Rated T for language

I awake to a dull throbbing in the back of my head and the feeling of cold hands under my armpits. I can hear Peeta's livid voice somewhere in the background, which simultaneously calms me despite the tone and forces my mind out of unconsciousness in response. With a groan I begin to resist against the hands under my arms that are slowly dragging me backwards.

Opening my eyes gradually against the harsh artificial light I realise I'm still in the room of strangers. Peeta is still on the screen too, although his face is now a deep shade of red; blotchy and dark against his pale skin.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" he screams hoarsely, pacing in uneven steps on the monitor. He seems to be alone in a dark room that's only illuminated by a single, flickering light.

Why would Snow leave him alone like this to communicate with District Thirteen? I don't have enough energy to reason it out, but even if I did I already know there would be no explanations that would fit. Not unless Peeta has managed to escape his captors, find a room of equipment already linked to this district and has figured out how to work it before his captors came back.

"Get them off!"

I feel the hands leave my body and my back drops to the floor with an ungraceful thump. I slowly sit up, gathering my bearings and look behind me to see the black uniformed man retreat with his hands held high in mock surrender. I tenderly rub the back of my skull to make sure there's no blood loss but my fingers pull away clean.

"Katniss. Katniss, look at me," Peeta pleads so forlornly that I automatically turn back to the screen. He looks lost, helpless even, like he's not sure how to proceed with me or what he can do to help. I'm not sure how to proceed with him either. He was still looking out for me and I just want to be there with him so I can return the favour for once, but there was nothing we can do, separated by the vast distance between us.

"You have to listen to me carefully," he starts, keeping his eyes locked to mine. His voice is deep and rough with a façade of calm that I know is entirely for my benefit. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can figure a way out of here, but until then you'll be by yourself for a while. I mean it, Katniss. By yourself. You can not trust any of them there."

There's a splutter of indignation throughout the room at Peeta's words, but he pays it no mind as he continues, never breaking eye contact with me.

"Not Haymitch, not Gale, but especially not Coin."

"That is enough!" comes an order from a strong female voice. I look around to its direction and find the owner. She's a stern looking woman of a respectable age sitting at the head of a table, with chopped hair and a suit I usually only saw men wear during their marriage ceremonies. All things considered she looks like a leader.

The woman stands from her seat and makes her way towards me. The other four strangers look on from their seats, hidden away behind the rectangular oak desk.

"Miss Everdeen, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet," she says, extending her hand in my direction. "My name is Alma Coin. I am the residing president of District Thirteen."

I look upon the woman wearily, eyeing her offered hand with slight suspicion before reaching out and taking it in a firm handshake. I couldn't make enemies with the most powerful person here. Peeta growls – growls – harshlybehind me at the contact.

If Peeta doesn't trust this woman to such an extent then the least I can do is stay on my guard. Turning my back abruptly, and rather rudely, on President Coin and the others I look to the only person I care about in the room.

"Don't trust her," he again pleads with me, "Don't talk to her. Please, just go back to your room and remember my warnings. Please, Katniss. I can't do this and keep a sane mind if you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position there."

"Peeta," I start, my voice catching in my throat as I try to redirect the conversation away from myself, "Where are you? What are they doing to you?"

The questions seem so basic and immature, even to my ears, but I can't think of any that are more important right now. I'm sure he's been asked the same variations of questions several times but I couldn't trust anyone to let me know.

"I don't know my location exactly," he sighs, looking at me sadly, not at all angry that I've ignored his pleas, "But I know where Thirteen is. Snow knows not just the location but what's going on inside. He's using those camera you-" he motions to Coin, turning to talk to her, "-use to spy on your citizens to spy on you."

The others in the room leap to their feet in outrage, gesturing wildly. It's not lost on me that Peeta has avoided my second question and I feel my anger rise that Thirteen is wasting time arguing rather than strategically planning his rescue.

"How dare you accuse Alma –" one of them starts before Peeta's voice booms over the top, drowning his challenge out.

"How dare I!" he roars, signalling to himself. "How dare you! Now sit down!"

The man's jaw parts a little as he's shocked into submission, declining slowly into his seat again. Even I feel intimidated by Peeta's outraged display and subconsciously take a few steps backwards into safer territory. Without knowing it, I've retreated into hunter mode and the hunter has encountered an animal she wasn't equipped to handle.

