Author's Note: We creep closer to the end. Only one more chapter to go next week and then we're done, another story finished! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this, we're nearly there!

….

Impact

The victors separated into two groups. Maria with Four's victors and Poppy with District Seven's, each taking different routes out of the Mentors' Centre, guns aimed, knives in hand. Each group ran from the Centre, sprinting past where the peacekeepers previously stood guard without having been replaced. They checked for the tell-tale buzzing emanating from the camera equipment which confirmed that the footage was still disabled, and they carried on running into the first avox entrances available.

Once on their respective sides of the network of corridors, they moved carefully, ensuring that no passer-by could be hurt or caught up in their chaos. They would do what they had to, but whilst they still had the chance, innocent people would not die at their hands. If they chose to join them in their escape, then they took their chances.

Some of the avoxes did exactly that and both groups found themselves being covered in front and guarded to the rear by groups of avoxes who had also managed to arm themselves. Maria offered another silent thank you to her allies in the kitchens for their assistance. They would be sure to pay the price if they did not also choose this moment to escape.

They all carried on running until they reached the first point where they could no longer continue inside the Training Centre. Maria had planned for her group to evacuate down one of the fire escapes and into the underground parking reserved for the chauffeured vehicles of important Games personnel. Poppy's collective would have to run directly from a side exit onto the streets of the Capitol where they were likely to find themselves exposed should they not be able to blend in with the crowds.

But their five-minute advantage was fast running out and more attention would fall on them as they tried to leave unscathed. They could only hope to stay together and protect each other for as long as they could. These victors, having avoided the Quell's stage were about to find themselves in another arena.

….

It was tense in District Four's Victors' Village, but Annie Cresta remained unaware, for she was too focused on Finnick. Her companions in Shai, Rowan and Song had realised, however. The Village was surrounded by peacekeepers being parachuted directly into their grounds from District Two. They would never find so many loyal peacekeepers in Four and even those who were not about to switch allegiances would express reluctance to attack the victors as they were respected figures. It was not a wise move on the Capitol's part.

But the three experienced victors knew it would happen. They would meet their ends here unless they could manage the unthinkable. It was not impossible, but they were realistic. They were under attack.

On screen, they were watching as Katniss aimed her bow, already loaded, straight at Finnick. Annie screamed in response and Shai was audibly willing the girl to think about what she was about to do and whether killing Finnick was what she really wanted. He was willing her to realise what was really happening.

Rowan was less encouraging, "I swear, if that girl kills Finn, if she ruins this, I'll kill her. Haymitch be damned."

But Katniss did not kill Finnick Odair. Instead, she wrapped the wire around one of her arrows and aimed straight for the forcefield. Her arrow flew, and the screen flickered and cut to black.

"She's done it! They've done it!" Song said and pulled Rowan into her side, holding onto him as she thanked Mags, Finnick and Haymitch. Shai too had pulled Annie into a hug and reassured her that Finnick would be okay, that it was all going to plan from inside the arena.

By that point, Song had released herself from Rowan's side and ran upstairs to make the required communications.

"Central Unit Two, come in. Central Two, come in."

It was Dora's voice she heard in response, "Ready. Central Two confirmed ready."

"Plan B. Go to Plan B. The nest is under attack. Evacuation required now. I repeat, evacuation required now."

Dora gasped but responded all the same, "Understood. We're on our way. Hold out."

Song switched channels on the radio and began her next announcement, the one she had been waiting to make for years. It was about to begin in earnest and District Four was ready. It was bittersweet as she did not believe she would get to see everything unfold, to experience a free Four. But she had done her part and if this was as far as she would go, then as much as it pained her, she would have to find peace with that.

"District Four, ready. District Four, ready. All units go. Repeat, all units go."

She took a deep breath and continued her message, to ready her home for what was about to happen in the Victors' Village. Both Song and Rowan held command of their land and sea forces and would need to put in place a change in command, so nobody sat awaiting their instructions. Their control would be transferred to their direct reports who were sitting ready and waiting for the signal. Only now, they would lead the charge instead.

"On behalf of the Skipper, this is General Command transferring overall water command to the Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant Commander has control."

"General transferring land command to the Lieutenant General. Lieutenant General has command. The nest is under attack. Position untenable. Go well, District Four. Fair winds and following seas. General Command over and out."

….

Poppy led her group towards the side exit, running through the lowest floors of the Training Centre before finding themselves being joined by the kitchen staff. The victors were careful to hide themselves in amongst the group and steer clear of leaving themselves exposed. More of the avoxes joined them as they ran closer to the door, the four victors careful to stay hidden in the larger group. It appeared as if all those willing to defy the Capitol and the institution of the Hunger Games had joined together. It was now or never for them all.

