Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.
Note: Not much of a wait, huh? I'm quite eager to get this series started, not just as a standalone, but with multiple stories...and thus, enter Gadget's story! How much will change with the simple alteration of her fleeing the Bloodbath? The answer...remains to be seen. :D But, this story will be decently different than Hot Water. Besides a new lead we have an altered post-bloodbath cast, new plot events, new interactions...basically, it's fresh. Hope you guys all like story #2 in The Nameless Chronicles! :)
Also, a note of importance. It has been bought to my attention that the District 6 Female is actually known as Tamora. Thus, for the sake of accuracy, her name for the entire Nameless Chronicles has been changed from Carrie to Tamora. Hot Water has been updated to reflect this change. Just a heads up. ^_^
My breathing is shaky and light. I look around the area with scared, tired eyes. To one side of me is the male from District 10, his fists balled in preparation. I don't even want to look at who might be on the other side of me. I just breath in, and out. For one minute, one minute only, I am safe.
As soon as the countdown ends, sparks will hit the battery...it's a saying from District 3, my home. Well, not much of one. I'm not really popular, and my family tends to not really remember I am even there most of the time...I'd rather not get into that though. I'd very much like it if people could forget I am here now, but I know that's impossible.
Eventually, everybody is found in the Hunger Games. And right now...I'm in the Arena of the 74th Games.
The countdown has not started just yet, probably so they can do some announcements. I'm not sure...I watched the Games as little as I could get away with growing up. But now I am here, and the Cornucopia is over there...and the other tributes are all around me.
...Should I even try playing the Game? I glance off to the side of my launch pedestal...if I just let myself fall, it'd be over quickly and painlessly. No better way to die.
But Wiress...she believed in me. Said that odds were just a number, and that somebody had once won with just a 3 as their training score, the same score I got. 30-1...even if tiny, there is still a chance.
I catch my scream in my throat as the countdown begins, each number pounding loudly. My heart pounds in time with it. Oh God oh God oh God oh God…
50 seconds…
Some of the other tributes look nervous, others seem...excited. I really, really do not like the look on the face of the girl from 2. My breathing becomes shakier.
40 seconds…
Again, the mines tempt me. I could jump now. End the pain before it begins. Tributes have done it before.
30 seconds…
I want to let myself fall...but I can't do it. I can't. My gaze rests upon the Cornucopia. It holds so much bounty...except safety. But...maybe, maybe it has crafting supplies? So I could build something? It's the only weapon I really have in here...my smarts.
20 seconds…
I spot my District Partner, Weldar, on his own pedestal a distance away. I look away before he can meet my gaze. We've...never, ever gotten along back home. That's all I'll say there.
10 seconds…
All those supplies, those weapons, the best equipment...not worth it. If I run in there, I'll be killed in less than a minute! I turn around, preparing to run off into the forest.
3 seconds…
I close my eyes for a brief moment, thinking of the landmines one last time, and shaking my head. I won't die like a coward...and prove people right.
BANG!
The instant I hear the countdown end and the Games truly begin I practically fly off of my pedestal and sprint towards the forest. I may only be thirteen, but my lanky frame has given me a good running speed. Before the screams and cries begin I've already cleared the perimeter of the forest. I don't know if anybody else ran for their lives, but if they did then they are smart. District 3 material.
I swat every branch out of the way and leap over every little stone. I cannot afford to slow down for anything! I can hear the screams really starting now...I bet they might come this way next! I need to run, and hide! Nothing else matters!
I see some bushes that tower above me up ahead. I hold out my elbow in front of me to break through them. I blast through the bushes and, with pain suddenly coursing through me, I roll down the steep hill, yelling and crying as I go.
"Owww! Ack! Aaaahhh..." I groan as I reach the bottom with a very definite thud.
It hurts, but despite my legs shaking from adrenaline and fear I get myself up to my feet, taking a few deep breaths. Nobody seems to be nearby.
I'm alone.
But, I'm not sure for how much longer this silence will last. I need to be gone from here by nightfall. That's when the Careers start hunting...with their sharp swords, gleaming knives, long spears...I have to stop the bile in my throat at the thought of all of this…
The Cannons have not sounded yet. They only ever sound when the carnage comes to an end, everybody knows that, so that means I still have some time to get away from the danger. Shakily breathing, my throat a little hot, I run onwards through the forest.
