Prologue ; Part One
Earth to earth
After the events of the 75th Hunger Games, the uprising threw Panem into civil war. None could trust another for betrayal ran deep. Moles, so planted by President Snow, had infiltrated into every part of the rebellion. With information at his fingertips, the President was prepared for each possible contingency.
Air strikes razed multiple districts to the ground. The rebels pushed forward and into capturing District 2. President Snow, long prepared for this, sent in even more forces as reinforcement. The ensuing bloodbath in the central square of the district ended with heavy casualties on both sides. But ultimately, Katniss Everdeen and Finnick Odair had both been taken by the Capitol. District 2, though damaged, was uncaptured. The rebels had to retreat.
In that time, a public Victors Purge was broadcasted live.
Multiple air strikes obliterated District 13.
President Snow emerged victorious from the war. But not without his own consequences.
Ashes to ashes
Even till this day, the motives behind President Snow's death are still disputed. Some claim it an assassination, the others suicide. But be it one or the other, President Snow died not too long after the war. His daughter, Catarina Snow, took his place.
The first thing she did was to declare the abolishment of the Hunger Games.
"For too long has it wrought grief and despair, bringing nothing but blood and war to our doorsteps," she had said.
The second thing she did was to introduce state reforms.
The districts were absorbed into the Capitol. No longer did Districts 1 to 12 exist officially. Districts 2, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12 were rebuilt. District 13 was left only as a burning memory of the war. The functions of the districts were kept the same, and moving between each district could now happen freely. Though not officially existing as District X any longer, they often still are referred to as such in day-to-day conversations.
Under other new policies she had introduced, Panem flourished. It reached greater heights it never had before.
Catarina Snow became well-loved and respected. Though the circumstances surrounding her father's death are shady at best, her other achievements overshadowed that.
But little do people know that the darkness of the Hunger Games still lurks.
Dust to dust
Catarina Snow, a woman as paranoid as her father, initiated a new program. The Janus Program. An initiative meant to create the perfect Super Soldier, she hired a group of scientists to help develop it. Sponsors were found as well to help fund the program. A serum mix was made, including heavy research going into radiation.
Ever wary of the possibility of a rebellion, and knowing that had things been just the littlest bit different, she desired an edge over the common people. Rumours of a growing group of dissidents against the Snow autocracy did little to assuage her fears.
Their initial test subjects covered a wide age range. The chosen people were those who would not go amiss.
But the experiments done did not go as planned. Instead of enhanced humans, what they got were beings with power of likes they had never seen before. The manipulation of air, gravity, telepathy, dream walking, and more – they all appeared. Unfortunately, not all survived. Some bodies would mutate horribly, others suffering a quick but painful death, and ones who would go stark raving mad from the power.
The results were unexpected, yet pleasing. Catarina was satisfied with the outcome.
Humans possessing power of otherworldliness? She desired to weaponise it.
The survivors underwent a series of further tests.
They fell one by one until only a select few survived. But their abilities were raw and untrained. The data at best minimal.
It was, however, made clear that only children from aged ten and up could survive the first phase of testing. Beyond the age of twenty, the serum mix would destroy their minds. Below the age of ten, their bodies would ultimately give in.
More people were needed.
And thus, Catarina launched a recruitment program. Under the guise of a highly selective training program that would enable those selected to eventually get a job with the government, they drew people in that way. Simultaneously, children from aged ten and up were kidnapped, spirited away to serve as the sole purpose for advancing the Janus experiments. They made sure to choose children who had no connections, naturally. As for the former, the family were not able to see their children but letters and the like were still allowed to be exchanged.
In order to ensure their fabrication did not rip apart at the seams, everything exchanged from the facility has since been closely watched.
Five years later, with the initiative having sufficiently progressed, it had been decided that the program will be taken a step further.
The Hunger Games were reinstated. The sponsors eagerly agreed to it and several more were found.
From the pool of current 'trainees', twenty will be reaped to participate in the Hunger Games. The sole purpose of it only for a breakthrough with the experimentations. They needed to know what set a Victor apart from the rest, the defects that could be rectified.
This year marks the very first Hunger Games.
A step deeper into the subjects' nightmare.
A/N: I didn't actually expect to come back this soon but I am really excited for this. But in any case, I'll like to thank nevergone4ever, felicitea and my best friend for helping me iron out the details for this verse. I hope the exposition didn't murder your brains too much but there's a tl;dr version on my profile. Guidelines and all things related to the SYOT is on my profile as well.
Submissions are open!
The deadline is three weeks from now, 7 June, midnight, GMT+8
