Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games franchise or any of its characters.
Something is wrong.
Command was usually filled with busy people fiddling with controls on the screens and there were always meetings going on in the meeting room. President Coin was a very busy woman with an entire underground District to run and her time was in high demand but short supply. As one of the main leaders of the rebellion, Plutarch was naturally in the thick of things along with his faithful Fulvia trotting at his heels.
Today is another busy day in Command. Hands gesture wildly at stills on the screen as people argue harshly amongst themselves. Peeta walks to a nearby screen to take a closer look at the stills and sees nothing but burning rubble.
Something is very wrong.
The noise in Command ascends to a crescendo as people around him speak in panicked and furious tones. He searches the pictures for a clue of the location of the smoking ruins. It takes him a little while before he finally sees a glimpse of a half-buried banner. His heart sinks as he reads the words on the banner: 'District 8'.
He wheels around and grabs someone's arm. "What happened to District 8?", he asks anxiously.
The man avoids his eyes as he replies, "The Capitol saw your propos and sent bombs to the hospital where you were at. Everyone thinks they're trying to take revenge on the propos."
Peeta's voice is grim. "No, Snow is trying to send us and the other Districts a message."
"The Capitol has already blamed us for the attacks."
"Of course they would. It's the best way to get the Districts against the rebels."
Peeta thanks the man for his time and heads for the meeting room. There, he finds a heated discussion between President Coin, Plutarch and other high-ranking officials of District 13.
"I'm telling you, airing that propos was a huge mistake. We shouldn't have tempted the Capitol that way." One angry man yells.
"And I tell you that we can't just keep hiding down here and hoping the Capitol will go away." Another man shouts back. "Snow will not just roll over and die."
Plutarch interrupts. "We agreed that making these propos were the best idea we had and we've done it. We've gotten the other Districts to sit up and take notice of us."
"You mean, get the Capitol to take notice of us." Shouted the first man, his face red with anger. "Didn't you see the rubble on those screens? They bombed District 8's hospital all because you brought that Mellark boy there. What do you think they would do to us once they find out he's here in Thirteen?"
Peeta's heartbeat quickens as he suddenly realizes the truth of the man's words. Had his propos put all of their lives in danger? Has he put Katniss into danger?
"Enough!"
It is a single word but it is enough to silence all of them. President Coin leans her knuckles on the table as she looks at all the gathered officials.
"Gentlemen, this argument is getting us nowhere. Boggs and Paylor from Eight has reassured me that they do not know we came from Thirteen. The propos video shows no sign of Thirteen at all. The Capitol does not know that we are all here in Thirteen."
Her eyes meet all of their gazes as she continues to speak calmly but firmly. "The damage is already done. I am sorry for the people of Eight but the fault lies at the Capitol's door. The people of Panem must know that."
Murmurs and rumbles of dissention break out among the men. She silences them again with another swift glance.
"There must always be sacrifices if we want to achieve peace. Don't you want to win your freedom? Don't you want a free Panem? We have been given an opportunity here, gentlemen. I will use any tool, any weapon, any person available to me to achieve freedom for my people. Will you not do the same? What about you, Peeta Mellark?"
Peeta is startled as attention is suddenly focused on him. Before he could speak, someone enters the room and whispers into Coin's ear. She nods and the man leaves. She turns and addresses the room again.
"Peeta is our greatest weapon now against the Capitol. Even now, I have just been informed that District 7 has requested to join our alliance. I don't need to tell you gentlemen the reason for this change of mind."
Plutarch rubs his hands with unconcealed glee as he murmurs aloud about another propos. He holds a quick whispered conversation with his assistant, who immediately nods frantically and departs the room in great haste.
"Go ahead and join her. She'll take you where you need to go." He whispers to Peeta.
Peeta raises his eyebrows but turns to follow after Fulvia.
In what seems to be a very short amount of time, Peeta finds himself on the hovercraft again with Haymitch, Cressida, Messala, Castor, and Pollux. He addresses the sober Haymitch.
"Did everyone in the hospital die?"
Haymitch stares at him. "We don't know. Word is that some scouts spotted the Capitol's hovercrafts ahead of time but we don't know how many has survived."
