Katniss's POV
The day after Weever found that coded journal a hovercraft finally came for us from District 13. We had tried to open it but since we didn't know the password random guessing wasn't getting us too far so after a few hours we gave up and hoped either for a spurt of spontaneous inspiration on what it could be or wait for Finnick to be rescued and hopefully he would tell us all about it. Besides, it's not like if we even could open it we could read it; I got a glimpse of the writing inside the journal that we can push back to see myself and I couldn't even tell you what language it was in. Certainly not English, that's for sure.
As I lead Kennie towards the hovercraft with Haymitch in tow carrying a few bottles of alcohol I'm sure he's going to try to sneak into 13 I look back at the district that has been my temporary home. From here you can still see the pile up of hovercrafts that no one really knows what to do with, the rubble of villages and town houses. And while we've spent day and night cleaning up it still looks like a warzone. But the beach is still there as well as the ocean, pristine and beautiful as ever. And the people here have not lost hope even if they have lost their homes because the district is currently not in the Capitol's grasp. Somehow I'll miss this place, warzone or not. But it's time to go back to District 13 so that we can all be free and safe. Time to get Gale back.
When we arrive back in 13 I realize the other reason I'll miss District 4; 13 is totally underground and I hate that. I guess I don't necessarily have to hunt to be alright but at least fresh air helps me feel better even if everything else has gone to pieces. As we get off the hovercraft I can't wait to see the family and assure myself that they are alright after the bombing which left a lot of the floors closer to the surface uninhabitable. But sadly Kennie and I are whisked off right away to Command. As we are I hear a grumbling coming from where we just exited and look back to see Haymitch's bag being searched and his hidden bottles being taken from him. I have to smirk a little even if that's kind of mean. What, did he really expect that he could get away with that? I shake my head at his frustration even as I turn the corner with a smile, somehow happy that he's getting a little of what he deserves for that 'emergency' of the hovercraft. Although I guess I should be a little grateful because I would have been worried sick not knowing if Kennie was safe or not with all those Capitol hovercraft coming at us.
As we are taken to Command I survey the damage and find that Gale's warning probably truly did save thousands of people. We're on level 22 now and there is still damage from missles that destroys compartments and such. Luckily most of the important things like supplies and farms are buried deep underground so they are fine, the population won't have to suffer that loss. Command was just barely not hit it seems as the damage seemed to finally stop two floors before we got there. And Command is just as busy as ever, even busier somehow though I don't know why. I'm surprised to see Rory there though I guess I shouldn't be if he's the one who made them listen and get everyone to safety. As soon as Kennie sees him she bounds over to him and starts talking excitedly about the last few days in District 4 and I give him a grateful smile before Plutarch catches me by surprise in a quick hug. He is grinning from ear to ear and I really don't understand why. Given the circumstances of 13 right now I can't see how anyone could be that happy.
"You were marvelous Katniss! Simply marvelous. You and Makenna gave us quite the footage to work with and we've already made several propos from it." Plutarch exclaims and I give him a small grin, a little unbelieving. What could they have really done? I didn't see anything but that may have been because we didn't exactly have a lot of power in District 4 because the bombs took out a lot of wires.
"Really?" I ask. "How much did they help?" I'm not entirely sure still how a video would help much other than making Snow angry. Not that that isn't a plus but still.
"Rebel forces in the last four days since the first propo was shown to all the districts and the Capitol has encouraged them. District 8 has been taken and the fighting is close to accomplishing their goals in all but Districts 1 and 2." Coin informs me. I can tell that she's a little peeved for some reason but what for I don't know. I'm honestly surprised that it worked so well in that short amount of time. Though it really doesn't surprise me in the least that the Career districts are obviously going to be the last to take.
"Wow." Is all I can whisper. I look around the room and see that a majority of the people in here are focused on the television screen and I walk over to where I can see it, curious. I stand next to Plutarch and take in the scene in front of me, one that I don't quite understand.
It's the Capitol for certain, something that is always on television for as long as I can remember. But this…this is something I'm positive I've never seen in the Capitol. The cameras are focused on the streets where I'd guess projectors show face after face of children, teenagers. Their names, ages, and districts are beneath them and most of the Capitolites have no clue what's going on but some of them seem to recognize the faces. I don't know really who they are but I have a strong feeling I should. It's not until I see familiar faces near the bottom of the buildings that I know who they are.
