Greetings and welcome back to the second installment of Unlikeliest of Victors!
Allow me to digress for a moment. If you're a regular reader of my other work and disappointed this chapter isn't a new installment of RoTE, I promise you an update is forthcoming. I'm in the final beta/reviewing stage now.
I'm thrilled that this story has already generated some traffic and I'm extremely appreciative of those who have reviewed so far! I promise I won't waste any more of your time so, please, sit back and enjoy this chapter.
2
What are they doing here?
The question posed to myself has no answers. I prod my brain and think of any likely possibility.
The last time we had Peacekeeper's of this amount here was during the Quarter Quell twenty-four years ago when four tributes were reaped. Two of them were brother and sister, both heavily crippled and handicapped. The riots lasted so long that the Capitol had threatened to seize what few farms we had, suspend our supply of food, and cutoff our water supply.
"Don't you see? Something's up." Cassandra points to the Peacekeepers all around us.
I am tempted to roll my eyes yet again. Cassie is just shy of being fully paranoid but, this time there seems to be a weight to her words. I can't describe it.
"Did your dad hear anything?" I ask hoping to tease an answer out of her. Her dad held an important position in the District's local government and served under my grandfather.
"Nope. And if anybody would know, your family would."
"Come on." I say after another moment. "Let's go, we should be on the next train."
I grip her hand and pull her along. She doesn't resist and we join ourselves to the line of people trying to make it to the train station. We make it to the top of the hill after a few minutes where the eight Peacekeeper's are stopping people. We join ourselves to the line and after a few minutes we're almost through to the station beyond.
"All citizens must have their identification ready to be displayed!" A Peacekeeper was calling out at regular intervals. it was evident from his swagger and his commanding presence that he was in charge here.
Cassandra and I shared a look.
"Identification?" she asked. "Identification for what, the power plants?"
All employees eighteen and over were required to have an identification card on them at all times for security and monitoring purposes. While messengers technically were supposed to carry identification, our identification was held in a tiny notebook which we were required to carry in our pockets. Our ID was always kept at Headquarters, not on our bodies.
"Think they'll care about us?" she asked.
"We'll explain the situation." I said trying to reassure her.
The group in front of us was waved through.
"Halt, let me see your identification!" said one of the Peacekeepers in a no-nonsense tone. It was evident from the way the other handled themselves around him that he was their leader.
"We don't have it on us at the moment. It's at the-"
"All citizens were supposed to check in at the main office today if they haven't already obtained identification." he informed me.
"But, sir," I protest. "ID is just for anyone eighteen and up, not-"
"That doesn't matter. Let me see it."
"I can't show you. It's at our-"
Without any warning his hand lashes out and I stagger to the side while stars explode in my vision. I vaguely hear Cassie shriek. It takes me a few seconds to realize that the Peacekeeper has lost his temper and slapped me. It only takes this revelation for my brain to suddenly be overwhelmed with a searing pain on the left side of my face and my response is suddenly mutated into a sharp cry. My hand goes to my cheek instantly and it jerks away as it makes contact.
"I said you are to go get identification." he says icily an octave lower. My face stings and smarts from the slap, tears fill my eyes as I try to swallow the pain. I'm more in shock than anything else.
"Hey, leave the girl alone!" calls a citizen from the platform further on. "Do you morons not have ears? They're messengers!" Within seconds a small group has turned away from the platform and formed around the Peacekeepers chorusing the same message. The Peacekeepers all tense with their hands on batons. From behind I see other people start to form a crowd.
"Captain!" I hear someone yell over the crowd of people.
I look over and see it belongs to the same Peacekeeper I collided with earlier push his way through the angered crowd of workers
"What is it?" he asked annoyed through a clenched jaw as his entourage looks around at the angry people.
"The girls are fine; I can vouch for them today."
The Captain gives him a hard stare before standing aside.
"Lieutenant Corbulo, Don't you have better things to be doing right now?" he says icily as he lets the two of us pass through quickly. "You two! Get out of my sight! The rest of you, ID out now!"
Cassandra pushes me through and we're past the line of Peacekeepers and onto the platform.