The door burst open, and they ran out of the side exit and along the outer paths of the Training Centre complex before reaching the streets where the Capitol audiences stood in shock as the screens cut to black. To avoid drawing attention to themselves, the group stopped running and split into smaller groups to walk quickly through the confused crowds, keeping their heads down. They took advantage of the Capitol's distraction and weaved through the crowds as quickly as they could.

But it was not long before the confusion became anger and panic. The screens lit up again to reveal a white light in the arena before turning black once more. A visibly alarmed Caesar Flickerman appeared on screen to announce technical difficulties before being swiftly replaced by a mundane documentary covering the variety of foods available in Panem and the districts they originated from.

But this did nothing to dampen the growing spirits of the crowd who began chanting for the return of the Quell's finale. They were being denied the best moments of this year's Hunger Games. They wanted to know which of the victors was still alive and fighting.

Many in the crowds surged forward towards large screens in the city square, coinciding with the arrival of a convoy of peacekeepers. They immediately began to attempt to disperse the hordes of people, telling them to return home, by which point the Games would be back on screen.

The victors sped up after the peacekeepers' arrival, having remained together even after the larger group splintered. They were careful to ensure they were shadowed by a group from the Training Centre's kitchens to keep some cover as they weaved through the crowds, hoping that nobody would realise who they were.

But with the Capitol's senses heightened to their victors, being discovered was inevitable. The group found themselves blocked by a group of agitated Hunger Games fans who started screaming their names, exclaiming to the crowds that the victors had arrived.

Upon realising what had happened, Sawyer burst to the front of the group, taking Poppy's place, demanding she stay behind him, keeping to his tracks. The four victors pushed the excitable crowds away before running to reach the outskirts of the square. But by now, people's attention had been drawn and the group were having to force people out of their way to clear a path.

Excited revellers were being forced in their direction to return home and were being set aside, pushed to the floor by each of the victors and some of their fellow escapees who had chosen to remain alongside them. The victors noted, with both relief and sadness that the avoxes from their floors had remained alongside them and were trying to help cover their position. They were pleased that their associates had escaped the Centre but were concerned as to the consequences if they were caught and the lengths they may be willing to go to assist the victors. Maria, Seeder and District Four's victors held a huge influence over many of the Training Centre avoxes and Six and Seven's victors knew they were about to find out how deep that loyalty ran.

But they continued running and pushing aside anyone impeding their escape, trying to make it as far as they could. Sawyer continued to lead, pointing his gun at anyone who got in their way. But he was not stupid enough to begin shooting Capitol citizens in the city centre when peacekeepers were nearby. He was not about to set them all onto a path of immediate execution. But he shouted and kept his weapon drawn as he continued to charge.

A group of peacekeepers had broken away from the main group when they realised that a scuffle had broken out, preventing Games watchers from making their way home as they had been ordered. Realising that they were facing victors, armed and escaping the Training Centre, they drew their guns and spread out in a line, forcing the victors to move wide to evade their path. Noticing that each of the victors had drawn their guns, the peacekeepers started to fire in return, forcing the four of them to the floor.

The victors' suspicions as to the avoxes were realised, however, as several of them jumped in front of the group and bore the brunt of the peacekeepers' firepower whilst putting up the fight that they could.

"No!" Poppy screamed.

"They made their choice," Linden replied. "Run!"

The victors tried to pick up some of the weapons lying next to them that had fallen from their allies' hands and continued moving forward, still under fire. But it proved difficult. Many of the peacekeepers were still standing and more would soon arrive, having heard shots fire in the chaos of the night.

"Disarm them!" Poppy shouted. As if to prove her point, she took aim and shot the peacekeeper who stood opposite her in the shoulder, causing him to fall to the floor, clutching the injury and dropping their gun.

"Good shot!" Liev shouted from the rear of the group, struggling to keep up the pace having been running for several minutes.

Noticing this, Linden took hold of his mentor and began pulling him through the crowds. He forced the older man to the floor when the peacekeepers' shots came closer, only letting him stand when the peacekeepers were out of focus once more.

Still, the group kept running until they came face to face with a truckload of peacekeepers unloading and taking out their guns. The victors and their fellow remaining escapees did not hesitate, unleashing their fire before the peacekeepers could organise themselves. Capitol citizens were beginning to be caught up in the crossfire, running between the two groups in the confusion of the night.

The victors took advantage of the opportunity and started to run alongside the crowd, in an attempt to hold off the peacekeepers who were clearly reluctant to open fire on the crowd. Panem was not quite in a state of war, although none of the victors doubted what would soon follow.

They continued trying to force their way out of the main square and towards the quieter blocks, away from the Avenue of the Tributes where further attention would no doubt follow them. They were reaching the first corner towards the streets away from where the Games dominated the Capitol's landscape. But they startled as gunfire sounded behind them, sending them to the floor, crawling behind the street corner onto the adjacent road, pressing against the adjacent buildings to cover their position. The convoy of peacekeepers raced past them, continuing towards the Avenue.

