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~~(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)~~
Author's Notes:
Triage: The die is cast. The destiny is upon our beloved victim…*cough*...I mean, heroine…yes, heroine…
Zevoros: Special thanks to Evie Rose and Team Shadow! Additional thanks to CragmiteBlaster.
Penelope's Web
Chapter 6
Fate's Crosshairs
Gadget felt broken. So broken.
Her hands gripped hard onto the railing of the elevator and a whimper escaped her throat.
She wanted to disappear.
The Games will help me do that…
Gadget shook her head sharply. No, no! I won't…I don't want to die…
Seneca Crane's blue-grey eyes stared at her from the Gamemakers' booth. He watched her. Calculated her worth.
It made her shiver.
Yet it kept coming back to her with no sign of stopping. She could only imagine what Seneca Crane had in store for her.
Gadget had no doubt in her mind that her pathetic display on the Gauntlet would fail to get any kind of interest in her from the Gamemakers. Her score was always going to be inevitably low, she knew. She had known it far before her private session had even begun.
And now she had done something that would get her disregarded. Just another tribute to pad out the numbers of the Bloodbath.
She didn't stand a chance.
Gadget rubbed at her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't. She wouldn't!
How low will my score be, she wondered. How low are my odds?
How would Beetee, Wiress, and Septimius bear to look at her at all? Gadget knew they would flip on her then. They would go to Binary, because unlike her, he actually had a chance to survive.
Gadget started to tap her foot in trepidation.
She would be forgotten by everyone except the people who mattered most: the other tributes.
Don't cry, Gadget scolded herself. It was as Binary said. She was pathetic.
Gadget heaved a breath. Corduroy and Lace would do so much better than her. Maybe when they saw the scores they'd know their mistake of allying with someone as weak as her.
Strength is everything to them in the arena…and I have none…
Not for the first time, Gadget wondered if she should even try. Give in to what everyone thought of her and jump to the mines before the Games even began.
She hoped it would be a quick death. Seneca Crane could at least afford her that one mercy.
Gadget couldn't do anything but despair. She should've shown them something else. Anything else. Something that would actually make them interested in her. Something that could wow even Seneca Crane.
But she hadn't. Because she couldn't. She had no skills that would have impressed the Gamemakers.
And like always, ever since Gadget arrived in the Capitol, she was at their mercy.
At last, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Into the suite of District Three. Where her mentors were waiting for her.
Gadget didn't move. Her dead, terrified eyes stared down the hallway. She didn't want them to see her after her complete and utter failure.
They would tell her how she did well, as if they knew how bad her performance really would be. And though they would say those words, Gadget knew it was the eyes that gave everything away.
And their eyes would shine with disappointment.
Gadget felt like sobbing. She hammered her finger into one of the buttons of the elevator without looking to see where it would take her.
The doors shut, and the elevator descended. It took her further and further away from the District Three suite, and Gadget felt her heart ease, if only just, at each floor she passed.
It felt like an eternity that Gadget was in the elevator for, even if, logically, she knew it was only a few seconds.
Whatever floor the elevator stopped on, Gadget couldn't bring herself to care. The doors opened again and Gadget stepped out into an unfamiliar hallway.
The colors of the wall were gaudy and over-the-top, in Gadget's opinion. Much more headache inducing than the walls of the District Three suite by far.
With trembling steps, Gadget walked into the hallway with no destination in mind. To escape from the chains of reminders of her failures that Seneca Crane locked her in.
She could see their disappointment in her mind's eye. Beetee and Wiress. Septimius. She wasn't ready to see it in reality.
Her heart constricted in pain.
"Okay…okay," Gadget mumbled to herself. She stopped in place and looked up and down the desolate hallway.
Then she took a step.
They'll probably forget about me, anyway, Gadget reasoned to herself. Like I was never really there…
Why wouldn't they forget about her? She was nothing. Nobody. An insignificant tribute that they've been tasked with training.
Given how much of a waste of resources she was, they would probably be happy to do away with her.
Gadget reached an intersection at the hallway and turned down it. She crossed her arms stiffly and gazed down at her feet.
On and on she went, deep into the building without any true care for where she ended up. Wherever her steps would take her, she would go.
But no matter how long the time ticked onwards, the thoughts didn't cease.
She reached the end of another hallway and two things became very noticeable to Gadget.
The first was the wall of glass in front of her. And beyond it, the Capitol. A purplish skyline that stretched seemingly forever. It was gorgeous. More beautiful than the sky Gadget had ever seen at home.
Buildings that, by Gadget's opinion, should've been ugly only complimented the Capitol ever more. Structures of different shapes and sizes and colors all came together.
And here Gadget stood, in the Training Center that overlooked it all.
Gadget knew she wasn't high up in the building. Below the District Three suite, so she was certain she was only a few stories up. And still, the people on the outside looked like tiny microchips from where she stood.
Then came the second thing Gadget noticed, even quicker than her view of the large glass windows. Chatter of a voice Gadget knew and recognized.
The chatter of the Career from District One. Marvel.
Gadget's heart stopped. She thought nobody would be here, in the hallways. She thought everyone, and especially the Careers, would have gone directly to their suite.
But there Marvel was. Not in the District One suite, but the same random hallway of the Training Center Gadget found herself in.
Gadget hurried to step back against the wall. If Marvel saw her, he would skin her alive. And that thought alone was enough to make her begin to turn back the way she came.
"You should've seen the looks on their faces!" Marvel said cheerfully, and Gadget pushed back against the wall, as if it would help her to sink into it. "But, y'know, it's only natural from my abilities."
Gadget could hear the shuffling of feet against the floor.
She heard a somewhat quiet, chilling voice that made her skin crawl.
"The District Two male has better odds than you do, Marvel," the voice said.
"Well, sure," Marvel replied. "He's the leader of the Pack for now." Gadget heard Marvel walk around a bit. "But he can't be for long. He's good, yeah. But I'm better."
The man that Gadget couldn't see didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "The threads are all around you. They point towards you."
"Yeah, I know," Marvel said, and Gadget could detect that he sounded distinctly uneasy.
"That male from Two…they're all the same," the man said with a snarl in his voice. "Always fight to honor their district, but they're no better than a fanged dog."
A pause and Gadget held her breath.
"Useful allies, though, Burgundy…right?"
Burgundy. Gadget couldn't stop herself. She glanced around the corner and there he was. His scarred face was turned towards Marvel so all Gadget could see was the back of his head.
