Lightning Strikes Twice

I am Spikelet Spark. I am the daughter of Lux Spark. I am the Victor of the 68th Hunger Games.

[sidneybristows-deactivated20160]

Inspired by (x)

[wattfield]

The Real Us || Watt & Spikelet

[wattfield]

People spoke about the fight or flight instinct a lot when they spoke of people being scared, or threatened. Watt road the line of both when Spikelet stepped towards him, even though she was still too far away to reach him at that point. Still his hands balled into fists and he took a step away.

His teeth bared and he let out an angry sound as she spoke to him. Like they were friends or something. He didn’t have any friends. And that was a thought the Capitol hardly had to twist. Because besides Spikelet, Violet, and Ambula — and maybe Booster in a twisted way — Did Watt ever truly have someone who was a real friend? Did anyone ever truly care about him? For someone who hated himself as much as Watt did… it would have always been easy to yank that truth away from him. “Help me?” He shouted at her almost outraged.

"When the fuck have you ever helped me?" Watt demanded pulling his gun off his shoulder and aiming it at her. The disorienting confusion he had felt when he had spoken to Quartz was gone now. He was sure of what he felt now. Rage, and fear, and hatred, yes. That was what caused his finger to stroke against the trigger of his gun. But it was the clear certainty, and the focus simlar to what he had felt when he was seventeen years old and was forced into the Arena that made him hesitate pulling the trigger.

Not yet, he told himself.

Spikelet was obviously under the impression that they were friends or something. She wanted to help him. It baffled him, so he didn’t focus on that. “Put yours down and I’ll put mine down…” He said furrowing his eyebrows giving her a skeptical look behind his goggles. But that was what he did, slowly he lowered his gun, putting that and the other one holstered on his hip down to the ground. Then his other weapons, making sure to not take his eyes off of the woman in front of him.

If she wanted to come over he’d let her. The thought of being close to her made him uncomfortable, but as long as they were both unarmed he could deal with it. Then he’d strike.

[spikelet-spark]

The anger--No rage, that Watt exuded wasn't exactly foreign to Spikelet. Watt was angry more often than he wasn't. Whether he waned to admit it or not based on the day but that anger was rarely directed at her, or at least it never way on purpose. Occasionally there were bad days where she was the only thing he could vent to but she took those days in stride. They were just like the days she had to spend inside because she was afraid someone would startle her and she'd end up punching someone in the throat. The idea that Watt didn't believe the two of them had mutually helped each other through their broken lives was jarring.

"Watt, I've carried you out of more scraps than I can count on both hands." It was strange to her that that wasn't actually the first example of 'helping' that popped into her mind but it felt like the safest. With Watt this angry he probably didn't want to hear about her dragging him over to her house when he got stuck in a low point, or her asking him to watch animals when she didn't have to because he sometimes smiled at their sillier antics. Didn't want to hear about the time, in wake of Lux's death where they had both so heavily relied on each other through Spike's first year of mentoring.

There was no hesitation as Spikelet dropped her weapons, even removing those she could have easily kept hidden. Even now she trusted Watt far more than she trusted nearly anyone. However...odd he acted he was still her Watt and if no weapons made him more comfortable then she would be happy. Besides, if it came down to a fight--and she dearly hoped it wouldn't--she was fairly confident in her own ability to subdue him.

"I don't want to fight--Just come with me, okay?" Spikelet kept her posture relaxed, as if she were speaking with an injured animal. Her voice took on a softer tone and she did her best to look as nonthreatening as possible. "We'll get you away from the Capitol, you never liked staying there for too long." She held out her hand in a friendly gesture as she stepped closer. Her footsteps were light, weary of unfamiliar terrain but still steady.

Spikelet had a purpose, she would bring Watt back.

[wattfield]

The Real Us || Watt & Spikelet

[wattfield]

He saw her before she saw him. If he was aware he would know how new that really was. If he had any of his real memories he’d know that Spikelet was always — always the more aware one of the two of them. But she seemed distracted and looking for something. And him? He had never been more focused. This was the first time he was facing anyone from his past. Quartz couldn’t count because he had hardly known her. But Spikelet? He knew her.

What Watt knew of her now wasn’t exactly the truth. The violence, and anger, and hatred, and danger that he thought he had suffered through had never happened. But it didn’t matter what had actually happened anymore, all that mattered was what he thought happened. So, it was no wonder that his pulse quickened almost to a dangerous speed as he walked along, a few yards away at the same pace as Spikelet. The smoke making it hard to see for anyone, but the suppliments he had been taking, and the goggles he was wearing aided him in that department. He could shoot her right now and be done with it, that was what he was supposed to do. She was one of the people they wanted to take out as soon as possible.

But he wasn’t compelled to.

If you were like Watt, and if you were confronted with something that had tormented you almost your entire life — Well, lets just say getting rid of it quickly wasn’t in the cards. Making it suffer though… that was what he wanted. Whether that was what his orders were or not. Apparently no amount of brainwashing would ever be able to get rid of Watt’s defiance of authority.

