General Art Third Hunger Games Reboot

[Myriadviper42]

The prologue, for your viewing. I'd like one more person to sign up before I truly begin, but the prologue is yours. For anyone who has not seen my fanfics before, please head to my previous two.


Prologue

Ilio Vazon
Head Gamemaker

Things are not what they seem to be in the Capitol. The President and his followers, including that suspiciously macabre bodyguard of his, Hail, put on polite smiles and talk at parties, giving no indication that anything is out of the ordinary. But I know better. The attack on District 2 could be considered a declaration of war. Could be. If they do nothing, the people get suspicious of their power over the Districts, and incite rebellion. If they do something, it shows the Capitol is concerned. Apparently, Snow is working on something to show that the districts are completely within our (?) power. Something called a....Quarter Quell?

I've been doing research after the attack. Everything the Capitol has tried to cover up, their weaknesses, are now exposed in front of me. I now know with a grim satisfaction all of the higher-ups' dirty secrets. I now know that "President" Snow murdered the previous one. As for the attack on District 2...My thoughts are interrupted by an announcement. "All Gamemakers report to the meeting room immediately. All Gamemakers report to the meeting room immediately." I hide the stolen confidential folders in my desk and walk through the hallway.

All of the Gamemakers in one room. Something that doesn't happen unless during the Hunger Games. Which happens to be tomorrow, by the way. So why are we here. Soren Blackpoint begins to talk. "We have identified our enemy," he says calmly, "and it is very powerful. Some of you are aware of this, some of you are not, but the ones behind the attack on the Peacekeeper Academy is a group known as Shatterpoint, led by a radical named Solomon Coin. Your goal? To create muttations worthy of eliminiating them. We must not let this disrupt the peace. One last thing. These rebels are from District 13."

So my suspicions are confirmed. District 13 rebels. Why didn't I know that District 13 was still there? They didn't bother to tell me? Or...., I fill with dread, they don't trust me... We're dismissed, and I go back into the records. Jack, the main Career from the 21st Hunger Games. Something isn't right about him. I scan his facial profile, and when I see the results my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. He was not originally from District 1, having been found in the wilderness, raving about a "shatterpoint." But a Career, from District 13?

So he was an agent of Shatterpoint. Things are falling into place very quickly. I look through the files, and find the name of the victor of the 21st Hunger Games. Storm. To be terminated for knowing too much. He must have seen Jack's escape from the Games. But why wait so long to kill him. Then I remember that Snow was not yet President at that time. I know what I need to do. Storm has just arrived here as a mentor to the tributes of this year. This is when they're going to kill him. The lights go out momentarily. I look around for the source. I hear helicopter blades spinning. Then it stops.

The lights come back on, and I sprint to the District 11 tribute quarters. I hope I'm not too late. I place my hand on my gun instinctively, and go to the District 11 quarters to find that the door is ajar. I step in nervously, and find myself face-to-face with a man in a black trench coat, with graying hair and eyes that pierce right through me. I know this man. The leader of Shatterpoint, the cause of my exile and my family's death. Solomon Coin.

 

[*M i d n a*]

Face to face with Solomon right away, eh? Hm, good intro/prologue, this was a good short read, my friend. I hope you get that sign up that you need so you can get things going further.

 

[Raindrop14]

This was very interesting. ^^ Keep 'em comin'!

 

[Myriadviper42]

I'm thinking that I might drop the multiple writers idea, as only Raindrop has shown interest in it (Atsuma, I appreciate your concern that it might diminish my reputation as a writer). I still would like one more signup before continuing, but as this chapter has


Day 1

Entago Rook
District 1

And the other tributes feel fear. Fear has no hold over me. It shouldn't hold a grip over anyone, but I can use fear as a weapon. I've made it very clear to my fellow Careers before the Games began-I am in charge. I smile placidly as I begin to move upward. What shall the Arena be this year? Ilio Vazon promised something new, something different to the masses of fat, extravagent, and wasteful crowd. Of course, being a Career, I shouldn't say or think that. But I do anyway.

I grasp my token, a small golden sphere that fits in my palm. Not in the sentimental way one might think. We're standing on the plates in the Arena now. I take a look around. It is indeed something different. We're in a meadow, a small pasture, but with large, thick shadows over it. Where is it coming from? Walls, stone walls are built around the Cornucopia, and spread out in every direction. I see a multitude of passageways in the walls. We're in a maze. How exciting. And...ironic?