The man that Grid warned about. The man that her mentors told her about.
A man that was dangerous.
"Honor thy district," Burgundy said. He tapped his fingers together along the sleeves of his outfit. "That's what they say, isn't that right?"
Marvel said nothing and Gadget could see that he looked deeply unsettled.
"I said," Burgundy went on when Marvel said nothing, "ISN'T THAT RIGHT!?" he finished with a shout that echoed down the corridor, and Gadget had to resist the urge to jump.
"That's right," Marvel said quickly. All traces of cockiness had fled from him.
"Oh," Burgundy said and he took a long look at Marvel. "Don't say it just because I asked." He put a hand on Marvel's shoulder. "Tell me, why did you volunteer?"
Gadget quickly pulled her head back around the corner and listened intently.
"I thought…" Marvel cleared his throat and restarted. "I've always loved the Hunger Games from a young age, you know?"
Gadget felt sick at the very thought. What went through his head to think going into the Hunger Games could ever possibly be worth it?
"When I saw someone kill someone else, I thought, 'yes, that's me.'"
That was wrong…it was so, so wrong…
"The people here will love that," Burgundy said softly. "When Caesar interviews you, tell them that."
"No problem," Marvel answered and Gadget could hear the cockiness return.
There was another long pause. Gadget began to wonder if they had left.
Marvel answered that question for her when she heard him speak again. "Glimmer thinks the kid from Three should join our alliance," he said casually.
"Explain," Burgundy stated.
Gadget heard Marvel shrug. "Something about him knowing how the non-Career tributes work, I wasn't really listening."
Silence returned to the corridor. Whatever Burgundy next said could decide the fate of Binary, Gadget figured. It could help them to decide whether they wanted him in or not.
Marvel's voice quickly took on an impatient tone. "Or should I await to see what the threads have to say?" he asked sarcastically.
In an instant, the sound of shoes shuffling against the floor reached Gadget's ears. She tilted her head in confusion at where the sound was coming from.
Then she heard the sound of a body hitting the floor and Gadget felt fear run through her. Did Marvel attack his mentor? Was he unstable enough to try it?
She put her thumb against her mouth and fought with herself. Did she want to look to see what Marvel was doing to his mentor? What if Marvel killed him? What…would…
Hesitantly, Gadget poked her head out into the corridor and froze.
Burgundy was not the one in trouble from Marvel. For it was the other way around. Marvel had been knocked to the floor and Burgundy's hands had wrapped around his throat.
Marvel's eyes, formerly filled with confident arrogance, now filled with terror and fear. Gadget didn't think she would find any mercy in Burgundy's.
Gadget could only watch as Marvel struggled against the floor helplessly. He reached up to fight back, but Burgundy was just out of his reach.
"Burgundy…Burgundy…" Marvel pleaded desperately. His face turned red and he choked for air that wouldn't come.
He was…he was going to kill Marvel!
He was going to die before the Games even truly began…
"Burgundy…Burgundy…please…!" Marvel begged.
But still, mercy was not forthcoming. Gadget didn't know what to do. He was going to die. He was going to die while Gadget was stuck in place as Burgundy squeezed the life out of Marvel.
She didn't have enough time to decide a course of actions, as Burgundy released his hands and he stood up. Marvel let out a cough and sucked in as much air as he could get. A hand of his own massaged his throat.
Gadget retreated against the wall. She had seen something she knew she wasn't meant to see. Marvel had been cruel to her and Corduroy and Lace, and yet she felt an ounce of sympathy for him.
"The threads call to me alone, Marvel," Burgundy said, and for the first time, Gadget understood why her mentors claimed him to be dangerous. "For you are not worthy of their call."
Marvel coughed again and pushed himself up. "I…understand…" he said between heaving breaths.
"Do you?" Burgundy asked coldly. "You could never understand. I doubt you will ever see the threads."
Marvel didn't dispute him again. He collected more breaths again and again.
Gadget didn't want to be there any longer. It was time for her to go. She hadn't gotten any useful information about what was to come, like she'd hoped.
No, she would return to the suite empty-handed and with a low score.
And a reminder of the cloud of death that hung over her.
She turned and her feet skid against the floor noisily as she nearly stumbled.
"We have a visitor," Burgundy said suddenly, and Gadget's blood went cold.
No, no…
Gadget turned slowly and quietly, but she saw in the reflection of the window. Herself. Burgundy had seen her.
"Come here, please," Burgundy beckoned and Gadget swallowed nervously.
What choice did she really have? After what she'd seen him do to his own tribute…what would he do to her?
Reluctantly, Gadget stepped out into the corridor where she came face-to-face with Burgundy.
"Thank you for humoring me," Burgundy said, and his scarred face split into a grin.
Gadget shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably. She wanted to turn and run, but she was scared. She was so, so scared. What would he do to her if she tried to run away?
Behind Burgundy, Marvel stood firm. He smirked at her and his form filled with confidence. It was like he had completely forgotten what had happened to him just a moment ago. He glared at Gadget but his lips remained curled.
Gadget's hand found her arm in an attempt to hold herself with any kind of comfort.
Burgundy's grin fell and he approached her slowly. His gaze dragged up and down her body, like he was calculating her worth.
Gadget's heart pounded in fear. Please…she begged internally. Let me go…
Burgundy took step after step to her until he was right in front of her, less than a foot away from her and he invaded her personal space.
From behind Burgundy, Gadget could see Marvel cross his arms silently. He remained silent and watched as anxiety flickered across Gadget's face.
"Why do the threads tell me you're so important?" Burgundy asked suddenly and Gadget flinched. He was so close…so close.
She didn't understand. In spite of her fear, she felt confusion rise in her. But did she want to say anything? She feared what he would say if she did.
"I don't…" Gadget stuttered quietly. Her lip quivered. She shouldn't have gone here. She should've gone back to the suite.
"So many threads around you," Burgundy said. He reached his hand out to Gadget's side. She cringed and prepared herself for his touch.
Is he like Mortimer, she wondered idly. Would he hurt her, and violate her in the same way Mortimer had?
But Burgundy's hand never touched her. Hesitantly, she looked to see what had Burgundy so entranced, but she saw nothing. His hand curled around the air in a manner that implied to Gadget that he held something only he could see.
"So many threads," Burgundy said with something akin to awe.
