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.

17. Crimson Agony

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

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Author's Notes:

Triage: It is often said that courage is fear that has said its prayers. I believe though, that there is a courage borne from hitting the bottom of the barrel of unending fear and terror. When you reach the bottom, you can only go up. Perhaps, Gadget has reached the bottom of this metaphorical barrel. Now, it is time for her to rise above the fear.

Zevoros: Special thanks to Evie Rose and Team Shadow! Additional thanks to CragmiteBlaster.

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Penelope's Web

Chapter 17

Crimson Agony

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"Agh!" Gadget fell when she tried to move, even with putting as little weight as possible on the wounded leg.

Have to get this off NOW! she thought urgently.

She tried with her hands first as she sat down and pulled her legs as close to herself that she was capable of doing. Her fingers were raw after just a few seconds of frantic straining. If Finch decided to come back now, she wouldn't have a hard time taking Gadget out.

The slightest movement inflicted searing pain where the clamp tore through flesh, muscle, and sinew. The grip was much too strong and it felt like it was trying to take the whole leg off. She had to act soon! Memories of another District Three tribute came back to her. The very one from whom she drew inspiration to make a better, more efficient shock staff. Though she lost a hand. Gadget was looking at probably losing a leg, one of the few advantages left to her.

My tools! she remembered a moment later.

Looking around to ensure she was still alone, as this was going to be painful, and noisy.

She withdrew the miniature clamp and a spudger. While a clamp tool did exactly as it was called, by winding it open to its full width, it acted like a jack and would force the trap open. She could then use the spudger to increase the width enough for her to get her foot out.

She slipped the clamp tool between the mouth of the trap and her leg, gritting her teeth and biting back the whine of pain she made. She just knew the next part was going to be even worse, so she took a few rapid breaths, preparing herself for the mind-shattering pain.

Gadget started winding the clamp tool anti-clockwise, making it open wider and wider. It seemed like the trap had a mind of its own as it fought against opening, and the pain seared right through her brain, making her cry out and stop what she was doing.

It was different from when Clove made her electrocute herself, different from the pain of the tracker jacker venom. Her skull throbbed and she almost bit her lip and tongue as she fought not to scream. Pounding the ground with a fist painfully, she sought to regain control of her breathing, begging, and bargaining with anything to make the pain go away.

Slowly, it went down to something barely manageable.

No matter how prepared she thought she was, the pain was even greater. Keeping that in mind, Gadget knew she had to power through the pain, anticipate it. Maybe it had a venom of its own. She couldn't be sure. But all that she knew was that the longer it stayed on, the higher her chances of losing the leg and the wound being beyond salvation.

"Must…do it…" she bit out.

For Corduroy!

Ever so slowly, the jaws on the clamp started to separate, tearing through the insides of her foot. Gadget could see the deep crimson line of the metal as it went.

It was so much worse than she ever could have imagined. "Fuck!" she cursed. The cold metal against her skin almost paralyzed her.

The torturous stabbing agony only barely ceased as little by little, the clamp was pulled out. It made her want to squirm and stop everything she was doing. Make her body still to make the pain stop. But that wasn't an option.

Her hands ached and protested and screamed at her to stop.

Then, finally, Gadget pulled her foot, letting the spikes of the clamp tear through more muscle as she went, and she couldn't hold back her scream.

Pure, unfiltered agony erupted from her throat. It was worse than the electrocution. Worse than almost being crushed to death. Her cry echoed into the evening sky, deep into the darkness that surrounded her.

The clamp tool did its work in prying the mouth of the trap open forcefully, but now came the time for the worst part. She knew it was going to hurt even more because the trap had bitten through the soft flesh and it was likely strong enough to snap through bone if it was left long enough.

"Nnnnot…t-today!" Gadget declared hatefully into the watchful skies.

For Corduroy!

She took the spudger and inserted it between the upper section of the clamp tool and the trap's mouth, and began to pry the mouth open as wide as it could go. The 'teeth' of the clamp tore its way out of the flesh of her leg, and she could not contain her screams, but she didn't stop, if she let it snap back, it could very well slice right through the injured section. When the mouth was open wide enough, she pulled her leg haphazardly through the opening, and only then let go of the spudger.

Now that it had no leg to grip onto, the clamp also lost any proper position and fell out, and the trap snapped shut with a metallic clang.

But Gadget didn't feel relieved. She could feel a burning sensation in her head while feeling all too light at the same time. Light enough that she had to resist the urge to close her eyes.

The pain in her foot had barely dulled. It still crept up her body, unceasingly. Like a thousand blades against the surface of her skin, but not hard enough to break it.

With shaking hands, Gadget fumbled with the backpack on her arm. She zipped it open as fast as she could manage while carefully trying to remove the boot with her other hand. Her teeth grit as the agonizing flared over and over, again and again.

Finally, she found what she was looking for and pulled the first aid kit out of her backpack. Gadget quickly flipped it open and tore off her boot, practically throwing it to the side in her haste.

Gadget had to swallow her breath as she gazed at her foot. Her sock was covered in a horrible vermillion red that clashed so horribly with the yellow of her district. She whimpered in despair.

Slowly, carefully, she wrapped her fingers around the top of the sock and began to peel it down past her ankle. A squishing, soggy sound hit her ears as it went over the wound, and Gadget groaned in pain as it did. Sucking in breath after breath after breath did nothing to alleviate her.

Sweat lined her brow. It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!

How could even the most minute movement hurt so badly? Gadget heaved in a breath, drawing in a desperate attempt for air to calm herself. She pulled the sock over her heel, and easily slipped the rest of it off from there.

It didn't provide any sense of relief. Every stabbing mark from that trap she'd stepped on pierced her. Set her nerves on fire. Gadget gazed at her bare foot, slick with blood from the wounds.

"Ah," she hissed. This was not the time or the place to do this. There was no telling who had heard her scream and would try to find her. But her options were limited. If…if she didn't deal with this now, then it was almost a guarantee that she wouldn't survive the feast. This maze.

Gadget tried to steel her resolve, preparing herself for what she needed to do. Her hands shook, and she squeezed them together once, then twice, before grabbing the disinfectant cream from the medical kit.

She was missing vital parts to do this. And doing everything here at once was a death sentence, just as leaving it completely alone would be unwise. Gadget rubbed the disinfectant cream on her hand, and gently started to apply it to her foot.

Gadget hissed in pain as her hand connected with the wounds. It felt like her foot was about to be torn open. A splitting re-emergence of agony cut through her ankle like a knife. Don't stop, Gadget, she thought desperately to herself.

When she was done, she grabbed the wad of bandages and wrapped them around her ankle. It didn't take long until she was done and dropped them back into the medical kit. Neither the disinfectant nor the bandages were enough. But they would stave off the worst of the outcomes that the injury could bring.

For now.

Gadget wiped her brow with her sleeve, then gingerly slipped her bloodied sock back on. She had to get out of here. She had to find Corduroy and get out of this maze. Before someone worse than Finch found her.

Someone like Clove. At least with Binary, she could try to talk him out of killing her. The taboo was still there, and if he killed her, no matter how disliked she was at home, it was still something that was frowned upon. It had happened last year, by the victor from District Five, whose name Gadget couldn't remember. But she did remember how he killed his district partner without mercy.

And then he won and…Gadget had no idea what happened to him. He was still alive, but after what he had done, she didn't know how much scorn his district gave him.

It didn't matter.

What mattered was finding Corduroy before one of the Careers did. She couldn't help protect him if he wasn't anywhere near her. Corduroy could survive on his own, Gadget knew, but she wanted to make sure he would live. At any second a cannon could fire and she would have no idea who it belonged to.

She didn't want to envision it. Corduroy's bloodied corpse. Gadget didn't think she could live with herself any longer if she lost him. Her only friend left. Lace and Peeta…they were gone and it was all her fault. Would dying even fix anything?

Gadget didn't want to die! She didn't want it! She wanted to live! For what felt like the first time in her life, she wanted to live! She wanted to see Septimius and Beetee and Wiress again! But…but not at the expense of Corduroy's life.

Tears threatened to fall but she quickly rubbed her eyes with her arm before they could. If it came down to it…could she still do it? Could she let Corduroy kill her or…or kill herself to let him win? She didn't deserve to survive, not after everything. She ruined everything she touched.

But Seneca Crane clearly saw her as a useful plaything for the Capitol's entertainment. They must be getting so much enjoyment out of seeing how pathetic she was. Was that the only reason she was still alive? Because the Gamemakers saw no reason to kill her yet?

What kind of show was Seneca Crane creating? What narrative did he build? There was no way for her to know for sure. But if she was still alive…then maybe it involved her somehow.

Gadget's blood ran cold and her fingers stilled around the edges of her boot.

That…that did not bode well in the slightest. What role did she have to play in this…thing that he was building? Corduroy's useless ally that would let herself die for him? The killer of Clove's district partner, who wants revenge beyond anything? Or the girl that Marvel helped survive just a little bit longer because it meant that he got stronger.

Or maybe Seneca Crane hoped to see some kind of 'resolution' between her and Binary. After all the history she told to both Caesar and Corduroy…and the Capitol saw every little thing she said. Every small detail would not have gone unnoticed by them.

The entirety of Panem watched.

Gadget winced as she delicately slipped the boot onto her foot. It stung something fierce as even the slightest movement jostled the wound. Unsurely, she grabbed the buckle and tightened it. A gasp escaped her and she muffled her mouth with a hand as the other finished with the buckle.

When she was done she grasped onto the nearest wheat stalk and climbed to her feet, favoring her uninjured foot over the other. She picked up her first aid kit and deposited it back into her backpack, before zipping it closed again and wounding her arm around the strap once more.

Her only weapon was now embedded in Finch's thigh. Something she still regretted, but in its place, she saw Finch's weapon lying forgotten on the ground. Cursing herself for a fool, she quickly grabbed it by the handle and yanked it out of the ground. It was practically a short sword in her hands. It had a double edge and seemed built specifically for combat. It had good balance and felt very sturdy in her grip.

How had Finch gotten her hands on something like this? It was so far removed from the knife Gadget had, and the ones she used to have. The only thing that made sense was that Finch managed to grab it on one of her trips to the Cornucopia to steal supplies from the Careers.

Gadget decided that it didn't matter; she was armed once more, for all the good it'd do her. She stepped forward, almost testing her injured leg, and pulled ahead with her other, until a wall of wheat parted before her. Either Seneca Crane was letting her go or…or she just happened to pick the right way they wanted her to go. For her next challenge, come what may.

She strived forward, resolutely pushing onwards. The wheat field had returned to relative silence and she wondered if Seneca Crane had created the maze in a way so that she couldn't hear anyone else until the very last second. She wasn't sure.

Gadget eyed the blade in her hand with uncertainty. Did she have what it took to kill again if it came down to it? If she had to kill someone to save Corduroy's life? The blade was sharp. Very, very sharp. Gadget didn't want to take someone's life again. She had already murdered people and it was among some of the worst things imaginable. And yet the Careers, and even Binary, had no trouble…killing someone. Ending the life of another person.

Was that why Finch had spared her? Because she couldn't bring herself to kill Gadget? It didn't feel like mercy. The pain in her foot reminded her of that. How much of this level of pain had she been responsible for with Cato? With Thresh?

Their faces haunted her. When she closed her eyes, she swore she could still see Thresh's accusing stare. Watching her from the ground as she plunged a knife into his chest over and over, again and again failing to relieve him of his pain. All for the entertainment of the Capitol. For the entertainment of Clove. Her torturous revenge for killing her district partner.

As Gadget turned down the pathway, she wondered if this was even a maze at all, or if it just appeared that way to give her and the other tributes a sense of confusion around every corner. Seneca Crane controlled which direction she went in. He could change where she went in an instant. More toxic fog. A mutt. Another tribute. Or something else in between. There was no telling what kind of cruelty the Gamemakers could and have prepared.

Her feet indented the ground as she went, limping along her newest pathway. It was only a matter of time before something struck. Seneca Crane could have pushed Finch into killing her if he really wanted to. He controlled almost every aspect of the Games.

Every aspect except for the actions of the tributes. But he could guide them to whatever goal he wanted. And that thought scared Gadget. She was a puppet on a string, one meant to entertain the Capitol in ways she couldn't fathom.

Gadget tried to count her steps, but her mind was in a whirl of emotions and she couldn't think straight. Her worries and fears were far too severe. It made her tense up as she made it around corner after corner.

She felt like she was walking in circles. The maze was leading her nowhere, and she hadn't seen anything pop up to let her change directions. The only way she could go was forward. Gadget didn't want to envision what horror Seneca Crane would unleash on her if she tried to go back the way she came.

On and on she went, even as every instinct of hers cried out for her to turn and run. This wasn't a maze, not really. Not when there was only one direction for her to go and no options for her to take. It was almost like a game. How far was she willing to go before she turned back? But Gadget was determined not to retreat. She was determined to find Co-

Something rang out throughout the wheat field, stopping Gadget in her tracks. It almost bounced around the wheat stalk walls until the noise faded away, but then there it was again.

A grunt, then another, one that sounded so much like her friend. Like Corduroy! Her heart began to beat frantically as she heard the sounds of two boys struggling and scuffling.

No…no no!

It was Corduroy! Against Marvel!? Or Binary!?

She tried in vain to see over the wall, but the stalks were simply much too tall, and unless an opening was presented, she wouldn't know who it was. Frustrated, she released a breath of anxiety, trying her best to stave off the feeling of it clutching her heart in a vice.

But she was completely unable to do anything about it. It was completely and absolutely out of her hands.

She had to force herself to carry on. She was likely going to have to deal with something very soon, undoubtedly. But it was hard. Corduroy was right there, in danger, on the other side of the wall and she was unable to do anything to help him.

Gadget was helpless. Just as she always was.

Reluctantly, she limped along until a pathway opened and closed as usual when she passed through. Her leg felt well enough, or held up ably with the marginal first aid that she applied. It wasn't near enough to help her for long, but it would last as long as it needed to. Or so she hoped.

She hurried along the path as quickly as she could, trying her best to ignore the throbbing in her foot that stretched up her leg into her thigh. They didn't matter. Not when the life of her friend was at stake.

The grunting got closer with every step she took. Corduroy's cry of pain pierced her heart like she had been stabbed. No! her mind yelled out. He couldn't die! She wouldn't fail him like she did Lace and Peeta!

Closer and closer she came, yet it felt like an eternity. That she would never reach him. It was like time slowed to a crawl as her panic caught up with her, and she tried to run as fast as she possibly could on an injured foot. There were not enough words that could describe her desperation.

Fear enveloped her heart as it beat so hard against her chest it threatened to burst. Gadget clutched her new knife in her hand, slick with sweat.

She was closing the distance fast. Corduroy screamed, far louder than before. Was he being tortured!? Up ahead in front of her was a corner that Gadget knew would lead directly to her friend. It turned off to the right, she could see. Right towards where she could hear where Corduroy's cries were loudest.

Her feet stamped the ground as she sprinted. It wasn't far, yet it felt like an eternity passed with every step. Every second. She had to make it to him in time. Before Binary, or Marvel, or whoever it was hurt him too badly for him to be able to continue.

She wouldn't lose another friend! She wouldn't!

But everything soon left her mind as she turned a corner and found an alcove to her right. It wasn't Corduroy she was facing. It wasn't even Binary or Marvel.

It was something very large. Black, furry, and bear-like.

And that was the nicest way to describe the horror that it really was.

Corduroy was never here at all. Nobody was here. Nobody except for herself and this beast in front of her. What had…how had…?

The beast let out an eardrum-shattering roar. One that sounded distinctly like Corduroy's voice screaming in so much pain that Gadget whimpered in distress and anguish.

Its maw opened wide, and Gadget could see all of the vicious sharp teeth that ran in row after unnatural row. The thing was built to shred flesh in a hurry.

And here she was, right in front of it.

Its face looked like it had been burned to the bone, maybe even from the inside out. Its eyes in the carapace-like skull were wide and red, and she could scarcely tell where they ended and the flayed flesh started. The visibility of its bones left little to her imagination, and it gave her the impression that the thing was in constant agony. A rank odor of rot and burnt, melted flesh turned her stomach.

Corduroy's voice screeched out of the mutt's maw, a symphony of suffering and pain. And false.

She'd been lured into a trap!

The mutt followed its screech with a lazy swipe. A lazy swipe that could have taken her head off if she hadn't ducked in time. The wind rustled her hair as it flew by overhead, and she swiftly turned on her feet as quickly as she could.

"AAAAAGH!" Gadget screamed as she broke into a sprint in an attempt to flee. She only had this one attempt to try and get away from it!

Heedless of the throbbing pain, she pumped her legs for all they were worth. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if that thing caught her underneath it.

The mutt roared again. A scream that sounded too much like Corduroy, and Gadget tried to ignore it. Tried to swallow her fear of her friend's brutally mangled body at the hands of this…this thing.

She couldn't run as fast as she normally could. Hindered by a limp, she tried to move as fast as she possibly could, and it was only then that the mutt was finally on the move. Gadget heard its feet pound at the ground, and its rapid steps as it charged at her.

No! I can't outrun it! It was too fast! She stood no chance! But she couldn't glance back, otherwise she would slow down that little bit of speed she needed to get away from it!