Thirty seconds until we start. I take out my token, and look at the tribute closest to me. Stringy-haired, ugly girl, but surprisingly with a score of '10.' District 6, I believe. I take out my token, and carefully throw it at her. It hits her in the shoulder, and she spins toward me and takes a step back. Bad choice. I smile crookedly as the pressure plate is activated. Messy, messy business. And yet...satisfying.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. As the timer hits zero, I dash to one of the corridors and block the way. The space between the Cornucopia and the actual maze is huge, surprisingly. I reach an exit just as the boy from 3 does. An undernourished weakling, with hands barely big enough to grip a knife. He attempts a punch, which I catch. I twist around him so that my arms are around his neck. I make the job quick. I smile as I observe my handiwork. Brilliant murder, very clean and precise.

Chaos is spreading. I watch with glee as my companions strike down the tributes. I groan as I see the girl from 2 struggle with the boy from 7, who actually seems competent, with messy blond hair and a tall, muscular frame. I'm adding him onto the potential recruits list. As for the girl from 2, what weakness! For a Career, it's pathetic, yanking the sword around as if it were as heavy as a bowling ball. I step in, grabbing a knife and stabbing the nearest person with it. I see a tribute running from the battle, and I tackle him. The boy from 12. Javen, I believe.

The fighting ceases, and my potential recruit is far out of reach. Unfortunate. I'm holding Javen by the throat. "You're strong for someone from District 12," I say calmly, with my most charismatic nuances. I can see his muscles relaxing. "You can survive with our help. We can protect you." I let go, leaving him to cough. "What do you say?" He leans forward. "Fine.....fine....I'll go with you."

The other Careers look at one another, as if questioning me. The girl from 2 speaks up. "Entago, bad idea. We can't trust him, he's a weakling, you really want to be associated with District 12 trash? I smile crookedly, and help Javen get on his feet. I walk over to the girl from 2. "No," I say lazily, gripping my knife loosely and unsheathing it, "you're the weakling." I end her life quickly and quietly, with a single gasp and a look on her face that was full of dark surprise.

 

[Raindrop14]

Ooh, this was good. Keep 'em comin'! ^^

 

[*M i d n a*]

Ugly girl? LOL The whole update was bloody entertaining; I really enjoyed it.

 

[Myriadviper42]

Thank you, Jedi Link, for signing up. Oh, and by the way, there is some The Maze Runner influence in this one, for those of you who have read it.



Dominique Givens
District 9

He should be here by now. Oriana, the girl from my district, is worried too. "Do you think he's....dead?" she inquires frightfully. I look down. "Zerrum doesn't seem the type to keep us waiting." Oriana looks melancholy. A powerful ally, dead already? No. It can't be. He is on of the most ruthless and intelligent tributes in the Arena. And in order to defeat the Careers, we have to be ruthless. He's alive.

"Hmmmn..." she muses, looking up the stone wall. "Perhaps we could climb the wall?" She moves toward it, but I grab her arm. "Oriana, bad idea. We don't know what's going to-" She wrenches her arm from mine, and pushes me away. She begins to climb the wall. "Oriana, no!" It's too late. Too late to notice a horizontal gash in the wall where a circular sawblade spins. I hear the scream, tears fill my eyes, but I don't want to look. The Careers will hear the scream. I turn and run, not bearing to look back at Oriana.

The cannon sounds, and I realize that the Capitol doesn't recognize the tributes as human beings. Rather, they consider us a form of entertainment, like circus animals. Oriana, Zerrum, and I had sworn to show the Capitol and the Careers we are human, not just pawns on a board. But where is Zerrum? I remember back to the precious few moments in the Capitol where the three of us had sat down, laughing. Stop. I'll only make myself even more sad.

Even so, it doesn't shake the fact that I'd known Oriana for years, and I cannot avenge her death. Not yet. The maze is deadly. Many paths to choose, but there are traps, Careers, and other things as well. So I am in shock when I take a path to the right and find an exit to the maze. A trap? Maybe. But beyond the maze I see and hear a jungle. Perhaps it would be safer to stay in side the maze. I flash back to Oriana's death. Maybe not.