Once we are through we're surrounded by a group of people asking how we are. Someone passes an ice pack from a container to apply to the swelling on my face. I mutter a few replies of thanks to individuals who offer me help but look down the entire time. I don't want to meet their eyes.
The train comes soon and I find myself being pushed with a crowd of people into a cramped car. The doors hiss close and the train jolts into motion. As the train starts to climb the hill, Cassie, obviously flustered by what has just happened pulls me aside to a quiet corner of the train car.
"That...guy just makes me want to...ugh!" she hisses. "Your face! Katie look!" she whimpered after a moment. I examine my reflection in the window of the train car. Red, swelling, blotchy. The icepack is helping to reduce some of the swelling but it's not a lot.
"You need to tell your dad." she states firmly
"What? No-no no no, I can't just do that!"
She opens her mouth to respond and I shake my head and turn away to look at the view. I'm in no mood to make a scene or get involved in any conflict. It's also the Peacekeepers. It's pointless to complain.
The train finished its climb up the hill and rounding a corner around a large rock began to slow down as it approached the train station. With any luck my face would look normal by reaping day three weeks from now. Not wanting to dwell on that I laced up my shoes again tightly and prepared to step off the train. As a layer of mist broke we were allowed a glimpse of power-plants 3 and 4. On the far right miles and miles away; numerous wind turbines climb up and down the side of the mountain as it overlooked the valley below. The blades were turning lazily in the wind for the moment. The turbines look tiny but they're massive when you get close to them.
On the far left situated on the other side of a hill is a massive hydro-plant that produces almost 18% of the energy for Panem by capturing the endless energy from the Sweetwater River and converting it into electricity before it continued its course southwest until it eventually flowed into the sea. If we wanted to power just the critical infrastructure of the Capitol and our District, we could do it with this single plant. That job was shared between all of the plants though; it was a security risk to let one plant shoulder all the work. There were a couple smaller dams in the southwest that powered some towns but Edison houses the largest complex, the forests and impassable cliffs that surrounded it were just now starting to emerge through the mist. The Sweetwater river bent behind our view and disappeared into the ground to reappear lower in the valley with a couple farms clustered on the banks.
Our train turned north and passed by a power transformation station before cresting a hill where a number of buildings slid into sight. The largest, the twelve story Tesla Administration Center dominated the landscape.
In front of the Tesla Administration Center for the two power plants lay rows upon rows of black, shiny, solar panels towering over the rest of us and giving us some shade. Farther up on the mountain the array started again clawing for the sunlight. These solar panels didn't provided energy for Panem but instead supplied Edison and the power plants with power. The windmills also provided power for the town but the wind up here was less reliable than the sunlight.
The actual power-plant behind Administration was mainly coal fired but last year the Marius Three coal plant got an upgrade. Four years ago someone came up with the genius idea of diverting the Sweetwater to run through the center complex. The water could be used to extinguish fires but also create more power. The project called for steam turbines to be constructed in close proximity to the furnaces. The heat turned the water into steam and the steam was harnessed to create yet more power making the Marius plant one of the most efficient in our District.
Our train crossed a bridge over a large glittering array of rails that trains used to deliver coal and other commodities that would be processed. Two tracks were being mended by a crew from one of the other districts that specialized in transportation. A team of Peacekeepers was standing nearby to ensure they worked, didn't run off, or socialized with others from District 5. All of which were forbidden.
After another minute the train slowed and the station came into view. The passengers all gathered their belongings and waited for the moment the doors would open. The station was crowded with the workers of the graveyard shift all eagerly looking to head home in a separate queue. The doors opened and we all pushed ourselves outwards out of the train.
Cassie and I exited together into the small station and we walked into the brisker air of the higher elevations. We peeled off from the main body of workers headed to the factories in the middle between the coal plant and the dam. The factories were another essential part of our District that made everything that had to do with power: batteries, cable, conduits, you name it. Our biggest exporter was to District Three which specialized in using the raw building blocks we made to create the technology used by so many. We crossed over a bridge that traversed over another set of rails being used by a train from District One that was hauling in tons of copper ore. That copper was probably going to be refined and made into cable and wires.
