Penelope's Web

by Zevoros

In silence, the first tick of the clock rings out. Dawn rises, but the Hunger Games steadily grind onward. The tributes stand in preparation for the journey ahead, and Seneca Crane stretches out his hand. The gears slip forward and Gadget knows that the first hour is here.

19. Imperium

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~~(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)~~

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Author's Notes:

Triage: Will the Games-within-Games ever end? If you had absolute control over a nation of people, would you relinquish control so easily?

Zevoros: Special thanks to Evie Rose! Additional thanks to CragmiteBlaster.

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Penelope's Web

Chapter 19

Imperium

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Gadget awoke with a gasp. She instinctively tried to shoot up into a sitting position, but she didn't make it so much as a half a foot before she was thrown back down.

Panic swelled in her stomach, she desperately turned her head to look at her surroundings. For a moment, she had forgotten she was out of the Hunger Games. Outside of the terrible arena that Seneca Crane designed.

"...I won…" Gadget whispered. She couldn't believe it. But as she stared up at the blank ceiling, the reality of her situation dawned on her. She had survived the Hunger Games. And Corduroy…he was alive, too.

The impossible had happened. She wished that more had had a chance to achieve the impossible, but given the odds against her, she was happy to take whatever was given her on the way out of that nightmare. She was perfectly fine with letting Corduroy have the win; yet, having her be the winner, and Corduroy getting out with her? It was more than she could have asked for.

She was out. The Hunger Games was over and she was out. Gadget had to remind herself of that fact. She didn't know where she was, but it didn't matter to her, either…yet.

Where is Corduroy? Gadget thought desperately. She tried to lift her arms, but they were bound, just as her waist was, by leather and iron restraints. She had to see him. Had to confirm to herself that he was okay.

She was out of the arena, but she was still a prisoner. She hoped so much that Corduroy was okay. He was still alive the last time she'd seen him. Weak, but alive

The room she was in was rather sterile. White walls turned into sharp edges. There was no smell to speak of, and belatedly, Gadget realized that her nose was healed. A table was beside her, and all around the room there was medical equipment that looked almost foreign to Gadget. Fantastic equipment that belonged only in the Capitol, she presumed.

Her skin prickled, as if she weren't properly attired, and as Gadget glanced down at herself, she realized that was because she was. Covered only by bedclothes, which was really little more than an extremely thin sheet spread out over her form. A non-functional blanket would have been a better term for it.

Gadget swallowed and laid her head back down on the pillow. It felt…deceptively comfortable. The last thing she remembered before falling unconscious was a prick in her neck..

A moment later, Gadget realized that she wasn't in any pain. She had been in so much agony before the hovercraft had come for her and Corduroy. Experimentally, she rotated her ankle, preparing for a wave of pain to overcome her.

But it never did. She didn't even feel sore. It was like she was never in any pain at all.

Slowly, tentatively, Gadget peeked beneath her bedclothes and stared down at her body. There were no signs of injuries. There weren't even any signs of scars. She wanted to touch a hand to where they had been, but that wasn't possible.

Gadget felt sick. Using her hands, she shook off the bedclothes that covered both of her arms, and she looked down at where the familiar scar that Binary gave her once was. It was gone, just like everything else.

The Capitol had taken it away from her. The physical scars, at least. The mental scars, the memories, were another matter entirely.

"I won," Gadget said again, and for the first time, it was like those words were sinking in. "I'll never go hungry again," she said to herself, and Gadget wasn't sure if it was to convince herself of that fact. "I'll have a home…" Unless Zeno takes it from you. Gadget gazed up at the empty ceiling again. "And Binary is gone…he'll never hurt me again…"

This was her new reality.

"Corduroy is alive," she said, more firmly than before. The thought was one of the few things that helped to ground her.

A new reality where she killed and hurt people in order to survive the arena.

And then Gadget started to sob. She turned her head to the side so that all she could see was the wall. She had murdered people. Cato and Thresh…I ended their lives. They were dead because of her. They were people, each of them a person. Just like she was. And now they were never going to see their loved ones at home again.

After all the pain she had caused, did she deserve to cry? Gadget didn't know. But the tears spilled down her cheeks despite it. She had murdered three people. And because of her actions…that number would be a lot higher. Did the guilt weigh down on Corduroy as much as it did for her?

And yet, Gadget still felt no guilt for what she did to Binary. She had murdered him and she felt…fulfilled. She had gotten revenge for everything he had done to her.

But even though he was dead…it didn't change a fact about the damage he'd caused. The people he had killed. Or the ways that he'd hurt her. It was going to remain with her for the rest of her life.

Gadget sniffled. I'm sorry, Lace…I'm sorry, Peeta. She wished that she could have saved them. If not even have both of them take her place so that they could have lived on with Corduroy. She missed them. She missed them so much. Neither of them deserved what happened to them.

How was she supposed to handle this? This…this feeling of despair? Her chest was beginning to hurt from her sobbing but Gadget didn't care. It was the least that she deserved after all of this. Was this what the victors felt like? Other victors, Gadget thought. She was one of them now, too.

And that meant that she was going to have to mentor a tribute next year through the Games.

The Hunger Games was never going to let go of her. Seneca Crane was never going to let go of her. The Capitol wasn't ever going to let go of her.

Seconds slipped into minutes, which dragged into hours. Gadget cried until she couldn't cry anymore. How long was it going to be until someone checked on her? She didn't know. She hadn't moved at all from staring at the wall, gazing blankly at it.

She wondered if the Capitol itself knew what to do with her. She doubted that they expected her to win. And she knew for a fact that they hadn't expected Corduroy to live with her.

Corduroy's survival was the only thing that allowed her to smile.

The sound of a door opening snapped her out of her ruminations. She looked to see a doctor enter the room, closing the door behind him. When he saw that she was awake, his eyes lit up.

"Gadget!" the doctor said, eagerly, and almost as if he was bouncing with joy. "Congratulations on your victory!" he gushed.

Gadget blinked slowly in surprise. Her mouth formed an 'O' and she tried to wipe her face clear of tears with the bedclothes with the limited maneuverability that she had.

If the doctor noticed that she'd been crying, he didn't care…or he was utterly oblivious to it. Gadget noticed then that he was carrying a pile of clothes and watched as he placed them on the table beside her bed.

"There's never been two survivors in the Hunger Games before!" the doctor said, like he was telling a child that couldn't comprehend what he was saying. But Gadget didn't care if he thought her stupid. There was only one thing she cared about in what he said.

Two survivors. Corduroy is okay!

Relief flooded through her. It wasn't the same as seeing him, but the knowledge that he was okay was enough for her. Corduroy was alive.

The doctor bounced on the balls of his feet, staring at Gadget with excitement. "And you're the new youngest victor!" he exclaimed. "You won the Hunger Games at thirteen! It must be so exciting!"

Gadget gaped. She…hadn't thought about that. It had failed to cross her mind. The previous youngest victor had won when he was fourteen, which meant that Gadget had broken that record. She was now the youngest victor.

What did that mean? What was going to happen to her now?

"Well, Gadget," the doctor said, and it really looked like he was trying to restrain himself, "you're all good to go!" he revealed. "We've taken care of all the injuries you've sustained! No more scars for our pristine victor!"

Gadget felt her mouth go dry. It was like she was being manufactured just for the pedestal the Capitol was going to put her on. Manufactured for how they were going to parade her around. How much about her were they going to take away? How much of who she was did the Capitol strip from her?

"W-where's Corduroy?" Gadget asked, swallowing hard as the words left her. She wanted to see him. She wanted to see her friend. She had to see for herself that he was okay.

The doctor shot her a sympathetic look. "Oh, I know how much you must be dying to see your friend," he said, almost condescendingly, "but you can't see him just yet. We have to make sure that he's as right as rain!"

Gadget clenched and unclenched her hands. This doctor was treating her like she was an idiot. Like she had no idea of the circumstances that she was in.

The doctor stepped up to the side of her bed and Gadget wanted to pull away. But she couldn't. And then the doctor reached over to the table and picked up a remote that she hadn't seen. He pressed a button, and Gadget's bindings came undone.

"There you go!" he said, and Gadget clutched at the bedclothes, holding them close to herself. The Capitol had taken so much of her privacy away from her. Even during her interview with Caesar, it was like they already knew everything about her already.

Gadget curled back, bringing her knees up to hug against her chest. The doctor said a few more things, but Gadget wasn't listening. She didn't care about what he had to say. Hadn't the Capitol violated her enough?

"Can you leave, please," Gadget said at last, cutting into the doctor's monologue. He looked at her and frowned. Gadget couldn't bring herself to care if she came off as rude. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to be far, far away from here. Somewhere nice and with Corduroy.

Then, a smile appeared on the doctor's face. "Of course, Gadget!" he said rather obnoxiously. He went to the door, opened it, and then he was gone. He really liked saying her name every opportunity.

And Gadget was alone again.

Ever so slowly, she removed the bedclothes, putting them aside so that she could look down at herself. Just like her arms, there was not a single sign of damage. No scarring. Nothing. It was as if she had never been put into the Hunger Games at all. There were no aches and pains in the joints either. Despite all the strain she'd put herself through, and all the torments inflicted on her. It was almost like she'd never gone through it.