He notices my withdrawal and shakes his head mournfully, his palms coming up to touch his side of the screen. "No, Katniss…"

Coin, without saying a word, holds her hand up straight in the air, causing the man who was declining into his seat to straighten back up instantly. She looks calm on the outside but I can see the tension in her shoulders, the stiffness in her posture and the subtle flexing of her jaw.

"Now, Mr. Mellark, we have been very reasonable regarding your-" she starts before she is cut off by Peeta, who releases a mocking laugh.

"Oh, I see," he says snidely. I know I shouldn't be surprised at his tone, but it was so unlike the baker's son that I thought I knew. Maybe they weren't destroying his body in the Capitol, maybe instead they were destroying who he was and I don't know which one is worse.

"You never told them about your marvellous little camera clocks?"

Coin takes two large steps away from me to reach the table and takes hold of a small, boxy device.

"Or did you just not tell the people?" Peeta continues. "Snow knows. It's how he lets me see her. Katniss, just because they're enemies of Snow doesn't mean they're our allies."

With a flick of her wrist Coin leaves Peeta without his voice; though he hasn't seemed to notice yet, he's still mouthing off in Coin's general direction.

"He wasn't going to tell us anything useful anyway. For one, he's too far gone, and secondly Snow wouldn't just leave him alone to give us useful information without keeping an eye on him," Coin states, lowering the device in her hand.

"Too far gone?" I question in bewilderment. "All the more reason to listen to everything he has to say and work with that! We need to get him back. What are the rescue plans?" I fire to Coin.

How can the woman be so calm about it while Peeta is being held in the Capitol? I know keeping a level-head is a good leadership skill and it was something I value in myself, but this deserves more than a little more emotion.

"It's already been decided. We will not be rescuing Mr. Mellark," Coin answers in a dead-pan tone.

Suddenly I can't catch my breath and I lean over to grasp at my bare knees. My stomach rolls violently as I turn to survey Peeta on the screen. At some point he must have noticed his voice was no longer behind heard, so when I make eye contact with him all he does is shake his head while mouthing my name. Did he even hear what Coin has decided?

"I don't understand," I whisper softly, my eyes not leaving Peeta's. I can see the tears beginning to pool in them before he harshly shuts them, gritting his teeth in obvious pain.

"Mr. Mellark has been branded a traitor. Don't look so aghast, Miss Everdeen, he was considered to be one long before today. We were trying to persuade him onto the district's side, the side of the people who want to be free from the Capitol's hold, before you recklessly burst in. We had been for a week. He would have none of it and we cannot negotiate with Snow's puppets," Coin finishes.

Peeta has gone back to wordless shouting at Coin while wringing his hands brutally and I think he may be imagining the president's neck between them.

Coin seems to realise just how harsh she may be coming across, so her tone softens to one that I may even call motherly. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I really am."

She wraps a thin arm around my thinner shoulders and tries to steer me towards the still busted-open door. Her fingers dig into my flesh harshly through the thin fabric of my hospital gown and I wince slightly at the feeling.

"Now, you must be starving; you feel so thin. If you're fast enough you may be able to catch your family at dinner. They'll be thrilled to see you, I'm sure."

I can't believe the nerve of this woman who calls herself president. The order for my hospital captivity must have come from Coin, also the order to not allow me to see any visitors while I was there. She was probably the one that kept me sedated and now she was insisting I simply go eat regular food with everybody else just to get me out of the room. Out and away from Peeta. I turn back to the silent screen to see Peeta's back as he throws what looks to be a chair across his dark room in rage.

"Alma," a voice says from across the room. It was the man that was told to sit down, still standing at the table. "Perhaps we're being too hasty here. We did want information from the boy and he's given us more in the few minutes she's been here than the week she hasn't."

There's a pregnant pause in the room as the man starts to sweat profusely under Coin's piercing gaze.

"He's give us nothing useful. We were fools to think Snow would just allow Peeta to talk freely, we don't even know if what he's saying is true. Being a liar isn't too far of a leap from being a traitor," Coin says, stopping to take in Peeta's form. His shoulders were heaving in the energy he used throwing furniture around and now he's trying to mime Coin's arm around me followed by a motion of her arm breaking in what is an obvious threat.

"Unfortunate as it may be, I'm calling this meeting off."

The stony face of Peeta disappears before my eyes as Coin brandishes the device in her hand again. Yanking my arm out of the president's grip I mentally prepare myself for a battle.