The operations center for the three plants was directly ahead of us. Our headquarters was located in a two-story building attached to the side. Cassie and I walked through the double doors trying to ignore the whispered comments she kept making about the Peacemakers.
The atrium, though open and spacious feeling with its tall windows and high vaulted ceilings, was a small place. We went up to a woman manning the desk. She recognized us as messengers and unlocked another set of double doors from her computer.
It was a short trip down a hallway before we turned right and pushed our way through another door into one of two rooms. The first room was a cozy two story lounge with a staircase leading to the kitchen on the upper floor. A screen mounted to the wall on my left was tuned permanently to Capitol TV while four large couches positioned in a large U gave ample seating. The back corner to my right held a few tables and a "recovery center" where one could obtain energy drinks, bars, fruit, coffee (for those who consistently fell asleep in the morning) and water to help them recuperate after a long run.
The other room, accessible through another door at the back left corner, was our operations hub. While it was devoted to mostly administrative matters there were a few messengers who didn't physically run around and instead spent all day on a phone relaying messages. I tried that initially and couldn't stand being in the same room for hours with people that I had no strong love for. Plus, the perks the runners had were worth the exercise.
Today the lounge held just a few other messengers who greeted Cassandra and pointedly ignored me. That was all good with me, I didn't want any attention that morning. The graveyard shift must have left because the room was emptier than normal. The atmosphere with those already here was quite tense like the train platform. Just what was going on?
Cassandra makes a beeline for the coffee and I content myself to an apple. I'm not a fan of coffee or it's addicting qualities. I'd rather not be dependent on a drink, a luxury at that, to wake me up. A few seconds later I hear the door behind me open again and several boys step in all conversing with laughs. I pale and then turn red as the mark on my face in a second as I realize who's in that group.
"Oh no! Please not him!" I silently pray.
"Hey Ben!" Cassie greets him as he walks in.
A tall and athletic 17-year old boy with brown hair and eyes detaches himself from a group of friends with a wave and comes over to Cassandra. Benjamin Sparks could technically be considered a "Townie" based on his family's heritage but they all sport impressive tans from working outdoors on the powerlines, Ben seems to be the exception to his family and is only a few shades darker than myself.
As I confirm he's in the room I'm overcome with a desire to run. Anywhere. Somewhere. Definitely not here.
Normally I'm "okay" around people (when they're not poking fun at me) but when he smiles at Cassie in recognition, my heart skips a beat in response. There's something about him that just makes me stop being a functioning human being. I've confided this much with Cassie and she declares that, as much as I may deny it, that I have an attraction to him.
But I don't have to time think about romance or anything like that. None of us do really, we're all at risk for being reaped into The Hunger Games in the next month. I've seen too many broken relationships from people being reaped to want one. Allowing myself to become too emotionally attached to anyone other than my immediate family is asking for my heart to be broken.
Still, every time he talks with me I want to throw all caution out the window. But I'm cordial, amiable, and for the moment, content with just being friends. Perhaps in a different world this could be different and I could wear my thoughts and emotions a little more on my sleeve.
In any event I appreciate that Ben's also one of the only guys my age who's decent to me and as a result, he's the second friend I allow to use my first name which he only he ever does when he's serious or angry.
"Hey Cass." he says walking over to her. They shake hands and exchange high fives.
"Hey yourself. I thought you were going to be on the graveyard shift?" Cassie asks with her hands on her hips. I slowly creep away from her keeping my good side towards them to keep an eye on them.
He laughed and I'm now praying he doesn't notice me as he talks with her just a few feet away. I feel my embarrassment and my desire to be invisible swallowing me up. Of all times to come why does he have to come when I look like this?!
"Turns out they didn't need me last night so they allowed me to take a nap at home and come in today."
Cassie out of the corner of my eye nods in understanding.
"Have you seen Finch yet?" Benjamin asks her.
I move as stealthily as I dare attempting to delay the inevitable. Thankfully I blend in with a small cluster of office staff who are done for the day and move over to a different corner of the room where I pretend I'm interested in a Capitol issued magazine telling about all the wonderful things they've done for the Districts. My hair is bound to get me caught sooner or later. You can't mistake it anywhere else. People (mostly petty classmates that take issue with my paleness) have told me its red like one of the elusive foxes that inhabit the forest nearby but I personally think it's more like one of the sunsets that dazzle us every evening.