Should she move? Burgundy seemed too entranced to notice her any longer. She could run back the way she'd come. Disappear until it was time for what was to come.
Marvel's glare burned into her and Gadget looked past Burgundy at him. His eyes shined with mockery and Gadget could only stare fearfully back at him.
Then, Marvel brought his hand up and stuck his thumb out to the side. With cruel amusement, he slid it across his neck.
Gadget felt her throat go dry. He'd made his intentions so broadly clear. Her death at Marvel's hands would be torturous, she knew.
"Only President Snow and his granddaughter have threads like yours," Burgundy said and Gadget looked at him, her dead gaze wide and full of fear.
"Please…" Gadget begged. She didn't like this. Whatever it was he meant, it made Gadget uneasy with terror.
"What is your name?" Burgundy asked. He moved his hands over her head. Never touching her, but dangerously close. Gadget wasn't sure if he had any intention to lay a finger on her, but what she thought meant nothing here.
"G-Gadget," she told him.
"No," Burgundy said and finally, he looked at her instead of whatever it was only he could see. "Your full name."
Gadget wanted to retch. "Gadg-Gadget Tr-Trevelyan."
Burgundy nodded and his eyes drifted away again. "You have so many threads, Gadget Trevelyan."
Gadget said nothing. She didn't want to set him off like she'd seen as Marvel had.
"This was the District Three kid you mentioned, Marvel?" Burgundy asked as, finally, he pulled his hand away and Gadget felt a sigh of relief burrow in her throat.
Marvel's face twisted into surprise and he glanced out the window, then back at Burgundy. "No, it was the other kid. The boy."
"The boy," Burgundy repeated. He looked at Gadget and his cold gaze made her shiver. "No, take Gadget instead."
Gadget froze in shock. What?
"What?" Marvel asked. He stared in confusion at Burgundy.
"The threads surround her," Burgundy said without looking at Marvel. "They tell me she is important."
Marvel's face twisted in disgust. "I'll let the Pack know," he said. Gadget knew he didn't mean it.
"Good," Burgundy said distractedly. He stepped away from Gadget at long last and she felt like she could breathe again. "Very, very good."
"Why her," Marvel asked. Gadget guessed that he was unable to hold in the burning question.
"I will not go against the will of the threads, Marvel," Burgundy stated warningly. "They tell me of her importance." He looked at Gadget. "And why might that be?"
Gadget couldn't answer. Her body was stiff with a growing sense of trepidation and she didn't know how to possibly answer his questions.
She heard a door open and Burgundy moved past her towards the door. Though whatever hope of reprieve that she dreamed would come was dashed away when she heard a new voice speak.
"Burgundy Volke," the new man said and Gadget didn't need to see his face to know exactly who he was. "President Snow has requested you."
"Thank you, Seneca," Burgundy replied. He cast one last glance at Gadget, and then moved past her, his footsteps fading quick.
Gadget's posture eased, if only just. Burgundy was gone. The immediate danger was gone, she knew logically. But still, there were two dangerous people in the corridor with her still.
Because Seneca Crane had joined them, and Gadget knew if she said anything he didn't like, he could kill her at the push of a button.
That was to say, if Marvel didn't kill her in the Bloodbath first.
Marvel stepped close to Gadget, his stance confident and smug. He leaned even closer and whispered lowly, "Don't hope that I'll be going easy on you, District Three. Your death…" he blew out a breath. "It'll be marvelous."
And then he was gone. He disappeared down the same hallway Gadget had come from and faded away.
Okay…okay…they're gone…
But Gadget didn't feel any safer than she did when they left. Because now she was in a new realm of danger. Someone else that could see her demise so thoroughly.
She watched as Seneca Crane approached and looked out the giant glass window. His hands folded behind his back and Gadget figured he was sufficiently distracted.
"I'm…I'm gonna go now," Gadget squeaked and made to turn. She had long lost track of where the elevator was, but anywhere was better than where she was right now.
"Have you seen this?" Seneca Crane asked and Gadget stopped in her tracks. Hesitantly, she looked back at him, but Seneca Crane hadn't turned away from the window.
"W-what?" she asked.
"Those odds," Seneca Crane said. He unfolded his hands and pointed at something outside. Then he looked over his shoulder at her. "Why don't you take a look?"
It wasn't really a question. It was an order disguised as one.
Gadget shuffled forward towards him reluctantly and gazed out through the window at where the Head Gamemaker had pointed.
"Right there," Seneca Crane said, and Gadget saw a large screen filled with the names of the tributes. Her own name among them. Each divided into a section with numbers beside them.
She was quick to find Glimmer and Marvel's at the top. Seven to one and five to one respectively. Then under them, Clove and Cato, with odds of five to one and three to one.
Three to one.
Gadget pressed her hands against the glass to stabilize herself. Those odds placed Cato above everyone else. It gave him the most likely chance to win the Games. Three to one odds.
"Gadget Trevelyan," Seneca Crane announced from the screen. "Thirty to one odds."
Gadget's heart skipped a beat. "Oh…" she said.
Thirty to one odds. The lowest of them all. Even Cedar had better odds than she did.
"Johanna Mason won with odds even lower," Seneca Crane said casually.
But she wasn't Johanna Mason. She was pathetic. No one. Someone that was destined to die in the Bloodbath.
Whether it be by one of the Careers or…or her stepping off her pedestal too early.
She eyed Binary's odds of twenty to one. Always better than her. As if there was any doubt about it. Whatever Gadget did, she knew Binary could do better.
Gadget looked for Corduroy and Lace's names and she smiled, only just. Thirteen to one and fifteen to one. Both were so much better than her own. At least they had a chance.
"You know," Seneca Crane started and Gadget glanced at him. "I can control everything about the Games. Except for who is in them."
Gadget stepped away from the window. She felt so cold. Her entire being drenched in fear.
"So, it's very gratifying whenever we have a tribute with a compelling backstory," Seneca Crane continued. "Such as Ms. Everdeen. Or Ms. Crossley."
Gadget took a slow step backwards. "W-what about the C-Careers?" she asked.
"Careers?" Seneca Crane asked. He hummed and put his hands back behind himself. "Districts One and Two always volunteer, it gets boring after a while."
Gadget was taken aback. Seneca Crane found the Career districts…boring?
"Why?" Gadget asked meekly.
