Prologue
"Katniss Everdeen shot an arrow connected to an arrow laced with electrical current through the force field surrounding the arena of the Quarter Quell. This shot blew out the force field and signaled the official start of the rebellion of the districts that has consumed Panem since. Katniss was meant to be rescued by a rebel hovercraft but was instead captured by the Capitol along with Peeta Mellark, Johanna Mason, and District 2 victor, Enobaria. Along with these four Annie Cressa was captured from district 4 to be used as bait for Finnick Odair, who along with District 3 victor, Beetee, was rescued by the rebels of district 13. The remaining tributes believed to be siding with the rebels were killed while the tributes believed to be on our side were killed by the rebels.
Katniss Everdeen, deemed the Mockingjay by the rebels, remains the symbol for the growing rebellion. As punishment for her direct at of rebellion Katniss' home district, District 12 was bombed killing the majority of the residents. We have reason to believe the surviving members of District 12 escaped to District 13.
The main goal of this meeting is to discuss the torture and future of the captive rebels.
From their torturing we have gathered that neither Katniss, Peeta nor Enobaria knew anything about the rebel motives, although both Katniss and Peeta were unknowingly involved in rebel plans. What information we have been able to gleam from Johanna has been unhelpful as if she was given useless information.
Enobaria was released immediately after it was discovered she had nothing to do with the rebels.
Others who were suspected to have contact with or know something about the rebels were captured. Mr. Mellark's prep team and designer were publicly executed as a warning to all who support the rebels. Effie Trinket, District 12's escort, remains captive and is being held for further investigation. The two Avoxes assigned to serve the District 12 tributes are being tortured because they seem to have significant meaning to Miss Everdeen.
Katniss' prep team was rescued by the rebels along with Plutarch Heavensbee, Head Gamemaker and behind rebel activity, and his assistant Fulvia Carden.
Annie Cressa does not have to be tortured much. Her mind is already broken. And so we merely play on the insecurities of her broken mind. We let her go off into her world, thinking she is safe, and then invade it breaking down her sense of safety. By doing this we reinstate the fear she faced in the arena, the fear that crippled her and left her mind crazed.
Johanna Mason is being tortured with water and electricity, implanting in her the fear of water. This is in hopes to handicap her. It will make simple things such as; rain, showers, lakes etc. seem terrifying and will set her back if she is ever released.
Peeta Mellark is being tortured with fire, mainly near is hands. As a baker's son he handled ovens and fires or was at least around them nearly every day as a child. By instating a fear of fire we are making him fear childhood memories. This wouldn't work in Johanna's case with water, but in Mr. Mellark's case fire was an instrumental idea in his childhood he not only saw and used it but interacted with it, was taught to rely on it. This is also ensuring that if he is ever released he will not be able to return to his past life easily. He is also furthered handicapped by the large burns on his hands and upper arms.
As the Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen's form of torture is much more complex. I myself spent weeks on it. The goal was not to just insert a small fear into her or handicap her but make her truly afraid of the Capitol. To make her believe that we were behind her every nightmare. We've been making her nightmares come alive an inserting new nightmares.
It started simply, observing her as she slept. Every time she gave the signs of a nightmare an analyst came into her room and poked her with a short metal rod that produced a metal shock. This was use as conditioning; the next day all we had to do was administer another shock in the same place of the same frequency and level of energy and then she would relive her nightmare and recount the tale.
After a week of observing her nightmares we began recreating them, either images she had to watch on a large screen while or interacting with the nightmare seeing it happen all around her. It was magnificent.
After a week of recreating her nightmares we began developing new ones. We sent horrible fiendish mutts in after her, chasing her around the room biting and clawing at her, leaving real scratches, making her bleed real blood. And then just as one goes in for the kill they all vanish. Over time the nightmares we put her through were reflected in her dreams which we monitor even now. Eventually we began pushing the limits of the nightmares, each one more terrifying then the last.
Yet the image that terrifies her the most, the nightmare that has created the best reaction seems so simple and hardly dangerous compare to others.
We place her bed in a deep pit filled with writhing snakes. Over time the snakes coiled and swelled but did nothing but writhe and hiss. This seemed to scare Katniss; she stares at the snakes with panic in her eyes. Then one by one from each snake rolled waves of a scent we know terrifies her; the stench of blood and roses. As the coppery yet sweet smell filled the pit, she began to scream.
The worse the smell got the louder she screamed; and still the snakes did nothing. This panicked her even more for she leapt into the pit and began to rip the snakes apart. Even this failed to draw a reaction from the snakes and eventually she collapsed onto the bed sobbing and screaming.
