End of Transmission (The Eighteenth Annual Hunger Games)

Hi! My name's Cyrissa, and I'm back for another HUNGER GAMES!

This Hunger Games is a sequel to The Nightmare Games (The Seventeenth Annual Hunger Games). (Yes, I did spell the title incorrectly on the page. -.-) Please read these games if you haven't already, as most details will be based on those games.

There are three twists for this Hunger Games. They are listed in the Twists section.

Please read the rules below before submitting your tribute.

Rules
May the odds be ever in your favor.
 * Any kind of tribute is allowed (even troll tributes!). The more detailed it is, the more chance it has of winning.
 * No whinging/whining/moaning when your tribute dies. 
 * The level of swearing is equal to that of a PG-13 film - the F*** words are censored, but stuff like shit, bitch, crap and hell are not. 
 * There is no limit to the amount of tributes you can send.
 * Districts participating are Capitol, then Districts 1-13.
 * Have fun.

Sponsoring
Like before, I will go with the one backpack per tribute rule. However, if you have guessed the twists correctly, you will get an extra backpack. Because of this, you are only allowed to send one backpack every two days. This is to ensure fairness.

Here is a list of backpacks - remember, all backpacks come with a 500ml bottle of water and a loaf of bread.

Arena
A nuclear base near District 13 lies underground. It's still working, but empty. Empty of the scores of people who live, work and rest here. Everything is intact; the control room, the reactors, the canteen, the cargo bay and even the trains! However, this base can be as easily destroyed as much as it can easily be preserved...

Twist one:
Clue: The title says it all. This twist is about how these Games are going to be written.

'''Answer: These games are written from the POV of a viewer in the Capitol. The title 'End of Transmission' suggests that the transmission of the Games ends.'''

Twist two:
Clue: "Don't count the days, make the days count" - Muhammad Ali.

'''Answer: Uktar22 guessed correctly! There will be less days, but more events will happen each day.'''

Twist three:
Clue: This one's about the feast. Things are about to go ________

'''Answer: Things are about to go nuclear, which implies that something is going to happen based on a nuclear thing. This can be a good or bad thing...'''

Jacob Woodward
Every time I do something, I feel like I'm being watched. Cameras follow me left, right and centre. I'm being watched everywhere - even the simple action of eating food warrants a page on the Capitol's main newspaper. It's simply ridiculous how being a victor of a killing game, let alone one which shouldn't even exist, makes you instantly famous.

I still talk to Brooke Waterborne, but she uses a fake identity, for fear that the Capitol will track her and kill her. She says there's been talk of a rebellion, a secret movement to take down President Lilia Matthews. People have been saying that when I was in the Games, she faked her own death, then assassinated a sixteen-year-old girl. Even if these rumors are simply made up, Lilia is still an evil person. She reinstated the Games, and deteriorated the once strong relationship between the Districts and the Capitol.

Now, the Capitol has asked me to mentor the tributes from District Ten. I've been forced to accept it, even though I don't want to do it. I don't want to be a part of this, and I don't want to see any more young people killed.

This has to stop.

Tribute Chart
Names are hyperlinked - click on them to find their page! Placings and rankings will be available AFTER the games, so as to prevent spoilers.

'''However, the status of tributes will be announced here. A strike through means the tribute is dead. If there is no strike through, then the tribute is still alive.'''

Height: 1 foot = 30 cm, 1 inch = 2.5 cm. 12 inches = 1 foot. Height is given in imperial measures because most people do use imperials.

Reapings
District Three

Haarton Rise, Block 7, Apartment 31

I wake up with a start. The reapings are today, and a failure to attend would mean certain death. Even the adults, who were lucky not to be picked for these horrendous games, have to come to the square to watch two children be taken out of their homes and put on display in front of the nation, before they are sent to a slaughterhouse with almost no chance of survival. The very thought of this makes me want to vomit, so I quickly get dressed and find my way out of the huge apartment complex where I live. After the long walk, I arrive at the Square.

The Square

I take my place among the other eighteen-year-olds, who hope they can avoid being picked for this horrendous event. The person next to me is absolutely terrified, so I turn to her and attempt to calm her down.

"It's okay, calm down. Even if you're picked, you can still win this. I know you're strong inside, and I know you can handle this." I whisper, before a loud feedback noise nearly deafens us.

"Welcome, everyone." a young man from the Capitol says, his yellow eyes gleaming in the sunlight. He looks like a tiger - surgically 'beautified' to look like the latest models. To me, he looks horrendous.

"Ladies first." He picks out a name from a large glass ball. "Elyana Reags."

At this point I realise that Elyana is the person next to me who I comforted earlier. Looking on with horror, I watch as she sobs and begins her slow walk up to the stage. Just as I think that no-one would volunteer for her, a voice calls out.

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Elyana walks back just as the volunteer dashes on to the stage, a beaming grin on her face. This grin makes me almost feel scared of her; how could she even be happy to enter this cruel and unfair competition?

