Chapter 13

Five minutes after the Games ended:

Beetee's point of view:

I was taken into a hovercraft where they flew me back to the Capitol. The doctors looked me over and tended to the shallow cut on my neck, a few half healed calluses on my hands from my tools, and that I had lost six pounds, other than that, I was in perfect health. Most years, the victor is a heavily wounded bloody mess after he's fought his final opponent in the Top-two.

Two hours later, I was in the training center. There was my mentor, Sora Petford.

"You did it." she said with congratulations. "Just as I said that I was so sure that you would. And I never doubted you for a second. And hopefully when we get back home everything will be good."

Her eyes then trailing off into space with a look of thoughtful doubt.

"Assuming the President will be a little more like Carson's predecessor." Sora finished.

I frowned in confusion at her last statement. She seemed to recognize the look on my face.

"Oh." she continued. "President Carson is dead."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "What!?"

"He dropped dead mysteriously at a party." said Sora with a tone of voice indicating she was doubtful. "The doctors said it was a congenial birth defect in all his major organs."

I frowned in thought.

"That seems...not impossible...but...highly improbable." I said, agreeing with her, trying to think it through.

"Well, the autopsy report, which is available to everyone, said so." said Sora.

My curiosity got the better of me.

"Who succeeded him?" I asked.

"Coriolanus Snow." said Sora.

"Carson's chief advisor. Hmm?" I said wondering. "President Carson just drops dead by a mysterious medical problem, and Coriolanus Snow gets his job? That sounds just a little to convenient for Snow, don't you think."

"Yes." agreed Sora. "But, the forensics investigators found no evidence of foul-play."

"If Snow wanted to kill Carson, then of course he would make sure there would be no evidence." I countered.

"Of course." agreed Sora. "But we cannot convince the public of that. Snow and Carson were best friends, that would make him the last person to do it. And even if he did there is no way to prove it. And that is the way it is."

"May I see that autopsy report?" I asked.

Sora frowned.

"Let it go." Sora warned me. "Don't get involved."

I decided to let it drop.

I was met by Neil, my escort Nelly Electra, and my stylist Myra Holmes, who was in her two-piece revealing leotard, like she likes to be, with her surgically tattooed aesthetic fish-scales up and down the sides of her body.

"DAMN!" said Neil loudly, but admiringly. "You did it! You actually pulled it off!"

"I thought you didn't like me because I am crazy because I volunteered?" I said.

"I was wrong." Neil admitted. "I wish I had believed in you from the start."

"No worries." I reassured him.

He then leaned in close.

"On a personal note, no sane tribute ever won the Games." he whispered matter-of-factly. "Barbie was far to sane to win."

I didn't know whether to take that personally or not, because I was semi offended by being called insane.

"It was a stroke of genius, electrocuting the entire Career Pack at once." said Myra.

"It's all anyone all over the city is talking about." said Nelly excitedly in her strange Capitol accent.

"Have you heard the silly nickname that everyone here in the Capitol is calling you?" asked Neil with a laugh. "They are all calling you 'Volts'."

This was not so unusual. Many Hunger Games victors get nicknames depending on what they did during their Games that was memorable to the silly childish interests of the Capitol citizens. I suppose that it is as good as any nickname and I suppose I will just have to deal with it.

Caesar Flickerman's talk show, 2 days after the Games ended:

Third person point of view:

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the announcer, "your host of the closing ceremonies, the greatest man in the world, CAESARRR FLICKERMAAAN!"

Caesar Flickerman smiled as he came out onto the stage to the audience screaming at him with cheers at the top of their lungs.

"Thank you!" said Caesar appreciatively. "Thank you! You are all too kind. I just want to say that it is great to be here. And what a special occasion it is. Because I am now going to be interviewing a rising star. But first let us introduce the hard working men and women behind the winner of this year's Hunger Games."

