Hello, everybody! After so long of not updating this story, I have finally returned! I got back into the Hunger Games series lately, so I figured it was about time I get back to this story.
So, this will cover the rescue mission in the Capitol. I wont jump back and forth between the Capitol and District 13 for Finnick's interview. It'll be entirely set in the Capitol until they actually escape, at which point it'll shift back to 13.
Alright. Let's finally get into Chapter 11. Also, just for reference. Everything that is written in first person is Katniss' point of view. Scenes that don't include Katniss will be written in third person.
Chapter 11- Rescue
I suddenly feel a hand shaking me awake. I look up and see Vision standing over me. Around us, everyone else is still asleep.
"Miss Everdeen, President Coin has asked for us to come meet her in command," Vision says.
I slowly nod and stand up, seeing Boggs standing just a few feet away. As soon as I'm up, Boggs turns and begins leading Vision and I away towards the heavy doors that lead out of the bunker. In silence, Vision and I follow Boggs up staircases and through corridors until we reach Command.
As we walk in, I see President Coin leaning up against a display panel. She looks over at me and says, "Took their best shot, didn't' they?"
"Yeah," I respond.
"Your mother and sister okay?" she asks
"Yeah, they're fine," I reply.
"I need you to do something for us. I need you to tell Panem we survived an attack by the Capitol with no casualties, and we remain fully operational," Coin says
"Okay," I reply.
"You should know something. We had eight extra minutes to conduct the evacuation because of Peeta's warning. I won't forget that," Coin says. I just nod.
I head out of Command, and am quickly met by my film crew. Caster and Pollux are still wearing the Ant-Man suit and the Falcon pack from their training session immediately prior to the bombing. Together, we head further up, heading above ground to conduct the shoot, with Effie and Cressida coaching on me on what I need to say.
As we emerge out of a door, my eyes are flooded with bright sunlight. As my eyes adjust to the light, I see we're standing in a large crater. It's clear it's from one bomb, and I'm amazed at the destruction a single bomb caused.
However, as I descend to the flor of the crater, I notice something covering the ground. A lot of somethings. After a few moments, I realize with shock what they are. Just to confirm it for myself, I bend down and pick one up. A perfect white rose. And I know instantly why they're here. Snow has left them for me.
"Why would they drop these?" Gale asks.
I turn to him. "For me," I say.
"Ready to go, Katniss? We're gonna do this just like District 8," Cressida says.
I don't respond, my mind racing. I barely hear Cressida as she says, "Tell me about the roses." A moment later, she says, "Tell Snow, '13 is alive and well'."
I still don't respond, horror racing through me. Part of my thoughts make it out of my mouth as I say, "He's gonna kill Peeta."
"Let's try again. We don't have a mike on you. '13 is alive and well and so am I'," Cressida says.
But I'm not paying her any attention, my mind still focused on what I've figured out. "He's gonna kill Peeta. I can't," I say, again in a soft voice.
"You can do it, Katniss," Gale says, still not realizing what's happening.
"'13 is alive and well and so am I,'" Cressida urges again.
"He's just gonna keep…He's never gonna stop," I say in a whisper. By now, Haymitch has realized what's going on, and motions for Cressida to stop while he walks up to me and hugs me.
"It's okay, kid," he says.
But I know better now. "No. He warned me. He warned me about this. He's doing this because I'm the Mockingjay. He's punishing Peeta to punish me. No. No, I can't do this," I say before I begin to walk back the way we came.
"Katniss-" Cressida starts to say.
"Don't make me do this!" I burst out.
"Let her go," Boggs says.
I make my way back underground, wandering rather aimlessly until I'm back in that pipe I so often hid myself in.
(Avengers floor)
Robert smiles as he watches Gale walk in. "So, you volunteered?" he asks.
"I had to. Katniss won't be able to function until Peeta's freed. Plus, we need him. We need the new Captain America. Plus, this will give us a huge morale boost if we can pull this off," Gale says.
Robert nods. Then, he says, "Well, if you're going to be going on this mission, you'll need all the firepower you can get. And I have something for you in that regard."
Robert walks through a door. A minute later, he comes out holding some kind of flat device.
"What's that?" Gale asks.
