Prologue
"Well, we have now reached the Final 8 of the 75th Annual Hunger Games! Panem, here are the names of your possible next Victor. Claudius and I will go through each one and assess his or her chances. Let us start with our fang-bared Career from District 2: Enobaria Golding!" Caesar Flickerman announced.
"Thanks, Caesar!" Claudius picked up. "Enobaria - 30 years old, and she won her first Games by ripping out her final opponent's throat. Fans love her ferocity, and even if you just look at this recap from Day 1 of this year -" A playback of footage showed Enobaria stabbing the woman from District Nine through the stomach "- she is not afraid to get her hands dirty. She's quick, agile, which will make it tough for an adversary to take her down in hand-to-hand combat. If she can continue in-and-out attacks, she stands a chance of being Victor again."
"What of her partner, Brutus Gunn of District 2?" Caesar questioned.
"Ah yes, Brutus Gunn: he looks like he has not aged a day since his first time in the arena. Incredibly fit, animalistic strength; we saw that when he managed to put one tribute in a chokehold while literally sitting on the chest of another." Old footage of a teenage Brutus performing this feat in his first Games ran as Claudius spoke. "Here's the problem, Caesar: Brutus Gunn is in his mid-forties. Yeah, he is strong for someone his age - but so are Finnick Odair and Peeta Mellark. That, plus his bulk makes him move slower than Enobaria, so he could get trapped by one of his younger competitors. To win, Brutus needs to keep using his spear at arm's length; don't get into unnecessary close quarters during hand-to-hand combat. Don't let Finnick or Peeta box him out."
"Alright, and now for our surprise entry in this Final Eight: Mr. Beetee Latier of District 3!"
"OK, Caesar, I'm gonna say this right now: the only reason Beetee Latier is still alive is because he has ridden on the coat tails of more physically savvy tributes. Remember: this man is a tactician, not a bodybuilder. So far, Beetee has stayed away from direct confrontation; the name of the game for him has been 'dodge, dodge, dodge.' Look at him running up to the Cornucopia the other day." There was a playback of Beetee running to the horn and searching desperately for something. "He's so focused on whatever it is he's looking for, he does not know Enobaria is in his blind spot until her knife is in his back. But once that happens, he's chosen flight over fight. Watch this: he actually rolls off the island and into the water just to get away from her!"
"Can he win? Evading like that?" Caesar pressed.
"Not forever. Every tribute has to fight, and as I said before, Beetee Latier is no fighter. He could hide, but that defeats the purpose of the arena. He does not have the tools to set a trap like in his last Games. So, I would strongly place my bets that Beetee's luck is about to run out; he's the next kill."
"Next up: Panem's true love from District 4 - Finnick Odair!" Caesar called.
"Right now, Finnick Odair has all the advantages. He's got the fans. The handsome looks. Easy money from the sponsors. And now that his district partner is dead, he can take the gloves off - just look at him spearing those monkey mutts! He is not like any of the others because he can fight in any terrain - both land and sea. The only person who might compete in beauty and manliness is Peeta. But if Finnick can intimidate the other tributes after this large alliance breaks up, he may well be on his way to another title."
"On to the only female Victor from Seven - Johanna Mason!" Caesar crowed.
Claudius jumped right in. "Now, here we have someone who is proficient in a very unique weapon: the axe. It will be difficult for other tributes to guard against this. Plus, Johanna has that temper that we in the Capitol enjoy. Her only weakness is that we already know this about her, and the other ladies like Enobaria and Katniss compete for this trait. What Johanna needs to do is attack when her opponents least expect it, just as she did four years ago, and she could pull it out!"
"Chaff Barley, District 11!" Caesar called.
"Another surprise entry. Honestly, I am amazed he has lasted this long - and on his own!" Claudius mused. " Although, it follows in the tradition of past tributes from 11. No allies means the others have no idea what to expect. Chaff is the wild card. Unfortunately, his weakness is obvious: his missing hand. It puts him at a distinct disadvantage in hand-to-hand. If he comes up against a Peeta or a Brutus or a Finnick, he'll lose and he'll lose big."
"Which brings us to District 12 and the lovely Katniss Everdeen," Caesar segwayed.
"Honestly, Caesar, I knew she was going to win last year. No Twelve tribute since Haymitch Abernathy has gone out of the gates so strong! She's skilled in a weapon rarely deployed in the arena, like Johanna, so it will be hard for the other tributes to even learn how to guard against her arrows. See how she picked off that District 1 boy so easily last year? Also, a brilliant survivalist! If Katniss can avoid fighting in close proximity and just sticks to what she knows, she could make history!"
"And last, but certainly not least, her better half, Mr. Peeta Mellark!"
"You know, it was so hard to choose between them last year; so glad for the twist! He is polished and handsome. Amicable amongst the sponsors. Also, so strong! Look at that - BOOM! - pretty headlock as he drowns the male from Nine on the first day this year! Truly, he could overpower most of the other tributes left in this field, Brutus included. The only question remaining: what will he do with Katniss? Can he part with his lover, or is she his Achilles heel?"
"Well, thank you, Claudius. Now coming up: the family interviews for the Final 8. Stay tuned."