He introduced the District 3 escort, Nelly Electra. He then introduced the half naked stylist Myra homes, as well as her prep team. He then introduced Beetee's mentor Sora Petford. And because Neil Osmo is also a victor he was introduced as Sora's co-mentor.

"And now ladies and gentlemen." said Caesar excitedly. "The one you've all been waiting for, here he is, who is now known by his new affectionate nickname 'Volts', let us introduce this year's Victor of the 35th Hunger Games, Beetee Latier!"

Beetee walked onto the stage as he smiled, to tumultuous applause from the audience. Several female voices even shouted, 'We love you, Beetee!'.

Beetee sat down on the armchair beside Caesar.

"Well, Beetee." said Caesar excitedly. "It is an honor to have you here with me tonight."

"It is an honor to be here." responded Beetee respectfully.

"I will say you put on an interesting show." said Caesar with interest, but his voice had an edge of disbelief. "To build a solar-generator and make-shift electric-capacitor...out of a pile of rusted scraps?!"

Beetee twitched his eye, scrunched up his face, and twisted his wrist back and forth to illustrate that wasn't what it was exactly.

"I...dabble...a little in putting together broken machines back home in District 3, with whatever spare parts I can find." said Beetee.

"On the contrary Beetee, you are a genius!" complemented Caesar. "The Gamemakers examined your make-shift contraption after you were extracted from the arena. It was highly sophisticated, and made from salvaged components from outdated technology. You told us during your interview before the Games that you were a mechanic, technician, and engineer. And you didn't disappoint."

"Well...the principal behind how the technology works was the same, regardless of the one hundred year old components." said Beetee.

"Well, however you did it, you are a genius. And it won you your Games." said Caesar.

Caesar then turned to the audience.

"Now, we have for our viewers a special film. A two hour recap of this year's Hunger Games exciting moments. Lets take a look."

The lights dimmed and the jumbo sized screen came on.

On the screen it showed the tributes pedestals rising out of the ground. The sixty second countdown and then the sounding of the gong.

It showed Macy Keen running right out of there. Beetee running forward to grab up the tool-belt and then the backpack and then ran out of there.

The film then showed the details of every death. The Career Pack made multiple kills, Peter Wolofon from District 12 took on two guys at once and killed them both, grabbed a sword and ran. The bloodbath at the Cornucopia was particularly brutal as so many of the tributes chose not to run, but to fight it out. All of the Careers made one or more kills without any of them getting killed themselves, and what few tributes did get away, some were wounded. The Careers took control of the supplies at the Cornucopia and went hunting for their fellow tributes.

Throughout the Games, Beetee's mystery mechanical activities with collecting spare parts were considered uninteresting, so the camera only occasionally focused on him. Several of the tributes encountered mutts and won their fights which made it interesting. Some tributes encountered the Career Pack and were killed.

The screen showed Beetee encountering a wolf and winning the fight.

The screen showed Peter Wolofon encountering Buzz Vandermon. Peter stood little chance of winning, but still put up a pretty good hard and fierce fight against the District 2 Career tribute for several long minutes before the, by then badly wounded, District 2 boy managed to stab the District 12 boy through the heart.

'It's a shame.' thought Beetee. 'Peter Wolofon was so strong and brave, he was District 12's first real good chance for a winner in years.'

The screen showed Macy Keen following the Careers for days while keeping out of sight. But the the look on her face and her quiet mutterings made it clear she felt she couldn't win. So she rooted for the non-Careers.

The screen showed Beetee about to throw a butcher's knife into John Green's back when Beetee was grabbed by Xena Forman. Macy Keen then tackled Xena Forman with all of her body-weight causing Xena to let go of Beetee, and Xena then quickly put the District 12 girl out of her misery.

The screen showed the Career Pack following Beetee to his trap on hot pursuit. He climbed up to the top of the telephone pole where he had his electrical switch and live exposed wire of an electric cord, ready. And then he kicked the ladder away.

"You've done well, Beetee." complemented Buzz, still covered in bloody scars from his fight with Peter Wolofon. "I'll give you that. But this is the end of your rope. Come on down, and I'll kill you painlessly."