I hear fighting. Metal on metal, terrible sounds, but eventually it subsides, just as night begins to fall. I have only one souvenir from the Cornucopia; a pack of food. No weapons. No water. I head out into the jungle, and hide as the Careers pass by. They're chatting, laughing, as if they wouldn't turn on each other when their backs were turned. Among them I see the boy from 6. Once they have left, I leave my hiding place to find the very still body of the girl from 1. Killed by who?

The anthem begins, and I wait in anticipation. If Zerrum is dead, then it will just be me who has the determination and ruthlessness to kill the Careers. They begin to display the names. The girl from 1, the girl from 2, the boy from 3, both from 5, the girl from 6, the girl from 7, the boy from 8, Oriana, and one more...is it Zerrum? No, it's the girl from 12. So he is alive. I exhale without realizing I was holding my breath.

It appears that the Arena consists of a large stone maze surrounded by a jungle. The jungle is less dangerous, but I think this was to lure all of the tributes to it. I'm surprised I found the exit so easily. Was I just lucky? I begin to climb a tree, to sleep for the night. Not safe, very dangerous, but it's the only option I have.

I hear celebrating in the distance. How can the Careers get along so easily, when only one can survive? Why do they act like friends on a camping trip, and not killers and maniacs. Perhaps...they feel alive in the Arena. Like animals. Eventually, I catch sight of a suspiciously large fire. Suspiciously large fire...like the one Zerrum said he'd contact us with. I get out of the tree. I hear the Careers, they've noticed the fire and are going to snuff out both the fire and its owner.

I jump out of the tree and immediately regret my rash decision, as it sends a shock through my legs. At least I landed on my feet. I run through the forest, dimly aware of the Careers hundreds of meters to the right of me. They can't see me. I'm darting around, without being seen. I reach the fire before the Careers do...to find nobody there.

A shadow darts back into the nearest maze entrance, and I follow it, but the Careers have spotted me. I flee into the maze to find a ragged character with brown curly hair and tan skin. Changed from the last time I saw him. "Zerrum?" I croak. He nods. "We need to run. Is Oriana really dead?" I briefly nod, and his eyes fill up with tears, but we need to run. Once we've found ourselves away from the Careers, he volunteers to stand on guard while I sleep. I nod, and briefly see another character down the corridor with what appears to be a hammer. The next second, he's gone.

 

[Myriadviper42]

Day 2

Javen Lod
District 12

My fellow Careers are celebrating. Somehow, the Gamemakers let us have a flare gun for heaven's sake. True, there's only one shot in it, but still...that seems like too dangerous of a weapon to include in the Games...not that we're complaining. We've also got several barrels of oik, a blowtorch, a crapload of weapons, and a bunch of arrogant Careers. Of course, I muse, I'm one of them now.

Somehow I knew I was going to end up with the Careers. True, the folks back at home might be conflicted. Even so, I will remain with the strong as long as possible. I've already been instructed as to what I should do first. Of course, heh, I'm not one to follow orders easily. They're all in Entago's grip, under the fear that if they don't do what he says, he'll kill them like he did the girls from 1 and 2. The time will come when I get to backstab him, but not yet.

The boy from 2, a scarred, wiry, and slinky individual comes up to me. Xander, I believe. "Morning," I say with mock politeness. He grunts, and smirks. Before I know it, there's a crossbow on my chest. Xander yawns. "Don't push it," he says lazily, and sways slightly. The crossbow goes down, and he walks off to get himself some breakfast. I'll have to watch my back around him. He obviously doesn't trust me.

The boy from 4 is staring at me. Denan, I believe. He really, really scares me. He's powerful, and kills both animal and person without hesitation. I walk past, and head towards the fire. Vera, the girl from 4, is a really different fish than the other one from her District. She's small, blond, but has the same cold, calculating gaze, as if determining the most precise way to cut a fish. The boy from 6 hasn't said a word since he joined us. I don't even know his name. And even with all these ruthless killers in our camp, Entago is still looking out for more. So he can dispose of the Careers he feels he doesn't need?

Entago himself is out of bed. He walks over to the Cornucopia and takes his weapon. I grab a hammer, and glance at the flare gun. I take it, and stow it away in my backpack. It could prove useful. Entago calls us to a meeting. "The first thing I would like you all to know," Entago says coldly, "is that if you can't prove or don't have any worth for us, you might as well run now." No one runs. He smiles. "Thought not. Javen, I assume you already know what your task is..." I nod, blushing slightly. He continues. "The rest of us will be on the hunt for other tributes. Do not kill them immediately. Only kill them if they don't have any value for us."