I have utterly no idea where I am going to end up, but the further from the Cornucopia it is, the better.
(Later…)
My knees feel like jelly, my throat feels like sandpaper and it altogether feels like I've been hit with the brunt of some faulty District 3 tech. In laymen's terms, this hurts…
I've been running for so long, and all sounds except birds in the forest stopped long ago. I'm far out of the fray...maybe safe for the night? I'm not sure, but for at least an hour...I think I'm gonna do as the dead do, and fall over so I can lie still.
I do just that, flopping onto some fallen leaves, heaving in and out, trying to catch my breath. After a few moments I vomit in front of me, and resume wheezing. I may not be in bad shape for my age, but few 13 year olds run several miles in one go. Certainly not from my rather indoorsy District.
I get on my knees, hobble a few paces and then flop back, laying down and looking up at my sky. It looks like it's the afternoon now.
I'm safe, for now.
"...What do I do now?" I say to myself. Of course, I won't be given an answer. Right now, I only have myself to rely upon, nobody else.
Though...my skills are best suited for tech and design, not forest survival. Hmm...but, if I want the parts and components I'd need for anything, then I'll need to either steal from the Careers...yeah, bad idea...or get sponsored some. But if I want to be sponsored, I'll need to show people what I can do. And, I will…
...In a few more minutes…
BANG!
I sit upright, wildly looking around with wide, frightened eyes. Are the Game-Makers interfering already?! It's not unknown...wait, no, no, it's the cannons.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
I sit silently, counting the cannons as they fire. With each one, a lost life, somebody possibly as scared as me gone forever...and yet, with every one that fires, my rather poor chances of getting home are getting better. If that tough boy from 2 died...maybe my odds would go up and people would wish to sponsor me, maybe even before sundown?
Eventually the last cannon sounds and all is silent, once again the only noise being the birds in the trees. Mockingjays, I recall. Hmm...they sound pretty. I whistle a little tune, and soon after they whistle it back. Cute.
Eight cannons went off...that means I'm one third of the way done already! It feels wrong to feel happy over deaths, but...only one of us is getting out of here. If I had ran for the supplies, I have no doubt I'd be the ninth cannon and nothing more than a step closer for one of the others winning.
I sit silently for a few minutes.
"Ok...better show what I can do," I say, rising to my feet and tapping my fingers together. "First on the list, a weapon."
I was hopeless with just about all the weapons in training, but...if I hold something intimidating enough, maybe it won't end up mattering? I don't think of this for long. I'm going to try to avoid combat for as long as I can. I'll play this safe and smart.
After a quick search around the clearing I now hold a long branch, a vine, several much smaller branches and a very sharp stone. I also located a tree covered in tree-sap. Nature's glue. Just enough for me to get something workable put together.
And so, I sit. I sit and get to work. It might take me over an hour, but I'm all alone, so I'm in no rush. I feel thirsty, and hungry...but, if any water sources are guarded by other tributes, I'll be glad to have gotten started on a weapon first.
I begin sharpening the branch, trying to hold back my tears. This Arena is going to be my grave, one way or the other…
(Later…)
The sun is setting and it is getting colder now. It won't be long until the Careers begin hunting...if they haven't already. But, the lack of cannons...it makes me think I might live one more day. The Anthem won't be for another hour, maybe two, but I've kept myself busy so far. And thirsty, so thirsty…
I observe my work and nod to myself. Given my lack of any real supplies, this isn't too bad. I've carved the long branch into a fine spear using the rock, now mine to use as a dagger if I must, and I sharpened the little branches into spikes, sticking them onto the sharp end of the spear using tree sap, with the vine wrapped around the shaft as a grip. It's not as good as what the Cornucopia probably had, but...not every tribute could build a five pronged spear before the first Anthem.
Weldar would put me down though if he saw this. Might even snap it. We don't get along…
I don't know where any cameras are...but, I doubt the arena has any blind spots in it. I stand up and then hold up the spear with both hands.
"This is what I can do with only the nature of the arena," I say, trying my hardest to stop myself from sounding as gloomy as I usually do. "With the proper building supplies, I could do much more."
