We Didn't Start The Fire
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre
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Chapter Twenty One: I Need A Hero
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Last Time in We Didn't Start The Fire:
"You know, you guys are goin' about this all wrong," Haymitch growls from where he's slouching in the corner. "What you need is you need the man who designed the Capitol's system to get you in. None of you know jack about any of that crap, but I know who does. And that's who you guys need."
"Who's that?" Coin asks, her eyes intent.
"Beetee Latier."
oOo
Getting Beetee Latier is not going to be easy. District Three is quite possibly the farthest district from District Thirteen.
And it's one of the most heavily-defended.
Beetee is even more valuable to the Capitol than the rest of his district. In addition to being the Victor of the Thirty Sixth Hunger Games, he's also one of the premier electrical engineers and communications specialists in Panem.
People will notice him missing.
While Plutarch was able to stage his death, Beetee won't have that luxury. He spends much of his time in the Capitol, working on various projects. Liberating him from there is not an option. The real problem is that he's only guaranteed to be in District Three on two days of the year: Reaping Day and the day the Victory Tour passes through District Three.
None of us are willing to wait another seven months, so option two it is.
Unfortunately, that doesn't give us a whole lot of time to prepare. A small team made up of volunteers only is put together. There's no guarantee anyone on the squad will come home. Plutarch's hovercraft will be used to transport the group to and from Three, since it bears the Capitol's insignia and his techs swear they can change the transponder to match current Capitol codes. Everyone knows the risks.
It's a gamble, but a necessary one.
Gale and I share a look. Both of us nod to each other imperceptibly. Then I speak up. "Gale and I should go."
"What? No!" Katniss cries, staring at the two of us in shock.
Coin ignores my wife's outburst, leaning forward in her chair. "An interesting idea, Peeta. Please elaborate."
"Well, think about it, President Coin. Rescuing Beetee Latier would be seen as a coup, and would also show Thirteen's might." Coin's eyes light up in approval while Katniss's darken with anger. I hate that I have to do this. But we need the support of the districts and this is one way we can show that we have power. Unfortunately, I can already see President Coin taking my words and spinning them into her election campaign. "If we can take one of their best and brightest out of arguably one of their most loyal districts," I continue, avoiding my wife's gaze the best I can, "as well as one of their best-defended, just think of what else we could do. Not to mention, it gives you a chance to show off your Mockingjays in action. If you're worried about sending a cameraman, I could do it."
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Plutarch interjects. "You're right, having you both be on-screen is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Cressida can go," he says, ignoring the way the director starts at her name. "She's got an eye for what makes the perfect moment. She's really very good, you know. You couldn't ask for a better director."
"Thank you," she says in a tone I can't quite identify.
I'll have to check with her later to make sure she's actually willing. Everyone else going is a volunteer. She needs to be as well.
"You need to send somebody Beetee will recognize and trust with the team," Haymitch points out. "He ain't gonna do shit if he doesn't know anyone."
Plutarch rests his hands on his stomach. "Thank you for volunteering, Mr. Abernathy."
"Who, me?"
"Did you have someone else in mind?" the former Gamemaker asks smoothly.
"Yeah!" Haymitch shouts, standing up to glare at Plutarch. "Why not Enobaria or Lyme? Hell, even Genesis would be a better idea than me."
"Regretfully, I do not think sending a seventy five year old woman into a firefight is a good idea, no matter her credentials," Coin says dryly. "And if I recall correctly, the other Victors aren't on as good terms as I believe you are with Mr. Latier. Besides," Coin pauses and regards Haymitch calmly, "this was your idea."
"Well shit."
I couldn't have said it better myself.
oOo
When Gale and I re-enter our quarters a few hours later, Katniss still isn't happy with us. She's curled up on her side on the bed, the most comfortable position for her with her steadily expanding stomach. I can tell by the set of her shoulders that she's angry and tense, and she's deliberately looking away from the door.
"Catnip," Gale starts. "You know why we've gotta go."
"No. I don't," she replies, not turning to look at us. "Coin's got it out for us, and despite his pleasant smiles, I don't trust that Plutarch!"
"Has he given you any reason why?" I ask.
Katniss shakes her head. "No."
"Then it's probably you just not liking strangers," I say, shrugging my shoulders. Katniss has never liked strangers. It doesn't surprise me that she doesn't like them now.
