To everyone that has stuck with this story, thank you so much. I know it has been a little slow, but the shorter chapters make it possible for me to update every week instead of once every three months. And as always, thank you to ichooseupeetachu for all of her support!
Nobody in the dining hall the next morning looked nearly as anxious as Katniss felt. How could they all be so casual? Of course, almost none of them even knew of the impending meeting between her, Peeta, President Coin, and the rebels. What was there for them to be anxious about? They'd go to their district approved activities and be back to the dining hall when they were called to dinner. The inner workings of a possible war were not their concern. If only Katniss could feel even a fragment of their incognizance, she'd be content.
Katniss smiled when she spotted Prim seated at her table. She talked happily with a group of kids that appeared to be around her age, and her mother sat a few feet away, talking to Hazelle Hawthorne. After the meeting with President Coin, the two of them would be safe from anything involving Katniss and free to start a new life in District 13. She waved at them, not wanting to rile up any of the guards, and continued toward the table she and Peeta had been assigned to the day before.
If she hadn't been so pre-occupied with finding a pencil and paper during dinner the previous night, she probably would've put up more of a fight when the cafeteria guard forced her away from Prim's table when she stopped to say hello. Katniss couldn't understand what the harm was in saying hello to her family, but the guard simply told her she had to be seated at her assigned table, and she was to stay there until she was dismissed. It would've been nice to talk to her family before the meeting with President Coin. She wanted to tell her mother that she was taking care of everything and that their safety would be secured soon, but all she could do was walk by them, her anger growing as she thought of just how illogical some of District 13's rules seemed to be.
Peeta was already seated at their table, poking his fork into the unidentifiable mass of food on his tray while Finnick and Johanna talked earnestly to one another. Beetee sat alone, methodically spooning his food into his mouth while reading some sort of pamphlet. They were told that Gale was also assigned to their table, but he was nowhere to be found at dinner the night before, and there wasn't a trace of him there at breakfast, either.
Katniss couldn't decide whether she was more angry or concerned over his absence. He could be doing work in the weapons department like Coin had said, but Beetee was in charge of both the technology and the weapons departments in District 13, and he still made it to meals. What was keeping Gale from the cafeteria? What did President Coin have him doing that Beetee was not?
"Hey," Peeta said with a smile, scooting over to allow Katniss to sit next to him. "I didn't think you'd ever make it out of that food line."
The attention in District 13 was strange to say the least. While nobody quite acknowledged who Katniss was, that didn't stop everyone from staring too long and stopping to ask her too many questions she had no interest in answering. By the time she made it through the food line and gotten her allotted tray of mush, half of the cafeteria had already finished eating.
"I was prepared to start eating before I even got to the table if that woman asked me one more question about District 12," Katniss complained, shoving a fork full of food into her mouth.
"They haven't been out of this underground blockhouse in years," Peeta laughed. "Some probably never have been outside. They're just curious."
"Well they should try being curious when I'm not trying to eat," Katniss said. "Not that any of whatever this might be is settling well with how nervous I am."
"Are you alright to read those terms?" Peeta whispered, leaning in close. "Did you want to go over them over more time?"
"No," Katniss shook her head. " I'm ready, just nervous. But what about what we talked about last night?"
The teenagers' eyes moved across the table to Beetee who still seemed fixated on the pamphlet he was reading, paying no attention to anyone else at the table. It was going to take a little more than staring at him to get his attention. Squaring his shoulders, Peeta cleared his throat and began to speak.
"It's Beetee, right?" he asked, leaning forward. At the sound of his name, Beetee looked up from his pamphlet and nodded, dropping it when Peeta extended his hand toward the man. "I was just wondering something, Beetee." He dropped his voice before speaking his next words. "How well do you know President Coin?"
Katniss tensed at the question. She and Peeta had discussed the conversation they wanted to have with Beetee in full before they left their compartment for breakfast, but hearing Peeta say the words to Beetee, and how quickly he said them, felt risky in a way it hadn't when it was just the two of them together.
"Not very well," Beetee said. He didn't appear to be put off by Peeta's question at all, even going as far as pushing the pamphlet he had been so enthralled with away from him. "I only got to 13 a couple of days before you and Katniss did."
"You specialize in technology, is that correct?" Peeta asked. "Katniss and I have a question to ask you…" Finnick and Johanna had caught wind of the conversation and both were staring at the trio whispering near them. "Privately," Peeta stressed.
"Of course," Beetee nodded. "We can move to the end of the table if you'd like?"
After quick nods from Katniss and Peeta, the three moved down to the empty half of the long table to resume their conversation without prying ears. Peeta and Katniss wanted to keep things between as few people as they could, and having just met Finnick and Johanna twenty four hours prior, they still weren't certain they could be trusted just yet. They still weren't sure they could even trust Beetee, but they were willing to take the chance.