I stand in place for a moment or two longer before I set down my spear and gaze around. There has to be some kind of water somewhere nearby. I'm starting to think it might be worth the risk of drinking stagnant water. Stupid for somebody of my District, but...thirst…
"C'mon Gadget, keep it moving," I say to myself. "Even if you go nowhere, at least moving around makes you a harder target to impale."
Spear in hand, I slowly walk onwards through the forest. I have no idea where anything or anybody is right now...but does it matter either way? Back home, I liked solitude the best. Quiet time is happy time.
(Later…)
It is dark now. I can hear hooting from the trees and some insects chirping from the ground. I also hear myself trembling. I never did well being outside at night...it just feels creepy and wrong, with everything empty and desolate. Like all has been abandoned. Kinda like myself and hope the past few weeks, actually.
I've not found anywhere that I deem safe enough to make camp, if such a place even exists, and so I am still wandering aimlessly through the darkness, gripping my spear tightly in both hands. I can feel that my normally half lidded and tired eyes are now wide and alert. The Careers are surely out hunting right now...back in District 3, hide and seek is a popular game amongst children due to all the good hiding spots there are. Out here...it's like a twisted, twisted version of that.
"I am so totally lost right now," I say quietly. "...Holy-what was that?!"
I squeak, pointing the spear desperately towards the sound...but, it was only a mouse. I think.
"Just...just gotta think some happy thoughts. Just need one happy thought right now," I mutter as I lead with my back against a tree.
I close my eyes and think deeply, but my mind comes up empty.
"...I'll try again later," I say, my eyes returning to their normal half closed and gloomy state.
It takes every part of my willpower to not have a heart attack right that second. The Anthem has begun, loud and proud. Funny, because I'm neither of those things right now...well, time to see which eight tributes died. I'm just glad I won't know how painful it was for them. I'm having a hard enough time sleeping already.
The Capital's Seal appears for a few seconds, and then the last pictures ever seen of The Fallen begin to show up.
The boy from 4. He was so young, poor kid...I guess this means the Careers and Weldar have all survived.
The boy from 6. I remember how Cato threatened him...looks like the brute kept his word…
The girl from 6. Honestly, I was a little bit scared of her. She was a fierce one…
The boy from 7. He always struck me as a hard one to trust...I wonder who killed him, as he looked like he had a chance…
The girl from 7. Whoa...it seems odds and training scores mean nothing once we're in the Arena.
The boy from 8. With his leg in a cast, I guess he had even less hope than me. 3-1, those were his odds…
The girl from 9...her odds were just as low as mine were. I take a breath, fidgeting nervously.
The girl from 10. She seemed so tender and gentle...one person I was not afraid of. And now she's dead. I feel sick…
The Anthem ends, and all is silent once again except for the noises of the animals. The moon is shining oddly brightly and the stars twinkle...a very clever illusion. The Capital has the best tech...if I somehow get out of this, hopefully I can get my hands on some of it. Reach my full potential. Wiress says I'm gifted even by our standards.
I'm thirsty, hungry and tired...maybe...maybe I can just rest my eyes for five minutes. Ten minutes tops. I don't think anybody is nearby. And if anybody was, they'd have made their move by now, while I was watching the Anthem.
I close my eyes, and soon all seems rather distant to me…
(Later…)
I awake with a jolt, taking a sharp breath. How long was I sleeping?! I look over myself, but nothing seems amiss. All my limbs attached, guts still inside me, no eyes stabbed out...phew…
"Can't let that happen again. I need better cover, and quickly," I mutter, glancing around. "How long was I sleeping?"
It still seems to be night time. From the looks of it, only an hour or so has passed since I nodded off to sleep. Not a long time...but in the Arena, that's hundreds of seconds that could be my last. I take a shaky breath, swallowing nervously. My dry throat aches a bit.
"Need water. Soon," I mutter, looking around the area. "...Wait, what's that?"
A distance away, quite nearby actually, I can see a fire. It glows, and for the briefest of moments I can see a silhouette near it. My mouth hangs open as I shake my head.
"No, no...why?!" I whisper furiously to myself. "That's...why light a fire on night one? That's Career baiting!"
