Greetings readers, welcome back to another installment of Unlikeliest of Victors.
This update comes a little sooner than the timeline for when I would normally post. I attribute this to the brevity of this chapter. Normally I shoot for 7,000 words and above but this chapter ended up being split in three because of how it naturally chunked.
I'll spare the rest of my comments for after this chapter.
3
I may have been able to regain my footing, but the world is swimming around my slightly. My vision was blurred from the impact and I'm trying to remember how to four men catch sight of me and spread out in a circle. I'm now trapped with no way out. The detonator was no longer in my pocket. It had rolled somewhere out of sight.
"Look Harry!" We got ourselves a snoop!" one of the men says with glee as they see me trying to scramble backwards.
"Well, well, well." the leader said stepping forward and lowering the gun slightly. Underneath his workers outfit he wore incredibly dirty clothing and had hair that was wild and unkempt. His glasses were tainted by dirt and sand but somehow enhanced his coal black eyes. "Look what we have here. Snoop indeed." He approached me and I shied away.
"What are you doing here!" he roared. His voice rattled me and I retreated further back.
"N...nothing! I was only going out for a stretch!" I stammer.
"I was only going out for a stretch!" he imitated in a horrendous impersonation of me. "You two grab her!" he snarled. "And you, Dexter, search for her the detonator."
I scrambled backwards again and slammed into the crate behind me where one man moves to seize me. "Hey! Let go of me!" I protested angrily daring to be bold for a second as two ironclad grips grabbed my hands and kept me at bay.
The first one came over and began to search my pockets for the detonator. I resisted as much as I could and succeeded in first kicking his shin and then as he was doubled forward smack him with my head. It wasn't the smartest move as my head suddenly gained a massive headache but it drove him off me howling and cursing.
The other two burst out into laughter.
"Shut up, all of you!" Harry ordered to his companions before turning his attention to me.
"Well then, we got ourselves a fiery little girl. Didn't think your District had that type of spirit in them."
"L... look here." I said as I stared into their faces and trying to summon as much courage as possible. "I don't know who you are or why you're here but if you'll just let me go-"
"Not a chance." Harry growled. Then his face changed. "I'm afraid I can't let you go." he said with feigning overly sweet remorse. "You see; you have something that belongs to us. It's incredibly simple. You represent a significant breach of security and I'm afraid we simply can't leave witnesses alive. What's not to say you'd rat us out?" his lip curled in a sneer.
With one fluid motion the gun, which had been pointing at the ground, was now trained on my forehead.
I began to scream as loud as I could, trying to let someone know that there was a girl about to be executed behind the coal plant.
"Silence her!" he shouted and one of them shoved a dirty hand over my mouth and silenced me.
"I swear if you scream again I'll kill you right now!"
The hands dropped and I coughed and spluttered trying to bring air within my lungs again. In desperation I tried stalling.
"What plan?" I said trying to buy more time. "I only saw the cylinder thing so I picked it up!"
"Hey wait, are we talking about the uh...plan to send a message to the Capitol?" the goon on the right asked hesitantly.
With a single motion the gun switched from my head to the goon on the right and shot him point black.
I gave another scream but was immediately silenced again as the body stiffened and suddenly relaxed as it slumped to the ground.
"What the-!" Dexter said taking a step back in shock. "You shot Lenny!"
"Like I said, breach of security people." Harry said seriously.
"He wasn' doin nuttin'! The captor on my left screamed in outrage.
"Would you like to join him?" the leader asked.
Their protests stopped but they still look vaguely shocked.
He looked at me again.
"You have heard too much. You know what, we don't need you, We'll find the detonator anyways. I hope you feel a sense of pride knowing that you died for the cause of a new Panem! One without Tyranny and the oppressiveness of the Capitol!"
"What did the Capitol ever do to you?" I asked desperately behind the gritty skin of Dexter's hand.
The goons shot me a pained expression, like this was the one question I should have avoided, and Harry got a wild light in his eye. The gun, pointed at my head, was now pointing harmlessly to the ground.
What have they done? The better question to ask is where do I start?" They don't teach you about the other Districts in school, do they."
I shook my head.
He began to laugh. A cold, pitiless sound that grated on my nerves. The others laughed nervously, unsure of how to proceed. Harry then began speaking so fast that the words all blurred together in a mindless jumble. All that I could make it out was that it concerned District Six, and the Hunger Games.