But nothing would make the memories to cease to stay with her forever.

Sliding to the edge of the bed, Gadget slowly put her foot onto the cold, tiled flooring. A bone deep shiver ran through her bare form at the frigid temperatures of this place. In fact, it reminded her of the last few endless nights before the final battle. She stood up, pulling herself off the bed, taking a step, and then another. No pain hit her. Not even the slightest hint of soreness.

All proof of her physical trauma was gone.

Gadget let out a breath and picked up the clothes the doctor had left her from the table beside her bed. They were bizarre looking, but Gadget again didn't care. It was enough to cover herself and that was all that really mattered.

She turned and began to put the clothes on when she caught a glimpse of a mirror on the other side of the room, bringing her actions to a stop. Gadget gazed up at it, slowly dropping her clothes down at her side. Soft padding of footsteps brought her closer to the mirror, and she stared, horrified by what she saw looking back at her.

She was skinnier than she had ever been. Dead green eyes roved over her body before landing on the reflection of her gaze. She looked so dead. A mess. Malnourished. A walking corpse.

Dead girl walking, she thought to herself.

Gadget looked away, her eyes darting to the bed she'd been resting in for who knows how long. She grabbed the sheets and stripped the bed down in record time, her hands a frenzy of movement. When she was done, and spun around to face the mirror, tucking the sheet over it so that she didn't see it anymore.

When was the last time she'd seen her reflection? Gadget couldn't be sure. It felt like a lifetime ago that Septimius called her name from the bowl for the reaping.

Stop overthinking. You won. You handled everything they could throw at you. And you WON!

Gadget wasn't sure that she was all that successful at persuading herself to believe that. She idly began to dress, pulling on the underwear and bra. It seemed quite lacy and very well made, probably something straight out of District Eight. Which brought to mind Corduroy and Lace again.

Then she pulled on the short-sleeved shirt, which looked positively rich, the material was silky, soft and had a reflective purple sheen to it, with glittering gemstones, and a quick examination, even with Gadget's untrained eye, she had the distinct impression they were actual gemstones, trailed along the entire collar and down in a patterned series of lines on either flank. The trousers were a stark contrast, though it didn't clash too badly, with its rocky grey shade. Indeed, when she pulled it on, it almost looked like she was wearing stone, but the material was thick, soft and most comfortable.

Leafy patterns trailed along the sides of the pants, which was when Gadget began to frown. She was sensing a particular pattern in the design of the clothing. When she picked up the long wool scarf, her heart went cold.

Every article of clothing was designed to represent the various districts. Districts whose tributes she had either killed, or whose deaths essentially led to her becoming victor. Making her wear this would serve as a reminder to all those districts that she was the winner, and not their tributes. A rub of salt in the wounds, as it were, of those districts.

She looked down at herself.

The shirt obviously represented District One and their produce of luxury items. The pants represented Districts Two, Eleven and Twelve for the masonry, coal mining and agriculture…

She was a damned trophy.

The alternative is to go in the buff.

While that would no doubt be quite a spectacle, and in her severely emaciated state, the whole of Panem would be treated to how, despite medical advancements, they couldn't cure starvation. Though, this would lead to the Capitol being insulted or humiliated, and in turn they just might kill Corduroy out of spite, and her too. She had to wear the clothes.

She had to play their games.

There were many more games beyond the arena, beyond the Hunger Games…

Games after games.

She went through the rest of the articles of clothing. The jacket seemed to incorporate almost all the other districts not already represented in other clothes. Though her own district it seemed, was in the fingerless gloves left to her. There appeared to be microchips and buttons and even…yes, gadgets, or tools, tiny ones, fitted all over it. She supposed that was one thing she appreciated. They'd be quite useful.

As she almost finished dressing, slipping on the gaudy jacket, someone knocked on the door to the hospital suite.

"Gadget?" she heard the muffled voice of Beetee call, "Mind if I come in?"

For a moment, the tall girl stared at the door, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she tried to figure out what to do. What to say. A flow of emotions filled her as she recalled the last time she saw him, Wiress, and Septimius.

Then she remembered, she needed to speak, and no, he wasn't trying to kill her. Quite the opposite, if anything.

Idly, she wondered how Grid and Qwerty would regard her. They were banking very hard on Binary, but despite all odds, Gadget had come out on top.

"C-c-come in," Gadget stammered, and mentally cursed herself for going back to her stutter.

The door opened with a soft click, and Beetee walked in. He looked at her with a warm smile, but he moved slowly, as if afraid of startling or alarming a small animal. That made her think of Rolly, her pet compsogdon. A familiar ache in her chest throbbed at the memory. But Rolly's killer was dead himself, now. He didn't even have a face left after Gadget finished with him…

"Congratulations, Gadget," he said, once he was standing across from her bed, "I just wanted to be the first to get that in…from the District Three victors, that is."

Taking a moment to center herself, Gadget managed to reply without stammering, as long as she kept mentally reminding herself not to, and to prepare her words beforehand, though this'd mean she looked a bit slower in answering.

"...Thank you, Beetee…for everything."

Beetee smiled at her. "You did all the heavy lifting, like a solid power core. We just smoothed out the way for you." Uninvited, he sat down at the foot of the bed, and began gesturing with his hands as he spoke, "I must say, the masterful design of that flamethrower, with such limited resources? Astounding, to say nothing of the suit, much as it was a shame you didn't get a chance to use it yourself."

Personally, Gadget thought that was probably for the best, given how its one wearer turned out.

Besides, there was a more pressing concern on her mind than what had occurred in the Games. She had the feeling she would be recounting or have the events recounted back to her many more times in the coming days…perhaps even months.

"Could you tell me…please, what happ-ened…I mean, how Corduroy is? Th-the doctor didn't want to tell me much."

Beetee's eyes softened and he nodded. "I understand. Corduroy's been treated for his wounds. While he survived the onslaught of the suit's electrical device, it did some critical damage to some of his body internally." He leaned back as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There's no precedent for this situation, Gadget," he said, "never before in the seventy-four years of Hunger Games has there ever been two survivors."

Tentatively, Gadget also sat down on the other side of the bed, giving her mentor her full attention. She had the feeling there were some explanations due.

"On one hand, it is all but an unspoken rule that only one person leaves the arena alive," Beetee began, "but at the same time, there's nothing stated explicitly, that if the Capitol messes up, having declared a victor, that there can't be an unexpected extra survivor."

"They won't try t-to kill Corduroy, right?" Gadget asked plaintively.

Beetee gave her a sympathetic look. "I won't lie, it's probably not off the table for ideas. However…all of Panem saw, very clearly, I might add, that Corduroy woke up, and you hugging him and talking to him…and he talked back."

Gadget flushed a little. In the moment as the transports were arriving, Gadget had forgotten that millions were watching her as she and Corduroy embraced. Their every act, every word, forever recorded in the media.

Beetee chuckled quietly. "To Seneca's misfortune, he had every camera from every angle on you two, and every pick-up mic recorded very clearly your parting words to Corduroy, just before he woke. It…ruined his story. His narrative."

Gadget listened with rapt attention, she now had the perspective of the audience.

"I'm guessing he and the other Gamemakers were too much in shock over Corduroy surviving when the cannons went off announcing his death," Beetee stated, "by the time any of them tried to think of a way to cover this up, it was much too late. No one in Panem had missed it, there was no hiding or denying this. That, is the weakness of live television of the Hunger Games."

He looked meaningfully at Gadget as he said the last part, conveying an underlying message, perhaps. Gadget only nodded mutely.

"So what…did they do?" Gadget asked. They meaning the Capitol.

Beetee nodded and looked towards the sterile white wall across from him. "Well, it was obvious to all that the Gamemakers had made a colossal mistake, but if there's one thing the Capitol doesn't dare to do, is to stain their own hands."

That seemed a strange notion to Gadget, but Beetee followed up.

"Too many unknown variables in that action. If they killed the boy, it would be hard to point the blame at anyone but themselves."

It took her a moment, but when Gadget strained her ears, she realized she could pick up the faint sounds of the roar of many voices in the distance.

Panem was making a lot of noise.

"How…" Gadget swallowed. "...how many people want me dead?" she asked in a whispered, broken voice.

Beetee gave her a sympathetic look and raised his hand to comfort her, but seemed unsure of his choice of action and lowered his palm again.

"You're safe," he told her firmly. "No one is going to hurt you here."

Gadget bit her lip, wrapping her arms around her torso. "Please just…just tell me…" she pleaded with Beetee.

Her mentor sighed and took off his spectacles to rub his eyes. He suddenly seemed a lot older. Slowly, he brought them back up to his eyes and he looked at Gadget. "They aren't happy with you."

Gadget felt her heart sink.

She knew the answer, and she knew it would not gladden her heart, but she sought confirmation nonetheless. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment.

"Gadget," Beetee said, and he turned to her with a very serious expression, "you need to be careful."

