I sit propped up against the headboard, listening to the chatter in my earpiece. It's mostly discussion of finalizing the landing. Nothing too interesting yet.

"Welcome to District Two!" Someone greets Katniss and the others as they step foot outside of the hovercraft. "I'm Corporal Homes. Follow me, please."

There's the sound of an explosion and Homes assures them it's nothing to worry about. There's very little talk coming through the earpiece as they follow him to where they plan to meet. So far, I'm not impressed by the hospitality I hear. I tap my fingers on my leg to pass by the time.

I've almost fallen asleep again by the time things actually start happening.

"President Coin, we're indebted to you for the reinforcements and the Mockingjay. But I'm not sure that anyone outside of Two knows what we've been up against." A representative of Two says. "This is the Nut. The Capitol's headquarters for all offensive operations. It's manned by both military and civilian personnel from District Two."

I remember to press the button on my earpiece that displays the holographic image before my eyes. The Nut appears to be a mountain. The image shows a bunker of sorts built inside it.

"As you can see, the fortress lies so far beneath the bedrock, it's untouchable." The representative continues. "Yesterday, we attempted to take the northeastern gate. The enemy countered from higher up and we were forced to pull back. We took heavy losses."

"Could we create a decoy?" Someone else suggests. "Send troops towards one gate, launch a staggered attack on another."

The hologram flashes orange where he touches it.

"Whose troops do you propose as a decoy, Commander?" Paylor from Eight asks.

"We have the Mockingjay. Don't underestimate her." Coin's voice interrupts. "We could use her to erode support. She may be able to sway some of the loyalists."

"You've been underground for a long time, Madam Coin. This isn't like the rest of Panem." Two's representative reminds her. "Support for the Capitol runs deep here."

"Then there is no sacrifice too great. We need to control the arsenal inside that fortress. Even with every District in this alliance, we are outgunned."

"I won't commit my people to a ground assault just to pillage weapons." Paylor informs her.

Coin sounds a tad annoyed. "Commander Paylor, your people have suffered more than just about anyone else at the hands of the Capitol."

No, that would be Twelve. I grit my teeth. Did you forget that we're staying in your District?

"Which is why I won't condone a mass suicide."

"If we don't take District Two, we won't get into the Capitol."

"Would it be enough to disable the fortress instead of taking it?" Gale asks.

Finally, someone with brains. I'm bored of this already.

"What do you have in mind?" The representative questions him.

"You think of it like a wolf den." He says. "You're not gonna fight your way in, so you've got two choices: You trap the wolves inside, or you flush 'em out. If we can't attack straight on, then couldn't we use our hovercraft to strike around it? We'll use the mountains. We'll hit weak spots in the peaks."

"We could design the bomb targets in sequence using seismic data." Beetee adds, clearly sold on the idea.

"Trigger avalanches."

I almost tune out of the conversation as the full force of it hits me. They're going to lock them in the fortress.

"Block all exits, cut off their supplies." Gale elaborates. "You make it impossible for them to launch their hovercraft."

Paylor voices exactly what I'm thinking. "Bury them alive."

That's...cruel.

"We'd forfeit any chance to control the weapons." Coin points out, clearly unhappy at that loss.

"Yes, but we'd face a weakened Capitol." Beetee tells her.

"There's civilians in there." It's Boggs who says this. I've never met him, but Beetee's told me a bit about him. I think I like the guy so far. "They should be given a chance to surrender. Could use one of the supply tunnels for the evacuees."

I nod to myself in approval at his regard for the civilians. At least someone in Thirteen has some sense.

"It's a luxury we weren't given when they firebombed Twelve." Gale muses sadly.

"There's gotta be a better way." Katniss objects quietly.

"She's right." Peeta agrees with her. "There are innocent people in there."

"Innocent? When they work for the Capitol?" The other boy argues.

"They never got a choice!" Peeta passionately points out. "But we can give them one."