"Put it back on," I demand, holding Coin's stare evenly. Her mask of fake gentleness falters slightly at the challenge.

"I don't think you're in any position to be making demands here, Miss Everdeen. You are here without permission and your involvement is becoming a hindrance."

It's true. I have nothing I can offer in return for Peeta at the moment. There's nothing a district specialising in nuclear energy and weaponry would want from a girl whose talents involve a bow or singing. I have to lie.

"I think I am, President Coin." I'm stalling for time, trying to think of anything the woman might think is valuable. Nothing's immediately coming to mind and as I open my mouth to stall further with a few 'um's I recall the conversation I shared with Finnick before the Quarter Quell.

"I have secrets."

The men in the room laugh loudly, some banging their fists on the table in amusement and I feel my face start to burn with embarrassment and indignation. It had seemed so intriguing when Finnick had said it.

"No you do not," Coin states matter-of-factly. "And you have nothing to offer which can put you in a position to be making demands. Nothing yet," she trails off as she reclaims her seat at the head of the desk.

"Miss Everdeen, the people love you. The common man likes to have a physical symbol to put onto something as intangible as hope and freedom. And they do love their war-heroes. As you may be aware, the mockingjay has become that symbol for the rebels." The others nod their heads in agreement. "And since you were the one wearing the mockingjay pin people are looking up to you as the face of the rebellion."

The face of the rebellion? I didn't want to be the face of the rebellion though; didn't they know how hard I had fought to get Snow to believe I was an innocent bystander? All I wanted to do was fly under the radar and keep my family safe from threats. I'm not even sure if what Coin's saying is true; surely the people wanted both me and Peeta together.

"If you agree to a few simple shots of you playing the hero, being supportive to our cause and perhaps a speech or two, then I might reconsider Mr. Mellark's rescue." She looks smug at her proposal, like she knows I have no choice but to accept.

I mull over all the options regarding the offer. There's no way I can rescue Peeta by myself, for one I have no contact with him, and I also have no idea how to reach the surface of this district. I would need a hovercraft to sneak in undetected, kidnap a prisoner, and make it back. I don't want to admit it but I need all the help this woman can offer, especially since I would be too weak still to do it on my own.

"I don't want you to maybe reconsider," I begin, "I want your word that if I do as you ask then Peeta will be rescued." I cross my arms in the hope that I'll appear more intimidating and resolved. It's a hard look to accomplish in a hospital gown but Coin seems to take me seriously.

"We need your cooperation first before we waste any valuable resources in an attempt to free a known traitor," Coin retorts sharply. "Who knows whether you'll run off as soon as Mr. Mellark's back and not hold up your side of the bargain."

The men begin nodding their heads again in agreement and I wonder if they're of any use at all besides being 'yes-men'. It's probably the sort of person Coin wants me to be: vapid in them mind, following orders without question.

"I wouldn't do that," I exclaim bitterly. I may be considered a liar because of the character I had to pull with Peeta as the star-crossed lovers, but my word is as good as gold.

"We can't take that risk."

There's a terse moment between us as we half-stare, half-glare at each other. I know why she might be distrustful but Peeta had begged, not five minutes ago, to not trust her. I can't bring myself to trust that Coin will keep her side of the deal. We are at a stalemate, neither wanting to make the first move which will relinquish the upper-hand.

Still, this was Peeta's life at stake. I have to take every chance, jump at every opportunity I can to get him back to safety.

"All I want, before I agree to help you, is that afterwards you agree to help him."

"I just said that would be the case, Miss Everdeen. I do hope you are a better listener during the shoots than you are at the moment," she replies slyly. The 'yes-men' at her side teeter in amusement at the quip against me.

"Don't twist your wording around on me, please," I add, not wanting to get on the bad side of the district's leader. "You said you might reconsider his rescue. I want you to fully reconsider it."

Coin looks increasingly frustrated and even goes so far as to rub her temples, showing a non-verbal display of annoyance, as though I'm a fly she can't get rid of.

"You have three days to consider my proposal. You will be staying on floor three with the other female citizens until you decide. Considering you're well enough to be making demands, I believe you're well enough to be out of the treatment wards."

The news comes as a relief to me; the thought of spending any more time in that lifeless hospital room is enough to give me shivers. I'm surprised at how quickly she's willing to send me back with the others though, not that I was ungrateful of course, seeing Prim again will be a blessing in itself.