At the end of the group, Liev had fallen faster than the rest, landing on the floor with a shout and crawling to reach them before collapsing face down. Linden and Poppy moved to pull him towards them but found his jacket wet with blood. Liev had been shot and blood began pouring down him as they tried to remove the jacket to assess the damage, but he screamed as they tried to move his arms.

The man's face paled instantly, and the blood continued to run down his front.

"Too late. It's too bad," Seven's victor whispered.

"No, Liev. Come on. You need to move. We need to go. We can't leave you here," Linden said, panic evident in his voice.

"You need to leave. Save yourselves."

Sawyer jumped in front of his old friend and began removing the weapons he had in his jacket and the gun from his hands, "He's not going to make it."

In response, Liev took hold of Sawyer's shoulder and squeezed it, "Good. You have a job to do. You can do this. Go home. Get back to Seven."

Liev's eyes shut and his head fell. Another victor had died. Only this time there was no cannon.

"Quick, we need to move him," Sawyer said.

Linden and Poppy quickly took hold of Liev's body and moved him away from the street corner and into the quiet side path between the nearby buildings where nobody had yet ventured.

"This doesn't feel right," Linden said.

"What else can we do?" Sawyer replied.

"If someone on our side finds him, they'll look after him. You can arrange a memorial in Seven," Poppy offered, trying to reassure her partner.

"For reference, I don't care where I end up. If it comes to it, leave me, and get away," Sawyer said. "We need to go, now."

The three victors turned away from Liev, pushing aside their emotions and continued running on further into the Capitol.

….

Maria led District Four's victors towards the fire escape with Noah taking the rear position, looking over his shoulder to check that they were not being followed. District Ten's victor forced open the door with her gun and waited before cautiously stepping out, checking over both shoulders to ensure that they had not been discovered.

She motioned for the group to follow towards the stairs, guns drawn and knives ready as they made their way along one of the Training Centre's lower roofs. Realising it was clear, they raced down the stairs, keeping their heads down and turned away from any cameras guarding the building. It was, in all likelihood, a futile exercise, but if it gave them a few extra moments to escape, it would be worthwhile.

They descended the stairs and reached the car park, diving behind the nearest vehicle along from the mouth of the stairs before waiting. It was difficult to hear whether anybody else had joined them in their hiding place as the noise from the main square was deafening. By now, the crowds had realised that something was amiss, and the screeching of engines signalled the arrival of peacekeepers.

"The others!" Noah whispered.

"We need to move. They'll be onto us by now," Maria replied.

They carefully made their way out from behind the vehicle and ran along to the next, repeating the pattern until they were close to the exit. They waited at each side of the door, waiting for it to open, but nothing or nobody came. They had clearly escaped all the attention. From hearing the increase in screaming outside the Training Centre walls, they could tell where the carnage had begun.

"They can get away in all the chaos, surely?" Coral asked, referring to their friends.

"They might be recognised," Chloe said.

"They're armed. They'll do what they need to do."

"All those people!" Chloe hissed.

"We've started a war, Chlo. We do what we need to do to survive, just like we've always done."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door to the car park crashing open. The victors immediately hid behind two of the pillars and aimed their guns. But walking towards them was another wave of Maria's friends from the Training Centre kitchens accompanied by more of Centre's avoxes. Upon catching sight of the victors' guns, they raised their hands in surrender, shouting that they were on their side, ready to leave with them in support.

At Maria's command, District Four's victors dropped their guns and moved to allow their fellow escapees room to hide adjacent to the door before preparing to leave.

"It's chaos out there," Maria started. "We'll have to split into smaller groups to blend in. The aim is to get as far away from here as possible and stay hidden. You all know where you're going?"

"I've remembered the details," a voice next to Maria confirmed, indicating that the location of one of the safehouses had been disclosed.

"Good, Let's go."

Still leading from the front, District Ten's victor kicked open the car park exit and waited for a response. Nothing came from outside. She stood adjacent to the open door, gun drawn ready, but still nothing. She moved level with the door frame and received no response. Glancing at either side of the door, she confirmed that all was clear and motioned for the rest of the group to leave.

They remained close to the wall, backs to the only safe direction, eyes casting above and to the sides with every step until they found themselves in the streets of the Capitol. They quickly hid their guns and began walking out into the crowds, heads down, trying to blend in with the chaos of all of those leaving the main square.

The four victors soon reached the corner of the first block, the car park exit being on the outermost edge of the Training Centre complex. They gathered themselves and continued walking, clearing each block a few steps at a time. It was surprisingly uneventful. The Capitol citizens who had been cleared from the square were focused only on those they were walking with until the sound of gunfire rang through the centre.

