Author's Note: Into the final few chapters now. I'm having a bit of a technology disaster so please bear with me if I don't update next week. I haven't disappeared! My laptop is dying, my tablet won't turn on and this site is terrible on a phone! I'm still here and will update as soon as I can! 😊

….

Chaos

Brutus and Enobaria had caught sight of Johanna and Katniss from the shoreline and immediately took off, following in their tracks.

"Have they split?" Brutus asked.

Enobaria snorted, "That pairing will never last. They'll kill each other before we reach them. There's no way the girl has split from lover boy and Johanna would not be without Finnick, not now. Let's move, get them whilst we can."

The two broke into a light jog, trying to catch up with the pair without making themselves overly tired. Being in the arena whilst sleep-deprived was taking its toll and they needed to be in their best shape for the finale.

"Could we end it tonight?"

"On the second night, Baria?"

"It's going quickly. Obviously, someone somewhere wants this over with fast. I'm not in the mood to hang around either."

"Let's do what we can. If we get to that point, we do. If we don't, let's not force it and get ourselves killed. We've got a job to do."

The pair carried on following the tracks left by the women from Seven and Twelve. They were moving at speed and likely not taking the care they usually would. Both women knew how to move in a natural environment, but their minds were clearly elsewhere.

They came across the wire and Enobaria approached, but Brutus pulled her back immediately.

"Don't touch it, Baria. Beetee has clung onto this from the gong. It's his doing and we don't know what it's capable of."

"Twelve and Seven have been able to touch it without being fried, I don't see how it will know we're different."

"Let's just listen first, see if we can hear if it's live. If we're going down, we're fighting, not being electrocuted."

The pair from Two stopped alongside the wire and crouched down close. There was no humming, buzzing or signs of an exposed wire running hot.

"Let's ruin whatever they've got planned, give them a surprise," Enobaria laughed.

"Between us and Mason and Everdeen, we'll have the upper hand."

Enobaria did not need to be told twice. She flicked a knife from where she was keeping them safe and threw it down into the wire, severing it immediately. She still did not want to risk holding onto the knife and cutting down into the wire, in case it was more complex than they believed. The wire sparked briefly but then quickly died down. Enobaria left the knife on the jungle floor as she nodded to Brutus, indicating that they should move.

….

In the Mentors' Centre, Lyme was at a loss. She acted appropriately delighted around Petran and Cleo in the immediate aftermath and when they looked to her to gauge her reaction to their pair's progress, but inside she was worried. She could only cringe as Pluto threw a murderous look in her direction as her victors approached Johanna and Katniss, and felt guilty as she could see the panic evident on Chloe's face.

Lyme dared not look over to where the Sevens were sitting. Sawyer would have charged her if the time was right, and she did not put it past Linden to react aggressively either someone could not immediately calm him.

When Cleo and Petran were distracted, Lyme mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," to Three and Four's victors who were looking increasingly uneasy in their seats.

"Is there a way?" Chloe whispered.

"As long as there is sufficient wire around the tree, it will work. The water is only needed for the disguise," Pluto said, trying to reassure his friends. "Don't panic," he said a little louder so that the others could hear.

When he was sure it was clear, Pluto looked to Lyme, "Not the end of the world," he whispered. "It's more their proximity that I'm worried about. They're about to attack our pair."

"You know as well as I do Pluto that I can't control them now."

At Seven's station, they were still panicking.

"I don't like this one bit," Liev said.

"Pluto has said not to panic. We're still on," Poppy replied.

"It's Johanna," Linden cut in. "How is she going to handle this? We know what's about to happen and she's going to have to handle a lot of fire."

"It would be no better if Blight were here," Sawyer said. "He'd take the flack, sacrifice himself and we'd be in the same position."

"We'd have numbers on our side. Realistically, it's only Johanna. The Twos will soon be too close for Twelve's arrows."

