Authors Note:

Hi ,All! So special treat for Labor Day. You get Two Chapters instead of one. I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.

PS...Daisy you are the best. Thank you for proofreading girl. I don't know how many times I have written Beetee's name wrong and you catch each an every time.

...I don't own the Huger Games, they belong to the wonderful S. Collins.

Gale paced back forth. His hair was disheveled "Anything yet?"

Haymitch looked at the melted mangled chair in the other room. Beetee forbade them from going back in side.

Gale paused to look at the chair. He was so focused in on getting Katniss out that he made stupid judgment calls. Gale realized he let his emotions get the better of him. Madge told him all the time he could not simply react, he had to pause and think.

"Hey do you want to sit down, you are making coffee nervous." Haymitch croaked out. The waiting was driving Gale mad and Gale's complaints were getting on Haymitch's last nerve. Haymitch was about to find some duck tape and forcibly confine the kid in a chair.

"Sure" Gale sat down next to Haymitch. He watched him take out his handkerchief and blow his nose. Gale ran his hand through his hair and then sat forward bracing his arms on his knees. Then his leg started shaking.

Haymitch noticed the kid's leg shaking. The legs of the chairs were making a scraping sound on the concrete floor. It was grating on his ears. Haymitch gave Gale a contemptuous glance.

Gale noted the man's angry look and stopped moving. "Sorry."

Haymitch did not reply he grunted.

"How much longer do you think?"

Haymitch looked at the kid. "Don't know."

Gale looked out into the room. For some reason, the glass door did not slide open after Katniss disappeared for the last time. That was several hours ago. Since then there was no word from Beetee or his team. They seemed to huddle together speaking in a language he did not quite comprehend. He ran his hands through his hair once more.

His silver grey eyes rested on the remnants of what once was the steel and plastic chair. If not for the old man, he would be like that chair right now. That chair was making him reflect on his life so far. Gale swallowed he looked to Haymitch, he saved his life and a debt of gratitude was owed. "Thanks."

Haymitch said "For what?"

"For saving my life, I could have been like that chair."

"You were only trying to help get your friend out of that tube." Haymitch said.

Gale blinked thinking even so he owed Haymitch Abernathy a debt. Something he would have to repay back.

Haymitch sat back his mind was worried and he wanted to will Katniss back into the room. He recognized he too was as anxious as Gale, though while Gale manifested it by moving around, for Haymitch it was internal. It reminded him of the process of having to watch the Games from a detached room where only the mentors were allowed in.

That dammed room made the hearts of many turn cold. While others were made into puppets by Snow himself. There were no real winners in the Games. No one ever reaped the benefits promised by the Capitol.

Victors learned never to show what they were really thinking until absolutely necessary.

Snow was always watching.

Gale looked about the room. He swallowed as he became anxious.

It was eerily quiet.

Gale stood, he needed to move. The only time he was still was when he was hunting with Katniss. It was as if a different part of his brain was activated for that. Outside of hunting, Gale did not like staying still. He liked the frenetic pace of District Thirteen, it was a direct contrast two the slow grind of District Twelve.

Haymitch shifted in his chair as he stretched out his legs watching the scientists in the control room.

For the past five and half hours the only noise that could be heard was Beetee and his team of scientists conferring with each other. The only bit of technology was in the computer system they used to power the machine. Everything else was ancient. There was a massive amount of mathematical jargon written on paper as they came up with a theory. Then they tested it. Upon failing they would go back and repeat the process.

Beetee wheeled to the counsel.

Gale noted the difference in the scientists faces. There was no hesitation this time. No hopeful glances in either direction in hopes that their newest idea worked. This time there was just pure confidence written on their faces.

He stopped pacing.

The machine groaned and moaned, giving off a screeching sound. Under Beetee's control it began to reactivate. Unlike the other times Gale was glad to see the darn room shake.

Both Haymitch and Gale braced themselves as the room jostled violently. Suddenly the room filled up with an intense bright light. Gale and Haymitch sheltered their eyes.

"We got a fix on her…." One of Beetee's colleagues shouted contentedly.

