Abysslullaby- Thank you! I think every story needs a bit of action.
abugsaunt- Here is a more Peeta-centered chapter for you that will answer a lot of your questions. I wasn't really thinking about adding Finnick as a key player, but now that you mention him, I bet I could work him into this story because I, too, find his sexiness very comedic ;)
JHutchGirl- Thank you. "Awesome Kick-ass Baker" is a good job title for Peeta in this story lol.
MangoMagic- Here's the next chapter! A couple more vital fillers and then we can get on to the meat of the story lol. I'm trying to make Cato's wish come true ;)
I-AmHomo-Romeo- Thank you. I'm glad that if this story is a little weird, then at least it's the good kind of weird!
Pale Is The New Tan- It's pretty high praise for a story to be compared to skittles lol. I do love them. I'm a fan of the sour skittles personally. You always write such incredibly kind reviews that are uniquely you. Thanks for putting a smile on my face every time I get on here :)
CupcakeSprinkles14- Peeta being kiss-ass just adds to his charm. I couldn't help myself but make him that way. You are quite the negotiator. Half of her Halloween candy? That's pretty steep lol. What's a curly wurly?
HungerWho37- Your cousin is great, just like you. It means a lot that you sacrifice candy and hide away inside closets just to review. So sweet :)
sundragon9- Haha, Cato is definitely hot for Peeta, especially the bad-ass Peeta.
Peeta's arrival to district 13 was a celebration. All the citizens of the underground district tried to squeeze into the hovercraft hangar to catch a glimpse of the rescued rebel tribute. Even though district 13 "played dead" all these years, they still had access to the Capitol's programs and watched every second of this year's Hunger Games. They had all seen Peeta overcome everything the Capitol threw at him with flying color.
As Peeta first walked through the halls of district 13, he was taken aback by the stupendous welcome, but was also in awe of the district itself. Although he had trained with operatives from 13 for years, it was always done in the seclusion of the woods outside of 12. He had never actually been to district 13 before.
The entire district was underground. Huge hangars with hovercrafts and missiles spanned the area. Computer rooms and entire floors dedicated to weaponry showed technology the likes of which Peeta had never seen. The whole place was a massive commune with its citizens living in rows of identical compartments and a giant dining hall at the center of it all. Everything was clean and orderly. Peeta just wanted to run through the halls and explore. The first place they showed him though was the infirmary. He was just in the Hunger Games after all.
"I have so many questions," Peeta stated to the doctor who was treating him for any injuries. "Are the districts rebelling now? Are we at war? Do you think my family's okay? Which tribute did the cannon go off for this morning? What's going to happen to the rest of the tributes?" Peeta's head was spinning from all the uncertainties.
One of the soldiers who had escorted Peeta to the infirmary spoke up. "All the districts have officially declared war against the Capitol. We have troops stationed in every district, not to mention the districts' own thousands of native rebels. So trust me when I say your family is being well guarded. The games have been stopped and the rest of the tributes are currently back at the training center. The male tribute from 10 was killed by the male from 11 this morning."
Peeta was relieved that the cannon he heard this morning when he was with Pip didn't belong to one of his allies. In fact, it was Thresh who killed the boy from 10 who apparently went crazy and beat Jazz to a bloody pulp. Thresh must be doing okay if he could still fight. Peeta then felt a thrill at the news that the rebellion was officially going strong. The soldier by his side proceeded to explain that since Peeta was a soldier competently trained by instructors from 13, he would immediately be assigned to a special unit to join in the war effort. Needless to say, the boy was pumped. This was what he had been waiting for since he was seven.
Standing in front of a bathroom mirror, Peeta got a glimpse of himself for the first time since he went into the arena. It hadn't even been three full days and he already looked like shit. The blonde boy tore off his tattered arena clothes and threw them in the trash. He stayed under the piping hot shower for as long as possible until he realized how truly exhausted he was. He had no appetite and just wanted to fade away from the overwhelming realization of everything that had happened to him since the moment he was reaped.