As he started going on a rant I noticed that Dexter's grip on my arm had slackened slightly. I looked down at my feet for a second and noticed my captor had a slight limp in his right knee. I could exploit both of these and escape. Right?
I tried staring Harry in the face but I simultaneously scanned behind him. I just needed to turn a corner, any corner, and I could lose them.
Harry suddenly stopped and looked at me curiously.
"Were you trying to get me to monologue?"
I shook my head.
"I've killed many people, all of them were more cowardly than you are. You, you're something different. You're holding your head high while the others screamed, pleaded, and begged for mercy. I like that. I like that a lot. I wish our circumstances were different."
The gun was raised to my head again and I went slightly cross-eyed trying to stare down the barrel.
"A pity, I regret that I need to do this." Harry sighed.
I was out of time.
In a desperate move I flailed again and slammed into Dexter in that moment unbalancing him. I then struck out as he was flailing and kicked his right knee. He collapsed to the ground and gave a shout as I stomped on his face attempting to run. I dove past the other goon who was making to grab me and wildly threw a punch at Harry. My adrenaline fueled fist met his face by some miracle and I felt something in my hand crack as my punch shattered his glasses and drove some of the shards into his eye.
Harry's shot fired wildly into the air as he clutched his eye and screamed. In his distraction I dove out of the way. I spotted the detonator lying on the other side of the dumpster. I snatched it wildly and ran for another ladder which scaled a large container. In three seconds I had scaled it. I flattened myself as another bullet flew overhead. I heard footsteps on the ladder behind me and I scrambled forward blindly. I leaped off the container and collapsed as I hit the ground eight feet below and rolled. The footsteps had stopped on the ladder and they were beginning to react more intelligently as I scrambled to my feet and ran for my life.
"Come back here!" Harry was cursing. More shots were fired but either his aim was bad without his glasses or he was a bad marksman. Either way I weaved randomly trying to escape the touch of a bullet.
I had no idea of where I wanted to go other than far, far away. I stuffed the detonator deeper into my pocket and I ran as hard as I could straight ahead of me. I knew they had bombs in the coal plant already armed and I was carrying the detonator. The Coal Plant wasn't the safest place to be.
My pursuers realized I was getting away and they redoubled their efforts to kill me shouting curses and threats against me the entire time. I rounded a corner I skidded to a halt at a dead end and suddenly panicked. I instantly backtracked to an intersection right before it where I see the three of them coming at me with weapons drawn. I dove with a scream left and began running into the direction of the coal plant.
The adrenaline boost was just beginning to impact the rest of my body as raw chemicals were dumped into my bloodstream and my brain commanded it to run faster and harder.
Contrary to their looks though, the men behind me were not slow either which only fueled my fear.
"Help! Somebody help!" I cried as the fight in me started wearing off and the flight settled in. Tears were making it hard to see but I ran anyways turning this corner and that trying to lose my pursuers. They held on stubbornly and kept firing their weapons when they had a chance. I was trying desperately to control my breathing but that was almost an impossible task.
I finally saw another worker descending a maintenance stairwell far ahead of me.
"What's going on?" he shouted confused as I entered the stairs and began climbing them.
"There she is!" I heard from far behind me.
Another shot rang out but I saw the man ahead of me suddenly stumble. I stopped for a second as more shots rang out and I felt sick instantly. I couldn't see a wound but I knew this man was hurt
"I'm sorry!" I shriek. I don't know what else to say.
"Go! Not your fault! he hissed fiercely.
"But-"
"GO!" he coughed.
Spurred on by his words, I'm run up the stairs and I exit three levels up and slam a door closed moving a large rolling cart in front of the door. I stop for a second and vomit. I wish I had water to clear my throat, but I don't. The bile burns and stings my throat but I have to ignore it and process what's going on so far. I hear the men on the stairs below me and know that I don't have a lot of time.
I have enough time to regain my breath but I'm forced to run when the door jolts from the impact of one man trying to charge through. I jump to my feet and run through. I see a sign at an intersection and read it for a second. The floor I'm on will take me to a catwalk and the management office. I can warn people there and lose myself in the corridors. I just need to get out of this coal plant.
Ahead I see another worker.
"Run! Get out of here! Gun! Shooter!" I yell incoherently as I streak down the hallway in a fiery black and red blur. Behind me I hear the door break open and the cart is tossed out of the way.