"Just watch," Robert says. He then reaches forward and sets it against Gale's chest. Gale feels the device attach to him, although it's not painful, and hardly even uncomfortable.
"What is this?" Gale asks.
"Just press it and hold still," Robert says.
Gale looks at him curiously, then shrugs before pressing the device. Immediately, to Gale's shock, metal begins flowing out of the device. After a few moments, it becomes clear what's happening, and he watches as a new variant of the Iron Man suit seems to flow out of the device, assembling around him. Finally, the helmet assembles around him.
Gale raises his hands, examining the suit. "What is this?" he asks.
"My ancestor, Tony Stark, created versions of the Iron man armor made of nanotechnology, that could be contained within a chest piece like this. At the will of the wearer, the suit could deploy from and retract into the chest piece. It also possesses the ability to regenerate damaged parts of the suit by redirecting nanites from other parts of the suit. It also possesses far more weapons and tools than the other suits you've worn so far. I intended to wait a lot longer to give you this suit, to make sure you were completely used to the suit. But, with you going on this mission, I felt it was time for you to have it. Now, we have half an hour before you leave. And I intend to show you how to really use this suit in that half hour," Robert says with a smile.
(Some time later)
I hug my knees close to me, just staring at the opposite side of the pipe, my mind completely centered on Peeta.
Suddenly, I hear something. I turn my head and see Vision crouching down so that he can fit into the pipe.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"I can't do this, Vision. I know the rebels need me to be the Mockingjay. Not just as a symbol, but as the leader of the Avengers. But I just can't do it, Vision. Snow will keep punishing Peeta to punish me. And I can't let that happen," I say.
Vision slowly nods, then says, "Then I believe it is good that Coin has ordered Peeta and the others be rescued."
"What?!" I exclaim.
"The attack on the hydroelectric dam in District 5 cut off most of the Capitol's power, which lowered their signal defenses, giving us a window, though we're not sure for how long. Beetee Latier is currently causing chaos in their signal defense system to keep them occupied. So, President Coin ordered a rescue mission," Vision says.
"I have to go!" I say, starting to get up.
However, Vision quickly stops me. "It's too late, Miss Everdeen. The team has already left. Seven soldiers went in. It was a volunteer only mission. And…"
My face falls slightly. "Gale volunteered, didn't he?" I ask.
"Yes, he did. But, he is not going as a normal soldier. He is going as Iron Man," Vision says.
I feel a sense of relief run through me, knowing that Gale will have the suit with him. Then, I ask, "Did any of the others go?"
Knowing I'm referring to the other members of the New Avengers, Vision nods as he says, "Yes. Castor went as well."
I feel a lot more certain about this, knowing that the team will have both Iron Man and Ant-Man there to help them.
(Capitol airspace, hours later)
Boggs looks out of the front window of the hovercraft, watching as the landscape around the Capitol flashes past. As he watches, they pass by a number of surface to air missile sites.
"No response from perimeter defense. We're inside Capitol airspace," the copilot says over the radio back to District 13.
Boggs turns back around and looks at his team. All four volunteer soldiers, kitted out for action. Gale, dressed in simple black pants and a shirt, with the containment unit on his chest. And Caster, wearing the Ant-Man suit, with his helmet next to him.
"Gear up!" Boggs says. All the soldiers grab their weapons and stand up, while Castor slides his helmet on, and Gale presses the containment unit, deploying the suit.
The hovercraft carefully makes its way through the city. Boggs watches out the front window, scanning the cityscape until he finally spots the target. The Tribute Center.
"There," he points.
The pilot slowly starts turning the hovercraft as he says over the radio, "Command, we have a visual on the tribute center. Starting our final approach."
Boggs makes his way into the back. "Masks on," he orders. The soldiers all put on their gas masks, while Gale and Castor just standing there, the helmets of their suits protecting them.
As they approach the Tribute Center, Boggs calls out, "Open the door."
As the hovercraft moves over the Tribute Center, Boggs says over the radio, "Command, this is team leader. We are ready to deploy gas. Will confirm once inside."