"Dead tributes? All of them?" I whisper and from the corner of my eye I can see Plutarch nodding. They're all there. The last girl from Gale's game, the one that was Cato's girlfriend. Jacob. Rue, Cato, Clove, Foxface, Marvel, Thresh. All those from mine in the order they were killed I think. And the other games too. All of our tributes we didn't save. Every last tribute that died in the Hunger Games. And at the bottom of the building bigger than most is the Victors and children that died in the last Hunger Games. It isn't until I'm confused to see Chaff's face as well as Cecilia's and some of the other Victors that I know weren't in those Games that I realize also what it is. Every last person who was a part of the Hunger Games that has died. So…all those mentors, just like Weever said. At the end of the row I find Nelia's picture and I can't help my eyes from tearing up just a little.
"What is this?" I whisper and Plutarch finally answers me.
"A distraction." He informs me and I finally tear my eyes away from the screen to look at him questioningly.
"Distraction? For what?" I ask and it's Rory that answers me from behind.
"They're breaking them out. This is all meant to take away the focus from that." He replies and I look first to him and the around the room and I have to smile a little. Yes, they're finally going to get them to safety! I'm a little surprised that Rory didn't insist on going himself with whoever went and I'm about to ask why but a strange noise coming from the screen distracts me and my attention turns back to that.
If the faces of all those tributes and Victors weren't enough to unnerve Capitolites and peacekeepers alike, this next development sure would be. People come out of building armed with weapons and I look at them incredulously as they fight the peacekeepers, killing some of them as more replace them. My mouth drops open in complete shock. Who are these people? They don't really look like Capitolites, not most of them. All of them are extremely thin like most Capitolites but it's a different kind of thin. Almost like the thin I was when I was half starving before my Games. Like they don't get near enough nourishment, just barely living. And every last one of them that I can see their faces has this look of fight in their eyes, clearly not caring if they die or not as they risk everything to take out a few peacekeepers.
"Who are they?" I finally ask aloud, amazed at these brave rebel Capitolites. If distraction was what they were going for they have certainly distracted me.
"Avoxes." Coin answers me in an almost bored voice. But that explains plenty to me and I no longer have to wonder a lot of things. Like why they would be so willing to go head on. Or why there are so many that don't look like Capitolites, like they are half starving. They are. They have nothing to lose and plenty to be angry at. Even as the number of avoxes dwindle and the peacekeepers numbers rise, a sea of white against people I can't take my eyes off of it.
And then incredulously the faces of the dead tributes still on the buildings begin to disappear one by one in order. But it's not that they are disappearing…no, they are being literally bombed out, cannons going off as each one is blown out, the building shattering with each cannon. It's so perfectly planned and symbolic that I have to applaud the people who came up with this.
"Who's idea was this?" I question the room and from the corner of my eye I see Plutarch smile and laugh lightly.
"Who do you think?" he asks me with a knowing smile and I'm a little annoyed that he won't just tell me but I guess anyway.
"I don't know. It's so perfectly thought out that I'd guess…well I don't know." I tell him, completely clueless.
"What if I told you that this was the handiwork of your old escort?" Plutarch reveals and I look back to the screen with a surprised expression.
"Effie did this?" I exclaim as I watch the perfectly executed plan as Snow comes on the screen, blocking us from seeing what is going on. He looks angry certainly but I really don't care what he has to say. Effie is a rebel? How did I not know that? Why on earth would Effie Trinket be a rebel, much less come up with this distraction?
"President Coin, the rescue team is on their way back. They have successfully broken out all the hostages at the prison." A soldier informs the room and I breathe a sigh of relief. I don't know why Effie is a rebel but one thing's for certain. Her distraction just helped save Gale and the others. He's finally coming back.
Johanna's POV
"Are you alright Miss Mason?" one of the medics ask me and I give him a glare and tell him for the fourth time I'm fine. It's just a little shrapnel in my shoulder, I've had worse. Sure it hurts like hell but I'm not one to complain about being hurt and they've already given me some pain meds to help me until we're back in District 13. All I really care about at the moment is that the mission worked. Finnick is alive and will no longer be tortured.
The plan went off without a hitch. Whatever the distraction was that they used worked perfectly because the only peacekeepers we had to deal with were the ones already there. Sure it was at least twenty or thirty of them but it could have been a lot worse. The team of ten of us split up, three going to dismantle a bomb a good twenty minutes away so the rest of us wouldn't get blown to smithereens when we broke into the prison and the rest of us armed with guns, grenades, and gas masks.