He turns as he sees the three men behind me emerge and start firing again. The worker I passed yelped and within a few seconds we are both running neck and neck.
"Head for the Operations center!" he shouts. "That door should protect you for a little bit! Think you can do that?"
I nod my head and we turn a corner towards Operations.
"Okay! I'll find a phone and get security up here!" he shouts and he takes a right at this next intersection and disappears.
The men don't bother going after him but still chase doggedly after me. I meet more workers but they instantly scatter when they hear the gunshots to my relief. I dash across a catwalk and I duck as two more shots fly over my head and make a panel explode into white-hot sparks. Ahead through a narrow and tight corridor is the Operations Office.
"Lock the door!" I scream at a worker who pops his head out to see what's going on. He sees what's behind me and shouts frantically at me to get inside.
I burst through the threshold and four men swing an enormous steel door close with a tremendous crash. I collapse on the floor and begin hyperventilating and vomiting and crying all at once. Suddenly everyone is gathered around me and people are shouting at one another. An enormous crash is heard as the three pursuers chasing me start beating on the door. Four shots ring out but they do nothing. The door is too thick for mere bullets to do any damage.
"What the ****?!" someone asks alarmed.
"Get that door barricaded now! Desks! Chairs! Anything!" Someone calls out. The room springs into action and several men flip over a couple heavy metal desks and shove them against the door.
I looked over and a bearded man walks up to me and his badge labels him as the plant's head of operations.
"Get her some water now!" he orders. "The rest of you initiate the general evacuation and get out of here!"
Someone tosses me a bottle and he gently feeds it to me while I'm collapsed on the floor.
"Are you hurt?" he asks as he wipes some blood of my face, whose it is I don't know.
I shake my head. "Not hurt." I cough.
"What happened?" he asks trying to calm me down.
"Track workers... bomb... power plant...they're armed...gun." I finally choke out.
The man seems to understand the gravity of the situation and he reacts immediately.
"Mr. Harvey, Mr. Jenkins! Initiate emergency shutdown procedures now!" he orders before helping me to my feet. "And someone get me a line to security and general operations right now! We're in code blue status people!"
The staff all around us scatter to do follow his orders while many more flee out the emergency exit. Several screams echo out as we hear more gunshots echo outside. It sounds like they've moved on and they're fighting someone else outside.
An enormous bang shakes the heavy door.
One of the workers swears.
"They're back!" another cries out alarmed.
A second later the alarms come to life and red emergency lights start flashing on the ceiling.
"Evacuation is active!" someone calls out.
Another bang rattled the door drawing everybody's eyes for the moment.
"Are you okay?" The foreman asks. "Is there anything else I need to tell security?"
"There are other bombs!" I cough trying to remain calm.
"Where? How many?"
"Tesla Center…canal…and power transformers." I eventually get out.
"Sir! Phones are down!" another worker calls out.
The foreman turns pale. "Mr. Harvey, can you get the backup lines active?"
"No sir! All generators are offline though and the furnaces are in emergency standby mode!"
Another bang shakes the door.
"That door's sturdy, but I don't know how long that's going to hold!" Harvey adds.
"Open up! Peacekeepers!" a voice yells on the other side. The voice has none of the inflection and accent of someone from Two. It sounds like it's a different group of Track Workers. Were they all in on this plot?
We all back away.
"Everybody out the emergency exit." The Foreman whispers.
He takes me by the hand and we move quietly towards the back of the room and out the door. Someone opens the door and it squeaks loudly prompting a hail of cursing and beating on the door.
"What do we do?"
"Once we're outside I'm going to head for the nearest phone and brief Finch and Security on the details." The Foreman said wiping beads of sweat off his brow.
"Can you tell him I'm all right?" I whisper.
"Sure...thing." He says unsure why I would make a request. He takes a look at me and suddenly he realizes who I am at once. He curses. "Mr. Harvey, make sure Emerson's daughter makes it back somewhere safe."
We descend a flight of stairs and suddenly hear a high pitched shrill.
"Move!" someone screams from behind me and suddenly we are all running down the stairs.
A deafening explosion shakes the building and I know that they've done something to the door, whether it was just a hole blown in it, or the door blasted off its hinges I don't know. There's the sound of crashing metal, their attempts to take down the barricade, and then footsteps. Once again, they're pursuing us. I stumble on the staircase and I fall to the ground. I feel something shake loose and my hands in vain catch the detonator falling out.