"We're done here. Go," Coin orders, flicking her hand twice in the direction of the door, signalling my leave. "Somebody being Mr. Volvere to me at once, we need to have a discussion regarding his inventions."

One of the men jumps to his feet quickly and practically sprints out the door on command. It's all I can do from shaking my head in disbelief at the influence this woman has on others.

"You've been dismissed," she remarks to me, after a minute of not moving.

I begin to shake my head in denial though I'm not sure why. The uniformed man who had been lingering in the corner of the room during the whole ordeal starts forward, mostly likely to escort me forcefully out of the room.

"I can't leave without knowing more."

Coin ignores me completely and the guard motions for me to come with him, holding out his arm in my direction.

"I'm sorry about before, Miss. I didn't mean to be so rough. Are you hurt?" At least he's polite; I was the one that had punched him in the face after all.

I release a resigned sigh and shake my head while walking towards him to meet halfway. I'm not going to be manhandled out of the room, I'll leave with my head held high.

A slow knock comes from the door though, interrupting my movements as it opens and Haymitch's face pops into view. He releases an easy smile and pushes the door inwards fully, entering the room with his arms spread out wide.

"Ah, there you are, sweetheart!" he proclaims, coming around the guard's side and embracing me in a tight hug that leaves me extremely uncomfortable. It was out of character for him to be so physical.

"I was going to bring you some nice left-overs to make you feel better, but the nurse had informed me you'd already left." Well that is a definite lie.

"Come on," he continues, releasing me from the hug but keeping a hand tightly enclosed around my upper arm. "You're lucky I even left you some at all."

I slap his hand away from me; I was so sick of everybody thinking they had a right to touch or restrain me.

"Haymitch, I saw Peeta, he was right there," I say, pointing to the blank screen. "He could still be there actually, she turned it off." I tilt my head in Coin's direction.

Haymitch turns to acknowledge the now four members behind the table. "President Coin," he says with a polite nod. "Lock. Stock. Barrel," he finishes to the other three. From their unamused glaring I assume those aren't their real names.

"Mr. Abernathy, your young protégée here has been quite a handful," Coin says with a dark smile. "I'd keep a closer eye on her."

Haymitch takes hold of my arm again and begins to steer me towards the door.

"Will do," he says with a laugh as we exit the room. The air suddenly feels lighter now that we're out in the corridor. The room hasn't been too small but the atmosphere had been tense and overwhelming. He releases me and starts making his way down the corridor, leaving me little choice but to follow at his heels.

"Haymitch," I start before I'm quickly cut off.

"Not now. Wait until we're alone."

We walk back to the top of the staircase I had sprinted up earlier. The route is now clear as the chain that blocked it off originally is now dangling uselessly to the side. Halfway down the stairs two people are making their way up towards us.

"Beetee!"

The man who rushed out on Coin's order is behind Beetee, whispering to him presumably to hurry along.

"Katniss," Beetee replies with a touch of relief. "I'm so glad to see you're doing well. Why are you still in your hospital clothes? You had us all scared for quite some time when you wouldn't wake up." We come to a stand-still as Beetee and the man reach the top step. "Can't stay to chat I'm afraid, but I'm sure we'll get to talk soon. Take care."

Beetee seems just as chaotic in his thought patterns as his old partner Wiress at times. With that the two men take off passed us and go out of sight. Seeing him reminds me of something I need to ask Haymitch so I turn to him, grasping at the corner of his sleeve.

"Haymitch, what happened to the others from the Quell? I know Finnick and Beetee are here. I know Peeta," my voice breaks just a fraction, "is in the Capitol. What about Johanna or Chaff?"

"When I said alone I meant alone in a room, not on top of a staircase or in these halls where anyone can hear us," is the only reply he gives me as we continue our trek. Maybe Haymitch still deserves that slap I never gave, but doing so now would just be petty and childish.

Following him passed my hospital room he leads me to a smaller room that houses a single bed and a small stack of drawers, among other things. Ushering me inside he hovers at the doorway and closes it behind after I enter.

"Get dressed quickly," he says, his voice muffled by the door, "or as quickly as you can. I hear you've been hitting the morphine bottle a little hard. And they call me an addict." He starts guffawing loudly at his own joke but I'm too fascinated with the room's contents to care.

