Welcome all to Chapter Nineteen, let's start with the disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of the characters.

I really like Finnick so I wanted to keep him as a main player within this alternate universe. I've even given him a little backstory that I'll reveal later in the story.

Now without further ado, please enjoy Chapter Nineteen.

I leaned back into the couch watching Maize set up the communicator for the test trials to contact the base, "Ok, I've strengthened the traceless function of your communicator. This will also make sure the conversations you have using it aren't going to be hacked by the Capitol. Try contacting Cinna with this frequency, I'll broaden it if needed." She said, not taking her eyes off her small keyboard.

I assumed she was linked with my communicator remotely, though I would never know nor understand how. Taking the communicator from her I gently ran my fingers over the pin, "Wake up," I whispered letting the link between me and my Mockingjay communicator reestablish. The familiar humming soon ran through my neck and I could tell the communicator was ready to transmit any messages. I thought about contacting Cinna letting the comm do most of the work, until the connection hum started to vibrate in my ear.

"Sly Fox this is Mockingjay, are you reading me?" I said loud and slowly so that I could be heard clearly. I used our codenames out of habit.

STATIC.

I turned to Maize who looked intently at her keyboard typing away. She was definitely trying something to fix the signal of the frequency, strengthening it maybe or widening the range? I wasn't sure, but Maize definitely knew what she was doing and I was going to leave her be until she was done.

"Try again." She muttered, not looking up as she continued to type. While she worked I glanced at Finnick, who had risen from the couch he had been lounging on. He walked over to the wall and called up DICA, surprising me that he knew about it at all.

I tapped the mockinging pin again and repeated my words, "Sly Fox this is Mockingjay, do you read me?"

"Fox… quite make out… Mockingjay… connection… too weak…" It was broken but I could hear Cinna's voice through that static. We were close I could tell, I looked at Maize but didn't need to say any words to her. She knew what she was doing better than I did.

A few clicks later and Maize nodded again, looking intently at me for any sign that she needed to try again, "Sly Fox can you read me?" I asked, tentatively.

The silence was unbearable until words soon broke through, "Loud and clear, Mockingjay. Are we secure?"

"As the Snow tyrant's gardens." Maize said, smirking at Finnick.

I rolled my eyes at Maize, "Don't do that. It's like you're completing him, he doesn't need that added to his already inflamed ego."

"Who doesn't?" Cinna's voice asked over the communication link. I had forgotten that my pin was set to pick up background noise and voices.

Might as well tell him that first, "We had a stowaway aboard the Firebird." I explained, looking disapprovingly at Finnick, "Sub-Commander Finnick Odair snuck onto the Firebird before launch in order to be an unapprove member of the mission."

Silence could be heard on the other end until a burst of laughter echoed out from someone who wasn't Cinna, "Alright Beetee, you may find it funny but it is a serious issue." Cinna stated to the laughee, who had apparently been Beetee, he sighed then, "So that is where the Sub-Commander snuck off too. We've been searching the entire base for him since the Hummingbird returned safely with his sister and the other two aboard." The way he said so nonchalantly that the spies were safe almost annoyed me.

"Well I'm happy they're all safe, but you, Gale and I need to decide what to do with him." I stated, looking at Finnick were he sat devouring his meal.

"Give him over to the Capitol, I'm sure he'll understand how stupid he was after by killed by firing squad." Gale muttered, still annoyed by Finnick's disobedience.

Cinna's sigh echoed through the room, "I think that's a bit extensive, Gale."

Maize who had been listening into the conversation broke through it, "Before you do that Finnick, I assume you snuck in your communicator?" she said, reaching out her hand for the device she hadn't even learned was here or not.

The chuckle that came from Finnick's throat was definitely one of amusement, "Can't get anything techy past you huh, Techno Bird?" Using her codename, he was definitely trying to get tech support points from Maize.

Maize, as usual, wasn't falling for that, "Just give me the bloody pin, Stealth Dolphin." her hand was out stretched for the dolphin pin Finnick had as a communicator.

Finnick sighed in defeat, "Alright Techno Bird," he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his teal blue dolphin pin. Maize rolled her eyes as she took the pin from him, placing it onto her coding keyboard.

"Father, I have something important to discuss with you. I'm going to use Finnick's communicator to discuss it," She said, the sound of her voice most definitely meant she had a plan in the works, "Should only take a few minutes." She started tapping at her keys.

While Maize fiddled with Finnick's communicator, I returned to my own and Cinna who waited on the other side, "What do you suggest we do with Finnick? We can't send him back and we can't have Snow discover who he is, no matter how much Gale wants to see him shot."

"I never said I wanted to see him get shot." Gale muttered under his breath as though he was a child being scolded. Which, in my opinion, he was acting like.

"If you all don't mind a bit of outside suggestions." Haymitch chimed in, leaning forward from his seat on one of the couches.

Gale and I exclaimed looks, Haymitch wasn't a Rebel anymore, if anything he was more closer to an ally of the enemy. Though that might not be entirely true. Haymitch's allegiance was so hard to uncover that the only person I could for certainty say it lay with would be Peeta.

I thought some more about that as Gale started voicing objections I scarcely heard. Peeta didn't seem to be all that loyal to his parents or any of the Capitol Nobility, his loyalty to Panem was better than any noble, that's for sure. And his loyalty to the Rebellion? I doubt he had any, but he did care for me, and to be honest I did care for him too. But was that enough to be loyal to my cause? It was a gamble, and even more of a gamble that Haymitch would follow Peeta's loyalties.