"But I like Lyme!" she protests. "And even Enobaria's not half-bad, if you can get past those teeth of hers."
"Yeah, but they're Victors," I counter. "You've seen them on the screen for years. It's like you already know them. Plutarch's different."
"Maybe," she admits after a moment. "Still, that doesn't mean I'm wrong about Coin! It wouldn't take much, someone loyal to Coin shoving you out of the door mid-flight, and I'd lose you. I'd lose both of you!"
I realize right then just what Katniss is so afraid of. She's always been afraid of loss, and we promised her back at the cave that, even if she lost one of us, she'd still have the other. This mission is the first time both of us will be at risk without her sharing that same risk, and my wife's not handling it very well.
"Katniss, you realize this is just going to be the first time," Gale says, his voice gentle.
"I know… but…"
"Why do you think we've spent months training?" he continues. "We need to do this. If the soldiers thought we were getting special treatment or being kept back from the fighting, it would cause problems. They'd grow resentful of us, grow to hate us. Some of them might want to kill us."
I'm not surprised Gale caught on so quickly to why we need to go. He's always understood how everyday people think and considers himself one of them.
Katniss seems to understand too because she changes tack. "But I should be going with you."
"And part of me wishes you were," I say, sitting down in front of her and placing my hand on her stomach. "But another part, a much larger part, is happy you're not. Our boys need you. And we need you to stay here so that you can keep them safe."
"But I need you too!"
Gale lays down behind her and pulls her into his arms. I lay down on her other side, sandwiching her between us.
"I love you, Katniss," I tell her. "I'll always love you. Not even death could stop that."
Gale strokes her hair. "Listen to him, Catnip. Our man bride's got a way with words. Me? I'm not so good at them. But I can tell you this: knowing that you'll be here, waiting for me, with our sons," he presses his palm to her stomach, "gives me three damned good reasons to come home."
"Promise me you'll stay safe," she whispers brokenly. "Promise me you'll come back."
Gale and I share a glance over Katniss's head. We can't promise that, no matter how much we want to.
"We'll always be with you, Katniss," I say instead.
Gale places a hand on her protruding stomach. "No matter what."
oOo
We leave at dusk.
Our team is, by necessity, small. But it's still a tight fit in Plutarch's purloined hovercraft. I don't know how we're going to fit more people in here. I glance around, trying to find space, and shrug. I guess there's some room on the floor.
Our leader is a stern woman named Leslie Jackson. Other than Haymitch and Cressida, who assured me that she wanted to participate in the mission when I asked, the only other person Gale and I know is Commander Pierce. I'm a little surprised to see the man on this run. I thought he only did training. But then again, what do I know about how Thirteen's military works when it's actually active?
The flight is tense, and unusually, Gale and I are seated up front, next to the pilot. Along the way, the young man tries to teach Gale some of the intricacies of piloting a hovercraft.
"How many hovercraft does Thirteen have?" I ask curiously.
"Not as many as we need," he tells me. "The real problem isn't building them. That's not too hard once you've got the schematics. No, what we really need are pilots. But there's no real good training facility for pilots in Thirteen. It's not like we can just take one out whenever we need to train a new recruit."
"Why not?"
"Resources. If we crash one, it's not just a waste of material resources, but manpower as well."
Gale frowns. "Why not create like a simulation program?" he asks. "You know, put in a few standard scenarios: takeoff, landing, weather-related issues, piloting while taking on fire… I'm sure you guys have a good idea of what to expect. It wouldn't be that hard to make up a simulation."
The man turns his head and gapes at my husband. "If you don't mind my saying so, that's a brilliant idea, Mr. Hawthorne!"
"You mean no one's thought of that?" Gale asks incredulously.
He shakes his head. "Nope. Most of us hovercraft pilots were trained by Capitol people, and the Capitol does it hands-on, in real world scenarios."
"That's just stupid."
"Maybe. Most of us are test pilots, from Six. You can't run a new simulation on a new hovercraft."
"I suppose that makes sense, but it seems really dangerous."
"It was," the pilot tells us. "About every other week or so, one of us would end up a smear on the ground."
I change the subject. "So… how are we getting to Three? Doesn't that mean we need to fly right past Six?"