Suddenly Watt stopped walking, looking over his shoulder to make sure that reinforcements hadn’t followed Spikelet, before he moved into position a few yards behind her. He walked after the woman his hand moving to the knife on his belt before he finally called out to her. “Hey. Spark.” And not even waiting to see if she turned around, he threw the knife, and another one, as hard as he could (which was now harder then he usually would have been able to) aiming for the weak points in her armor.

[spikelet-spark]

Spikelet had been deep into 'soldier mode' as she trekked across the field until she suddenly heard her name. "Watt!" There was nothing but shock and joy in the victor's words as she spun around at the familiar voice. "Watt, you're ali--" She'd only finished half her sentence before pure instinct kicked in and she parried one blade with her own and quickly maneuvered so the other would hit a less vulnerable spot in her armor. The second knife dug into the armor, it didn't pierce the plate but the impact was still more than enough to bruise.

Staggering for only a moment, her brows knitted together as she brought up her gun, aiming at Watt but nowhere vital. "What are doing?" She asked, confusion heavy, mixing with various amounts of distress in her voice. "Watt--Watt we have to go." She crouched into a more stable form, wincing slightly at the bruise forming on her chest. Both of those knives weren't thrown for sport--She'd remembered once when Watt had laughed at her and her mother playing 'target practice' where they would chuck random objects at each other to keep constantly aware--these were thrown at vital areas with more than enough force to be fatal.

Very carefully, Spikelet took a step towards him, her lips forming a tense line. "Watt, do you know what's going on?" Spikelet prayed this wasn't what she thought it was, that this was some kind of mistake. Maybe she was so desperate she was seeing things, or this wasn't her Watt perhaps the Capitol had created some bastardized version with surgery to catch her off guard. She stared at the man before her--Trying to find something about him that would completely and utterly make him her Watt.

The build was about the same, perhaps a bit more muscular actually, Watt had always been fit but he had never been one to bulk up like the career victors. The voice was perfect, though the timbre was closer to when he addressed Capitol folk than how he'd ever spoken to her. She couldn't see his face as well, obscured by goggles but his mouth was visible and even if he wasn't wearing his usual smirk she'd know that scowl anywhere. It was another expression that was not often directed at her and it set the victor on edge.

"I'm here to help you, Watt. Please, put down your weapons."

[wattfield]

The Real Us || Watt & Spikelet

The Capitol Peacekeepers, and Watt, had been in District Nine for about an hour before District Thirteen showed up. They hadn’t been expected, he could tell from the chaos and panic that rose from the soldiers on sight of their hovercrafts. But that was good for Watt — Chaos and Panic was all he was now.

He grabbed a gun from one of the Soldiers shooting everything the gun was holding into the Hovercrafts engine seeing smoke start to billow out. Watt doubted that he’d seriously damaged the hovercraft but he did make it so they’d have to land. Then he walked along the fields that there was fighting going on, as if there was no one around him at all. His handlers hadn’t given him a mission and now he knew why. This was what he had to do. Maybe they hadn’t expected District Thirteen to show, but of course they would. They would come to the aid of their traitor district friends. District Nine had just been bait, and an easy target.

Watt stood almost a mile out away from the Hovercraft door, almost obscured by smoke, and waited. Someone would see him. Someone would come. Hopefully more than one. Then he’d be able to take down more then one of the people who had become traitors and monsters to him now. He wasn’t given a mission when they had arrived at District Nine, but he didn’t need one anymore. He knew what he was supposed to do.

[spikelet-spark]

It hadn't been a surprise when Spikelet was told that she was part of the strike team on the raid of District Nine. She was a soldier above most things, especially now, and Thirteen didn't waste soldiers just because a medic called her codependent. Besides, this was Spikelet's chance--Perhaps during this raid Thirteen would capture someone with details about Watt--Maybe they would know what happened to him or how he was being kept. She didn't dare believe he was safe, or even entirely intact, but she prayed he was salvageable. Spikelet had buried her mother, she didn't want to bury the only family she had left.

Being out 'in the field' as a soldier from Thirteen had referred to it, wasn't actually terribly different from the Games. The only thing that really felt any different was the gun. Spikelet had never really trained with gun until her time in Thirteen. Guns didn't make for a good Games, too easy, too quick, just made for a poor show all together. The victor could use any manner of exotic, even archaic weapons but to her, guns had been the exotic one. It wasn't as if she hadn't caught on, she even had decent aim when she remember to prepare for the kick. Still, it felt wrong in her hands so she'd taken to simply wearing it on her hip and brandishing a large hunting knife instead, still slightly annoyed they had vetoed her bo staff.

The Hovercraft she'd been on board at the beginning of the raid had needed to make an emergency landing after one of it's stabilizers had been shot out. This sent a few of the green horn troops into a panic but Spikelet had stayed calm through the landing an evacuation, this was just a hitch in the plan. Nothing disastrous, Thirteen still had the element of surprise and it was more a matter of outlasting these Capitol troops than truly beating them at this stage.