Peeta clenches his fists as he swallows back a curse. Castor and Pollux exchanges glances as Cressida nods sympathetically at him. Messala eyes him quietly.
"If you're going to tell me that you don't want to do this anymore because you're putting people in danger, let me just tell you that…" Haymitch says but Peeta immediately interrupts him.
"No. We need to do this. We have to stop the Capitol and if this is the only way to get the Districts to unite with us, then fine. Just promise me, you will get Katniss out of this soon." He says through gritted teeth.
Haymitch's mouth hangs open in amazement but he nods dumbly. They leave Peeta alone and converse among themselves. Peeta stares morosely out of the window, as he thinks of Katniss.
Be safe, Katniss.
The crowd stares suspiciously at him, eyeing him from head to toe. There are wounded among them, mostly bruises from hard knocks from the Peacekeepers' batons but more carry burns on their limbs and bodies. Someone had filled him in on the fierce rebellion that had suddenly arose the day before. The loggers of District 7 had set timed explosives on the ground and had taken out many of the Peacekeepers. Many Peacekeepers had died and those that remained alive had been captured. Despite the success of the insurrection, many loggers have been injured and some had died from the explosives.
The leaders of District 7 had immediately reached out to District 13 for aid but clearly they were alone in their desire for help. Talks of an alliance had broken down when the loggers of Seven realized that a few of their number had contacted Thirteen in secret. The loggers and their families have wanted no part in District 13's rebellion. Some of the tough and grizzled loggers are in favour of wanting to fend off the Capitol on their own. Many fear the consequences of allying with the rebels in Thirteen, knowing that their families would pay the steep price.
Peeta looks out at the crowd before him. Like the last time, neither Haymitch nor Cressida had briefed him on what to do or say, trusting in his instincts instead. District 8's hospital had been filled with the dying and the wounded, filled with fear and desperation. Here in square outside of the Justice Building of District 7, he sees the loggers standing tall with their families. All of the wounded – save for those that could not be moved – are here as well, watching and waiting for him to speak.
The loggers of Seven are a tall, proud, and hardy race. The Capitol had prided itself on the knowledge that they had conquered this strong people. They believed that the loggers were simple men who had more brawn than brains. That illusion had lulled them into false security which had proven deadly to the Peacekeepers.
As Peeta looks around, he suddenly sees Johanna Mason staring at him, a baby in her arms. He blinks again and he realizes his mistake. A young woman, who looks very much like Johanna, stands before him in the crowd. She carries a sleeping baby in her arms as a young girl clings to her leg. The woman stares at him, with an expression similar to Johanna's face.
This is Johanna's home. These are her people.
He reads the fear in their faces and he realizes that the fear is not for themselves but for their families.
"When I was in the Games," He says slowly. "I had to do whatever I could not to die. I lied, stole and even killed to survive. Because that's what being in the arena does to you, it makes you do things that you never wanted to do. But I did them because I wanted to live. More importantly, I wanted Katniss to live. The Games take everything from you. It strips away your humanity and reduces you to mindless feral beasts, fighting for survival. Even though I played their games, it wasn't enough for the Capitol. They killed my family and they took Katniss away. There is only one thing they couldn't take from me."
He looks around the silent square, as everyone's faces are turned to him in rapt attention.
"An inch. They can take everything from me, except that last inch of me. It is small, and fragile, and it is the only thing worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us. I hope that you will never have to lose your family or your loved ones. I hope that things will get better and that we will see a brighter Panem. But if that day does not comes, if the world has turned dark around us and you find yourself lost and all alone, remember that inch. It may be the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free."
There is silence in the square. Out of the corner of his eye, Peeta sees Messala look nervously at the crowd. Castor focuses his camera on Peeta while Pollux trains his camera on the crowd. When Cressida reviews the footage later, she thanks her lucky stars that Pollux had captured what happened in close detail.
The woman who looks like Johanna puts her fingers to her lips and raises them in salute to Peeta. She sings out the four note melody that Rue had first sang to Katniss two years ago. More hands salute the air as the same melody whistles through the air. The melody is whistled over and over again all around the square, as it sweeps through the gathered crowd.
His earpiece crackles to life and he hears his mentor's chuckle.