"That'd be the shortest route," the other man answers. "Unfortunately, it'd also mean we'd get shot down in the sky. Capitol's got pretty major border guards stationed along the south and west side of Thirteen along the lakes. So we gotta go north in order to actually go south."
"Are we gonna have enough fuel, Mister…" I prompt.
"Tibbets. Ferebee Tibbets, at your service," he responds, flashing us a quick grin. "We should be fine, so long as we don't take on too much more weight, or have to perform any evasive maneuvers."
There's not much I can do if we have those problems, so I decide to leave it up to the experts. Tibbets seems to know what he's doing, anyway. Instead, I ask, "So are you from Six?"
Tibbets jerks his head. "Yup. Left about ten years ago, after my brother and his best friend were sent up in a prototype that they knew wasn't ready for testing. Thing didn't even make it fifty feet up before it seized. Watching them both burn while the Capitol engineers blamed the pilots for their failure I realized I'd had about enough."
"I can imagine." I pause. "I'm sorry about your brother."
"That's right," Tibbets says, regarding us with new eyes. "Both of you know what it's like."
We nod our heads, not saying anything.
Tibbets continues to show Gale the ropes, while I watch the scenery pass by. "We're flying low to avoid detection," the pilot tells us. So I can make out a lot of detail.
We skirt several large bodies of water with ice forming along the edges, the lakes Tibbets mentioned, before we turn more south and west. In the bright winter moonlight, I can make out a surprising landmark.
"What's that?" I say, pointing at the large mountain.
"Hell if I know," Tibbets answers. "Pre-Cataclysm days. Don't know why they'd carve four heads onto the side of a mountain, but I'm sure the ancients had some reason. But it sure is gaudy."
"The ancients were almost as weird as the Capitol," Gale says.
I frown at what I can see of it. "I can't imagine why anybody would want to mar the beauty of a mountain like this."
"You got me," Tibbets says. "But it makes a good landmark, don't it?"
"So where are we?" I ask.
"Flying over parts of Nine. This area ain't as heavily farmed as others, so it's safer."
"How long do we have 'til Three?"
"A few hours. Might as well nap while you can."
Gale manages to fall asleep, but I can't. There's too much beauty. Not to mention I'm too nervous. I haven't quite learned to sleep when I can. I should, not only because I'm in the military but because we've already got one kid and another on the way, so sleep's going to be in short supply.
Tibbets sees this and starts to show me the ropes of flying a hovercraft. I'm grateful for the distraction.
"What time are we going to get to Three?" I ask Tibbets in a low tone. I don't want to wake my husband.
"Right around suppertime."
It makes sense. Grab Beetee right before dinner. There's no way we're going to be able to hide his disappearance, so it's better to catch them with their pants down, so to speak. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to grab one of the most protected Victors, other than Finnick Odair, during the Victory Tour, especially when the whole district is swarming with Peacekeepers?
Us, apparently.
I just hope our gambit works.
oOo
Like Tibbets said, we hit District Three a little after six, their time. According to the clock on the instrument panel, it's already nine back in Thirteen.
Jackson walks us through our mission, emphasizing the need for speed and stealth. The whole thing's dangerous, and the hovercraft isn't going to be able to stay in one place for very long.
Tibbets touches down and everyone piles out, dropping to the ground so he can take off immediately. We stay put for a few seconds, listening anxiously for any signs of alarm.
There isn't any.
Jackson whistles twice, signaling the all clear. We stand up into a crouch, heading towards the shadows of the nearest building.
The Victor's Village in Three is laid out similarly to the one in District Twelve. Which Haymitch points out. "Beetee's their senior Victor. He'll have picked someplace as far from the main gates as possible."
I remember Haymitch had done the same. I wonder if that's what all Victors do.
Only three houses have any lights on in them, two of them right next door to each other, while the third is closer to the gates.
On Haymitch's advice, we head towards the two neighboring houses.
Pierce takes point.
He's surprisingly light on his feet for a man his size. I guess that's his training. He scouts out the first house before meeting back with the rest of us. "Looks like there's five of 'em," he says. "They're all seated in the main room. I didn't see any Peacekeepers but that don't mean they're not in there."
"Was Latier one of them?" Jackson asks.