I sneak a glance over to where they are. Good. They're checking to see if I left. Knowing that I've only prolonged the inevitable I pick up the magazine and begin scrolling through half-heartedly. I didn't pay attention to the conversation humming around the few of us waiting for our day to begin until one girl named Eliza started talking about the Peacekeepers.
"Anybody know why we suddenly have doubled in our Peacekeeping force?" she asked the room in a sudden whisper, afraid of being overheard by whoever.
"I don't." said Henry a boy of Asiatic descent as he leaned in on the couch. He's another friend just like Cassandra and the last of my friends who I allow to call me Katherine.
"I hope they don't cause too much trouble." said Eliza.
"There you are!" I hear Cassie say as she brings Benjamin in tow.
I barely suppress a jolt as she recognizes me.
Okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this. I chant to myself slowly as Benjamin walks up and we share a hug from the side in greeting.
"Hi." I said keeping the good side of my face focused towards Benjamin and her.
"Hey Ben, Cass, either you stopped by Security this morning?" Henry asks.
"Yeah. Wasn't a big deal though. I just got held up slightly." Benjamin waves his hand dismissing it.
"Yeah. We were stopped. Kate and I over here found out the hard way. The peacekeeper slapped her because she didn't have ID. Since when were we required to have ID?!" Cassandra hissed.
I gave her an angry glare showing my full face and instantly realized my error and instantly shrank back as the eyes of all the messengers present turned to look at me.
I swear that mouth will get Cassandra in trouble one day.
Henry gasped. "Your face!" he yelped.
I shrank in a chair and my face started turning the same shade as the welt for a second time.
"I'm fine!" I said looking down trying to diffuse it at once. "Really, I'm fine." I snapped. There were so many things that were way worse in my district and the others, why were they freaking out over this?
It was at that moment Electra walked downstairs with her usual cadre of friends.
Great. I fumed. Just great.
Electra is just a year older than me and one of the more obnoxious classmates. We've known each other for most of our childhood as neighbors (and our dads are best friends) but starting a few years ago we started drifting apart, mainly because I started hanging out with the trio who all came from hard-working families while she was the only child of parents who ran a store. She and I now have completely differing ideologies on what's important in life Electra's also one of the main users of the nickname "Foxface" and, needless to say, I'm always thrilled to see her. Did that sound sarcastic enough?
"Good morning Foxface." She smirked.
"Good morning Electra." I reply neutrally not turning to look at her.
"Aww." She croons in false sympathy. "Did you get too smart with the Peacekeepers?" on cue her clique giggles.
"No." I said flatly still refusing to meet her gaze.
"Don't you be sly with me Foxy." She walks down the rest of the stairs and walks in front of me so that I have no choice but to look up at her eyes an inch or two above mine.
"I have a real name you know Electrisha Esmerlda Ellis." I reply coolly. "You could even try Finch or Finchley on for size."
Henry tries to contain his laughter from behind me.
Her face disfigures and I am tempted to enjoy the moment. I know I've touched a nerve with her full name. It's a move as petty as her demeanor but this morning I don't particularly care.
"I'd be careful." Electra says with a glare. "You can't fox around with everybody you see or you'll get in trouble." She says flipping her frizzy black hair over her shoulders.
"Bye." I say before she has her hand on the door.
She makes a rude gesture with her hand and she's gone.
"What an idiot." Cassandra snorts when she's out of earshot.
"I don't know what her problem is." Benjamin said after a moment.
"I'm not Foxface." I mutter. I'm thoroughly annoyed now. I hate being the center of attention and I'd much rather flee from conflict than fight. Having to do both has soured my mood and I don't want the presence of my friends right now.
"Well, in her defense I could see why she says that— "
Henry doesn't get much further before his arm is hit by Cassandra. She's picked up on the fact that I'm not feeling pleasant.
"Right. Sorry." He backtracks.