He nods towards me, and I pack up my stuff. My mission, according to him, is the most crucial, as it is not straightforward. I look around at my fellow Careers. All of them will die eventually. I will be the one to make it out, so my district can finally gain the respect the other districts have. I nod towards them, and the only person to look at me and smile is Entago. The rest give me the death stare. Such pleasurable people. So polite.

I walk off, content to do my part. Not really. I remember those two tributes I spotted in the maze last night. I'd overheard them talking about...ruthlessness. I realize that apart from the Careers, they are probably the most dangerous tributes in the Arena. And I have to gain their trust.

 

[Raindrop14]

This was good, keep 'em comin'! ^^

 

[*M i d n a*]

Awesome, good entertainment here. Let us see if he can befriend those Tributes and gain their trust.

 

[Myriadviper42]

Russell Everett
District 7

There's blood on my hands. That's the only thing I notice after one day of surviving in the Arena. There's blood that's not my own on my hands. Slowly, it's sinking in that we are doomed. We are now just entertainment. But I can still win. I just need to find food...and water. My throat is parched, and I've been searching the jungle for water.

I start rummaging through the forest, searching desperately for water, but I stop when I hear twigs crunching from about ten feet away from me. I draw my sword, and lunge as soon as I see a small, slight, blond Career girl. District 4. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and she attempts to scramble away, but I'm already holding her by the throat. She's gasping and pleasding with her eyes, and I decide to squeeze out as much information from her before potentially killing her.

"Why are you following me alone?" I demand, letting go of her throat but still holding her at swordpoint. "Where's your Career friends?" She gasps, and chuckles. "Recon. We were looking into recruiting you. I predicted a 35% chance that you would accept, but the others wouldn't listen." She smiles condescendingly. I jab her in the neck with the point of my blade, and blood drips down her throat.

"Who's in charge of the Careers?" I ask gruffly. She looks down at the blade. "You are going to kill me, so why should I bother telling you? So you could let me go? The Careers do not make and keep deals, and our singular goal is to survive, as is yours." Little smarty brat. I punch her in the jaw, bringing her down to the ground., and giving her a black eye. I grab her by the throat. "Now."

She struggles for breath. "Entago Rook. District 1. He's killed two of his own Careers so he could replace them with someone better. We were scouting you." I release her and prepare for the final blow. "Thank you for your cooperation." I slice, but she ducks quicker than I thought, and pulls out her own knife and stabs me in the shoulder at my pressure point. I scream out in pain, and she looks satisfied. "I would kill you right now, but Entago wants to use you. You cannot resist, Russell Everett, and you will die."

She runs, and I stifle my tears. I need to cover my wound before it becomes infected. Maybe then, a sponsor will bring me medicine. I stumble around, and then think, why me? Why do the Careers want me to help them. And the girl from 4...how much does she know? Some might consider her a nerd, but she probably considers herself an intellectual. Which I suppose is the reason this Entago hasn't killed her yet. Because he needs more than dumb muscle.

Finally, I reach a lake. I splash myself off, watching the blood wash into the water. I pull out a pack and place a bandage on my shoulder. There's not much else I can do for it, but now there is the issue of my thirst. I should purify the water, but I have nothing to do so with, so I'm forced to just cup my hands and spit out any dirt in the water.

Eventually, once the pain subsides, I strap myself to a tree. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear voices underneath my tree.

"Why should we trust you? You just come up to us and ask to join us against the Careers?"

"Yes. They think I'm with them, and that I'm only with you so that I can betray you."

"Who says you aren't?"

"What would you have me do to prove that I am on your side?"

"Kill a Career."

There's a silence for several seconds, and I hear a sigh.

"Fine, Dominique. I'll kill a Career."

I hear footsteps leading away, and then one more exchange.

"Oh, and Javen?"

"Yes?"

"Bring the corpse."

 

[blue-eyes]

Great story so far, and I'm glad you're writing Hunger Games again. Can't wait to read some more.

 

[Raindrop14]

This was good, and I can't wait for more. ^^

 

[Myriadviper42]

Elliot Wuuth
District 11

An arrow zooms past my head, and I turn around and run. What had been a relatively peaceful night in the Hunger Games had just been ruined. I had been surprised to find that I'd gotten a relatively good amount of supplies at the Cornucopia, but now I guess they've found me. I run through the maze, hoping to lose them with the maze's many pathways and such, but at least one of them is always on my tail.