"We were wondering," Peeta said, his voice low. "If it's possible to record audio of video of our meeting with President Coin today? And if so, how we could go about doing that?"
Beetee looked at the pair thoughtfully and nodded slowly, a small grin appearing on his face.
"Of course it's possible," Beetee said. "Microphones and cameras can be very small. Sometimes as small as a button. In fact, I created a camera that can be attached to just that, a button."
"And is that something we could use?" Katniss asked. "Do you have it?"
"I have it," Beetee nodded. "And once we're dismissed here, I'll take care of it. It's very simple, and completely undetectable unless you're looking for it."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Peeta asked uncertainly. "We were prepared to attach the camera to ourselves."
"I can handle it," Beetee assured them. "Are you hoping to keep the recording as evidence of President Coin's agreement?"
"Can't be too careful," Peeta confirmed.
"Well, I'm impressed," Beetee smiled. "And you're right. You can't be too careful."
XXXX
Everything following their dismissal from breakfast seemed to mirror the morning before. Katniss and Peeta following Plutarch to the command room, entering to see Gale already sitting at the table with President Coin and, as time passed, the others sitting across from them, staring expectedly.
As Beetee shuffled into the room, he caught Katniss and Peeta's attention and gave them a pithy nod to let them know everything was set with their plan to record the meeting. And just as Beetee sat down, Haymitch jogged in, not as late as the morning before, but still last.
"Glad you could join us, Mr. Abernathy," President Coin breathed, not bothering to look at him.
"Clocks," Haymitch retorted, taking his seat.
"As you all know, we're here this morning to discuss the agreement District 13 has presented to Miss Everdeen and Mr. Mellark," President Coin began. "Just in case anyone's forgotten, Miss Everdeen and Mr. Mellark were uncomfortable agreeing to the proposal yesterday and requested they be given time to discuss the matter privately and be given a chance to present a list of their own terms to this proposal." She let out an exasperated breath and dropped her hands to the table, folding them gently. "Now that we've recapped what happened yesterday, we can begin. Miss Everdeen, Mr. Mellark? Let's hear your stipulations."
The command room grew uncomfortably silent. Finnick shifted restlessly in his chair while Johanna cleared her throat. And though Katniss couldn't be sure, she thought she heard Haymitch chuckle from his spot next to Plutarch.
Katniss clutched the paper in her hands and looked down at the list. It was simple, just read what they had written on the paper and let Peeta elaborate on what they meant. That's all she had to do, but her mouth felt dry, her throat constricted. She opened her mouth a few times to try to speak, but all she did was gasp like a fish out of water.
"Katniss?" Peeta whispered. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to keep her heart from pounding. "Do you think we could get a glass of water, please?"
The silence lingered as a District 13 assistant poured a cup of water and handed it over to Peeta.
"Relax," Peeta whispered gently. "Take a sip and swallow it slowly, then try again."
Katniss did just that. The water was cold on her tongue, and she swirled it around for a moment, making sure her mouth was sufficiently coated before letting the liquid slide down her throat. After a second, identical sip, she looked back down to their list and read the first stipulation with the strongest voice she could muster.
"My family is off limits," Katniss said, looking straight up to President Coin after the words had been read.
"This revolution does not include Mrs. Everdeen, a widowed mother of two and Primrose, a twelve year old child," Peeta started. "If you're hoping for Katniss to be the Mockingjay, your symbol in the revolution, then we ask that you recognize that attempting to use Katniss's family as some sort of leverage against her is arbitrary and will never benefit you in gaining our trust and getting our cooperation."
President Coin's face went from blithe to confounded as Peeta spoke, and as he finished his explanation, she said nothing in return. She couldn't. Any rebuttal would confirm to the entire room that she'd threatened Katniss, and so with a simple wave of her hand, she instructed Katniss to continue with the next stipulation.
"Everything Peeta and I agree to must be in writing from this point forward," Katniss read, much more confidently. "Nothing electronic."
As though the room expected it, all eyes turned to Peeta for his explanation.
"We are requesting hard copies of everything agreed upon today and anything drawn up in the future," he said. "Katniss and I do not feel comfortable signing anything electronically as we are unaware of the technology in District 13 and don't know what can and cannot be altered once our signatures are given. In addition to that, we'd each like a copy of anything drawn up, just to be sure that additional copies of this agreement and others are out there."
"Mr. Abernathy, I'm allocating this one to you," President Coin said. "You'll be in charge of having this agreement drawn up and ready for signing."
"Sounds simple enough," Haymitch replied, leaning back in his chair.
"Your next stipulation, Miss Everdeen?" President Coin urged.
"Peeta and I request permission to go outside."
