The Hunger Games: Uprising!

Chapter 18

I take the Binoculars from Gibbs and look for myself. I can make out the mutts in the dim light of the flood lights but then I see her, standing beside a troop transport beyond the mutts. A squad of soldiers around her.

"Why" I ask Gibbs

"To arrest you, to be on film the moment your captured thats why" answers Paylor.

Gibbs opens the Holo to contact Plutarch.

I raise the binoculars to my eyes again and study her. Its almost as if I'm looking at myself from five years ago. Her hair, in a single braid trailing loosely down her right shoulder, the stern look on her face, devoid of emotion. Even the leather hunting jacket, almost a perfect match of my father's. I can't see her from the waist down because of the soldiers in the way but I know she'll probably be wearing simple trousers and boots.

"Katniss" asks Gibbs

I pull myself away from the binoculars and look at Gibbs.

"Plutarch wants us to try to take Elise if we can. Getting Paylor out is the main objective but if we can kidnap her that'd be a bonus"

"First things first, we need to get the lights out and secure the area" says Paylor

I use the binoculars again trying to find something that may control the lights. I spot the cables coming from the flood lights and follow them to a central junction box, that must be my target. Again its some way off but having seen how effective the jammer was when Gale used it I know I only need it to be close. I hand the Binoculars back to Gibbs and point to my target. She looks through the binoculars and nods.

"Where's Joel's team" I ask

Just then the sound of loud gunfire erupts from the far end of the warehouse. Gibbs calls up the Squad cams on the Holo and we can see Joel's team pinned down behind crates in the warehouse. I look out the window to see the mutts striding toward the warehouse, leaving the quayside. I start to feel a rage burning inside of me. Not since the hospital bombing in eight have I felt this angry, I have to stop this, now. To give Joel and his team a chance.

I stand up and run out the door and up towards the mutts, I can hear Gibbs ordering me back through my ear piece but I ignore her, drop down onto on knee, draw out a jamming arrow arm it take aim at the box and release the string. Its a direct hit. The charge fuses the box and the flood lights flicker and then go out. I can hear the squad now, running up behind me.

Gibbs screams behind me just as I take off again."Katniss wait!"

I reach back and pull out an explosive arrow and arm it whilst I run. The mutts have ignored the failed flood lights and have almost reached the door to the warehouse. I take aim and shoot at the mutt in the middle of the group. The blast takes out at least four but there's probably another six. They turn to face me. Just then I'm tackled to the ground as a hale of gunfire erupts and I can hear the bullets screaming over my head. I look to see its Gibbs.

In my haste to save the soldiers in the warehouse I'd forgotten about Elise Snow's security guards. Once the mutts were out of the way they'd seen me running down the quayside and started firing. The rest of the squad starts covering fire enabling Gibbs and I try get to cover behind some crates stacked against the warehouse. I sit for a second to catch my breath. "You do that again, and I'll kill you myself!" Gibbs shouts over the noise. I look at her closely but I can just make out the hint of a grin. She knows I can't follow orders.

We look over the top of the crates and see Snow being manhandled in through the front door of the troop transport. I'm that much closer now that I can see her more clearly. She looks at me from the door window, a slight smile comes across her face and she gives me a hesitant wave, its almost as if she's a little shocked to see me. And then the transport races away with her soldiers loaded in the back firing at us. Paylor runs over to the crate to join us. "Katniss you're crazy!" she screams. I just look at her, my anger not receding.