Once off the fallen hovercraft Spikelet knew who she was after, and they certainly weren't peacekeepers. Grunts like them wouldn't have information about Watt, she needed to find someone higher up. She even said as much over her comm link--Though she didn't mention her true purpose only that she was going after a superior officer for intel but it wouldn't take a genius to make the logical leap to her real reason. Spikelet was quiet as she crept over the smoky earth, one hand finally pulling out the gun but the other still gripping her knife firmly. She had to adjust her stance to acclimate to the new weapon but she wasn't going to be caught short range with something she wasn't fully comfortable with but she also wasn't stupid enough to think she could do any long range damage without the stupid weapon.

A few troops lingered after her but she waved them away, she wasn't headed towards the heavy concentration of fighting. As much as she would have liked back-up she didn't need it like the others would. Spikelet was hoping she could just bypass most of the fighting if she could just stay out of sight and that would be harder if she had a group trailing behind her. So she moved across the smoky field with purpose, she would find someone who knew where Watt was or she would go down trying.

[greeneyed-arden-blog]

Impressive.

[spikelet-spark]

Heh, thanks.

I haven't sparred since before the Games so this is nice.

[commanderpetra]

[Petra entered the training floor and was immediately impressed.The short haired woman just knocked another soldier out from under their feet in less than three seconds. No doubt this woman was a Victor, but she seemed quite different from what Petra expected most Victors to be like. Her face had certain familiarity about it, but Petra knew that they weren’t acquainted. Better late than never…]

You won’t get any good matches from from them. Might I interest you?

[spikelet-spark]

[/ Spikelet immediately dropped the man she'd had pinned as the woman suddenly startled her out of concentration. She apologized to the man before glancing over at the soldier who'd surprised her. The intense look that had adorned her face moments ago was quickly replaced with a much friendlier one. ]

I kind of noticed that but it might be a good learning experience for them and I'm happy to spar with anyone who wants to.

Though I was wondering, does Thirteen train them to be prepared for different fighting styles? None of them really knew what to do when I came at them so I figured maybe that was it--N-Not that they aren't well trained! I just think maybe they're a little sheltered.

[spikelet-spark]

You call that a spar?

Again.

[tatianaowel]

But I am, aren’t I? If I had been more vigilant, he’d be here, in Thirteen, not underground. 

I think they’re still too scared of me to even mention it. I don’t think I’ve ever been grateful for being scary.

[spikelet-spark]

The same can be said for me, honestly. I could have taught him better, I could have gotten him better sponsors, I could have just told him to do nothing but hide not that he'd have listened to that. I knew about the Rebellion and you didn't, I knew it was a Waiting Game and I should have prepared him for it.

But they won't be forever, besides it's probably about time I remind people that I'm scary.

[tatianaowel]

T-thank you, I suppose.

[spikelet-spark]

Don't...Don't think that you're a bad person because of this--You did what you were raised to do, no one should be able to fault you for trying to survive; any Victor who does is a hypocrite and anyone else who does has never been in the Games.

 If anyone bothers you, you tell me and I'll speak with them. You aren't the person to hold a grudge against.

[tatianaowel]

Anyone would have done the same.

[spikelet-spark]

But no one else did.

And...I'm not angry with you--I mean, I'm angry but...Well, I killed more kids in my games than you did and led more to their deaths in all of them after. When I say I have an idea of what you're feeling, I mean it.

[tatianaowel]

Did they let you bury him properly?

[spikelet-spark]

Yes, it wasn't what we would have given him in Five but it was more than the Capitol would have given him.

Thank you, for bringing him back.

[tatianaowel]

If this is about the little boy, I— I am sorry.

[spikelet-spark]

Jethro, his name was Jethro and...

And it's--It's not okay, but I understand.

[tatianaowel]

This is my spot. Go find your own.

[spikelet-spark]

Actually, I wanted to talk to you.

If you're up to it.

[haul-morgan]

Yeah… I guess we all should be.

Oh. Hah. Uh. Thanks I guess.

[spikelet-spark]

I'm...I'm not always good with talking to people--I've always been a soldier over a speaker but...I wanted to thank you for helping Thalia.

Not that she couldn't have taken care of herself but it takes a lot to survive the arena and it takes a lot more to trust someone in there. So...When I say you're a good kid, that's what I mean--I hope that makes sense.

[haul-morgan]

I feel bad for the people from here, having to eat this… As mean as that sounds. 

Yes, I’m Haul. And you’re one of the mentors from Five, aren’t you?

[spikelet-spark]

I get the feeling that as long as there's food to eat they're happy for it.

Yep, I'm Spikelet Spark. I'm really glad to meet you, Haul. You're a good kid.

[haul-morgan]

Everything tastes so artificial here.

[spikelet-spark]

I always thought that about Capitol food, too much sugar. Never thought I'd find a place with way too little of it.

You're Haul, right?

[ramseyshielding-deactivated2014]

Right… And what’s wrong with regular cats, and birds, and snakes?

[spikelet-spark]

I don't think there's anything wrong with them, I had just as many 'normal' animals as mutts, but the Capitol is finicky. They'll have something normal the first week and then the second decide it needs more color and do it. I'm where the lucky leftover animals go. 

I'm actually a little surprised I haven't see any cats around. Thirteen must use traps to keep the vermin population down, then.