A/N: Alright, we are zipping through Catching Fire, folks! This chapter will take us midway through the book. We won't really see Katniss and Peeta until the Quell, but hopefully you all are still enjoying watching the 'behind the scenes' bit of the book unfold thanks to Team Nerds :)
"Did she like the watch?" Wiress asked the next day over breakfast.
"Yes. She was a bit confused by how it worked, but she recognized the brand." Plutarch answered carefully. She recognized the brand. Wiress smiled. According to Plutarch's observations, Katniss had recognized the significance of the Mockingjay design on his watch. Soon, she would realize how many people were on her side. Plutarch smiled at the Victors. "Well, I am glad you two enjoyed your time in the Capitol. We'll have to get together sometime again."
"Yes, we will wait for your invitation." Beetee said smiling. After the meal, Martin brought their packed bags to the living room. "You take care of yourself, Plutarch."
"Thanks. Enjoy inventing as always." Plutarch replied before Martin escorted the inventors to a taxi that would take them to the train station.
Even though the Teslas returned to a wet snowy District Three, Wiress opened the windows in the house to air it out after their nearly week long absence. Beetee was a good husband and did the laundry while Wiress put away their engineering books and straightened the workroom. He knew Wiress enjoyed working and loosing herself in her inventing. He also realized other parts of the house made her sad. The living room was too quiet without the kids watching engineering DVD's, playing a board game, or building something with their numerous construction sets. The dining room was too quiet without the kids doing their homework around the table. Though the workroom was also too quiet without the kids working alongside their parents or arguing over supplies, the workroom was where everyone escaped.
As Beetee stood in the doorway of the workroom, he listened to Wiress humming a song she would sing to her children as she worked. "Wiress?" He asked quietly.
"Yes –" Wiress asked glancing at him over her notebook.
"I made dinner." Humming, Wiress returned to her work. "Wiress." Beetee said firmly a few minutes later. "I know we ate a big breakfast, but that was fifteen hours ago." He paused. "Please eat something."
"Not hungry." Wiress began humming a lullaby as she sketched in her notebook. Beetee sighed.
"Are you upset?" Beetee asked. "That we went to the Capitol?" He paused. Even though he knew the surveillance scramblers were on 24 hours a day in the workroom, he still felt himself being cautious when mentioning the revolution. "We had to. Things are changing, Wiress. And we're helping."
"Yes." Wiress whispered. As she put her pencil and ruler down, she gazed at Beetee with large eyes that were becoming unfocused.
"You need to eat something." Beetee said firmly as he approached the table. Putting his hand on Wiress arm, he helped her stand and guided her upstairs. Pulling out a chair, he eased Wiress into a sitting position before placing a buttered piece of bread on a plate in front of her.
"In Noah's seat." Wiress muttered looking at the bread as tears welled up in her eyes. "So empty – coming back –" Beetee nodded.
"I miss our children every day." Beetee whispered putting his hands gently on his wife's shoulders. "I miss them working around this table, Noah burping in Estelle's face. On purpose. Estelle kicking me by accident when she was aiming for her brother under the table. I miss them terribly. I use that to fight for them." He paused. "I know you do too."
"Yes." Wiress whispered. "Some day –"
"Someday we'll be free. Panem will be free." Beetee finished resolutely.
"Someday – I – I'll be – with them. My children. All – all three –" Wiress' voice broke. "Every time I come back from the Capitol – I – my child –" Beetee held Wiress as she sobbed remembering her first son Terrimax who was born and died shortly after she returned from her imprisonment in the Capitol. Six months ago, they entered the Capitol to mentor their children in the 74th Hunger Games. A week later, both children were killed in the arena.
"We're working so no more children will die." Beetee whispered.
"I want – to see them –"
"Me too." Beetee replied. "Wiress, I – I can't fight for them without you." He pleaded. Nodding, Wiress slowly ate her bread. "I can'ttfight this revolution without you by my side."
"I – I'll fight for you. For them." Wiress replied with tears in her eyes. "Even though – I want – to be free."
