On Day 6, Haymitch wakes to a carefully arranged breakfast that shows Maysilee is still using small acts of beauty and manners as a quiet act of defiance. Privately, Haymitch is still thinking about Beetee's mission to break the arena, so he tries to steer Maysilee north by pretending they are searching for Wellie. When Maysilee notices the story does not make sense, Haymitch admits he wants to investigate the hedge again, hinting that he hopes to find something mechanical or turn the maze against the Careers. Maysilee agrees to help for the sake of his next "poster" against the Capitol.

As they travel north, Haymitch hears a strange whining noise from the west. Before they can avoid it, Silka and Maritte ambush them, and the chase drives Haymitch and Maysilee into a hidden clearing where three young Gamemakers are repairing an opening into Sub-A. The ground is slick with slime, and the encounter shocks everyone. When the Gamemakers try to retreat, Maritte's trident kills one, Maysilee's dart kills another, and the third falls down the opening to her death. The unexpected deaths prove the arena staff are physically vulnerable, but Haymitch freezes and does not act.

The Capitol answers immediately by sending a hovercraft that drops tear gas bombs into the clearing. Haymitch pulls Maysilee away, and they escape north to the hedge, where they wash out their eyes. Safe for the moment, Maysilee angrily accuses Haymitch of failing her when he should have backed her up against the Gamemakers and Careers. Haymitch admits she is right and cannot explain why he hesitated. After the anger cools, they partly reconcile over shared food and a quiet conversation about Maysilee's grandmother, fear, and the belief that what the Capitol can take is not worth keeping.

Once Maysilee is ready, Haymitch reveals the practical part of his plan. Using his blowtorch, he cuts into the hedge while Maysilee burns the swarming ladybug mutts that attack them. Working together, they force a tunnel through the maze and emerge at the arena's northern edge. There Haymitch finally sees what he has been seeking: a huge generator below the cliff. But the discovery is a bitter one, because the machine sits far beneath them beyond a lethal drop, making sabotage suddenly seem almost impossible.