But Johanna did have an answer. As soon as the wire sprang free from their hands, Seven's woman reacted. She grabbed the cylinder immediately and swung it towards her ally, hitting her firmly on the head, and knocking her straight down. Before Twelve's woman reacted, Johanna moved again, using a technique she had witnessed from Two's tributes to pin Katniss firmly to the ground, to ensure she could not move whilst she did what she had to do.

She drove her knife into Katniss' arm and gouged a hole. The drinks in the Mentors' Centre were no longer appealing to anyone watching, this did not make for easy viewing. It was a gruesome wound and yet Johanna kept digging, twisting the knife until she found it. The tracker. Without hesitation, she put her hand into the open wound, pulled out the tracker and threw it across the jungle floor.

With her bloodied hand, she smeared the evidence of her work across Katniss' neck and face. She looked up, to see Brutus and Enobaria approaching openly, taking advantage of the emerging chaos.

"Stay down," she hissed before running off, taking Brutus and Enobaria with her, drawing both of District Two's tributes onto her alone.

"Oh, Johanna," Liev sighed. "You brave, brave girl."

"How's she going to hold them both off?" Sawyer hissed.

"She'll try to lead them on a chase, surely. She's faster than both of them. Hopefully, she catches Finnick's attention if they get back near that damn tree."

"This better work. Our girl isn't getting hurt for nothing."

….

The tension in the wire slackened and moments later it sprang back towards the tree, catching the three men by surprise.

"What's happened?" Peeta started.

Beetee ran towards the jungle floor where the wire now lay loose, the tension from being carried towards the shoreline gone.

"Someone's cut the wire. Brutus and Enobaria might have figured it out."

Panic immediately flashed across Peeta's face, "Katniss. I need to get to her. We need to go."

"Peeta, stop! There's been no canon, I don't hear anybody coming this way either," Finnick said.

"Because the Twos have targeted Katniss and Johanna, we need to get to them."

"I need to stay here," Beetee announced.

"Beetee, your plan won't work anymore!"

"There's still something I can do," Beetee said, looking towards Finnick.

Four's man replied, "Do you still think it's worth trying?"

"Absolutely. But if you are leaving, I'll need a weapon. I'll just need to adapt the original plan."

Finnick immediately gave up one of the knives he was holding before gesturing to Peeta, "You have a spare, it's time to travel light, we're near the end. Leaves Beetee with two knives and his wire and we have whatever else we're holding."

Peeta reluctantly gave up one of his knives before turning immediately to walk towards the beach.

"Remember, do not get anywhere near that water. It must be eleven o'clock by now. The tree in the two o'clock zone will be safest," Beetee called as Twelve's man started to walk away.

"Promise me you've still got this, Beetee, that we can do this," Finnick whispered.

"Of course. We're still on. A little more pressure than I'd have liked. But you need to be careful. Peeta's already gone whilst our backs were turned, his only intention will be the find the girl. You need to find both and keep them with you. I've got things covered here. Do what you need to do."

Finnick nodded, "I still trust you, Volts," he said and took hold of the man by his forearms and subtly tapped where he knew their trackers were located. Beetee nodded in return and watched as Finnick ran off into the jungle to find their allies.

Now alone, Three's man scanned the area surrounding him and stopped to listen. They were considerably into the eleven o'clock hour as he could hear the vibrating and buzzing of the insects nearby. So, he kept focused on the task at hand and began checking what was already in place. As long as there was some wire attached to a metal implement this could work.

He was going to have to take a direct hit. He knew that from the start. Unless he could get his hands on a spear, a trident or one of the Twelve girl's arrows, he would be electrocuted in the process. It would be a survivable shock if the forcefield behaved in the way he anticipated. But with Gamemaker modifications, he could no longer guarantee his survival. He knew the risks and was prepared to do everything it took to break them from the arena. There was only a matter of moments to go.