"I suggest we try the avalanche, but leave the train tunnel alone." Coin interferes before anything can escalate. "Civilians can escape into the Square, where our armies will be waiting for their surrender."

So she does have some morals.

"We should have every available medic standing by." Paylor adds.

"And if they won't surrender?" Two's representative voices what we all fear.

"Then we will need a compelling voice to persuade them." Coin says pointedly, referring to Katniss.

*X*

There's a few hours of preparation after that. I decide to go down to the cafeteria to eat. Luckily, I'm just on time for the final meal of the day. I get a bowl of beef stew and sit down at an empty table, listening in on some of the talk between the others in my earpiece as I chew. I hear Gale and Beetee discuss a few finalizations on the plan. There's nothing too interesting going on.

I frown as I bite into a turnip. I wish Thirteen had more variation on food for each meal; dinner is all soups and stews. I've never liked them much to begin with, and I think my dislike for them will have only grown by the time I finally get to choose what to eat on my own. I can't wait for that day.

"Haymitch." Katniss's voice nearly makes me spit out what's in my mouth. "Are you there?"

I swallow and sigh, reaching up to turn on my own audio. "Yeah."

"What do you think of the plan?" Peeta asks me.

I notice that the background noise is gone. We're on a private line.

"Well, I'm just glad they took the civilians into consideration." I say. "Shows that some of these guys actually have morals."

"Gale wanted to starve them all." Katniss mutters bitterly.

"Look, sweetheart, they're not going to starve. You and Peeta made sure of that." I point out.

"That's not the point." She says. "If Coin hadn't let me and Peeta come, they would all pay because of what the Capitol makes them do."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I down another mouthful of soup. "They're militarists, Katniss. They care about effectiveness, not about casualties. It's what they do."

"And Gale? What about him?"

"War changes people, Katniss." Peeta tells her. "If this is what he wants to do, then this is who he is now. But that doesn't mean that we have to stand aside and let people die because that's what he wants."

"Haymitch?" She asks, seeking reassurance from me.

"He's right, sweetheart." I reluctantly inform her. "We're still in the Games out here. People will do whatever is necessary to survive. Gale is no different."

*X*

I'm called up to the meeting hall just before the plan is launched into action. When I enter, Plutarch and Coin are already there. The lights are off, and the screen in the back of the room is lit up. Several camera displays are shown on it, ready to capture the events that are about to transpire in District Two. I take a seat on Plutarch's left. Coin's on his right. We've long since removed our earpieces, but the president has one just in case.

One of the displays turns on. The sound of Thirteen's hovercraft powering on comes through, confirming that that camera is attached to one of them.

Everything starts now. For real.

The hovercraft lift off.

"Red Flag, this is Blue Leader." A pilot says over the radio. "Form up on Charlie Tango, fifteen hundred meters out."

"All bombers are outbound."

It's not even a minute before they're flying over the Nut, bombs dropping out onto the mountain with loud explosions. The snow and debris topple down in the deliberate avalanche, the noise almost as deafening as the explosions themselves. It's not long before the hovercrafts' job is done and they're returning to land.

Another display lights up as the ground teams heads down to the Square, the evening sky dark overhead.

Katniss walks alongside Boggs, dressed in the same Mockingjay outfit she'd worn back in District Eight when the hospital was bombed. She has a quiver full of color coded arrows on her back, and she holds her bow tightly in her left hand.

There's some debris laying on the train tracks, purposely put there to prevent the train from pushing past when it arrives. Armed soldiers have taken position around it, guns pointing down the rail and into the depths of the Nut. I can feel the tension in the air, even from here in Thirteen.

"Don't worry, Katniss, there'll be survivors." Boggs says.

Peeta's right behind her, Gale trailing after him. The small group slips around the roadblock, walking a little ways out from the safety barrier.

"What're you going to say?" Gale asks her.