Gadget looked around with fearful eyes for another pathway in the maze, but there was nothing except the straight and narrow path in front of her. And…

Are the walls closing in!?

Gadget looked to her left and right and it seemed that her path was narrower.

She had literally only one direction to run in…well two, but the other one was pointless suicide. She could only press on ahead. The only advantage she had was the bear-like mutt was so big and the narrowing passage meant it was practically squeezing through to get to her. It was the only thing that gave her the means to keep ahead of it. If this was open plains, it would easily run her down in her injured state.

Small mercies.

Was this supposed to even the odds? Make things fair for her!? Because what was possibly more amusing to the Capitol than a frightened girl thinking she has a fighting chance?

Corduroy's scream blared out from behind her, and instinctively, Gadget looked back.

A scream erupted from her throat. The bear-like mutt stared directly at her, its paws slamming against the ground as it moved forward with a pace that was only slightly hindered by walls of wheat.

This was no mercy. Gadget turned back around and tried to push herself as hard as she could. The walls wouldn't just crush the mutt. It would crush her.

One exit, at the far end of the path. Gadget could barely see it in the dim lighting, but it seemed to stretch on forever. The walls became narrower and narrower, and it reminded her so much of the grotto that squeezed down upon her and Corduroy and…and Peeta.

The path was becoming too narrow! Squeezing down on her sides bit by bit. Behind her, Corduroy's voice screamed out in frustration. She didn't dare look back. She knew how close the mutt was and she didn't want to confirm that it was even closer than she thought. Its rank smell wafted her nostrils, intermingling with the scent of wheat and sweat.

"Ah!" she squeaked as the walls pushed down on her. She tried to ignore the throbbing in her foot. One mistake and it was all over. That was all it would take.

There was no one who would help her this time. Not like when Corduroy and Peeta pulled her out of the grotto just in time before it crushed her. The only person she could rely on now was…herself. And the walls…they were becoming far too narrow, squeezing at her shoulders.

Gadget had no choice but to turn and flatten her chest against the stalks of wheat. Her pace slowed to a crawl as she was forced to shuffle along sideways. She sucked in breath after breath after breath, the walls shoving forward upon her.

Somehow, she could still hear the mutt. It was still alive! Squeezing along the path, just as she was. Just how determined was this thing to get her!

She could hear its heavy pounding steps just to her side.

I'm not going to make it! was the despairing thought.

Yes, you will! You HAVE to!

Be it her own mind or a voice telling her so, she forced herself to ignore the great pain and continued to move, getting closer and closer to the end of the pathway. It was only mere feet away now. But the walls were becoming too persistent.

Corduroy's scream echoed once more out of the beast. One that sounded so very much like it didn't belong. Frustration intertwined with complete rage. It made her heart skip a beat and her stomach drop at the thought of the intentions behind the scream. And for a moment, it was like Corduroy himself truly, really wanted to kill her.

The walls crushed against her back and chest, almost preventing her from moving, and Gadget had to suck in one last breath before the walls stopped her from breathing.

It was right there! Safety from here! She couldn't hear the mutt any longer, just the pumping of blood in her ears.

Please!

Her hand outstretched, the tips of her fingers finding purchase on the edge of the opening.

And then she pulled as hard as she possibly could, dislodging herself from between the walls, and throwing her body out into the open, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

She was alive. She survived.

I survived!

Gadget rotated onto her back, her dead eyes staring into the dark sky with something akin to disbelief. She hadn't been sure she would actually make it. Gingerly, she put a hand against the wheat stalks and climbed to her feet.

The mutt unleashed a roar, one that was louder than any of the others. She could barely see it behind the gap in the wall, slowly closing. Gadget winced and tentatively palmed her ears at the scream. A scream that belonged to Corduroy, and not whatever this thing was.

It pierced the air, and Gadget almost fell to her knees. It's not really Corduroy, she reminded herself. But the mutt screamed again, this time one full of pain and agony. All with Corduroy's voice and Gadget couldn't take it.

This was monstrous!

The sounds of bones breaking reached her ears, through her palms even as she covered them. Muscles and tendons tearing, and skin ripping. Corduroy's voice shouted one last time, this time one that sounded like a plea. It cut right through her, right into her heart.

"Stop…" she whimpered pathetically. How cruel did someone have to be to warp the voice of her friend? Her only friend. And made it sound like he was in incredible pain.

And then, finally, Corduroy's scream stopped. Unsurely, Gadget took her hands off her ears, and all she could hear was the sound of broken bones being crushed between the two walls as they touched together.

Gadget doubled over and she made no attempt to stand back up. Her stomach cramped uncomfortably, but that was the least of her many concerns. She was going to die…she had no doubt. She was barely a challenge to anyone before, now she was little more than an empty file folder. No defense whatsoever…

She shouldn't still be alive. She should have died during the Bloodbath. Or during any of the other times her life was in peril.

She knew that she needed to move, but the adrenaline rush and the fear that set her heart pumping uncontrollably left her in no condition to move for a few minutes. So she laid there but kept her eyes wide open and looked around warily. Watchful for danger. There were always plenty more dangers. Any second, the fog could reappear, or another mutt, or Clove, or Binary, or Marvel. And even if her leg were left untreated, Finch could return, or the opportunistic Monkshood. She pulled in deep gulps of air as she tried to regulate her breathing. Soon, she was able to sit up once more and take stock of the situation.

Such as the fact that she was in a circular opening once more, and again, there were no exits.

Her heart nearly stopped.

This was another battle ring…only, there was no one.

Did that mean her chosen competition had not yet arrived, or they were already here and she couldn't see them? She looked around wildly.

Don't panic, Gadget…don't panic! she told herself mentally.

Take a breath, slow down, and make a plan…

She drew one breath, then another closed her eyes for a second, and when she reopened them, she considered the size of the open space, the height of the wheat stalk walls, and the weapons and tools at her disposal. She still had the backpack with food and other supplies strapped to her arm. It's the closest thing she had to a shield. The bag slung on her back was much too precious to be risked, and she couldn't put it down either unless she wanted to chance losing it. But she also needed some relative safety to assemble it.

No one is taking this from me…or Corduroy. She promised herself.

"Killer!"

Gadget spun around on her feet and she thought her heart stopped. She recognized the owner of that voice long before she saw her. Fear hit her, worse than the mutt she had just been running from. It slipped into her, almost freezing her still. Her double-edged knife held aloft, forgotten.

And Gadget realized with terror that the mutt was never intended to kill her. Not even intended to touch her. It was intended to bring her out for Clove to kill her.

On top of the wall of wheat stood Clove, a malevolent smirk dancing on her lips. A smirk that promised an eternity of suffering. Gadget had no doubt that the amount of anger, rage, and hate that Clove felt for her would dissuade her from letting her die too quick a death.

Gadget's throat went dry. She stared up at Clove's face, half-covered with night-vision goggles. She must have never put them down long enough for someone else to take. Or she swiped them from the Cornucopia at the last second. Gadget didn't know, and didn't matter either.

Clove could see her as bright as day.

She tossed a knife into the air and Gadget's dead eyes followed it as it fell back into Clove's open palm. What could Gadget do to avoid this? Escape this? Clove was on top of the wheat stalks. They might as well have been walls of concrete, it made no difference.

They were closing in on the end of the Games, which meant that Seneca Crane wanted to tie up as many loose ends as he could. Was that why this wheat field only pretended to be a maze? Because scrambling like rats for an exit didn't make for the entertainment that Seneca Crane wanted?

Did this place even have an exit?

"I've been looking for you," Clove said coldly in spite of her grin.

This…this was where Gadget was going to die. No matter how fast she ran, Clove would outrun her. If she tried to maneuver against her, Clove would outmaneuver her. She was exactly where the Gamemakers wanted her to be.

Helpless, and in front of Clove.

Clove tossed up her knife again and Gadget knew what was going to happen. It twisted through the air as Clove's other hand shot out to grasp the blade between her fingers.

Gadget threw her backpack in front of her face just as Clove flicked the knife, and she felt it thud into the backpack.

Run! her mind screamed. But where would she go? There were no exits. The Gamemakers - Seneca Crane - wanted her to fight back. As if she had a real chance at all.

Clove broke into a sprint, far faster than Gadget had expected. She brought her own knife up and watched as Clove circled the wall, slipping a knife out of her vest as she went.

And then, she was closest to her, Clove jumped off of the wall, pulling her knees up, and slammed right into Gadget's chest. Both of them fell to the ground in a heap, and Gadget's leg screamed in protest.

Gadget fought to stand up, but disorientation gripped her. She held onto the handle of her double-edged knife, and she tried to blink away the tears of pain in her eyes.

"Were you thinking I'd forget about you?" Clove hissed from somewhere behind her. Gadget didn't need to look to know she was standing up.

This wasn't a fight. This was her bloody demise. She…she didn't have a chance to stop her.

"I could never forget you," Clove continued to say, full of malice and hate. Gadget grasped her knife and swung around just as she heard Clove leap.

And as Clove leapt, she expertly dodged any possible strike Gadget could have done, swinging her leg around into her hand. Pain erupted in Gadget's arm and her knife went wide.

"And now, you're right where you belong," Clove said. But Gadget could only watch as her knife fell back to the ground on the other end of the clearing. Too far for her to reach. She breathed in as she tried to figure something out. Some kind of escape. But then Clove stomped down hard on her foot; the same foot that had been pierced by that trap.

"AGH!" Gadget cried. Her gaze snapped back to Clove as her smirk only grew wider. She knew how little of a chance Gadget actually stood. She knew how helpless Gadget was. And in a place like this, where no one could interrupt them…

Clove could take as long as she wanted.

"Under me," Clove finished with a purr.

It was over before it even began.

Gadget couldn't see Clove's eyes behind her night-vision goggles. But she could imagine them. And the rage they held. Rage against her for the things she had done.

Clove twisted her heel into Gadget's foot, and she grinned with pure elation when Gadget yelped and whimpered. "Pathetic, pathetic Killer," she mocked.

Gadget grunted as Clove pushed forward, clasping her wrists tightly above her head. Just as she had done to Thresh before her. Her free hand clung to a blade that she slowly dragged up and down Gadget's skin, starting at her chin. Not hard enough to cut through. But enough to cause immense discomfort.

Clove's lips twisted into a sneer. "And somehow," she said, lowering her knee into Gadget's stomach, making her gasp, "you're still alive and Cato isn't."

Isn't long before I join the dead, Gadget thought bitterly, even as dead green eyes stared fearfully, resignedly at the unreadable lenses of night-vision goggles.

But maybe you can buy yourself some time? came another thought. If Clove found a way to climb the wall, then maybe Corduroy could!

"G-g…" Gadget started.

"What?" Clove stared hard at her. "What did you say? Or rather…what are you trying to say?"

"Get…rebooted!" Mustering all the strength she had, she drew up both her knees and slammed them as hard as she could against Clove's back.

The awkwardness of her position and with Clove pinning her for the most part meant she didn't have nearly as much kinetic force as she would have liked, but it was sufficient, and more importantly, Clove hadn't been expecting it. Her grunt of shock only proved it. As she leaned forward, she released her hold on Gadget's wrists and she capitalized by pulling herself free and slipping out from under Clove who'd overbalanced and was now more interested in repositioning her stance to a more advantageous one first.

Having managed to get herself up, Gadget didn't try putting any weight on her injured leg, but instead just rolled herself over to her short sword and grabbed it. She rolled again and got herself into a ready kneeling position, putting her right leg in a coil so she could spring into whatever movement she needed.

"How dare you!?" Clove screeched, fury laced into every word.

Gadget disregarded it. She had no illusions about the outcome. But…maybe if she caused enough noise…someone could come looking. Someone who could help her and…and…

If she died, it would save Corduroy a heavy burden.

It was the least she could do for him.

I'm sorry everyone. Gadget thought of her mentors and whomever else she had come to care for. All hope that had fed towards her survival just a moment ago disappeared as the realization sunk into her. Nobody was coming to save her.

She'd never get to build that flamethrower.

She glanced fearfully around the clearing with frightened eyes. She didn't want to die! She wanted to live!

Septimius and the victors all reviewed Clove during her 'reaping'. It was more of a fight to get to the stage. She was very young for a Career volunteer, and she knew that, so she made up for it with brutish viciousness. But that meant she was not necessarily the most trained. She had prodigious talent and skills, but she was also ruled by her anger, and not to mention, she'd been injured herself and had no allies. It was truly just Gadget and Clove.

It didn't give Gadget much, and it was far from what she needed.

Clove grew tired of waiting and lunged forward.

Gadget sprung, and she didn't go to either side, but she twisted her form as she rose. As expected, Clove made a feint move to her left, and Gadget could see her planting her foot down, about to leap another way already. But it was already too late to stop herself, even as everything seemed to slow down around her. She curled her fist and swung wide with one arm as her other threw a wild cut with her blade.

Clove, however, expertly dodged both of Gadget's attacks, and she felt something solid slam against her chest, pushing her backwards with incredible ease. And she saw a grin reappear on Clove's face as her back hit the wall of wheat.

This was…this was Clove playing with her food. She was enjoying this, even through her fury. And Gadget watched with a new sense of dread as she paced with slow steps, twirling her knife between her fingers.

"Come on, Killer," Clove said, rolling the word on her tongue.

Fear held onto her in a grip so tight that it made it hard to breathe. This was her death! No matter how she tried to fight back, this was how her life ended! She couldn't think of anything outside of the moment it would happen.

Once more, Clove lunged forward, still no less ferocious. Gadget knew her injury would be the main focus of Clove. The Careers knew sadism and how to inflict fear, but they also knew how to end a fight decisively and swiftly to ensure their success. Gadget was nowhere near a true challenge. Her only advantage was that Clove had never seen this level of defiance or preparedness to fight. But Gadget had not forgotten what little bit of methods and tactics that had been taught to her during training and within the arena by the various people she'd encountered.

As Clove threw her foot down to stomp on Gadget's foot, she simply pulled her leg backwards whilst swinging her blade in an upward arc at the same time, forcing Clove to dance back and out of the way or risk getting, ironically, cloven in two.

A low growl of frustration emanated from the diminutive girl.

Gadget gingerly planted her injured foot back down with as little weight as possible.

Clove wouldn't fall for any tricks twice, and her pride was getting more and more wounded. But Gadget was certain she was at her own limits. If she'd had a lifetime of being well-fed and trained the same way Careers were, maybe this would turn out differently.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

So far, she'd failed to even wind Clove. She had done nothing but provide a fickle challenge and nothing more.

A feral scream came loose and Clove charged, then abruptly ducked, sweeping her leg in a fierce arc, forcing Gadget's legs from under her painfully and the Career fighter was pinning her once more. Her blade swung, cutting through the air and knocking Gadget's knife out of her grip with barely any trouble. She braced her right leg against Gadget's legs and her free hand pressed Gadget's upper torso against the ground.

She leaned in, snarling, and was just about to speak, but Gadget's desperation spiked as her mind scrambled for another way out. Heedless of the shooting pains in her left leg, she reached out with both hands and wrapped her arms around Clove's back and pulled her in close. She slammed her eyes shut and could feel Clove tense up in surprise as Gadget latched her teeth together onto her throat.

Clove screamed a promise of utter wrath, and Gadget could scarcely believe what she was doing. Clove pulled away in an instant and Gadget tried to wrench herself free from underneath the Career girl. But Clove was ever too fast, and she heard the impact of a knife slam into the ground, its saw teeth cutting right into her left arm.

And then Gadget's world filled with pain. Hot fire inside her shoulder erupted, and she could feel as Clove's knife struck through her deep inside. Gadget couldn't stop it. She screamed in agony.

"YOU! HAVE! NO! RIGHT!" Clove followed each screamed word with a powerful twist of the knife.

All remaining fight left Gadget. She'd inflicted no amount of harm or damage to Clove. Infinitesimal in comparison to all the other girl had wrought. All she had done was make the other girl more furious with her, and remind her just how much Clove wanted to kill her. Her shoulder ached and hurt tremendously and she whimpered as she gazed into the goggles that covered Clove's eyes. Her face was contorted in obvious fury, there was a hint of an amused expression, based on the way her brows furrowed.

Gadget squeaked in despair. She had done nothing but give Clove some extra time to…play with her food.

"Pathetic, Killer," Clove sneered. She twisted the knife one last time, looking very much like she savored Gadget's cry of pain, before pulling it free. "You're nothing. You're still alive because I haven't let you die." Clove lowered her face a minuscule amount. "And you'll die when I demand it."

She raised her knife, trailing it almost delicately along Gadget's cheek once more, and Gadget shivered at the cold steel along her skin.

There were no more lucky escapes. Seneca Crane had tired of her at last. Her story was concluded.

"I've been waiting to do this," Clove purred. "I just need…" she started, planting the tip of her knife under Gadget's chin, forcing her head up, "to figure out where to start."

Gadget wanted to close her eyes and look away. But if she did, Clove would undoubtedly hurt her even worse. It went without being said that Clove wanted to look at her while she died. And that thought scared her.

This was the beginning of a long and arduous torture session. Gadget wanted to cry and scream for help, but she knew that none would come. Gadget wouldn't be the first time someone tortured someone else in the Games for hours on end. And Clove's anger would not dilute her sadism.

