Disclaimer:
I do not own the Hunger Games book series. It is property of Suzanne Collins and the publisher Scholastic Press. The movies are owned by Lionsgate and other associated producers and creators. I am simply a humble fan, writing this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release.
"Hmm," Coriolanus Snow hummed to himself, staring at the pictures on his desk. Peeta Mellark smiled up at him from his Victory photo. Katniss Everdeen scowled.
Had Mellark won, he would have been one of his better Victor's. His attitude was just the kind Snow preferred in his ring of Victor's. He would have been able to make the clients feel special, really get to know them, drawing them back again and again for his services. He would no doubt take that charm to his job as a mentor. He would be popular with the sponsors in a way Abernathy was not. Though with Abernathy's connections.
Katniss Everdeen would do whatever it takes to protect her sister. She would be the girl his more... Rowdy customers, preferred. Pure and innocent in the matters of sex, and more willful than many of his past Victors.
So willful in fact, he had a suspicious she might not go along with her marriage. She might try to run away. No, he couldn't allow one of his most popular Victors to do that. District 5 was in need of new Head Peacekeeper. Perhaps Cray would be interest in the job. Thread would make a good deterrent against any potential flight. She was a hunter; so was her cousin Gale. Had it been any other district, Coriolanus might have them cracked down on immediately, but Twelve was the most backwater. As long as they completed their coal quota, he would allow them to continue their hunting. Well, and as long as Katniss Everdeen knew what was to be expected of her.
Seneca Crane should have revoked his rule change. He should have followed the rules to the letter, and made them fight it out. He wanted to leave his mark, and how he had. And he had paid for it with his career. Now the fool wanted to work in politics. As if Coriolanus would ever allow that. The man was lucky that he would not punish his son for his crimes. Iskandar Crane would be allowed to continue his education at his affluent school, and one day join the ranks of the Gamemakers. Hopefully he would be smarter than his father.
Still, the fool did present him with a new opportunity. The novelty of two Victors would not wear off soon. With the upcoming wedding, the relationship would be a great distraction. Two Victors from the same game, starting a family. In the future, he would make sure their children were reaped, though not all of them. Enough to continue the family line, to ensure their children's children would pay the price for Seneca's folly.
"Mr. President?" His secretary's voice came through the intercom on his desk. "Plutarch Heavensbee is here to see you."
"Send him in," Coriolanus said. His new Head Gamemakers was not the fool Crane was. Heavensbee would not make such a mistake. The man in question entered the room, and silently sat down on the other side of his desk, waiting until he was addressed. Crane would already be talking. Such an improvement.
Coriolanus reached his hand out, and tapped a button on his desk. A hologram of an arena appeared. An artificial island, designed like a clock. An inventive idea, but one that would surely cut the tributes down quickly. The games would be over quickly, and that was unacceptable. The Quarter Quell was to be a grand spectacle. Not over in the blink of an eye.
When he addressed his concerns, Heavensbee smile. "I agree. A promising design, but not for a quell. As you know, arena's are not built in a day."
Coriolanus did know. There were five whole specialized teams that worked around the year, each one focusing on their own arena. Other than when the games themselves were in session, they were in constant contact with the Gamemakers, led personally by one of the five Assistant Head Gamemakers.
"We have five arena's in various stages of construction. Two are complete, and are ready to go. One of them the clock arena," he said.
Snow hummed. "The other?"
"A chain of five islands, connected by a land bridge. Each one a different terrain," Heavensbee said.
It was an interesting idea, but not for a quell. The first quell arena had been literal hell on Earth. The second quell was a literal paradise, though a poisoner one at that. Of course they had removed the poison as it opened for tourists, but that's besides the point. For the next quell, he wanted something grand. Like hell or a paradise.
"Well, we have one that's close to being finished," Heavensbee said. Tapping a few buttons on his side of the desk, another arena appeared. A towering white palace, surrounded by a forest. Great walls protected the courtyard and the palace itself from the terrors of the forest. He read through the information that was available, and a smile crossed his bloodied lips.
"Perfect. How soon can it be finished?" Coriolanus asked.
"If we take construction workers off the other arena's off the other arena's, in time for the quell."
"See to it Heavensbee. This is our arena," he declared.
"I shall see to it, sir," his Head Gamemaker promised.
"See that you do. One last thing, Heavensbee. Primrose Everdeen," he mused.
Plutarch cocked his head. "What about her?"
"See that her name is removed from the reaping. She will end up in the arena one day, but I don't think it will be in the quell," he decided.
"Of course, Mr. President."
When Haymitch came over to his house, and asked Peeta to take a walk with him, he was surprised. It was the first time his mentor had ever come to his house. For any reason.
They walked through Twelve, not stopping as they reached the town. Theu continued to walk, all the way to the Seam. "Where are we going?" Peeta asked, staring at the dark haired children as he past.
"To the house I lived in before I won the games," Haymitch answered.
When he arrived, Peeta was surprised to see Gale Hawthorne. He turned to look at Haymitch, but he shrugged. "Unlike other districts, we don't have have a large rebel base. He'll be able to help with that. Unlike you, Katniss and me, he isn't going to be watched by the Capitol as closely," he said.