As soon as the gunshots echoed, the victors dived for the closest corner, kept their backs closest to the wall and redrew their weapons. But the exchange of bullets was nowhere near them. Noah turned his head to look backwards towards the square.

"The others!" he exclaimed, trying not to draw attention to their location. "It's coming from where they were supposed to be. We need to go back!"

"We can't all go back. It will draw attention to us all," Maria said. "I'll go."

"I'll go with you," Noah said. "Auntie Chloe, Coral, I can meet you both after we've helped them."

"Only if you're certain, Noah. But we can meet you where we agreed," Coral said before Chloe moved past her to throw her arms around Noah.

"Be safe. Be careful, Noah. I love you."

"You too, Auntie Chlo, I love you too. You and Coral both."

Coral too turned to hug Noah before they nodded at each other, indicating their agreement to meet later. They both knew that this was the decisive moment, where all could go wrong or enable them all to escape and return home.

"I'll see you soon," Noah called as he turned to leave with Maria to walk in the direction of the other group of victors.

….

"Can we get to Four? For Annie?" Finnick said after the hovercraft had stabilised and lost contact with its pursuers from the Capitol.

"There's no contact," Plutarch replied.

"You should have radio signal. Song or Rowan should be in charge!"

"Finnick, we can't reach them."

Haymitch signalled for Finnick to sit alongside him whilst one of the medics continued to carry out their assessments on District Four's victor. His arm was stitched and bandaged from where he removed the tracker, the doctor noting that he had done a far neater job than Beetee had managed on himself or Johanna's attempts on Katniss. But both victors winced at the mention of Johanna's name, knowing what fate likely awaited her for her part in their mission.

The wound on his leg was similarly stitched and dressed and he was encouraged to wash and change out of the arena's wetsuit, having been deemed otherwise injury-free. The minor cuts and scrapes would clear, and the singed hair could be cut.

"Could do something about those eyebrows too," Haymitch quipped. "Looks like they caught some of the heat."

Plutarch could be heard laughing but Finnick did not see the funny side, "Just don't Haymitch. I need to know Annie is safe."

"We're doing what we can, Finnick, but we need to reach Thirteen on time," Heavensbee replied as Finnick left to put on the clothes he had been provided.

In his absence Haymitch continued to sit, staring straight ahead, "She's going to kill me. I hate this. How could we have left him behind? He's a kid, he knows nothing about this. But they'll never believe that. And poor Johanna."

"We will stress upon our arrival, the importance of their timely rescue."

"How much influence do you think we will have? How much do we really know about these people, about how they work? They'll want something out of this, out of us."

"We will make it work, Haymitch, we always do. Besides, we will have delivered their Mockingjay."

"If she behaves, we will, and without the boy, I don't see that happening."

"I don't really think she has a choice," Finnick said as he re-entered the main control room. "They're both still unconscious too."

"Beetee will be. Enobaria has done quite some damage."

"And she's with them too," Finnick sighed.

"She knows nothing. She's District Two. Loyal. They'll believe her," Plutarch said.

"Just like they won't believe Peeta when he says he knows nothing," Haymitch snapped.

They were interrupted by the flight operator reaching out to their allies in the districts, attempting to get messages across. Signals were down across the west of Panem, but they all knew that those were the districts most likely to turn on the Capitol first.

"District Four, come in. District Four come in," the operator began. "District Four, this is rebel transport one. We have Trident. Trident is safe. District Four, can you hear me?"

"This is District Four, we hear you," came a panicked voice from over the radio.

Finnick lurched forward, recognising the voice, "Cari, it's me. I'm so, so sorry, I-"

"Finn-, no, Trident even, we understand. Don't ever apologise."

Mags' daughter was interrupted by loud noises in the background. Her messages were no longer clear.

"District Four, what's happening? Do you have a message for us?" the operator continued.

"Trident, I'm sorry too. If anyone else who knows them is there, we are so sorry. We couldn't get there in time."

"What's happened?" Finnick said, immediately panicking about the implications for Annie's safety.

"The nest has fallen. Command has been transferred securely. It's happening. But they've attacked and burnt down the nest. District Four is fighting back. But they've got Annie."

"No!" Finnick shouted. "We have to get her. We have to reach her. They'll torture her! We need to get Annie!"

Plutarch forced Finnick back into his seat and tried to calm him down, but Finnick kept fighting back. But it was no use. It would be too dangerous to attempt reconnaissance in the Capitol immediately.

"The others?" Haymitch asked softly.

"I'm sorry. We all are. We reached them but it was too late."

On hearing the news, Haymitch sank further into his seat and Finnick could be heard sobbing. Annie had been captured and Shai, Rowan and Song had been killed. The heart of District Four, the engine of the rebellion was being torn apart. But in the hovercraft, they knew, just as the people of District Four did, that they would need to win. The sacrifices of those who had spent decades dedicated to their rebellion would be worthwhile. It was all up to them.