Chapter 21:
Night of the Chariots
Seraphim Lukianas, Co-Head Gamemaker
Seraphim just feels numb as he sits down at the conference table in the Games Headquarters. He's faced death head on before, yet…he wasn't this scared then. Then, there was only one person who would really get hurt by his death. But now, there's too many people he cares about and if something had happened to then…
He can barely even think about it.
His mother. Zephyr. Calisto and his team. The group of survivors from last year… No. They are all safe. He can't let himself think of what might have happened.
Zephyr sits next to him, holding Seraphim's hand tightly on his lap. His face shows the toll this is taking on him, as a former mentor… The fact that he threw himself over Seraphim to protect him and could have been hurt or killed for it… He needs to talk with him about that because he could not live with the guilt if something had happened to him.
Across from them, Theodosius and Kostas sit together, glued to their tablets as they talk quietly to each other, no doubt monitoring the security of the building and managing what just happened. Rosabella finally sits down at the head of the table with a heavy sigh, makeup staining her cheeks and looking exhausted by this day.
"It's been a long day and is only going to get longer, so let's get started," Rosabella says and the security pair stops their talking to focus on her. She looks at all four of them and folds her hands in her lap before continuing, "It's no secret that the rebels were behind this. Why they only targeted Baylor and not anyone else…we don't know yet."
"Calisto said something about tying up loose ends," Kostas offers to the group and Seraphim stares at her, not even aware she had been talking to him. "They've shown a history of using the Games to get rid of those they want gone."
"Is it because she spoke to us?" Seraphim asks quietly, guilt pouring through him at the possibility that this is his fault.
Theodosius stares him down and crosses his arms. "The rebels threatened to kill her years ago. I doubt anything we did changed that."
"Her death brings up a tricky subject," Rosabella starts carefully. "Do we get another tribute? I feel that the rebels will react badly to that…"
Seraphim does a double take at her at that. "What are you talking about?" he asks, really shocked that she can be thinking about the Games right now. "Is this meeting not to discuss the rebels?"
"We will talk about them," Theodosius tells him, anger on his face as he cracks his knuckles. "They will have many regrets by time I'm done with them."
Rosabella clears her throat to stop him from continuing before turning her focus back to Seraphim. "We need to figure out the next steps moving forward with the Games."
Seraphim blinks at them in surprise and lets out a laugh, expecting it to be a joke. Yet they just stare back at him blankly. "You can't be serious," he tells them, but from the looks on their faces, they're completely serious about continuing the Games right now. "How can you think that's a good idea?"
"If we cancel the Games, the rebels win," Rosabella answers without showing any emotions on her face, no sign that she's worried about this. "We'll be giving them exactly what they want."
Seraphim looks at the other two Capitolites, hoping they'll be in protest of this…yet they both look on board. "Seriously? How can you be supporting this right now?"
"I thought you would be in agreement," Theodosius tells him, making Seraphim scoff and shake his head. "Considering you've been working on the Games for years."
"This isn't a normal year," Seraphim answers, shaking his head more. Zephyr squeezes his hand and it's a reminder to take a deep breath before he spirals into a panic. "We're on the verge of a full blown rebellion."
"And we won't let them interfere with the Games anymore," Rosabella tries to reassure him, but he doesn't believe that one bit.
"Yeah, like you've stopped them for the last couple of years?" Seraphim asks and stares each of them down. "What will be the point that makes you stop? I've been shot. They kidnapped tributes right from the arena. And now a tribute killed during the parade. Whose death will be the final straw? Does it even matter to you if more people die?"
"We won't let anyone else die. And Baylor knew what might happen when she volunteered," Rosabella says slowly, treating him like he's about to explode or something. "All of the tributes understand that the odds are they'll die in that arena."
"Not like that," Seraphim points at them, daring them to try to suggest otherwise. "None of them expect to be killed before even stepping foot in the arena."
"Why are you this upset about it?" Theodosius asks and Seraphim can only give him a bewildered look. "I'm genuinely wondering why you're upset about one tribute dying now when all but one of them will be dead in the arena by this time one month from now. What difference does it make?"
"That's not the point!" Seraphim slams his free hand down on the table and pulls his other hand away from Zephyr to stand up. He leans against the table as he continues, "The point is that rebels are capable of killing tributes at a time when they think they're safe. When the people watching think they're safe. How is any of this okay with you?!"
"Seraphim, please sit down," Rosabella says, but he doesn't listen to her. She lets out a sigh and looks to Zephyr for help, but he remains in his spot. "It's not okay with us but we're trying to focus on the future and keeping things moving. We can't go back and change her death."
"Yes, but what if that had been a mentor or escort instead? Or one of us?!" Seraphim asks, waving his finger in a circle to gesture at the group.
"Well it wasn't," Theodosius says pointedly, his annoyance towards Seraphim starting to slip through.
