"Heavensbee, wonderful to see you again. Please, do sit down." President Snow gestured towards the chair across from his desk, and Plutarch obediently sat.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Plutarch had been dreading this moment since Snow's summons had arrived that morning. When low-ranking Gamemakers were called for individual appointments with the president, they rarely emerged alive.

"Yes, yes I did," Snow leaned in closer to him, and Plutarch could smell the sickening scent of blood underneath the rosy perfume. "Your creative talents have come to my attention, Heavensbee. I believe we have the golden opportunity to greatly increase the security of the Capitol together." He looked at Plutarch expectantly.

Plutarch did not see the connection between his work designing muttations and Capitol security, but he knew it would be dangerous to say no to Snow. Instead, he smiled and said, "Of course, I'd do anything for the Capitol."

Snow appeared to be pleased with his response. "Good, very good. Let's get started." He pulled a sheet of paper out from one of the desk drawers. "Here are my basic specifications. We can meet again in a week to begin fine-tuning your designs. I look forward to seeing your work." Plutarch could tell he was being dismissed. He stood and bowed before walking to the door. Just as he began to open the door, Snow spoke again, this time in a much lower tone. "And remember, Heavensbee, anything that happens within this room is never to be shared with anyone. Otherwise there will be … consequences." Snow's cold voice made perfectly clear exactly what those consequences would be.

Plutarch repressed a shudder. "Good day, sir." He hurried through the cold, clinical hallways that surrounded the president's offices. Plutarch had known that Snow liked the color white, but he had not expected to find the interior of the presidential mansion painted entirely white, with only the occasional vase of roses breaking the pattern. When he was safely in his car and had told his Avox chauffeur to drive him home, Plutarch finally dared to read the list of demands.

Visibly Intimidating, Physically Strong, Useful in a Variety of Environments, Programmable. What could Snow possibly mean by the last one? All mutts were programmable to a certain extent, in that all of them had an intended purpose that was coded into their DNA by Capitol scientists. He would have to ask the president for more specific instructions at their next meeting. Before then, he needed to at least come up with a basic concept of what these creatures should look like and their physical abilities. Plutarch did not want to be yet another promising Gamemaker that paid the ultimate price for disappointing Snow.

He sat at his drawing board for hours over the next week, brainstorming hundreds of different possible creatures. Again and again, he was drawn to reptilian predators for inspiration. Plutarch pored over ancient books depicting animals now long extinct, and he integrated features from the crocodiles, lizards, and serpents he found there. Though his designs were truly terrifying, he still felt that they were missing something.

His second meeting with the president was, if anything, more nerve-wracking than the last. Plutarch shifted nervously in his seat while Snow looked over a few of his sketches.

"That one." Plutarch jumped at the sound of Snow's voice, but after he composed himself, he glanced down to see which of his sketches the president was pointing towards. He had to smile when he saw that Snow was referencing his personal favorite, a dark gray, bipedal version of a crocodile. "This is certainly a lovely specimen," Snow said as he leaned back in his chair, "but I do believe you can do better."

"What would you like to see, sir?"

"Something more personal, more threatening. I want individuals who confront this beast to immediately identify it with me."

Plutarch nodded. "I'm sure I can find a way to do that. I also had a question. On your list of requirements, you asked for the muttation to be programmable. What exactly did you mean by that?"

Snow smiled, an expression so cold Plutarch could almost feel the blood freezing in his veins. "These muttations, Heavensbee, will serve a very special purpose. They must be able to hunt down a specific individual, stopping at nothing to make sure that this person does not escape from them alive."

Plutarch was too stunned to speak for a moment. He knew he should have seen something like this coming, but the idea of crafting special assassins for the president's personal use was just too much. "I – I'll see what I can do," he replied.

"Very good." This time, Snow rose and escorted him to the door. "You will have a final rendering next week for my approval, yes?" Though President Snow phrased it as a question, Plutarch knew it was truly an order. He nodded and left for his car.

That evening, Plutarch again searched through his reptile books, desperate to find the missing piece that would provide the personal touch Snow was looking for. He created dozens of sketches, adding curved, talon-like claws, or the president's piercing blue eyes to his mutts, but he still could not find the combination to create the perfect monster.

In his dreams, he ran from the mutts of his own creation. Plutarch felt long, jagged claws slice into his skin and drag him to the ground. Just before the creature clamped its jaws around his neck, Plutarch could make out the scent of flowers. He awoke with his heart racing, still terrified but also inspired by what he had just dreamt.

He rushed to his desk and began to sketch. The mutt he made kept the reptilian form of the earlier drawings, but he added several details. Plutarch replaced the dark gray skin and eyes with white scales and gleaming red eyes reminiscent of the presidential mansion, and added a note to the side of his work. Smells of roses. He sat back and examined his work. These lizard muttations would be the perfect weapon.

Plutarch smiled. The president would be pleased.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and extra thanks to ArtemisCarolineSnow for reviewing. I do hope you'll leave a review – I'd love to know what you think of the story so far. Thanks again!

~finnicko-loves-anniec