"Let's go from here, we must reach the coast as soon as possible." Ordered Jacob as he looked at his group, then nodded at Finnick to help Mags.
Johanna looked at Katniss, smiled, and walked forward without saying a word. This behavior irritated Katniss a little, but she didn't say much either and dove into the water to reach the coast.
Everyone arrived at the coast with little difficulty, and after confirming they were fine, they could see from a distance how other tributes climbed the Cornucopia and took their respective weapons. After a few moments, they also left the place in a completely different direction.
"Was it right to leave the center?" Katniss looked towards the Cornucopia and couldn't help but say that.
"Sweetheart, what we just did is the smartest thing considering our situation. Who can say that the Cornucopia is safe in the center of the water?"
Upon hearing Johanna's words, Katniss knew she didn't consider it safe either, so she didn't refute those words.
"So, Jacob, what do we do now?" Johanna asked, scanning the surroundings. She knew about the uprising but was still thinking about how it would unfold.
"We wait, just wait..." Jacob had to wait, and that was the only thing he had to do from now on.
"So you want to set up camp here, then?" Finnick asked, knowing that the less they moved, the better it would be for Mags.
"That's absurd." Said Katniss, realizing it wasn't safe.
"That's what we'll do. Of the tributes from District 1 and 2, only three remain. It won't be a problem for us, the younger ones, to defeat the elderly. It's better if we face them in an open field and eliminate them as soon as possible." Jacob had made a decision.
Everyone fell silent, watching as Airon walked along the coast, observing the surroundings.
"How many are there?" That's what he murmured.
"[Five Hovercrafts detected roaming around the arena. All of them are armed and being piloted robotically!]"
"[Reviewing the Capitol's security cameras, Haymitch, the leader of the Vigilantes in these games, as well as mentors, are moving silently and undetected!]"
"Tonight..."
His mind was racing, calculating strategies, and analyzing every detail. The uprising was approaching, and the plan had to be flawless. He had studied the map of District 12, the place where it would all begin. It was crucial to attract the Capitol's attention and allow the arena participants to escape and join the cause.
That's why only a few participants died in the bloodbath, and the vast majority due to natural causes in the arena.
He mentally reviewed every step of the plan. In the darkness of the night, when the shadows took over the streets of District 12, the rebellion would begin. The city would become a boiling pot of chaos and resistance. Jacob knew that the key was to take advantage of the element of surprise and the confusion that would ensue in the Capitol.
His gaze shifted to the faces of the arena participants who had agreed to follow his plans. They were brave and determined, ready to face any obstacle on their path to freedom. Jacob knew his role was crucial. He had to ensure they were prepared and that their actions were coordinated.
In his mind, he visualized the moment when the rebels would free themselves from the clutches of the Capitol. He could hear the shouts of freedom resonating through the streets, the united voices clamoring for change. It was a long-awaited moment, a moment that would define the destiny of a nation.
"Intervention begins..." Jacob's words may sound confusing, but for his intelligent assistant, these were crucial orders to start intervening in the systems of the Hovercraftsflying overhead without them noticing.
...
In the early morning hours, the pilots of the two Hovercraftssecretly heading towards District 12 were in a state of confusion and desperation. They had lost track of their location and the direction they were heading. Uncertainty and fear gripped them as they tried to find any clue or reference amidst the vastness of the sky.
"No matter what I do, this junk keeps flying out of control!"
"Keep trying, we must communicate with the Capitol and report our situation!"
Boom!
In the midst of their anguish, just when they were on the verge of madness, the Hovercraftsabruptly came to a halt. The sudden change in movement jolted them, and their hearts raced at the thought of what might happen next. They looked around, hoping to find some sign of their location, and what they saw left them perplexed.
"Are we stopping?"
"Yes, and now we're landing."
Before them stretched a forest, but it was no ordinary forest. It was a desert-like, desolate forest without any signs of life. The trees, if they could be called that, were skeletal and twisted, as if all vitality had been ripped from them. There was no trace of lush vegetation or sounds of nature. Only a deathly silence prevailed.
"Shall we disembark?"
"Why is this place so barren?"
"I don't know, but the systems have shut down and won't turn on no matter what we do."
The pilots exited the Hovercraftsand cautiously ventured into the strange forest. Every step they took felt like an intrusion into a place forgotten by time. The desolate landscape and the bare branches of the trees created a sense of unease in their souls.
They wondered how it was possible for a forest to exist in such a state. What events had led this place to become a lifeless wasteland? There were no immediate answers, only questions and a growing sense of unease.
As they moved forward, the pilots noticed that even the air seemed to have a strange, dry taste. Every breath felt like inhaling the breath of a dying world. The magnitude of the desolation took their breath away, and the feeling of being trapped in a lifeless place weighed heavily on their hearts.
But at that very moment, a voice was heard behind them: "This place is like this because the Capitol discarded its industrial waste as punishment for poachers hunting here. Isn't it tragic?"
As if that voice touched the souls of the peacekeepers, they all turned toward the voice, aiming their weapons at the elderly man.
"Don't move, old man!"
"Identify yourself. How did you get here?"
The old man smiled, revealing his neglected yellow teeth, and said, "District 12, welcome, and thank you for the weapons you've brought us."
"Fire!"