AUTHOR'S NOTES: My original intention all these years ago was to finish this before the Mockingjay films came out, but that was a clear and solid bust as is surely obvious by now. Whatever the case, with the interest in THG waning, this fic might move a little faster. I'm not going to rush it by any means, however; and so we'll still have plenty of time to see just how Korra and her rebellion managed to take over Panem. This is one of those chapters.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 29: The Siege of District 11

Whether it was pure bad luck, or a very coordinated attack from a very aware Capitol, the exit of the tunnel caved in a moment later as a well-placed bomb struck the surface.

"Is everyone okay?" Korra shouted. She was sure with the mayhem above them that there was no way anyone outside the tunnel could hear them.

"Rattled, but well;" Johanna announced, since her voice carried very well. "Obviously the way forward's blocked though, so there's that."

"Then let's not waste time," Kara barked, "we need to clear the debris and help our friends. If the bombs are falling then it means the war's already started, and we're no use to anyone camped out in an abandoned tunnel. If the Capitol can spot us on radar, we're gonna get bombed to oblivion and back."

"You heard the woman then," Korra ordered, "let's move!"

It took several hours, and the sounds of bombs and mortars could still be heard above them as the rebellion worked to clear the tunnel. On the surface, fires glowed in the night, and it was difficult to tell what was going on.

"We're definitely going to need some anti-aircraft artillery as soon as possible," Kara grunted.

"I'll radio '12 right now then," Amy indicated, "Kolton will know what to do."

Meanwhile Korra managed to get back in contact with Zayan, who seemed relieved at their arrival.

"Zayan," she exclaimed, "what's going on here? Is Layla okay? Where's Clove and Chive?"
"The Kazeras are fighting back just fine," the man gave a gruff smile, "Layla's deaf in her right ear now, but she's otherwise okay. I'm remarkably in much better shape than I deserve to be, but as you can tell, we're getting bombed. Spread out, but also spread the word: stay as close to any silos, granaries, or other warehouses as you can. The Capitol's trying not to bomb their food sources, and so if you follow the maze of food storage, you're much more likely to escape their wrath as you muster the troops and prepare the siege."

"Layla though…" Korra frowned, "how bad is she hurt?" In the flickering lights of the fires and the bombs, Korra could tell that the right side of Layla's face was smeared with blood and matted hair. Her eye was also shut and caked with blood, and Korra worried the youngster had lost an eye.

"Relax, Mockingjay," she spoke up amidst the warfare, "my eye's a little bloodshot, but I can see just fine. Mind yourself, and get moving. The Capitol is not going to relinquish their hold on '11 any time soon, and definitely not easily."

As Korra loaded her weapon, the old adrenaline rush from the Hunger Games kicked in, and she went full-on survivor mode as she carved a path through the ranks towards various citizens and soldiers of District 11. Chive's Peacekeepers were distinguished from the others by a band around their arm, and Korra made a mental note to ask Chive how that had happened without the Capitol noticing later.

Kara's leadership was no flop either. As she surveyed the area, it was she who suggested they try and unload some of this food into the tunnels as well.

Eli, Kozue, Zenzi, Varric, and other District 11 victors split up with several District 6 heroes who knew how to operate vehicles, and they started at one of the nearest facilities. Just as the Capitol had launched a multi-pronged attack against the district, so too had the rebellion launched a multi-faceted retaliation and counter-strategy. The rebels fought the Peacekeepers, all the while the District 11 victors worked with District 6 and District 14 to help move food and supplies through the undergrounds tunnels. This of course was met with harsh opposition from the Capitol Peacekeepers and airborne forces, who attempted to pummel as many trucks and rebels into oblivion as they can while trying to avoid collateral damage.

It took several days before any real progress could be noted, where Capitol morale was dropping, while the Rebellion's morale was improving. The disappearance of District 11 supplies over the next few days were a likely cause of this, but despite their efforts, the Capitol could not gain their lost foothold in the district. The morale of the District 11 locals had been bolstered by Korra and the rebels, and in a way, that was what was happening all over Panem.