I wave it off and to my surprise Cassandra goes right back to talking about the Peacekeeper from this morning which angers me even more. She might have picked up on my mood but not on the fact that I don't want to talk about it anymore.
"Wait what? He attacked you?" Benjamin said flaring up in anger when the story's complete.
"Yes but-"
"When your Grandpa finds out-"
"Guys!" I huff exasperated. "I'm fine."
"Well that mark on your face doesn't say so." Benjamin says unconvinced.
"Well, what do you want me to do?!" my voice is just below a scream. "Start a revolution or something!?"
The room got deadly quiet as what I had just said reverberated. The other messengers on the couch give me a look but return to watching an interview with Seneca Crane, the head Gamemaker for this year's Hunger Games.
"There's nothing anybody can do okay? It's not like the Peacekeepers are any different." I say trying to diffuse and lessen the impact of what I've said.
After a terse silence I realized I was treating everybody unfairly and rejecting their offerings of empathy. I change tactics immediately wanting to put the matter to rest.
"Look guys, I'm sorry I'm treating you like this. It was rude of me to do that. There's nothing we can do about it though."
"Oh my gosh Kate. No. No no. The guy attacked you. And all you want to do is say let it happen?" said Henry who's slightly annoyed that I'm only now apologetic.
"I'll be fine." I insisted for a fourth time. "Look I'll find some way to fix this. We all know now we need to have ID okay? My face isn't going to be scarred for life."
"But-" he protested.
"-but she said she'll be fine. Leave it at that Henry." came another voice.
It was our supervisor.
Mrs. Anna Gerrik was a short thin woman with electric blue eyes, much like Persephone's, that saw everything inside of you, all-knowing, all seeing, they gave one a sense of being examined. She was in her late 50's but her long career as a Messenger had treated her well with short gray hair and a runners build. She was a kind yet often stern woman. I likened her to a grandma looking out for a large pack of kids that were...somewhat autonomous.
"Right then messengers gather round. Your day is about to begin."
We all circle up around her.
"Last night was rather busy for the evening and night shifts because we had several mechanical problems. Some of you will be running messages between the factories and the plant's because their individual phone lines are down because of an isolated power surge."
"Again?" I hear a messenger named Darrien ask in disbelief.
"As for the rest of you," Mrs. Gerrik says without missing a beat, "run circuits. I want Finch to be covering the factory today but I need you to run a message to my husband at the dam. Dinner will be ready at five. Repeat?"
Per protocol I repeat the message back verbatim.
"Good. We'll only need one messenger on the factory today because it's a lightly staffed shift. Be everywhere and you'll get your pay. Go to it." she dismissed us with a wave.
The group of us broke apart and filed out the door straightening our uniforms. Cassie walked with me for a few paces. I pretended not to notice her desire to talk.
"Finch?" she said finally as we exited into the open air again.
"What Cassie?"
"I'm...sorry." she said.
"I'm sorry as well." I replied.
She was about to say something when the call of "Messenger!" rang through the air.
"Later." she said and ran off to run it.
Now free of Cassie I began to run towards the dam. I figured after I delivered Mrs. Gerrik's message I would stick around for a few minutes and then loop back to the factory which is located next to the coal plant's steam turbines. I decided I would run laps around it until I got something to deliver and continue as normal. Today promised to be a little on the lazy side.
As I passed along the crowd of people heading home from the night shift I catch sight of Lucas and Alex Brindley, both barely older than 10 walk by chatting tiredly. Their family is one of the few impoverished ones in Edison.
Even though we were taught that District 5 was one of the richer and better off districts we still have many citizens that live right on the edge of poverty. To avoid that, since schooling is only mandatory until you're twelve, there are plenty of people that will put their kid into the workforce alongside them to earn enough so that you don't have to take one of those dreaded tesserae.