The announcer asks her name and age, to which she replies,

"I am Moltra Flare, aged 16."

He then pulls out a name from the other ball and reads it. A boy looks worried and shocked as the Peacekeepers escort him to the stage, but then a voice shouts,

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Stunned, the announcer waits for the other boy to walk up to the stage, shakes his hand and asks his name and age.

"I am Inter National, aged 17."

Inter gives a wink to Moltra, which makes me think that the two are close friends. If so, why would they enter together if only one could get out?

"Our tributes for this year's Hunger Games!" he announces. "Moltra Flare and Inter National!"

The announcer and the two tributes leave. People begin to exit the square, and I exit along with them. The reapings are mandatory viewing for all citizens, and District Three was just the first District to be reaped. I sigh as I process the very thought of having to watch thirteen more pairs of Districts be robbed of two children, who will almost certainly die.

This shouldn't happen.

This needs to stop.

7:00 AM, Day One
The next day...

District Three

Haarton Rise, Block 2, Apartment 14

The door opened slowly, a pair of eyes looking through the peephole to try to identify who I was.

"Ah, hello Alson!" said a voice, which sounded almost like Elyana's. She pushed back the door to reveal herself.

"Hello Elyana. How's it going? Thanks for that invitation yesterday." I replied.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Why don't you come in?"

I entered her house and took off my shoes. For a moment, I admired the sheer beauty of it; the open-plan apartment was decorated in a modest but pretty way. The greys, browns and blues worked perfectly with the little touch of red in every room, creating a nice, spacious house that looked almost brand new.

"Do you like it?" she asked, curiously. "It looks ugly - I should have decorated-"

"No, it looks nice!" I quickly interrupted. "Look, I need your help."

"With what?"

"Come, let's go to the living room and have a chat."

We walk to the living room, and Elyana sits down, her short red hair being lit up by the bright sun shining in from outside. I talk about my life story, and how I ended up in District Three working as a creator of security systems for the Capitol's security cameras. Elyana, meanwhile, explains how she ended up getting a scholarship to go to the local college, which was one of the best in District Three. We both hated the Capitol, and we both wanted to take a stand against it, but we were unsure how.

Then, Elyana had an almost spontaneous brainwave.

"You know how the Capitol never shows us the tributes training? I could help you hack into that system that you made." she says.

"Do you think they can catch us?" I ask. There were many Peacekeepers in District Three, and they were extremely cruel to those who broke the law.

"They might realise that someone's watching, but they'll never know it's us!"

With that, I headed over to Elyana's computer, and helped her try to hack into the system.

12:00 NOON, Day One
We are finalising our hacking software when something totally unexpected happens. A hologramic screen pops up with some live video, but I realise that this is not the television, but the hacking software itself!

"Are you sure this is working? I... I mean, we haven't finished it! Someone could easily detect us!" I stutter.

Elyana just rolls her eyes and replies, "No, Alson, this is fine. At least we don't have to do any more work."

I look at her anxiously, then focus my attention on the live input.

The Capitol

Gamemaker Centre

I know immediately where we're watching; the Gamemaker Centre, where important decisions are made about the Hunger Games, and where a tribute's fate can be decided. A woman, our cruel president Lilia Matthews, stands in the middle, presumably watching over the other twenty-six people in the room.

"Is it ready?" she says.

"Yes, it is ready." a man replies.

She chuckles. "This will be the perfect weapon."

"A weapon for what?" a young girl replies, about the same age as Brenna Larson.

"SHUT UP! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Lilia points her gun at her.

"Whatever weapon this is, if you're going to use it on innocent people, then I advise you to destroy it!" she quickly says, before I hear a gunshot.

She's dead.

A young, innocent girl is dead.

And more are to follow.

"If you try and argue with me, you will die. Is that understood?"

A man reaches his hand over the self-destruct button, only to be shot and killed.

"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

No-one replies.

"Oh, it looks like somebody's watching us." she says in a sadistic tone. "I have a message for that somebody.

All of you, you rebellious bunch, are going to die very soon. Your protests are no match for the peacekeepers. We will extinguish your fire before you've struck a single match."

END OF TRANSMISSION

Back at Elyana's house, District Three.

The camera has been switched off.

"So much for not listening to me earlier on. I warned you!" I shout.

"YES, BUT WE GOT SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION!" Elyana yells back. "This weapon sounds dangerous. It's not a gun, or a sword, or a bow. It's something else."

"We should get back to improving our system. Tomorrow we'll look at the training." I say, before we get back to work.

Day Two
The Training Centre

The Capitol

I am watching live input from the Training Centre, where all the tributes train for the games. Elyana is working on a better system that we can use during the games, but for now we only have this. I change to Camera 14, where I am watching an alliance of four people, Cecil, Rodeo, Chevron, and Elizabeth.