Pierce nods. "Recognized him and the other Victor from Three. The crazy one."
I see a flash of something on Haymitch's face before he schools his expression back to his usual nonchalance. It might be relief.
The goal of this excursion is Beetee, but I think he'd be happy if we got the other Victor as well. Wiress, I think her name is.
"Right." Jackson nods curtly. "This is what we do. Pierce, Hawthorne, Mellark, you take the back. Powers, I'm told you're supposed to film this thing?"
Cressida holds up her camera. "That's my job."
"You go in the back too, but stay out of the way," Jackson orders. "The rest of us will go in the front. Abernathy, you keep watch out here."
"I don't think that's a very good idea," Haymitch objects. "You'll want me with you. Beetee and Wiress will recognize me. Why else do you think I was sent on this shit show?"
Jackson grimaces at him, but nods. "Fine. Nguyen, you keep watch."
A young woman jerks her head, acknowledging Jackson's words.
And then we take our places. Cressida slips behind Pierce, Gale, and me, her camera at the ready.
"You two ready?" Pierce asks Gale and me.
Gale shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. But we're gonna do it anyway."
"That's my boys. Not too overconfident, keep your head about you, we'll get out fine."
I hope he's right.
We burst in a few moments later.
There's confusion. Yelling. A child crying in fear.
Finally I hear Haymitch bellow, "Damn it, Beetee, get your act together!"
An airy voice comes back. "Haymitch, is that you?"
"No, I'm President Snow in disguise. Of course it's fucking me." I can almost hear him rolling his eyes.
"I see." A dark skinned man with glasses stands up a few steps away from where Gale and I are standing. "I take it you've been sent to liberate me."
I can't resist, especially with Cressida's camera pointing right at me. "Come with me if you want to live," I intone, holding my hand out to the older man.
Beetee chuckles, taking it. "Did you know that I was the special effects designer on that film?" he asks me in a conversational tone of voice. "One of Brutus MacArthur's better efforts." He adjusts his glasses. "Always pleased to meet a fan."
Gale nudges me. "Couldn't resist, huh?"
I grin at my husband. "Not really. I mean, the timing is too perfect."
"Right. So this is a rescue mission." Beetee fidgets with his glasses again, holding them up to peer out from underneath his lenses. "Wonderful. I've been expecting this. If you'll give me a few moments, there's just a few things I need to gather." He turns to a younger woman with frizzy hair. "Wiress, is there anything you need from next door?"
"I could use some soup," the female Victor says from her place by an overturned couch. She looks completely unruffled by the chaos, unlike the others with her.
"There's grub where we're going to," Haymitch tells her in a kind voice.
The woman blinks. "Oh, then no, there's nothing I really need."
The second man with salt and pepper brown hair and a goatee looks between Beetee and Wiress and then to Haymitch. "What the hell's going on?" he asks, standing protectively in front of a young woman and a girl. The three of them look similar enough that I think they must be his daughters. Both girls have tears streaming down their cheeks. I pull a piece of cloth out of my uniform and hand it to Beetee who passes it down the line.
"Would've thought it's obvious," Haymitch says. "This is a jailbreak, and you five are comin' with us."
"But where are we going?" the young woman asks, blowing her nose loudly into my handkerchief.
"District Thirteen."
"But that doesn't exist," she protests.
Haymitch shakes his head. "Oh girlie, you've got a lot to learn."
oOo
When Beetee returns from upstairs, carrying a large satchel, we hustle the group out. At Jackson's orders, Pierce injects the child with a sedative to keep her from making too much noise. Gale carries her while her father watches us with distrust.
"Who are those people?" I ask Wiress.
"They're the girl's family. Poor chicks. Their watch stopped. Now they're lost and trying to find their way."
I try to translate that into something coherent. "So they're Error's family?"
She nods, smiling. "They've lost a few of their marbles. They don't have quite a full set."
I think Wiress has lost some of hers too, but I don't say anything.
Jackson gives the all-clear signal and the hovercraft sets down a few minutes later.
We try to pile in, but we all quickly come to the conclusion that there isn't room enough for everyone.
Now what?
Pierce and Nguyen both nod at Jackson before stepping out of the aircraft. "We planned for this contingency," Pierce tells us. "Nguyen and I will stay here, try to sow some dissent." He grins. "See what secrets we can send back to Thirteen."