"And we have many security measures in place to protect everyone working on the Games moving forward," Kostas adds on, at least trying to settle him. "Nothing will happen to us."
"Yes, the security measures that let a rebel get into the Headquarters? Do you really think they're going to stop at this?" Seraphim points out to them. "No, I don't believe you have things under control. So you know what? I can't do this."
"You can't do what?" Rosabella asks slowly, concern on her face as she studies him.
"I'm not going to do this," Seraphim shakes his head as they give him varied looks of bewilderment. "Find someone else to be your Head Gamemaker."
"Seraphim, sit back down," Theodosius tries to tell him, waving him off like a child. "You're just stressed and tired."
"Yes, I am those things, but that doesn't change this. I won't," Seraphim tells him, staring him down as he shows a brief flash of surprise at him standing up to him. "This is no longer just the Hunger Games. It's the brink of a war and I am not going to sit here and dump fuel on the fire by being your Head Gamemaker. I can't be responsible for people I care about – people I love – getting hurt."
He glances down at Zephyr beside him for a moment and he stands up, taking Seraphim's hand once more. "Where he goes, I go."
Seraphim gives his hand a squeeze before he turns back to Theodosius and they get into a stare down until Rosabella finally speaks up. "We won't make you do anything you don't want to do," she says slowly and when he looks over at her, disappointment is in her eyes. "I really wish you would help us…"
"Yeah, well, I wish you wouldn't continue the Games," Seraphim answers with a shrug as he reaches into his pocket for his key card. He tosses it down on the table in front of her, "There's my key. Give it to someone willing to do whatever you ask without question."
"You can't just leave," Kostas says and Seraphim raises an eyebrow in silent questioning. Who is she to question him doing this job or not? "For security's sake. You'll have to stay in this building."
Seraphim nods his head in agreement, fine with that. His mother is here anyways and he isn't going anywhere without her.
Theodosius stares him down for a few long seconds, anger and betrayal in his eyes, before finally speaking up. "Then we're done here. Get out."
"Yeah, I guess we are," Seraphim says quietly, the finality of it starting to sink in. But he stands tall, not backing down from it. He meant what he said. He has too many people he has started to care for involved in the Games over the last couple of years and he will not risk their lives. "Good luck with everything but when it goes wrong… Don't come running to me to fix it."
With that, Seraphim takes Zephyr's hand and turns to leave the room, putting behind the only life he's known for himself for the last fifteen years. But he can't be part of it anymore, not like this.
He won't be the reason for a war.
Ishani Kostas, Head of Security
What a complete and utter disaster this night has turned out to be. They should have anticipated something during the chariots and that was their fault. But how were they supposed to have anticipated Seraphim deciding to quit? No one is able to run the Games like him, yet they need someone to run it, someone who actually knows something about the Games. Which left them with very limited options.
The most logical option would be to get Lisia to come out of retirement but somehow Seraphim beat them to talking to her and she told them no as soon as she answered the phone. Kostas couldn't even be mad at her for her answer and honestly she wasn't that surprised that Lisia said no. She had spent too many years away from it to come back to this disaster. Then the next logical would be someone already on the Gamemaking team, but they don't 100% trust everyone there, even if Seraphim did.
Which left two people they could think of in their short notice that they could trust completely and who have intimate knowledge of the Games… But there's no way they're going to be happy with this but there's no other options of people they trust.
And of course, Ishani got put in charge of telling the replacements.
Ishani lets out a sigh as she stands in front of the closed lab door, just wanting a nap instead of this. But she knows sleep is a long way off for her. At least she knows one of them will still be awake but the other? No idea.
Well, the sooner this is done, the sooner she can move on to other issues, like the fact that a tribute was just murdered by rebels.
Ishani swipes her card to unlock the door and as she steps in, two heads turn to look her way – along with one feathered one that nearly tackles her to the ground. "Yes, hello baby girl," she says, petting the head of her thunderbird that is not at all a baby and taller than her. "Momma's gotta work."
"Ishani, to what do we owe this visit?" Julian asks from where he sits on the floor, surrounded by his tracker hounds. One of them rolls over onto their back at the sight of Ishani and she obliges in the belly rubs, as Calisto sits a few feet away, judging them. "These good dogs picked up the scents of all the tributes while comforting them," he tells her and when she gives him a bewildered look, he just shrugs. "You didn't specify which dogs to bring and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have their scents."
"You're fucked up, you know that?" Calisto scoffs at him and crosses his arms – which Julian doesn't deny at all – before turning to Ishani. "Are you here to bring me back to the Games Headquarters?"
"Actually, yes," Ishani responds and she holds up her hand when Calisto looks way too thrilled about that. "Both of you. We have…a new assignment for you both."