So many of my precious items are here. I can see my bow lying propped against a wall along with my sheath of arrows, the faded pictures of my father and family lay on top of the set of drawers and my boots are pressed up next to them on the floor.

Opening the drawers I exhale in relief to see my old hunting clothes have somehow made the trip to the district as well. I don't know how they did but I was glad nonetheless. After slipping into them quickly I emerge from the room as Haymitch's cackles ease off.

He nods his head silently in approval as he again makes a start in the opposite direction, leading me through a maze of rooms and corridors. Walls become different shades, faint music or laughter can sometimes be heard but we never bump into any citizens.

Eventually we stop in front of another sealed off room, the door to which is made of a heavy wrought-iron. Haymitch knocks on it three times in quick succession before allowing himself and Katniss in.

The room is lit with a dim light, one bright enough to see everything going on but dark enough that it takes a while for my eyes to adjust When they do adjust though I can make out several people hovering over a table inside.

"Gale! Finnick!"

The two men seems like they were prepared to see Haymitch, but from their shocked expressions they probably expected me to still be in hospital. Finnick gives me a large wave and smile as Gale steps forward to envelope me in a short hug. He ushers me further into the room.

"I had tried to come see you, but I was never allowed in," he says, looking down on me from his tall height. "I'm glad you're out. I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," I reply quickly, my hands running over my familiar clothing. I don't want to hear my best-friend become emotional because of me. Looking passed him I notice the other people in the room at the same time Haymitch begins introducing them.

"Katniss, this is Homes and Mitchell," he says, pointing to the two men dressed in clothes similar to the ones worn by Peacekeepers. "And these lovely ladies are Jackson, Leeg the first and Leeg the second," he finishes, pointing to women in similar uniforms.

"We prefer Leeg 1 and Leeg 2 actually, Abernathy, and don't call me a lovely lady again," says the woman Haymitch introduced as the second Leeg. They must be sisters – twins, perhaps.

"Okay," I start, unsure how to proceed. What was Gale, Finnick and Haymitch doing with these people, clocked in half-darkness?

"There's also Beetee who you obviously know," Haymitch continues, "and Boggs who you met on the staircase. He was the one leading Beetee up for whatever reason."

"President Coin had wanted to see him, she mentioned something about needing to talk to him about his devices," I say, remembering the president's words in detail.

"Do you think it's about the clocks? He hasn't completed any other inventions yet, there's been no time," one of the Leeg sisters asks the room. So maybe there was truth in what Peeta had said, Coin may be monitoring the people of the district on the sly.

"Peeta was there on a screen when I met Coin," I begin again tentatively, "he mentioned that Snow knew something about cameras being hidden in the clocks? He also said Snow was using them to spy on her and this district the same way she was spying on the citizens." I begin to wring my hands behind my back as a sudden silence shrouds the room.

It's broken by a clap of Finnick's hands. "Already here for only two seconds and she's given us some good stuff! Nice work, Katty."

Oh how I hope that horrible nickname doesn't stick. Directing the attention away from myself I address the rest of the room's occupants, "Why do you need 'good stuff' anyway, what's the point of this secret meeting?"

Finnick stops looking amused almost instantly as he averts his eyes to the ground. When no-one speaks up he turns back to me.

"Snow has Annie. I was her… mentor, but she means so much more than that to me." His voice is quiet and strained, all traces of humour gone from his face. "Coin refuses to send in a team to get her back, she claimed she can't afford to waste the resources of the district on one mad women." He looks both angry and desperately sad both at once.

"She said almost the exact same thing about Peeta, except she said it's because they weren't going to rescue a traitor," I spit out, Finnick's sadness and the memory of Coin's refusal making me irrationally angry.

Finnick gives me a small smile while holds no laughter. "Yes, she's said so already when Haymitch first put forward the idea about his retrieval."

Haymitch leans back against the heavy door, running his hand through his tousled hair as he exhales heavily.

"That's why we're gathered here, sweetheart. We're the ones that are going to bust out Peeta, Annie, Johanna and any others Snow thinks he can lock up to further his own agenda and we can do it without the help or the approval of the woman who elected herself as Queen."

Now we were talking.

Thanks for reading, reviewing, favouriting or following.

Note: Personally I never bought the idea that Snow would let Peeta talk on live television to D13 without them talking back. All it could bring was a release of information on one side and I don't think Peeta would be trusted that much.