"No," President Coin countered, shaking her head. "Too much exposure to the toxins on the surface of the district is not safe for anyone. Only authorized personnel is permitted outside."
"How much exposure is considered too much?" Peeta asked. "We understand the district is unsafe for prolonged exposure on the surface, but is there some sort of time limit we could try to agree on?"
There was no way President Coin was going to agree without Peeta explaining why. And Katniss wasn't sure Peeta could even explain the feelings of suffocation that they'd been experiencing since they were moved underground to District 13. The air may not be the freshest, and the scenery not nearly as vast as District 12, but it had to be better than the dull gray surroundings and stale air where they'd been, if even for a little while.
"I don't think that risking toxic poisoning is worth the negotiations, Mr. Mellark," President Coin stated flatly.
"We know the risks," Peeta argued. "And we aren't asking for much time, and I don't expect you to believe us, but we need this. We feel just as poisoned down here."
"Why's that?" President Coin questioned, a wry smile playing at her lips.
"I.. can't explain it," Peeta signed. "But there's something about being so far underground in this place that has no color that feels very…"
"Suffocating," Katniss finished. "Like we're being smothered here."
"And we're only asking this in hopes that by being outside, even in small intervals, it'll help reduce that feeling and keep us better prepared to learn and train later," Peeta added.
President Coin grew silent, her eyes downcast and thoughtful. Was she actually considering agreeing? Out of all of their terms, going outside was the one Katniss was sure would never be agreed on.
"Once a week," President Coin said, looking back to the pair. "For twenty minutes, and you must go separately."
Peeta looked to Katniss, and they both nodded at each other, knowing that asking for anything more than what President Coin had just given them would be entirely too much.
"That sounds fine with us," Peeta said as Katniss prepared to read the next term.
"We have a slight issue with the electricity around here," Katniss began, sounding almost embarrassed. "We were also wondering if there was any way for us to see outside since we can't be out there or even see out of any windows."
"Before coming to District 13, the only time Katniss and I spent together was spent outside so until now we were unaware that our… connection had any impact on electricity, but it does as Plutarch showed us," Peeta explained, leaving out that they'd experienced the phenomenon while alone together as well. "This isn't a stipulation so much as it's a request for help on figuring out how to stop the electrical shorts when Katniss and I are too close to each other."
"Beetee," President Coin said. "This seems more your territory. Is there anything that can be done?"
"Small spaces, like compartments or individual rooms can be equipped with surge protectors that should prevent small electricity shorts," Beetee explained. "They aren't always effective, though. It's all dependent on the strength of the surge, but one can be installed in their compartment very easily anyway to see how that works."
"Thank you, Beetee," President Coin said, turning back to Katniss and Peeta. "Since District 13's facility is not equipped with windows, we could put a TV into your compartment with a feed into our surveillance system so the two of you can see outside if that's what you'd like. Though there isn't much to see."
"That's fine," Katniss piped up. "We'll take anything."
"Very well," President Coin nodded. "We'll take care of that and the surge protection after the agreement is signed. Anything else?"
"One more," Katniss confirmed. "Peeta and I would like full knowledge of all plans that involve us before they're made or presented to anyone else."
"Any plan of attack or tactic against the Capitol that directly affects us should be presented to us before any plan moves forward," Peeta said. "While we're on the verge of agreeing to head this revolution, I think it's still important to consider that we should have the power to agree or disagree with the ways this war will be won. We want to help and we want to fight, but we will not kill ourselves for the cause."
"Safety first," President Coin agreed, an edge of parody to her voice. "We conduct many meetings while we strategize, we'll be sure to extend invitations to these meetings to you and Miss Everdeen. Now, if that's everything, I-"
"I have one more!" Katniss bellowed. There was nothing left on the paper for her to read, but she had to do it. "In addition to my family being off limits, I want Peeta and Gale to be off limits as well. They can choose to give what they want to this revolution, but I want their safety ensured right now, the same as my family's."
Katniss didn't have to elaborate. President Coin knew exactly what she meant. Neither Peeta or Gale could be used as bait to get Katniss to do anything. President Coin had already used Gale once, already threatened Katniss with Prim's and her mother's safety, and Katniss feared for what President Coin was capable of doing. If she could ensure that the people she cared about would stay safe and not suffer anymore because of her, she had to do it right then and there.
"If we're going to do this, we're going to do this as fair as possible. Threats will not be tolerated under any circumstances," Katniss finished, keeping her eyes focused on the President as she spotted Peeta gaping at her out of the corner of her eye.
President Coin nodded, seeming pretty unaffected by Katniss's final stipulation.
"Before we conclude this meeting, I have a few of my own stipulations for the two of you," she said. "First, during your weekly visits to the surface of the district, you will not go alone. Katniss, Gale will go with you and Finnick, you'll go with Peeta."
