Our Anthem

Hero of the Skies

The communicuff was silent, which meant there was nobody out there hearing my cries for help. "Come on, Night Nurse, we've got a severe injury, you're needed!" I said into my communicuff calling out to Zeodary, but there was no answer. "Hello? Night Nurse, do you copy?" Still no answer. I began to lose hope. We were the hospital's last defense, and over half of us were dead, missing or injured. I wouldn't exactly call that a great defense. "Come on anyone, does anyone copy?" I said again with desperation laced in my voice, but there was still no answer. "I repeat, does anyone copy? This is Jabberjay, does anyone copy?" I heard what sounded like static in response and, somewhere in there, a voice. "Hello, does anyone copy?" I paused, waiting for anything, even that static that told of someone trying to get into contact with me. After what felt like an eternity, a female voice came through with a strong, firm and distinct Hebridean accent.

"Jabberjay, this is Mockingbird, I hear you loud and clear," came Katniss's voice through the communicuff, and I let out a cry of joy. Not only was my wife, and the love of my life, alive but she was close enough to communicate with me through the communicuff!

"Katniss!" I exclaimed. "I am so glad to hear your voice! Where are you right now?"

"Up high to be your eyes in the sky," she responded. "We've got four fighters prepared for battle heading your way. What's your location?"

"This is the old coat factory," said Collier, a former resident of District 8.

"Top of the old coat factory," I said into the communicuff.

"Turn your eyes to the sky, boys. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show," said Katniss, and within seconds, four fighters zoomed over our heads in formation heading straight for the incoming bombers. They started shooting down the second wave of bombers, all four of them zooming around and causing chaos for the Peacekeepers and the Capitol's bombers. One of them zoomed by upside down over our heads, and I could have sworn that I saw her piloting it through the windows. It seemed that the fighters were doing an excellent job at fighting off the bombers, until the Capitol released some fighters of their own. Suddenly, the four rebel fighters were outnumbered and doomed, and fear struck me. I could hear the chatter of the four rebel fighters coming in.

"There's too many of them, we've got to retreat!" exclaimed a male voice in a Hebridean accent. Cailean?

"We can't do that! We have to take out as many as we can, we have to defend the hospital!" exclaimed another male voice.

"Need I remind you two who's in charge of this unit?" came Katniss's Hebridean accent.

"What do you suggest we do, Soldier?" came a small female voice.

"Lead the fighters away from the city, they're not here to destroy it, they're here for us. Abandon your craft, if you have to, if they get too close to you," Katniss told them. It was a battle of a lifetime, or so it felt. I watched with fear as the four fighters started leading the Capitol fighters out of the city. I watched as one rebel fighter headed towards the building we were on was shot in the tail by a Capitol fighter and began to smoke.

"Woodpecker, are you all right back there?" came Katniss's voice. There was no response. "Woodpecker?"

"Mockingbird, disengage! Your tail is on fire!" shouted a male voice that I recognised as Gale Hawthorne's.

"Thank you, captain obvious," she said. "Woodpecker, bail out! Bail out!" I don't know what happened inside of the aircraft, but I saw the glass cover pop open and two individuals shot out of it as it flew sideways right in front of us and landed on the roof of the taller building next to us. One of the individuals had rolled all the way to the edge and smashed up against the concrete barrier and didn't move, a single gloved hand draped over the side of it. It was a small hand.