"How about," Clove continued, trailing her knife down Gadget's body until she reached her pinned hands. "Right he-"

Clove stopped abruptly and turned sharply. Her knife jumped away from Gadget's hands, and Clove released her all at the same time.

"OUF-ACK!" Clove grunted as Gadget watched something collide with her chest, sending her falling to the ground. And before she could roll back to her feet, Gadget was already on the move.

She backed up on all fours, practically crawling to the edge of the clearing. Dazedly, she looked towards her savior and her breath hitched.

Corduroy glanced back at her, eyes the picture of focus. They shot back to Clove who had already made it back onto her heels in record time. Corduroy must have done the same thing Clove did, Gadget realized with a start. The wheat stalks hadn't shifted in the slightest, which meant that, like her before him, he'd found a way on top of them.

"You!" Clove hissed, pointing at Corduroy with her knife. And she sounded almost as angry as she had been before Gadget escaped from the Cornucopia.

Corduroy didn't say anything. He had a knife in his hand. His gaze didn't move in the slightest away from Clove. This was not good. They needed to get out of here, but-

Almost as if Seneca Crane heard her thoughts, the wheat stalks finally moved and Gadget shot her attention to it. Across from her and to her sides, three openings appeared, splitting from the wheat.

"Eight," Clove growled. She fingered the blade of her knife, slowly rotating it around. No words needed to be said, Gadget didn't think. She already knew the threats that Clove surely must be thinking.

She was going to kill Corduroy in front of her! Just as she did to Lace.

Clove flicked her wrist, but Corduroy was ready for her. He pulled his backpack in front of him like a shield, and the knife sunk harmlessly into it. And with the sound of it sinking into place, Corduroy charged forward.

"You've ruined everything!" Clove screamed, pulling another knife from her vest. She didn't have many left, Gadget could see. Between the one in her hand and the ones in her vest, she only had three left.

Gadget scrambled up, struggling to stand with a hand against the wall. She and Corduroy needed to get out of here before it was too late. Before Seneca Crane changed his mind and trapped them once more.

How could she have been so lucky to escape death so many times!? Was it chance? Or was it something to do with the higher-ups within the Capitol? The odds of her survival bordered on impossible, and yet she was still alive.

Games within Games. And she was getting swept up in it. Whatever they were.

"Go, Gadget!" Corduroy called to her and Gadget's dead eyes darted to him. He managed to dodge one of Clove's swipes, backing up as Clove moved forward. "I will be right behind you!"

"No!" Clove yelled in rage. "You won't escape this time!"

Gadget let out a breath. She scanned the clearing for both the nearest exit and her knife. And when she saw it, she ran towards it to pick it up. Alarm bells went off in her ears. Warning her to not leave Corduroy behind. This was the closest she had gotten to him since they'd been separated.

Corduroy grunted and Gadget looked back, her heart in her throat. Clove's lips quirked upwards in a psychotic grin as her knife pressed into Corduroy's shoulder.

"I'm going to kill you like I did to your friend," Clove said, turning her head to look at Gadget. "What was her name again, Killer?" She looked back at Corduroy. "No one will remember you or her."

"Maybe not," Corduroy said back, his hand on Clove's as he tried to stop her from cutting her knife even deeper. "But you will have to live knowing that Cato's death is your fault."

Clove recoiled, as if she'd been zapped.

"You trained for years for this," Corduroy mocked. "You had to cheat in order to survive. And you still lost everything to a boy my age."

Clove's face became red and she let out a murderous shout. Gripping her knife hard enough to make Corduroy wince, Gadget watched as she yanked it out and raised it over her head with both hands.

But this time, it was Corduroy who was faster. He kicked his leg out, barely catching Clove's own, then swung his fist around, catching her in the side of the head. Not enough to do much more damage than stunning and disorienting her.

This was the opportunity they needed. Gadget hit the ground running, trying to ignore how her foot flared in relentless torment every time it hit the ground. Corduroy's name was already on her lips far before she reached the entrance out of the clearing.

With one last glance back, however, that word died in her throat. Corduroy had managed to get Clove down onto her knees. His knife at her throat, and it was almost like a mirror of the way Clove held her own knife to Gadget's neck. Clove's knife was held almost aloft in her hand, down at her side. But it was the look in Corduroy's eyes that took her aback the most.

They were cold. Colder than anything she had seen from him before.

"This is the monster under the bed?" Corduroy asked aloud to himself. Clove sneered up at him, but otherwise said nothing at all. Gadget could practically feel the rage radiating off of her from where she stood. Right on the verge of the exit.

Corduroy narrowed his eyes coldly at Clove. His knife pressed just slightly into her neck, but not enough to cause any blood to spill.

"And now, I get to be your monster," Corduroy stated. He pressed the knife deeper, and this time, Gadget did see blood form. "You will suffer me, now."

"No," Clove hissed between her teeth. "You will!"

And then, Clove sprung back into action, faster than ever, and before Corduroy could readily do anything. She swiped her blade up between them, separating Corduroy's knife from her throat.

With his blade removed, Clove shot up and leaned her head back, then threw it forward violently. Corduroy lost his balance and backed away before Clove could go on the attack. He touched his hand to his nose, like he was shocked by the pain.

"NO!" Gadget screamed.

Clove had leaped out of Corduroy's reach and turned around, murderous intent obvious, but Gadget's cry had distracted Clove enough to make her look back for a moment and Corduroy seized the moment to lunge at her.

"Your single-minded obsession with Gadget is astounding," Corduroy said as he grappled to keep her from plunging her knife into him, just as she used her free hand to do the same to Corduroy.

Gadget frowned even as she struggled with concern for Corduroy's survival. That statement of his struck some kind of nerve in her. Eventually, with a noise of frustration, Clove kicked Corduroy off her, and the two now circled each other, knives inverted, and watching for the first move from the other.

The predatory gaze of both gave Gadget pause, as she remembered Omri Pennington of District Nine, the male victor of the 33rd Games. During his victory interview, he'd been asked how he bested his opponent, what separated him from the other tribute. Omri had likened it to two apex predators of differing species facing each other. Both were killers, but the difference between Omri and the other was the sheer will to live.

All that remained between Corduroy and Clove was who had the greater will to live. Unfortunately, Clove was a killer through-and-through. Corduroy...he'd not killed yet. But could he? Clove tortured Lace to death, this probably gave Corduroy incentive and anger. Hatred even. But would it be enough?

Gadget didn't know. But she couldn't stand by and let Corduroy fight Clove alone. She wouldn't let him! So, with a hard grip on her weapon, she jumped into action.

Clove made the first move, thrusting forward with her knife, and forcing Corduroy to move backwards. He moved just out of the way and Gadget paled with every inch the two of them stepped. She wouldn't let Clove take Corduroy, too!

And just as she reached them, with Clove's back to her, the girl snapped to the side so that she could face both of them. Gadget swung her short sword at the same time Corduroy did with his knife.

For a moment, fear paralyzed Gadget's heart. Was she about to be responsible for the death of another person? Whether or not it was to make sure Corduroy came out alive, it would still be murder. It would make no difference at all.

But Clove's arms shot out; her knife hand in one, and the other flexing in a specific manner…and Gadget could only watch as a blade appeared from under her sleeve, clashing into Gadget's double-edged blade as it did.

The clang of metal on metal rang out clearly across the clearing.

"Ugh," Clove grunted, her teeth gritted in frustration. Gadget wished she could see underneath the night-vision goggles that covered her eyes. That would at least give her an idea about what she was thinking.

She could see Corduroy glance at her from the corner of her eye, but again, he said nothing. She hoped he wasn't disappointed in her decision, but she wouldn't leave him behind to fight Clove alone.

Slowly, Clove twisted her wrist-blade, as if she was testing Gadget's defenses, even as she pushed down on it with as much strength as she could muster.

"You are mine," Corduroy said at last, and his voice was so cold. It was almost like his gaze burned into where Clove's eyes were.

"No," Clove snarled back. "No, no, NO!"

Clove pushed hard and fast against Gadget and Corduroy. Gadget almost lost her balance, but she had to stay firm. She couldn't lose it here!

Corduroy staggered back, if only just, from the force. But Clove didn't look at him. Her face had turned towards Gadget, and with a spin of her knife and the tilt of her wrist-blade, she broke into a quick sprint to close the distance between them.

Gadget gasped and she swung wildly in a panic before Clove could get too close. But then Clove easily blocked her slash with her knife while raising her wrist-blade simultaneously. But this time, Gadget was ready. She had seen what Clove had done earlier and prepared the length of her short sword against Clove's knife, and she pushed.

Clove was on the back foot for the first time, and quickly, before Gadget could lose the short advantage she had for herself, slashed upwards with her blade. Clove ducked back at the last second, fully disconnecting from Gadget and retreating a few short steps away.

Gadget heaved in a breath, her chest expanding and contracting with each deep breath she took. Clove looked completely shocked and touched a finger to her face, right where Gadget had managed a small cut along her cheek. After all this time, she had managed a minute injury to the Career girl that tortured her.

"Gadget," Corduroy said, and she looked at him, and she held back her cry of alarm. She hadn't noticed it until now, but now that she was closer to him, she could see the cuts on his face made from Clove's knife. Shallow cuts, just like what Gadget had just managed. All shallow except for the one on his shoulder. And that reminder made her own shoulder throb. "We need to go."

She didn't need to be told twice. With not a single look back, she rushed towards Corduroy to grab him by the hand, and pulled them to the nearest exit out of the clearing. They had to get out of here! Before it was too late!

But then she was thrown to the ground as a sudden weight threw her forward too quickly. A yelp escaped her throat and she hit the dirt, roughly landing on her shoulder. "AHH!" she screamed. It felt like a fire inside her body that spread down her arms and into her neck. Through every fiber of her being it reached her toes.

Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife, and she tilted her head back in search of Corduroy. Worry and anxiety hammered against her chest, and there she saw both Corduroy and Clove.

Clove had climbed on top of the lower half of Corduroy's body. She scrabbled and wrestled for control and total domination. If she couldn't kill Gadget…she feared what she would do to her only friend and ally. She tried to stand, but she already knew she would be too late.

She was going to kill him. She was going to kill Corduroy!

"Come here!" Clove demanded in a fury, raising both her knife and her wrist-blade at the same time.

"You will fear me!" Corduroy said back, not in a scream, or even a yell, but just a tone cold enough to make even Gadget afraid of her friend.

He pulled his leg back, the one that had previously been entrapped in a brace, and shot it forward violently into Clove's face. She toppled over, unable to keep her balance. Corduroy retracted his leg and stood up, then ran over to Gadget.

He extended his hand for her and Gadget stared up at him with a mixture of shock and, for the first time since the Games began, uncertainty.

Uncertainty of what Corduroy could do. And, in the very pit of her stomach, fear.

If he wanted to kill you, he could have done it long ago, she reminded herself, and more importantly, didn't you swear to see him become the victor? So if he kills you, what's it matter?

Lips pursed, she grasped his hand and staggered to her feet.

A shriek of rage reminded them both that Clove was still an issue, but her back was turned to them for a moment, and Corduroy didn't waste time, leading Gadget down one of the passages. An instant later, Clove wheeled around, pulling her night-vision goggles over her eyes and tossing them to the ground.

She glared at Gadget, her hateful stare boring into Gadget's fearful gaze. Then, as quick as she always was, Clove flung her knife into the air, right at her, and without any hesitation.

But then, before it could hit her, the wheat stalks closed, hiding them from view, and Gadget heard the dull impact of Clove's knife hitting the wall. And then Clove's scream was one of frustration as she was denied her prey.

Almost imperceptibly, Gadget noticed the stalks of wheat grow. Seneca Crane was going to deprive them all of climbing on top of the wall like Clove and Corduroy had done.

Gadget felt a mixture of relief and anxiety at the thought as she limped along the newest pathway to be revealed to her and Corduroy. He gently pulled her along and she offered no resistance. Bit by bit, Clove's screams faded into nothing as they went. Whether because they were out of ear-shot or because Clove stopped, Gadget wasn't sure.

But she was no longer an issue for the time being.

Instead, she glanced at Corduroy. Something he said stuck with her. During everything that unfolded, there was something that stuck out in her mind.

Did…did Corduroy use me to get to Clove?

The thought was incessant, crawling its way around her mind. Did she even want to know the answer to that question? What if she was right? What if he…

What if he used her in order to draw out Clove? To create an opportunity to try and kill her? He only appeared after Gadget was stuck beneath her and Clove was fully ready to begin whatever torture she had in mind.

Clove killed Lace. She killed Corduroy's district partner. His friend. And he was incredibly patient. He would…he would wait until the perfect opportunity presented itself before he struck.

He would've known that Clove would have tried to go after me, Gadget thought. I k-killed Cato, so…

She wasn't going to ask. She didn't want to know the answer. Whether or not she was a tool for Corduroy to use, he was more kind to her than Binary. He made sure she was okay. And she…she cared about him!

Forcefully, Gadget set her thoughts aside. They were together now, which meant that they needed to find an exit. And now that they couldn't exploit the top of the maze, that meant finding the exit out was going to be far more difficult.

"Cease," Corduroy said suddenly and Gadget turned to look at him. She tried to ignore the throb of pain in her foot. It was worse than the burning liquid Binary and Stattick poured on her. Her hands clenched and unclenched. Her shoulder hurt almost just as bad, if a little less. Clove had been anything but merciful.

She gazed at Corduroy with pain in her eyes. Whatever Clove did to him…did it hurt as much as she hurt her? Gadget doubted it. Corduroy had, thankfully, been spared whatever torture Clove could have made him endure.

Gadget let out a breath. "S-sorry," she apologized.

"You are limping," Corduroy said, and she could hear the concern in his voice. Whatever coldness his eyes held when he was facing Clove had since left.

"I-I'm okay," Gadget stammered, wincing as she did so. Corduroy did not look convinced in the slightest and she felt her cheeks flush. "Y-you're hurt, too!" she said, pointing weakly at his shoulder.

"Yes," Corduroy replied, "but I am not the one denying that." He took a step forward and slung his backpack around, wincing just the slightest bit as the strap moved over his shoulder.

Gadget rubbed her shoulder as a look of shame crossed her face. What a stupid mistake she had made to cause this. And yet here Corduroy was, with that same amount of concern she couldn't fathom.

Concern for her.

Slowly, she sat down on the ground, leaning her back against the wall. She could see Corduroy's lip quirk up in what Gadget guessed must have been satisfaction. Gadget could feel her face heat up and she swiftly darted her gaze away, meekly staring down at her feet.

"Th-thank you for s-saving me," Gadget whispered, stuttering in her nervousness. "I…" A watery smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you."

They were so close to the end now. A cannon could fire at any second. The ultimate signal that they were down one less tribute. And with every passing second, Gadget's trepidation grew.

"I would not leave you behind," Corduroy said with earnestness. "Need I remind you that you are my friend?" Gadget looked at him and felt her heart squeeze.

This…wouldn't last much longer. Friends, but for how much longer? One way or another, Gadget knew that she was going to be the one to die. If he was going to live…she had to die.

Corduroy pulled out his first aid kit from his backpack, followed by a flask of water. Every tender moment they shared could be their last.

This could be their last moment together.

"What happened?" Corduroy asked, gesturing with his head to her injured leg.

Gadget glanced down wistfully at her leg, which began to throb with pain even more, as if paying attention to it made the agony intensify. As it was, Gadget failed to repress the hiss when Corduroy began to roll up the hem of her pants, then take off her boot, which prompted the boy to move more gingerly as he saw the extent of the injury.

"I-it was a trap of s-some sort," Gadget said, "snapped over my leg."

"And would have severed the leg if it had remained, by the looks of it," Corduroy observed thoughtfully, "how did you manage to get free of it?"

"I u-used my tools…ah!" Gadget winced and looked down in horror. All her running and fighting had aggravated the shoddy patch work she'd applied. Quite possibly, she'd worsened it. The bandage was completely red and only partially dry. She was still bleeding.

"Shreds…" Corduroy muttered as he observed the state of her leg. The way he said it sounded like an exclamation or colloquial swearing.

"I-i-it's bad, isn't it?" Gadget asked, her voice wavering.

Corduroy nodded grimly. "But it is nonetheless treatable. If we do not delay much more."

Gadget nodded and leaned back a little.

"This is going to hurt rather horridly," Corduroy said, "ready yourself."

Again, she nodded, having already anticipated this. She looked skyward, but her mind was already bracing for intense pain.

She felt him pour the water from the flask over the wound, and let out a long, low groan of pain. She gritted her teeth and bit back any screaming. Even the sound of her groans were dangerous, with the maze having grown eerily quiet again. As if Seneca Crane was trying to let others easily track her and Corduroy.

She felt a small cloth being wiped over the wounds, and that elicited a new noise of pain from her, but she again, held back as much as she could. She'd already been through so much pain, she could take it! When she looked down, she saw Corduroy looking at her with no small amount of amazement. That confused her. Why did he look like that? Was there something more severe about her leg injury?

"How are you not screaming?" he simply asked.

"I. Want. To!" Gadget bit out. Her leg felt like one big nerve center of agony. Her knuckles were white from gripping the soil and earth with such vehemence.