Boggs raises his grenade launcher, and fires several canisters of knock out gas down into the tribute center. Boggs then watches a timer, counting down the necessary time for the gas to begin taking effect. Once the timer runs down, he calls out, "Get ready to drop." He and the other four soldiers begin hooking up to a winch system that will lower them down into the Tribute Center. Meanwhile, Castor shrinks down and leaps onto Gale's shoulder, holding on tight as Gale prepares to fly down.
Boggs turns around, nods to everyone, and then he leaps out. The other four troops follow close behind, as Gale jumps out and flies down, flying ahead of them and down into the Tribute Center. Gale flies all the way to the bottom floor, pulling up and landing gently. He slowly turns around, allowing the suit to scan his surroundings.
"JOCASTA, anything?" Gale asks of the AI assistant originally created by Tony Stark that now serves as his AI assistant.
"Nothing, boss. It seems the gas did its work. I am detecting no movement in the immediate vicinity," JOCASTA responds.
Only a few moments later, Boggs and the other soldiers reach the floor. They unhook themselves, and Boggs says over the radio, "This is team leader. We're inside. Heading towards target number one."
The team turns towards a door, and Boggs orders, "Gas."
Two troops take up position, one on each side of the door. One pops it open just a hair before throwing it through the gap before closing the door. They wait a moment, then throw the door open and Gale hurries through. The team had decided to have Gale and Castor lead the way the whole time, given they were the least likely to get hurt if they were shot at.
They make their way down several staircases. Gale leads the way, one of his hands raised and repulsor at the ready while his suit continuously scans the surroundings. At the same time, Caster runs ahead, still shrunken down, scouting ahead.
They reach the target floor, and make their way over to a set of doors they need to go through. As they do, Castor grows back to normal size. "Nobody around the door," he reports.
Boggs nods then motions two troops forward. Again, one cracks the door open so the other can throw a gas grenade in. They wait several moments,then Boggs says, "Gale."
Gale nods, then rushes in as the two soldiers yank the doors open. He holds up his hands, repulsors at the ready, scanning the room. But once again, there's no movement, and he can't see anybody.
The rest of the team follows, slowly making their way through the room. It quickly becomes clear they've stumbled into some kind of lab. There's various scientific and medical tools scattered on tables and shelves throughout the room.
"What is this place?" Gale mutters.
The team continues to scan the room. Suddenly, without warning, all the lights in the room turn on. Most of the team, except Gale, cover their eyes to stop themselves from being temporarily blinded by the sudden bright light. Castor, as a knee-jerk response, shrinks down.
The soldiers take up covering positions, while Gale slowly spins around, repulsors at the ready. For almost 30 seconds they wait. Then, finally Boggs hears Beetee calling out to him over the radio, and responds, "Copy. Command, I need a situation report."
"Boggs. We're running out of time. You need to hurry," Beetee says.
"Let's move," Boggs says. The rest of the team follows him and Gale. They make their way through a bank of cells before they reach a door that leads into another, tougher bank of cells where Peeta is being held.
Boggs motions to the door, and two soldiers move up to it. Again, one cracks open the door while another tosses in a gas canister. A few moments later, they shove the doors open and walk into the bank of cells, heading towards the cell at the back, where Peeta is being held, passing by two unconscious Peacekeepers as they go.
Boggs gets on the radio and says, "Command, we're at the first target. Prepared to extract Peeta. Will confirm once he's in hand."
Gale walks up to the cell, then reaches out with one finger, allowing a laser in his finger to cut through the lock. He then opens the door, and they see Peeta lying unconscious on the bed.
"Grab him, Gale," Boggs says. Gale nods and walks over, picking up Peeta and slinging him over his shoulder.
As they start walking out of the cell bank, Boggs gets on the radio and says, "Command, we have Peeta. Moving onto target 2."
But there's nothing but static. Boggs tries two more times to contact 13, but gets no response. After the third try, Boggs looks around at the team and says, "We gotta move! I think the Capitol's onto us."
The team hurries on towards Johanna's cell bank, which is not far from Peeta's. As they near it, the team separates, with Gale and two soldiers heading toward's Annie's cell bank, while Castor, Boggs, and the other two soldiers staying at Johanna's cell bank.
When Boggs reaches the door into the cell bank, Boggs says, "No time for gas. Castor!"
"On it!" Castor says as he shrinks down before sliding under the door. They hear two grunts, followed by the thuds of two bodies hitting the floor. Then, they hear him say, "Clear!"
