Okay, so I reread Catching Fire (the best book known to man, and probably the best book unknown to man, if that makes sense) and my story doesn't make sense in comparison, I'm off on some details, so just pretend I'm still in synch with the actual story, if you haven't read Catching Fire recently, and thought my story made perfect sense then, forget everything I just said. :D Review, Review, Review, I want as much constructive criticism as possible! Please Review!
"Haymitch I'm disappointed in you." I can see confusion on their faces as I say this, and I feel a smile creep onto my face.
"What are you talking about, Katniss?" Gale says apprehensively. As I turn toward the window again to show them the force field, I hear Haymitch ask Gale in a whisper if they've given me any strong painkillers.
"Haymitch! It's a force field, like in the games," I let out an exasperated sigh as I see Haymitch's "you're crazy" look come into his eyes, "and no, I don't think they've given me any painkillers." Haymitch just smiles at my annoyance.
"What, did your superhuman ear hear the buzz?" Haymitch asks smirking. I knew he wouldn't have believed that cover, nobody with a brain in their head would. Luckily for me none of the capitol citizens' brains seem to function.
"Wait, Katniss, a force field. How do you know?" Gale asks. Obviously he's the only one who can focus.
"I saw some leaves blow across the "rubble" and they shot out of it burnt to a crisp. That is definitely not normal," I can still see they are not satisfied, so I add, "If you have another explanation for that, and the fact that there is no district 13, then go ahead, I'd like to hear it! This otta be good."
"Katniss, you probably just imagined, it." Haymitch says, bringing my frustration to an intolerable level. Seeing that I'm about to burst Gale tries to calm me.
"Katniss, you lost a lot of blood, and you probably are on strong painkill-," but I cut him off with,
"Just look out the window, dammit!" I say this right as a few dead leaves are picked up by a light breeze and carried to the rubble. Sure enough, right as it crosses into the gray dust of District 13, the leaves shoot into the air, singed.
"Haymitch look! She's right!" Gale says astonished, and I can tell relieved. He moves to make room for Haymitch. As Haymitch stares out the window, until disbelief crosses his face.
"Unbelievable. That's exactly what a force field would do. I can't think of any other thing that would do that. That's genius." Haymitch says pondering this discovery, "The only problem now is getting inside the force field and to the rebels. They should be able to see us right?"
"We're in a Capitol hovercraft, they're probably terrified right now," Gale reminds us.
"Do you know where Beetee is? He'd know more about this than any of us." I say.
"We relocated him to another room, because he needs more assistance, but I think he's conscious now. Man, he got it bad didn't he." Haymitch says. He leads Gale and I down the hall a few doors and turns the latch on a white door identical to every other in the ship. The room is what is startlingly different. My room is simple, with a few medical instruments, a soft cot, and a monitor ready for me to be hooked up to, if need be. Beetee on the other hand, is lying on a surgical table, hooked up to about ten machines. Next to him is an assortment of probably every instrument ever invented in medicine: from wraps and bandages, to syringes, and cylinders of various liquids. Beetee doesn't look to good himself, with a bandage wrapped around his head stained a strange green (probably from a medicine), and his overall pallor a ghostly white. But he is conscious, Haymitch got that much right.
He lifts up his head and turns it towards us, and I can see how much that small movement exhausts him. I hurry towards him, eager for information, but also wanting to help him; when the smell assaults me. I stop, and hold my breath, because it's a mix of vomit and alcohol, and I think it's coming from the green medicine on his bandage.
"That stinks!" says Haymitch, with little regards to Beetee's health.
"Trust me, I know," croaks out Beetee, attempting to let out a shaky laugh, but failing miserably.
"Beetee," I say, "We need your help."
"With what. I don't think I'll be of much help in this state, but you can try me."
"Sweetheart, here, says that District 13's under a force field," Haymitch says. He chuckles as he sees my annoyance at being called sweetheart. I think it's become a sort of nickname for me, against my will. After Beetee says he'll do the best he can to tell, we place him in a wheelchair, careful of his fragile state. We wheel him slowly (too much movement could make him sick) to a window, and he cranes his neck to look out. He stares for a little bit; and I begin to get nervous. What if there is no force field? What if it's something else entirely? What if it's just remaining radioactivity from the explosion? My worries are cut short as Beetee finally speaks
"Do you see it Katniss?" he says quietly, almost whispering, "Right over there." He points to a point in the exact center of the rubble.
"See what?" I ask, confused.
"The square, it's there; take your time," he says, reminding me again of a schoolteacher teaching a student patiently. And when I do see, relief floods me once more, and I see something almost like pride reach Beetees face. He's like a proud teacher; I smile to myself.
"Get Plutarch Heavensbee, and roll me over to the control panels on the ship. I will contact them, and tell them we are rebels too," Beetee croaks, his voice weakening towards the end. We do as we are told. As Beetee works at the many levers, buttons, and screens, I am reminded once more of Beetee's vast intelligence. The data showing up in numbers and letter, are illegible, and seem random to me; but I can tell they mean something to him because he's working furiously. He seems to have finished as Plutarch comes in. Turning towards the man who used to be the head gamemaker, he says,
"I've made contact." At that moment, I hear a staticy voice come from an invisible speaker. It's incomprehensible at first, but then the static clears and a frantic female voice is heard saying,
"We know you are rebels, but act like the Capitol right now. There is an actual Capitol ship within a hundred mile radius. You must send them a message as the Capitol, and tell them to go in the opposite direction. If you are not successful, this could be the end of us all. Be careful, they-," but the voice goes static and we never hear what we have to be careful of, but that is the least of my worries, because at that moment the cool voice of President Snow blasts through the speakers, and my breath stops.