He nodded, and seemed to decide not to press the matter. Now that the wound was cleaned, and the renewed bleeding from all her running and fighting was wiped away, Corduroy sat down and put his legs out and took her foot to balance it over his legs. He lifted up the bottle of disinfectant. As he wound the cap open, Gadget readied herself for more pain. She remembered the burning sensations and as he poured a little sliver of liquid over the wound, she was jarred by the instant sense of relief washing over her.

The disinfectant seemed to double as a painkiller, and she nearly passed out just from the relief of pain. The only reason she didn't allow that was Corduroy was vulnerable the way he was and taking all the time to concentrate on treating her leg. The irrational part of her wanted to tell him to stop and that she would manage the way it was. The logical part told her not to be an idiot and let him finish so that she could be more of an asset to him when the time came.

Plus it really felt nice not being in so much pain all the time.

"Guessing by your face, this is the painkilling type of disinfectant," Corduroy observed, "very nice of them."

By them, he meant the Capitol. And he was right. It was rare for them to give something that was so comforting.

After a while, her leg began to feel numb, once Corduroy had thoroughly saturated the wound with the disinfectant, and she mentioned as much, "It-it doesn't hurt anymore…just…tingles."

Corduroy looked up, then lightly prodded the open wound, and looked back at her. She shook her head, and smiled slightly.

"Then I'll get to the stitching," Corduroy said as he pulled out a needle and a spool of thread.

It was mildly disconcerting to see the needle piercing her skin but not feeling anything. As a result, Gadget stayed very still, and Corduroy could do his work in record time. It helped that he moved at a speed that spoke of practiced ease. He soon finished sealing the entire wound and cut off the excess thread, wiped it clean, and bandaged it. He gently helped her put her sock back on and then the boot.

"Try to stand," Corduroy instructed and held out both his hands towards her, he was already on his feet.

Taking the offered hands, she was easily hauled up.

"I-I can feel my foot," Gadget said, "but there's a section missing on my leg."

She applied more weight to it, but it felt fine.

"Careful," Corduroy warned gently, "you might not feel anything now, but it is still hurt, and will need some time and care, so that you do not make it worse."

Gadget nodded and put as little weight on her left leg as possible. She nonetheless relished not being in a maelstrom of pain.

"Th-thanks," Gadget said, giving him a small smile.

Corduroy nodded, matching her expression.

"We had best get going," he said, after a minute of letting Gadget rest.

He packed up everything and gathered his belongings. It was then that she saw what appeared to be Corduroy's gift from the Capitol.

"Are th-those weights on your net?" she asked.

"Yes, they are. Useful for pinning someone down," he replied.

He looked at it wistfully, possibly wishing he'd used it to finish off Clove.

Whilst he sorted his net to hang over his backpack after he'd put away the first aid kit, Gadget finally noticed the knife sticking out of the backpack still strapped over her left forearm, and realized it was the blade Clove had thrown at her. Gadget now officially had two bladed weapons. She entertained a grim fantasy of indulging in poetic justice if she somehow managed to wound or kill Clove with her own weapon.

And it was with an embarrassed realization that while Corduroy had been busy mending her leg, she had forgotten all about her shoulder injury…and Corduroy's.

"W-wait…" she said, making the boy look at her, and he followed her pointing finger towards his wound, and he ran his own eyes over her, before he was mimicking her action, pointing out her own injury.

She nodded.

"To be entirely fair, it was a hectic moment," Corduroy muttered as he unshouldered his pack, dropped the net and took out the flask and first aid kit. Gadget removed the kit from her own pack as well.

"L-let me," Gadget said.

Corduroy had taken such good care of her leg, she wanted to reciprocate at least with this. He nodded and quickly-yet-carefully removed his jacket halfway, then pulled his arm and shoulder out of the sleeve, this way, everything stayed on and they could move in a hurry if needed without having to scramble to get everything back.

She opened the flask of water first and her haphazard movement splashed a little bit of water over her bandaged left hand.

"AH!" Gadget didn't expect the sting and realized that her hand had caught a bit of the murder fog. But the water seemed to be easing the pain after the initial burn.

Frowning, Corduroy began to undo the bandages on her arm. The ugly red welts looked…odd, for lack of a better word. The parts touched by water hurt less now, and seemed to be sloughing away with the liquid. Taking a risk, Gadget poured a trickle more over the most flaring swells, and couldn't bite back a hiss of pain, but like with the painkilling disinfectant, the pain dissipated almost immediately, leaving behind sweet relief, and unblemished skin.

"Remarkable," Corduroy said.

Gadget nodded. The Capitol was undoubtedly full of very creative people who developed both incredible medicine, as well as lethal and excruciating toxins or other horrors.

"N-now you," Gadget said, gesturing to his wound. She sloshed a small amount of water on the wound, cleaning it out.

Corduroy's face grimaced, but he didn't move a muscle, and she applied the same disinfectant that he'd used on her leg. Almost immediately, his face relaxed as the pain eased. Seemingly aware of how awkward she'd feel if he watched her, he instead looked over at the wound as she treated it, stitched it up, then applied a pair of butterfly sutures, which she then covered with a thick white cotton wad and plasters.

The whole process was over in a few minutes.

"Very excellent work, Gadget," Corduroy said, "My thanks. Now let's take care of that."

Almost a mirror of Corduroy's actions, Gadget had her arm wound tended and patched, and they packed up for real this time, took a swig of water each, and finally got on their way. Like before, the path opened up where the Gamemakers wanted them to go.

Their hands clasped together softly.

Gadget was certain that the wheat field wasn't all that large per square meter, but due to the mercurial manner of the wheat stalks, they could easily go in circles of just ten meters for what seemed like miles. Still, they were being led mostly in directions heading towards the right, and the artificial moon and stars illuminated their path whenever the dim twilight of dusk seemed insufficiently bright for them to see.

"Shred these walls," Corduroy swore quietly, "what I would give to be able to see outside for a while, again."

"Uhm…m-maybe I could…" Gadget started nervously.

Corduroy looked at her, wordlessly prompting her to elaborate, so she did.

"I got th-the flamethrower parts," she said, "I could p-put it t-together, and we c-could bu…burn the stalks down an-and get out."

She looked away quickly after that.

"A bold plan sewn together from desperation and no small amount of frustration," Corduroy said, "but ultimately woven with far too much risk over the uncertain probability of reward."

Gadget risked a glance and saw that Corduroy was looking at her with a wistful smile.

"I understand your plan, and the desire behind it, Gadget, but consider: these wheat stalks move."

He gestured to the subject in question. "What if we did set them ablaze, and they then closed in on us."

Gadget's eyes widened in horror. "W-w-we would be…crushed, and burnt."

"All at once," Corduroy said with a nod, "it was a fair idea, but perhaps one we should not consider using for now."

Gadget nodded quickly. The Gamemakers would do it now that it had been spoken about aloud, not that they weren't already considering it should they have tried to burn their way out. The Gamemakers would let them out when they wanted to.

And not a moment sooner than that.

They continued to follow the paths as they opened up before the pair. So far, no forks or multiple choices. The Gamemakers didn't seem to care for separating them.

Which did not bode well for them, honestly.

"They are guiding us somewhere," Corduroy said, reaffirming Gadget's thoughts. She clenched her hand around his, careful not to squeeze down hard enough that she hurt him.

They hadn't yet been separated again. And that fact sent warning bells ringing in Gadget's ears. Seneca Crane seemed to put a lot of effort into separating them when they'd first entered the maze…why wasn't he doing anything now?

"Do not let go, Gadget," Corduroy said, his own hand tightening ever so slightly around her own. She could hear his concern and his worry. He looked at her and she looked back at him.

"I won't," she promised. She wouldn't let go unless she absolutely had to. Holding him…it grounded her. It reminded her that she wasn't completely useless. Corduroy had told her again and again that she wasn't worthless like she had been told all her life. By Binary. By Zeno.

But Corduroy…he believed in her! And…and so did Lace and Peeta. But now they were both gone and Corduroy was all she had left. His survival meant everything to her.

The pathway of the maze twisted and turned as they went. There was no ending in sight. No dead ends to stumble upon and turn back. Only pathways that they could turn into and hope that it took them where they needed to go. Yet at the same time, they were still being guided. Gadget wished she knew why. Apparently everything Clove had done to her wasn't enough for them. Seneca Crane, and thereby, the Capitol, still wanted more.

How much more could she bear? Gadget didn't know. Did she want to know?

But this could be her last few minutes beside Corduroy. Whatever was coming, and Gadget had no doubts that something was coming…she needed to let Corduroy know how much he meant to her. How much she savored his friendship.

"Corduroy, I…" Gadget started to say, then trailed off before she could finish her thought. She swallowed, then looked into Corduroy's eyes as they slowed their pacing. "Thank you, thank you for being h-h-here for me."

Her eyes started to lower, but Corduroy gently stopped her with a finger on her chin. "Do not speak as if our tapestry unravels here," he said. "We will survive this maze together," he said with emphasis.

Gadget didn't know if she believed him. But she felt tears in her eyes and his kind words melted into her. And without thinking, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Corduroy.

Then, slowly, she felt Corduroy's arms wrap around her, too.

Gadget wanted to beg and cry out to the sky. Plead to Seneca Crane to let Corduroy go. To let him survive. But even if she tried, she knew that her begging and pleading would be in vain. It would never work. The Capitol would never be so merciful. They had never done it before, and they will never do it in the future.

Lightly, she dropped her arms to her side and pulled away. Corduroy did the same, and soon they were only connected by their hands. Gadget wasn't willing to let go. Not when Seneca Crane could separate them in a second. If they held onto each other…it minimized the chances. If only a little bit. If Seneca Crane truly wanted to separate them…he would have done so already.

No words needed to be said between them. They continued along their way, hands clutched firmly in each other's. Gadget wondered what Corduroy was thinking. What made him decide to stick by her for as long as he had.

No matter how she looked at it, even if Corduroy saw her as a friend, this was still the Hunger Games. Pragmatically, it was a far better idea to abandon any friend in favor of what was logical.

But Corduroy hadn't done that yet. Maybe for the exact reason Gadget hadn't done it? She didn't know. But she didn't think Corduroy suffered crippling loneliness at home like she did. But she wasn't sure. Corduroy had been so vague in talking about District Eight and what his life was like there.

She would likely never know.

This couldn't last forever. Gadget clutched Corduroy's hand harder as the thought whipped across her mind. Sooner or later, this was going to end. And the only way it could end was with one of their deaths. Her death.

"Something is wrong," Corduroy said suddenly, tearing Gadget out of her thoughts.

"Wha-what?" she stammered, flicking her gaze around them even as they walked. But she saw nothing. Ahead of them was a corner they were going to have to walk around.

"I am concerned that nothing else is trying to separate us," Corduroy revealed, and Gadget looked back at him. Carefully, she started to scan the area, searching in desperation for even the slightest thing that could tell her that something was wrong.

Would the Gamemakers do that? Would Seneca Crane? Gadget tried to remind herself that the Capitol wanted entertainment. Seneca Crane could, and most likely would do anything to get it.

Gadget swallowed, adjusting her hold on her double-edged knife. Her second knife, the one Clove threw at her, burned in the pit of her pocket.

Corduroy's own grip on her hand readjusted itself, becoming both more firm and comforting at the same time. "I think we are about to face…" he trailed off as they turned around the corner.

Gadget should have seen it coming. The moment they turned, she saw it. A large, open clearing surrounded on all sides by giant walls made from wheat stalks. And along the wall that encircled them were openings into the maze.

Openings that were already occupied by different tributes.

Directly across from them, Gadget saw Binary step calmly forward, purpose in his pace. To his left and right, she saw Clove and Monkshood respectively, the latter slightly more hesitant than the former.

"...everyone," Corduroy finished.

Gadget didn't need to turn to know that the wall of wheat closed behind her and Corduroy. Whatever limited safety they had was gone. And as Gadget scanned the clearing with frightened eyes, she knew that there wasn't going to be any safety to appear.

"No!" Gadget cried, grappling with the reality of their situation. This was what Seneca Crane had wanted. He'd brought them all together here. It was…it was like the Bloodbath. But this time, there was no running away. No escape.

With a glance to her left, Gadget could see Marvel. It was the first time she had seen him since she escaped from the Cornucopia and, although the light was dim, she could see just how worse for wear he was. Parts of his clothing were singed with burn marks.

Marvel turned towards her then, and Gadget had to swallow back her yelp of surprise. Half of Marvel's face looked like it had caught the brunt of at least the tail-end of an explosion. She could see the scorch mark of where the burn ended in blackened flesh. And his hair…that, too, had been burned off, it seemed.

What happened to him!? Was it Binary's mine? That seemed the most logical conclusion. Then, slowly, she watched with growing trepidation as a smirk, almost smug, appeared on Marvel's lips.

Gadget didn't bother to look to her right. She already knew that Finch was there, and she couldn't bring herself to look at the handiwork she had wrought against her. Instead, she looked straight ahead, frantically looking for something, anything, that would get her and Corduroy out of here. And if not herself…then at least Corduroy.

For what felt like an eternity, nobody moved, said, or did anything. Everyone just stood still, watching each other for the first move.

Then, at last, everyone sprung into action.

There was nowhere safe to run to. This place was too small! It had no cover, and…

"You're mine!" Clove roared to Gadget, a knife spinning into her hand. She looked furious, and a pang of fear struck Gadget's heart. With no way of escape…Clove could do anything she wanted to her.

The only form of mercy she had was that this time she wasn't alone.

Clove gave no time for warning. She spun on her heel and hurled her knife at Gadget as quickly as she could, and Gadget could only watch in horror as it sailed through the air towards her.

But then, right before it could reach her, something dark was shoved in front of her face, and she heard the dull impact of the Clove's knife impaling some kind of fabric. Before she could deduce what it was, however, the object was pulled away.

In Corduroy's hand was his backpack, and Gadget realized with a start what he had done. He'd…put his backpack in front of her face. Her hand tightened around his in gratitude. She didn't want to think what would have happened if he hadn't been fast enough.

But now was not the time for thanks, or for talking.

"Hurry!" Gadget said instead, lurching forward with a tug on Corduroy's hand, pulling him to the right. They had to get out of here! Now!

Gadget glanced at the walls and, for the first time, she caught a glimpse of Finch. She seemed to be thinking the same thing as she moved around the wall, looking this way and that. Her eyes trailed down, briefly, to where she had struck Finch in the thigh, and her heart almost stopped as she found a horrible blood stain.

I had to, Gadget reminded herself, and then she looked away. Now was not the time.

"Ah!" Clove shouted in rage, and Gadget barely glanced in her direction. She hadn't made it a few steps before she'd been intercepted by Binary.

"How nice of the Gamemakers to bring you all to me," Binary crowed. He swung his spear at Clove, who easily and expertly dodged it. How many knives did the petite Career girl have left?

They had to get out of here! People were going to die! And everyone was moving all at the same time, and Gadget didn't know how she was going to avoid everyone forever, before-

"Actually, you're mine," she heard Marvel say from somewhere off to her side. "Don't worry, I'll make your deaths marvelous!"

"No!" Gadget cried, throwing herself and Corduroy back, just in time to feel the wind of a slash on the back of her neck. She spun around as quickly as she could, temporarily releasing her grip on Corduroy's hand as she did so.

Marvel was only a few feet away, calmly pacing forwards. Gadget stretched her double-edged blade out with a swift thrust, but he was just out of reach. His wicked grin spread even wider on his burnt face.

"Y-you can't!" Gadget said, carefully maneuvering herself so that Corduroy was behind her. She wouldn't let Marvel hurt him. She refused to let it happen. "You ne-need me!" she said.

Marvel snorted, rolling his eyes. His advance didn't stop, and his kukri didn't drop in the slightest. Someone shouted, but Gadget didn't dare take her eyes off of Marvel. All it would take was one swipe of his kukri for him to end her. He knew what he was doing. How to fight.

And if Gadget had to judge from the greyish side of his face, he was a survivor, too.

"Not anymore!" Marvel said with a scoff. He pointed his thumb at his own backpack. "We aren't getting sponsors anymore."

Gadget felt her heart stop. Her dead eyes widened in horror. How could she have been so stupid!? No sponsors meant that…that…Marvel had no reason to keep her alive anymore.

She was…useless to him.

Marvel took some steps forward, and Gadget scrambled back, with Corduroy ever silent just behind her. She wondered what he was thinking. Could he think of a way to get out?

Would…would he tell her if he did?

"Wha-what about…Bur-" Gadget tried to say.

"I don't need him anymore!" Marvel interrupted. His kukri started to rise, bit by bit. "And when I'm the victor, I never even have to listen to him again!"

No! No! That was her last bargaining chip! It had been the only thing that kept her safe from Marvel…and now it was gone!

"Come on," Marvel complained with a whine, "Just come here and die! I'll make sure your death is remembered for how marvelous it is!"

Gadget's back hit the wall of wheat. Her hand curled around Corduroy's. She wanted to look at him, but she didn't dare take her gaze off of Marvel's.

"Oh," Marvel said suddenly, like he'd just remembered something. "Eight, don't think I've forgotten about you," he spat nastily. "I remember what you said in training."