They throw open the doors and see Castor, back at normal size, standing over two unconscious Peacekeepers. Boggs nods once at Castor before hurrying up to the door and using a small bolt cutter to cut the lock. He throws open the door, and they find Johanna, now awake, sitting on her bed.
"Well, about time someone came to rescue me," Johanna says.
"Come on. We need to move," Boggs says, helping Johanna to her feet.
As they carry her out of the cell, not far away, Gale kicks open the door into Annie's cell bank. He sees two Peacekeepers standing guard, and quickly raises his free hand and fires his repulsor at the two Peacekeepers, knocking them out. He then hands off Peeta to one of the soldiers.
Without even hesitating, Gale walks up to the door of the cell and again uses a laser from his finger to cut the lock. He then throws the door open, and Annie, who had been resting on her cot, shoots up.
Annie looks at Gale in fear. Gale deactivates his helmet, revealing his face. "Annie Cresta. It's okay. My name is Gale. I'm from District 12. I'm here to rescue you," he says.
Annie still looks fearful. Gale walks up and crouches down slightly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of here, and you're gonna go see Finnick," he says.
This seems to snap Annie out of her fear, and hope fills her face. "Finnick?!" she says.
"Yes. Finnick's waiting for you. But I need to get you out of here. Want to come with me?" he asks. Annie nods vigorously.
Gale helps her up, and the soldier not supporting Peeta walks forward to help her. Gale takes Peeta back, and the three of them, along with Annie, walk out of the cell bank, where they meet the rest of the team.
"Alright. We have all three. Let's get out of here," Boggs says. Everyone nods, and the team begins heading back the way they came.
As they make their way back to the main floor, they don't run into any Peacekeepers. By the time they reach the extraction point, they still haven't.
As they reach the extraction point, Boggs says, "We need to get out of here, quickly. Gale, get us all out of here."
Gale nods, fitting one arm around Peeta, and the other around Annie, and then takes off, flying up to the hovercraft at a much higher speed than he was when he flew down into the Tribute Center.
As he flies up, Johanna watches him go, and says, "What is that thing?"
"The Iron Man suit," Boggs says.
"You'll have to fill me in," Johanna says.
"We will. Back in 13," Boggs says.
It doesn't take long for Gale to return. He takes Johanna and one of the other soldiers and flies them up to the hovercraft. He then makes two more trips to get Boggs and the other soldiers onto the hovercraft.
Once everyone is aboard the hovercraft, Gale says, "I'm not staying in here. You guys get out of here. I'll escort you out." He then jumps out and hovers just behind the hovercraft.
The hovercraft rotates then starts flying away, heading back out of the Capitol, with Gale flying alongside the hovercraft. As they approach the Capitol's air defenses, JOCASTA speaks up and says, "Boss, I'm detecting that the Capitol's air defenses are back online. They're aimed at the hovercraft."
"Lock up the nearest sites and prep missiles,"" Gale orders.
"On it," JOCASTA says. A few moments later, JOCASTA says, "Missiles are locked. But the Capitol's missiles have been locked on the hovercraft for at least 20 seconds and have yet to fire."
This heavily confuses Gale, but he's not about to take chances. He mentally orders the shoulders of the suit to open up, and a volley of missiles launches. The missiles streak out and destroy the missile launch sites.
The hovercraft safely makes it past the wreckage of the sites, as well as the few surviving sites, and still there's nothing.
"Mockingjay 1, this is Iron Man. Missile sites are down. Hold course, I'll continue escort," he says, feeling its about time to test out his personal endurance with a transcontinental flight back to 13.
And, I'll end there. I'll cover all the post rescue mission stuff in the next chapter, which will be much shorter.
For those wondering, Gale's suit in this is the Mk85 we saw in Avengers: Endgame. While we didn't see all of that suit's capabilities, assume it has all the ones we saw, as well as all the capabilities of the Mark 50 we saw in Infinity War.
I hope you guys liked this, and are excited for me to be working on this again. I'll try and update at least once every one to two weeks until this story is finished. I promise I won't go years between updates again.
Next chapter will be up in the next few days. Until then, leave a review, and stay tuned!