"Making calibrations to anchor her cells to the coordinates" the other scientist called out.

Haymitch stood watching as his fingers held on to the table where Beetee and the others were working from.

"I see her Haymitch, I see her" Gale gleefully shouted.

Suddenly the room stopped shaking, the light disappeared, and as if nothing happened the tube lifted and glass door slid open.

The first one inside the room was not Haymitch or Gale. It was Beetee, he held a small box. "There are no signs of radiation."

Gale ran right after, he kneeled on the ground and gently picked up Katniss form. She whimpered, her body slightly trembling.

"We got to get her to the infirmary, they are waiting for her." One of the scientists said.

Gale took off.

"Wait I must speak to her" Beetee wheeled himself to follow.

"Can it Beetee" Haymitch ground out as he two followed Gale he was worried about how this darned experiment would affect his kid.

Two days later Haymitch sat by the Girl.

The beeping sounds of the hospital monitors were the only noise in the room. They were monitoring her vitals closely even though the doctors that were allowed to treat her announced she was okay. For five hours-and-a half hours, Katniss disappeared altogether. According to what Beetee explained when he came to visit yesterday, her cells were essentially floating in the air. Haymitch was afraid they were not going to be able to put her back together again. Miraculously Beetee managed to bring her back and get her out of that test tube. Beetee wanted to speak to her, but she was in no condition.

She was barely conscious. Katniss was delirious, and Haymitch was frankly scared. Coin made sure this experiment was kept quiet. The official excuse was simple. The Mockingjay was exhausted and needed rest before she could continue being the Mockingjay.

They kept her under for a day giving them the ample time needed to check her. They quietly ran all sorts of tests on Katniss. Finally they concluded she was fine. Only one exception was found, she had a bad case of dehydration. Apparently, having her genes scrambled made her body severely parched. The doctors wanted to make sure the drugs they used to sedate her were out of her system before releasing her. It would not due to have a drugged up Mockingjay in District Two.

Haymitch was glad she had gotten a clean bill of health. Though Haymitch was not sure about the state of Katniss mental health, jumbling a brain was never a good idea. Peeta was the perfect example.

Sitting forward, Haymitch braced his elbows on his knees, burrowing his face in his hands. The Girl had taken a big risk and no one knew if it worked. Haymitch rubbed his face. He should have never let her volunteer. He almost lost her. When she disappeared for the second time, Haymitch's heart stopped.

"Hey, how is she?" Gale asked peeking in his head through the entrance of the door before his body made an appearance into the private room they had Katniss in. He was relieved everything was back to normal.

"Well look who decided to show up" Haymitch raised an eyebrow.

"I was with Beetee, couldn't get away. Then I had to get Rye out of trouble again." Rye Peeta's brother, was making his life impossible. Rye was one of the people Madge led to the meadow.

Peeta's older brother was at the edge of town near the slag heap of all places when the first bomb went off with some girl. Rye found Greasy Sea and her granddaughter lost in the confusion. He actually carried both the old woman and her little granddaughter in his arms. Along the way he found others and encouraged them to follow him. Rye ran into Madge who was leading her own group to the Meadow. Gale acknowledged Rye was a brave man, but a real pain in the neck.

"What did Rye do this time?" Haymitch asked. He liked the eldest Mellark. The guy was a hero, but preferred no accolades. He could have been a soldier like Gale but had no taste for weapons.

Rye preferred to work in the kitchens. He often said killing people changed a person and he did not want to change. Gale did not understand, but could not judge Rye, because he was a good guy like his brother. All of the refugees from District Twelve said Rye was the comedian that helped their moral, while they were fleeing in the woods. Haymitch loved the fact that Rye had a rebellious streak the size of the Capitol. It kept Gale busy.

"He mouthed off to the head chef about the ingredients that should go into the making of the bread. Fortunately this time, Rye was right. His way is more efficient. It yields healthier bread and more quantity to that will help us with the food rations." Gale rubbed his face, though he wanted to laugh at the chef's red-faced anger at having to be proven wrong.

Haymitch whistled.

