Authors Note:
First and for most I do not care how many times I say it...Daisy3D you Rock! PLEASE CHECK OUT HER STORIES!
Secondly I sadly do not own the amazing characters Suzanne Collins etched into history when she wrote the Hunger Games series.
Lastly I know this is a short Chapter but I promise you the next chapter will be meatier. With that said thank you for your kind reviews. I honestly never though anything I'd write would be accepted. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you like this one as well.
The Room was filled with a white light so intense Gale had to cover his eyes with his forearm. He cried out to the older man hoping he was well. They were both thrown pretty hard. "Haymitch!"
Haymitch put down his arm up he too was blinded by the concentrated bright light. When the brightness diminished Haymitch saw spots. He blinked as he saw the small frame of Katniss lying within the tube. Relief poured over Haymitch at the sight of Katniss. The room groaned and moaned as it shook. He shouted over the dull roar of the screeching earth and the transport machinery "She's back!"
Gale rushed to Katniss as her body slumped unconsciously inside the glass tomb. He could still hear the echo of her painful cries when she materialized, dematerialized and rematerialized while trapped inside the tube. His heart beat rapidly his adrenaline took over.
"GET HER OUT OF THERE!" Gale stood then growled out his order to the men in the opposite room. She was the Mockingjay, the singularly most important person to the rebellion after Coin.
Beetee and the other two scientists were quickly trying to shut down the machine. The room was in utter chaos at the moment as the normally composed scientist yelled at each other. The red hazard lights still flashed. The room shook violently. The side of the room where Gale and Haymitch were located was oddly freezing while the other room where Beete was in was hot and humid.
"We are doing everything we can…" Beetee said from the opposite side of the glass.
"I do not care what you do just get her out of there Beetee that is an order!" Gale half growled half yelled desperately. Gale was sure Coin would not be happy if she heard Katniss died at this juncture in the war. They still had to reunite all of the districts.
"Soldier Hawthorne we are currently working on that." Beetee's disgruntled voice could be overheard over the loudspeaker. Science was not supposed to be chaotic, challenging yes, unpredictable was understandable but this bedlam was unacceptable.
One of Beetee's scientists uttered "We cannot seem to pinpoint where the center of her molecular mass is located." The man paused swallowing nervously before announcing "She is actually scattered everywhere."
"But she is visible…" Beetee found this interesting.
"What you see is a shadow" The room shook and the scientist held on to the table. "The machine is not following its original program."
The other scientist who up to this point was busily typing program commands into the computer jumped in at the end of his colleague's sentence. "Beetee it is not letting us raise the tube. Our programming commands are being over written by the equipment itself."
Beetee put his hand over the microphone "What do you mean it is impossible to lift the tube…"
"It is not responding."
"We have to make it work, or we could lose an innocent life." Beetee was beginning to lose his calm.
"Beetee there is nothing we can do."
"Move over let me see what I can do" Beetee said rolling his chair over to the controls panel. Beete was becoming frantic and upset. He hoped to be able to do something more than his colleagues were able to do. If he could correctly identify and pinpoint a group of Katniss molecules he could bring her back.
Gale watched the scientists critically. He was looking for signs, most importantly what their confidence levels were. If they were calm and coolly in charge it would indicate all was well. Knowing this would help him calm down. But none came as he watched the normally composed Beete begin to look puzzled and disheveled.
For some reason it was hard to control the transporter. It was as if the machine had a life of its own. Beetee was worried. The revolution needed Katniss Everdeen even though Coin thought se did not. Unlike Soldier Hawthorne Beetee knew Coin hated the Everdeen's. Beetee pounded his fist on the keyboard out of frustration.
Gale's eyes widened. He turned around to face Haymitch who had not moved from Catnip's side. Gale did not want to believe this was how he was going to lose his friend. Gale could not afford to lose another person he loved. First Madge whom he could not rescue when the bombs went off and now Katniss whose body lay encapsulated in a clear tomb.
Haymitch moved his hand forward seeing the girl twitch even as she lay lifeless. He slowly gathered himself to kneel on the floor beside her still body. "I swear I did not know this would happen."
Gale looked toward her mentor. The man had unshed tears in his eyes.
Suddenly the room began to sway. The ground beneath them groaned and grumbled. Gale could feel the earth beneath his feet ripple. Like before Gale could see how the walls took on a gelatinous consistency. The thick rock wall that was above them spewed debris on top of Gale's head. It was becoming harder for Gale to stand.
"BEETEE" Gale cried as he pounded the glass window startling the man in the wheelchair. His best friend was near death and he could not help her.
The yelling in the control room alerted him that something was wrong he turned around into just in time to see Katniss begin to dematerialize again before his very eyes. Gale rushed forward toward the tube only to slam backwards onto the floor. He then got up and tired to pry the glass tube from the bottom with his bare hands. Instinctively he withdrew his gun and shot at the glass tube it ricochet and imbedded it self into the wall.
He hit the thick glass with his fists. "We have to get her out of there."
"Kid didn't you learn the first time these glass walls are bullet and shatter proof." Haymitch said wondering why this kid liked to shoot that darn blasted gun of his off. It was clear Hawthorne needed more training. "You are going to have to try breaking the glass with something different.
"Right" Gale looked around the room and spotted a chair where Beetee and the others were furiously working. Gale ran leaving Haymitch with Katniss semi conscious.
Katniss weakly opened her eyes.
"Sweetheart" Haymitch uttered placing his hand on the outside of he tube.
"Haymitch" Katniss felt the way her body felt light other worldly. Her thoughts were trained on Peeta on the lost opportunities she had with him. She wanted to change so much and once more things were ripped from her hands.
"We are going to get you out of there." Haymitch promised.
Katniss limply lifted her hand to touch the glass.
Haymitch put his hand on the tube. This crazy Seam girl was part of him. He saw her as more than just a Tribute, a Victor or the Symbol of the Rebellion. Haymitch saw Katniss as the child he denied himself to have choosing instead to dedicate his wasted life to drink. Katniss and the boy were his kids. Haymitch was sorry he did not see this earlier. If he had perhaps things would have been different.
"Please" Katniss felt tiered and wanted to close her eyes. However she pulled the remaining portion of her strength to speak to Haymitch.
Haymitch saw her lashes close. He did not want to lose this precious selfless girl who sacrificed herself for the people she loved.
"Tell Peeta I love him" Katniss weakly whispered toward Haymitch.
"I will Sweetheart. I will tell the boy you love him. You just have to hang in there."
"I can't…" Katniss whispered "Not without him." A silent tear rolled down her cheek as her hand slid down slowly and fell by her side limply.
"Katniss come back to me…" Haymitch demanded. During this whole exchange Haymitch did not notice that Gale was frantically trying to break the tube with one of the chairs from the other room.
Then suddenly the room began to tremble once again. The room was flooded with the blinding light as the tube Katniss was trapped in seemed to exude heat as the light began to intensify inside the tube.
The instinct to survive kicked in for Haymitch "Son we have got to get out of here."
"No I can break this…." Gale stubbornly slammed the tube with the chair.
Haymitch grabbed Gale who still gripped the chair in his hands and hauled him out of the room. Gale and Haymitch landed on the floor just as the glass partition locked back into place.
Haymitch lifted his head to look back. He saw Katniss once more disappear.