(no subject)

[gamemakers]

Who| Everyone
What| Lockdown
Where| Tribute Training Center
When| Starting around dusk
Warnings/Notes| None atm. If your character tries anything extravagant, shoot the mods a pm.

Dusk was falling when it started.

Anyone in the District 12 suite's would have heard heavy sounds above them moments before a loud explosion rocked the entire building. The electricity flickers once, twice, then goes out, replaced by cool, blue glowing lights running along the ceilings. Avoxes appeared silently, as they do, herding people from one room to another.

Once the door shuts, it doesn't open again until the last person is there, sealed shut. The windows in the rooms with them were darkened, and the computer would not respond to any request to show anything. However, food could be called to the room, the trays appearing as they normally do. But the doors would not budge, and the cool blue lights stayed the only light source, the only power.

Although there was nothing to see, there was lots to hear. Banging, foot steps in the halls, on the floors above, explosions, straining metal collapsing, scraping down the side of the building. Occasionally the repetitive rapping of gun shots. Yelling. Screaming. Those near the top of the building could smell smoke, at times strongly. The elevator can be heard moving up and down, even though it doesn't respond to any calls from those trapped.

The sounds last into the late night, finally quieting around midnight. Finally, at 1 am, a calm, cool voice comes over the loud speakers.

"The rebellion forces have been repressed. We will be clearing the building for the next few hours. Please stay patient and sleep well."

Comments

[retrieverchef]

Eliot hadn't expected to hear that voice down hear. This had been a Tributes only area since he came here. It wasn't a welcome change, either.

"I'm sure they will if they leave any alive," he replied quietly, not suggesting that some might get away clean. Although he hoped most would. Very few deserved what the Capitol would do to them. Baron himself being one of the few in Eliot's opinion.

[thebiddingbaron]

Baron laughed a bit at Eliot's words. The laugh was one of delight at the thought of rebels being murdered.

"Yes," he said. "If they keep any of them alive they're likely not to be able to speak after long."

[retrieverchef]

Eliot gave a noncommittal hum. "Not that anyone else will notice."

[thebiddingbaron]

"Why on Panem would they want to notice something as ghastly as that?"

[retrieverchef]

"Because they're people. If nothing else, it'd be a very clear object lesson."

[thebiddingbaron]

"They're not people anymore. Once you become a traitor you lose the right to be a person. Haven't the Avox taught you that?"

[retrieverchef]

"I've heard that kind of thing said about enough people back home that it becomes less than convincing. They still have a mind behind everythin'."

[thebiddingbaron]

"That's why we work to take that out of them."

[retrieverchef]

"So you think it's possible to make someone unable to think for themselves yet able to follow orders?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in feigned curiosity. "Surely they'd need to be able to think to do most of the things I've seen them do around here."

[thebiddingbaron]

"They think to serve. That's it."

[retrieverchef]

"Doesn't sound very different from a lot of people back home to me."

[thebiddingbaron]

"Then why question it?"

[retrieverchef]

"Because I've also seen when those same people decided to think. And when they were thinking the whole time without giving anyone a sign what was goin' on inside their heads."

[thebiddingbaron]

"How dull," Baron said. "That wouldn't happen here."

[retrieverchef]

Eliot merely raised an eyebrow, amazed at the blind faith people here seemed to have that what they saw on the surface was real and that nothing could change. As if the rebels themselves weren't proof to the contrary.

[thebiddingbaron]

"You disagree?" he asked. He seem pleased at the idea that they might have a debate.

[retrieverchef]

"Perhaps. And things seem to be changing a lot lately, so I don't know that it even matters what I think."

[thebiddingbaron]

"Changing? How would you know?"

[retrieverchef]

"Well, I doubt this would've happened a few months ago. There's been things happening that are... unusual enough to make people panic. The question is what the change will be when it's done."

[thebiddingbaron]

"You realize how dangerous the things you're saying are, don't you?" Baron asked with a twisted smile. "Why, I have half a mind to report you."

[retrieverchef]

"I didn't say the rebels would win, though. Just that things are changing. I didn't even say that was a good thing." Even though, in his mind, it would be hard to make this country worse.

[thebiddingbaron]

"It isn't," Baron said. "And I'd like to hear you agree with me."

[retrieverchef]

"I would say that would depend on how the change ends, wouldn't you? If the end result is that there's no way for another rebellion to form..." He trails off, hoping that that was close enough to an agreement for the sponsor.

[thebiddingbaron]

"That's nonsense," Baron said. "There is no rebellion, just a small collection of disgruntled District scum who are envious of everything we have here. It will be easy to take care of them."

[retrieverchef]

Which made no sense at all. The Capitol was on lockdown, from what he'd heard. And it was neither the first occurrence nor an uncoordinated one. Which begged the question of whether the man really believed what he was saying. "That's a good thing then."