Peeta opens his mouth to speak up, but Katniss cuts him off.

"Not that speech you have that Plutarch wrote."

I snort as Plutarch sighs, both unsurprised and mildly humored by Katniss. She's always hated reading off the pre-written speeches. Not that I blame her, of course. It's pretty obvious when something's been written beforehand; those speeches always feel as staged as they are.

"Just remember that you're talking to everyone." Peeta tells her. "Not just the survivors and the other Districts, but the Capitol too. I can talk too, if you want. Okay?"

"Yeah." She nods.

"Make it quick, you're exposed." Boggs reminds her.

Katniss turns and walks out onto the track further. The others turn back to move behind the camera crew, out of sight. Once she's about halfway between the entrance to the Nut and the safety of the roadblock, she turns to face the camera.

"This is Katniss Everdeen, speaking to all of the loyalists from the heart of District Two." Her voice is strong.

There's a horn as the train rounds the bend, coming into sight of the camera.

"Survivors! Inbound!" Someone shouts.

"Ready! Ready! Guns up!"

Katniss turns to look at the train.

The train's brakes screech as it slows.

Boggs runs out to Katniss and grabs at her arm. "We gotta get you back."

She moves back with him as soldiers shout orders of preparation.

"Everybody, stand by!"

The train comes to a halt a safe distance from them. The soldiers order the survivors to put their weapons down and get on the ground as they hop from the train. Most obey with raised hands, giving in without a fight. Some don't, and the soldiers shout at them in warning. Even Boggs raises his gun to a man approaching him and Katniss.

"You, drop it!" He demands.

The man doesn't listen to him, taking a few steps towards the rebels.

Gunfire echoes through the air as several men fire at the stubborn loyalist. He falls to a kneeling position as he takes a hit.

"Stop!" Katniss exclaims, rushing forward to the man's side. "He needs help!"

"Hold your fire!" Boggs commands the soldiers.

Suddenly, the injured loyalist rises to his feet, his gun pushing into Katniss's throat. Plutarch and I stiffen.

"Drop it!" Boggs advances towards them, holding the scope of his weapon to his eye as he takes aim at the aggressor.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't shoot you." The survivor tells Katniss.

Boggs continues to shout orders at the man, but he's ignored.

"I can't." The Mockingjay pants.

"You have got to me kidding me." I scowl at the screen. Well, shit.

"I guess that's the problem, isn't it? We blew up your mine. You burned my District to the ground." Katniss continues, her voice a dangerous whisper. "We each have every reason to want to kill each other. So if you wanna kill me, do it. Make Snow happy. I'm tired of killing his slaves for him."

"I'm not his slave." The loyalist insists.

"I am. That's why I killed Cato. And he killed Thresh. And Thresh killed Clove. It just goes around and around. And who wins? Always Snow. I am done being a piece in his game." She hisses at him. "District Twelve, District Two. We have no fight. Except the one the Capitol gave us. Why are you fighting the rebels? You're neighbors. You're family."

The man regards her for a moment. Then he pulls his weapon back and holsters it.

Katniss stares at him in surprise, then slowly turns to look at the rest of the survivors. When she speaks again, her voice is loud and clear. "These people are not your enemy! We all have one enemy." She raises a finger for emphasis. "And that's Snow. He corrupts everyone and everything. He turns the best of us against each other. Stop killing for him! Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol. Turn your weapons to Snow."

A loyalist in the crowd stands up without warning, a pistol pointing directly at her. There's a bang that rings through the air as he pulls the trigger. As Katniss falls to the ground, everything erupts into chaos.

"No!" I gasp, eyes wide as I stare at the screen in horror.

The cameras cut into darkness as everyone scrambles to get away from the chaos.

Coin's mouth hangs open a little as she struggles to comprehend that she just lost control of the events in Two. Plutarch sighs, rubbing his face with one hand.

I'm the first to speak. "Please tell me that outfit is bulletproof."