25: Revenge

Snow POV

I raise a glass of water to my lips. Normally, to celebrate the end of the Games, it would be wine. But the end of these Games wasn't a clear-cut victory for the Capitol like I had intended with Seneca. I taste blood in my mouth and grimace. Another reminder of a plot which succeeded but not quite. I swallow it down and touch my lips. A sacrifice that was worth the reward.

We have Katniss Everdeen. The mockingjay of the rebellion, she'll be a valuable tool in our hands. I know that their other symbol, Gale, is willing to die for her if need be. Perhaps I could make a deal with him. They try to call of the revolution in exchange for a long and happy life together.

But no. That won't happen, I know. It's gone too far for that. It had gone too far for that as soon as Seneca let them leave the Games. I offered that to Gale and Katniss and they made an attempt. Not a good attempt admittedly, but if it had been a small thing it would have been enough. No. The rebellion has spread further than Everdeen and Hawthorne now. All across Panem the peacekeepers have been overstretched preventing riots.

I replay the footage of what happened. The lightning strikes and at the same time, Beetee fires his arrow with the wire attached to the tree. The arrow hits the force field and it explodes. The screen goes white for a few seconds. A simple enough plan. Beetee is a genius, but it doesn't take a genius to realise the havoc that such amounts of electricity could wreak with the technology.

And there lies the problem. Even though we captured the mockingjay, they still managed to interrupt the Games and show that they are a force to be reckoned with. And although most people, Capitolites or District, don't know that District Thirteen exists, I can't expect that that will last much longer.

They'll be using Gale to make propaganda videos and distributing them around the Districts, they'll be attacking. They will undoubtably make their existence pretty noticeable. The District people will flock to Thirteen in hopes of joining the rebellion and Thirteen will accept every one of them.

The time for diplomacy has ended. At this point, the only thing that will keep the people in line is fear. A show of power is needed. The rebellion takes the Games, we take.. What? How much of a show of power does it have to be to keep the people in line? I think back to the first rebellion.

It ended quickly after District Thirteen went underground. That could have been because of the lack of nuclear weapons, but we didn't use ours either at any point due to the after effects. But they saw us destroy an entire District. That's the sort of power that I need to show them that we have right now.

"Call my advisors," I order my assistant. She nods her head and exits the room. I like this one. She doesn't talk, she's competent and she does exactly as I tell her. Perhaps it's because she knows what will happen to her loved ones if she tells my secrets to people whose ears they should not reach.

They come quickly. They've probably been waiting for that call ever since the force field exploded and most of the tributes were captured. That District Seven female, Johanna Mason, was the only one who got out. It's enough to show that we don't have full control though. Their machinery brought down one of the best Capitol military hovercrafts.

"I'm sure that you all know what this meeting is about." I turn the screen around to them and replay the footage again. "Katniss Everdeen and the rebellion. We have talked about this before. I don't want repeats of the old ideas. I need your help to plan a show of power to reestablish our control."

"What sort of show of power are you looking for Sir?" asks Remus.

"The sort which you can help with. What do we have in the way of explosives?"

"We've been manufacturing them for many years and much more in this last year. At the last count, we had enough to blow up around three Districts worth of land and we are currently making more. How much do you need?"

"Enough to blow up one District. District Twelve, to be precise."

"That will be using up a large portion of our explosives. District Twelve is the smallest District, but it will still be over a quarter of what we have. Not to mention the resources it would take to get every peacekeeper out of there and all of the explosives in. Are you sure it would not be better to save this for one of the more important Districts?"

"We have enough and you are still making more. District Twelve may not be the best District resources-wise, but it was the place where the rebellion started. This attack is not about trying to destroy rebels so much, although many potential rebels will be killed, it's about discouraging them from joining District Thirteen."

"I see. You need to show them that it would be suicide to oppose the Capitol. District Thirteen will not be able to fight against us if the Districts are actively opposing them. You mean to turn the Districts against those fighting for them." I give a curt nod. "May I ask why you want explosives, not nuclear weapons? We stopped making new ones fifty years ago, but we still have a lot left from before then."

"District Thirteen was the nuclear District. I do not know of the state of their nuclear arsenal, but I know enough about them to know that it is larger than ours. We cannot provoke them to use nuclear weapons. They will not use unless we provoke them, they know that it will result in death for everybody."

"Mutually assured destruction," Remus nods. "If you think that it will work, I can send planes with explosives over this afternoon. But getting our peacekeepers out of District Twelve will take more time. And it gives the possibility of betrayal and everybody in District Twelve escaping."

