7
Days later, Bill and Plutarch were sitting at the same patio table where they had first met, enjoying an unseasonably warm day in May.
"We have a plan to get you out of here." said Bill. "We're thinking beyond the Games now. How best to utilize the Mockingjay once she's been rescued."
"How very confident of you." said Plutarch.
"We look forward to having you in 13. You're essential to our plans, your expertise in promotion and your knowledge of staging national events. The Mockingjay will have to be on air: the face of the revolution. She will have to be all that people expect of her."
"From what I can tell, what people expect of her is beyond the reach of mere mortals."
"Exactly." said Bill. "That's why we need you.
"The breakout is scheduled for midnight on the third day of the Games. It was an arbitrary decision, but we feel your concerns about Snow working behind the scenes are valid. We suspect these Games won't run long. District 13 will be dispatching a hovercraft for the rescue. The plan is that it will come here first to get you and Fulvia. We're estimating its arrival here probably between 4pm and 5pm on the third day of the games. That's strictly based on distances. Events may intervene. The Cardew estate will be the pick up point. It's just beyond the city's defences and we think their sensors will be blind to a low level fly in.
"There are only the three victors available from District 12. We know that Peeta and Katniss will be going into the arena and Haymitch will be their mentor. Haymitch has long been in contact with us. He's our information source, and he knows about the plan. He's as skeptical as you but supports the effort. He knows you are involved. If there's any way you could help him get out..."
"What you expect will require a lot more than just Fulvia and me."
"Work up what you need, let us know, and we'll plan accordingly."
"You know," said Plutarch, "that a lot of people are going to die. Just this attempt of yours will do the trick. You can expect all the prep teams, all the stylists, all the chaperones, and all the mentors from every district to be arrested. Most of them will die. The mentors especially will suffer. You can expect them to be tortured long and hard for any information. There may be some hope for the teams of the tributes who die before your attempt, but I doubt it. The fact that Joe Blow dies before this breakout doesn't mean he wasn't up to his neck in the conspiracy. The Peacekeeper guards and probably most of the Gamemakers will be arrested as well. I expect they'll simply shoot any Avoxes associated with the tribute teams. If you succeed, the arena design team will certainly all be dead. And it just goes on and on."
"What we're hoping for is a revolution. Win or lose, thousands, tens of thousands, will die."
Once again, Plutarch found himself caught up in events beyond his control. District 13 had plans. Snow had plans. Time for him to make a few plans of his own. At present, the Mockingjay was just a vague ideal in people's minds. How would you go about converting that into a reality? Obviously this would require more skills than he possessed. Staging events came easily to Plutarch. He might even have access to a competent and experienced camera crew. It was the physicality, the Mockingjay look, that was beyond him. The only answer to that problem was Cinna. The chief stylist for District 12 had demonstrated time and again that he understood what the public wanted from Katniss, and how to present her to satisfy that desire.
He arranged an informal tour of the tribute Remake Center a week before the reaping: confirmation that all necessary supplies were on hand, pep talks to all the prep teams, a meeting with each stylist. It would be a long and tiring day, but it was the only excuse he could come up with for a one on one conversation with Cinna. Plutarch traveled with a small entourage, it was unavoidable, but part of the plan involved a televised documentary on the making of the Games. He had announced Cressida as the producer of the documentary, and she and her team kept everyone busy planning camera positions, lighting and the other preliminary scheduling and interviews that the broadcast would require. The day was as tiring as he expected. The prep teams were ecstatic at the thought of the publicity, constantly bobbing and bowing in the presence of the Gamemakers. The stylists were equally fawning, though more restrained and acutely aware of their status and prestige in Plutarch's presence. The private time that Plutarch insisted on with each was icing on the cake.
Cinna's office was empty when Plutarch arrived, and he was glad of the opportunity to sit for a moment in peace and quiet. A sketch book lay on Cinna's desk, and Plutarch opened it to glance through the drawings. They were a revelation.
Plutarch was so engrossed that he did not notice Cinna entering. Cinna, startled to see the Head Gamemaker looking through that particular book, turned pale as a sheet and collapsed on the nearest chair.
"It's only a fantasy." he gasped.
Startled, Plutarch looked up to see him and then, indicating the designs before him, he asked, "What is this?"
"A fantasy." reiterated Cinna. "There's really not a lot of design required for these Games. There are plenty of gowns Katniss has never worn. The training uniforms are beyond my control, as are the arena outfits. All that's required from me are measurements."
"And this?" asked Plutarch.
Cinna looked thoroughly miserable. "I admit it:" he said, "Katniss got under my skin. I guess it's because I'm new to the Games. Portia is much more blasé about the whole thing. For her, tributes come and go, but for me: Katniss was my first. I thought she was truly remarkable from the first time we met. She has this aura about her, a fundamental fatalism at war with a resolute drive to survive. It filled whatever room she was in."
He paused and shook his head contemplatively before continuing, "And then she was a Victor. Her survival, and the way she managed not just for herself, but for Peeta as well, was remarkable. And her token, the Mockingjay pin, became such a big trend, but somehow it never stopped being her personal statement. Have you ever known a token so recognized and so closely associated with a tribute?
"I was shocked when the President announced that Victors would be reaped for the Quell. Wasn't every one shocked? I was horrified for Katniss, but what can you do? So I did that." he said, gesturing towards the book.
"I asked myself: how would I dress Katniss if I could give her every protection a costume could allow? How could the Mockingjay theme be incorporated into that design? You're looking at the result."
"It's brilliant." said Plutarch. "Snow would consider it treason."
"I know." said Cinna. "So what happens now?"
Plutarch hesitated for only a moment, and then told him about District 13 and its plans. It was a risk. Cinna might simply have been preparing to bluff his way out of a tight situation. When he had finished, Cinna, much recovered, sat slowly nodding.
"Did you know that the President has ordered Katniss dressed in her wedding gown for her on air interview?" he asked Plutarch.
"No."
"It's so cruel," said Cinna, "so very cynical. He's showing his disdain for the public's embracing of the entire Katniss phenomenon."
"Yes." said Plutarch.
"I can do something about that." said Cinna.
"You can come with us. You can punish Snow by making the Mockingjay come alive in District 13."
"The odds are against her getting there. I can do something more immediate."
Plutarch looked down at the book and idly turned a page. "It was careless of you to leave this out, especially knowing that Gamemakers would be coming through the building. You are fortunate that I'm the one who found it, but you had no cause to expect sympathy from any of us. In others hands it could have proven disastrous."
Cinna was distracted. "If I can join you, I will. But I must strike my own blow at my best opportunity. Anything that can give hope is worthwhile."
He looked at Plutrach, "You are right about the book. I'll destroy it."
"No." said Plutarch, "If you don't mind, I'll take it with me."
"In that case..." said Cinna. He walked over and made a brief note on the last page.
When Plutarch left Cinna's office, everyone wanted to know about the book. "Some sketches Cinna was kind enough to give me." was Plutarch's answer, and he opened the book to show a picture of Katniss in a brilliant wisp of an evening gown. The envy of those around him was palpable. It was a fitting end to the tour.
The next day, Plutarch's desk was buried under an avalanche of personalized sketches from all the other stylists.