Gadget's hand squeezed around Corduroy's. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't! But everything seemed to fade around her. Binary, Clove, Monkshood, and Finch. And all that she could focus on was Corduroy, who was now mostly to her side…and Marvel in front of her.

He raised his kukri, pointing it at somewhere between herself and Corduroy. A smug smirk appeared on his lips, twisting the burns along his face, and he said, "I'll let you take the first swing!"

Gadget palmed her double-edged knife. She frantically glanced left and right, but no matter which way she went, Marvel would easily cut her off. He had them pinned.

She had long lost track of where Monkshood and Finch were. And Binary and Clove were on the other end of the clearing, she wasn't sure what was going on. But she knew that they would never provide her or Corduroy mercy.

Time was running out, and Gadget finally struck. She swung low with her knife, which Marvel easily deflected with barely any effort. But it provided all she needed. Because with it, Corduroy jumped to the side, almost yanking Gadget with him, hard enough her shoulder almost popped.

Her blade slid along the edge of Marvel's kukri, generating a terrible sound of metal on metal. And Marvel looked so amused. He…he probably expected them to try and get away!

"We're just getting started!" Marvel cheered, ripping his kukri away from Gadget's knife, and raised it high over his head.

"Ah!" Gadget cried, jumping away, and her hand disconnected from Corduroy's. Marvel's kukri cut right through right where their hands had been.

He was separating them!

"Come oooon!" Marvel whined. "Give me a fight! Not…whatever this is!"

Marvel looked between the two of them. If anything, he appeared bored, with the most minute shade of amusement. He knew they wouldn't be able to beat him.

Burned or not, Gadget knew she wouldn't be able to beat him!

Corduroy calmly ripped something from the surface of his backpack, before slinging it back on. Then, he raised both of his hands, revealing both to Gadget and to Marvel the two knives he held.

Marvel's face split into a grin. Whatever entertainment he'd been hoping to get, Gadget supposed that he was about to get it. And Corduroy charged first.

It was as if the air rippled as Marvel turned to face him completely. Their weapons clashed and Gadget dashed into the fray before her worst fear could come to life.

"Get away from him!" she yelled, thrusting forward with her short sword as she did. But Marvel was surprisingly nimble. He twisted around all at once, his kukri holding both of Corduroy's knives back at the same time that he shot his leg out.

Then, a crushing weight against her stomach sent Gadget reeling back with no warning. She fought to keep her balance as she went, just barely reorienting herself as she did. She gasped hard for air, but Gadget refused to go down. She would not let Marvel, or anyone else take Corduroy!

Marvel had turned away again, pushing back against Corduroy as he swiped for another attack. And Gadget could do nothing but watch as he narrowly caught the back of Corduroy's hand, leaving him to briefly hiss in pain.

Gadget scrambled forward, and this time she was ready for any counter Marvel would attack her with. She was going to fight back, no matter how badly it hurt her.

She lowered her weapon down by her waist, and prepared to swing it into an upward arc. And she surged forward, her boots softly impacting the dirt beneath, crushing gravel and grass.

Marvel hammered his fist into the base of Corduroy's neck in an attempt to stun him. Gadget knew it was just so that he could turn his focus onto her. Marvel was a Career. And like Clove, he liked to toy with his victims. That was the only thing Gadget was confident about his character.

And just like Clove, Marvel was quick. Not as quick as her, but quick enough to turn around before Gadget had reached him. He swung his kukri around at the same second Gadget slashed her short sword upwards, catching his weapon just in the nick of time.

Marvel's terrible smirk grew. "This is exactly what will make your death marvelous," he said, and leaned closer, forcing Gadget to lean back. He pressed down on her, and Gadget had to fight with all of her might to stop him from lowering her too far. But he was so much stronger than she was. "Your marvelously memorable death," he said.

Just how many times is he going to use that pun?!

"No," Gadget said weakly, shaking her head, but she didn't take her eyes off of him. Her mind worked as quick as it could for a way out. All Marvel had to do was drop more and more weight on her until she was under him, and he would…kill her…in any way he wanted.

Marvel might have been weakened by his burns, but he was still stronger than both herself and Corduroy! She had to…she had to…

Adrenaline surged through her and, with nary a warning, she raised her knee as roughly as she could, crashing it right into Marvel's gut.

"Agh!" Marvel grunted in surprise. His weight lessened considerably, but for how long Gadget did not know. But she had to act before she lost her chance.

Her free hand shot forward, grabbing onto the burnt side of Marvel's face, and scratching deep with her nails. She tore away a section of his greyed skin that had gone along the pinkish and healthy side of his face. Gadget closed her eyes and whimpered as she felt her nails dig deep, and scratched as hard as she could-

And finally, Marvel's hold on her was released with a mighty shove. Unable to retain her balance from the momentum, she collapsed against the wall, her back flush to it. In front of her, Marvel grunted, one hand pressed against the burnt flesh of his face. Quickly, Gadget glanced across and past Marvel to where Corduroy was, who appeared to have recovered. Both his knives were held in a tight grip and, with a start, Gadget realized that he was looking back at her.

"You hematite!" Marvel shouted and Gadget swiftly looked at him fearfully. There were four long scratch marks along the side of his face. Whatever healing medicine he'd put on it had been rendered useless now. Because of her.

Everything was constricting around her. She didn't have long left. Corduroy had started to move, but so had Marvel. And Marvel was far closer to her than Corduroy was to him.

"Come on!" Marvel called, practically frothing at the mouth in rage. Her entertainment value in his eyes had completely diminished.

He raised his knee to take a step-

Before the ground started to move. Gadget wasn't ready for it. But neither was Marvel, who dropped his leg instantaneously to right himself.

What's happening!? Gadget thought in panic. The ground shifted beneath her, as did the walls of wheat at her back. Ever so slowly, the world started to spin. She leaned back hard, putting her free hand against the wall and latching onto any kind of purchase she could hold.

Someone let out a cry of alarm, but Gadget didn't know who it was. She was far too focused on Corduroy as he planted himself against the wall, just as she had.

It took Gadget far too long to understand what was happening. The clearing was spinning. It had knocked everyone off-balance. It changed everything that was about to happen. Threw everything to the data stream and left her struggling to figure out what to do next.

Gadget shot a glance to where she knew Binary and Clove were, and she paled when she saw not even the slightest dent in Binary's armor. Clove herself looked worse than ever before, bleeding out of the side of her temple.

They were the only two tributes still standing in spite of the ground that rotated beneath their feet.

"I can see why you enjoy doing this!" Binary gloated with smugness that seemed nominally reserved for Marvel. "Playing with your food with this much power? It's exhilarating!"

Clove sneered and sprinted forward, her knife extended, and her body lowered at the waist, making herself into a smaller target. Binary thrust his spear out, which Clove narrowly dodged. It was like the spinning of the ground wasn't even affecting them.

"You should be dead!" Clove screamed. "And that armor should be mine!" She ducked low, slashing with her knife into Binary's shin, but Binary was immovable. Gadget had made a terrible mistake in how strong she had made the suit.

It was a mistake that was going to get her and everyone else killed if she wasn't careful enough.

"Shut the fuck up, glitch!" Binary sneered right back. He caught Clove's hand in his own, and started to twist.

Clove's face morphed into pain, but her rage didn't dim in the slightest. But Binary twisted further and further until she couldn't hold onto the knife anymore, and Gadget watched as it slipped out between her fingers.

And then, with a shove, Binary pushed Clove into the wall hard. Gadget couldn't see his face, and she could only imagine what he was saying as she saw his lips move. And she watched as Binary pushed a button on his gauntlet, and before Clove could react, he slammed his arm into the junction between her neck and collarbone.

Clove shrieked in agony. Gadget felt like she was paralyzed as she watched. The world faded away and all that existed was her, Clove, and Binary. She did nothing but watch as electricity flowed from Binary's suit into Clove's body.

It wasn't enough to kill her. It wouldn't be. Gadget had designed it so that only the charged spear would carry enough volts to stop someone's heart. But what Binary did to Clove…Gadget had felt a very similar thing when Clove forced her hand onto the back of the electrified suit.

She didn't know if she felt sympathy for the diminutive Career. After everything she had done, Gadget knew that she didn't deserve her sympathy. But she did feel sympathy for her undergoing the same level of torture Binary had done to her for years. And finally, Binary released Clove, letting her drop to the ground with a thud. The world came rushing back to Gadget all at the same time, but as she looked around, she realized that she wasn't the only one who had been watching Binary.

Gadget heaved for a breath of air, trying to push down on her desperation. Corduroy was right across from her. If he was there, then that was where she needed to go. She pushed off the wall, almost tripping over her own feet as the world spun around her. She didn't know where Marvel had gone and she didn't care. If he was out of the way-

Her thoughts trailed off as the clearing picked up speed. It went faster and faster and the momentum threw Gadget back and to the side, slamming her roughly against the wall. This…this wasn't how this was supposed to go! She was supposed to be by Corduroy's side to help him! Gadget had to blink her eyes rapidly in an attempt to overcome her disoriented state.

Move, Gadget! her mind screamed at her even as she shook away her daze. Everything spun around and around, with the wind whipping at her face. Quick as she could, she darted left. Being still meant that her death would come swiftly.

Not a moment too soon, either, did she feel a breeze on the back of her neck, followed by the sound of a dull impact on the strong stalks of wheat. Gadget turned, already readying her short sword for another fight. Her blood rushed in her ears and for a brief moment, all she could hear was the pounding in her head. This was insane!

She tried to move further back, but it was so hard to get a grip on anything with the ground moving under her. In front of her, Monkshood pulled her dagger back, tearing it from a small gap in the stalks. There was a calculating gleam in her eye, intertwined with nervousness that marred her faintly bruised features.

Gadget felt her mouth go dry. She had known that Monkshood would be here. Had seen her here. But there was nothing that could have prepared her to see her this close again. Not after Monkshood betrayed her. And betrayed her to Binary. She had, whether intentional or not, caused her misery for days. And to that end, helped Binary gain the suit he now wore. Monkshood's tongue darted out to wet the side of her mouth. She stared at Gadget, who returned the stare. Gadget prepared her weapon for whatever strike Monkshood tried next.

The world wouldn't stop spinning and Gadget leaned against the wall to keep her balance. Why why why!? What was the point of this new form of cruelty that Seneca Crane imposed on them?

"Imagine my surprise when I didn' hear your cannon go off," Monkshood said at last, her words cutting into the silence that stretched between them. She'd stuck her hand against the stalks, gripping them for balance as the clearing spun like a laser disc gone out of control in a drive reader.

Gadget's brow furrowed and she glared at Monkshood. She hadn't trusted her, not really. But her abandonment still stung deep.

"Y-you betrayed me," Gadget said at last, her tone accusing, yet nervous all at the same time. Her hair whipped against her face and she had to pull on it with her free hand so that she wasn't blinded.

Monkshood shifted the dagger in her hand. If she was going to strike, it was going to be when she was on the offensive. "Can you betray someone you ain't loyal to?" she retorted.

Gadget chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her legs wobbled under the weight of the spinning wall and ground, but she tried to hold firm. She glanced away for just a second to take stock of where everyone else was. "That doesn't make a difference," Gadget argued back, for the first time with some bite.

Monkshood almost looked surprised, but it didn't last long before her face smoothed into calm determination. "There ain't no allies in the Games," she replied.

All bravado fled Gadget as quickly as it had come. Her short sword shook weakly in her hands. A fact that Monkshood's eyes, always so hyper focused, glanced at it, and then up at Gadget's dead ones again.

Gadget didn't know if she could take on Monkshood. She had fought against her once before and lost. Although that time, Monkshood had gotten the jump on her, she didn't think that this time would be much of a difference.

Monkshood unclipped something from off her belt and hid it behind her back so that Gadget couldn't see what it was. Gadget's worry spiked. Her hand released her hair and she grabbed Clove's knife from out of her pocket.

Gadget glanced away, looking quickly for Corduroy. She didn't have the time to fight off Monkshood. There! her mind screamed. Corduroy had backed up just as Binary thrust his spear towards him.

He couldn't do this alone!

She began to turn, quickly trying to escape from Monkshood's reach. But as she did, something wrapped tightly around her arm. The cool steel blade cut through the sleeve of her jacket, and she barely looked back at Monkshood to realize what was about to happen.

"Let's rattle!" Monkshood said, flourishing her dagger and then pulling on her weapon.

Pain rushed up down Gadget's arm, and she screamed as Monkshood yanked away her whip made of razors. It cut into her arm, tearing away the skin on her arm, and left too many holes into her sleeve.

"AGH!" Gadget cried out. Her knife slipped out between her fingers, and skidded away on the ever spinning ground.

No!

Gadget wanted to hunch over, but she couldn't afford to. Blood leaked out of her arm, and it stung so severely. She wanted to sob. She gazed up at Monkshood, almost losing her balance as she did. Monkshood, too, looked in Corduroy's direction, before her gaze back at Gadget.

She was…she was going to stop her from helping Corduroy!

"He don't deserve your help," Monkshood said callously, as if she could read Gadget's mind. For a second, she wobbled on her feet before she caught herself. Was the ground getting faster?

Monkshood raised her razor-whip again, and Gadget fell back as it sliced through the air, barely missing Gadget by mere inches. This was not a fight that she could win!

She tried to crawl back, but it didn't feel like she was gaining any distance. Everything spun around her, and now that Gadget could see the sky, dizziness was quick to catch up to her.

"G-get away!" Gadget pleaded as Monkshood stepped forward, planting her hand on the wall, trapping her dagger between her palm and the stalks. Her feet dragged along the ground, slowly bringing herself closer.

Monkshood twirled her whip, her expression blank. And then once more, she struck with a crack, slamming it down towards Gadget's legs.

Quickly, Gadget pulled her legs apart just as the metal razors of the whip struck into the ground, taking chunks of dirt with it. Then, Monkshood easily retracted it, and started to twirl the whip again.

That whip was what the Gamemakers gave Monkshood. Her gift for what? Helping to create an entertaining show? She betrayed Ridley, Rue, Corduroy…and her.

"Stop!" Gadget cried out, inching backwards. She tried to stand, but it was hard to gain balance when the world was spinning. Her only salvation was that Monkshood seemed to also be struggling to maintain her equilibrium.

There hadn't been a single cannon yet, and as Gadget glanced off to the side for but a second, she saw why. Finch was on the other side of the clearing, bleeding from the thigh wound that Gadget had caused earlier. It made her heart squeeze in guilt. And she watched as she scampered underneath one of Clove's swings of her knife.

She was still alive.

Gadget didn't have time to concentrate on guessing why Binary hadn't finished her off. She put her hand against the wall to try to stand, but Monkshood's razor-whip crashed against the wall, forcing her to release it.

"You won' be able to run forever, paper shaker!" Monkshood said, twirling the whip. The edge of the razors almost cut into the dirt, indenting the ground. She leaned against the wall, her shoulder to the stalks to keep up, Gadget noticed. It wasn't a fact that would do her any good. "At leas' 'm not as cruel as them," she spat.

"C-Corduroy told me about your alliance!" Gadget said, frantically searching for a way to escape from Monkshood's grasp.

"Yeah?" Monkshood asked, her eyebrow cocking. The whip didn't slow in the slightest. "And what did Cords tell ya?" she asked, flashing an unrepentant grin that reminded Gadget of when Monkshood first told her of their alliance in the first place.

Gadget swallowed. Her gaze shot around, but she couldn't see anything that would be useful. Her only useful item was the one in her hand. The one she refused to let go. A short sword that she had taken from Finch.

"He-he said that wh-when you and Rue showed up, he saw an oppo-opportunity," she stated, jutting her chin out slightly.

"Is tha' wha' he said?" Monkshood said, the only change in her expression was the lowering of her eyebrow. "'Cause I remember pickin' up Rue after him," she finished.

What?

She hesitated, and that seemed to be exactly what Monkshood was looking for, because her arm shot forward and the whip flicked through the air in a sharp arc.

Gadget barely had any time to act. Her hesitation disappeared, replaced in favor by action. Gadget raised her arm, the one attached to her backpack, just barely lifting it in front of her face as the whip came down.

Its razors cut right into the fabric of the backpack, and Gadget hoped that the attack didn't rip open a hole where her supplies were.

Monkshood yanked on her whip again, and Gadget felt the razors retract. She had to stand before Monkshood tried another attack. The more she crawled against the ground, the wider Monkshood's opening became. She was struggling just as much as Gadget was against the spinning world, and she wasn't sure how long such an advantage would last.

"Maybe he's usin' you the same way he used me?" Monkshood pondered aloud, but Gadget didn't bother to look at her. She tried to stop her poisonous words from settling in her mind, shaking her head as she pulled her leg under her.

Everything Monkshood said was a lie. It had to be. Or…or it was a truth twisted so much it wasn't true anymore. Regardless, Gadget tried to ignore her as she spoke.

But she couldn't.

"Used me to lure your district partner out," Monkshood said, twirling her whip faster than ever. Gadget propped her feet on the ground beneath her. It was probably the most grip she was going to be able to get.

Gadget tried to ignore the stirring in her gut. The fear that polluted her that Corduroy had done exactly that. He had only appeared to save her from Clove after had gotten her pinned down, and was distracted enough that there was a lower chance of her realizing there would be an ambush.

Did…did Corduroy use her as bait to get to Clove?