Turning to his arm, Beetee took a deep breath. He went to hide in amongst a cluster of trees he had not spotted any cameras in and took the knife to his arm beneath the elbow. He hissed in pain as he drew a line in blood along his forearm and pressed on the wound until he could find the tracker to bring it to the surface and until he could remove the device. By now his arm was a mess, it was painful and bleeding heavily.

Remembering what Twelve's girl had done for him, he found some moss and tied it around the injury with some loose vines and hoped that would last the remainder of the hour. The Games would be over one way or another before he had the chance to bleed out.

But now was the time to move fast. The Gamemakers would realise that his tracker was missing, and he knew that Finnick intended to remove his own sooner rather than later. That would be difficult to explain if all went wrong. So, he attached the knife Peeta had given him to the wire wrapped around the tree and processed what he was about to do.

It was hardly subtle, entirely undignified by Pluto's thinking, but it was what he had. He was going to await the stroke of midnight, charge the forcefield, knife outstretched into where he could see a weak spot and watch as the arena crashed around him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of both Finnick and Peeta shouting for their allies and Beetee winced. Both surely knew that giving away their position, and proximity to him was not ideal. Then he heard someone passing so dived into the foliage to hide. Three victors raced past him and Beetee realised that the area had descended into chaos as Finnick could be heard screaming for Katniss and Johanna. The tributes raced past him again and he could hear shouting drawing closer.

He was going to have to do something. A test run perhaps, something that would drive the victors in chase away from the immediate area. He figured that everyone still alive was now in the vicinity so as long as nobody raced to the other side of the arena, everyone had a chance of being rescued.

It was what he had to do, and he could see the skies in the twelve o'clock area begin to close in and the grey of night descend. It was almost time anyway. He could catch the first strike of midnight perhaps. He inhaled deeply and slowly for what might be the last time and ran, knife outstretched. He aimed straight for the weak spot, like the ones that Katniss was pretending to hear. He was grateful to her for not telling Finnick what he had told her and in return, Beetee covered for her.

Still, he ran, until the knife met the forcefield. He felt the current of the forcefield surge towards him, through the knife in his outstretched arm and he was thrown back violently. The arena fell to black.

….

There was no hiding the panic in the Mentors' Centre now. Coral burst into tears as her friend was thrown into the air and landed unconscious, body still twitching from the shock. Next to her, Chloe screamed and threw her hands to her head as she started pacing.

Cleo looked on confused but Lyme shrugged her shoulders and told her senior victors to stay focused on Brutus and Enobaria as Johanna was still in their sights.

The Sevens were on their feet too and Linden joined Chloe in pacing back and forth behind the chairs at each of their stations. Sawyer remained focused on his charge and her attempts to fend off Two's tributes and reach Finnick, but they were running in circles. The arena was hot, and they would all soon tire. He did not know how much longer this could last.

Liev was whispering to himself, "What are we supposed to do? It's failed, it's gone wrong. It's all going to be found out. Then what do we do? What about Johanna?"

Maria interrupted his frantic whispering and took hold of the man by his shoulders, "Finnick is nearby. He has some idea. He'll do what he needs to do. If not, then it's up to our new friends. Or we save one of the young ones."

Her sentiments were also echoed by Noah who had walked over to where Coral was sitting, head in hands, "Come on, Finn. You know what to do. Plan B. You can do this. We can do this, Coral. Auntie Chlo, come here, the pacing's not helping."

In amongst the upset in the Mentors' Centre, it was only Poppy who had realised that Pluto and Max had disappeared, their exit hidden by everyone's reactions to the unfolding chaos in the arena. Max had whispered his goodbyes, kissed Poppy on the cheek and ran out of one of the exits and up to District Three's floor, joining Pluto for one final time.

….

Maria was once again focusing on the screen, watching as Katniss stood up on unsteady legs and staggered around the arena. She winced as the woman shouted for Peeta and then vomited the meal she had previously eaten. It was no surprise given the hard knock to the head and blood loss from the wound, but Maria hated watching all the same.

