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SHALL WE RISE?

act three. 

(chapter forty-six, we are in a war zone, real or not real?)

command / the capitol, 2313.

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VALENCIA, NOVA, KATNISS, AND Johanna trained hard. That was the only thing they seemed to do. They didn't follow the schedules on their forearms, all of them being dedicated to the training sessions. They trained so hard that they managed to move into an additional class. The soldiers called it the Block, but it was really called S.S.C, which was short for Simulated Street Combat. It was where the instructor would divide them into squads and they would attempt to carry out multiple missions as if they really were on the battle field. Everything that could go wrong in the simulation, went wrong. Land mines, snipers on a rooftop, your squadron leader dying, were all things that happened. And it all felt real. When you died, you had to drop down and play dead. The enemy soldiers were dressed as Peacekeepers. It kept all of them on their toes.

And then Cressida and her crew came down to record the four women on the firing range. It was a part of their idea to shoot a propo series to show Panem that the rebels were preparing to capture the Capitol. And the rebels were preparing. Equipment was getting sorted out, groups getting ready, soldiers getting short haircuts.

And when it was just a few days before the first troops were to leave Thirteen, York, the trainer, told the four of them that she recommended them for the exam and that they were to report immediately. There were four sections. An obstacle course, a written tactics exam, a test of weapons proficiency, and a simulated combat situation in the Block. And Valencia felt ready and she did rather good on the first three parts, but when there was whispers going around that the Block was to target each individual's weaknesses, Valencia had to swallow a lump in her throat. She didn't know what her weaknesses were and so she didn't know what to expect.

Johanna, Nova, and Katniss were called before Valencia and so she was forced to wait for her turn alone. She didn't know what her weakness was or what her strategy was. But she was Valencia Barlowe. She could do anything. And so when her name was called and she entered the Block, a new found confidence filled her. But the simulation was hectic when she first stepped foot in it. 

Peacekeepers appeared instantly and Valencia and her squad were to meet at the rendezvous point to meet up with their squadron leader. One of the soldiers in her squad went down straight away, stepping on a land mine and alerting the entirety of the Peacekeepers to their location. And so, Valencia was forced to hide behind some rubble with another team member, shooting down the Peacekeepers. She wasn't even close to the rendezvous point. And then she realised what her weakness was when the blood of her peer splattered all over her, Valencia gasping in shock at the large hole in their head. Watching people die. But she tried to overcome the shock she felt when seeing the gore and with the rest of her squadron members dying off, Valencia managed to get to her rendezvous point and despite being the only person alive in the simulation, when she exited the Block, a soldier congratulated her as he stamped her hand with the squad number four-five-one, telling her to report to Command. And with a loud laugh, Valencia went rushing through the halls of Thirteen, dancing around the corners as she skipped into Command.

"Well, let's see it then, Soldier." Boggs chuckled at her when he saw her. With a bright smile, Valencia showed him her hand. "Look's like you're with me. It's a special unit of sharpshooters. Join the others."

Swallowing down her pride, Valencia looked over at a group that stood in a line at a wall. And Valencia had to blink multiple times as she looked at who was there. Finnick. Nova. Antares. Katniss. Gale. Five other people she didn't know. She thanked those above that she was with people she knew. Finnick gave her a warm smile and so did Nova and Katniss when she joined them. 

Plutarch was standing over a wide, flat panel in the centre of the table, explaining something about the Capitol. When he pressed a button, a holographic image of a block of the Capitol projected into the air.

"This, for example, is the area surrounding one of the Peacekeepers' barracks. Not unimportant, but not the most crucial of targets and yet look," Plutarch said as lights began to flash in an array of colours and different speeds. "Each light is called a pod. It represents a different obstacle, the nature of which could be anything from a bomb to a band of mutts. Make no mistake, whatever it contains is designed to either trap or kill you. Some have been in place since the Dark Days, others developed over the years. To be honest, I created a fair number myself. This program, which one of our people absconded with when we left the Capitol, is our most recent information. They don't know we have it. But even so, it's likely that new pods have been activated in the last few months. This is what you will face."

Valencia scanned the hologram and she was instantly reminded of an arena. And she wasn't the only one since Nova, Katniss, Finnick, and Antares had the knowing look on their face as they examined the map.

"Ladies and gentleman..." Finnick said softly.

"Let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin!" Katniss's voice rang out, laughing quickly afterwards.

"And may the odds be ever in your favour," Valencia added, putting on a fake Capitol accent.