Life settled into a routine as it always did after their return from the Capitol. The Teslas divided their time between inventing for the Capitol and meeting with District Three's rebellion leaders. One drizzly day in March, the Teslas huddled around a propane fueled heater in a metal shed in the heart of the district's factory sector. "So, how is production?" Beetee asked as Wiress handed out rain coats to the leaders that pulled their tattered sweaters and factory uniforms tighter around themselves.
"Enough. Enough so the Capitol can't obliterate us." One of the factory managers answered as everyone gave a dark chuckle. "We have to be careful, Beetee. The new squad of Peacekeepers torched half an apartment building last week. Lost half of the Northeast rebel leaders and their families." Everyone was silent at that announcement.
"Beetee –" Wiress whispered fearfully as she sniffed the air.
"We have enough ventillation to run the heater, hon." Beetee replied reassuringly.
"Outside –" Thinking quickly, Wiress turned off the heater and pressed her face against a grate in the wall. "No –" The rebel leaders in the shed breathed in the smell of burning metal before Wiress pushed through the crowd and began kicking a board against a broken window.
"Wiress!" Beetee gasped before a deafening explosion shook the shed, breaking door and window frames as well as boards over the broken windows. "WIRESS, NO!" In slow motion, Beetee watched as Wiress pushed against the board with her hands a second before it broke with the outside explosion and she fell through the broken window.
"EVERYBODY OUT! LET'S GO!" Someone yelled before they smelled liquid gasoline. "Teslas, move!" Multiple people helped Wiress to her feet before Beetee wrapped an arm around her as they ran toward home.
"NOOOOO!" Beetee screamed watching the building being torched by the Peacekeepers.
"TESLAS, GO! MOVE!" One of the rebellion leaders yelled before a peacekeeper pushed him into the firey liquid that ran down the streets. "I GIVE MY LIFE! FOR A FREE PANEM!" The rebel leader screamed even as he was consumed by the flames.
"Get home, Teslas!" A Peacekeeper growled shoving them down a street toward Victor's Village. "Run straight home. Or I will shoot one of you." Leering at Wiress, he unlatched his gun before aiming it at Wiress' head. "Such lovely inventions in your wife's brain, Beetee Tesla. I would hate to see it end." Not thinking twice, Beetee grabbed Wiress' hand and ran home. Their legs burned as they reached the front door to their house. Beetee willed his hand not to shake as he unlocked the door and guided them inside. "And stay in! No more meetings with your rebel friends!" The same officer yelled before Beetee could close the door.
"Porch." Wiress whispered hearing two sets of boots on the porch.
"Yes, they're on the porch. We can't leave the house." Beetee murmured. "Wiress – honey – your face – hands –" He gasped looking at the cuts from the glass. Gently, he led his wife to the kitchen and cleaned her wounds. "You saved us."
"Eight." Wiress whispered as Beetee cleaned a cut on her right cheek under her eye.
"Sweetie, you just have two scrapes on the palms of your hands, a cut right here, and one on your forehead."
"Eight. Beetee." Wiress whispered firmly. Slowly, she undid her shawl that she wore to the meeting. Using scissors, she cut along a hem to pull out another piece of cloth. Unlike the silk of her shawl, this cloth was originally white, but was dyed numerous colors as if it was part of a clothing manufacturer's uniform. A mockingjay was stitched with black thread.
"Eight is rebelling." Beetee gasped. Wiress pointed to another embroidered picture of a factory on fire. It looked like it was hastily stitched using black and red thread. "They burnt a factory."
"Peacekeepers." Wiress replied. "Someone – someone put it in – as a message." Beetee nodded. "In the scarf I ordered."
"And –" Beetee began putting the pieces of his wife's thoughts together. "And that is why they went after us. Our factories." Nodding, Wiress wrapped him in a hug as she sobbed.
"They can't – I – won't – they –"
"They can't win." Beetee whispered. "I promise you. We have always found a way." Just then, the TV beeped. "Come, sweetie." Wiress nodded as she walked hand in hand with Beetee to the couch. "Really?" Beetee muttered as Caesar Flickerman began gushing about Katniss Everdeen's wedding dresses. "This is not a national emergency."
