Author's note: For the record, I don't like the Hunger Games. The title just fit.
When Light announced, six days later, that he had figured out where the Hydra base was located, he grabbed the attention of all there.
"Where?" Red asked, looking up from her food.
"We, my friend, are in Austria," Light said proudly. "Underneath Vienna itself, in a secret Hydra base known simply as 3. Or, in German, drei."
"3?" Friend repeated. "Why do they call it 3?"
"I don't know," Light said with a shrug. "The naming department was as bad as Sparky?"
"We are under Vienna?" Chill asked. "Interesting. Good work, Light."
"Thanks," Light said. "Also, I've been thinking, and there's one part of this room I haven't had a chance to psychoanalyze yet."
"Seriously?" Friend said. "Dude, what's left to look at? You've been here for what, seventeen days?"
"The light," Light said, pointing up at the lightbulb.
Everyone glanced up.
"I can tell you all about it right now," Friend said. "It's a 100 watt bulb, without a switch. It's left on night and day."
"I'm talking about the other side of it," Light said, walking over to his bed and pulling the blanket off, ripping part of it. "Lightbulbs screw in somewhere, and where they're screwed in, you find cool toys. So, what I need from you guys is this: Sparky, stand directly under the lightbulb, and I'm gonna climb on top of him and take a look at the thing."
"Won't it be hot?" Chill pointed out.
"Indeed, it will be," Light said. "Which is why I just tore out this strip of my blanket." Tearing the strip into two pieces, Light wrapped his hands tightly, though he left his fingers partially exposed. "There," he said. "That should help. These look totally cool, though. I think I'll keep 'em."
Walking over to Sparky, Light turned to Chill. "Give me a boost?" He asked.
"Why not just have me do it?" Red asked. "I could get up there easily."
"I thought of that," Light said. "Actually, it was because of your increase in ninja-ness that made me realize this was even possible. However, I need to be able to examine the inner workings of the light myself, and I can't do that through your eyes. Also, once I take the bulb out, it'll be pitch black in here, but fortunately for me, I've got flashlights built into my face."
Red nodded. "Makes sense," she said.
"Great, so, Chill?" Light asked. Stepping forward, Chill cupped his hands, and gave Light a boost to where he stood on Sparky's shoulders. Carefully, using the gloved parts of his hands, Light unscrewed the lightbulb, and the room was plunged into darkness, a soft blue light casting strange shadows in the steel room.
Friend chuckled. "Hey, Light," he said. "Guess what?"
"What's that?" Light asked absently.
"Your hair glows, too," Friend informed him.
"Really?" Light asked with a slight laugh, his eyes appearing even brighter than usual in the darkness. It was true, his white hair glowed somewhat, almost like it was backlit. In fact, even his pale skin seemed a little brighter than that of everyone else. The difference was slight, only Friend would have noticed. But it was true.
"Ugh," Light said. "Somebody else grab a blanket and take this bulb from me. I need both hands for this job."
Someone took the bulb, and Light reached up, turning his flashlight eyes to the empty socket where the bulb had been. Working in silence, he was only up for ten minutes before declaring he had what he needed, and reaching down for the bulb. Screwing it back in, the room was flooded with the dim light again, and Light jumped down, one hand filled with a few wires and a couple bits of metal.
"How'd you get it to work, if you took that stuff out?" Friend wondered.
"Meh, re-wiring the system was easy," Light said with a shrug. "My options are limited with this stuff, but I've got a couple ideas of what to use it for."
Going back to his bed, he started playing with the wires and the metal, while everyone else watched for a bit before growing bored and returning to their own devices. Red had turned into rather a novelty, as she had started sparring with Friend and teaching yoga to Sparky. Somehow, this had turned into a daily exercise, usually involving everyone, unless Light wanted to work more on hacking. Everyone else, however, looked forward to Red's lessons each day, and indeed, they found that the more active they were each day, the more tired they were at night, and the more tired they were, the less chance they had of having nightmares.
And so life continued on for the five prisoners of the steel room, which they now had dubbed "Caravan," in reference to their comparability with a circus freak-show. It had been Friend to make that comparison, one day when, during yoga, Red had proven herself to be a contortionist by bending so far back she bent into a circle and began rolling around.
Everyone had stopped to watch, except Sparky, who declared he wanted to try, and had proceeded to hurt himself, looking so ridiculous as he did so that everyone, Red included, had burst into laughter. This had continued when Sparky declared himself to be stuck, and with a sigh and more laughter, Chill had attempted to free him from the headlock he had miraculously put himself in.
Sparky's birthday came and went; they had surprised him by "forgetting" his birthday, only to attack him with pillows when his back was turned, much to his surprise and amusement. And then, four days later, Light spent his entire birthday fidgeting anxiously, watching everyone in paranoia and bemoaning the fact that he had even thought the idea up at all. Finally, the day was over and he was able to relax- Until they woke him up with a pillow fight the next day, stating that they'd decided to celebrate a day late to catch him off his guard. He refused to work second rations for himself, however. Just went back to hacking and working on... whatever he was working on.
Two days after Light's party, Red was watching him work with the light fixture pieces. When he wasn't working on them, Light kept them under his mattress in case HAZMAT dudes showed up.
He was trying to glue two pieces together using rations, which, after some experiments, he discovered hardened after a few hours. He seemed to be having trouble, and he frowned down at the uncooperative gray paste in annoyance.
"What are you making?" Red asked.
"A mistake," Light answered.
"I meant what are you aiming to accomplish with your device?" Red repeated.
"Well, quick question, what do you think it looks like?" Light asked, holding it up to her.