"Boy's a natural, just like I said."
In the coming weeks, Peeta's popularity rises drastically. His 'inch' speech spreads like wildfire through the crowd and successfully incites rebellion among the previously reluctant Districts. Demands for him to visit the different Districts to speak to the people grow everyday. At every appearance and propos, he speaks of his love for Katniss and urges the people to fight the Capitol.
In response, the Capitol cracks down harder on its oppressed District citizens. Curfews are enforced, work hours are lengthened, supplies are rationed. They tear families apart, separating the men from their wives and children, in hopes to hold them hostage. Executions and punishments are held daily in front of the Justice Buildings. Shortages in the Capitol increase but the citizens are kept in the dark.
Peeta's filmed propos are shown over and over again in freed Districts to boost morale among the new rebels. Technicians work around the clock to break into the Capitol's broadcast systems but no one has yet succeeded. Eventually someone manages to break into the general broadcast system which allows them to televise propos into the remaining Districts. It is a great triumph for the rebels in Thirteen and the first propos to air was the now famous 'inch' speech. More Districts begin to fight back against their oppressors as they gain courage and strength.
The biggest success comes after Cressida's team films Peeta and the survivors of Twelve in their destroyed homes. Realization had descended on the team when a child in District 6 had innocently asked Peeta about his family. No one outside of Thirteen at all knew about the fate of District 12.
The team is sent back to the ruins of Twelve where Gale is asked to recount that fateful night. Delly Cartwright, a schoolmate of Peeta, stammers her story to the Messala and Pollux. She is one of the few Merchants who had survived the bombings in Twelve. Sae points out the Hob, which has been reduced to a twisted and burnt ruin. The bodies and buildings stand testament to President Snow's cruelty.
The propos is cleverly edited. Voiceovers from the survivor are interwoven throughout the entire clip as images from the bombed District are flashed throughout the video. The propos ends with a shot of Peeta staring wistfully at a Mockingjay graffiti on a brick wall behind the burnt down Justice Building. The call to action is simple, join the rebellion.
As the propos is played repeatedly throughout Panem's Districts, there is a sharp rise in rebellion. District 1 and District 4 immediately report an increase in acts of dissent. The wealthy Districts pour their resources into Thirteen, arming the rebels with weapons and providing food to the people.
The biggest surprise comes from District 5. Angered by the destruction of District 12 and inspired by Peeta's speech, the citizens band together to take down the dam. The dam's outage takes out the Capitol's electricity, striking a direct blow to President Snow's insistence to the Capitol citizens that all was well in the outlying Districts.
Fuelled by Peeta's propos and speeches, the rebels continue to chip away at the Capitol's defences. Every day, more citizens join the rebels' cause. President Snow makes no move but sits and wait in the Capitol.
"Peeta Mellark, you're wanted in Command. You need to see this."
Peeta glances at Boggs, who looks puzzled but nods curtly at him. He nods back and immediately heads for the entrance of the training room. He vaguely hears Boggs' communicuff beeps behind him but he's already out the door.
As he enters Command, he hears the final strains of the Capitol's anthem. He immediately looks at the screen and sees President Snow's eerily calm face.
"Greetings citizens of Panem."
Boggs, Gale and Johanna file in behind him and they too stare at the screen.
"You may have heard rumours of unrest in the Districts. You may have also heard rumours that the blackouts are caused by rebels blowing up the dam. I'm here to tell you today that is all they are: rumours. These so-called rebels are nothing more than a group of dissidents who thought fit to rise above themselves. They care nothing for the peace we have fought to keep for so long. They forget that a peaceful Panem is a united Panem.
There are some who believe themselves to be above their fellow men. They believe that they mean more than the rest of Panem. Today let us hear from one who has represented Panem not once, but twice. She has endured loss and sacrifice for the sake of Panem, surviving against insurmountable odds. Your Victor, Katniss Evedeen."
The camera cuts away to Katniss, who is sitting in a chair. She is dressed in a lovely grey dress with long sleeves that cover her arms. Her face is thick with makeup and her hair is pinned up into an elaborate bun. Her eyes are cast downwards to the ground and her hands grip tightly on the chair. At a hidden signal, she looks up into the camera. Her eyes are empty and blank as she stares ahead.