He leaned closer and to the side. If what they had spoken of before had been treasonous, then Gadget worried about the next words to leave his lips. "The Capitol will be looking for any excuse they can to hurt you. And if they ask something of you, let me know, and I'll protect you."

Gadget's eyes watered and she dropped her head into Beetee's chest. She choked back her sobs, and she felt Beetee's hands on her head and back respectively, rubbing slow and soothing circles.

"Wh-what about Corduroy?" she asked. She feared the answer. After Corduroy had reminded everyone about the origins of the Hunger Games, she was worried beyond anything. Was he going to go home back to a district that hated him? Just as she was?

"I don't know," Beetee told her. "I don't know what the Capitol is going to do to him," he told her.

"Cecelia promised to do all she could to help him. He isn't a victor, Gadget." The words felt like she'd been shot straight through the heart with an arrow. "This is completely unprecedented."

Which meant that they, and therefore Gadget, had no ideas about what was going to happen. The Gamemakers had never screwed up like this before. What was going on in the districts? Gadget had no way of knowing.

"I want to see him," she said softly. She pulled away, wiping at her eyes as she did. "Pl-please…can you take me to see him?" she asked.

Beetee let out a breath and there was another look of sympathy upon his face. Gadget already knew the answer before he said anything. "I'm sorry, Gadget," he said sorrowfully. "They want to see your reunion live. It's out of my hands."

In front of all of Panem. Was her life hers anymore? How many aspects of it did the Capitol control now? She thought…she'd hoped that she would be free if she survived. But…it was becoming increasingly clear to her now. Her life was over the moment Septimius drew her name from that bowl.

She wasn't anything but a toy for the Capitol to use and abuse as they saw fit. Fear enveloped her at the thought of what the Capitol was going to do to Corduroy. What did his district think of him? What did they think of her?

"I…" Gadget tried to say, but her words failed her. They died in her throat and she stared at the fabric that covered her mirror.

She was going to have to experience it all over again. Every victor had an interview with Caesar. And every victor had to rewatch the highlights of their Hunger Games, condensed down into three hours.

Gadget wasn't ready. How did any of the victors survive this? How did they go through this without breaking? She tore her gaze away from her covered mirror.

"Are you hungry, Gadget?" Beetee asked gently.

"No," she answered, an image of her emaciated form entering her mind. She looked at Beetee. There was something she wanted to ask. Something she didn't understand. "How…how did you get so many sponsors for me?"

It didn't make sense to her. She had somehow collected sponsors in spite of her pathetic performance in the arena. People cared enough to see what she had to do. It simply didn't make sense. Or did…did the sponsors that belonged to Cato and…and Thresh switch to her after they died?

The idea made her sick.

A guilty gleam entered Beetee's eye. He turned away and gazed down at the floor. Something told Gadget that she wouldn't like his answer. Her hand rubbed at her arm as anxiety formed in the pit of her stomach.

"I didn't manage many sponsors," Beetee told her sadly. "Neither did Wiress."

What?

Gadget didn't understand. He'd given her so much. He and Wiress…they'd sent her so many supplies. So many things she'd used to build things. The suit. The flamethrower. It was their sponsors that was one of the few reasons she was still alive.

"The only sponsors we sent were the ones with our notes," Beetee revealed. He looked very uneasy. Gadget didn't say anything. Questions spun around in her head but she didn't say anything. She didn't understand. If Beetee and Wiress couldn't send her much…then what did that mean?

"I-I don't-"

"Understand?" Beetee interrupted softly. Gadget nodded weakly. "Neither do I. Someone bypassed Wiress and I to send you sponsors without our input."

Beetee paused and Gadget tried to make sense of what Beetee was telling her. She didn't know how the sponsor system worked. But she knew that only the mentor could send their tribute sponsors. That fact was the only thing she knew, and only because of how she had to study the 38th Games.

"This kind of support doesn't come without a cost," Beetee told her quietly. "Keep a look out, Gadget. There are things where you are better left in the dark about."

Gadget frowned, but she didn't say anything. There were so many more moving pieces than she thought there were. So many things she didn't know.

She'd won the Hunger Games, but what did that mean?

Beetee started to stand up and Gadget grasped at his hand in panic. His gaze shot to hers and he must have seen the fear in her eyes. "W-wait," she stammered. She had so many questions. "How…how long have I been out for?"

Beetee sighed. "A little over a week," he said.

A week!? It had really been that long?

"Please, Gadget," Beetee said, "get some rest. By the time I come back, it'll be to get you for your stylist. Your…interview will be in a few hours."

Gadget paled. Her stylist. After everything, she had almost forgotten that she would still have a stylist. But Mortimer was dead and…and that meant that someone else would have to take on the job.

Beetee must have confused her look of uncertainty with apprehension because he spoke, "Not Mortimer. He's been replaced."

He doesn't know, Gadget realized. Beetee said something else, but she didn't catch it. Did anyone but her know that Mortimer was dead? Or did they all think he'd simply been replaced? It replayed in her mind. The way his head snapped back as a burst of crimson blew out of the back of his skull.

"I'll be back soon," Beetee reassured her, opening the door. He looked over his shoulder at Gadget one last time. "Get some rest. Please," he urged. And then he was gone.

Gadget was alone again. She idly wondered what it was that Beetee needed to do. There was no way for her to know the busy schedule of a mentor…not yet, anyway. Next year…it was going to be her that was mentoring some poor tribute. One that was likely older than she was.

She pushed herself back on the bed. Beetee had told her to rest, so…she was going to try. Gadget laid back and put her head against the soft pillow. She was safe. She wasn't in the arena anymore. Nobody could hurt her here.

Gadget turned onto her side and glanced at the vase on the bedside table. She hadn't paid it any attention earlier. It had barely been a detail worth remembering. But as she stared at the white rose inside, she remembered something.

She remembered that that white rose was President Snow's favorite flower.

---

She had been right in that the Capitol prioritized image over everything else. Her scars were all gone. But Gadget hadn't been able to rest in the slightest. She'd merely stared at the white ceiling and walls, and waited for Beetee to return. Her body felt artificial to her. Hers but not hers. How many other minute modifications did they make to her that Gadget was unable to see? There was almost a whisper. A subtle threat of her demise, along with that of Corduroy and possibly others that Gadget had come to care for.

There wasn't a bone in her body that made her think the white rose on her bedside table was left for just any victor. Not a part of her thought that he would give one of them to just anyone. It was a threat. A warning to play ball. For Corduroy's sake.

And then it was time to see her new stylist. Images of Mortimer kept flashing into her mind no matter how many times Beetee and Wiress assured her that the new man, Nero, seemed a stark contrast to Mortimer.

And where was Septimius?

As she walked between the two armed Peacekeepers, Gadget wondered why Septimius did not once come to see her. She dearly wanted to speak to the man. To tell him in person that she'd kept her promise. Beetee and Wiress had come to speak with her. It didn't surprise her that Grid and Qwerty, however, were aloof. They hadn't come to see her, and it didn't take a genius to understand why.

As they reached the room, the Peacekeepers took up posts on either side of the door. The one who'd been following her from behind glanced at her and nodded his head towards the door.

Understanding, Gadget took a breath, steeled herself, and opened the door, walking in before her nerves failed her and saw her fleeing down in any direction away from there.

"THERE SHE IS!" Nero practically screamed, and made Gadget jump in fright.

The man was tan skinned, had a ridiculous cannon-shaped hairdo which he dyed a painfully bright pink that made him look like he wore a weaponized hair over his head, and was startlingly short. But he had a shocking amount of white teeth seemingly locked into a permanent grin, and this was factoring Caesar Flickerman's tremendous grin.

"DARLING YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE! You do me honor by being here!" His shift from loud to slightly less loud was jarring to the young girl.

At least he didn't call me beautiful.

"You're absolutely beautiful!"

Nevermind…

"Come come come come! Lie here, my dear. PRIMA! FELIX! COME! TAURIA! Tauria? Where's Tauria? AH, THERE YOU ARE!"

His constant shifting between shouting and talking, then shouting, kept making Gadget flinch, as if expecting an attack at any moment.

"Make her feel our love and appreciation, my dears!" Nero said, "And I'm going to get the dress! I promise you, Gadget Trevelyan, youngest victor of Panem, you're absolutely going to love what I've done. It's tré you!"

Gadget nervously eyed the women and man smiling down at her as they trimmed her nails, and did up her hair, styling it as they went along.

"Make way, make way! GADGET! BEHOLD! Tell me what you think! Don't be shy!"

Nero returned after five minutes and then held up the dress for the girl to stare.

And she kept staring.

Her jaw fell, and stayed down.

It was the single gaudiest thing she had ever seen in her life, and that was considering the interview she sat through before the Hunger Games, where she saw some truly appalling designs, but Nero appeared to be color blind, tasteless in fashion sense, and beyond utterly insane. The only things he possibly had were boundless energy and enthusiasm. Skill? Not so much.

The dress appeared designed to hug her form, assuming she had any form for the dress to hug. And was combined with a clashing swirl of colors that gave one a powerful urge to vomit at the mere sight of it. It had a terrible shade of mud green, swirling over neon purple, that shifted into dull yellow, and so on, creating a cascading myriad of unholy mixtures.