"You'll need IDs," Beetee says quickly. He pulls something out of his bag. "Just give me a moment." He fiddles with a machine for a few moments before it spews out two plastic cards. "They won't stand up to rigorous inspection, but for everyday purposes, it'll do. I'm assuming you have money."
The two nod.
"Then hunt down a person named Amano. They're in the Line." Beetee lifts his glasses again and considers the two soldiers from Thirteen. "You should fit in well there, once you dump those uniforms."
The two strip down, pulling on mismatched clothing from a pack. They still look out of place to my eyes, but they don't stick out quite like a sore thumb anymore. "Be careful," I tell them, though it's mostly directed at Pierce.
"Watch your back, Mellark," he says in return. "I'm not gonna be there to keep an eye on it."
"That's why he has me," Gale says back.
"Yeah, but who's gonna watch yours?" Pierce says enigmatically as the door closes.
oOo
As soon as Beetee and Wiress arrive in District Thirteen, they're put to work. It doesn't take them long to figure out why we haven't been able to break into the Capitol's feed.
We were trying to break into the wrong feed.
"There's two feeds," Beetee says. "One that goes over a more secure network to people like Peacekeeper Heads and Mayors, and then there's the less secure feed that's broadcast over the airwaves. They travel the same conduits, piggybacking off each other's signals, but one's much more highly encrypted than the other. I'm surprised your techs didn't figure this out sooner. Plutarch's back door has been sitting here open for a long time. I'm surprised Snow's techs never closed it."
The look Coin sends her technicians spells pain and discomfort.
"How long will it take you, Mr. Latier, to hijack the Capitol's signal?"
"The easier one?" He fiddles with his glasses. "Maybe an hour. If you want me to take over both feeds, I'll need a couple of days."
Coin's glare becomes glacial. "I'll leave you to it, Mr. Latier. Will you need any assistance?"
The man thinks it over. "A cup of tea would be nice."
"And some soup," Wiress adds.
He smiles at his companion, before turning back to Coin. "Yes, tea and soup."
"I think that can be arranged."
oOo
The afternoon of January First, the three of us are assembled, waiting for Mandatory Viewing to start.
It's New Year's Day. President Snow always addresses Panem on New Year's Day, as the Victory Tour comes to a close. Most years, it's the same old rhetoric: "Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever." This year's going to begin on a whole new message.
Freedom is catching.
And we are the sparks.
Katniss, Gale, and I are standing next to each other, our backs to a green screen. I'm told we'll appear to be standing in front of a fire, which will start small and grow to a raging inferno as our speech concludes.
Unlike the first time we tried to break in, the three of us aren't all wearing Thirteen military fatigues. Instead, Effie, with Fulvia's help, has attired us symbolically.
Katniss, who is visibly pregnant, is wearing a loose flowing dress in varying earth tone shades, her mockingjay brooch pinned above her breast. Her hair is not in its usual braid; instead, it's loose, flowing around her shoulders. She's wearing a flower crown made from stylized cloth flowers. It's clear they're trying to harken back to symbols of motherhood and nature, down to having our eight month old son, Rain, cradled in her arms to complete the effect.
While Katniss is cast as a domestic goddess, my attire is meant to represent our military might. Effie's taken the standard Thirteen uniform and improved on it, tailoring it so that it fits me like a glove. She's even added a few embellishments, the gold of my mockingjay pin standing out prominently over my heart.
Gale's the spark. Somehow, Effie managed to get her hands on some unique materials. Gale's outfit is similar in cut to mine, except it's in red overlaid with a sheer black iridescent mesh. The eye is immediately drawn to him, and that's the point.
Each Mockingjay has its own song to sing, but Gale's our coda.
Right on cue, President Snow's face appears on the screen.
That's when Beetee makes his move. With a few keystrokes and the flip of a switch, we're in.
Katniss is up first. While Gale and I have pre-prepared speeches, we decided not to go that route with Katniss. Everyone knows she's better off-script. The only thing we've asked, in keeping with her role as the 'mother of the revolution,' is that she somehow manage to include the topic of children.
I still shake my head over the incongruity of a seventeen year old woman being the mother of an entire revolution, but somehow it seems to work for Katniss.