I'm about to get up and run the other way, when a thought occurs to me that makes me stop. If I can save this person...maybe they'll share their supplies with me? What do I have to lose? If it's a Career over there, or somebody aggressive...well, I'm probably going to die anyway, and growing up I never was fond of delaying the inevitable.
Carefully, I make my way towards the fire. I can see that the person by it has curly hair...for sure a girl. I don't recall any of the Careers having hair like that...so, who could it be?
As quietly as I can, given my awkward and lanky frame, I creep up to the clearing and allow myself a mere second to take things in. Her back to me, a girl kneels by the fire, keeping it stoked and lit, and besides her are two small backpacks that look like they contain some decent supplies. Well, hopefully decent. Oh what am I saying? I can't risk being hopeful…
"...Uh, excuse me?" I say quietly.
"Whuh?!" The girl squeaks, looking back and instantly spotting me. "Oh, uh, h-h-hey there! Uh...wanna join me in my, um, little camp out? I, uh, have meal bars!"
"Oh, um, I'm not here for very long..." I say, trying to keep my wits about me. Her eccentricities could be a devious trick. "I just wanted to...um...ask if you want to die? Because a fire will probably lure the Career pack right towards you...like bugs to a bug light back in 3."
"Oh...oh..." the girl says, gulping. "See, uh, little secret...I'm really scared of the dark."
"Keep the fire lit and you'll see nothing but dark for eternity," I warn. "...As if our lives weren't a dark pit already..."
"Eek! That's bad! Bad, bad, bad!" Yelps the girl, quickly stomping out the fire. "Bad fire, bad fire! Oh, by the way, my name's Lacey, I'm from District 8. Bad fire, bad fire!"
I can only watch in silence as this girl stomps the fire out. This is so awkward...on one hand, she seems harmless. On the other hand, so did Johanna, and...I don't want to think about that.
"They're putting it out! Get them!" cheers a voice from somewhere behind us.
Lacey yelps and runs off after grabbing her bags in an instant. Almost against my will, I follow after her, trying to make as little noise as I can whilst also going as fast as I can. They may not be close, but I can hear four sets of yells and footsteps a ways behind me...the Careers.
Should I just give up now? Lay down my weapon and let them end me now instead of drawing this out over several days? It's...really tempting…
I mull over this decision as I run along, my pace starting to slow. Would they draw it out? Or make it quick and flashy? Either way...isn't it better than just struggling to stay alive in here for five days tops?
I'm unable to come to a sure decision, because I am grabbed by an unknown set of hands and pulled into a small, dark cave. I don't even try to struggle...but nothing happens. All is silent as the Career pack run past.
"Where did they go?" yells the short girl from 2, sounding annoyed.
"I don't know," the boy from one replies. "I can't see them!"
"It's night, stupid," the boy from 2, Cato, scoffs. "Let's just keep going. They won't get far, and sooner or later we'll find signs of them. If not, we'll set up camp and keep hunting once the sun rises."
"I hope we find somebody soon. The bloodbath was hours ago," the spoiled girl from 1 adds. "I'm getting bored."
The boy from 2 makes a sound that seems...almost gentlemanly?
"Worry not Glimmer. We'll find people, and then you can kill the first one. You can use my sword," Cato offers.
Glimmer squees, clapping her hands in delight as the pack move on.
After a minute more I am released, and instantly turn. Lacey looks back, smiling.
"That was close, huh?" Lacey says, giggling.
"...It was," I say, though maybe not for the same reasons Lacey does. "So close..."
We sit in silence for a few moments, before Lacey rummages around in one of the bags and passes me a bottle.
"Thirsty?" She asks with a smile.
It's probably poisoned, but right now I don't care. I accept the bottle and chug down all the water within, gasping in content. A few seconds pass...and, I do not seem to have been poisoned. I slowly hand the bottle back.
"Thank you," I mumble.
"You're welcome! Just because we'll end up having to murder each other, it's no reason we can't be friends, right? Right?!" Lacey says, seeming anxious as she rocks back and forth in her sitting position. "Poor Callico..."
"Who?" I ask. I can't remember knowing anybody of that name…
"My kind of totally dead district partner." Lacey explains. "He was such a joker, a golden prankster...and now he's gone and died. I'll miss him."
"...Were you close?" I ask, not knowing what else to say.
