Rising Rebellion [#3]

Chapter 14 - Like Clockwork

“Tick-tock, tick-tock…” Wiress kept on saying as they were just sitting on the beach, wondering what to do next. Most of them had their own internal issues to deal with: Finnick was trying to deal with Mags’ death and John trying to regain as much strength as possible. He had been eating a little as well as drinking water and was feeling better by the minute. Meanwhile, Sylvia was just sitting there listening to Wiress going on with her tick-tocks. It was really getting on her nerves as she had been listening to that walking clock all night. Every second that passed by and Sylvia was pushed closer and closer to the breaking point. At one point, she had it.

“Stop your tick-tock-ing, damn it! You went all ‘tick-tock, tick-tock’ all night, it’s making me crazy!” Sylvia then barked at her. Katniss reacted immediately at Sylvia’s outburst. “Hey, you leave her alone!” She said as she stepped in front of Sylvia who was about push Wiress away. “Oh, I’ll leave her alone, princess! As soon as she shuts up I will!” Sylvia barked back at her. “I listened to that all night, and do you want to know why?!” She then asked as Katniss turned insecure. John got help by Peeta to get up on his feet. “…because John and I had to bring them to you, to gain your trust. We were risking our own lives getting them to you, and once John and I got separated, I had to do it on my own and I didn’t even like doing in the first place! I got them here for you. I listened to her tick-tock-ing all night, girl on fire. Don’t you dare tell me to leave her alone!” Sylvia said as she then took a walk down towards the water to calm down.

Katniss turned rather paralyzed towards to John. “What did she mean by that?” She asked him quietly. “We were told you wouldn’t want an alliance with us, unless we brought these two, to you. She wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for me.” John answered. “But why?” She then asked. “You’ll find out in time.” John then answered as he released himself from Peeta’s support and walked back to where he sat earlier.

Sylvia came back to John after calming down, avoiding Katniss and the human-clock. “Did she really go on like that all night?” John then asked her. “Yes! Yes, she did go on like that and I for one can’t take it anymore!” She whined between the two of them. John looked down on the sand before he remembered something. “Do you remember that note, the one that ‘you-know-who’ left for us during his visit?” John then asked as Katniss sat down with Wiress going all ‘tick-tock’ with her to try and understand. Sylvia turned her head towards John. “Yeah, I remember…what was it that it said again?” She asked as John tried to remember before he remembered it. “It said ‘keep track of the time’.” John then realized as Katniss was waving them over. “Did you finally get her to stop?” Sylvia asked as they got there. Katniss shot her an angry look, but didn’t say anything. “Tick-tock…this entire Arena is a clock!” She said. Wiress almost jumping as finally someone had figured out what she had been trying to tell them all night.

They all stood in a tight circle as Katniss and Beetee explained. “All the things we’ve seen so far: the lightning strike, the blood-rain, the poisonous fog, the monkey mutts and then quite some time later, the big wave, are all part of a definite time-zone.” Katniss explained. “One can tell the time by which zone is active.” Beetee then added. “So what time is it now?” John then asked. It had been quite a while since they had pulled him out of the jungle. “Assuming that the Cornucopia is pointing at twelve o’clock, and it’s been at least four hours since the monkey-attacks…we’ll know for sure when the ten o’clock wave strikes again.” He said before they all heard rumbling in one of the sectors. It was something that would remind them of an earthquake. “We should get to the Cornucopia and see if we’re right.” Katniss then suggested. The rest of them agreed.

“So we got up here to do what again?” Sylvia asked as they all arrived there. “We’re trying to determine if our theory is right and in that case, what time it is.” John answered before anyone else got the chance to. They all gathered in a tight circle as Peeta drew up a map with his sword. While they were all paying attention to what he was saying, Wiress went happily close to the edge of the water and sang her song from the night before. They were talking about the zone they had just witnessed and trying to figure out how they could it to their best advantage.

As Katniss randomly looked over at Wiress’ direction, she saw the tribute from 1, Gloss, slitting her throat. “Wiress!” She yelled as she got fired an arrow into his chest. The others were also there. Sylvia received a challenge from the tribute girl from the same District. She plunged her axe into his chest before she went after Enobaria. Katniss went on to fire another arrow at the man from 2, but only hit his foot as he jumped back out in the water. John was helping Finnick to gain some cover after being hit by a knife, while Peeta helped Sylvia chase off Enobaria. Beetee was just sitting there in a state of shock because of Wiress’ death.

Before any of them could say anything, the Cornucopia then started shaking violently. They were all caught completely off guard as they were just about to recover from the attack when the Cornucopia started spinning around. John and Finnick, along with Beetee, managed to find a solid grip inside the Cornucopia. Sylvia on the other hand had been standing closer to the water with Katniss as the whole thing started. She plunged her axe onto a rock-shelf and tried to hold Katniss and keep her from falling into the water. But the spinning went on faster and faster and Katniss’ grip was slipping. “Hold on, princess!” She yelled, but it was for no use. Her grip slipped and she fell into the water. Sylvia continued to hang on to the axe, now with both hands, until the Cornucopia then finally stopped spinning.

“What the hell was that?!” Sylvia then asked as she got up on her feet. Katniss was walking back to them on one of the paths. “Somebody didn’t like that we called them on their bluff.” She then said. “They are probably just trying to confuse us and get us back to square one.” John then said. “But, that won’t do them much good. At ten there is the big wave, and two hours later there is the lightning strike which occurs at midnight. Right now, I’d assume it’s about six, meaning that a sector we haven’t been to ourselves is active right now.” Beetee then said before he turned thoughtful. “I might have a plan on how to take on the rest of the Career-pack.” He then said as he got everybody’s attention. “Okay, tell us.” Peeta then said.

“We know that two hours after the big wave, the lightning will strike at the tree. I suggest we use my wire to electrocute the others. After the wave, the sand will still be wet enough conduct electricity. Once the others realize we’re no longer on the beach, which is the safest place to be, they’ll come out in time to be electrocuted.” The rest of them nodded. “How do we do that, then?” Finnick asked. “We take this wire and tie it around the tree, covering as much of it as possible. And then some of us will have to walk the coil of wire back down to the water and then hide in an inactive zone. They cannot be anywhere near the water or the beach.” Beetee then explained. “But the others will be because we’ve left.” John then assumed. Beetee nodded. “Indeed, Wintergreen, indeed.” He answered. “So we’re going to wait around for a while then?” Sylvia asked. “It seems like it.” John said. “Let’s get back to the beach and wait there.” Peeta then said.

As the group got back there, they got off on another end of the beach than earlier. As the silence fell upon the group, they suddenly heard a scream.

“KATNISS!”