I descend the hill towards the dam and then hang a right at a fork which takes me over a bridge and up another hill to the Sub-operations center of the dam. As I think I subconsciously jog my way into the front doors. I run through a long corridor taking a flight of stairs at the end upwards to the control center. I find her husband, the chief foreman, and deliver the message. He thanks me and I'm free to poke around a little bit looking for a message to give before I have to head off to the factory. Seeing nobody who needs a message delivered I retrace my steps back to the Tesla Center before making a left towards the Factory. I run onto an onto a well-constructed footbridge that crosses over the writhing and churning river as it leaves the dam. A massive pipe opens its massive jaws further to my right and swallows enormous amounts of water for the steam turbines. The hum of power is the only other thing distinguishable between the shouts of various people as they keep the coal plant running.
"Messenger!"
I hear it barely over the din of running water, machinery, and voices and run over to a balding man who is waving me over.
"Run to management and tell them a group of us have gotten permission to work overtime to fix the flood control gates. They aren't responding quite right which is why we have this torrent of water." he said pointing to the river as it churned and boiled sending up spray. "Tell Administration that we need to shift more of the power focus over to the other plants so that we can fix it without diminishing output. It would also be appreciated if you could tell the operator of the flood gates to close them because we can't raise him on the phone right now."
"Got it!" I say removing a small notebook from the vest and scribbling the notes of his message in. I repeat the message and he nods.
"Be back in a few!"
"I'll be here!" the man says with a laugh.
I turn and run outside and make for the management building. I weave between other people and messengers, catch a glimpse of Cassie as she runs past me in the other direction and sprint through the front doors again.
Running a message to the person needed I scribble down their response and in a moment I'm back outside into the quickly warming air. I pick up another message for a laborer in the factory, deliver the first message's response to the balding man, collect a tip of a few coins which I keep in a pouch, and run for the factory.
While I do get to deliver important messages like the one about the flood gates, automation has largely replaced the role of carrying important messages. The job of a messenger has largely shifted to more simple and unrelated messages. The workers treat us well and call us over so that we can run simple messages between people without having to leave their station. Messages like these include How's Jerry doing? and Has your wife given birth yet? and Would you like to come to dinner tomorrow?
In this way everybody can work without the fear of having Peacekeepers discipline them for slacking off the job and still communicate and have a sense of what's going on in the relatively isolated world of District 5.
Some of those who meet a messenger for the first time ask how I (or any of us) stay alive after running day after day. I honestly don't know. It was hard for the first two months but then one day it suddenly became easier. Now after three years of running I hardly need a break even in the heat of the day and welcome the chance for fitness.
Running pass row after row of solar panels I make my way past the coal plant to the factory which is a sweltering and noisy place. In the lower levels where the trains are being loaded up with spools of wire I find my recipient who graciously tips and tells me I don't need to run a response.
The hours gradually pass by and I'm guessing that today, other than what I've been given so far, I'm not going to make very much in tips. There aren't as many people in need of messages delivered.
It isn't until the plant's lunch break for the morning shift that I'm allowed a chance to sit down and wipe the sweat from my brow and drink many well-earned sips of water. As I walk this time into the cafeteria I catch a glimpse of Cassie, Henry and Benjamin sitting down at a table.
"Eliza and the others must have had their break earlier." I think to myself as I go and absentmindedly pick up my food which is advertised by a sign as a rich hearty stew with meat from District 10 and rich grain and rolls from District 9. Good, that means I can eat in peace with people that are decent.
Returning to the table I'm greeted with a greeting from the trio.
"Hey. How you doing?" Benjamin asks.
"Fine. My face doesn't hurt anymore." I said answering the question before it could be asked. "How's the pay so far?"
"Eh. Stingy with me. I kept running back a lot of messages between track workers and Administration. They weren't interested in paying me." Henry says taking a bite of an apple he had procured.
"I'm close to breaking a record." Cassandra says patting a rather full looking coin pouch which is sewn onto her vest.
"Nice." Benjamin says and everybody nods in congratulations.
"I'm not getting a lot of traffic today. Maybe tomorrow." I say hopefully.
"It'll be better another day. You know, I forgot how hard the stairs to the Administration building are hard to climb." Benjamin says rubbing his side.
We all chuckle at this. The designers had an error when designing the administration and they left out several of the steps. Consequently, the builders had to struggle to make ends meet and ended up making the stairs really tall and steep.
I start to work on wolfing down my stew which is particularly good today when the conversation goes back to the Peacekeepers.