"Didn' work out when he was the one that got caught," Monkshood continued to say. "Ain't that a bite?" She prepared another swing and Gadget shot to her feet, backing up against the wall as she did. The backpack on her arm hindered her balance, but it was too great a shield to let it go. Not to mention the supplies she had inside.

With a great shove, she pushed suddenly off the wall to the side and Monkshood flung her razor-whip in her direction. Just as it always had before, it cut through the air, and this time, Gadget was ready for it.

She leaned her momentum downwards, using the heavy shield that was her backpack to her edge, throwing her towards the ground as the whip flew high over her head.

Gadget turned around at the last second, climbing quickly back up to her feet. Monkshood hadn't waited for her to regain her footing. She waved her whip, then launched it forward once again.

Gadget was running on pure instinct and adrenaline, and she tossed her short sword up in some attempt to stop Monkshood's latest attack. But the whip easily wrapped the tip of its razors around Gadget's weapon.

Monkshood smirked and already Gadget knew what was about to happen even before Monkshood did it. She wrenched her wrist back, and Gadget felt as her short sword ripped itself out of her hand.

The whip twirled once, twice, and then it threw the short sword, letting it bounce against the ground and skid away, disappearing from Gadget's sight. It was gone. Her last form of offense.

And Monkshood was already preparing for another attack.

Gadget had to act. She had to act now!

She could barely balance. Could barely stand still. But she could still fight back, if she had to. Gadget knew she couldn't afford to take her eyes off of Monkshood to find Corduroy. She hoped beyond anything that he was alright.

Monkshood threw her whip forward once more, and Gadget rushed towards her at the same time, pushing her backpack in front of her face just as the whip connected, tearing into yet another section of her pack.

But she had done it. She slammed into Monkshood's chest before she could pull her whip back, and Gadget lost her balance. She toppled over with a cry, and she felt more than she heard the razors embedded in her backpack go free.

Her back hit the ground roughly and Gadget grunted and groaned weakly in pain. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. It hurts! Gadget thought despairingly with a glance at her arm. Blood soaked her skin, and she wished that she and Corduroy could escape from this place together. Stay with each other as they fixed their wounds.

Why couldn't this be over? Why did they have to continue through all of the suffering that Seneca Crane forced upon them? Gadget whimpered and she stared uselessly into the darkness above her. She wondered what it looked like on the other side of the artificial sky. Was it day or night? Her only hint was the anthem that played…how long ago now? An hour? Two? But even then, Gadget didn't know if Seneca Crane had changed to happen at different points in the day.

"Augh," Monkshood groaned softly, and Gadget's blood went cold. She put her arm down on the ground to push up, but it gave out from under her before she could manage it.

She had no weapons. She couldn't take on Monkshood, much less anyone else, alone. Gadget tried to stand, but her mind was too dizzy.

"This ain't nothin' personal," Monkshood said, and Gadget was reminded of the first time they met within the arena. Monkshood had said the exact same thing then, too.

Gadget glanced at Monkshood fearfully. Both of her weapons were still in each hand. The whip dragged along the ground in one hand, and her dagger gripped tightly in the other.

Monkshood stumbled into a sitting position and Gadget grasped on the ground for anything useful. But she found nothing. Only dirt beneath her fingertips.

"How're you gonna kill me?" Monkshood asked, slowly climbing to her feet as she went. "You ain't got any weapons," she said, and she flashed a charming smile. "You're weaponless."

Gadget swallowed dryly. Her body felt so, so incredibly weak. How was she supposed to continue?

Monkshood reached down and grasped Gadget by the jacket, pulling her up slightly so that their faces were closer. "Why couldn' you have just died to Binary?" she muttered quietly.

Something reached her fingers. Something cold and metallic. Instantly, Gadget knew what it was. Her short sword. And she had not a doubt in her mind who it was that gave it to her.

Seneca Crane.

"They…made me…" Gadget said, trailing off as her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife.

"Made you…?" Monkshood prompted. She looked intrigued. She almost seemed grateful for the distraction.

It made Gadget feel even more angry at her. She betrayed so many people, but she barely had it in her to perform the kill herself. Silently, she turned her arm around so that she could better hold the double-edged knife.

Gadget looked up into Monkshood's eyes, her dead green meeting her calculating brown. "They made me build Binary's suit."

Monkshood's expression morphed into horror, and Gadget used the opportunity. There wouldn't be another chance. She brought the knife around with as much force as she could put into it, and she cut through right where Monkshood was holding her.

"AGHHH!" Monkshood screamed, and Gadget distantly saw her step away. She wanted to retch. Warm blood splattered across her front, and she could only be glad that there wasn't much of it.

Then, finally, she looked up at the damage she had caused. Monkshood was holding her hand, where the last finger on her right hand had been cut right off. Gadget didn't know where it had landed. She'd lost track almost the second it hit the ground.

I…I did that, she thought to herself in mounting horror. She had…she had cut Monkshood's finger clean off, and the girl looked utterly horrified at the loss of her digit.

The dagger clattered to the ground and it, too, disappeared into darkness. Gadget couldn't believe she had done this. She crawled backwards as Monkshood retreated step after step, her shoulder on the wall.

It felt horrific. Gadget had felt as her short sword cut through the flesh and sinew of Monkshood's finger. Her mind was a whirl of different emotions. Not one settled before it was gone and replaced by the next.

I had to! she tried to remind herself. It was either that, or Monkshood would work up the nerve to kill Gadget herself. She had already done it once before to Rue. Gadget knew that she could do it again.

Monkshood shouted something. What, Gadget wasn't sure, she was already on the move. She struggled to her feet and started to stumble along the wall as far as she could in order to get away from Monkshood. There hadn't been any cannons, which meant everyone was still alive. The rushing of winds deafened her to anything but the shouts and clashing of steel weapons as others still fought despite the spinning.

Idly, Gadget feared what that meant for them. The Capitol, and more importantly, Seneca Crane, wanted more deaths to happen and no one had delivered yet.

Gadget swept her gaze around the clearing to find Corduroy, yet she was so dizzy from the constantly spinning ground. It got harder and harder to stand. She could barely think about what she was seeing.

Until someone stepped right in front of her and blocked her view of everything else.

"Hi!" Marvel said enthusiastically with a snarling grin.

Gadget didn't even have time to scream before Marvel raised his boot and smashed it against her middle, throwing her into the wall. Pain rippled up and down her body from the strike. But she kept a firm hold on her short sword despite it. She had made the mistake of letting go of it before, and now…

"Did you forget about marvelous me?" Marvel asked with a terrifying grin. It split his burnt face and Gadget could only look on in terror.

"Please!" Gadget begged, but she knew it was useless. Marvel's kukri pointed at her as he made slow, decisive steps. He looked furious. Not nearly as much as Clove was, but enough to frighten her to her very core.

"'P-p-p-p-please'," Marvel mocked. His eyes bored into hers, and she wondered what he was planning to do. "You gave me a marvelous show, so at least you're good for something," he spat at her.

There was no point in replying. That wasn't what Marvel was looking for. But Gadget tried the only thing she could. She struck forward with her short sword, launching herself off the wall with her arms.

But Marvel was an expert in combat. He was quick. Her short sword missed him entirely when Marvel leaned just out of the way, and wrapped his free hand into Gadget's hair with a terrible pull.

"AH!" Gadget cried, tears prickling at the edges of her eyes. She looked frantically for another escape, but Marvel held down her double-edged knife with his kukri.

"You gonna cry?" Marvel asked with a smirk and Gadget looked up at him tearfully. She tried to shift her legs around, but it seemed that Marvel had another idea. Gadget feared with all of her heart what he planned to do.

"I-" Gadget started to say, just as her eyes landed on a figure just behind Marvel, quietly sneaking towards them. Her insides twisted with hope as the familiar figure crept closer and closer.

She had to keep Marvel distracted! She had to! It was her only shot.

Marvel let go of her hair then, his hand instead grabbing her own that held her short sword, freeing his kukri enough so that he could raise it high over his head. Gadget's eyes widened in fear, and she spoke quickly before he could bring it down into her skull.

"I'm glad Binary k-killed Glimmer," she said, flicking her attention from his kukri to Marvel's eyes. And he stopped just before he brought his weapon down.

The smug grin that had danced upon Marvel's face disappeared instantaneously, replaced by a furious sneer. He let go of her hand and grasped her by her hair again, pulling much harder than before. Hard enough that Gadget thought he would pull a clump of hair out.

But Marvel intended to or not, he'd freed her short sword, and Gadget swung as hard as she could in his direction. Marvel, however, just released her hair and shoved his shoulder into her, launching her towards the ground.

She felt so helpless. So pathetic. How many times had these kinds of things happened and she had been lucky enough to escape?

She fell to the ground roughly on her bad shoulder, and Gadget hissed as the pain rushed through her. Marvel stepped forward easily despite the spinning ground. Gadget held onto her weapon. It was the only thing that she felt kept her safe. The only thing that gave her a good enough chance to fight back.

Did Marvel see her as anything more than easy prey? She was pathetic. She barely had what it took to survive in any situation. She quickly opened her mouth to speak, if only to distract Marvel for a little bit longer. "I-I thought-"

"That I would keep you alive?" Marvel interrupted. He spoke through gritted teeth. He scoffed. "You don't know anything about Glimmer. She was better than you."

For a moment, Gadget was reminded of the fury Clove expressed. Her desire for revenge and her willingness to torment her for killing Cato.

"Everyone else is distracted, Three," Marvel taunted. "No one's coming for you."

Gadget surreptitiously glanced beyond his shoulder, just where the figure had closed the distance between them. "Not everyone," she managed to say.

Marvel blinked, his smirk fading slightly. And he began to turn. But for once, he was too slow. Corduroy threw a net right over Marvel, encasing him in it.

In seconds, it was over him and hit the ground, where the ends sealed itself around his feet. It was just like what had happened to Peeta when Monkshood and Rue ambushed them. The weights Corduroy added would do everything to help hinder his escape.

Gadget picked herself up, using the opportunity Corduroy provided for both of them. She met his eyes briefly, and she was taken aback by the lack of emotion in them.

Marvel stood still, his face the picture of shock. His kukri swiped for the holes in the nets, and he had already started to try to cut himself free.

Then, Corduroy acted. He rushed forward and thrust his knife right into Marvel's chest, cutting into his body.

Marvel gasped, and he released the quietest yell Gadget had ever heard. Corduroy pulled his knife free from his chest, and then thrust it back in again and again. Hammering both of his blades in repeatedly.

Finally, Marvel couldn't keep his balance any further, and he was sent sprawling to the ground, twisting onto his front to try and crawl away whilst still trapped under the net. "Wait!" he wheezed, and it took Gadget all she had not to flinch away in surprise. She hadn't been expecting it from the otherwise cocky Marvel. "Please don't! Pl-please don't!"

Corduroy lowered himself and embedded his knife right through the back of Marvel's hand, pinning it. He cried out, and Corduroy pried the kukri out of Marvel's grip. Gadget looked at Corduroy, backing up slightly as she did. She could scarcely believe what he was doing. But there was no mercy in his eyes.

Instead, Corduroy slammed Marvel's own kukri deep into his back. "Ah!" Marvel grunted, his arms gripping at the ground, running over everything multiple times over as he tried to grab onto something.

"Did you ever think about what your victims felt?" Corduroy asked coldly. He forced the kukri out of Marvel's back, eliciting a pained gasp, and he straddled Marvel's waist, pinning his legs to the ground with his own.

"No!" Marvel groaned. His pained eyes met Gadget's as she slid down the wall in front of them. "Gadget," Marvel called weakly. "Please…"

"Do not talk to her," Corduroy said, sinking the kukri into Marvel's back once more. The casualness of the ease he spoke so calmly, all the while he slipped a blade between Marvel's muscles sent a trickle of fear down Gadget's spine. "You volunteered for this. You wanted to kill us."

Marvel looked so terrified. Gadget didn't know what to think. She knew even less as Marvel rambled, blood trickling out of his mouth, "Wait, I can-I can help you! Binary and Clove…yeah, yeah, you can't beat them alone! I can help! You need me!"

"We do not," Corduroy stated simply and plainly. He wrenched the kukri free and grabbed Marvel by the hair, forcing his head off the ground. Slowly, Corduroy slid the kukri underneath Marvel's throat, and Gadget saw him become even more frantic by the second.

"Ahck! Please!" Marvel gurgled, and finally Gadget could see tears spill from his eyes. "Don't kill me! I have a family! They need me!"

"So did Katniss," Corduroy stated, and Marvel stilled for only a second. "I promised Peeta I would avenge her."

Gadget looked at Corduroy in surprise. She…she had no idea that Corduroy had done that. But that fact didn't change the building horror she felt forming in the pit of her stomach.

Corduroy's kukri pushed against Marvel's throat, pushing harder against him, and preventing him from speaking. Gadget saw his throat bob in terror. Marvel's terrified eyes found her own dead ones, and his hands reached out for her.

"You will suffer me now!"

And then Corduroy slid the kukri across Marvel's throat, tearing deep into his skin and flesh, ripping muscle and sinew apart.

Unable to speak any longer now that his windpipe and vocal chords were severed in one cut, he just gurgled and choked, his life and blood ebbing away in mere seconds. His gaze was filled with sheer panic and fear that seemed to increase as he felt himself dying. He held his hand over the wound, as if it would stop the flow of blood from leaking between his fingers.

It ended so quickly, that as his struggling completely ceased, and his life vanished, his eyes remained locked on Gadget's, deader than her own, for he no longer saw.

Boom!

"So unravels your tapestry," Corduroy announced, "may your threads burn like shredded string."

Gadget's lips parted and shut over and over soundlessly, not that anyone could hear anything over the rushing winds as the ground still spun endlessly. Her gaze was still locked upon Marvel's lifeless eyes. She knew in her heart this was necessary. If she hadn't worked in tandem with Corduroy, it would have been her, and eventually, Corduroy, when he had no distractions to use against Marvel. And moreover, it was payback for all the lives of friends and allies that Marvel himself either took or assisted in taking. Yet, for all the justification, nothing within her would ever get used to taking another life.

"The loom continues to weave ours," Corduroy's voice startled Gadget out of her reverie, and she saw him holding out his hand towards her, "if blood is to be sewn, it will not be ours."

Struggling against the momentum, she reached out towards him, and just as she grasped his hand, a scream tore through the air, and they both turned to see Binary had finally reached Finch. There were signs of electrical burns on her previously uninjured leg, effectively handicapping her completely. She was crawling backwards, using mostly her hands to drag herself back by mere inches as one leg was hindered by Gadget's blade injury, and now her other leg was twitching involuntarily as it still suffered the pain of the electrical shocks.

Binary patiently stalked up to her, seemingly unhindered by the increasing speed of the spinning ground. A quick glance told Gadget Clove had stuck her knife into the wall and was holding on.

Turning back to Finch, the redhead seemed to see death looming over her, and she cried out loudly, "DON'T LOOK, CEDAR!"

As far as Gadget knew, Cedar died in the first Bloodbath. Was that who Finch thought she'd been talking to all this time?

Binary drove his shock staff with such force into her torso, it pierced her right through. Amazingly, she didn't cry out, or it was so soft, Gadget and Binary couldn't hear her. Binary withdrew the weapon, and then drove it down once more. He repeated this a few more times, before finally driving it right through her face.

Gadget clutched a hand over her mouth and looked away. Though that didn't stop her from seeing Finch's body twitch, before she fell still.

Boom!

The cannon rang out through the arena, and Gadget felt a hint of finality. Two people had died in such a short space of time. Now, there were only five of them left. Did Claudius Templesmith lie about this being a feast? Was the finale that Seneca Crane wanted?

Before Gadget could come to a conclusion about that answer, the ground began to pick up speed. It started to go faster and faster, and the only thing that grounded Gadget was her hand on Corduroy's.

However, the clearing wouldn't stop, and then Gadget's feet left the ground as the force threw her backwards, and she could do nothing but gasp in surprise. Her hand, comforted by Corduroy's grip, lessened until their fingers separated.

And just when Gadget expected her back to slam against the wall of wheat, she was thrown right through it as the stalks rippled and tore as she sailed through them. Her heart jumped to her throat, her backpack slipping from her arm as she shot her hands out to grasp onto anything.

But her fingers slipped through everything, and she slammed against the ground hard. Air escaped out of her lungs, and she gasped desperately for more.

She'd hit the ground roughly, dizzily staring up into the sky. The spinning had finally come to a stop, but everything remained a mess to her vision. She didn't think she would be able to stand. Everything was wrong.

Her arm, legs, and every other open wound on her body hurt beyond anything. Like remnants of a blazing inferno that flames had been smothered into a dull burn. It hurt. It hurt so much. But she had to carry on. If not for her sake, then for Corduroy's.

Marvel's final look was all she could see in her mind. His look of fear and desperation as he realized what was about to happen. His pleading as Corduroy planted his own weapon against his throat, and cut deeply.

Gadget put her hand on the ground and pushed up so that she was sitting on the dirt. She blinked over and over to try and stop the dizziness that plagued her, but she took in how her surroundings had changed. Because everything around her was different.

The wheat stalks were shorter. Much, much shorter. If she were to stand, they would barely reach her knees. No longer were they strong and impossible to bend. Gadget ran her hand over the top of one of the short stalks, and watched as it easily pulled back.