They never should have put five traumatised Victors' together in a squad. They all had fires in their hearts, all had flames that could burn anyone who got in their way. 

"I don't even know why you bothered to put us through training, Plutarch." Katniss sighed.

"It was honestly a waste of time." Valencia shrugged.

"Yeah, we're already the four best-equipped soldiers you have," Finnick said cockily. "Oh, and Terry..."

"Do not think that fact escapes me." Plutarch waved them off. "Now quiet down, Soldiers Odair, Everdeen, Barlowe, O'Malley. I have a presentation to finish."

"I didn't even say anything," Nova grumbled before going quiet.

And so, they all paid attention to Plutarch until he finished his presentation and adjourned the meeting. Antares, Nova, Finnick, and Valencia all waited in the hallway for Katniss, who was called back for some reason. It was when they were waiting, Antares leaned against a wall and rubbed his face with his hands. When Katniss came out, they all walked to her.

"How am I going to tell Annie this?" Antares sighed.

"You don't tell her," Katniss told him. "I'm not telling my mother and sister about it."

"But the pods—"

"Knowledge about the pods is probably classified information," she said. "And it's not like an actual Hunger Games, anyone can survive. We're just overreacting because — well, you know why. You still want to go, don't you?"

"Of course." Antares sighed. "I want to kill Snow just as much as the rest of you do. We all want to destroy him for what he did to us."

Before anyone could even respond, Haymitch appeared around the corner, a frown on his lips as he said, "Johanna's back in the hospital."

"What?" Valencia furrowed a brow. "Why? What happened?"

"It was when she on the Block, you know how they target weaknesses," Haymitch told them. "They flooded the street."

"So?" Katniss shrugged.

"That's how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric shocks," he said softly. "In the Block, she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation."

Valencia and Nova both sighed as they looked down at the floor, Antares closing his eyes as Finnick and Katniss froze. It made sense why Johanna was so hesitant to go out in the rain that one training session. They used water and electric shocks on Johanna. They used fire on Commie. They hijacked Peeta. They continuously cut Finnick's back open and starved him.

"You lot should go see her," Haymitch told them. "You are as close to friends as she's got."

Nova, Finnick, Antares, and Valencia all hurried to the hospital wing whilst Katniss said she had to go quickly do something. They used the stairs since the elevator was so slow and they managed to get to the ward in a few minutes. And Valencia had to bit the inside of her mouth when she looked at Johanna from the door. She was waking up from her sedative and her eyes were wide and afraid. 

"Jo?" Valencia said softly as she walked over to her, sitting down beside her bed in the chair. 

"Hey, Lennie," Johanna croaked out, her hair spiked up a bit from the water. "How did you go on the exam?"

"That doesn't matter." Valencia smiled at her. "What matters is that you're all right."

"I don't think I'll ever be all right..." Johanna told her gently. "They messed me up too good... they messed all of us up pretty good, didn't they?"

"That's why we're going to kill them," Valencia assured her as she gripped her hand. "Everyone last one of them."

Before Johanna could respond, Katniss entered the room holding a bundle of something. Valencia peered at it and realised it was a bunch of pine needles tied together with a vine from the woods aboveground.

"What's that?" Johanna asked her when Katniss handed her the bundle.

"I made it for you. Something to put in your drawer," Katniss said. "Smell it."

Johanna lifted the bundle to her nose as she smelt it, tears filling her eyes as she said, "Smells like home."

After visiting Johanna, her heart heavy, Valencia walked down the hall and went to Commie's room. She had to tell him about her going to the Capitol. And she also wanted to see if he was getting any better. As she entered his room, Commie instantly smirked at her. Yes, he was getting better.

"Well, hello, Lennie," he said, his voice rough and hoarse. She took the moment to examine the scabs on Commie's body. It wasn't even scabs anymore, it just looked like intricate designs on the skin with the swirly patterns of where flames resided. And he was sitting upright in his bed now. "Don't tell me you're getting married."

"Nice to know you still have your humour." Valencia sighed as she sat in the chair beside the bed. "But no, I'm not... I don't really see myself getting married."

"And you've just officially broken little Finnick's heart," Commie told her with a smile. He was much better and Valencia was sure to thank the doctors for the lotion they made. 

"Comm," Valencia began to say. "I thought you should know that I'm going to the Capitol... when the rebels invade."

"What?"

"Me, Nova, Finnick, Terry, Katniss, and some other people are all in a squad," she explained. "When the rebels decided to invade the Capitol, we're going with them. We're soldiers."