Seneca Crane smiled slightly. "Because their stories are always so…lackluster." He looked at Gadget and she stilled. His calculating blue-grey eyes bored into her and she let out a whimper. "Not like you could be."
"M-me?" Gadget squeaked.
"Your story is…engaging to me," Seneca Crane told her. He left the window and began to circle Gadget slowly. "A family that hates you."
"No," Gadget denied. How could he possibly know that?
"A district partner that despises you," Seneca Crane continued like she hadn't said anything.
"I…how…"
"With nobody but your mentors and escort to stand up for you."
"Th-that's…"
"And your allies that may or may not trust you."
Gadget shook her head harshly. "How…how do y-you kn-know these things?"
"I'm the Head Gamemaker, Ms. Trevelyan," Seneca Crane said. "I know everything there is to know about all of my tributes."
No…
Gadget had no privacy. The Capitol already knew everything there was to know about her. Seneca Crane knew everything about her.
"You think my knowledge is a bad thing," Seneca Crane observed.
"N-no," Gadget lied unconvincingly, even to her own ears.
"Well, let me remind you that it's my knowledge that can decide the outcome of your story," Seneca Crane told her. He looked at the screen across from the other building. "Just like how I can change those odds myself with just a few words."
Gadget shook with fear. Seneca Crane can, and likely would, decide her fate for her. Maybe he'd even do it before she stepped foot inside the arena.
She hugged herself in an effort to stop her shaking, but it was no use. Gadget couldn't stop. She was too scared.
Far more scared of the way Seneca Crane frightened her than how Burgundy had.
"Why…why…" Gadget couldn't even say such simple words. "Why a-are you-you telling me th-these th-things?"
Seneca Crane seemed to mull over how to answer her question. Then he said, "Because I don't really have a reason not to tell anyone."
Gadget nodded as she searched for an escape.
"It's funny how you think I am a monster," Seneca Crane said. He smiled slightly, almost sadistically at Gadget. "You haven't seen what I have planned for the arena."
Gadget's eyes, usually dead, were wide with terror as she watched Seneca Crane's every movement. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here.
"You should probably see your mentors now. The evaluations have been over for a while and they could be worried about you," Seneca Crane told her. He turned slightly and gestured to the door he had come from. "There's an elevator down there. Take it."
Gadget didn't need to be told twice and she scampered off.
When the elevator doors to the District Three suite opened, Gadget wasted no time in hurrying to her room. She was much too ashamed to see her mentors.
Especially not after she had met two people that scared her as much of the Careers. And in the case of Seneca Crane, far worse than them.
Gadget was used to disappointment. But it still hurt every time. Every time she'd tried to make her dad proud of her and he rebuffed her.
Would her mentors think the same? What about Septimius? He seemed to believe in her so much. He had to see her for what she really was, soon.
A failure. A waste of space.
The door to Gadget's room opened and she hurried inside. She quickly closed it behind her and climbed into her bed. All she wanted was to be by herself.
She couldn't hold back her tears forever. And though the cozy bed comforted her, it couldn't stop her tears from leaking out onto the pillow.
Her days were numbered and she felt hopeless despair stab at her like hundreds of dull knives. She had no real chance. No future to hope for.
In just a few days she was going to enter the arena and never come out again.
Gadget curled in on herself and her cries turned into sobs. Images of the many different ways the Careers could kill her sprung to her mind.
Cato's sword plunging deep into her heart. Clove's sadistic smile as she bled Gadget dry with her knives. Glimmer piercing her with arrow after arrow after arrow. Marvel impaling her with a spear, just as he promised he would. Watch helplessly as Marina strangled the life out of her with her bare hands.
Gadget sniffled. She knew she had nothing to worry about in regards to Corduroy and Lace, when she died. They were stronger than her. Better than she was.
Gadget turned over and stared dully at the ceiling. Only a few days away now.
She closed her eyes and wiped at the stray tears with her sleeve. Tomorrow was a new day and maybe…maybe things would be better.
The scores would be televised later that night and Gadget debated forgoing the event entirely. It would be better to let her mentors see her failures for themselves, without her interference. Besides, she doubted they would want to look at her after they saw it.
Gadget sucked in a breath. I can do it. I can brave it just this once.
It wasn't true. But Gadget slid out of bed anyway. Hesitantly, she went across the room and opened the door to her room with a push of a button.
She retraced the same steps she had taken on her first day of training. The indistinct sound of chatter became more and more clear with her approach.
But the closer she got to her destination, the more she faltered. This was a terrible idea, and yet she was determined to see it through.
She could be strong, if only this once.
Gadget walked into the dining room and indeed on the holovid, where Caesar and Claudius excitedly talked about the tributes. About Gadget and all the rest.
There were a set of sofas lining the room, and each one was occupied by a different person. On Gadget's right were Binary, Grid, and Qwerty. And on her left were Beetee, Wiress, and Septimius.
Each of them chatted quietly with each other. All of them except for Septimius, who looked uncharacteristically agitated.
Gadget took a step forward further into the dining room and Binary's gaze was the first to shoot at her.
"I was wondering where you went," Binary said and the voices of the victors died down.
Grid and Qwerty merely spared Gadget a glance before resuming their conversation.
"Are you all right, Gadget?" Septimius asked as he stood up. He eyed her up and down and his agitation melted away.
Gadget flushed. "Y-yeah…" she lied, her voice trailing off.
Beetee watched Gadget critically, his face blank. She began to fidget under his stare when he said, "The scores should be announced in a few minutes."
Gadget nodded and quenched her fear. She needed to know who she was up against. What the other tributes had shown the Gamemakers that they hadn't shown the other tributes.
Gadget shuffled to one of the chairs left uninhabited and sat down. Her eyes remained locked on her feet and only bounced to look between them and the holovid.
Wiress said something that Gadget didn't make out. Her nerves had gotten the better of her and she swore all she could hear was a distant ringing in her ears.
Gadget winced and squeezed her legs together. She squirmed in her seat and for once, she didn't care if the others saw her. The ringing grew louder and soon, she couldn't hear the holovid over it.
She palmed a hand over her ear, but it stopped nothing. The ringing continued, louder than before, and it kept going and going and going.
But it was unbearable. It didn't stop, it just went on and on and on, with no end in sight. Gadget pulled her legs up and crossed them in her chair and put both of her hands over her ears.
But she couldn't stop it, and the sound had become unendurable.