"No! No, no, no!" I cry. My hand brushes it but succeeds in knocking it over the edge spinning towards the ground below.
The cylinder falls out of sight to the bottom of the stairwell. I gave a panicked shout and I'm about to leap over the railing when a pair of hands drags me forward.
"No! I need to go back!" I protest
"Are you out of your mind girl?" Mr. Harvey protests before dragging me with him.
We descend two more levels before another worker throws the door open in front of us and we almost run into a platoon of Peacekeepers who nearly shoot us on sight. Outside there the sound of gunfire is being exchanged northwards.
"Captain Irons! We have more workers exiting the facility!" one of the Peacekeepers calls out over his radio before they spread out with their guns covering us from all sides.
"Who is this?" a gruff voice I recognize as the Peacekeeper that slapped me this morning asks.
"Mather's sir."
"Bring them back and continue your search."
"Wait!" I call out.
Mather's turns to focus on me.
"Ma'am, we don't have time for this."
"But I dropped the detonator for the bombs!" I shakily say before vomiting on his boot.
He ignores the vomit and is about to ask for clarification when we hear voices and gunfire suddenly erupts from the emergency exit. The Peacekeepers shove us aside. Mathers jumps in front of us and they counter with their own fire and we hear voices retreating upstairs.
"Watch the windows!" one of the Peacekeepers call out.
As if on cue, one of the windows is shot out with an explosion of glass and we all scramble backwards. I'm roughly forced to the ground and someone moves to shield me from being hit. The Peacekeepers advance and return fire on the window and the gunfire stops after a ten second skirmish.
"Move." Mathers orders and we all scramble back some more behind some cover.
"Finch?" I look right and see another squad escorting Mrs. Gerrik and some of the other staff from Messenger Headquarters.
"Mrs. Gerrik?"
"Oh thank goodness you're okay!" she says looking relieved. "Have you seen Benjamin, Cassandra, or Electra? Do you know where they are?" she asks frantically.
"No? Why?"
"I haven't seen them since this started happening!" she cries out. An armored vehicle comes out of nowhere and the Peacekeepers hurriedly stuff the workers inside and before I can react it's already speeding off.
"Okay. All of you need to wait here. We'll get you to safety."
Mathers radios for another vehicle and I don't think he's remembered the detonator.
"Wait!" I call out pushing my way forward. Please! Listen to me!" I plead. "There are bombs all around here!"
He stops and turns on me. "What?" he asks.
"Bombs! Everywhere!" I repeat. Are the Peacekeepers really that dumb to not understand what those words mean?
His demeanor changes at once to concern.
"You're certain?"
"Look sir, this girl was being chased by those monsters!" the Foreman protests. "She overheard their plan and now they're trying to kill her! What other proof do you need?"
The Peackeeper shot an angry glance at the Foreman.
"Fine. Miss, it's very important for you to answer these questions."
I nod once.
"Do you know exactly how many bombs there are?" he asks quickly.
I shake my head.
"Do you know where they are?"
"The dam, Tesla Center, the transformer station, here in the coal shed and one of the furnace rooms." I say trying to control my breathing. "The detonator is inside that stairwell. I dropped it. It should be at the bottom."
"Are there more detonators?" Mathers asks.
"I don't know!" I reply.
He repeats it again.
"Ma'am. Are there more detonators yes or no!"
"I...I..."
"YES or NO?" he shouts
"I don't know! I just saw this one!" I cry out.
He sighs in disgust and orders two others to retrieve it. They dash across the open space to the building we just exited and cautiously poke their heads in. One plunges in while the other moves to cover his companion. Within a minute, the detonator is produced and given to Mathers who examines it.
He looks at it gravely for a second before keying his radio.
"Captain Irons, this is Corporal Mathers!" he said keying his radio. "I found a civilian that reports there are bombs in the complex. Recommend we evacuate our units right now."
"Understood. First through sixth squads, you are to retreat at once! They have bombs armed and ready to go!" I hear Irons order. "Corporal Mathers, we got reports that we have multiple hostiles heading towards the dam. Can you confirm?"
"No Captain. We're not in visual range."
The Foreman pulls me back as the Corporal starts pacing and conversing quickly with his superior. I'm fed more water by some of the crew.