My head hurt just thinking about it all. I looked at Gale and Haymitch who had started an argument with Cinna and Peeta trying to coax them down, "ENOUGH." I said loudly and firmly.

They stopped, looking at me with a slight embarrassment in Peeta and Gale's eyes but Haymitch's had a glimmer of amusement as if he knew what I was about to say, "We didn't know enough about the workings of the Capitol to secure Finnick's safety," Gale looked stunned, knowing almost instinctively what I was about to say, "Haymitch does. His insight is invaluable to our discussion and I for one don't want to drag this out of too long."

Haymitch smirked for a split second then nodded his head in acknowledgment to me, "Thank you, Leader Everdeen. Your faith in me is appreciated." I'm pretty sure that was the first time he actually treated me like I was the leader of the Panem Rebels and not some willful schoolgirl, "Now, hiding Finnick is almost as difficult as getting Snow to admit to his crimes. However, we don't have to hide him, instead all we have to do is let him be seen."

Gale and I both look skeptical, while Cinna who couldn't show his emotions spoke instead, "Haymitch I understand you know the Capitol better than most, but isn't that-"

"It is a brilliant idea!" Peeta, who had been silent since our shattered kiss, exclaimed. Obviously he understood what Haymitch was suggesting without needing any words.

"Thank you Peeta, but don't you think I should explain it to everyone before you get too excited?" Haymitch suggested, smirking at the embarrassed look that crossed the young man's face. Damn it, why did Peeta have to look so cute when embarrassed?

I slapped myself mentally, I needed to stop thinking those kinds of things about Peeta. As I mentally scolded myself Haymitch explained his plan, "What I mean is to allow Finnick to walk around like he belongs in the Capitol, in the Lord's house, even in this room."

"Are you going to get to the point or just keep dragging things out?" Gale sighed, saying exactly what I was thinking.

Haymitch chuckled, "Alright what I'm saying to make Finnick a junior bodyguard of the prince here. Since I'm in charge of his bodyguards I can suggest to Coin and Snow that he should be assigned as your guard during your time here."

"That… that actually is a brilliant idea." I said, with a bit more surprise in my voice than I had planned, "Having one of our one men acting as our guard will give us a lot more freedom then Snow would ever have known. Also if I remember correctly Finnick has previous experience in this field. Weren't you stationed in the Capitol two years ago, and while you were here didn't you use the cover of a bodyguard for the Lesser Cresta family?"

Finnick, surprisely, looked a bit uncomfortable at my mention of his previous post, "Yes, well that job didn't end all too well." He said, a sudden blush crossed his face.

Haymitch looked closely and then started to laugh, "So you're the one who got the eldest Cresta daughter pregnant?"

"He did what?!" I exclaimed in surprise looking between them all, since they all seemed to know about the incident, "Cinna, is this why you demoted and transferred him?"

Cinna's voice sounded ashamed on the other end, "I had no choice Katniss, his mission didn't include a romance with the Cresta daughter. In fact I ordered him not to get involved with her after I learned of her feelings for him from another spy we had inside the Cresta mansion. He didn't listen though. He just did as he wanted, just like now."

Finnick just smiled, though the blush was still present on his face.

"Would anyone in the Capitol recognize you?" I asked, hoping to remove this road block from our paths.

"Annie would. Maybe the kids, I sneak into the Capitol from time to time to see her." Finnick admitted with a slight hint of bashfulness. That comment was not something either Gale or Cinna was ready to hear.

"Damn it Finnick!" Gale said in an authoritative voice just as Cinna shouted, "Finnick Odair!"

They both began to speak at once, chastising and berating Finnick for going against instructions never to see Annie Cresta again. Finnick however didn't look embarrassed this time, instead he just sighed, "You two really wanted me to never see the woman I love again or my kids?"

Gale looked surprised and speechless by that question, while it took Cinna only a few moments to answer, "No Finnick, we're not saying we wouldn't want that. It's dangerous to return to the Capitol after something as significant as that happens. You're lucky you were only fired for being Annie's guard. If Snow or Coin had had it their way, you would have become an Avox, or been executed."

"Or worse of worst he could have been sent into the Maze or the Arena." Peeta added, seeming to know a worse punishment than even dying.

"The Maze and the Arena?" I had never heard of that punishment before, was it a Capitol secret? Or a knowledge my comrades hidden from me?

Peeta looked surprised, "I… I thought your people knew about them. Haymitch knows."

Cinna coughed at the same time as Haymitch, "They aren't something we should be discussing right now. We're talking about Finnick after all." Cinna explained, quickly changing the subject without even trying to be subtle about it.

"We will be talking about those later, Fox." I said, looking very annoyed even though he couldn't see me. I could still feel his apprehension even from behind the communicator, "Back to the topic at hand." I turned to Finnick, "why would only your lover and children recognize you?"

Finnick shrugged, "I use aliases and disguises, which I only remove when I arrive at the mansion Annie's parents exiled her to after they found out about our affair. They were just as angry with Annie and me, as Cinna was. However, laws forbid a noblewoman to abort a pregnancy after she's four months along. So they couldn't get rid of the kids, and the Cresta family isn't all that big to begin with. So they sent her off to a mansion on the outskirts of the Capitol where no one would see her or the kids." I sighed, this was what happened when nobles and others mixed. This was another reason not to get involved with Peeta.

"Ok so only Annie and your children know your real name and appearance?" I asked, trying to turn the subject around again.

Finnick just nodded.

"Good, what alias have you gone by, so we can eliminate them?"

Finnick sat there, deep in thought. A silence spread through the five of us, one so silent that I almost jumped when Maize cried out, "It works!"

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