Gadget couldn't tell if any noise had left her or not. She just wanted it to stop. Please make it stop…
A hand grabbed her shoulder and Gadget gasped. The high-pitched ringing disappeared all at once and Gadget found Beetee looking at her with such concern.
"Are you alright, Gadget?" Beetee asked. The very same question Septimius asked only a few minutes earlier.
No…no I'm not…
"Just…nervous," Gadget answered, which in itself was not a lie, at least.
Beetee stared carefully at Gadget, but she quickly turned away. She was scared of what he might find.
"And now," Caesar said on the holovid, "we move onto the scores of the tributes of the 74th annual Hunger Games."
Gadget bit her lip and pulled her legs closer inwards. How had she been judged? The thought jumped around her mind.
"As you know," Caesar continued to say, "the tributes are rated on a scale of one to twelve after three days of careful evaluation."
Gadget felt like Caesar had said it more for the tributes themselves than the people at the Capitol.
"The Gamemakers have taken their time and effort with their scoring of the tributes," Caesar said.
Gadget wished he would just get on with it. Put her anxiety to rest. She glanced at Beetee and Wiress and she could see that her mentors were paying close attention to each word Caesar said.
"From District One, Marvel Sanford with a score of…nine."
On the holovid, an image of Marvel appeared and a number rotated around his face. His score.
As if there would be any doubt that a Career would score low. They never did. Gadget felt cold at the reality of it.
She wondered what he thought of it? Marvel certainly seemed cocky enough to probably think he deserved something even higher. Based on what she'd seen of him, she wouldn't put it past him.
"Glimmer Belcourt, a score of…nine."
Both tributes from District One had a score of nine, then. Gadget wondered if they thought they were on top of the world, or if their scores were too low.
Regardless of it, Gadget didn't care. Both Marvel and Glimmer were incredibly dangerous, and Gadget feared if both of them had marked her as a target to be killed as quickly as possible.
"From District Two, Cato Hadley. A score of ten."
The biggest threat, Gadget knew. The brute that would snap her body so easily if he had the chance. He was the leader of the Career Pack, but just because he was the only one to not interact with Gadget during her training meant nothing.
Gadget glanced at Binary. What could he possibly be thinking as he saw this?
"Clove Kentwell…a score of ten."
"You're up next, Binary," Qwerty stated the obvious.
He was, which meant Gadget would come after. She wondered what Binary had shown them. It couldn't ever come close to matching Clove or Cato's score, but it would be far more impressive than what Gadget knew she herself would get.
"District Three," Caesar said far too quickly for Gadget's liking. "Binary Nemec with a score of…five."
A five.
That was better than what the average tribute from District Three picked up, but not by much, if Gadget could remember correctly.
"Well done, Binary," Grid complimented, though his face twisted in a way that implied the exact opposite. "Well done."
A score that was half of Cato's. Half of Clove's, who was physically diminutive compared to Gadget.
Qwerty didn't look pleased, either. She sat back in her chair and brought a drink to her lips. No, Gadget did not think she looked impressed at all.
Gadget's image flashed up on the screen and she held her breath in terrified anticipation.
"Gadget Trevelyan," Caesar said and Gadget went stock still.
Whatever left Caesar's mouth…it could make or break whatever sponsors her mentors could help pick up for her.
And…it would help to solidify what her mentors thought of her. If she was worth it.
"A score of three."
Tears pricked at Gadget's eyes.
She knew something as low as that had been coming, but she'd hoped for at least a four. The average of what tributes from District Three would get.
But, instead…she got below average.
"That's unfortunate," Qwerty said, but Gadget could only imagine how pleased she must be at picking the tribute that actually stood a chance.
"Listen, Gadget," Beetee said and Gadget turned to him quickly.
This is it, isn't it? Gadget thought to herself. Where Beetee gives up on me…
But she knew he was too polite to say those words. He would say it gently, but what he would mean is that with a score as low as here, there would be nothing he could do to help her.
She would be left on her own, without any help from the outside.
"Your score doesn't matter," Beetee said and Gadget shook her head in confusion. "What matters is that you make yourself interesting during your interview, and inside the arena."
"You're not…you're not l-leaving me?" Gadget asked meekly, incredibly quietly.
"Why would I leave you because of your score? You still have just as much of a chance as anybody else," Beetee told her kindly.
"Oh…"
"District Four," Caesar continued on the holovid. "Ridley Pollock, a score of…eight."
What?
Gadget sunk into the chair and wiped at her eyes. One of the only tributes younger than her had gotten a better score.
"That one's a Career," Grid said. He crossed one leg over the other. "It's the only way he has a score that high."
If the comment was meant to help Binary or, by extension, her, feel better…it didn't work.
"Marina Stafford, with a score of…nine."
And that was the last member of the Career alliance for this year. Nothing higher than a ten, which, as far as Gadget understood, wasn't unusual. Elevens were rare and twelves had never been given out.
"Strong Careers this year," Wiress commented quietly. Gadget had nearly forgotten she was there.
"They're all incredibly dangerous, but it's District Two you need to stay away from," Beetee said to Gadget.
Gadget didn't want to be near any of them, but her choice in the matter was minimal.
All that mattered, really, was if the Careers caught up to her first.
"District Five," Caesar said, "Surge Kramar with a score of…six."
And now it was time to get into the outer districts. The ones that would score lower than the Careers. The ones that, like Gadget, had low odds. Had lower chances.
Did Corduroy and Lace manage to do better than her?
"Finch Crossley and a score of…five."
The volunteer from District Five had a score to match her district number. At least Gadget had that in common with someone else.
For outer districts, both Surge and Finch scored well. It didn't help Gadget's confidence. With each person that Caesar announced the score of, her confidence dwindled.
Nobody said anything directed at the two from District Five, and soon enough, Caesar announced the next districts.
"From District Six, Jason Malveaux and a score of…four."
Only four? Gadget was taken aback. Jason seemed strong to her. Stronger than she was, certainly. But he'd managed a score just above her own.
"He might be trying to copy Johanna Mason," Binary said to his mentors. "He looked strong enough to make a better score."
"Perhaps," Grid said. "Regardless, best stay away from him. Whether he is dead weight or a threat."
Gadget winced. Jason had been nice to her. It felt wrong to listen to their criticisms of him.
But that was the way things were here.
"Tamora Novak," Caesar continued, "a score of…four."