She hated the indignity of it all. The young woman was a victor. She survived the Games only a year previously, and here she was, in the final stages of a Quarter Quell where plans much bigger than her obvious intentions to save the boy were in play. Plans that Maria knew the girl knew nothing of. Plans that would lead her further into another series of games where she would no doubt find herself even more out of her depth.

But this had to end. Maria had watched Charo die at the hands of the victor of a woman she knew to be a dear friend. She had watched her Adan be torn apart, both of them helpless to take decisive action. She could only look on as her's and Charo's boy died, screaming for them both. She was the first and last of District Ten's victors and she was determined there would be no more.

So, when Katniss Everdeen covered the wound in moss from the jungle floor and set up one of her arrows, Maria allowed herself to believe again. The girl was still determined. She would figure out the right thing to do.

….

Chaff heard a crashing sound and watched as a body was thrown into in the air before landing near the tallest tree. It was Beetee he realised, before groaning, thinking about what this could mean for the plan. He stopped running through the jungle when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Katniss!" he heard Peeta shouting.

The boy was close by. Chaff set about carefully walking in the direction of Peeta's voice. Had given away his position so Chaff was under no illusions that chaos had emerged, and the plan had broken down. The Twelves were separated. Haymitch, if he could see this, would be frantic. He needed to find the boy. It would help Chaff's own chances at rescue too, if it were still possible. It was also the right thing to do for his friend. The right thing to do for Peeta.

He found Peeta standing in among the trees, spear in one hand, knife in the other.

Chaff approached cautiously, hoping to not make the boy jump. He was only a year out from his previous Games before finding himself in this predicament once more.

"Boy. Peeta. It's me, Chaff."

Without hesitating, Peeta aimed his spear. His instincts had clearly sharpened since the previous year.

"I'm trying to help you, boy. Put the spear down," Chaff whispered, taking a cautious step closer. "See, I'm not about to turn on you. Never would."

Peeta looked confused for a second before realising that Chaff truly meant no harm, "Have you seen Katniss? I need to find her. We were with Beetee, he had a plan, but now it's gone wrong. Johanna went with her, but I haven't seen her either. Or Finnick, not since I tried to find Katniss."

"Sorry, boy, I haven't seen any of them, but-"

Before Chaff could finish his sentence, Brutus charged out from amongst the trees and pushed both men apart.

"Now's not the time for a nice chat, surely. Your plan's been foiled, Twelve. And Eleven? Making friends, at this stage?"

"Just leave us be, Brutus," Chaff said, revealing the knife he had been hiding and raising the staff he had fashioned from the branches. Peeta also raised his spear and stood alongside Chaff, who sighed, an air of resignation about his being.

"No, boy," Chaff started. "This is between me and the big man. Let's see what you got, Brutus."

Both men charged at each other, metal screeching as it met its foe. Chaff landed a blow with his staff before Brutus threw it out of his hands whilst launching his fist in Chaff's direction.

Peeta immediately tried to intervene but was thrown back by both men, "I said, stay out of it, Peeta."

"I'd listen to him if I were you," Brutus echoed, "And get out of here, fast, otherwise you're next, boy."

Peeta took heed of both men's words and hid in the foliage. He did not stray from the clearing, however, desperate to help Chaff, if he could. It was strange watching the two men fighting. They both clearly held a deep respect for each other and Peeta did not understand why Chaff was so keen to set aside his own life in favour of him. Surely Haymitch did not hold that much influence over his friends?

But Peeta stayed hidden, watching as both men cut into each other with the knives they were holding, managing to disarm each other, leaving only their fists to clash against each other before Chaff began to struggle against Brutus' strength. Two's man overpowered Eleven's and it was not long before a canon fired and Chaff lay on the ground, beaten and bruised.

The sight of Chaff lying dead, with Brutus standing over him changed something in Peeta. Twelve's man moved around in the foliage before finding himself directly behind Brutus. With a scream, he charged, taking Two's man by surprise, and landing them both on the floor.