I'm just glad they didn't ask Gale or me to be the father of the revolution.
They just asked us to be the fathers of Thirteen.
Somewhere off-screen, a wind machine turns on, causing Katniss's dress to ripple dramatically.
"Brothers and sisters of Panem, my name is Katniss Everdeen. Some of you might have heard my voice. Others of you might know my story. I stand here in front of you now as simply a woman." She rests her hands on her pregnant belly. "A woman with children to protect, with husbands to love, with parents and siblings and others I care for, all of whom face one singular threat. And that threat is the Capitol." She points to a screen with the symbol of the Capitol on it. "Turn your eyes to the Capitol and wake up and see what they've wrought."
Her voice is full of passion.
Heat.
"It's because of them that children all over Panem won't know what it's like to feel a father's love or hear a mother's song," she continues. "It's because of them that parents have to watch their children die, both from neglect and as sacrifices in the Capitol's cruel Games. As a mother, I implore you to think of your children. Each of us has battled long and hard to bring life into this world." She runs a gentle hand down our son's cheek. "Isn't it worth a little more to make sure that their lives can have meaning, that we won't just be another piece in their games?" She stares straight into the camera. "Join us! Join together and join with us! Rise up and show them that we're done playing games! That we're done with them playing with our children's lives! That we won't stand for this abomination to continue!"
She looks over at me, signaling that she's done with her part.
I step forward. "My wife is right," I begin, acknowledging Katniss's words. "We had to make a choice, the three of us, if we could stay in a district where our love would be stifled, where our family would be fractured, where our children would suffer and die, not just out of malice, but out of neglect. We couldn't. Instead, we chose to run. Instead, we chose to fight. I, Peeta Mellark, ask you now if you too will join in our crusade, if you will be strong and stand with me. Somewhere beyond the district gates is there a world you want to see?"
I know I'm paraphrasing that Finnick Odair movie, but it wasn't entirely my call to make. Plutarch and Effie both agreed the call to arms would be more stirring if it was something that already resonated with the public.
"It's possible to see that world, Panem. If all of us join together, if all of us rise up, the Capitol doesn't stand a chance. We are many. They are few. It doesn't matter how technologically advanced they are or how many Peacekeepers they have. If we all band together, they don't stand a chance."
This is the core of my message and one we need to drive home. There's no way that Thirteen has enough soldiers to take down the Capitol without the districts joining in. That's why they need us.
The Mockingjays.
"After all, a pack of dogs can take down a bear if they work together and strike as a unit," I explain. "Take your rebellion to the streets and to the seas! Take it to the farms and to the factories! To the mills and to the mines! Let them know that you will no longer be slaves! That you are through being a piece in their Games! Then come, join us in District Thirteen." I point to a map that shows the locations of the districts in relation to District Thirteen. "We're waiting for you. We're ready for you. Panem is ours, we just need to rise up and seize it."
I turn to Gale. It's up to him to bring this home.
"Join us!" my husband urges. "Join us in the fight for freedom. Join us," he repeats for added emphasis. "Refuse to be just another piece in their cruel games. You don't even need to fight. All you need to do is flee. Without you, the backbone of Panem, the Capitol is nothing. If they don't receive your fish or your wood or your coal or your grain, they will fail."
Offstage, Plutarch motions for us to wrap it up.
"The Capitol is not self-sufficient. They need the districts to survive. They need you to survive. Take back your power!" Gale orders. "Take back what is rightfully yours. Your family. Your dignity. Your freedom."
He looks directly at the camera. "My name is Gale Hawthorne. Together with my husband and wife, we are the Mockingjays. Come, join with us! Join our song! And together we will be free!"
oOo
AN:
Written: 11/6/15
Revised: 11/18/15
Revised 2: 11/30/15
The title of this chapter comes from the Bonnie Tyler song, "I Need A Hero!" because they did. Not only did they need Beetee, but they needed the Mockingjays as well. We recommend the Shrek 2 version because it is awesome.
Don't you love that we paraphrased the song "Do You Hear The People Sing?" from Les Miserables? We did. We realized as we started outlining that that song really is the call to arms and that well… Thirteen would plagiarize.
Things We Randomized:
- How old Ferebee Tibbets is
- Which members of Error's family were still alive when our characters made it to Three
Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think!