"So I heard something today..." Cassie said a little nervously looking around to see nobody watching.
"Aaaand...?" says Benjamin when she doesn't continue for another five seconds.
"Go on," Henry urges.
"I overheard someone at the wind farm saying that the Peacekeepers are looking for...somebody."
"Looking for someone?" I question. "That's not incredibly new."
"Yes but this was different...from what I heard the most I could make out was something about..." she hesitates.
"Go on." I prod her.
"Well, about rebels-or terrorists. One of the two."
I paused to think about this information. It would explain why the Captain stopped me today at the station about ID.
"You sure about that?" Benjamin asked after a second.
She nods.
"Aren't they the same thing?" Henry asked.
"Well," I open my mouth to explain.
"Save it Katie. We all know you've memorized every word in the Panem encyclopedia." Henry jokes.
"Well it would explain why they did the whole Security sweep thing earlier." I countered.
"Speaking of which." Henry interjected, "nobody gave the District's citizens that message about ID." Henry turned to me next. "That's on the Peacekeepers by the way. You'll be glad to know Katie that he was chastised by his superior about beating up on you and a few others, heard about it through the grapevine." he says when noticing my curious expression.
I nod and feel slightly relieved that someone actually bothered to take action.
"Rebels though? Why here of all places?" I ask feeling slightly satisfied that the Captain had been chewed out. "They trying to send a message about the power of the Capitol?" I ask.
Henry snorts at the pun and even Cassie cracks up laughing.
"Still no laughing matter." says Benjamin after a minute. "I mean, regardless of what they are you know what happens to people who associate with them. Crows crowing in the corpse field." he said.
He's referring to news that was quietly spread around by some of the District 6 exchange track workers about a month ago. In District 6 a cell of rebels bombed a factory making the Capitol's infamous hovercraft. Anyone found with a relationship to any of the perpetrators was hung publicly along with the actual rebels for days until crows had picked their skeletons clean. Some 50 people were killed this way. It was apparently heavily televised and an ongoing investigation was still in progress though they never showed anything on Capitol TV.
"I met the track workers today. Apparently there's another wave of searching going on. Another ten are dead. They didn't want to talk about it though." Henry said.
"Well I don't blame them." Cassie replied. "With communication between our Districts at a minimum I don't blame. Probably very illegal."
I suddenly lost my appetite for the rest of my food which thankfully was mostly eaten.
I explained that I was going to leave and wished them luck.
"All right then. Take care of yourself Kate." Cassie said.
"You too." I said.
"Hey. Uh, you going to be alright?" Benjamin asked.
"I'll be fine. Let's just finish the day on a good note. See you all at close." I said and turned around my hair following lazily behind me.
I left quickly and stepped back out into the noon day sun and began running again. I had left off at the Coal plant so that's where I chose to start again before leaving for the factory again.
After running a few messages between different parts of the plant I decided to take another breather and stretch since I hadn't done so since this morning. I found a deserted spot in the back of one of the plants storage sheds. Taking a breath, I began to stretch and as I do so I began to forget today's troubles. The mark on my face no longer hurt at least, even if slightly visible, and I was starting to relax and even drift off a little bit. I found myself imagining myself sitting in a tree in the middle of a field watching the world as I was imagining it. People laughing, adults chatting in hushed voices-
Wait, hushed voices?
Suddenly I was awake and I froze as I heard actual hushed voices heading right towards me. I gulped. Being caught off the job was something that was punishable by whipping. My grandfather was not one for public punishment but he would not withhold the lash from me; he didn't play favorites. If there was a spiteful worker moving towards me now...
I hurriedly moved as quiet as I could and ducked behind a large dirty yellow dumpster filled with the useless tailing from a batch of copper ore that had been forgotten about. I peeked from around the corner to see a group of four people who I recognized as the track workers from District 6.
"What on Earth are they doing here?" I thought desperately as I watched them get closer.
I stood motionless controlling my breathing and making sure I was able to spring at a moment's notice.
They all looked around, satisfied that they felt like they weren't being seen I watched as one of them pulled out a large map of what looked like my District.
"This place gives me the creeps." one of them said as he backed up to my hiding place.