"I KNEW YOU'D LOVE IT! The crowd is going to go absolutely wild!" Nero declared happily as he bounced out of the room.

"N-no…wait…" But it was too late, the man had gone to lay out the dress on an empty bed nearby.

The prep team, whose names Gadget couldn't remember, followed out after Nero, shutting the door behind them. And Gadget was alone again, just like that. She stared at the door, silently waiting for Nero to barge right back in. But when he didn't, Gadget approached the bed, wincing at the sight of the dress in front of her.

She didn't have a choice but to put it on. She started to remove her clothes when she spotted something. A strap on the dress that connected to nothing. Glancing down at the shirt she was wearing, Gadget realized that that was because the dress was meant to be connected to the outfit she was already wearing.

Gadget let go of her shirt and smoothed it down. She felt so much like she was being manufactured for the Capitol specifically. She didn't understand Capitol fashion so maybe this was, in some sense, somehow, just what they wanted to see.

At least it was better than the dress Mortimer forced her into wearing for her interview. This one covered as much skin as Mortimer's had presented. It was probably the only detail she could appreciate from Nero's design.

Gadget grabbed the dress and pulled it on. Examining herself, she snapped the buttons and straps into place. She didn't want to look at herself in the mirror. This was…going to have to do.

She went to the door and opened it. On either side stood the Peacekeepers. The hallway was silent and empty. The Peacekeeper on the right took a step forward and Gadget shuffled out to follow him. She heard the Peacekeeper at her back move into position so that she was once again between the two of them.

It was so ominous, how mechanically they moved next to her nervous steps. Their black tinted masks covered their faces and Gadget couldn't help but wonder what they looked like under it.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Gadget counted carefully as they went. As they turned down corridors she had to wonder how far they were going. It was only at that moment she realized that she hadn't seen a single window since she woke up. Were they underground? How far? When was the last time she saw the sky? The real sky?

On her thirty-second step, the Peacekeepers led her to another door, and with a flourish of the first one's hand, it opened. Both of the Peacekeepers got back into position, guarding the door, and Gadget entered.

It looked eerily similar to the room that brought her up into the arena. The only difference was that the launch tube was replaced with a simple plush carpet.

Above her, she heard the anthem boom. This was it. And she had no idea what to do. Gadget hadn't been given any advice over how to treat this interview. What was going to happen? What did the Capitol want? What did Seneca Crane want? What did President Snow want?

She wished Septimius was here. She missed him. He'd been able to comfort her better than anyone else. Maybe he was above her, doing damage control after she helped Corduroy survive the Hunger Games with her.

The sound of the door opening behind her made her jump, and in came Nero and the rest of the prep team. His smile had not dimmed in the slightest. In fact, it almost seemed brighter than ever.

"THERE SHE IS! IN ALL HER GLORY!" he loudly proclaimed. He bounced forward and Gadget had to fight to not startle or try to run away. This man was not Mortimer. He had given her no reason to not just go along with whatever it was he was here to do.

One of the prep team members, a woman, said, "Oh, her skin is flawless!" She sounded both giddy and envious at the same time.

"It is!" Nero beamed. "Quick, Felix, Prima, fix her dress! Tauria, you do her hair!"

The prep team bounded into motion while Nero stayed back, gleefully rubbing his hands together. Gadget winced as one of the women and the man came forward, tugging on her dress and sliding buttons into place that she hadn't seen.

Behind her, the other woman, the one who'd commented on her skin, worked feverishly on her hair. Tugging her head back almost painfully, Gadget had to bite her lip as she positioned her with her hand so as to not drag her back.

Gadget didn't want to say anything. Even if she asked them to stop, it would just prolong the inevitable. She felt fingers in her hair, tying braids and knots. It felt like it was going to go on forever. She could hear the cheering audience above her, mixed with the sounds of the anthem, but other than that, she didn't hear much of anything happening.

Suddenly, abruptly, the prep team pulled away and Nero came forward. He looked her up and down with a grin. "PERFECT!" he decided. "Stand there! You're going to do AMAZING!" Nero gushed.

And then, quick as they'd come, they were gone, fleeing one by one out the door.

Gadget resisted the urge to pace, standing right where Nero gestured for her to be. The past few hours had been a flurry of action. Her heart flip-flopped the closer she got to this interview. The roaring crowd above her became louder and louder and then…

Caesar Flickerman's voice came out, greeting the audience to a cheer of voices. He wasted no time in hyping the crowd up. Gadget could hear just how excited the audience was. There was no real waiting for her turn now. It was just her, basically.

There was only one thing about this that Gadget was looking forward to. The Capitol had kept her and Corduroy separated for this moment. To reunite them in front of all of Panem.

Gadget rubbed her arm, sliding up and down as she thought. It was coming closer now. Was…was this going to be the last time she and Corduroy saw each other. Now and the Victory Banquet? Then…then they were going to go home and Gadget was never going to see him again.

The thought made her want to cry, but she held back the floodgates of tears. Caesar introduced the prep team and Gadget could imagine them all taking exaggerated bows. This was a part she knew was coming. She'd seen it last year and in her study of the 38th. The prep team, then the escort, stylist, and finally mentor. In that order.

As the cheering died down for her prep team, Caesar continued, announcing Nero as her stylist. And Gadget's mind whirled to a sudden stop.

Nero? Wh-where's Septimius?

Gadget didn't understand. Septimius was supposed to be up next. The escort was meant to be revealed to the crowd to loud support. But…but Septimius wasn't even mentioned. Caesar had skipped right over him to Nero.

What was going on? Where is Septimius!?

Beetee and Wiress were announced next to raucous applause and even the stomping of feet. Clearly, they had fans. That wasn't exactly a surprise. But Gadget could barely focus on that fact. All she felt was worry.

The ceiling above her opened up, and the sound of cheering was louder than ever before. Gadget looked up, clutching the sleeve of her dress hard between her fingers.

"And now, welcome our victorious winner, the Impossible Girl, GADGET TREVELYAN!" Caesar roared.

She started to rise, higher and higher and Gadget heard applause louder than ever before as she rose through the ceiling, and was displayed on the stage to everyone.

Gadget tried to smile, but all she managed was a grimace. Her senses were overloaded with the blur of lights and color, and the noise that enveloped her brain. Her head was spinning and she felt nauseous. She tried to wave, but she barely managed even that.

"And finally," Caesar said over all of the noise, "we have the boy who captivated all of us, not a victor, but not a fallen, CORDUROY ELLSWORTH!"

Gadget shot her gaze across the stage, hope swelling in her chest. Just as she rose, Corduroy rose through the floor, standing on a platform. He blinked and waved out at the crowd, who cheered for him.

Corduroy's eyes met her, and his features seemed to soften with relief. He started to walk across the stage and Gadget noticed him limp with each step he made. As the crowd roared, Gadget had to constrain herself. She wanted to leap forward and wrap her arms around him. But she feared the repercussions if she tried.

Only when he reached her did her arms shoot forward to wrap around his torso, and she dropped her head on his shoulder. He was here! He was alive! He was okay! Gadget smiled.

"Is your leg okay?" she asked quietly, unsure if Caesar or the audience heard her inquiry.

"Severed nerve," Corduroy replied. He clasped his hand in her own, squeezing it. Gadget wondered if he was as scared as she was. Did he get the same white rose that she did? The same warning that she was certain it was intended to convey.

A severed nerve. If the Capitol could remove the injuries she herself had…was this Seneca Crane's punishment for surviving? Gadget glanced up in the high booth that she had seen Seneca Crane and the Gamemakers in once before during her interview. But as she looked up, she saw that Seneca Crane was not there.

Caesar gestured them kindly towards a red, velvet plush couch, just barely big enough for two people. Gadget sat down first and Corduroy sat beside her. There wasn't really enough space for the two of them, and that fact made Gadget's already uncertain smile dim. They were close enough that their thighs were touching.

"Welcome, welcome!" Caesar greeted them as the applause died down. He sat down in his own chair across from the two of them, grinning from ear to ear. "You know, I don't usually find myself at a loss for what to say," Caesar began casually, friendly. It almost made Gadget feel like she wasn't the center of the entire nation. "But seeing you two back here with me…now that's amazing."

Gadget relaxed. She hadn't known what to expect. She hadn't known if Caesar was going to be upset with her, but for now, he was taking and doing this interview in stride. She stared at him, her hand wrapped in Corduroy's.

"You two have made quite a few heavy betters lose a lot of money," Caesar jokingly teased, and the audience laughed.

She had to say something. Caesar might not let a silence grow too long, but Gadget hadn't been given any kind of guide like her last interview with Caesar. And now she had Corduroy beside her and…and…

"Nobody will count out the longshots next year," Corduroy said with a smile. It didn't look very real to Gadget. Exaggerated. But it seemed to satisfy Caesar and, more importantly, the Capitol.

"I think that's a safe bet, young man!" Caesar laughed and flashed his signature toothy grin.