"No. A distraction." Wiress replied knowingly. "I am glad our wedding wasn't this public –" In spite of her worries with the rebellion, Wiress smiled at the opportunity to reminisce about her and Beetee's wedding. Feeling her husband lovingly squeeze her hand, she knew he felt the same way.
"Though it took you about this long to find a dress." Beetee quipped before Wiress playfully smacked his arm.
"I only spent half an evening at the dress shop –" Wiress began before she was cut off by a gentle kiss.
"And you found the most beautiful dress." Beetee whispered as he held her. "My beautiful bride."
"Beetee –" Wiress sighed snuggling into his arms as the Capitol talking heads gushed about the Star Crossed lovers.
"And now, we have other news for you, citizens of Panem!" Caesar announced after a bit. "As you know, the Third Quarter Quell is quickly approaching!" The Teslas' hearts plunged even as the Capitol citizens in the live audience cheered. The scene cut to a boy standing next to President Snow in the West Lawn of the Presidential Mansion. He opened a box of index cards before President Snow selected the third one in.
"And now, for the Third Quarter Quell: As a reminder that the strongest among us are still dependent upon the Capitol for their survival, the tributes for the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games will be reaped from the existing pool of Victors –"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The coffee table covered with large engineering manuals overturned as Beetee jumped to his feet. "NO! HOW DARE YOU!" Grabbing a heavy lamp from the table, he yanked it from the outlet in the wall before throwing it at the flatscreen TV. The LCD screen shattered and an electrical burn smell filled the living room. Picking up an engineering manual, Beetee threw that at the TV. "HOW DARE YOU SEND MY WIFE BACK!" He screamed. "HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH? HAVEN'T YOU? HAVEN'T YOU?" Wiress – Looking around he saw that Wiress had left the room. "Wiress?" He asked worriedly. The peacekeepers surrounding the house ensured that they couldn't leave. Running upstairs to the bedrooms, he checked in Noah and Estelle's room before their own. He worried that she was somewhere sobbing reliving her children's games.
"Wiress?" He asked at the door of their workroom. She was at her table building a machine. "Wiress –" He asked quietly. "I – I'm sorry if I scared you."
"Expected." Wiress said quietly. "All of it." She whispered before humming while piecing components of a circuit board together. "Beetee – my calculator –"
"Wiress –" Beetee paused. "Wiress, did you – did you hear what Caesar said?"
"'For the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games, the tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors.'" Wiress quoted before reaching for her calculator that was in her husband's hands. "Beetee – I need –"
"Wiress." Beetee insisted. "Did you understand Caesar's announcement?"
"Beetee – I need –" Sighing, Beetee turned off his wife's calculator before shoving it across the table. "BEETEE TESLA!"
"WIRESS TESLA – DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING?" Beetee yelled grabbing Wiress by the shoulders. "THEY'RE SENDING US BACK TO THE ARENA! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"Yes." Wiress said resolutely. Out of anger and frustration, Beetee pounded the metal table with his fist.
"THEY'RE KILLING US, WIRESS, AND YOU JUST – HOW DO YOU –" Beetee sat on the stool next to his wife and buried his face in his hands before sobbing. "I can't – I can't loose you – I can't – How can we go back?"
"So they win." Wiress whispered. "We help them win. Twelve."
"I – I can't – Wiress – do not make me watch you die." Beetee pleaded as his heart ached.
"I'm ready." Wiress said quietly. "Three months to finish my inventions. Give my notebooks to others –" Sobbing, Beetee shook his head.
"Wiress – please – don't – dammit, Wiress, we have a revolution to win!"
"Yes. We will be part –" Tears trickled down Wiress face as she turned to her husband and took his hands. "Beetee – I will fight for a free Panem – but when it's time – I – I want to see them. Our children – I want to be with them again." She smiled. "Maybe you will be too."
"Do you fear what they have for us?" Beetee asked in a low voice. "They can think of anything."
"They've used me. Killed my children." Wiress whispered furiously. "Separated us – tried to break both of us –" She shrugged. "What else can do they do?"
"Please –" Beetee pleaded. "Please don't give up."
"I don't give up." Wiress replied smiling before kissing Beetee on the cheek. "You know that. I'll fight along with you. Against them. Until I see our children again."