"If Thirteen is going to hold up their end of the bargain," Gale said, crossing his arms.
Peeta frowned. "Thirteen? As in District 13? It was destroyed," he said. Everyone knew that. The Capitol bombed it to hell at the end of the war that gave them the Hunger Games.
Gale looked at Haymitch. "You didn't tell him?" He asked.
"That's what I brought him here for," Haymitch said.
"Where's Katniss?" Gale asked.
Haymitch snorted.
"Okay, now I'm really confused," Peeta said, speaking before Haymitch could. "What didn't you tell me?"
Haymitch sighed. "District 13 isn't destroyed. They struck a deal with the Capitol at the end of the last war."
"The Capitol let graphite miners strike a deal?" Peeta asked incredulously.
"They didn't mine graphite, Peeta. Well, they did, but that wasn't their real industry. Their real industry was nuclear research. Weaponry," his mentor admitted.
"Like Two," Peeta said. "It's officially masonry, but that's where most of the Peacekeepers come from."
Haymitch "They had a stock pile of bombs, which they aimed at the Capitol. The Capitol had set up their own miles, and aimed them back. Mutually assured destruction. So Thirteen quietly succeeded from Panem. They've survived underground this whole time. They have nuclear weapons, but also conventional. Guns, bullets, hovercrafts. They can produce weapons. Enough to fight a war with."
As he finished, it clicked for Peeta. "They've agreed to support a rebellion? Against the Capitol?" He asked, not daring to hope. Until that moment, he had believed he would spend the rest of his life as a Victor. Forced to marry the girl he loved against her wishes, mentor children to die in an arena. Have children of his own with that girl, against her wishes, and possibly mentor them as they're sent into the games. He was going to spend the rest of his life as a distraction. Was it true? Was there a way out?
"They have," Haymitch agreed. "Now, before either of you get your hopes up, it isn't going to happen anytime soon. We're looking at five years before we're ready to act."
Five years? Five years of living a life of as a mentor? One of nightmares, watching kids he got to know die? Now that the possibility was there, that he wouldn't have to live the life the Capitol forced on him, he wanted out. Right then and there. He didn't want to mentor tributes, only to watch them die. He didn't want the girl he loved to be forced to marry him. He wanted her to marry him because it was her choice.
"And no, it isn't going to happen soon," Haymitch said harshly when he opened his mouth. "I'm sorry, but the powers that be have a plan. And they won't move until they're ready."
"So, what? They just expect us to wait?" He demanded.
"That's exactly what we're supposed to do. Wait. And in the meantime, help position the right people in the right places. That's why Gale is here. He knows the people around Twelve, like Katniss. From his time hunting. Even know, he's working with the miners. He's one of them. That's useful for our cause."
"You said Twelve didn't have an active base of rebels. That's what Gale is here for?" He asked.
Haymitch grinned. "You got it."
"What about our families?" Peeta asked. His mind immediately went to his parents and brother, Mrs. Everdeen and sweet little Prim. Even Gale has siblings and a mother.
"District 13 has agreed to take them in." Haymitch replies. "Your wedding will be after the Quarter Quell. So we've come up with a plan. It will be to suspicious to grab them while you and Katniss are both in the district. So when we go to mentor in the Quell, members of a District 13 strike team will be sent to Twelve. We already have a cover. You family, as well as Katniss's will go to Gale's family home. Since he's officially her cousin, it will look like members of the family getting together to discus wedding plans. The team from Thirteen will escort them out of the district when the power goes off. The has three artificially created human bodies, which match the exact proportions of your family members. Down to dental records. They'll leave the bodies, and ignite the house. The false bodies will be burned beyond the Capitol's abilities to identity them. The dental records will match."
"While we're mentoring, our family's will die. We can't be blamed for anything; we're in the Capitol. So I take it Gale is staying behind?" Peeta asked, turning towards the boy.
He nodded. "I'll be in the mines," he says.
"So, why aren't we telling Katniss?" He asks. The question causes Haymitch to laugh.
"She can't act to save her life. Her reaction to Prim and Ruth's deaths have to be real. If she doesn't play the part perfectly, it could blow the whole operation. We'll tell her after the games, when we're back in Twelve. She might be mad, but her sister and mother will be safe in District 13, far away from the Capitol's power."
Peeta didn't like the idea of lying to Katniss. But the chance for his brothers and parents to escape Twelve, to be far away from the Capitol's reach... That made him agree. He would go forward with this for the sake of the family's involved.
"After the death of her family, the Capitol will be making sure they keep an eye on her. They'll most likely allow her to continue to hunt, but they won't take any chances. I doubt they'll let you out of the district at all Peeta. Nor will they let Gale hunt with her. You two will be the two they watch to keep her in line. She makes a run for it, all three of us will die," Haymitch says, his voice serious. "Peeta. You need to make sure she understands that. Our lives are depending on it."
Peeta nodded.
Author's Note:
Okay! This will be the last chapter released before we get into the actual tributes. I thought it would be interesting to get a chapter from Snow and a few others, so here we are.
This chapter has be reuploaded. I made a mistake on it and had to fix it. I didn't know I could update it without taking it down