Laughter, whistling and cheering filled the air. The sheer energy of the crowd was palpable. It almost belied what Beetee had told her. But she knew, deep down, Beetee was right. When the fanfare and smiles ended, so did any kind of security she presently enjoyed.

"I have to ask, and I hope you'll pardon the cliché," Caesar shifted in his seat to lean closer to the two, and unconsciously, so did the entire audience, creating a unique rumble as thousands of people moved as one, "but how do you both feel? I mean, you've made unprecedented history here. Excited? Amazed?"

This question required a response, and quickly. But what would she say? She looked desperately at Corduroy, who could only offer an apologetic look. And she understood. As much as he would like to take the lead on this, and while unprecedented, Corduroy was effectively a file copy, without all the benefits of being a victor. His only reward was his life, and even then, there was no guarantee to how long he'd be allowed to hold it.

She turned back to look at Caesar, with his warm eyes and sincere smile, and returned a tiny smile of her own.

"I'm…I'm so happy we made it," Gadget said quietly, and yet her voice still echoed throughout the large room, for all of the audience to hear. She tried to pick her words carefully, glancing at the front row and scanned for Beetee, Wiress, and Septimius.

The audience awww'd, and Gadget found Beetee and Wiress. Yet still no Septimius. They shot her a meaningful look that she didn't understand, but her hand tightened around Corduroy's.

"I think it's safe to say your friendship touched all of us. Isn't that right, folks?" Caesar said, looking out at the audience. They roared back in what sounded like affirmation, and Caesar laughed.

Gadget tore her gaze off of Beetee and Wiress. Her thumb rubbed circles around Corduroy's hand, as he'd done to her so many times before. Her blush more than answered some people. Once more there was a chorus of, "Aww!"

This prompted a slightly confused frown. "I…I…"

"Ah, to be young and full of life," Caesar said with a wistful grin, "you have to understand, that we had never seen any alliance between opposing districts last to the end before. Oh some had come close, but even then, towards the end, bitter enmity would take over. But not you two!" He leaned forward again, one hand gesturing animatedly as he talked, "You chose this young man here over your own district partner. Now that took serious courage, but also showed such loyalty. Am I right, folks?"

Caesar turned to interact with the crowds, getting a roar of approval in response.

Gadget glanced at Corduroy from the corner of her eye, where he met her gaze with his own. She hated this. She hated every aspect of this. They'd thrown her into an arena and watched her suffer. And now they wanted to hear her thoughts about the panic she'd endured? Was she even a person to them?

We're just the toys in their elaborate games…

"And now here you are, yielding the results of that unwavering loyalty!" Caesar said, to whistling and cheering approval, "Not only the first time have we ever had two survivors emerging from the arena, but also!" He raised a pointed finger aimed skyward. "The youngest victor we've ever had. Let's hear it one more time for Gadget Trevalyan, everybody!"

The thunderous applause was joined in even by Caesar, though Corduroy remained stiff as a board, yet he shared a genuine smile at Gadget. She flushed and she meekly darted her eyes away. The crowd went wild again, clapping and cheering. Corduroy squeezed his hand around hers and she tried to hold onto the feeling of comfort that it brought her.

"After all the hardships you two have faced together," Caesar continued, speaking when the audience went quiet once more, "and the impossible odds stacked against you, you took it all head on, and you're both still standing tall. It must feel good, am I right?"

She could see Corduroy about to answer, but Gadget spoke quickly. There was one thing she had to say, and it was one thing she needed to get off her chest before it choked her.

"There was…only once where I felt…good," Gadget started shakily. Caesar nodded, gesturing for her to continue, and Corduroy remained silent by her side. "I didn't…I didn't really think I could do it," she confessed. Was this what they wanted to hear? "Building things, they…it was…the only thing that kept me in my…my comfort zone," she stammered.

"Yes," Caesar nodded again. His eyes were kind, and he made no move to interrupt her. He sat forward on his chair and listened to her as she spoke.

"I-I couldn't have survived without Corduroy," she said with a watery smile, gazing towards him. "Without him, I…I…I think Binary would have killed me."

"You are too hard on yourself, Gadget," Corduroy said, breaking through the brief silence that pervaded when she'd finished speaking. Gadget looked at him in surprise. "You are the most intelligent and able girl I have ever known."

The crowd roared their agreement and Gadget felt her cheeks heat up. She ducked her gaze to look down at her lap, unable to hide how flattered she felt by Corduroy's compliment.

"I think you are completely right, Corduroy!" Caesar said over the cheering. He laughed and Gadget finally looked back up. She had no doubt that there was light red dusting her cheeks.

She felt Corduroy's thumb on the back of her hand, rubbing it as she did it for him. Just knowing that he was still alive comforted her. The Capitol made a mistake and…and Gadget feared what they were going to do. But at that moment, she had Corduroy. Together with her. Alive.

"Well, Corduroy, hopefully you don't think I've been neglecting you," Caesar spoke, steering himself on his chair so that he was more faced towards Corduroy than he was to Gadget.

The audience chuckled, but Gadget felt uneasy. Caesar had primarily only been talking with her until now. Now…they were in unfamiliar territory. What was Caesar going to say? He'd been the host of this…these interviews for decades. Surely he knew just what to say?

"Not at all, Caesar," Corduroy replied cordially. But Gadget could see that he was just as uneasy as she was. She didn't want to think about what the Capitol would do to him if he said something that they didn't like.

"Well," Caesar said, raising his feet and stomping them back on the ground, "how are you feeling? You are, after all, the first survivor of the Hunger Games but not a victor?" he asked. Gadget saw his cheek twitch, but his perfect smile stayed in place. Maybe he was under just as much pressure that Gadget felt.

Corduroy seemed to ponder the question. There was only one right answer. They both knew that. Then, he said, "The mercy of the Capitol knows no bounds."

The audience made a sound of affirmation which reverberated through the chamber, and Caesar nodded. Gadget turned to see Corduroy, and he looked back at her. She could see the relief in his eyes. She couldn't stop herself and she lurched forward to embrace him in a hug.

Another 'aww' erupted through the auditorium, but Gadget didn't care. Her friend was still alive! He was with her. And that was all that mattered now. The Capitol screwed up and she couldn't be more relieved. She felt Corduroy's hands wrap around her in return, and his chin rested on her shoulder.

She never wanted to let go of him. She never wanted to be without him again. "You're…you're my best friend," she said softly, holding onto him tight.

"And you are mine," Corduroy told her, with so much emotion brimming on the edge of his voice. Gadget wanted to sob in relief. Corduroy's reconfirmation to her…that he cared about her…it meant everything to her.

"And on that wonderful note," Caesar began, clapping his hands as he spoke, "I think it's time we start the show!"

The couch spun slowly, and Gadget had to swallow back her gasp of surprise. They turned until they faced the large screen behind them, which promptly flickered to life, where the Capitol seal shone bright over them. This was it. Everything that she feared about the most. She was being forced into rewatching her Hunger Games, and there was nothing she could do about it.

It began to play. Footage took over the large screen of the reapings. Whoever had thrown it together…there was barely any focus on anyone except for herself, Binary, and Corduroy. Gadget didn't understand. What narrative was this supposed to be? The culmination of everything Seneca Crane wanted? That fact didn't make any sense to her.

She watched, holding Corduroy's hand, as the footage played. There was a box in the corner that displayed her and Corduroy's reactions. The footage…it was like it forgot the other tributes that weren't important enough to the narrative didn't exist. Barely any time focused on Katniss and Peeta, despite them being among the favorites before the Games started. The only other tributes to be given any time at all were the Careers and, to a lesser degree, Monkshood.

Gadget felt like she was going to be sick. She watched her own interview play back. The attempted comfort Caesar tried to bring her. Her reveal of the things Binary had done to her.

And then it was followed by Binary's own interview as he tried to do damage control. But not even Caesar's generous interview was enough to gain him the sympathy or the sponsors that he may have otherwise gotten.

The first hour was over, and it felt like an eternity. There would be no breaks from watching. No sympathy from the Capitol that she could gain to let them go early. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see her friends die all over again. What kind of monster did this to people?

Her breathing began to pick up, and her pulse quickened. Corduroy must have felt it, because he was almost desperately running his thumb over the back of her hand in insistent circles.

But there was nothing she could do. The footage was already moving. An aerial view of the Cornucopia opened up the shot. All twenty-four of them slowly rose out and up into the arena, where each of them took a quick look around at their surroundings. Then, as the countdown began, the camera between each of them, giving them all a few short seconds of screen time. It only lingered on those who hadn't died so early.

It was nothing short of surreal, seeing one's self from a third-person perspective. The invisible drone cameras circled around Gadget often, giving the audience right now a good view of her every emotion and reaction. And she could imagine that right then, there were cameras on her in this room, panning her face, her expressions, and there were probably cameras focusing on her interlocked hands with Corduroy. Everything would be documented. It always was. She'd seen it for every victor's interview. As they watched the recaps and highlights of the last two weeks, cameras would capture the victor's face and body language, and occasionally that of the audience, but mostly the victor.