No matter what his appetite was, Peeta had orders to meet his unit down in the dining hall once he finished getting cleaned. Dressed now in navy pants and a white tee, he made his way to the dining hall to eat his first decent meal in days. Upon arrival, Peeta was greeted by the very men who had trained him outside of district 12 for years. They proudly informed the boy that he would be joining their elite unit. Peeta felt immensely honored to fight side by side with them. The great news had brought back his appetite and he feasted like a ravenous wolf as the men just laughed.
"So, Peeta, I have to admit we were all up in arms when you were first reaped," one of his trainers spoke. "We wanted to start the rebellion right then and there. And then, the Capitol went and set you and your district partner on fire your first night there!" he laughed. "But even after that, I have to say you were taking care of yourself in the Capitol just fine."
"What can I say?" Peeta smiled with a mouth full of food. "I learned from the best."
"That you did," The other trainer smirked. "Although flirting was never one of the combat techniques we taught you. It did fair you pretty well at the bloodbath though. Hell, it looked like it saved your life. When that brute from 2 had you pinned against the cornucopia, he was going to pound you with his own personal 'sword' and then finish you off."
"No need to worry about me; I'm very resourceful," Peeta purred. "I like to think on my feet and create unique escape moves. Kissing your enemy so you can distract him and slam his head against a wall may seem a little unorthodox, but it was just as effective as any other traditional escape attempt I could think of."
"I get that," one of the men said, "but he was clearly on a personal mission to dominate you. And then that heated moment when you both were stung. What was up with that?"
Peeta blushed at the realization that his moment of weakness was broadcasted on national television. And, although he'd never admit it to his fellow soldiers, he was a little pissed that such an intimate moment was belittled to nothing more than public entertainment. Peeta had originally manipulated Cato's lust for him in order to get ahead in the games, but he couldn't ignore the fact that every time they met, he ended up feeling just as affected by their union as Cato did. This alarmed Peeta and now he wasn't sure how he felt. It didn't help having his entire life placed under a microscope for all of Panem to dissect. He hid any angst he felt though and just smiled at his long-time trainers.
"Oh, come on," Peeta smirked. "You guys saw him. Cato's gorgeous, strong, and I've always liked a little cockiness. But don't get your panties in a bunch. There wasn't anything serious going on between us. I mean, he's way more than just cocky; he's completely egotistical. He thinks he's entitled to anything and everything. I knew it'd be a disaster to get close to someone so aggressive like him, so I just teased him the whole time to get under his skin. It gave me an edge."
"It sure did," one of the men agreed. "If that boy didn't have bigger plans for you, you probably would've been gutted right when he and his Career pack saw you dangling from that tree."
"Whatever," Peeta scoffed dismissively. "I would've found another way to bide my time until Katniss cut the tracker jacker nest down. I mean, I did get an 11 in training after all."
"Hell yeah you did. Tell us, what all did you do to get that 11?"
Peeta began regaling his story to the two men and by the time he finished, he had gathered a huge crowd that had come to listen. He really was like a sort of celebrity. As he swallowed the last morsel on his plate, Peeta was ready to pass out from sheer exhaustion when his unit informed him that they were all to meet in the military's situation room to discuss their next line of attack.
Gathered in the spacious room with the giant rounded table, the tension was palpable. All the highest ranked officers were present, along with President Coin herself. Peeta felt special to be invited, but also a little intimidated.
President Coin started the meeting. "I'd like to start off this meeting by congratulating you all on our already thriving efforts in this newly declared war. We have already reached significant milestones in synchronizing the districts' revolts as well as successfully carrying out the mission to recover Soldier Mellark from the Capitol's clutches." Coin praised the men and the room let out a 'hoorah!' in unison. Peeta blushed and Coin turned to address him. "Soldier Mellark, you are a shining symbol of this rebellion and we are happy to have you with us."
"Symbol of the rebellion?" Peeta queried.
"Why yes, Peeta," Coin called him by name. "Through your striking performance in the games, you represented the best of the rebels: determined, skilled, fearless, and passionate for the cause. That's what you showed to all of Panem as the Capitol broadcasted your face on every screen. You are a personified 'smack in the face' to the Capitol because they're the ones that put you on the pedestal in the first place. They are the ones that brought you inside their own city for their twisted games to essentially murder you for public entertainment and instead ended up giving you a platform in which to rally the rebels right under their noses. You are the rebellion, Peeta."