What does this tell us?
It tells us that we have the victors, the Mockingjay, the upper hand. And on top of all that the dear Mockingjay is afraid of our president, who smells of blood and roses.
Yet the fighting in the districts tells us the spark has not been quenched by the Mockingjay's capture.
She is the Mockingjay. As long as she lives so does the rebellion.
So to end this we must end her."
Snow smiled as the Peacekeeper stopped talking.
The woman, Ramona Sludge was in charge of all torture programs and a master psychologist.
She had been getting a lot of attention from his colleagues lately he thought as he stared at the woman pondering. The tall brunette did not waver under his unending gaze. She was quite impressive really and had a wonderful talent for getting inside of people's head's. She was an asset for taking down the Mockingjay.
But he would have to kill her soon.
It was a waste and a pity but it had to be done.
Snow shook himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat speaking softly but projecting so the whole room could hear him, "And just how do you propose we do that Miss Sludge? You don't expect us to just kill her do you?"
The woman appeared nervous but managed to squeak out, "Of course not sir! In fact I thought…"
But he waved his hand interrupting her, "Of course not. Yes it might snuff out the rebellion for a while but she would not suffer. Shouldn't she pay for her crimes? If we kill her know with no warning without giving the rebels just a little hope, than they can and will recuperate and try again in a few years. But if we give them a slight hope before crushing them, they'll stay down so much longer. We must do to her what we did to District 13, fake her death just as the rebels think they might win, then hide her and give her a reason to stay hidden.
We have Mr. Mellark, but does she really love him? And even if she does she will not hide just because of him. They would both rather die than be the reason for the other's submission. We must give Katniss Everdeen a real reason to fear us, not just some silly nightmares," here people around the room laughed while Ramona Sludge blushed, "we must give her something, someone to love. To love so fiercely that she would die if the something, someone was taken away from her.
Does everyone understand me?" the whole room nodded fiercely at him and he nodded once back before stepping out of his chair and sweeping away from the room. A few seconds later a red Ramona Sludge followed wiping a few angry tears out of her eyes.
Six weeks later a rebel broadcast went out containing, one half-drunk Haymitch telling the Capitol and the districts the Mockingjay would never submit, and one Finnick Odair telling the world of Panem secrets both deadly and amusing that allowed another set of rebels to rescue Peeta Mellark, Annie Cressa and Johanna Mason.
After arriving in District 13 the three stood huddled together, Annie screaming frantically at any one who came within four feet of them. Eventually Finnick and Haymitch arrived and were able to calm down the situation only to learn from a dead eyed Johanna that Katniss was dead. Peeta collapsed on the floor sobbing into his hands and Annie started screaming 'No, No, No!' as doctors tried to examine the three.
Two days later the Capitol sent out the official message that the Mockingjay was dead going so far as to show a clip of her death. She had somehow managed to escape her room and ran down the hallway frantically searching for Peeta. Just as he had walked out into the hallway Peacekeeper guards showed up and shot her repeatedly.
The rebels seemed dazed as to how their Mockingjay died in a backless medical dress instead of in action bow in hand.
A day after the clip was aired rebels took districts eight seven and six completely. Barely three hours after their victory Snow sent a message to rebel leader Alma Coin saying that district 13 and all other districts would be bombed to the ground unless the rebellion was declared over and all district members returned, not to their homes but to District 12.
Within a week rebel activity had subsided and the districts were running smoothly.
As a show of punishment twelve separate Hunger Games were held one after the other, with only one tribute from each district form any age group, in an attempt to restore power and restore victors.
It worked as there were two victors from District 1, two from District 2, one from District 3, zero from District 4, one from District 5, one from District 6, zero from District 7, two from District 8, one from District 9, one from District 10, one from District 11 and zero victors from District 12 in addition to the surviving victors; one from District 2, one from District 3, two from District 4, one from District 7, and two from District 12.
The districts suffered for a while, with a large number of Peacekeepers that was eventually reduced. The district the suffered the most was District 12 with Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread, who had been taken away the day of the bombing, a largely reduced number of people, people who had never worked with coal and some who had never worked excessively or even came close to starving.
Eventually Panem settled back into its regular routine, with the districts starving, the Capitol gorging themselves and the Hunger Games instilling everyone with fear.
But underneath everything was certain precariousness, a false sense of hope.
Underneath everything it was as if the regularity of Panem was a gasoline soaked pile of wood just waiting for the right match to set it ablaze