"We don't need anyone with us," Katniss argued.
"Oh, but you do, Miss Everdeen," President Coin said. "District 13 is putting all of their stock in the two of you. We don't need our efforts wasted because you ventured too far into the woods alone." She flashed Katniss a look that told her it'd be best to drop the topic. "Next, both of you are to undergo a physical examination once the agreement has been signed. Katniss, in addition to your exam you'll also receive a shot that will prevent pregnancy. The last thing we want is for our Mockingjay to become pregnant."
The teenagers' silence was all President Coin needed to confirm her suspicions about the depth of their relationship.
"If that's everything we want to cover this morning, and both parties are in agreement, then we are dismissed for the day. We'll reconvene in the morning to sign the printed documents. Are we all in agreement?" President Coin asked.
"What do you think?" Peeta whispered. "Do you think we've got as much control of this as we can get?"
"I don't know," Katniss said. "How are you feeling?"
"I think we're in as good a position as we're going to get here," Peeta replied honestly. "Do you agree?"
"I agree," Katniss nodded.
"We're in agreement," they both said in unison.
"Then everyone is dismissed," President Coin declared. "Haymitch, get on drawing up those papers right away, we'll need them by this time tomorrow."
Gale caught the pair as soon as they exited the command room, latching onto Katniss's upper arm.
"Hey, Catnip," Gale said, stopping Katniss and Peeta from walking further. "Can we talk privately?"
With a quick nod, Katniss looked to Peeta. "Wait here," she said before following Gale a few yards away.
Gale's words came quick. "I wanted to thank you," he whispered. "For what you did in there for me."
"You're welcome," Katniss said. "So you're the president's right hand man in training now?"
"I'm not here to talk about that," Gale snapped. "I just wanted to say thank you, but it's not necessary. I can take care of myself."
"It was just to protect you, Gale," Katniss retorted. Her voice was louder than she expected, and Peeta's head turned to the sound. "President Coin already threatened my sister and mother, I didn't want the same to happen to you. I've put all of you in enough danger as it is. And with how close you seem to be with her I-"
"I don't need your protection," Gale muttered. "I can take care of myself."
"So you said," Katniss deadpanned.
"We're finally doing this, Katniss." For a minute, Gale sounded like the boy Katniss met in the woods six years prior. Eager and affected, but with a touch of innocence that still scared her. "So let's do it. I don't want the protection order on me."
Gale didn't give Katniss a chance to respond. He'd said everything he needed to and wasn't looking to be reasoned with. He disappeared down the hallway just as quickly as he'd appeared in front of her.
"Everything alright?"
Katniss turned to see Beetee standing next to Peeta, the pair of them staring blankly at her as she walked toward them.
"It's fine," Katniss lied. The truth was that she wanted to run after Gale and hit him - no, slap him across the face. Anything to get him to wake up and see that they weren't safe in District 13.
"Were you able to get video, Beetee?" Peeta asked, steering the conversation away from the conversation that'd left Katniss rattled.
"I have video of the entire exchange," Beetee confirmed in a whisper, showing them the button on the cuff of his uniform. At first glance, it looked just like any ordinary button, but with a closer look they could see that one of the needle holes was actually a very small lense. "I'll do the same for the signing tomorrow, if you want."
"Yes," Peeta said, letting out a puff of air. "Please."
"I'll make sure the two of you are equipped with a private storage chamber here," Beetee continued in a whisper. "They can only be accessed by fingerprint and I'm the keeper of that information. Anyone trying to tamper with another's storage will have to answer to me, even the president. Storage chambers are the one thing in the district that she cannot tamper with."
"Thank you so much, Beetee," Katniss said.
"You're welcome. Let's just get those fingerprints so I can put this camera in storage until morning," Beetee said, pulling out a small device from his pocket similar to the one Ayers used the day Katniss and Peeta were assigned to their compartments. "Just press your fingers to the screen. I'm connecting both fingerprints to storage chamber 73. You'll need both fingerprints to open it. Anything you want kept inaccessible from District 13 is to go in there. Like I said, I'm in charge of them and I'll make sure anything in there remains untouched."
"We really appreciate this, Beetee," Peeta said, pulling his finger off the device. "We owe you one."
With everyone going their separate ways, Katniss and Peeta decided to head back to their compartment, both pleased with how things went during their meeting. Katniss felt even more pleased knowing that not only would Prim and her mother safe from being used against her, but Peeta would be, as well, but a pit still sat in her stomach when she thought of Gale.
When their compartment door slid open, the last thing they expected to see was Haymitch Abernathy seated on their beds waiting for them.
"Sweetheart, Loverboy," Haymitch greeted with a nod. "Come on in. We need to have a little talk."