Red examined it. "It looks a bit like a lockpick," she decided. "A broken lockpick."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Light said with a sigh. "And, unfortunately, our door has no lock. But without the proper tools, I can't get anything to work right. Glue isn't even what I need! I have to solder these two pieces together, but I can't!"
Red thought this over. "I believe I can help," she said. "Sparky, I need your assistance."
Sparky looked over from where he and Friend had been talking, and stood. "Yes, Red?" He asked. "What do you need?"
"Come stand under the lightbulb," Red said.
"Are you sure?" Light asked. "Because I thought of that, too, and in order to get the metal hot enough to meld, you would have to stand under that bulb for like two days."
"I do not intend to hold the metal under the lightbulb," Red said.
"Well, we can't bring the lightbulb down here," Light noted. "It would cool off two fast."
"Just trust me," Red said, climbing up onto Sparky's shoulders. Reaching up, she firmly grasped the lightbulb with her bare hand, everyone gasping.
"Red, you'll burn yourself," Friend exclaimed.
"Actually, I'm fine," Red said, removing her hand and showing it to everyone. It was still a bit mottled in parts, but nothing new. She hadn't even been burnt.
"What..." Light began, frowning. "How did-?"
"You called me Spitfire," Red said. "You remembered I was burnt. That made me think. Obviously, I was scarred by fire. But... Well, Sparky was struck with lightning, and gained control over the element. Maybe I could do the same with fire."
"So you decide to place your whole hand on the lightbulb!?" Chill exclaimed. "Without even testing your theory? What if you were wrong!?"
"Well, I'm not stupid," Red said, putting her hand back on the bulb. "I tested it. When you first released the bulb, Light, you needed someone else to hold it."
"Yeah, but I said to grab a blanket," Light said. "I made sure to specify."
"I had to test my theory," Red said. "When I touched the bulb and felt no pain, I knew I could at least tolerate heat."
Everyone stared.
"...Okay," Friend said finally. "Now what are you doing?"
"I can't seem to make fire by myself," Red said. "I'm trying to absorb enough heat to snap some life into it."
"You're crazy," Light informed her.
"Look who's talking," Red shot back. "Mr. Computer-in-my-head."
"Hey, don't bring Winston into this!" Light said.
Red paused. "...What?" She said.
"I figured it needed a name," Light said. "Something for me to call it."
"It isn't... alive, is it?" Sparky asked.
"No," Light said. "It's just a normal computer. But if you name something, it lasts longer."
"I don't think it works that way," Friend noted, but Light continued, ignoring him.
"I toyed around with Mitchell as a name for awhile," he said. "But it didn't seem the Mitchell type. Then I thought, Leroy, and I almost chose it, but then it hit me: Simon!"
"But I thought you called it Winston," Chill noted with a slight smile.
"Yeah, see, I changed my mind a little bit later," Light said. "Don't question my process."
"See?" Red noted. "Crazy."
Snapping her fingers then, all other conversation was forgotten as there was a visible spark.
"It worked!" Sparky exclaimed, still holding Red up.
"It almost worked," Chill corrected.
"But that means it will work," Red said, a new determination in her eyes as she grabbed onto the bulb again.
"That's seriously awesome," Light noted. "I knew you were a spitfire!"
"Call me that again and you might lose Winston," Red said conversationally.
Light laughed. "...Wait, you were serious?"
Without answering, Red snapped her fingers again, this time, managing to bring into life a very small lick of flame, like on a candle.
Carefully jumping down so as not to put the flame out, Red walked over to Light. "Take off one of your gloves."
Light unwrapped the torn piece of blanket, seeing what Red intended to do. Holding it out to her, she held her finger to it, setting it on fire.
Walking over to his bed, Light quickly upturned the mattress, sending it to the floor along with the blanket and pillow, tossing the burning piece of fabric onto the metal board. "Can you make it hotter?" He asked Red.
"I don't know, let me see," Red said, leaning forward and blowing into it softly. The flame grew slightly bigger. Looking around with a small smile, Red blew harder, and the pale blue flames spurted into the air in with a whoosh.
"Whoa," Light exclaimed, jumping back. Friend also took a step back, while Sparky laughed and Chill turned from blue to pale with the sudden heat (He'd been fluctuating off and on since his very first change, the others dubbing it radiation fever) and Red gave a proud half-smile at her accomplishment.
"...Cool," Light said, going and getting the device he was trying to build. "Hey Red, how'd you like to be my heat-resistant hands in this venture?"
Handing the two pieces of metal to Red, Light directed her as she held them into the fire, turning them so they would fuse as evenly as possible. It was slow going, but Red proved to be patient, and eventually, handed the now-one piece of metal to Light with a smile.
"Thanks, Red," Light said, patting her shoulder. "Now, uh, what are the chances of you putting this fire out? I don't envision this metal bed'll be very kind to me tonight if I don't give it a chance to cool down."
Red frowned at the fire and waved her arm, looking a mixture of worried and baffled.
"I..." she said. "I don't think I can put it out."
"Are you serious!?" Light asked, eyes wide.
"No," Red said, putting her hand in the fire and absorbing the flames, which withdrew into her hand in a swirling pattern, as if they were being sucked into a whirlpool of fire. "I was just joking."
Light paused, then laughed. "That was you getting even with me for the whole Spitfire thing, wasn't it?"
Red smirked and walked across the room to where the boxes had just opened, revealing dinner.
"...Wasn't it?" Light called after her before turning back to his bed, which was bright orange in the middle. He sighed. "Oh well," he said. "At least I got these two pieces melded. Progress for the day: Good enough. Make a log, Winston."