"Well, I didn't expect anything less from you lot." Commie sighed. Valencia didn't miss the shock that was on his face when she called her brother by his nickname. A bit of relief. "So many surprises lately... you can imagine the shock I had when I found out your brother was in love with Annie Cresta. And that he married her... just promise me one thing, Lennie."

"What's that?"

"You kill Snow," Commie muttered. "You give him the most slowest, gruesome death ever. Kill him for what he's done to all of us... make him pay, Lennie."

With a new found determination, the next few days went by quickly. Each morning was met with a short workout before spending most of their time in the shooting range for training. They all practiced with handguns and rifles, but they always had an hour for their own personal weapons. Katniss with her Mockingjay bow, Gale with his own militarised one, Antares with his collapsable one, Finnick with his trident, Nova with her spear (which was basically a short, thick stick, but when you pressed a button, it turned into a full spear) and Valencia with her magnetic knives. 

The amount of skill in the squad was very visible. There was five other soldiers from Thirteen. Jackson, who was a middle-aged woman and Boggs's second in command. She could hit anything the rest of them couldn't see without a scope. Two sisters in their twenties called Leeg. But since they were so similar, they all called them Leeg One and Leeg Two. And then there was two older men called Mitchell and Homes, but they barely spoke. Valencia was getting suspicious at why Plutarch would put the best sharpshooters in one squad with five broken Victors'. That was until he explained.

"Squad Four-Five-One, you have been selected for a special mission," he said. "We have numerous sharpshooters, but rather a dearth of camera crews. Therefore, we've handpicked the lot of you to be what we call our 'Star Squad'. You will be the on-screen faces of the invasion."

Valencia felt the flames in her grow much brighter as she remembered the promises she made to Johanna and Commie. They had to kill Snow, they had to be the ones to kill them. She had to try and not roll her jaw in rage as everyone else began to object.

"What you're saying is, we won't be in actual combat," Gale said.

"You will be in combat, but perhaps not always on the front line. If one can even isolate a front line in this type of war," Plutarch told them.

"None of us wants that," Finnick told him, everyone nodding their heads. "We're going to fight."

"You're going to be as useful to the war effort as possible," Plutarch assured them. "And it's been decided that you are of most value on television. Just look at the effect Katniss had running around in that Mockingjay suit. Turning the whole rebellion around. Do you notice how she's the only one not complaining? It's because she understands the power of that screen."

"But it's not all pretend, is it?" Katniss asked. "That'd be a waste of talent."

"Don't worry," Plutarch said. "You'll have plenty of real targets to hit. But don't get blown up. I've got enough on my plate without having to replace you. Now get to the Capitol and put on a good show."

On the morning they were supposed to get shipped out, Valencia said goodbye to those she loved. She said goodbye to Commie, which was surprisingly filled with a lot of tears. To Johanna. To Ezra and the pastel trio. To Haymitch. To Beetee. To Annie. And then finally Billie, who cried in Valencia's arms as she begged her to not go. (Her eyes were pleading as Valencia turned her head to look at her. She was begging her not to go up on the stage). But with a small smile, Valencia walked away from Billie and to the hovercraft where Finnick and the others were waiting. 

For the entire ride in the craft, which took them to District Twelve, everyone was silent. Valencia sat next to Nova and Finnick, Antares next to Katniss and Gale whilst the other five all looked out of the window. The hovercraft took them to a makeshift transportation area outside the fire zone where a cargo car was awaiting them. No-one slept good that night or any night in the car. And so when they traipsed through one of the mountain tunnels leading to the Capitol, everyone was exhausted. And the trek took six-hours. 

Valencia got a hint of déjà vu when they made it to the rebel encampment which was a ten-block stretch outside the train station where the tributes in the Games arrived. (As she stepped down from the train, the cheers and screams became more intense) (Then, with a deep breath, Valencia took a step down from the train and she swore she nearly went deaf from the thunderous applause she got. Half the crowd was applauding her whilst the other lot all began to sob just at the sight of her)

Squad Four-Five-One was assigned a spot to pitch its tents, Valencia sharing one with Finnick whilst Antares was with Nova, and Katniss and Gale as a pair. Valencia and Finnick didn't get much time to talk since silence normally enveloped them, but as they laid in their tent, listening to the sounds of the soldiers outside, they spoke about everything. And whilst Finnick and Valencia had told each other mostly everything in their lives, their childhoods were something never spoke about. And so, in the tent in the Capitol with the wavering fear that something could happen at any moment, the two talked about their childhood and districts. Finnick told stories of when he was a kid and his life on the seas in Four. Valencia told him stories of her youth, of Billie, of her father, of Antares when he was younger, and the grain fields and the woods they went hunting in and their beauty. 