"I admire you for your bravery and strength." said Beetee. "But I've got to win. I have to much at stake."

Buzz had a look of interest on his face.

"You volunteered to help someone." said Buzz. "I admire that. But this is a game. And if you can't play it, you can't win it."

Beetee smiled maniacally.

"Oh, I will win the Games, Buzz." said Beetee.

"And what exactly are you going to do to win the Games?" said Buzz with doubt in his voice, gesturing around to his five teammates. "You're from District 3. You're not a fighter."

Beetee had the secretive look in his smile as though he knew something they didn't.

"You're right." said Beetee. "I'm not a fighter. And as you just said, I'm from District 3...so what am I?"

He then pulled a cord that slipped through some hidden loops on the pole, and it caused all of the water filled barrels on the ground to tip over and soak the lower pant legs and boots of the Careers, as well as flood the area they were standing in with an centimeter of water. Beetee then took the electric cord with the live exposed wire sticking out of the end, and then flipped the switch. The end of the electric cord began to spark.

"I'm an engineer!" he said, answering his own question in a dramatic tone of voice.

Everyone there in the TV studio watched while on the screen Beetee threw the end of the exposed live wire into the water at the Careers feet. All six of the Career tributes bodies went rigid as they spasmed with electric shock.

Beetee allowed the electric current to flow for about 10 seconds until he turned the switch off.

The cannon fired six times.

The 35th Hunger Games two hour recap ended there.

Caesar Flickerman leaned in close and put on a face half serious, half amused.

"Beetee?" said Caesar. "We have seen many things in the 35 years of the Hunger Games. But this year, you did something that we never would have expected. We didn't even get to the final-six tributes. The Games ended probably a week early. I mean, you cleverly used your brain and technical skills to electrocute the entire Career Pack during the final-seven!"

The audience began an approving murmuring while they all looked at each other and nodded.

"Now Beetee," said Caesar, "most Hunger Games endings most years are semi-predictable; the biggest and the strongest tribute is the favorite for winning and they usually just kill their opponents by the obvious conventional means, which we Capitol citizens all love. But if it is one thing we love more, it's a surprise ending by a more inventive method."

The audience stood up and applauded at Caesar's last sentence.

"I have just one more thing to say." said Caesar. "You told us during your interview before the Games that you were fighting for a dieing sister."

Everyone in the audience was completely silent with serious faces.

"Do you have anything to say to her right now if she's watching?"

Beetee looked into the camera.

"I did it for you Lori!" he said with determination and tears in his eyes. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"

"You are an inspiration to us all, Beetee." said Caesar with emotion. "Your determination to win for her makes us all want a big brother like you. Your sister is a lucky girl to have you looking out for her."

Then their time was up. They all stood up in respect.

"Ladies and gentlemen." said the announcer. "The President of Panem, Coriolanus Snow."

The man who was the former chief advisor of Abraham Carson stepped out onto the stage wearing a white suit with a white rose in the lapel. He walked over to Beetee followed closely by a small boy carrying a red velvet pillow. On the pillow was a small wooden box. President Snow opened the box and lifted out of it a small generic beautiful golden crown. He then placed it on top of Beetee's head.

"Beetee Latier of District 3, through your courage and bravery, and if I might say, cunning, cleverness, and extreme intelligence, you have survived the ultimate test of survival against all odds." said President Snow with a tone of admiration. "It is my great pleasure and honor as President of this great nation to grant you the rank and title of 'Hunger Games Victor', with all of the rights and privileges thereto. Congratulations!"

Snow shook Beetee's hand and the audience applauded.

Beetee thanked the President and was then led back to the Training Center.

The next day Beetee was on the train heading home. He was thinking about President Snow. He knew of Abraham Carson's chief advisor's reputation, and he knew that Coriolanus Snow was pretty bad himself, though he decided to reserve judgement on him as Snow was clearly the lesser of two evils.

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