"You know if I hear you complain one more time-"
"Quiet." The leader, a bearded, brawny, and very bearlike man made a motion for them to be silent. "You sure we're not being watched?"
"Positive. Nobody comes back here. No security cameras nearby, even if they did..." he produced what looked like a handgun and a larger looking gun from his person underneath a large coat.
The others chuckled.
"So when we doing it boss?"
"We should do the job today, send the Capitol and other Districts about how fragile their power is. It might be the thing that gets the ball of revolution going.
I froze as I remembered the conversation I had at lunch. Could these be the insurgent's they were looking for? A knot twisted in my stomach at that idea.
"We changing the plan?"
"Yeah." he grunted. "We're changing it because we had that lousy messenger talking to us and made the Peacekeepers pay attention."
"I kinda liked him to be honest." said the fourth man.
"Shut up."
He did so at once.
"So," he continued as if nothing had happened. "I say we change up our plan slightly. We have the detonation device for the bombs we've smuggled into the plants and we just need to wait for one of the more important people in this District to visit.
Bombs?! I have to hold my hand over my mouth in horror.
"Why not give 'em a reason?"
"What do you suggest?" asked the second man revealing a great deal of stubble and an eye patch over one eye.
He glanced in my direction and I froze. He decided it was nothing and went back to paying attention.
"What about a hostage situation?"
"No," the leader said. "Only if we completely botch this op. In any case failure means death. You know that right?"
He placed a large cylindrical object with a clear cap and a button on top of the top lid of the dumpster and produced a map from his pocket.
"Hey, that's just the detonator right?" the fourth man asked.
"Yes you idiot. They're all primed and ready to go. All I need to do is hit the trigger when we're far enough away. This one's synced to the ones in the coal plant."
"You sure they can't disarm the bombs?"
"Not without the key code. They'll blow up otherwise. What's even better is if one goes off, they all go off."
I shudder as the malice in his voice makes my skin crawl.
Against my better judgment I shimmied up the container quietly keeping my head stuck behind the pile of jagged rock and slag which provided some cover and inched closer to the detonator sitting on the lip. They were all in a semicircle facing away from me. Perfect.
"What's the code again?"
"1184029. But then again, I wouldn't have to repeat myself if you guys would listen." the first man growled.
"So we blow up the power transformers first, cause a fire at the Coal Plant and blow up Admin and Management?"
"Right." the leader said. "The bombs are planted in the first furnace room and the coal storage sheds. Blowing them there will cause the most destruction to the facility. The other ones are linked to them. Once one blows, it will set activate a time-detonation sequence on the others.
I was now on top of the dumpster and I crawled slowly across the floor of jagged copper tailing and reached out slowly.
"What about the dam?"
The leader smiled. "We'll blow that too. That ought to be enough to cripple the Capitol for a while."
I froze now letting my anger overpower my fear. There were good people in any one of their targets! Why on Earth would they wish harm on innocent people? My anger was getting a hold of me more and more as I heard their plan but I forced myself to keep quiet.
In my District's history, we had the dam break only once and but it destroyed much of what lay below it and caused a crisis of monumental proportions. Edison was spared by a miracle but everywhere southeast of us was severely damaged by floodwaters. I couldn't just let them get away with this!
My hand moved in range of the detonator when they were all looking away and I shoved it in my pocket carefully. Breathing fast, I backed away quietly and started to climb down the ladder.
I was almost home free when the rusted handheld I was holding onto broke with a shriek. I grabbed onto another handhold but it slipped from my grasp and I crashed to the ground on my back knocking the wind from me.
A loud metallic CLANG! Announced my presence to the whole world as I accidentally kicked the container.
"What the-hey! The detonator!" roared ugly number two.
I scrambled to my feet as the figures of four men scrambled around the corner with weapons drawn.
And we end on a cliffhanger. *Cue dramatic music*
If my memory is correct I think I only got to two chapters in the previous version. If that's the case, next time should be all new and original content! I can't wait!
Again, thank you to the guests who reviewed. I hope to be back really soon! I love to hear your comments and suggestions.
Yours in writing,
theotherpianist