They both had a score of four. Both tributes from District Six. Both of them were higher than Gadget's score, but maybe it would help give her a chance?
She doubted it.
"District Seven," Caesar went on. "Elm Sorphus with a score of…eight."
Gadget's shoulders slacked. That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. He'd matched the score of Ridley, who Gadget was certain was a Career. It was the only thing that made sense to her.
"Now this is interesting," Grid said.
Elm, she was certain, would be the biggest threat of the outer district tributes.
Gadget's thoughts hesitated as she watched Caesar blink in confusion on the holivid.
What's going on? she wondered, and she felt her insides coil.
"Cedar Lockayne," Caesar began slowly, "who has made history tonight, folks!"
No…no, no, no!
"With the first ever score of…"
No…no…
"One."
"Oh," Gadget breathed. From the corner of her eye she could see Binary relax.
Gadget couldn't do the same. She was too on edge. Much too far on edge.
"One," Grid stated. He leaned forward and stared at the holovid, and Gadget saw Qwerty mimic his actions.
The first ever score of one. How did Cedar get something so low?
At least…she wasn't the girl with the lowest score any more.
But…
The first ever score of one would attract sponsors, Gadget was sure. Certain of it.
It was as Beetee and Wiress had told her. Intrigue helped her to stay alive in the arena, and the first ever person to score a one was very, very intriguing.
"Either you can ally yourself with her," Qwerty said, "to pass off whatever fanbase she gathers for yourself. Or you can kill her and her fans may flock to you."
Gadget grimaced. Was that really how things worked in the Games?
"She makes a good point," Beetee said quietly to Gadget and she turned to him. "If you ally with her, the intrigue she builds will benefit you, too."
Gadget didn't agree. Logically, it would be the smart thing to do, she was certain. But she knew nothing about Cedar. And her allies…
"District Eight," Caesar said and Gadget looked back at the holovid. The district of her allies. Gadget knew they would do better than her. It was a guarantee. "Corduroy Ellsworth, with a score of…seven."
Gadget could have smiled. That was a great score for him, and she was sure it would bring sponsors. His odds have increased in spite of his leg.
She worried if her low score would turn them away.
"Lace Feathermont, a score of…six."
Lace had…a score of six? Gadget smiled worriedly. That was much higher than she was anticipating. She hadn't known Lace for long, but she didn't think her score would have been so high.
So much higher than her own.
Was it any question who the dead weight was?
Seven and six. How much longer would they tolerate Gadget for?
Caesar announced District Nine next, and both Kernel and Serin had scores lower than Gadget had been anticipating, given…their reputation.
Both fives. The same score as Binary.
But despite it, Gadget caught a look of annoyance on Binary's face when Kernel's score was announced. It was too low for his approval, evidently.
"They'll drum up sponsors," Grid said. "But they'll be forgettable."
More forgettable than me?
District Ten came next.
"Husk Kellogg with a score of…eight."
Gadget had forgotten about Husk. But a score that high for a boy from Ten, and with a bad foot? She swallowed. His score would probably be even higher if his foot wasn't injured.
"It seems that I stand corrected," Qwerty said. "The male from Ten seems to be a credible threat, even with the crippled foot."
"Don't be so sure, Qwerty," Grid replied. "High scores mean nothing here. They can all still be picked off just as easily during the Bloodbath."
Gadget bit her lip. And some, like me, will die in the Bloodbath with a low score.
Forgotten by all only minutes after she died. It was a fact. An inevitability.
"Monkshood Caliburn, with a score of…seven."
And there came the last member of District Ten. The girl that offered Corduroy a place in her alliance, but he turned down. Gadget wondered if he regretted that after seeing her score. It was more than double her own.
"So you say, Grid," Qwerty said hesitantly, "but I don't think the Tens should be discounted. They both seem like credible threats."
Grid hummed but didn't respond.
Gadget dug her fingers into her chair. It was becoming too much. So many of these people would be dead soon, within just a few days.
And I'll be among them.
District Eleven came next and a picture of Thresh flew up on the holovid. Scary and menacing. He, like the Careers, could kill her with no effort whatsoever.
At least…he's not with the Careers, Gadget tried to reassure herself, but it was for naught.
"Thresh Morrowson, with a score of…nine."
Nine. Like there was a single doubt within her that he would score low. The only bright side there was to his high score was that he had yet to look at her with such a frightening gaze as his picture held.
Not yet, anyway.
There was always time.
Such as, a moment before he slid his blade between her ribs and left her to bleed out.
Gadget shivered and turned her dead eyes down towards her lap.
As much as Beetee, Wiress, and Septimius like to say the opposite...she had no hope. Not really.
"The Careers wanted him in their Pack," Binary said and Gadget could feel his eyes on her. "He turned them down."
"Not a very wise decision," Qwerty commented. "They'll want him dead for that."
Gadget's throat went dry.
"Rue Barnette, a score of…seven."
And the second tribute younger than Gadget was revealed. And Rue's score was better than Gadget's own.
Gadget's shoulders drooped. She could feel her already abysmal chances fade away into nothing. She wouldn't be surprised if the odds she'd seen earlier changed from thirty to one to one hundred to one.
At least…she wouldn't underestimate Rue. She was young, but she was clever.
"Keep an eye out for her," Beetee said to Gadget.
Gadget planned to. If she even survived that long, that was.
"One more district to go," Grid said unnecessarily.
One more district to go and…what would happen next?
"From District Twelve," Caesar announced, "Peeta Mellark with a…eight."
"Not much of a surprise there," Qwerty said. "He looks strong."
He was. Gadget had seen him throw something heavy at a weapon rack, during training. It did not help to inspire confidence in her.
Caesar smiled suddenly, a look of surprise on his face. "And finally, from District Twelve," he said again, like he needed to reiterate. "Katniss Everdeen, a score of…eleven."
Gadget's world spun. She could hear exclamations of surprise come from Grid and Qwerty, and even quieter ones from Beetee and Wiress.
How can I stand a chance against that?
An eleven. From District Twelve. Eight and eleven. Eleven and eight.
Those scores were phenomenal. Gadget had hoped that maybe Katniss would have scored low, because that meant her odds would be greater, if only just.
But Katniss' score rivaled the Careers. All of them.
Gadget yelped in fright from the muffled sound of furious rage below her. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Cato. And he did not sound pleased. Not at all.
"District Two doesn't sound happy," Wiress said warily.