Seneca Crane wasn't done with them. But he was done with the maze.

With a quick glance to her left, Gadget spotted her backpack just a few feet away. She made to stand, but struggled as the dizziness came down on her. Get up, Gadget! her mind screamed at her.

Someone let out a noise and Gadget fearfully glanced in their direction. Clove was already on her feet, about ten yards away from where Gadged lay. At the same time, Clove looked up, her murderous eyes finding Gadget's dead ones. She gnashed her teeth in absolute rage.

Get up! Gadget's mind screeched at her, and she pulled herself up onto wobbly feet. She needed to run! Find Corduroy and run!

Clove flipped a knife into her hand, and before Gadget could move in any direction, she threw her hand forward, and her knife hurtled into the air, spinning towards Gadget.

Instinctively, Gadget put her arms out in front of her face before the knife could collide with her. Bracing for the knife to impact, she cursed herself for letting her backpack slip off her arm.

And then it cut right into her injured arm, embedding itself in the flesh of her arm. Gadget screamed in anguish, the pain flaring up through her entire body. Whatever dizziness she still had fled in the shocks of pain.

She stepped back, her other hand rising to clasp the handle of the blade. It hadn't sunk deep, but that fact didn't help her feel any more relief. No, the wound Monkshood had caused only doubled in pain as the knife had torn through her skin.

Clove growled, and Gadget looked back up at the diminutive Career girl through the tears in her eyes. Her heart spiked in terror as Clove reached for another knife in her vest. Blood spread down Gadget's arm, and her feet were stuck to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to move.

Only then did Clove's eyes widen and her expression morphed into surprise. Her eyes fell downwards, and Gadget realized then that Clove was out of knives. The only weapon she still had was the one attached to the inside of her wrist. Unless…she was holding onto something else that she had been saving.

The thought was enough to finally spring Gadget into action. She ran for her backpack, pulling Clove's knife out of her arm as she went, adrenaline and desperation helping her ignore the agony of wrenching the blade free. When it was free, she ducked low to swipe up the backpack in one quick movement.

Distantly, Gadget appreciated her ability to hold onto her short sword. She feared what would happen if she lost her only weapon that was longer than the length of her hand.

Backpack in hand, Gadget spun on her heel, scanning the otherwise flat field for Corduroy. In the distance, she could see the treeline. If she and Corduroy could get there, it was almost a certainty that they were safe from the other tributes.

There!

Corduroy was slowly standing up, his kukri in hand. Thankfully, he hadn't let go of his newest weapon. Gadget hoped they wouldn't need it, but in the Hunger Games, there was no such guarantee.

"Killer!" Clove shouted, but Gadget didn't dare look back as she ran to Corduroy's side. "Come he-ack!"

Something hit the ground, but still Gadget didn't look back. She reached Corduroy's side and, with a wince, dropped her newly acquired knife into her pocket before grabbing Corduroy's hand to help him up.

"Thank you," Corduroy said, and finally, Gadget looked back at Clove.

Binary and Clove faced each other. The former with his spear tucked firmly in his hand, the point aimed at the ground, and the latter with her wrist-blade activated. Clove snarled furiously at him, but Binary only smiled right back at her.

"Are you okay?" Gadget asked Corduroy with concern, looking between him and Binary and Clove.

"I am all right," Corduroy reassured. "Just disoriented." He placed his foot on the ground and leaned away from Gadget, slowly letting go of her so that he could stabilize himself.

"We ain't done yet!" Monkshood shouted, and Gadget looked over Corduroy's shoulder just as he turned around. At the same time, Monkshood twisted her whip around and lurched forward.

Gadget could do nothing as razor blades of the whip coiled through the air and wrapped neatly around Corduroy's throat, and was suddenly pulled taut. Not enough to pierce skin, but that wasn't a mercy.

Her brain froze and her heart thump, thump, thumped in her chest. Corduroy's eyes narrowed on Monkshood, but all Gadget could focus on was the fact that the razors had circled his neck.

All it would take from Monkshood was one strong pull, and…and Gadget didn't want to think about what would happen if she did.

"How the mighty have fallen," Binary's voice rang out through the field. Gadget didn't look at him. She knew his words were directed at Clove, and Gadget feared what would happen if she took her gaze off of Monkshood. "Do you think District Two is proud of you for losing to a lesser district like mine?" he taunted.

Clove sneered, but she didn't say anything for a moment. "You are a disgrace!" Clove shouted with deadly fury.

"Howdy, Cords," Monkshood said, rather cordially.

"Monkshood," Corduroy replied evenly.

"That armor should be mine!" Clove continued.

Monkshood's left hand held the handle of her whip in a vice-like grip. Blood dribbled down her other hand, and Gadget glanced at the damage she had caused. She looked as blood dripped to the ground from her missing finger.

"You Threes ruined everything!" Clove ranted. Gadget could barely see her and Binary from the corner of her eye as they circled each other.

Monkshood winced as she shuffled forward a few feet. Gadget saw her curl her injured hand, then uncurl it again. "You happy with yourself, paper shaker?" she asked at last, and Gadget met her gaze. Her eyes remained as calculating as they always were, but now Gadget swore she could see anger in them. Monkshood held up her hand and nodded her chin at her missing finger.

Gadget's breath hitched at the sight. The phantom feeling of her short sword tearing through Monkshood's finger struck her all over again. It had been among the worst sensations she had ever felt in her life. Silently, she saw Corduroy rest his hands on the length of the razor-whip.

"It was supposed to be me and Cato until the end!" Clove shouted at Binary. "You and Killer tainted my victory!" she spat.

Gadget wondered what Monkshood was thinking. She saw her gaze flick to her short sword, then to Corduroy, then back again. Was she wary? Wary against attacking her because she didn't have the ability to jump her now? She didn't know. There were so many different possibilities that could be floating around Monkshood's head, and she knew none of them.

"I know you don't like me much," Monkshood said, much more calmly than before. "It don't take a genius to figure that out," she said, then smirked slightly. It sent a tingle of unease down Gadget's spine.

"First, I'll kill you," Clove purred at Binary. "I'll cut your body into pieces. And then, I'll torture Killer until she can't scream anymore." Clove took a thunderous step forward closer to Binary, but Gadget could see that he didn't look impressed. He didn't move an inch. "And when I win, I'll have each of my tributes butcher the Threes, and you will never have another victor."

Gadget brought her short sword up and she pointed it at Monkshood. Clove's promise made her shiver in fear and revulsion.

"Stop talking," Gadget said weakly. She knew what would happen if Monkshood continued. She knew the silver tongue she had. She knew her ability to play on her doubts, forcing her poisonous words deep into her mind.

"And let you win?" Monkshood returned with a glare. "No. We were partners once, weren't we, Cords?" she said, flicking her attention to Corduroy so suddenly it almost took Gadget off-balance.

Corduroy stared back at Monkshood blankly, neutrally. "Yes. We were," he stated.

"Aw, cute," Binary said to Clove. "You think you're still the strongest tribute in the arena? You had Gadget make this," Binary said, extending his arms wide. "You're the creator of your own problem."

"Oh, so Cords finally told Three the truth?" Monkshood asked in mock surprise. She brought her hand over her mouth, then lowered it again. She tugged on her whip, if only slightly, and Corduroy gasped as the razors dug just a bit deeper into his neck. "How much of the truth?"

Gadget looked between Corduroy and Monkshood. She held her weapon steady, pointing right at Monkshood, who raised an eyebrow. Gadget tried to glance at Corduroy from the corner of her eye, but unlike Binary and Clove, he was just out of view. And she didn't intend to take her eyes fully off of Monkshood for even a second.

"I might have betrayed people," Monkshood said, glancing between Gadget and Corduroy as she spoke, "but I never set people up for my dancing on the ruins of their graves."

Gadget's eyes widened and she had to stop herself from looking at Corduroy. "What?" she asked softly.

"You think you're free of schemes?" Monkshood asked. She didn't pull on her whip, but it looked like she was prepared to do so. "You ain't. And Cords is quite the schemer."

Corduroy didn't open his mouth to defend himself, and the shouts of Binary and Clove rang out throughout the clearing.

"You'll be forgotten like everyone else," Binary callously hissed at Clove.

"You…you have him with your…your razor-whip around his neck," Gadget said, raising her short sword into a more firm grip against Monkshood.

"An' tha' stops him from schemin'?" Monkshood asked. She remained firm in her stance despite Gadget's double-edged knife pointed right at her chest. "You don' need to be free in order to keep secrets."

"Forgotten like Cato will be."

"But I ain't the one keepin' secrets," Monkshood finished with a widening grin.

Clove roared in rage, and Gadget saw her sprint for Binary. The action pulled Monkshood's attention away for a second, but that second was all Gadget needed. She couldn't hesitate and she couldn't fall still. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the knife Clove had thrown into her arm.

By the time Monkshood looked back at Gadget directly, Gadget pulled her arm back, holding the knife by the blade…and then she let it fly.

Monkshood ducked and the knife sailed far over her head. But Gadget wasn't concerned with that. With her short-sword, she jammed it right between two of the whip's razors. She shot Corduroy a pleading gaze, but he figured out what she was doing quickly.

Corduroy grasped the razors, and pulled them hard enough to disconnect around his neck. And not a moment too soon, either, as Monkshood started to pull on her whip. The knife Gadget had thrown wasn't meant to be anything more than a distraction, and time seemed to slow down as the whip was pulled towards Monkshood, and the razors fell away from Corduroy's neck and…

The razors came free of Corduroy's throat, just before the force of Monkshood's pull forced the whip away. It freed itself from Gadget's short sword, she knew she wouldn't be able to pin it into the ground as she had hoped.

Monkshood wasted no time. She'd retracted her whip and began to twirl it, just as she had when Gadget faced her alone. But she wasn't alone this time. This time, she had Corduroy at her side.

The whip arced forward and Gadget lunged left while Corduroy went right. Her feet slammed against the ground, and she heard the razors slice through the air as they went.

Gadget stopped abruptly and turned on her heel. Her short sword was tight in her hand, and couldn't blink as she darted towards Monkshood. She didn't know what she was going to do, and some part of her realized that. She didn't think she could kill Monkshood.

Monkshood swiped her whip wide towards Corduroy, twisting her body in a way that sent the razors flying in a circle around them. Gadget barely saw Corduroy lean out of the way as the tip of the razors flew right past him, and the length of the whip hurtled right towards Gadget.

Acting on adrenaline and instincts alone, Gadget dropped herself onto the ground, narrowly avoiding the razors of the whip as it sailed right over her head.

"I won't hesitate this time!" Monkshood stated, and Gadget looked at her as she raised her whip, and she was certain that the other girl saw the fear in her eyes as it rose higher and higher.

Behind Monkshood, and even further past Corduroy, Gadget distantly registered as Binary and Clove clashed. Clove aimed her wrist-blade for the only vulnerable place on Binary's body: his throat. But Binary countered her by bringing his spear between them, blocking her attack. This time, Gadget was certain that it was amusement on his lips as he forced her back step by step.

Gadget rolled to the side just as the razors of Monkshood's whip slammed down, impacting the ground just where she had been a moment earlier. She tried to hold back her panic so she could think clearly, but it was so hard when she was right on the verge of dying. Monkshood swung down, and Gadget clambered out of the way on weak knees as the blades once again sunk into the ground where she had just been. But before Monkshood attacked once more, she turned just in time to try to intercept Corduroy.

It was a mercy for Gadget, but not for Corduroy. She climbed up into a standing position just to see as Monkshood slashed her whip at him. And this time, Corduroy wasn't quick enough to swerve completely out of the way, the razors cutting across his cheek as it went.

"Stay back!" Monkshood shouted. "You ain't the one that cut off my finger!"

Gadget's stomach dropped.

Simultaneously, she watched as Binary forced Clove backwards, throwing the side of his spear against her throat. Gadget saw as Clove's hand rose to catch it, while her other hand captured it by her blade. If Binary wanted to, he could end Clove now. All it would take would be a push of a button on his arm. One push of the button, and the spear would light up with enough volts to put an end to Clove for good.

But Binary didn't. It was like he was enjoying his taunting of Clove. And after what she had done to them…made them eat and drink off the ground, maybe that was exactly what he wanted.

Clove let go of his spear, and pumped her fist into an upward motion against Binary's stomach. But as her fist met metal, Gadget saw absolutely no reaction on Binary's face, while Clove's twisted up in pain, if only for the briefest of moments.

"ON YOUR KNEES!" Binary ordered, and with a pivot of his spear, he struck with the haft of his weapon against Clove's face, forcing her to the ground with what looked like minimal effort.

"AGH!" Clove choked out, and Gadget watched in apprehension and unease as she was forced to her knees, exactly as Binary commanded of her.

Monkshood sent her whip low, and Corduroy toppled over from the unexpected attack. Gadget felt her heart in her throat, and she rushed forward. Damn the consequences. Corduroy might have been a better fighter than Gadget was, but he was no Career. He was just as vulnerable as she was.

And…unlike her, his life mattered.

Monkshood twirled her whip's bladed lash, and spun around towards Gadget as she made her approach as quickly as she could manage. She tried to remind herself that Monkshood's whip was good for long-range attack, though it started lacking in effectiveness upon closer proximity.

Gadget tried to duck beneath Monkshood's attack, but she felt the tear of skin as the whip tore along her leg, and Gadget dropped like a discarded file.

"AH!" she cried out, pain like white fire spread up and down her leg. It hurt so bad. Every newly created wound hurt so bad. The only mercy she had was that the pain would slowly dull enough for her to try and ignore it.

Gadget closed her eyes and only listened to her surroundings. Corduroy said something that was too low for her to be able to hear, and Monkshood started to take slow, measured steps towards where Gadget lay crumpled on the ground.

Clove screamed, and Gadget blinked her eyes open. She looked in the direction it had come from, and she saw as Binary held Clove's fingers in his own. Her other hand, the one that belonged to her wrist-blade, was pinned to the ground by Binary's foot.

Calmly, Binary bent Clove's finger backwards, towards the face of the diminutive Career girl. His face was the picture of sadistic amusement. Clove shouted something, and Gadget was sure there was a threat hidden within, but she didn't catch it. Further, Binary bent her finger…

Until Gadget heard the snap, and Clove screamed. Not in rage or fury, but in agony. Agony that Gadget was certain Clove had made her feel. Agony that Binary had made her feel.

Gadget crawled backwards quickly, before Monkshood could close the gap between them. And when she stood up, Monkshood had begun to twirl her whip once more. Her calculating eyes bored into Gadget's dead ones.

Neither of them said a single word, and amidst Clove's cries of pain, Gadget wasn't sure either of them wanted to. Then, she spared the briefest of glances behind Monkshood at Corduroy, who had similarly recovered.

Monkshood, however, snarled, and turned around to thrust her whip at Corduroy before he could make so much of a step. She saw me glance! Gadget realized.

Corduroy couldn't dodge this time, and Gadget saw as he raised his arm, and he grunted as the whip wrapped around it. Monkshood looked between the two of them, and this time Gadget was prepared. She rushed forward and Monkshood pulled on her whip hard, slicing across Corduroy's arm as she prepared another strike.

But Gadget sprinted as fast as she could push herself, and just as Monkshood brought the whip around for another attack, Gadget brought her short sword up, cutting her blade between the razors. Then, before Monkshood could try to pull it back, she rotated it between another razor, jamming the two pieces together.

Monkshood's eyes widened at the last second as she realized what Gadget had done. Gadget had ensured that her whip was stuck, and she wouldn't be able to pull it free when Gadget had a handle of her own.

She had leverage. That was her new advantage!

Gadget twisted her short sword, as roughly as she dared. "No!" Monkshood screamed in panic, wrestling with both hands against the handle of her whip. Her bloody finger was quick to make it slick in crimson.

And all Gadget had to do was pull as hard as she possibly could, her teeth gritted in effort, until the whip was torn right out of Monkshood's fingers.

"No!" Monkshood called again, and Gadget shoved her back, just as the girl had done to her before when Monkshood betrayed her. She fell flat on her back with an utterly terrified expression on her face.

Corduroy approached, a hand on his arm, and a kukri in his hand. He looked down at Monkshood impassively, then kicked the whip further away.

Clove's scream echoed throughout the clearing, and Gadget glanced in the direction of Binary and Clove. She had to hold back her horror as Binary snapped another one of her fingers out of place. It terrified her with the ease he did it.

Gadget wished she knew what to say. When Monkshood betrayed her, there were so many things she wished she could have said. But now…now she didn't know. She had no idea.

Corduroy dropped his kukri to his side, letting it slide between his fingers. He looked at Gadget and she met his gaze, uncertainty in her eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment.

Then, he said, "I will finish her off."

"No!" Monkshood cried out, tears in her eyes.

"No," Gadget said.

Corduroy looked at her, raising his eyebrow slightly. But this time, Gadget looked down at Monkshood. The vile girl that had caused so much damage. The girl that betrayed her to Binary in order to save her own skin.

"I want you to live knowing it was my mercy that kept you alive," Gadget stated, staring into Monkshood's fearful gaze.