"Which is why I don't want you to get the peacekeepers out. District Twelve's peacekeepers are barely loyal to me anyway. They would be more useful to the rebellion for me. Have the planes go for this afternoon. Need I tell you to keep this only to yourself and those flying the planes?"

"I understand Sir. District Twelve has a population of just under two million. Assuming they all die, that will be a blow that nobody can ignore. Just like the first rebellion and District Thirteen."

"That is the effect I am hoping for."

I turn to Veranda Tredegar, who is in charge of finance. Doubtless this war will cost a lot.

"What is happening on your front? Have we the money to create more weapons, buy soldiers and keep up with all of the costs of war?"

"For a time," she replies. "We have needed to pay the peacekeepers more recently due to the recent riots, but in the past few years our investments have been paying off well. We can definitely maintain our current army for at least one year, though adding more in terms of numbers would be difficult. If you want nuclear weapons it will be a huge drain."

"I don't want nuclear weapons. We have enough to stop District Thirteen from using their's at the moment and we will not need any more. I meant weapons as in hovercraft, guns, bombs and possibly biological agents. We will also need bulletproof armour for every soldier and peacekeeper."

"That is easier. We have fairly large amounts of old bulletproof armour from retired peacekeepers which could be used. Every soldier and peacekeeper already wears bulletproof, but these stores will be useful for the new soldiers. Guns shouldn't be too expensive to mass-produce, not compared to the other demands. Hovercraft will be expensive, but I can probably make a deal with the manufacturers."

"See that you do. Veranda, Remus, you are dismissed."

I track them to the door. Veranda seems relieved, Remus just normal. I suppose that being in charge of my army has given him a greater tolerance to what will happen a war that being financial advisor. Besides, the life expectancy for my employees is slightly under the Capitol average. Motivation for her to do well. Now the only two people left are Plutarch Heavensbee and Kingsley Young.

I start with Kingsley. "How do you think this will sell to the Capitol?" I ask him. Kingsley has done a good job marketing my regime to the Capitol and our pet Districts so far, I'll need him in the coming months or years. "I will not go back now, but I need to know what it will take to convince them that this is the right decision."

"Not a lot, Sir," Kingsley responds. "They have little sympathy for the Districts, especially the poorer ones such as Twelve. Their opinion increased after the star-crossed lovers of course, but it will not take much for them to believe that this is the exception, not the rule."

"What do you plan to do?"

"We have a lot of CCTV footage of District Twelve, especially in the shadier parts. We will show them this in newspapers, on the internet, on television, in the news videos after the destruction. Almost nobody has been there, so if we show mostly the bad and very little of the good, they will believe that they are just savages undeserving of pity."

"Will you show our citizens District Thirteen?"

"Of course. If they see District Thirteen in their videos first, they'll see it as some sort of utopia. First impressions are difficult to shake off. If they see it through us first, they will see it for what it really is. I will need more information about District Thirteen of course.."

"Of course," I agree. "I will have some sent to you. If that is all, you may go now."

He nods his head and exits the room. Now the only one left here if Plutarch. Head gamemaker when the Games were interrupted. Normally, a failure such as this would result in execution. But there's more here than his Games failing. He could be part of the rebellion, he could know information. I won't take the risk of allowing him freedom.

I draw a concealed gun at my waist incase he tries to do anything sacrificial such as an attempt upon my life.

"Guards!" I call.

Four of my personal bodyguards cum soldiers run into the room.

"Take this man to Cell Z5."

They surround Plutarch and force him into handcuffs. Then they pat all over his body, checking for hidden weapons. Their search turns up a handgun, some more ammo and a knife. Quite a lot of concealed weapons, though if he is a rebel- as I highly suspect- it makes sense.

I sit back as the drag him out of the room. Now it's time to put into action my plans for Katniss Everdeen. Hi-jacking was decided a few days ago. I'm sure that I can manipulate her into being on my side, with the right strategies. That will be a blow to the people of the Districts and to Gale.

Once I'm finished with her, she can appear on television across Panem calling for a ceasefire and telling people that the Capitol is not as bad as District Thirteen will make out. We'll have to be careful though. I don't want her mad. Too much tracker jacker venom can make a person go insane, as I've seen over the course of the research.

No, madness will just be seen as a loss. But to have her sane and convincing, especially with the godlike status she has amongst the District citizens.. That will be much better.