We were each assigned a different person in pairs and I insisted on being in Finnick's team. If they had fucked with his mind I would be the one person he might listen to in this group because we were best friends. Besides the fact that I just wanted to see him myself as soon as possible. I needed to know how badly they have damaged him, how much I need to hate Snow and the Capitol even more.
Turns out pretty badly. We had administered the sleep gas through the building but we got met with some of the doctors and nurses as well as a few peacekeepers. They grenaded us which is why I had shrapnel in my shoulder but I didn't let that stop me from shooting every last one of them. One of the doctors was on the phone calling for back up but luckily he didn't get it. One of the soldiers with us knocked him out and we went into Finnick's room. He was covered in some type of goo what I don't know. Underneath that were blisters and bruises and whipmarks, clearly the physical torture was not let up on in the least. His auburn locks have been shaved off and all that's left looks like a buzz cut. He certainly doesn't look much like himself but he's still Finnick. We easily take him out, me holding his feet as the other two with me take the other end and we race as fast as we can for the exit.
On our way to the hovercraft I see another two carrying Gale who mostly appears fine but you never know. The other two are carrying a woman I don't recognize but they put her in anyway. If she was here being tortured then she's no friend of the Capitol. But instead of leaving like I think we are a doctor comes out frantic, pleading us to take one more prisoner. I would guess this bald doctor is a rebel but I'm not certain. Even if my shoulder is hurting me like hell I volunteer to go back just out of sheer curiosity and two more soldiers do as well. This time we don't have anymore sleep gas but we just shoot anyone we come across as we quickly follow the doctor. He unfortunately gets shot right outside of the room he was trying to open but one of the other soldiers with me shoots the peacekeeper as well as the lock and we barge through. The person waiting for us, knocked out because of the original gas is someone I'm certain I've never met before but he looks…oddly familiar somehow.
It's not until I see the name on the outside of the door when we bring him out that I realize why he looks familiar. Gale had a relative here in the Capitol being tortured? I thought he was dead.
Just goes to show you that we really have no clue sometimes what the Capitol does. Good thing we're well on our way to bringing those bastards down and now they have no one left to threaten us with.
So yes, besides my shoulder hurting like a bitch, I'm just fine. "I'm doing great." I insist to the medic and while he doesn't look like he quite believes me I don't care. I wasn't talking about my shoulder anyway you idiot.
?'s POV
Groggy, I keep my eyes closed even when I'm awake because once I open my eyes I may be disappointed with where I am. I know that Dr. Calvus insisted that the rebels would try to break me out but he didn't promise. I knew when I started feeling sleepy for no reason that it was most likely some sort of sleep gas and the rebels were here. After all, there was really no reason to put me to sleep to torture me. No, they would have wanted me to suffer. Besides, most of the physical torture ended years ago. They needed me, used me, made me watch every Hunger Games. See my designs torture other children, even ones that I loved. I didn't know what they were used for but they threatened my family every single day if I didn't design for their Gamemakers. And even from afar, even if they thought I was dead all these years…I had to protect them.
Slowly I open my eyes and almost instantly I realize that I'm not in that Capitol prison anymore. No, this is too pristinely white, too busy with doctors and nurses running around not paying any attention to me. I'm not strapped down. And I realize how much I truly owe Dr. Calvus. He tried to get me to safety, out of prison and it worked. I'm no longer dead. I can see my family.
The first person I see when I look around happens to be Gale, as he is in the hospital bed right next to me. He's still out cold but I know he should come to soon. I still don't know what this new torture they did to him, this new hijacking is but it can't be good. All I can see is some bumps on his head that look like they could be concussions. I would know, I had quite a few when I didn't cooperate over the years.
Sitting next to him is a young woman holding his hand in hers and softly brushing back his hair, her eyes only on his face. I haven't seen her in years but I'd know her anywhere. Not only have I seen her on the television that I'm only allowed to watch when the Hunger Games comes on but I did know her when she was a little girl, once. I worked with her father and we both hunted. We always meant to bring our oldest out to meet each other in the woods eventually and I can't be happier they did. I'm so happy that they got what I had; love.
But she's never met me. I'm certain she knows about me but how should I go about introducing myself to her, someone who's mind is clearly occupied only on the man in front of her? She thinks I'm dead; everyone does.
Well, guess there's only one way a Hawthorne knows how to break the news; bluntly. I make a noise to get her attention even though she doesn't look.
"So, am I finally getting the honor of meeting my daughter-in-law?"