"Yeah because of him we are now going to have better tasting bread." One thing was certain the eldest Mellark loved to harass Gale when he got back from hunting. Rye always told him that his aim was off, that Beetee needed to make him a better crossbow or maybe even better eyes.

Gale grinned as he thought of Rye.

The middle Mellark was typical District Twelve, doing his own thing against the establishment. He caught Rye slipping food to the people who were hungry, especially the kids or the infirmed.

"Well at least there will be something edible on our plates." Haymitch grumbled.

"It was good bread Haymitch, he knows his trade well." Gale announced. Rye did not care that it was a major offense here in Thirteen. He said his father did it and so would he. Gale had gotten Rye out of many scrapes. Gale understood and appreciated Rye for it. Especially when Rye went out of his way to give Posey a cookie when his sister was not well, Gale could not throw the kid in the brig. Rye had a big heart just like Peeta once had before the Capitol got his hands on him.

"If there is one thing those Mellark's know, it is bread. That witch was very frugal, she would have fit here nicely." Haymitch thought this who stinking District were like drones. Not much thought just people existing on a carefully constructed schedule.

Gale looked to Katniss still form, glad to know she was only catching rest. He read the report but he wanted to personally see her. She gave him quite the scare. She was gone for more than five hours before Beetee finally managed to get her back. "Is she better?" Gale asked.

"She has been floating in and out." Haymitch grunted.

"But has she been able to get out of bed?" Gale questioned even though he knew they sedated her to run the tests. She was most likely just still under the influence of the anesthesia.

"She still has not gotten up, because she still under the influence of the drugs, but other than that she is fine."

"Good" Gale nodded. "How are you doing?"

"I need a drink." Haymitch grunted.

Gale grinned, "I could use one too."

They both laughed.

"I am glad she is back." Gale sighed openly. He hated what he had to do next. "I got orders from Coin."

Haymitch sat back in his chair, waiting to see what that woman wanted from Katniss. Coin was making sure Katniss kept her promise to help in the war effort.

"She wants Katniss to go to District Two as soon as she is cleared from the hospital. They are having trouble getting through to the district. She hopes having Katniss present will advance the rebellion and give a moral boost to those who are currently engaged in combat." Gale looked to Katniss it did not sit well with him that Coin was forcing her to do things like this as part of the Mockingjay Agreement.

As much as he wanted Katniss there in District Two, Gale wanted his friend to rest more. They were leaving tomorrow night and three days of recovery after her body was scrambled and put back together was not enough. He was scared that what happened to her, despite what the doctors said, would affect her later on. Gale had not been this scared since he saw her become limp in the arms of Peeta Mellark before her Victory Tour.

"I'll tell sweetheart when she wakes up." Haymitch promised.

"Okay" Gale nodded and walked away. He paused at the door. He slipped his hands in his pockets before speaking, "Hey Haymitch."

"Yeah," Haymitch watched the angry boy forced to become a man.

Gale removed his hands from his pockets looking at Katniss. There was so much he wanted to tell her. She was his best friend, but the war needed to be won. The Capitol had to pay, Gale swallowed. "Tell her I will be with Beetee in weapons development."

"Got it kid." Haymitch grumbled sitting back in his chair as he stretched out his legs.

Gale left silently, his hands in his pockets once more. His thoughts shifted to Madge once more, and the sacrifice she did to rescue over three hundred extra people. One thousand two hundred fifty three people escaped because of Madge and people like Rye. Gale however wished for just one more number added to that list. Oh, how he missed Madge. With sad eyes, Gale made his way out the room.

In the hospital room Haymitch looked to Katniss, once more wishing he had a drink in his hands. He thought this kid had more lives than that darn bag of fleas, oddly enough, called Buttercup. That mangy cat always seemed to get into his house when they were in the Victors Village, never left him alone. He often found it lying squarely on his chest when ever his drunken stupor ebbed away. He rubbed his face.

"Peeta…"

At the sound of her raspy voice Haymitch sat up. It was the first intelligent sound she made since they rescued her. Cautiously he leaned forward "Sweetheart?"

"Peeta…" Katniss said desperately. Her brain hurt, it felt like it was out of focus. Katniss moaned out of pain.