Privacy was something she would never know ever again…

Gadget's hand tightened around Corduroy's. No, no, no…she thought desperately. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to watch this. She wanted to run off the stage and go far, far away from here. But she couldn't. She didn't have a choice. She had to watch.

The countdown ended far too quick, and the carnage began. Gadget watched as it all happened so swiftly. How Corduroy and Peeta sprinted away into the treeline. She rewatched the horrors of Katniss' last moments as Marvel stuck his kukri into her.

She watched as Cato swung a machete into Serin's skull. She watched as Glimmer cut into Tamora with a knife. She watched as Clove threw a blade right into Surge's throat.

And she watched as Elm was impaled by Thresh, and thrown on top of her, and how Thresh mistook her for dead. Corduroy's hand tightened around hers, and she heard him let out a shallow breath. The crowd cheered as tribute after tribute was struck down. Marina's butchered kill on Husk. Marvel's spear through Cedar's heart. Cato's murder of Jason with a scythe he'd picked up.

Gadget watched it all with horror. She didn't care for the box that showed her reactions anymore. She couldn't pretend to be pleased by what she saw. How could the Capitol enjoy this? This…this suffering? Her feet touched the ground and she put as much weight as she could into it.

There was so much blood. Each horrific murder embedded into Gadget's mind, burning into her retinas so that she would never forget what she was watching. Even as Monkshood betrayed Ridley to the Careers and ran away, the horrific sight continued. Gadget had to rewatch as Ridley was butchered by Cato, choking and pleading, before Clove finished him off.

As the battle came to an end, the camera panned over the corpses. Like one final taunting reminder that she could have joined them.

Gadget felt ill. The Capitol didn't show them any mercy. Each corpse was shown in gruesome detail. These people were all dead! And the audience was cheering for it!

It was clear as day how desensitized the Capitolites had become to watching children die on screen. It wasn't one of them, and thus, it was okay to laugh and cheer like it was such a wonderful and amazing thing to behold. It was all Gadget could do to keep herself from retching right there on stage. She wasn't sure that Caesar would appreciate her making a spectacle like that. Though she couldn't help but calculate how useful such a move would be. Maybe they'd stop playing the horrors for her to relive.

But the other part of her warned that the Capitol, or more specifically, President Snow, would take umbrage. The man was at the core of it all. He was ruthless, and brutal, and would not hesitate to punish her in some way. It would rarely involve her immediate demise, at first. No, first, they'd target whatever she cared for the most, and since it was quite well documented that she did not care much for most of her blood relatives, that meant Corduroy was first in the line of fire. Even now, she could see that Corduroy stood in the center of a maelstrom, with a false firewall as his only shield from death.

For his sake, she had to keep it together, to keep playing the neverending game.

"This was a moment of sheer genius!" Caesar proclaimed, making Gadget jump, then she turned to see what he was referring to and briefly closed her eyes.

Of course…

"I will say, young lady, I didn't believe that Marvel boy," Caesar leaned in as if to whisper to her, but his mic would pick up every word as clearly as if he'd shouted it from the mountaintops, "I think you really had him and everyone else there fooled. They thought you were dead. Right under their noses!"

The audience rumbled their agreement with occasional whistles and cheers.

"Let me tell you," Caesar said, leaning in so that his head was right by Gadget's, "when that happened, my. Heart. Stopped."

Gadget didn't bother to reply. Her eyes were on the screen, but she wasn't taking in the details. Horror wound her stomach tight. Her chest felt like it was compressed and was on the verge of ejecting anything she'd consumed since waking. She sucked in a breath, and blew it back out, again and again.

Just breathe in, breathe out.

The recap deviated focus for a while, now showcasing Corduroy, and his subsequent encounter with Monkshood. The treacherous girl had proposed an alliance between them, once more, her words biting and sarcastic, citing Gadget's early death. How she saw her bloodied corpse in the Cornucopia. And Corduroy's guarded, calculated agreement to the tentative alliance, on the proviso of not turning on one another until a certain number of fallen tributes. In hindsight, Gadget could see all the signs of her treachery clear as day. Her hidden smirks and intense stares at Corduroy's back when he wasn't watching her.

They then met little Rue, who held a pack full of supplies, given to her by Thresh.

Even as the footage skipped onward, Gadget realized something. Amongst one of Monkshood's lies was a truth. Why did Corduroy lie about how he joined an alliance with her and Rue? Gadget supposed that it didn't matter, even as her heart wrenched itself. Maybe he was…trying to cover his bases. She didn't know.

As if sensing her thoughts, Corduroy turned to look at her, his eyes full of sorrow. And it seemed the audio of the recap dimmed as her attention was locked entirely on him alone. She felt drawn into his gaze, and what sounds came from the recap, dulled into incoherent mumblings.

"I thought you were dead…" he said in barely a whisper, but it seemed like all of Panem heard him clearly, and maybe they did, what with the pick-up mics on them and the chairs themselves, "...I did not know what else to do. I…had to find Lace, at least."

Gadget gave him a weak smile. "It's okay…I-I understand."

She belatedly realized there was another reason Corduroy was staring so hard, so pleadingly at her. As their attention returned to the recap, or rather, as they were forced to pay attention once more, because Lace's voice came out. Even knowing what she was about to see, Gadget's head snapped to the screen only a scant moment before Corduroy's did. Neither wanted to see this, but neither could they tear their eyes away now. Gadget hadn't been able to see her death at Clove's hands, because Peeta had been holding her down, hiding both himself and her from sight on the ledge they were on.

But now they could both see, and Gadget and Corduroy seemed to be locked in a competition to see who could squeeze each other's hand tighter.

It felt like she needed to watch this, as if to punish herself for not saving Lace or sparing her at least from the torturous cruelty of Clove. As she brought her blade down again and again and again. Despite the numerous stabbings, Clove had been so careful to avoid the vital organs, for the most part, ensuring that Lace would suffer for a long time before succumbing to her wounds. The crowd gasped and even protested at the brutality, but Gadget belated realized that the reactions were almost…superficial. This was all just a show to them. A movie. They didn't see real people dying.

She wanted to scream at them, she wanted to curse them. But only Corduroy's safety kept her from losing it completely.

For Lace.

She'd protect Corduroy forever, in memory of Lace, in memory of Peeta.

And now, once again being reminded of Clove's monstrous ways, Gadget took grim satisfaction in playing a part in the girl's demise. It no longer felt as bad watching how Clove died. In fact, that was probably going to be a highlight moment soon. They're at least skimming over most of the days, and only focusing on pertinent or pivotal moments.

She looked over at Corduroy and realized tears were streaming down his face as he witnessed Lace's death up close. She realized under normal circumstances, he would not have had the chance to witness this himself. She would have been sitting here next to Caesar all by herself, crying alone as she was forced to relive all the horrors in third-person. But these were unique circumstances, and he was here. And he no longer had to hold himself together, to maintain the illusion of control. He could show how much he felt, and it drew her closer to him as they silently wept together for their lost friend.

Gadget barely resisted flinching when she felt a large hand rest lightly on her shoulder opposite from Corduroy and she looked over to see Caesar's sympathetic expression, and it startled her. His own eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

So maybe not all of the Capitol were unfeeling monsters. Well, if his previous encouragement in the initial interviews were anything to go by, the man felt for the tributes. Maybe that big grin was all a bit of an act. A front he had to put up. Once again, Gadget was reminded that the Great Game, as she now dubbed it, had players from everywhere, including within the Capitol. After all, that many Avoxes had to come from somewhere for a myriad of reasons.

The recap was continuing with barely any pause. Even with all the heavy editing, they were trying to compress two weeks of a televised gladiatorial death match. They mostly followed Gadget's exploits, but occasionally interspersed various other tributes and whatever they were up to at the same time that Gadget was facing her ordeals. It helped put into perspective the expansive level of activity that went on.

She watched as she established her rescue of Corduroy from the clutches of Binary and Kernel, despite starting to hallucinate from the tracker jacker toxin that Monkshood laced her blade with. She briefly looked on in wonder at her own ability to even remotely function through the state she was in. Her honest belief was she'd be a complete wreck. Back home, she would have been. She'd just curl up and either hope to die or hope in vain for rescue.

Her mind wandered for a bit, knowing how it all turned out first-hand, she didn't really need the recap to tell her how it played out. Not even morbid curiosity had her look up. She was still barely processing the sight of Clove repeatedly stabbing Lace in the torso until she was a mess of gaping wounds.

The crowd gasped, shouted and cheered, and Gadget looked up at the sound of her own screaming. She was falling off the tree log, with Cato…

She struggled to draw breath as she watched herself get half-drowned, and the din of the audience thundered through her rake-thin body. She was hyperventilating by the time she got to the part where she succeeded in drowning Cato. She shook her head, but her eyes never left the screen as they briefly recounted what Corduroy and Peeta got up to whilst she was struggling to escape the waters. But it brought her little comfort to see that they at least got along in her absence.

A loud gasp escaped her as she saw the same monstrosity pursuing Corduroy in the final battle. Here, it attacked both boys ferociously, but they barely managed to drive it off. As Peeta had said, it was defeated.

