneliness
Isn't it all alarmingly familiar?
Gale is quite sure he's insane, but he can't bring himself to care. He supposes it would have happened eventually, what with Katniss' rejection, and the fierce madness he feels because of the Capitol. He doesn't care. Welcomes it, even. It doesn't feel so foreign to him and he basks in it. And he continues his mindless killing of whoever stands in his way.
Hey, hey, hey, silence is a killer
Whimpering to herself, Katniss moves into the prison cells and suddenly she sees Peeta. "Peeta!" she whispers, but then clenches her jaw. She can't afford to get caught now. Cautiously, she moves into the room with Peeta in it and shakes him awake gently. "Katniss," he murmurs, and she nearly breaks down. "It's me, Peeta, it's me. I'm here for you now." His blue eyes fly open and he stares at her as though seeing a ghost. "Katniss..?" She lets out a small sob and knows that he won't believe it's real, because he believes that her love was all an act. And she wishes she could have known sooner how she really felt.
News from the front; news from the front
Yeah, these are troubled times
How many more will have to die-
Before the governors can't deny
The news from the front? YEAH!
"What's the point, Haymitch? Our forces just keep dying, and dying, and no matter what the Capitol officials will never admit that we're winning!" Haymitch controls his hand, because he is very tempted to strike this young man. "The point is that just because they won't admit doesn't make our victory any less true; our forces may be dying, but the Capitol's are dying faster and in greater numbers than us. The point is that this could mean our freedom!" He turns in disgust and walks away.
Break down the barriers
The rebels pound steadily upon the walls of the Capitol buildings, and Gale moves in with them, shattering the glass, the concrete, the steel; he sees a few people he knows are from District Three and his heart leaps. Explosives. Perfect-this is just what they need.
Ally the carriers
What is your motivation?
Take a good look in the mirror
Sighing, Katniss pulls Peeta up from the table he has been lying on and asks, "Where's Johanna?" Peeta glances at her and wonders why she is here. Did Haymitch make her? Or did she actually choose to come and save him? He ponders what it is that brought Katniss here to him. Then he dismisses all of it and instead leads her to Johanna, deciding to leave all of that until after they escape, after the rebellion.
News from the front; news from the front
So many are fighting for their lives
How many more will have to die?
Why does the government decry-
The news from the front?
President Snow is sitting behind a grand, wooden desk when they come for him. Looking coolly into their faces, he raises an eyebrow. "It's over, Snow. Give it up." He merely smiles enigmatically and shakes his head. "I'm afraid it's not. The Capitol will always rule the Districts," he says. With nothing else to say, he calmly pulls out a handgun. Immediately, the rebels tense, but before they can subdue him and take him into custody for his trial/execution, he has pulled the trigger.
But not aimed at them.
Aimed towards himself.
They blink slightly in confusion, but then Haymitch-how did he get there so fast?-is barreling in, and when he sees the dead body, he laughs raucously. It bounces around the small space and no one knows what to do. "Old bastard," chuckles Haymitch. "I s'pose that was his own act of rebellion." And then Haymitch is walking back out, slapping his knees and telling them to just leave him there for now.
Thoroughly baffled, the soldiers do, joining in the celebration. At last, the people of Panem can enjoy freedom.
A/N: I love this song. It's called "News From the Front" (obviously) by Bad Religion. Honestly, I only looked it up because it was Ichigo's theme from Bleach (does that make me a nerd? I don't care. I'm all ready a Band Geek and an Asian, so it doesn't matter. Anyway...) and the more I listened to it, the more I thought, this reminds me of Gale. So I was going to do the story just Gale-centric, but I couldn't find enough inspiration, and somehow Katniss and Haymitch entered the picture. And that's how I ended up with this fic. Hope you enjoy! And, as always, reviews are appreciated. I love 'em. Oh, and if anyone has any requests for a fic, maybe? I've really been in the mood to write, but have had no inspiration, sadly. So yeah. I'll sign off here. Bye now!