I pull out my swords and an arrow hits me in the knee. I fall down to see one Career standing over me. The rest are moving off. It's the girl from 4, Vera, I believe her name is. She didn't strike me as much, but she's that good of an archer? She's smiling. Why did the others go away? I get to my feet, cursing my knee injury, and attempt to run. Several more arrows whiz by me before I realize she's not always taking the same routes I am, sometimes ending up in front of me or to the side of me. Does she know the schematics of this place?

No more running. I run straight at her the next time I see her, and her next arrow grazes the side of my face. I slice at her, but she ducks and slips a knife under my defenses and gets me in the elbow. I slice her wooden bow in half, and kick her in the face. She stumbles back, as if not used to physical violence. She smiles. "Eliot Wuuth, District 11, age 15," she says condescendingly. I tilt my head slightly. "You've been paying that much attention to me?"

She smirks, and picks up her knife. "Drop it," I say, holding her at sword point. She drops it and raises her hands up, like she doesn't know what she did wrong. "What's going on with the Careers?" She chuckles. "This seems familiar. The last tribute I found asked me the same thing." I notice there's a cut on her throat. "How can I believe anything you say? You're a Career?" She smirks. "You are absolutely right." Then she slips a blade out of her sleeve, knocks my sword away, and kicks me in the nuts.

As I'm reeling, she starts to run off, and now I'm the one chasing her, albeit with a limp that I keep on trying to ignore. I hear shouts in the distance. They're heading my way. I slip through several corridors and now I'm standing at the all-but-empty Cornucopia, most of its treasures moved, and a solitary figure standing there. Vera. She spreads her arms out melodramatically, and the sun dips behind the walls, encasing the area in shadow.

"It's a wonderful place, isn't it?" she says, talking more to herself than to me, but I realize after a moment, that with the breeze blowing on my face and the area dipped in shade, it is nice. She sits down on the ground, looking thoroughly content. I move slowly towards her, ready to strike, but she beats me to it with an agility unlike any I'd ever seen, and I grasp her wrist before it can place the silvery blade in my throat.

I swing at her, and it grazes her stomach, and she jumps back. I slash with both of my blades, and she is caught off guard and driven back. I kick her in the face again, and cut at her shoulder blades. She screams out, and I punch her, sending her tumbling back into some oil barrels, spilling them out and she falls on the ground, beaten.

"I should put you down like the dog that you are," I say without menace, and she laughs, an irritating, hyena laugh that reeks of condescension. When her laughing fit is over, she looks up at me. "We are not the most dangerous tributes in the Arena. There is another group that is out for blood, and like us they will hunt it down, only with even more sadism and ruthlessness. She laughs some more, which turns into coughs.

I move towards her. "What do you mean?" She smiles cruelly up at me. "Dominique and Zerrum. Remember those two names. They are the ones who are going to-" We hear footsteps, and she stops. We both look towards one of the exits out of the Cornucopia. In it stands a tribute with a hammer, who I recognize as the boy from 12, Javen. She looks relieved. "Javen. Thank goodness you're here. But I thought you were-" He holds out a mechanical device known as a flare gun, pointing it right at Vera.

"Sorry Vera. Orders," he says, obviously enjoying it. Vera stutters some, and then sputters out, "O-o-orders? But...Entago needs me. I'm his best tactical advisor. I'm_" The boy chuckles, and it sounds surprisingly menacing. "Not Entago's orders. Dominique's." She looks terrified. "Please don't kill me. Please...please...please...I'll do anything..." He laughs sadistically, and points the flare gun at her. "Have a nice burn."

The flare fires, and it hits her, as well as the oil, setting her on fire. I look away, horrified at what he just did. Who would use such a cruel manner of death? I listen to the slow and painful sounds of Vera burning, and sobbing, and I look with hatred at Javen. He tosses the flare gun to the ground. "Only has one flare in it. Anyway, I'll be seeing you around." He runs off, and I try running after him, but my leg gives in, sending my falling on my face. The cannon sounds, and Vera has officially died. I sob as a begin to lose consciousness.

 

[blue-eyes]

Wow. Great chapter. Was the arrow to the knee in any way at all a skyrim reference?