Haymitch squeezed her hand "Sweetheart, it's Haymitch."

Katniss opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. Instantly Katniss knew she was no longer in District Twelve. As her eye sight cleared, she found herself in the dank cinderblock room of the infirmary. She turned her eyes to look at the shadowy figure hovering over her peripheral vision. "Haymitch…"

"Hush kid, we got you out."

"Peeta how is he?" Katniss was desperate to know.

"Kid you know that he is about the same. Though Prim…"

Katniss rushed as she tried to sit up. "I have to go back I was so close."

"Katniss, calm down before that nurse with the thick hairy ankles runs back in here to give you another shot." Haymitch gruffly bit out, blocking her from getting up and tearing out her IV's.

Katniss lay back down. She turned her head to the side away from Haymitch. She gray eyes looked up in shock at the hospital equipment. Disappointedly, she was once more in District Thirteen. It seemed as if nothing changed.

"We were scared for a while there, did not think we could get you back." Haymitch breathed out.

Katniss shook her head still shaken. Deflated, she wanted to cry at how she left things with Peeta. She wanted to show him that she cared. Having to return after a fight was heartbreaking. She could only imagine what he was thinking. A myriad of emotions filtered through her. Katniss became frustrated because she could have affected more changes, may be saved more people if given the opportunity. She should have been able to save Peeta or his family.

"What happened?"

"Haymitch I was so close…" Katniss whispered desperately.

Haymitch frowned thinking she was speaking about the killing the president. "So that crazy contraption works?"

Katniss shook her head, watching her mentor take out a grey handkerchief from his pocket. "I want to go back."

"Well, you can not go back now. Beetee wants to do some recalibration to the doohickey." Haymitch blew his nose with the handkerchief. He hated the humidity in these tunnels his nose always seemed to run. "Besides, I just got the word. Coin wants you to be the Mockingjay in District Two."

"What now?" Katniss shook her head "Haymitch I need to go back…"

"Not going to happen Sweetheart, Coin wants you in Two."

Katniss bit her lip "Maybe when I get back we could try it once more."

"Possibly, but you know a toilet doesn't flush around here without Coin's expressed permission." Haymitch pulled up his sleeve to point to the schedule tattooed on his skin.

Katniss looked at Haymitch before resting her head back on the pillow. She wanted to see Peeta. "Does anyone else know about the machine?"

"No it was kept hush-hush. Coin did not want to broadcast anything with out positive intelligence. I think she believes the machine is a bust." Haymitch scrubbed his face as he stood to leave.

Katniss kept quiet then changed topics "Haymitch, honestly how is Peeta?"

Haymitch looked down as he slipped his hands in his grey uniform pants. "He is doing better. Like I said before Prim is with him. She a few others are working with him around the clock."

Katniss shook her head in acknowledgment for the update. Prim was with him and that is all that mattered. "How long, until I am sent away on my next mission?"

"As soon as they patch you up kid you are shipping out. They need you out there to rally the troops."

Katniss took a fortifying breath. She wanted to understand what she went through. The actual mechanics of it would be too much for her, but she was sure Beetee could explain it to her. He was the only one person who could do that. "Can I walk around?"

"Yeah but do not stray too far, they are watching you." Haymitch warned.

"I want to go see Beetee."

"He is up in development with Gale." Haymitch informed.

"Great…" Katniss murmured, knowing they would never let her get up and walk around.

Haymitch looked to the girl to tell her to be careful, but it would be a waste of his breath. "No problem Sweetheart. I'll be back tomorrow to see you before you get shipped out."

Katniss grumbled. "I hate hospitals."

Haymitch poked his head once more in the room "I heard that, and stay out of trouble would you."

Katniss snickered good naturedly 'Stay out of trouble."

"Sweetheart" Haymitch warned.

Katniss smiled sweetly looking like a kid that was about to start a food fight in the school cafeteria.

"I think I liked it better when you were asleep." Haymitch left huffing between this kid and the other one he was going to get a mental hernia. They were always looking for ways to disturb the peace. He rubbed his face and exclaimed "I need a friggin drink."