The fear has subsided somewhat. Now that my life isn't in immediate danger, my thoughts wander to Mrs. Gerrik's desperate cries to know whether the other messengers were all right.
The realization suddenly hits me. They could all be dead.
Suddenly I don't want to be here in safety, I want the reassurance that they're safe as well.
The Corporal backs up again keeping their weapons trained on the buildings as we emerge into the open just in case the track workers try and shoot us again. I hear another armored convoy approaching us and the Peacekeepers begin rushing out to secure the perimeter. One of the vehicles screeches to a halt and the door opens.
"Katie? Is that you?"
I turn to see my dad with an armored guard running toward us and my fears are washed away. I'm safe.
I literally fling myself into his arms and repeat the word yes over and over again to reassure him that I am okay. The message internalizes and he
I answer over and over again yes and he seizes me in a hug.
"Shh shh shh. It's okay Katie." his voice cracking.
The moment is broken when an explosion draws our attention and we see a cloud of smoke rising from what's possibly the dam.
"Oh no." I gasp.
The loudspeakers crackle to life.
"Greetings District Five and to their gracious puppeteer the Capitol. We, the soldiers of the Free Panem movement have seized control of your dam."
I was shocked and angered to hear Harry's voice over the loudspeakers. I assumed he was inside the plant still but it's possible he could have bailed and retreated somewhere else.
"Your workers, citizenry, and Peacekeepers, and even your Mayor are all being held hostage inside the dam. I even have a few messengers who'd like to deliver a message.
"The Mayor's in there?" I look over to see my Father go an ashen gray.
There was the sound of a scuffle over the loudspeaker.
"I have nothing to say." I heard Benjamin say defiantly.
"Will's in that building?" I gasped.
Another scuffle.
"Can someone help us please?" Cassandra's voice pleaded.
"I don't want to do die!" I heard Electra shout hysterically in the background.
The PA crackled some more.
"If you value their lives, you will stand down at once." Harry ordered.
I began to move away him and towards the dam.
"Katie no, wait!" my dad says tugging on my arm.
"Excellent choice." Harry said as the sound of intermittent gunfire stopped almost at once. "I will return in five minutes with instructions. In the mean time you are not to approach this dam or I shall kill them one by one."
My stomach twists in knots. The Peacekeepers have never been known for playing things save. To them, it didn't matter whether they died, as long as all the rebels went with them. Their leader also has my friends. Well, Electra may not be a friend, but I'd rather she call me Foxface then die at the hand of a monster.
Run away. My brain whispers. Save yourself.
It's tempting, oh so tempting, to turn, stuff myself in the darkest corner of the armored car, and hide in safety.
What can I do though? I'm no soldier, no Diplomat, and these Peacekeepers are going to move on the dam with my friends inside. For a moment, my fear is replaced by another feeling. Not anger, but something else that I can't put my finger on. Instead of a desire to run away and hide, I'm filled with clarity of thought. An idea comes to mind, and I make up my mind in an instant.
"Katie!" My dad says pulling me back.
"Listen to me!" I say turning around and looking him in the eye. "There are two bombs in this plant. One is located in the first furnace room, the second in the coal shed. The code is 1184029 to disarm them. Can you repeat that?"
"1184029? What are you doing?" he asks.
"I'm going to help them!"
He looks like he's been punched in the gut.
"No!" he says quickly. "No, I won't let—"
"I love you dad." I interrupted giving him a quick hug.
Before he or anyone else could react I tear away from them and I'm beyond listening and reason as I start running to the dam as fast as I can. Behind me the Peacekeepers shout and start to pursue but I am beyond anybody's reach now as I turn the corner and they all disappear from sight.
So Katherine escapes danger narrowly, the rebels start to put their plan in action, her friends are captured, and she makes the choice to run into the face of danger.
Normally I have fun writing these chapters, but this one was more bitter than sweet. There are very specific reasons why I chose to include an insurgent attack on District 5 in the exposition. All will be revealed in due time. Have faith though, there is always sunshine after storms.
Many thanks to those who have reviewed so far, it means a lot to me. Reviews and comments are appreciated because I still consider myself a novice writer and I'm always looking for ways to improve. The only way to get better is by practice, but it always help if I can focus in one a few things. Expect another chapter soon!
Yours in writing,
theotherpianist