Peeta was overwhelmed by the insinuation that he held that much power. "I can't really agree with you on that, Madam President. I mean, I'd do anything to take down the Capitol, but I don't feel like I'm that special. But I am honored you think so highly of me. I'm ready and willing to do whatever I can to help the cause."
"You are special," Coin assured. "Your presence in the games was the perfect catalyst to put our plans into action. Our goal for you now is to get you suited up with your unit and back into the spotlight as soon as possible. We want everyone to know you're here safe with us, armed and ready to fight."
"Yes, Madam President," Peeta nodded. "I'm ready."
With that, President Coin transitioned to the next item on her agenda. "Now, on to discussing our next mission of infiltrating the Capitol. All the remaining tributes and their mentors are currently being held prisoner at the training center which is in the heart of the city. As you know, many of the mentors are also rebel conspirators that have been working with us for some time. And we never leave a man behind. Also, having the remaining tributes of this year's games on our side would add a much needed morale boost for their home districts. It was important for us to ensure Soldier Mellark's escape while we still had the element of surprise. But now that we've officially declared war on the Capitol, we have enough of our people inside the city to perform a full scale rescue mission for all the prisoners in the training center."
"How do we infiltrate the training center? The Capitol has all its attention on it right now," one of the military officials asked.
"What we need is to create a diversion somewhere else in the city to distract our movements towards the building," another official declared.
"Send me," Peeta offered.
Every head in the room whipped back at Peeta and glared at him like he was a madman, or just plain stupid. He held his ground though and defended his offer.
"You said you wanted to get me back in the spotlight as soon as possible. What better way than to show you have the resources and intelligence to get me back in the Capitol without them even knowing? It will make them look exposed and incompetent, like they aren't even able to guard their own city, yet alone take back the districts."
"It's much too risky to send you back behind enemy lines," Coin warned, "especially so soon after you were just rescued from their captivity."
"That's the beauty of it," Peeta exclaimed. "They won't be expecting us to be so bold. Look, I think we can all agree Seneca Crane and President Snow want my head. If I show them I'm in the Capitol, they're bound to focus their attention towards hunting me down, giving the rescue squad the perfect distraction. My presence in the Capitol will be the diversion the rescue squad needs to go in and save the tributes and mentors."
"I don't know if you're ready to handle such a high-risk mission so soon," Coin defended.
"I know I am," Peeta shot back. "Besides, I won't be going in alone. I'd be going in with these guys. You assigned me to one of the best units. I've trained with these men for years. I know they'd be willing to take on the challenge of facing the Capitol head on."
The soldiers beside Peeta put their hands on the boy's shoulder and nodded, supporting that he was right and that they accepted the challenge.
After another hour of back-and-forth, strategically weighing the pros and cons, it was finally decided that Peeta would go back into the Capitol, but this time with firepower and an entire squad by his side. They would leave tomorrow at dawn and be sent to a lightly guarded supply warehouse about 1 mile east of the training center. They would set off a bomb to attract attention. Peeta would be at the forefront of the attack so that the first wave of Capitol responders would see him and alert officials. Their plan was to gain Snow's attention so he would send any and all forces within the area to the warehouse, leaving the training center unguarded. The actual rescue squad would be waiting in the wings nearby to infiltrate the training center while the Capitol was distracted with hunting Peeta's squad. Other units would be just outside of the capitol manning the hovercrafts that would swoop in and take them all home when the mission was completed.
As President Coin dismissed everyone to go prepare for tomorrow's mission, Peeta's unit took him to their floor and showed him his assigned bunk compartment. He nearly passed out the moment his head hit the pillow. Peeta needed to recover as much as possible tonight so that he'd be ready for his first official mission tomorrow. He would be the distraction needed to get his friends and mentor out of the training center and bring them here to safety in 13. He'd be the distraction so they could rescue Cato and bring him here too. He wondered what Cato thought of him now as he slipped into unconsciousness.