"I wouldn't be, either," Grid said as he pulled his gaze away from the holovid. "District Twelve, of all places, stole their sparks."
Which…means that they will focus on her over everyone else…
Maybe this wasn't as bad as Gadget thought. It was a high score. Very, very high. But it would pull the Careers' attention away from her. Her chances of dying in the Bloodbath were slimmer, if only just.
Binary stood up abruptly and left. The patter of his steps disappeared. Gadget guessed that the scores of Twelve upset him.
"She must've made the Gamemakers angry," Qwerty said, and Gadget looked at her as Qwerty leaned back further in her chair. "I don't think she impressed them."
"You might be right," Grid said. "Now we can all assume that she is a threat. And the Careers, they'll pick her off in the Bloodbath."
"And if they don't?" Beetee asked.
"Then they'll do it somewhere else." Grid shrugged. "Or the Gamemakers will do it themselves. Either way, she is as good as dead."
Beetee nodded slowly and Grid stood up. He looked at Qwerty, who took a sip from her drink, and then they both left as Binary had.
Gadget released her grip on the chair and dropped her feet to the floor. Her sense of dread began to build and stack. Every single tribute, except for Cedar, had a better score than her. Each and every one of them had done better and had a better chance than she did.
All of them better than her measly score of three.
"I think it would be for the best to avoid the girl from Twelve," Septimius ventured cautiously.
Gadget had no intention of going near her. Or any of the other tributes, for that matter.
Except for…except for Lace and Corduroy.
"How has your training gone?" Beetee inquired softly.
"It's…it's been okay," Gadget said without looking up. Beetee had assured her he didn't care about her score, but he said nothing about what Wiress or Septimius may think.
"Your allies are still with you?"
"Yes. L-Lace and Cor-Corduroy," Gadget answered.
"That's good," Beetee said. "Keep them close, but not too close."
Gadget grimaced. Because although they had been kind to her, they were still going into the Hunger Games. Where all but one would die.
And Gadget knew she would be nowhere near the top.
"If you think they'll turn on you," Wiress said hesitantly, "don't be afraid to run."
"They're scores were good, so you can rest assured that they'll get sponsors," Beetee added.
Gadget finally looked up, afraid of what she would find on their faces. But there was no disappointment in any of them. Only something Gadget could loosely identify as resolve.
"Wha-what about m-my sponsors?" she asked and winced in preparation for them to degrade her for her stupidity.
Why would they want to sponsor me? She had given them no reason to. Nothing at all.
"I've managed to line some up," Beetee said and Gadget looked at him in surprise. "But some of them will be hard to keep."
"Some of them don't think that a three is a promising score," Wiress said.
That's because it's not, Gadget thought morosely.
"We can pick up sponsors," Beetee continued, "but whatever happens next is up to you."
Beetee's words reverberated around in Gadget's head. It all came back to being interesting in the eyes of the Capitol. But…how was she supposed to do that? She was nothing, and worth even less.
The Capitol wouldn't pay attention to a scared girl from District Three. Not without reason.
Be interesting.
"The, uhm, the interviews?" Gadget asked and Beetee and Wiress inclined their heads towards her. "I can d-do something to ma-make them like me?"
As if Gadget needed to ask that. She already knew the answer to it. That was the entire point of the interviews.
"Let's go back a bit, Gadget," Beetee said and Gadget flushed in embarrassment. "During the training, do you think there was anything you particularly excelled at?"
Gadget palmed her hands awkwardly together. Something I'm good at. Or decent at, at the very least.
"I, uh…" Gadget trailed off and twisted uncomfortably in her seat. "Th-they taught me how to use a kn-knife."
Beetee didn't smile or grin, but Gadget saw his eyes ease slightly from behind his spectacles. "That's a start," he said.
But it wasn't good, Gadget noticed.
She wasn't sure anything she tried would ever be good enough.
"And…" Gadget continued, dropping her gaze down at her feet once more, "I know some, uhm, al-alliances that were mad-made."
Wiress lit up with interest. "And, who are these alliances?"
Gadget nervously rubbed her hands together. "All I know is that, uh, Monkshood from Ten and Ridley from Four are together."
"Interesting," Beetee remarked quietly. He scratched at his goatee and looked, to Gadget, to be lost in thought. "He's not with the Careers, then."
"And then the Careers are, uhm, Cato and Clove from Two. Marvel and Glimmer from One. And Marina from Four." Gadget carefully listed off the names, although she didn't know if Beetee or Wiress or even Septimius had bothered to learn their names.
"It might be possible that Grid or Qwerty have been talking with their mentors," Beetee said. "You mentioned that Binary wants to join their alliance?"
Gadget nodded shallowly. "He's been…p-pushing for it," she said. She left out the things Burgundy had told Marvel about her. She wanted no part in anything to do with the Careers.
Beetee didn't scoff, but he might as well have. He didn't seem to like the idea of Binary with the Careers. At least, not to Gadget.
"That's a very risky idea," Wiress said.
"He said that, uh…" Gadget rubbed at her arm and tapped her foot against the floor. "He said that he-he's been trying to a-ally with the boy from Nine…Kernel."
"At the same time as the Careers?" Beetee questioned.
"H-he said as a saf-safety net," Gadget admitted.
Beetee took his spectacles off and wiped at something in his eye. "I suppose only time will tell how that pans out."
"But until then," Septimius said and Gadget flicked her attention to him. "Your interview with Caesar is in two days and we need to get you ready."
Gadget wrapped her arms around her waist. She had known her interview was coming, and she'd worried about it. About its implications and what would come after.
"Oh," said Gadget. She had known it was coming, but just knowing didn't stop the build-up of anxiety she felt inside her.
A make or break opportunity that would be broadcasted to the entire nation.
But Gadget knew, just as like when she was at home, she would be forgotten by them, too.
"We'll let you rest for today," Beetee told her kindly and Gadget's dead eyes flickered back to him. "Tomorrow, we'll figure out our best way forward for the interview."
"Mortimer has told me about the dress you're going to wear," Septimius said, but Gadget heard little beyond the name of her stylist.
Mortimer.
Gadget stilled in place. She had known it was coming, but that didn't make her any more prepared. Her stylist. No, no. She couldn't see him again. She would refuse to see him again.
"I don't want to see Mortimer," Gadget said and Septimius stopped speaking. She looked at him pleasingly, desperately. "Please don't make me s-see him."