Not too long after the scene faded, and came back to Gadget…and Thresh's death. A sound could be heard as the crowd went unnaturally silent. It was bitter, miserable, and pained. Eventually, Gadget realized it was her sobbing, as she wept over her forced killing of Thresh. She tried to spare him more misery and pain, but instead gave him more pain and suffering.

She couldn't take it anymore, and she was about to rise from her seat, the Capitol and everything be damned. She'd find another way to protect Corduroy, but she needed to get away. Only Caesar's gentle hand and Corduroy's own grip on her shoulder or hand stayed her motion. With his free hand, Caesar lightly tapped something near his collar, and Gadget unconsciously reached to touch a tiny bump twice, as did Corduroy, and Caesar nodded at someone off the side of the stage.

It seemed like the mics were all turned off for a brief moment, and Caesar whispered in her ear, "I know…I know it's hard, but we're here for you."

He leaned back a bit and she watched him faintly nod at her, and offer a small smile. Unable to return the smile, she nonetheless nodded as her tears continued to pour down.

"You've already gone through this. You're a lot stronger than you know, Miss Trevelyan," he said, still using a soft voice, "you can get through this and anything else they throw at you."

She looked at him once more, but this time using her peripherals only. When he said they, the intonation suggested he distanced himself from the rest of the Capitol.

From the rest of the Games.

Like Septimius, he stood apart from his own people. Perhaps Caesar cared a lot more than even she realized. That the tributes were not just fictional characters. Well, it made sense. He shook hands or even hugged the tributes on stage. He made physical connections. It was impossible to be unfeeling, and stay incognizant of the fact that the Capitol was sending children to their deaths.

It took her a moment, but she eventually got her breathing and sobbing back under control. And she realized to her embarrassment that the recap had briefly paused to focus on her, and projected her red-rimmed tear-streaked eyes for all of Panem to see. She idly wondered if the districts had some narrator commentating on her state of mind as she was televised even now for the people. Caesar nodded to the same technician off the stage and she heard a subtle click and felt a brief buzz on her neck, signaling all the mics were back on.

There was a scattering of cheers and encouragement for Gadget, with somebody closer to the stage abruptly shouting, "WE LOVE YOUUUU!"

She weakly waved at them, and was met with a larger cheer for her acknowledgement.

Everything's a movie for these people. Either hate it and be miserable forever, or play along.

Despite what she told herself, she couldn't muster the strength to try. Not right at this instant. But maybe later, if she had time to think, she could devise a strategy.

The recap continued, now showing that at some point, after Monkshood betrayed her and shoved her out to be caught by Binary and Kernel, she had confronted Finch. In typical Monkshood fashion, the treacherous girl had tried to ambush the lithe redhead from behind. Much fiercer than Monkshood anticipated, Finch proved dangerous enough that Monkshood sought escape, swiping the redhead's arm with the same poisoned dagger that she'd lightly stabbed Gadget with.

The tracker jacker venom.

It took a long time for that to clear her systems, and she even had traces working through her days later. After all, she hallucinated seeing Cato and Lace even though they were definitely dead.

But…no…the recap showed them. Showed them taunting her. Which begged the question of how that was possible. She'd thought that that was merely a byproduct of the stress she was undergoing, not to mention the physical and mental strain.

She did learn that when Corduroy had given his explanation for why he teamed up with Monkshood, Peeta had already returned, but he didn't want to interrupt the conversation, and thus, stayed out of sight beyond the treeline. Yet, he was close enough to hear everything.

Watching Peeta die again, this time from a third perspective, was almost enough to completely wreck Gadget entirely, and it was only Caesar's and Corduroys hands that helped her draw strength to endure this. As Caesar had said, she had gone through it, but she was already past the worst. This was merely a reminder, a spruced up version of what the people of Panem had watched for the last two weeks.

I can endure this…

She had to.

At a painfully agonizing pace, the Games played out before their eyes, the only difference being she got to gauge the audience's reactions personally. And they got to gauge hers. The Games in the Arena were so simple in comparison. She gripped the plush chair with one hand whilst her other held on to Corduroy's hand desperately.

Seeing how they were separated was just as painful as it was the first time. Gadget knew she was safe, but her heart still beat rapidly in her chest. She knew the outcome, and still she feared what she was going to see play out.

Her 'scene' with Finch came too quickly. But it was different now. There wasn't just herself and Finch. But a third person that hadn't been there in reality. Gadget knew she wasn't really there, because the girl had died in the Bloodbath.

It was Cedar.

Suddenly, everything made so much more sense. Finch didn't think she was talking to another person. She was talking to another person. But it couldn't be a tracker jacker hallucination. If…if the Capitol was showing her these things, then they must have really happened. At least to a degree.

Oh.

It wasn't really Cedar that exposed her attempt to escape to Finch. It was Seneca Crane posing as Cedar. Seneca Crane that posed as Cato. Seneca Crane that posed as Lace.

The realization struck her, and Gadget glanced up toward the Gamemaker booth. She wanted to see him with her own eyes. Not through the screens and not while he took on the appearance of someone she cared about.

But Seneca Crane still wasn't there.

On the screen, Corduroy paced in front of his pedestal. Beside Gadget, the real Corduroy stiffened. Gadget wished she knew what was about to happen so that she could help him. Her scream rang out through the field, and Corduroy seemed to come to a conclusion.

Corduroy stood on the pedestal and launched himself onto the walls of the wheat field, pulling himself up. Then, he was on top of the wall, he ducked low. Gadget could almost see the warring emotions on his face. What was he thinking?

He stood up and slowly started to walk along the wall. But he wasn't going in the direction that he had heard her scream. Gadget didn't understand. A pit began to form in her stomach.

A number of feet away, Clove hopped expertly onto the wall, her knife twisting into her palm. Even on the screen, there was madness in her eyes, and Corduroy flattened himself against what he was standing on. If Clove saw him, she didn't care.

And then he was on the move, following Clove until Gadget screamed again, and the Career girl abruptly turned directions.

Realization started to dawn on Gadget. Her fear had come true. As she watched herself try to fight Clove off, she knew what exactly had happened. It was just as she had hoped so desperately to be not true. Corduroy had used her as bait for Clove. That was why he hadn't gone to her after he heard her scream.

Gadget looked at him, and she saw clearly the guilt on his face. She wanted to ask him why, but she couldn't get the words out. They were too soft. Too scratched in her throat.

"I am sorry," Corduroy said, his voice echoing loudly through the chamber despite his soft tone. "I should have come for you. I should not have tried to play a game with Clove."

"Why…?" Gadget finally asked. Hurt laced her words. The Games continued on the screen and Gadget looked at Corduroy for an answer. Maybe the Capitol couldn't be upset with her for seeking answers from him.

Maybe this was what they wanted. To try and tear up what the two of them had built. This one thing…this one thing that the longer she looked into Corduroy's eyes told her his regret…

"I do not know," Corduroy told her weakly. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, and Gadget could see how red they were. "Revenge," he stated simply. "But I did not want you to get hurt. Please…"

'I'm sorry,' was the last unspoken words. He conveyed it all in his eyes.

Gadget already knew the outcome of this before Corduroy finished his statement. "I forgive you," she said. After everything they had been through together…this one incident wouldn't drive a wedge between them. Gadget wouldn't let it.

Corduroy looked back at her like he could scarcely believe what he was hearing. And he smiled. He smiled so widely and with so much relief that it filled Gadget's heart.

"Cecelia warned me of revenge," Corduroy said, his gaze turning towards the screen. Gadget mirrored his action. His hand squeezed hers. "She was right. Killing Clove just left me empty."

Gadget swallowed. Their differences in reaction towards revenge scared her. Did that make her a bad person? The fact that Binary's death left her fulfilled while…while the revenge Corduroy got for Lace left him empty? Yet, if she hadn't aided Corduroy in finishing off Clove, who, even in her injured state far outmatched Gadget and Corduroy combined, it would have been Binary that was sitting here, watching the recap, laughing and buffing his nails against his chest.

Binary laughing, Zeno laughing.

That was enough of a visage to make her ease her conscience. They had all taken enough from her, and maybe she'd never be free of the Capitol's whims and fancies, but she was not going to give them anymore than they'd forced out of her thus far. Binary was dead, and so was Clove, there was nothing more they could take. And as for Zeno?

A cold resolve filled her chest as she started preparing for what she planned to be the last time the man ever laid eyes on his daughter. The last time he'd ever take anything else from her.

In this state, seeing Clove's grisly end with the army ants did nothing to her either way. It happened, she died, and all her cruel deeds ended with her. There was nothing more she can do and her legacy was gone, contrary to her overconfident promises prior about teaching her district tributes how to hunt those from District Three.

Who's going to teach who now?

"YEAH!" someone from the audience shouted, startling Gadget.

She looked towards the voice, then snapped her head up as the screen showed her building her flamethrower and after making a dramatic statement, tested the weapon, proving its effectiveness. There was an ever increasing volume of excited expressions and noise from the crowd as they drew nearer to the end.

Finally!