"Hmm I'm intrigued, do tell," Julian says, standing up from the floor and smoothing out his pants. "Are we doing a field test with one of my mutts? Tracking down some rebels? Questioning more people?"
"None of those," Ishani answers and looks at both of them, sighing before she drops the big bombshell on them. "Seraphim has quit because he disagreed with the Games continuing. We need you two to take charge of the Games."
Julian and Calisto stare at her in varying levels of shock until Calisto starts laughing loudly. "You can't be serious," he says around laughter and the other two stare back at him, and he slowly stops his laughter. "You really are? What the fuck?"
"Yeah I also have to agree with that," Julian says with a small shrug when Ishani gives him a bewildered look. "Not saying I'm not intrigued but at the same time, I know nothing about how to run the Games. Surely there's better qualified people."
"Lisia was our only other option and she said no. There's no other people that we trust completely and we need people working with us," Ishani says, sighing once more before giving them both a pleading look. "We wouldn't be asking if we had other options. You two know the Games better than anyone else we trust, between your actual experience and Calisto working with Seraphim for the past few months."
"Can't deny that," Julian tells Calisto, making the younger man shake his head.
"Yeah, but to have us actually in charge of the Games?!" Calisto asks in disbelief. "You have to admit that's a bad idea. This dude enjoys watching his mutts maul people! How could you want him in charge of the tributes?"
Julian's eyes light up at that. "Oh I can let Magnus use all the mutt ideas Seraphim turned down!" he says, turning back to Ishani. "Have you seen the sharks with lasers attached to their heads? Good stuff right there."
Ishani puts a hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on already, before turning to Calisto. "I can't put him alone in charge. We need you to balance him out."
"I can't believe this," Calisto shakes his head before turning away from her, mumbling to himself.
Ishani turns to Julian. "So?" she asks. "Are you in?"
"You say that like it was ever a choice," Julian chuckles and Ishani just gives him a grin. "But yes, I am. Just this once though. And then you'll probably lock me back in the dungeon." He holds out his arm and makes a clicking noise, and Fucker soon flies across the room to land on his arm. "Come on, girl, we have a new job to do."
"Calisto?" Ishani asks the younger man carefully and he looks back over his shoulder at her. "Please. You're the only one who knows most of what Seraphim had planned. And I don't fully trust this bastard here to not kill all the tributes with mutts."
Julian gives her a chilling grin, telling her that's exactly what he'd like to do. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Calisto stays turned away from her for another minute, before slowly turning around to face her. He barely hides the pain and worry on his face as he pulls his lip ring into his mouth as he mulls it over. "I really don't think I'm qualified at all for this," he tells her before gesturing over to Julian. "But one day with him has told me that he cannot operate on his own and it baffles me that he runs a lab."
"So are you in?" Ishani asks him, trying not to get too hopeful that he'll agree on his own. She really doesn't want to force him into it but…they are out of options.
Calisto sighs and runs a hand through his hair before finally answering her. "I obviously don't have a choice here. This is about the last thing I want to do…"
"Believe me, we really wouldn't make you do this if there were any other options."
Julian walks over to Calisto and throws his arm around his shoulders, only to get shoved away immediately. "Kind of fucked up to have two rescued tributes running the Hunger Games, huh?" he asks and gives a pause, before shrugging and grinning once more. "So, when do we get started?"
"You're insane," Calisto mutters and takes a few steps away from him. "Completely off the rails insane."
"Pack up boys, we need to get started right away," Ishani tells them and watches them, making sure they're going to do as she says.
Just please let this not be a horrible decision. But what other choice do they have?
Yeah, that's right...Seraphim really did just quit. We love to see that character growth from across the trilogy. This is something I bet no one anticipated me doing considering how much I love Seraphim. But a third rebellion is on the horizon and he will not be part of the catalyst for it. And now we have the awful decision of putting Calisto and Julian in charge. No way will that go poorly lol.
So where does this take us? Well, into training but things are gonna be a bit different moving forward (naturally). I'm probably going to take a week or two break from updating this just to let things kinda settle and also give people some time to catch up because I know I've been updating frequently and the chapters haven't been very short. But in the meantime, I'm going to cash in on the Good Emo Content these events are causing and write a few deleted scenes! Which reminds me, I have posted two scenes already with Calisto and Julian. Those will be going on my random story blog (theengineeringgames . blogspot . com) so keep an eye out! There should be at least one going up this weekend.
In other news, I have stockpiled up to the interviews! So that's part of why I don't mind taking a little break from the actual story to write some deleted scenes lol (and I'm totally not procrastinating the interviews, nope, I would never do such a thing). But weird to think I only have two more actual chapters left to write in the pre-Games!
RQ: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a bad decision did the Capitol make?
So yeah, I will see you in a couple weeks - if you're curious when I'll be updating, I'll say on my profile the date!