The longer the Capitol tried to push back, the harder the rebels pushed, to the point where District 14 was able to help transport men and women in from Districts 3, 8, and 12 to help push the Peacekeepers back. Within 2 weeks of their initial attack, the grip on District 11 was finally shattered, with the remaining Capitol loyalists either dead or retreating. Almost none of them surrendered for the same reason the rebels refused to surrender. Surrendering in this case meant certain death—and likely even that would be only after long, grueling torture.

It had been a hard-earned victory, but a victory nonetheless. Casualties were light, but still a thing. To Korra's relief, Layla was still alive, although it became clear right away that there would be no fixing the damage to her ear, most of which had been internal.

Clove's battalion of 300 soldiers had been reduced to 281, much to her dismay, and nothing any of the others could say to her managed to cheer her up, and so she dismissed herself from the aftermath rather early to sulk.

Loss… this was what they would have to deal with as they continued their crusade across Panem, and as much as Korra hated to contemplate it, she knew there would be no escaping it.

She addressed this to Amy, who simply shrugged.

"Death is part of war," she sighed, "and again—count yourself lucky you can still feel or empathize at all. I still can't say the same, you know."
"I didn't mean—" Korra stammered

"I know, kid," Amy looked up at Korra, "I know."

Despite Korra being 2 years Amy's senior (and much taller than her), the term 'kid' had originally stemmed from the 93rd Hunger Games back when Amy had been Korra's mentor, where the name and title had more come from their different levels of maturity at the time. These days, despite Korra being a mature and magnificent leader of a nationwide rebellion, Amy still used the term more as a sign of endearment. Korra was definitely one of Amy's closest friends, all things considering. The fact that she had romantic interest in Korra's older brother incidentally had nothing to do with it. Amy liked both Kada and Korra for different reasons.

"Just keep your eyes on the prize, Mockingjay," Amy continued. "We'll get through this."

Everyone coped with things differently, and for Korra, it was more a matter of making sure everyone was alright. Her primary target in this case was Layla, who was the youngest individual that had been on the battlefield barring civilians. She was in a medical ward after the damage she had taken to her head and ear, but Korra was assured that she'd make a full recovery.

"I don't think she'll ever hear out of that ear again," Zayan told her, "But it'll take a bit more than a rumble to kill my daughter. I only wish I could have been the one to take the hit instead of her. I'm glad you paid us a visit though, Mockingjay."
"Please," Korra shook her head, "just call me Korra. I'm your equal, not your better."

"You're so much more than that though, Korra," Layla spoke softly, "you were the one that led the Siege of District 11—one of the most heavily-guarded and controlled districts in Panem, and you were the one to lead the movement that captured the district in the name of the rebellion. Not just anyone can do the things you do, Korra. I'm 17 and fighting in a war, sure; but look at what you did…"
"When I was 17 I was in a death arena," Korra corrected her. "and as horrible as it was, I'd choose that over this death and bloodshed any day."

"I'm not talking about that," Layla sat up, looking Korra in the eyes, "I'm talking about what you did. You brought tributes together that should have been enemies. You reconciled kids that should have been at each other's throats and held together one of the most formidable alliances the games have seen in years, despite how fragile it was."
"It wasn't that fragile, was it?" Korra tilted her head,

"I watched those games many times, trying to study what made those tributes tick," Layla explained, "Vivian and Koshu were particularly dubious in their alliance with the rest of you, and even Sacajawea never really fully trusted anyone except you."
"Saki knew she was going to die though," Korra reminded her. "She told me herself.

"What does that change?" Layla countered, "even if you knew you would die, there's still no telling when or where that would happen."

Korra did not reply, knowing Layla had a point, and so the teen continued.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, and we'll do our best to come out of this alive, Korra Francisco. A lot of people including me all look up to you. You don't rest on your laurels even after your impressive victories, and I bet tomorrow you'll be right back to work."
"I have to," Korra admitted, "as long as there are districts under the Capitol's control."
"And that's exactly why you're a leader." Layla lay back down. "Because we know you'll get shit done."

Korra was deep in thought for a moment after that remark. Layla was right, after all; Korra had already started looking at maps of the country to try and decide where they needed to move next. She was weighing her options, but even she knew that she had to unwind now and again otherwise she'd burn herself out. As such, it was no surprise when she found a few friends shortly after leaving Layla's ward, and joined these friends for cards and drinks.