They both scrambled, trying to find weapons but knocking them out of the way. It was a battle of strength and willpower.

Brutus managed to turn them, initially overpowering the younger victor from Twelve, pinning the boy to the ground and reaching for his throat. But Peeta was strong and managed to break his arms free from Brutus' hold, which noticeably shocked the older man. Peeta took advantage of the moment and managed to flip them again.

Both men continued to grab at each other, shouting, pressing hard with their hands into faces and necks, trying to keep the other pinned to the floor, trying to reach for the closest weapon. They scratched at each other, leaving bleeding wounds and bruises in their wake, struggling for breath and neither could completely overpower the other.

But suddenly, Peeta had Brutus pinned, using one of his own holds against him. The boy had clearly paid attention to the videos Effie had sent him. Brutus struggled and Peeta pushed his weight onto the older man and grabbed hold of his throat.

There was a ferocity never seen before in Peeta's eyes as he pushed down hard. Brutus' face turned red then purple before his eyes shut. The canon fired and Peeta screamed.

….

There was silence in the Mentors' Centre. Nobody had expected what they just witnessed. Each of Fours's victors was standing, open-mouthed in shock. They knew Twelve's boy was strong, Haymitch had told them that much. But strong enough to overpower Brutus, they were not sure that even Haymitch knew that. From his reaction, the boy did not either as they watched him scream again, this time calling for Katniss with tears streaming down his face.

Petran could not believe what he had just seen. His boy, his victor, his pride, the pride of District Two had just been overpowered by the nice boy from Twelve. He looked over to Twelve's desk but found nobody sitting there. He was confused but returned to staring at the blank screen in front of him as Brutus' heart stopped beating.

He was in shock. There were no words to describe how he was feeling. His boy, the one he was so convinced was going to return home would return to District Two in a coffin. His victor should be alive. His victor deserved the win once more. He was quietly confident for the duration of the Games until the point where Brutus' eyes began flickering and his face turned purple. Twelve's boy did not let go and the light faded from Petran's eyes as well as Brutus'.

There was a crash on the floor as Lyme punched the table at Two's station, sending broken shards cascading to the floor as Cleo sat in silence, head in hands, unable to comprehend what had happened. Enobaria was alive and was now chasing Finnick, but Brutus had died. Her girl was alive, but Brutus was dead.

It was Poppy who broke the silence at Seven's station, "What just happened?"

"I can't," Linden started. "Just no. What?"

"Haymitch's boy doesn't know his own strength. Can't believe what's he just done either."

Their conversation was punctuated by Lyme's loud, choking breaths as she tried to hide her emotions. Despite her divided loyalties, Brutus was her best friend and she had just watched him die. She was desperate not to cry. She was Lyme. District Two's hardened rebel, or loyal mentor, depending on how much of herself she had revealed. But Brutus was her closest friend, the one her days revolved around and now he was gone.

Maria remained focused on Twelve's tributes. Upon hearing Peeta's voice, the girl went frantic once more and began stumbling faster around the jungle, focused solely on reaching her district partner. But Ten's woman felt tears welling up inside her eyes as she caught sight of the boy's face. He was distraught, devastated at what he had done. It was as if he couldn't understand how he had managed to do what he had. How he had managed to avenge Chaff's death against the man most of the Capitol believed would win. He moaned and howled for Katniss to find him, and Maria desperately hoped she would.

Linden's voice interrupted her thoughts, "He's lost. He hasn't done this before. A mercy kill for Cecelia's girl last year. He wouldn't have killed Barric if Nine hadn't attacked him from nowhere. But he attacked Brutus this time. Of all people. For Chaff, I know, maybe even out of loyalty to Haymitch. But he went on the attack, set out to kill. He hasn't done that before."

"Boy's a victor," Sawyer said.

"And now he understands."