After seeing all the deaths and everything else replayed, this was surprisingly the least stressful part. She looked over at Corduroy and saw him watching the screen with rapt interest. Of course…after he'd gotten zapped by the shock staff, he was barely alive and only woke up after she'd been declared the victor. This would all be new to him. When he saw how she dealt with Binary, he'd looked over at her in awe and admiration.

"You are amazing…" he whispered.

His thumb rubbed reassuring circles over the back of her palm.

The crowd could barely contain their excitement now, cheering on the fight as if they hadn't already watched it before.

It was then another realization hit her. It was a good thing Corduroy hadn't reawakened before she'd been declared a victor. Even if the tracker chip was damaged by the electrical jolt, if they'd seen him move before she was declared...they'd have…they'd have made her kill him…

Her pulse quickened, and her breathing hitched at yet another near-miss. But Corduroy was for once a little distracted, listening to her words on the screen, because up until then, she thought he'd died. When he awakened, Corduroy in real life pulled her into a hug, and as the recap came to an end, Gadget felt the boy stiffen slightly, and he pulled back, looking at her with a small frown. A question was on his lips. Clearly he felt the racing of her heartbeat and how her pulse was becoming erratic.

But before he could ask, all sound was drowned by the deafening roar of the audience. Men, women and children were screaming for Gadget. Her name was being chanted like never before. Because, now, she stood before them a victor. Corduroy was...nobody knew what to call him. But he was the Capitol's first big goof in a long time. Yet, whatever came, for now…for now, Gadget held a lot of cards. And as Beetee said, the powers that be, did not like to stain their hands where all of Panem could see. Their own citizens would likely turn against them, fickle folk as they were.

Gadget practically sprinted off the stage. Her eyes were wet with tears, and Corduroy's hand held tightly to hers as they walked off together. The audience roared their cheering for them, but Gadget wouldn't look at them. Not to wave, not to smile. Gadget felt as though she was on the edge of completely breaking down.

"Almost there," Corduroy whispered in her ear as they went. One foot in front of the other. Gadget counted each step they took.

One, two, three, four.

And as Caesar announced something to the audience, Gadget sighed in relief as she and Corduroy made it off the stage, behind the temporary safety of the same room she had been taken into after her initial interview.

Was this what Seneca Crane wanted her to see? President Snow? See the people she outlived? See everyone die all over again!? See Lace and Peeta…die again!?

It was too much, as the realizations hit her all over again. Gadget's legs shook under her, and she turned towards Corduroy and dropped her head into his chest. It was too much for her. How couldn't it be more than enough for anyone!? Gadget sobbed into Corduroy's chest, her back hunched and her hands clutching for his hands.

"It is over now," Corduroy said softly to her. He sounded just like she did. Racked with tears. Did he feel as much guilt as she did?

It will never be over…Gadget thought with despair. Her chest welled up with emotion, and she choked on her sobs. Lace and Peeta…she missed them. She missed them so much. This shouldn't have happened.

Her friends were dead and there was nothing she could do. How did anyone deal with this? The overwhelming feelings of regret. Of guilt. Of all of it!?

"Please…" she sobbed, "don't ever leave me…"

"I will stay by your side," Corduroy said, his voice such a mixture of emotion, "for as long as I possibly can." His hands released hers, and they wrapped around her back, pulling her in close.

Gadget cried. This time tomorrow, she was going to be back home in her own district. Hundreds of miles separated from Corduroy. She was…she was most likely never going to see him again. He wasn't a victor. Was he going to be forced into staying in his district forever? Despite his survival?

Gadget didn't know. But she clung to him. She never wanted to let go. She had to make every second she had with him count. Her heart thumped so hard in her chest that it burned

"Well done!" a woman squealed. Footsteps joined her as they entered the room. Their mentors and whoever else, Gadget surmised.

It wasn't enough to get her to let go of Corduroy. She wanted to memorize his every feature. He had done so much for her and…and she didn't know if, after tomorrow, she would ever see him again.

"Come now, Gadget, stop hogging the survivor!" the same woman said, her voice rising in pitch as she spoke.

Gadget's hands curled. She wanted to yell at them to leave them alone. To let them be in peace. But Gadget detached herself from Corduroy and stepped away. For the first time, she looked at the new arrivals. She wasn't surprised to see that Beetee and Wiress were there. And so was Cecelia, Corduroy's mentor. The woman who had spoken, however, Gadget vaguely recognized. It was the same woman who had pulled Corduroy's name out of the reaping bowl.

Her appearance was just as loud as it was during the reaping. This was the woman who had pulled both Corduroy and Lace's names from the bowl.

"Don't mind them," the escort said, gesturing towards Nero and another stylist talking to a blond man, who's face Gadget couldn't see. "Time to get you ready ready ready for the Victory Banquet!"

"Oh," Corduroy said simply.

"That's right!" the escort squawked. "Then Gadget there will be crowned the victor, and I'm sorry but that won't include you!"

"Rhox!" Cecelia said, finally stepping in to grab the escort - Rhox - by the shoulder. "That's enough. I need to talk to Corduroy. Alone," she emphasized.

It seemed odd, almost, watching Cecelia. After what Binary had told her about Gizmo…Gadget hadn't known what to expect. But Cecelia looked…average. Like someone who couldn't possibly be a killer.

Gadget shivered. What did that thought mean for herself?

Corduroy looked extremely reluctant. "Whatever it is you want to tell me, you can tell me in front of Gadget," he said. His voice sounded as though he was trying to be firm, but there was a shakiness to it. He looked at her, and Gadget sent him a watery smile.

"I'm glad you have loyalty for your friend," Cecelia said, and she did sound as though she truly meant that, "but this is for your ears only."

"I-I'll be okay," Gadget stammered weakly. He won't be gone long, she reasoned. Curiosity played at her, but she shoved the feeling down.

Corduroy looked at her, searching her expression for something that Gadget didn't know. She blushed and darted her eyes to the ground.

"Very well," Corduroy said at last, sounding very clearly reluctant. He followed Cecelia, and the two of them disappeared out through another door.

Gadget's heart ached. Every second mattered. They had to make the most of their time left together. How pathetic was she? She wiped her eyes and dragged her feet as she approached Beetee and Wiress. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rhox pout.

"You did good up there," Wiress complimented awkwardly. She looked rather spaced-out.

Gadget didn't believe Wiress in the slightest. "I-I cried and…and…" she trailed off lamely.

"And now you're done," Beetee said. "You won't have any more interviews for now."

For now. Those were the operative words there. She was the Capitol's plaything. What did being a victor even entail? What about being a mentor? Gadget had no idea. She was already so overwhelmed. Did it matter if she was still alive if her life won't belong to her anymore?

"Wh-where's Septimius?" she asked, looking past Beetee and Wiress. She had to see him. But the only people she saw were Nero and two people she didn't recognize. Gadget needed to see him.

Before Beetee or Wiress could speak, however, the blond man who'd been talking to Nero and Corduroy's stylist turned around. His blond hair was styled oddly, to say the least. It dropped in front of his right eye, creating a rather sharp looking point. Right on the sides, as well, were two hills that looked like two circular blades. His attire, however, was rather effeminate. A solid black uniform, with a kilt that stretched down to his admittedly fancy shoes. Similarly, he also wore what looked to Gadget like a black bathrobe made of leather, strapped up to look like a jacket. Down the middle opening was a simple red, velvet tie.

Gadget froze. Though his appearance was different, his face hadn't changed at all. His eyes, surrounded by subtle red makeup, found her. A smile that didn't look at all real to Gadget crossed his lips.

No, in spite of his different appearance, he still looked just like the man that killed Mortimer.

"Crispin Light, my dear, quite a pleasure!" he said, kicking his feet to a stop when he was right beside Wiress.

The same man that killed Mortimer. He was standing right in front of her, like he hadn't been the one to pull that trigger a few weeks ago, now. The smile on his face remained, and it reminded her so much of the false smiles that Binary and Monkshood sent her, versus the one that Corduroy, Peeta, and Lace gave her.

"I…I don't…" Gadget tried to say, but the words died on her lips. She stared fearfully at the man - at Crispin.

"Oh, you were asking a question, that's right!" Crispin said, overly pronouncing some words more than others. "I am your escort for the time being, but we'll see Septimius at the Victory Banquet."

Gadget whimpered, stepping back as Crispin stepped forward. He reached into his jacket pocket, and, to Gadget, it seemed as though his smile became more sinister. Was he going to kill her!?

"It would also seem you forgot this, my dear," he said, pulling out her tribute token. Her microchip. It seemed to glint in his hand off of the lights.

Gadget stared, silently begging for her rapidly beating heart to cease. Crispin offered the token out with his palm. She didn't know what to think. Crispin was acting as her escort? Why? What happened to Septimius? Why was he at the Victory Banquet already?

Gadget didn't understand. Tentatively, she reached out and took her microchip from Crispin's hand. Guilt weighed down on her once more. It was the one thing she had left of her mom and she had forgotten all about it in the chaos of everything. She squeezed it in her palm, closing her hand around it.

As Crispin withdrew his hand, he smiled at her again. False, Gadget thought.

"I hope the two of us can become good friends," he said.