They were three days in and all they had done was get recorded by Cressida and her crew. She normally had Katniss fire a gun at some random window or use her bow and arrows accompanied by Antares. They just blew up random bits of Capitol buildings since they couldn't just shoot Plutarch's pods because they would find out that they had the holograph. And whenever real sharpshooter services were needed, hands would go up, but none of the Victors' would be chosen.

"Remember, we are the pretty faces of this expedition," Finnick murmured into Valencia's ear after she groaned. 

Each of them had a paper map of the Capitol, most of them memorising the different alleyways and intersections. The commanders were working off Plutarch's holograph and each had a handheld device called a Holo which projected the same map that was in Command. It showed the different Pods and could zoom into any area of the grid. It could only be activated by the specific commander's voice. Once it was working, it could be controlled by anyone's voice in the squadron. If anyone in the squad repeated 'nightlock' three times in a row, the Holo would self-detonate and blow everything in a five-yard radius.

On the fourth morning, Leeg Two was killed by a pod that wasn't on the Holo. Multiple metal darts shot out everywhere, one lodging into her brain that caused her to die instantly. Plutarch said that a new replacement would come quickly. And he did, for when it was the following evening, Peeta Mellark came sauntering out of the train station with Four-Five-One stamped on his hand. Boggs took his gun away from him and went off to make a call to Coin.

"It won't matter," Peeta told them, who were all shocked and confused about his arrival, Leeg One upset more than anything. "The president assigned me herself. She decided the propos needed some heating up."

"Well, they would be heated up if they let us do more than destroy a bunch of windows," Nova muttered under her breath as she stood beside Valencia and Katniss. 

Boggs was angry when he came back from his call with Coin. Valencia had never seen him as angry before and he had to deal with her snappiness for ages when she first arrived in Thirteen. But he told Jackson to set up a two-person, round-the-clock guard on Peeta before taking Katniss for a walk. And as Jackson declared the watch and everyone went to go get dinner from the canteen, the mood was tense. Both Peeta and Katniss being the sole reasons for it. And it continued that way until everyone went to sleep. 

The night was cold and some were sleeping in their sleeping bags near the heater in the camp whilst others resided in their tents. But Valencia could not go to sleep. It was either because of the cold or the fact that Peeta was sitting not so far away from her, a ticking  bomb. She did like Peeta and she cared for him, trying to help him, but the fear that he would hurt one of them like he did to Katniss was overpowering. Being in the Capitol again could trigger him at anytime. 

It was around one in the morning that some of the soldiers began to wake up thanks to Peeta and Katniss talking loudly. Valencia, who was beside Finnick, peeked her head out from her sleeping bag, eyebrows furrowing.

"I never wanted to kill you. Except when I thought you were helping the Careers' kill me. After that, I always thought of you as an... ally," Valencia heard Katniss tell him.

"Ally," Peeta repeated. "Friend. Lover. Victor. Enemy. Fiancee. Target. Mutt. Neighbour. Hunter. Tribute. Ally. I'll add it to the list of words I use to try to figure you out... the problem is, I can't tell what's real anymore and what's made up."

"You can always ask, Peeta," Valencia spoke up. "That's what my mother used to do."

At the mention of their mother, Antares sat up straight, rubbing his eyes as he turned his head from Valencia and to Peeta, adding, "Yeah, that's what Annie does."

"Who do I ask?" Peeta said.

"Us," Jackson said. "We're your squad now."

"You're my guards."

"That too," she said. "But you saved a lot of lives in Thirteen. It's not the kind of thing we forget."

In the morning, Valencia, the other Victors', and Gale were all called to shoot some glass off a building for the camera crew, something Nova rolled her eyes at. When they got back to the camp, Jackson had invented a game called 'Real or Not Real' to help Peeta. He was to mention something he thinks happened and they were to tell him if it was true or not. With this, Jackson broke them up into watches. Gale, Katniss, and Antares were all paired with a solider from Thirteen whilst Finnick, Nova, and Valencia were a trio since they both knew the same things. They were all mentors in Peeta's first Games and then Finnick and Valencia tributes in his second. And as the three sat with Peeta, playing 'Real or Not Real' with him, Valencia began to realise how much the Capitol messed with his brain. She realised how much the Capitol messed with all their brains. Johanna was right. They truly did mess them up real good.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— we're so close to the end wtf