Monkshood didn't say a single word in reply, but her fear didn't dwindle in the slightest. Gadget glanced at the other girl's backpack, then stepped forward and tore it off of her. It felt light. Whatever supplies she had left, it wasn't much.

Corduroy gently took the backpack and opened it. From a side pocket he recovered a flashlight and a fruit snack pack. And from another pocket, a flask of water. He handed the flask to Gadget and threw the empty backpack back to Monkshood, who caught it weakly.

Clove screamed longer than ever before, and when Gadget looked, uneasiness struck her harder than ever before. Binary had planted his arm against Clove's face, the electricity thrumming through his armor into her.

"YOU WILL OBEY!" Binary demanded.

"I will!" Clove shouted and Gadget was taken aback. Clove looked absolutely defeated. "I promise!" she screamed.

And that was all it took. Binary let go of Clove, and she fell forward, before pulling herself up. She gritted her teeth, and Gadget could see the rage behind her eyes.

Binary took a half-step forward, his eyes on Gadget. "You built this for me without knowing," he proclaimed. "You helped me lower the tribute numbers," he said, and Gadget couldn't tell if that statement was directed at her or Corduroy, not when his night-vision goggles covered his eyes. "But now, I'm coming," he said, and he lifted his spear, pointing it right at Gadget. "I'm coming for you!"

Clove looked very much like she wanted to do anything but listen to Binary, but the moment her eyes landed on Gadget, they lit up with an unmatched eagerness.

"This ain't mercy! You've killed me!" Monkshood said, drawing Gadget's attention back.

Something Monkshood said to her before suddenly returned to her mind, and she waited until Monkshood was about to turn when she called for the girl.

"Monkshood," she said. When she turned to look at Gadget, the taller girl quoted, somewhat mockingly imitating Monkshood's accent, "th…this ain't nothin' personal."

Monkshood's jaw dropped, remembering the exact words she'd said to Gadget when she trapped Peeta, and tried to kill Gadget with a dagger laced with tracker jacker venom, and of course, just moments ago, when she'd repeated that phrase. In a way, she realized that her actions and the consequences had finally come to collect. Gadget had no illusions about what she was condemning Monkshood to. After a moment of scowling, Monkshood's lower lip trembled, and she turned around, sprinting into the treeline.

"Run!" Gadget called to Corduroy, and she took his hand in her own, and then sprinted in the direction opposite of Monkshood. She limped as she went, but Corduroy's hold on her hand kept her upwards despite it.

She barely heard Clove behind them, but Gadget knew that she was closing the distance between them fast. Even injured, Clove was fast. Far too fast for Gadget, and much less Corduroy, to outrun.

The meters between them and the treeline lessened with every step. The clearing sped by past by Gadget as she sprinted, but she knew in her heart that they wouldn't be able to make the treeline before-

Gadget grunted suddenly as a weight crushed against her, throwing her to the ground. Corduroy managed to keep his balance, if only slightly, as he stumbled to a stop. Gadget rolled around to try to throw the weight on top of her off, but Clove was persistent.

"No escape this time," Clove promised. She flexed her hand, and her wrist-blade sprung free.

Gadget stared at Clove, a scream in her throat. Her face and neck had been burnt from Binary's electricity. Her skin blackened and only slightly charred. It was nowhere near as bad as Marvel's grayed and burnt face. But Gadget couldn't imagine the stinging pain that came with every movement.

Clove drew her left arm back, the wrist blade poised for a kill. Gadget's right and shot out just as Clove began her thrust downwards. Against all odds, Gadget had caught Clove's left fist, and held back the blade with all her might. Grimacing, she watched as Clove screamed in frustration and pain as she clenched her own right hand into a fist, the one with all the broken digits courtesy of Binary. She drove a weak yet still significant punch across the side of Gadget's face, and she felt her right hand tremble as she struggled to keep that blade in Clove's arm from getting any closer.

The last surviving Career was crying out even as she struck Gadget again and again. She seemed to be trying to grin through her own pain. Making exclamations of joy. She was most certainly beyond utterly mad at this point. A file drive gone utterly corrupt and irredeemable.

All the weight of Clove and the pressure driving her left arm down, aimed straight for Gadget's face suddenly lifted as Corduroy slammed into Clove's side, and knocked the diminutive girl off Gadget, but not off her feet. Amazingly, Clove stumbled to her feet and spun around to face the new threat.

"WAIT YOUR TURN, EIGHT!" Clove shrieked.

"Why?" was Corduroy's calm retort.

An inarticulate cry of fury was Clove's only comeback before she tried rushing the boy, before revealing it to be a fake as she wheeled straight back for Gadget, who'd not been idle and struggling to her feet. This time, Gadget did the unexpected, and swung her left arm, aiming mostly to smack the backpack into the girl's face. To her honest surprise, it actually connected. Evidently Clove was so enraged she was losing some common sense or skills.

Or Gadget was a lot faster than even she realized.

As Clove stumbled around, Corduroy managed to bring the handle of his kukri down on Clove's forehead, giving her a concussion to really think about.

Growling, she suddenly dropped and swept her feet around, clearing Corduroy's feet from under him. As soon as he was down she leapt onto him, bearing her blade downwards.

"NO!" Gadget leapt at Clove and tackled her out of the way, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's legs.

It was unbelievable. But then, Clove was a Career kid, and even with her injured right hand, she was still impossible for the combination of Gadget and Corduroy to take down permanently. Gadget was coming to the conclusion that unless she changed the way she was addressing this situation, it was only a matter of time before she died, and there was no telling how well Corduroy could fare against the remaining tributes. Binary was just too great a threat.

I can't die! Not yet! she told herself.

So what must you do? a voice that suspiciously sounded like Lace asked in her head.

Whatever it takes.

Gadget sank her teeth into Clove's leg, biting down as hard as possible.

"AAAAHHHH!" Clove's scream surprised her, but then, Binary proved even Clove wasn't impervious to pain.

With considerable effort, Clove drew her leg out of Gadget's grip and shoved a boot in her face.

The clash of metal revealed Corduroy had attacked Clove, who blocked the onrushing kukri with her wrist blade. The boot in Gadget's face was removed, letting her see Clove swinging the same leg up to connect against Corduroy's side, eliciting a grunt of pain. With her injured hand, she struggled but managed a weak grip on the boy's collar as she let his momentum and her leg flip him over and he landed hard on his back.

"ARGH!" Corduroy suddenly cried out as he flinched violently and looked down at his right hand and smashed something fairly large and reddish colored with his other hand.

Even smushed as it was, Gadget recognized the overgrown ant. There was a nest of army ants somewhere nearby.

Based on the actual insects, the arena mutt version was nearly three times larger individually, with an enhanced painful bite and an even more painful sting that was just one level down from a tracker jacker.

The greatest and worst thing about them? The colonies were at least one million in number. Sometimes more.

They were so horrendous naturally, the Capitol saw no need to modify or improve on them much beyond tripling their size, and increasing their inherent abilities tenfold. And there was no need to change their names. They were that terrifying already.

For an instant, both Gadget and Clove had paused in their struggle with one another. Corduroy too was frozen in shock. Everyone had been so busy fighting one another, and Binary was nearby, watching with mild interest, that no one thought to even consider that the Capitol, namely Seneca Crane and his Gamemakers, would decide to add some of the most terrifying mutts to the equation to make things that much worse.

Loud hissing, clicking and chittering noises announced the arrival of the army ants.

Another little known fact: when most ants bite, sting or get attacked, they release a chemical that other ants can detect for up to eleven miles, and they would move en masse to render assistance or take down prey. Corduroy now acted as a beacon for about two million murderous insects.

Gadget and Clove exchanged a look, and they were all moving. Even Binary began to sprint. The only upside to him wearing that suit was that it slowed him down somewhat. Gadget reached Corduroy, helped him to his feet, and they were running. All around them, scores of five inch long ants were pouring out of underground nests. This was somewhat unnatural, since army ants build nests above ground out of their own bodies, which often served as another intimidating show of their numbers.

Not that Gadget had time to really criticize that fact. They were in danger of being overtaken. Because of her leg injuries, Gadget was nowhere at her top speed, and Corduroy and Clove were roughly keeping pace with her. Binary was lagging behind, and for a moment, Gadget hoped he would be overcome by the army ants. Maybe this was meant to equalize the situation for the remaining tributes.

That was not to be, as Binary realized his disadvantage and swerved towards a large pond that was more of an overfilled puddle with a small island in the center just big enough for one person or two people huddling close. He waded to the island and stood there. A slew of ants started trying to build a bridge out of their bodies to reach him. But he used his shock staff to great effect, frying any ants that tried to cross the water. The ants, or Gamemakers gave it up and turned the insectoid mutts back on the much easier three tributes.

The mutts seemed to bring Clove to her senses somewhat, or at least triggered her self-preservation instincts enough to bring hostilities to a halt. They were all just concentrating on getting as far away from the red menaces as possible.

The problem was that due to the twilight conditions, and even with a false moon and stars to illuminate the way, they couldn't make out where the ants were all coming from.

"Gadget! There!" Corduroy called and pointed a little ways to the right, where they saw a large river.

It was at least thirty feet across. The depth was unknown.

"OKAY!" Gadget cried and veered, narrowly missing having to wade right through a wave of the ants.

Corduroy followed just behind her, and Clove too!

The clicking, hissing and chittering was almost deafening now due to the sheer numbers of ants pursuing them. Everywhere she looked, the ground seemed to be moving, signifying the presence of the ants.

They hit the waters, splashing loudly, and Gadget just hoped that the Gamemakers didn't throw crocodiles or amphibious mutts to threaten them. Between the ants and drowning, she wasn't sure what would be worse or more terrifying. The Capitolites must be vibrating with excitement at the amount of bloodshed going on.

The teenagers were unable to contain their frightened gasps, outcries and exclamations as the icy cold waters chilled them to the bone, but fortunately, at the middle of the river, it was only waist deep, and they were wading across to the seemingly safer bank on the other side.

As they got closer, the depth began to reduce, and they were soon crawling out to the bank, exhausted.

"L-look…" Gadget said, as she pointed at where they came from.

Clove and Corduroy both turned and stared.

Additional fact: Army ants, when confronted with a large body of water, can group their bodies together to make a functional raft and swim across.

Violence erupted anew between the teens. This time, it was Corduroy and Gadget first. Maybe she just wasn't expecting it, or maybe she was mentally and physically exhausted, but whatever it was, Clove was truly taken by surprise as Gadget stabbed Clove in the foot with her sword, and Corduroy slashed her back with his kukri.

"EARGH!" Clove's scream pierced the air as she fell forward.

"This is for Lace," Corduroy said as he raised his blade high.

"NO!" Clove swung her wrist blade around forcing Gadget to pull out her blade and leap back, and disrupted Corduroy's actions enough to also make him move back.

Scrambling to her feet unsteadily, Clove turned around, leaning heavily on her one uninjured foot, back to the river, and she pointed her blade at them. There was fear evident in her eyes. The same type of fear that suddenly appeared on Marvel's face when he must have felt death approaching him.

"Now hold on…j-just a moment," Clove stammered, "we can work something out…I can…I can-"

"I have had enough of you," Corduroy simply announced and surged forward.

Gadget joined him, somehow in sync with his plans and intentions, but really, she just wanted to make sure Corduroy survived no matter what. As Clove clumsily swung her blade, Gadget easily deflected it with an upward swipe of her own sword, and Corduroy grabbed Clove's left wrist, placed his other hand on the back of her shoulder as he turned her around and got behind her, pulling her wrist as he pushed her shoulder forward, dislocating it with a loud crack.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Clove's scream reflected far more agony than she'd probably felt at Binary's ministrations, but as she straightened back up, she only had time to see Corduroy's fist flying straight at her face. The impact sounded meaty and solid.

Somehow, she didn't go down immediately, but simply stared at Corduroy and Gadget. Then she fell…right into the raft of army ants that had arrived whilst the teens had chosen to re-engage Clove.

The excited insects intensified in their chittering and hissing. But the clicking was intermixed with wet crunching noises as their mandibles pierced Clove's skin over and over again, and they injected their venom into any exposed skin.

Clove had but one-and-a-half seconds to look down at herself, even as her mind was overcome by intense agony like she had never felt before. Well, that was what Gadget figured.

And then, her eyes widened with sheer unadulterated terror and panic. But it was far, far too late.

Her shrieking and wailing became desperate and progressively louder as she thrashed and struggled in vain to swipe or brush off the ants. Instead, more surged over one another as they poured into her gaping mouth, beginning to feast on her from the inside out. Her eyes vanished as the ants bit, cut and tore right through them in seconds.

"AAAHGHKH!" Clove seemed to be trying to scream something out, but as she sat up, her arms fell listlessly to her sides and she went very still. Even in the dim lighting, Gadget could see the ants had already torn open her throat and chest and were filling up the bleeding holes.

Clove was already dead.

She was covered head to toe in the voracious noisy ants.

Boom!

The cannon fired, and the ants abruptly swerved around Gadget and Corduroy, fleeing the scene.

A barely recognizable corpse of what looked like melted flesh was all that was left of Clove.

"The loom is done with your tapestry of death," Corduroy spoke in a crisp tone. "I told you that you would fear me. And you died as I guaranteed."

Gadget dropped her sword, turned to the side, and retched violently.

---

It took time, getting far away from that place. Gadget knew they were far, far away from Binary now. And while Monkshood could be anywhere, Gadget was far less worried about her. She didn't have anything left to hurt them, and she had run off in a completely different direction.

They were down to the final four.

Gadget did not for a second believe she could have made it this far. But she did. Neither she nor Corduroy said much as they finished off the last of their first aid. Both of their containers were left empty by the time they finished dressing their wounds.

Neither really wanted to dwell on what they had willfully done a short while ago. For Corduroy, more than once. He had basically ended the last of the Careers. That had to make him quite popular in the eyes of the Capitol. Even if there were no more sponsors coming, it changed his narrative in the eyes of the audience and Seneca Crane.

To say nothing of the fact Gadget had participated in ensuring Corduroy's success. And how Clove died. Enough blood had been shed for the night…day, whatever. But there was one last round.

With uncertainty, Gadget found herself glancing at Corduroy over and over. She wasn't sure if he noticed, but she couldn't stop herself. Doubts played in her mind. Everything Monkshood said dug into her, burrowing deeper and deeper until there was no shaking the thoughts away.

What secret did Monkshood claim Corduroy have? She didn't need to outright say it to know that that was what she meant.

They settled down in another small clearing, and without waiting or any hesitation, Gadget deposited her backpack on the ground and got to work on her flamethrower. It wouldn't take as long as the suit would. It wasn't nearly as massive of a project.

But as the day dragged on, Gadget refused to stop. Only once did she stop to nibble on her protein bars and drink water from a flask. This, she decided, was far too important. Even if it meant that she wouldn't sleep through the night.

Dimly, she wondered why Marvel had been sponsored a container of fuel. She wouldn't put it past him to try to light someone on fire with it. And maybe that was exactly what he'd been planning to do.

Each piece fell right into its proper place.

Corduroy let her work in silence, and for that, Gadget was grateful. He allowed her to work in peace without interruption. Everything within Gadget's backpack that came from the feast was exactly what she needed. The schematics…the idea she had drawn into the ground…it had gotten enough attention from sponsors to give Beetee and Wiress the ability to send it to her.

When the final piece clicked into place, Gadget allowed a smile to cross her face, and rubbed a hand over her tired eyes.

"Have you finished?" Corduroy asked and Gadget nodded at him in reply.

"Finished," she confirmed. She held up the flamethrower in her hands to allow him to see it. It glinted in the moonlight, and Gadget noticed only then that the sky had gotten darker than before.

The skylight of evening had passed. Now, it was midnight.

Whatever Seneca Crane was planning, Gadget knew it was nothing good. There were only four of them left now which meant that…the finale was coming. She didn't know when, or where it would even be, but Gadget knew that it was steadily approaching.

No Hunger Games ended without a grand finale. Gadget had known that by seeing previous Games when she was younger. It had been mandatory, after all. And it became one of the things she had picked up on.

The finale of the Hunger Games.

Gadget sent a surreptitious glance around her surroundings, past Corduroy and around the trees. Was Seneca Crane going to send a mutt after them to lure them someplace? A mutt like…like the Harbinger? Gadget gulped nervously.

She returned her attention back to her flamethrower. Would it be enough to stop Binary? She had created the machine, the suit that he was encased in. And it truly did make him unstoppable, if he was able to crush Clove beneath his boot as easily as he had done it.

This was going to be their only chance to beat him.

Gadget breathed in heavily. It wasn't just about beating him. It was about…it was about killing him. Her breath came out shakily.

"Gadget," Corduroy started, and she looked at him. He looked concerned for her, and she sent him a trembling smile.

"I'm finished," she said again, holding out the flamethrower slightly. Its silver sheen shone in the moonlight.

Corduroy came forward but he didn't try to take the weapon out of her hands.

"We both know who is the greatest threat remaining," Corduroy said, "I think we both know what you are going to use that for."

"I'm going to burn the monster under the bed," Gadget promised, and she lifted her flamethrower and shot a gout of flame into the air.

The clearing lit up brightly against the midnight sky. And in that moment, Gadget had set aflame her weapon, but a fire in her heart that she had never felt.

The burning will to do what needed to be done.