The arena began to spin after Wiress announced her realization of the arena structure. Each hazard hit one twelfth of the arena every hour. Now I couldn't tell what time it was. If Haymitch was still living, or Chaff, I could've gotten the sensation compared to a hangover.
Hangover or not, it was taking a day to wear off. At least Enobaria and Emerald couldn't find us, but we couldn't find them. Had they also figured out that the arena was clock-themed?
The dawn explosions were, like most alarm clocks, annoying. Yet as alarm clocks are wont to do, it didn't go off so that we could hear it.
We were awoken in a sky that was already light, by charging creatures that made the muttations from last year look like rats by comparison. These were also four-legged and rearing on their hind legs to attack with tooth and claw, but even bigger than last year's. However, there were several of us versus a few of them instead of the other way around. We attacked the beasts with pointed sticks. While I launched small ones from bows, Chrome threw large ones at them. Johanna stood ready with axe and Finnick with trident for those that drew closer. We all survived that one somehow, but the incident was a reminder that Beetee, Wiress and Cecelia weren't fighters per se, having won their Games by unarmed cleverness.
After that, everyone was glad to retreat to the beach for most of the rest of the morning. However, the wave was coming any time now, so we retreated into the jungle before the next clock chime.
We remembered how the lightning always struck a tree at the edge of the arena. We looked around for the tree to figure out the time again, yet I counted several. Was I seeing things or did the arena designers put in decoy trees for exactly this purpose?
As we retreated into the jungle, the Careers took the chance to avail themselves of the lake. Aquatic geniuses like Finnick caught loads of seafood, but you didn't need to be an expert to pull in something.
Wiress carried a spool of thin wire from the Cornucopia. I didn't know what it was for, but I did know that her and her friend and district partner would be the ones to figure out a use for it. Beetee's idea was to run a length from the lightning tree to the water. This would kill off the lake's food supply, but Finnick was building us enough of a stockpile, we hoped.
Once we figured out the right tree, we'd tie an end of the wire to the tree and the other end to one of my arrow shafts. Beetee's real plan was to overload the generators that powered the arena forcefield; that soon became clear enough. I could and would shoot up into the sky instead of down into the lake.
At noon on the third day, we knew what tree to head towards. Finnick and I led the way after that round of the storm cleared. He knew the best knots to tie; I was the best climber. I simply had to slip his loop around a branch and tighten it. Our comrades weren't far behind us, but there were no Careers violently interrupting our path up the hill. The end was secured
At noon on the fourth day, our setup worked, although we'd have to put up another strand. Winnow was, well, shocked when investigating the curious line coming from the lightning tree. She died now, but the Capitol regime would die from the bursts of electricity that came on midnight of the fifth day.
It turned out Emerald and Enobaria would die first. The late evening iteration of the wave chased them away from the lake. Enobaria charged with knives flying, but Finnick dodged them, proving that his flexibility wasn't quite limited to the water. Enobaria was not so agile, the three prongs of Finnick's trident landing squarely in her chest. Chrome faced down his district partner with javelin, also striking home.
Now the electrical trap would appear like a way to flush out Megan of District Six, or perhaps a catalyst for infighting amongst ourselves. We got in place near the lightning tree and I heard insect-like noises coming from the next sector over, a swarm of nasty muttations, no doubt. Fortunately, we didn't have to find out what those or most of the other sectors did.
My arrow flew with wire attached as smoothly as had any of my shots with plain arrows. Electricity jumped from the tree to traverse the wire, son reaching the shaft and arrowhead lodged in the border of the arena. The sparks were blinding and the explosion deafening as the forcefield flickered out and shimmered away.
I was stunned as I barely recognized a hovercraft coming for me. A public execution for treason if I'm lucky, Avoxing or even crueler tortures if I'm not.
I was drawn out of my stupor by the face and voice most familiar to me; Gale definitely wouldn't have been taken by the Capitol alive. Gale walked to me to begin an explanation I sorely needed. "Ehh, Catnip, turns out there was a rebellion a lot more organized than just my rants in the woods."
"Bet you're real happy about that, Gale," I smiled. "I must have won the Games if I'm seeing you again."
"The Head Gamemaker is a rebel – can you believe it?" Gale explained. "We also got Chrome, Finnick and Cecelia, but the Capitol got Beetee, Wiress, Johanna and Megan."
"Are our families safe back in District Twelve?" I asked hopefully.
"They're safe, but not in District Twelve," he answered. My hope was dashed by his body language as he continued his answer. I knew the look in his eyes when going in for a kill. "Katniss, there is no District Twelve."
I sat there in further shock. "Nothing?"
"Capitol hovercraft firebombed the entire district. Thousands lay dead. I was able to evacuate only a few hundred, including all of our own families." He smiled as much as possible given the situation as he held out Rue. As selfish as it was, I was relieved to see our child amongst the living, and know the rest of our families were somewhere safe. I took her into my arms. How many parents had empty arms? How many babies had no arms to turn to?
Peeta had left the Capitol along with the rebel plants there. Gale turned to him next. "Peeta, your father was the only Mellark to make it out alive."
"Paul is dead?" was Peeta's first response once the sobs subsided.
"Yes," Gale replied sadly.
That was Peeta's father's brother, one of the few relatives bread boy had liked. Mellarks good and evil had joined Paul in the flames. "Even my mother didn't deserve to die like that, let alone Paul or my brothers." I even let Peeta cry on my shoulder, and Gale knew better than to say anything about that.
"I needed to see you and our daughter, but where is everybody else?" I asked of Gale.
"District Thirteen is real, Catnip. They've been plotting revenge against the Capitol for a long time," he answered with great satisfaction.
"But I thought they were destroyed during the Dark Days," I said, repeating a line that now felt like just another dose of Capitol propaganda.
"The Capitol agreed to leave them alone if they'd pretend as much," Gale explained.
"Abandoned us, it sounds like," I muttered.
"You learned well, Catnip," Gale said enthusiastically. "The Dark Days were when the light of freedom was brutally extinguished. I'm not sure what part District Thirteen played in that, but they're here for us now, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, this may be our best chance to actually take down the Capitol," Gale rambled.
"While we were waiting at the lake, I told everybody the truth," Gale offered. "I held up Rue and said I am her father. I'm Katniss' real star-crossed lover. As you can see, trying to appease the Capitol does no good, so here's one truth. Those in the know confirmed it. It was my proudest moment, standing there with the refugees, especially when one of them was the other most important girl in my life."
A/N
And so ends an alternate version of Catching Fire, in some ways very different and in other ways very similar. I have a sequel planned that parallels Mockingjay in a similar manner, but I'll work on some of my other stories and timelines for now.