"I don't…" Septimius looked at Beetee and Wiress, whose faces had morphed into concern. He looked back at Gadget, then. "I don't have a say in it."
Gadget shook her head and her hands curled harshly into her waist. She wouldn't see him. She wouldn't.
I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't!
"But, I can-" Septimius cut himself off and cleared his throat. "Gadget, listen to me carefully."
Gadget stared at Septimius. He promised he would help me. He said he would.
"I can remain with you to make sure he doesn't do what he did last time." Septimius bent low to look at her. "You have my word that I won't abandon you."
Gadget nodded hysterically. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she would get.
Gadget shot up swiftly. Her mentors had told her all she needed to know, of that she was confident in. They made no sounds of protest as she retreated back to her room.
It was all so close. Getting closer and closer with each second that passed on by.
And very soon, she would be among the tallies of the dead for the Hunger Games.
The sliding doors to her room opened without much of a sound, revealing to her the same dark room she had left what was probably only an hour ago.
Gadget didn't bother with the light. She just wanted to go to sleep. And…if she were to have her way…
She would never wake up.
"Was waiting for you."
Gadget spun around fearfully. Even in the dark of her room, she could see Binary step out from around the corner to where her bathroom was. She could see him glare at her and Gadget felt her stomach drop.
"B-Binary…" Gadget stuttered. She needed to leave. She berated herself for not thinking far enough ahead to realize Binary would come to see her in the privacy of somewhere that…
Somewhere that nobody could hear her cries of agony.
Binary stood up slowly and wiped an invisible set of dust off his clothing.
"So then, a score of three? How did your scoring go to manage that?" Binary asked conversationally as he walked casually closer and closer to Gadget.
Gadget glanced at the door she had just come through. She could hurry back through it. Bide her time by stalling before she made her escape.
"It went…" Gadget replied vaguely. She inched slowly towards her escape.
Binary stopped and eyed her. Gadget, too, stopped.
He knows.
Of course he knew. Binary wasn't stupid. He likely knew what course of action she would try to take the second he revealed he was there to her.
"You made me look like an idiot," Binary said sharply, like knives that cut through air.
Gadget gulped. "I-I didn't mean t-to."
"But you did," Binary responded. Gadget looked away and inched another step closer to the door. He was so mad at her…
It was just like on the train. Binary almost had her cornered. Only a door separated herself and somewhere she could be safe.
"I saw o-our odds," Gadget said quickly when Binary resumed his slow approach. She distanced herself from him with another step closer to the door.
Binary raised an eyebrow. "Did you?" he asked. Closer. "What do they say?"
Gadget treaded carefully to the side again. "I h-have th-thirty to one o-odds."
"I can't say that's a surprise," Binary said cruelly and Gadget whimpered.
"An-and yours w-were, uh…" Gadget glanced behind her quickly. So close. So close. "Twen-twenty to one."
Binary's glare hardened and Gadget flinched.
"That is…less than I had hoped," Binary said. He tapped his finger at his leg.
It was now or never.
Gadget turned to press the button on the double doors. They sprung open and she rushed out.
Only for Binary's hands to grasp onto her shoulders to pull her back inside. He wasn't strong like how she imagined the Careers would be, but he was still stronger than her.
Gadget was shoved back inside and she stumbled but managed to keep her balance. She heard the doors click shut and she stared at Binary.
"We aren't done yet," Binary said and his features turned into something Gadget was very familiar with.
Complete and total hatred.
"I don't…I didn't-" Gadget tried to say as she retreated.
"You didn't what?" Binary asked acidly. "Think about the consequences of your actions?"
Nothing she could say would satisfy him, Gadget realized. It was like she was at home, almost. Nothing had changed between them.
The ever so recognizable feeling of hopelessness rushed through her. Followed quickly by despair, that hit her hard enough to knock the proverbial wind out of her.
"I told you about how much we needed each other to better our chances" Binary bemoaned. "But you didn't listen."
"You-"
"Be quiet," Binary commanded softly and Gadget's words left her. "The thing about Gizmo Kassver that I was telling you about, that seems to have gone over your head entirely," Binary continued, "is that he was killed by a member of the Career Pack that wouldn't nominally be a part of it."
"Binary-"
"All you had to do was play the part," Binary told her. "But you couldn't even do that, could you?"
It was a repeat. He was going to hurt her the same way he had then. Gadget's breath hitched.
"Pl-please," Gadget mumbled as her knees hit her bed. "Please don-don't hurt m-me…"
Binary's face lifted in malicious amusement. "Hurt you?" he asked. "I think I'll leave that to the Career brutes, don't you?"
Gadget squeaked.
"Or…" Binary trailed off and he stared at her with disgust. "Or you can denounce the two from Eight and maybe…maybe you'll have a chance with me, and the protection of the Careers."
Gadget bit her lip. The answer to that question was obvious. Corduroy and Lace were…they were…they were her allies. Not the Careers. Not Binary. And Gadget had no intention of being anywhere near Marvel or Glimmer. Marina or Clove. Cato.
But still, none of that alleviated her fear. Her hands shook and her eyes looked everywhere but at Binary.
"I have been trying to help you," Binary said. "But you ignore it time and time again. And when the Games truly begin, you only have so much longer to make a decision."
With that piece of advice, Binary spun around and left through the open door, and Gadget watched it shut behind him.
Gadget sat down on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands.
Binary hadn't said it, but he had effectively given her an ultimatum. Himself and the Careers, or a dismal and brutal death by their hands.
Leave her allies behind. Leave behind Corduroy and Lace, who Gadget had thought might have even been…friends.
No. I won't, Gadget thought with resolve. She wouldn't give up the only people who had been kind to her in training.
Hadn't Binary taken plenty enough from her at home? Distraught her enough?
Hurt her enough?
But…but…
Gadget dug her face from out of her hands. As much as she wished she could disappear and hide from the interviews, she couldn't. And everything she said would be broadcasted for the nation to see…
Gadget leaned forward and worried her lip between her teeth.
I can…play on their sympathy, Gadget thought. Binary had been cruel to her, and Gadget could use that against him.
She could reveal every torturous thing he'd done to her for the Capitol to hear.
And then…maybe they'll sympathize with me, Gadget hoped.
The Hunger Games provided them no privacy, so if they wanted to know so badly about them…
Gadget steeled herself.
She would give it to them.