Peeta groans as he looks into her eyes. Beside him, he hears Gale clench his teeth and Johanna quiet swearing. He stares in despair at the screen.
Katniss, what did they do to you?
Katniss begins to speak about the rebellion in the District. She recounts the high death toll, the shortages of food and necessities, the damage to the infrastructure in the Districts. Images of the destruction light up across the screen as she speaks. Her monotone speech goes on and on, listing all the damage and crimes that the rebels have committed in the Districts. Then she falls silent and her eyes turn unfocused.
President Snow asks if she has anything to say to the rebels or the citizens of Panem who only want the conflict to end. Katniss looks up again at the camera and pleads with the rebels to lay down their arms. She points out that this war benefits no one and she has never urged anyone to take up arms against each other. She reassures the citizens that the rebels will be dealt with and that the Capitol will bring peace to Panem again. She tells them that she was never the Mockingjay and begs them to stand down.
The smile on President Snow's face is snake-like and Peeta resists the urge to throw something at the screen. President Snow thanks her for her support and asks if she had anything to say to Peeta Mellark, who now supports these rebels.
At the mention of his name, something awakes in her. Her eyes flickered upwards and Peeta sees a spark of light in them. She hesitates then shakes her head no. President Snow's face hardens and he insists that she say a few words to her former lover.
"Please, Miss Everdeen."
She flinches at those words and hesitates again. She closes her eyes and when she opens them, he is frightened at the despair in them.
"Peeta, stop this." Her voice is a whisper at first. "Stop this fight and you'll be safe. Don't do this anymore. Don't get involved in this war. Don't trust them. They're lying to you. Please, don't listen to them." Her voice breaks and she looks down again. Peeta swallows hard.
"Come on Katniss, fight back. Please fight back." Gale says next to him. Johanna mutters more swears and encouragement at Katniss. Peeta says nothing but stares intensely at the screen.
President Snow smiles in triumph at the camera. He directly address Peeta and warns him to leave the rebels. He reminds the rebels again that dissent will not be tolerated and then offers Peeta an olive branch.
"Mr. Mellark, I say these words now from me to you. I invite you to leave the rebels. Join me in the Capitol and you will be reunited with your love. I promise you, there will be no harm upon you or Miss Everdeen."
A faint whistle interrupts his speech and he pauses. The camera swings to Katniss, who repeats the four note melody. She opens her mouth and her face is contorted in effort.
"They're coming, Peeta. Get out. Get out." She inhales and stares directly into the camera. Fire rages in her eyes and she screams her next words. "Fire is coming to Thirteen. Dead by morning!"
She is cut off as Snow shouts a command. In the chaos, the camera is knocked to the floor as Peacekeepers scramble to her side. The camera keeps rolling as they record the scuffle of boots and Snow barking out orders.
The video abruptly cuts off but not before it captures Katniss' screams of pain and the blood that splatters on the screen.
When the screen goes black, the room roars into life. Everyone is speaking at once, including Peeta and Gale who shout at Boggs to mount an immediate rescue for Katniss. More are concerned about the warning that Katniss had sent before being interrupted by the Peacekeepers.
At a command from Coin, the room is silenced. She looks perturbed by the turn of events but eventually turns to Haymitch, who had appeared halfway through the broadcast.
"Do you believe her?"
He replies, "Yes." His eyes meet Peeta.
President Coin pauses to think before finally issuing a Level Five security drill. She reaches for the nearby screen and keys in a code. District 13 is going into lockdown mode.
As Peeta heads down into the bowels of District 13, Katniss' screams echo in his head. Dread fills the pit of his stomach as he contemplates the horrors that surely await her now.
Author's Notes:
So yeah, I really have no excuse for the 6 months of radio silence so I won't even try. Needless to say, I'm back and am eager to get this story done.
It's rather difficult to replicate Katniss' song 'The Hanging Tree' but I hope the 'inch' speech helps. I 'borrowed' it from another story so let me know what you think of it?
I realized that there is no equivalent nickname for Peeta. If Katniss is the Mockingjay, what does that make Peeta? Breadboy really isn't all that inspiring. Let me know your suggestions and thoughts of the chapter!