Cecil Thayer (from the narrator's perspective, so no thoughts here!)
Blind Cecil walks to the shuriken station, accompanied by the other three in his alliance.

I feel sorry for him, being a blind tribute entered into these games, although I do know he's not alone.

Elizabeth approaches him, and helps him walk there.

"I don't need help. I want to show that I'm just as good as a regular person, and that my disability does not affect me."

"Fine," she grumbles, and walks with the two other tributes.

Cecil is unaware that the other tributes in the Training Centre are watching him, wanting to see if he's worth recruiting in their alliances. When he reaches the shuriken station, a hologram display pops up, allowing him to choose how he'd like to practise.

He enters the practise station, and prepares to fight.

Rodeo Baldios

I watch Rodeo using Camera 23, and listen to his conversations using the audio recorder. I'm guessing he shares the same thoughts as me - underestimating Cecil.

But we are both proven wrong.

Rodeo gasps as, from the moment the training begins, Cecil is able to hit most of the holograms (sidenote: the holograms do make noises) and avoids being hit by the hologramic weapons that come his way. There are a few that he misses, but with enough training, he can probably score a high score in training.

Rodeo watches Cecil walk out of the station to the sound of applause: his teammates are very impressed with his performance.

After Rodeo has had a go at the shurikens, he sits down with Cecil to talk to him.

"How did you do that?" he asks.

"Practise. Remember Day One? I was doing this for the majority of the day, and improved my skills." Cecil replies.

"Why did you even end up blind? That must have been a complete injustice and violation of your rights!"

"Well... It... erm..." Cecil stutters. He's a bit emotional, and Rodeo can tell.

"It's alright, you don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"I'll explain it to you later."

And I switch cameras, wondering how soon 'later' will be.

Day Three
I gaze at the screen. I've spent a long time awake, and I need to get to sleep, but something's bothering me. I don't know what or who it is, or why it's bugging me so late at night.

The Private Training already has begun, but I haven't really watched it that much. It's not that interesting, really. Aside from the odd 'exceptional' or 'downright terrible' performer, it's all just average. Why has life become so bland? Why is nothing exciting or interesting anymore?

The girl from District 7 comes up. I've forgotten her name, but she walks in with a calm stride and a smile. She looks calm and composed, determined to score high.

A name flashes up on one of the screens in my view of the camera.

'Lindell Brocklehurst.'

Lindell looks at the Gamemakers, waiting for a signal to begin. After she is given it, she begins her routine.

First, she gets out an axe, and begins the hologram simulation. Her skills impress me - she runs, she jumps, and ducks, while striking the dummies in the chest and head. It's unlikely that she'll end up in a situation like this in the Games, but she proves to the Gamemakers that she can perform well under pressure.

Lindell gets out some throwing knives, and does the same thing. Running, jumping, throwing, ducking, dodging, hurling, aiming, stabbing, slashing - it's almost like we've seen this before, and it's just a repeat of previous events. It's just like the Hunger Games cycles - reapings, trainings, interviews, fighting, running, arguing, and then when the Games are over, you have the Victory Tour to top it off.

The training ends, and the judges begin writing scores on paper.

I decide to switch cameras, hoping that I can spy on the control room without being spotted.

The Gamemaker Centre

Lilia is standing in the middle, her subjects surrounding her.

"We need to work on this weapon. It's clearly not ready yet, and we've only got one night-" the President says, before a man interrupts.

"I KNOW WHAT THIS WEAPON IS. IT WILL CAUSE AN UPRISING. These Games are a sign of punishment, but, as President Snow said all these years ago, 'Hope, is stronger than fear.' "

"WELL HE ALSO SAID THAT 'A lot of hope is dangerous.', SO THERE!"

"This weapon is meant to crush the rebels after these Games. That's not what we want to do. I, for once, think you are incredibly harsh and stupid. You shouldn't have reinstated these games. You shouldn't have removed the democracy. You, Lilia, are a human scum. A bitch, in fact. I want you to know that. I'm going to tell everyone what this weapon is, what it can do, and the devastating consequences-" Just before I hear, Lilia puts her hand over his mouth. She gets a knife out of her pocket, and slits his throat. She forces everyone to see, and allows no-one to help him as he slowly dies.

"But Lilia, you don't know what you're doing!" a voice says.

"Yes, exactly!"

"They're right!"

Voices start protesting, and before long, Lilia rages.

"F*** YOU, YOU LITTLE ANNOYANCES."

She locks the doors.

What I see next is shocking, at least.

Lilia gets her knife, and walks around the room, injuring each person but not killing them. I'm guessing she wants to kill everyone, and I'm right. People scream, moan and groan in agonizing pain after they are pricked by the bloody knife, and the carnage never stops.

I turn the viewing machine off, and head to bed.

I always have nightmares every night, but now it's about to get even worse.

I'll never forget what Lilia did.

Alliances
TBC.