"Yup," Lacey says, nodding. "Oh, but not all is doom and gloom. Your partner is still alive!"
"...Yeah, he is," I say, looking out at the dark woods. "Think we should try to get some sleep? I mean, we may not wake up though, if the Careers come back."
"We'll be fine. We are this'a'way, and they are...that'a'way!" Lacey says reassuringly. "C'mon, sleep! We're good for a few hours. Even with the scary, mutt spawning darkness all around. Night!"
Lacey lays down, trying to get comfy. In just two minutes she is fast asleep.
As for me, I sit at the edge of the cave, looking up at the night sky, and sometimes looking into the dark forest. It almost beckons me. I look back at Lacey, sleeping soundly even with her fear of the dark.
"So I have an ally...without even trying...I don't even want to work out the odds for that," I say to myself.
I sit for a while, not feeling like I can sleep. The moon ever so slowly moves along the night sky, the stars never losing their shiny twinkle. Neither the Careers nor anybody else comes this way, but I keep my grip on my weapon. It's easy to think about dying and accepting it, but actually doing it...it's harder.
"At least I don't feel thirsty now," I say to myself.
I can hear a faint beeping. What's that?!
Slowly, a silver parachute descends from above and gently comes to a stop a mere two meters away from me. It must be for Lacey...no, wait...that's a 3 on the parachute.
It's mine.
I quickly grab the parachute and open the container to see what I have. Mercy me...it's full of bolts, screws and some bits of metal. All stuffed into a clear bag, strong enough to contain everything. I hug the bag closely. Maybe now I can built something good...something nobody can smash and call unneeded or worthless.
A small piece of paper falls out of the container. I pick it up, reading it in an instant.
-Build something amazing.
W-
I sit silently for a while, holding the bag of building supplies with my knees drawn up. I don't stop hugging it as I drift off into slumber, an uneasy dreamland claiming me once more. As I start to fall asleep, an idea for what to build enters my mind. If only I had more parts...
Gadget Byte, the odds are not in your favour...but, tomorrow is another day…
END OF DAY 1…
REMAINING TRIBUTES
Marvel (District 1 Male)
Glimmer (District 1 Female)
Cato (District 2 Male)
Clove (District 2 Female)
Weldar (District 3 Male)
Gadget (District 3 Female)
Marina (District 4 Female)
Sparky (District 5 Male)
Cinder / Foxface (District 5 Female)
Lacey (District 8 Female)
Miller (District 9 Male)
Rammy (District 10 Male)
Thresh (District 11 Male)
Rue (District 11 Female)
Peeta (District 12 Male)
Katniss (District 12 Female)
THE FALLEN
17th- Urchin (District 4 Male)- Throat slashed with a machete by Cato
18th- Jason (District 6 Male)- Tripped and slashed to death with a scythe by Cato
19th- Nettle (District 7 Female)- Speared in the heart with a spear by Marvel
20th- Sickle (District 9 Female)- Knife to the lung by Clove
21st- Wood (District 7 Male)- Slashed in the throat with a crescent sword by Thresh
22nd- Tamora (District 6 Female)- Stabbed with a knife by Glimmer.
23rd- Sable (District 10 Female)- Hit in the skull with an axe by Cato.
24th- Callico (District 8 Male)- Stabbed with a kukri by Marvel.
TRIBUTE NOTES
As we can see, the tributes for the story are not simply those who survived the canon bloodbath + whoever the lead is. Nope! Things will change depending on what role, if any, the current 'nameless tribute' played in the movie's bloodbath. Hence, as Gadget ran away from it, things changed thusly:
Sparky survives for the following reasons: Sparky was the one to kill Gadget in the Bloodbath. Staying around too long is what led to his death. With Gadget not there for him to kill and maybe get cocky over, I think it is quite possible that Sparky would have been able to escape before it became too late.
Miller survives for the following reasons: Gadget had been injured by Marina before the latter grabbed a pack. With Gadget not even there that means Marina grabs a pack earlier. I feel it is possible, by chance, she may have taken the one that Miller and Katniss battled over. Thus, Miller went for a different one and managed to escape the fray. Katniss would have to make do with another pack, if she even got one…
16 tributes remain and the odds are very much not in Gadget's favour. What will happen next…?