The Office of the President of the Republic of Panem hereby grants a full, free, and absolute pardon to Katniss Everdeen for any and all criminal offenses she has or may have committed up through the date of the signing of this decree. It is on this twentieth day of March, in the international year of twenty-five hundred and fifty-one, and the two hundred and second year of the foundation of the nation of Panem, that I set my signature and enact this pardon before all witnesses present.
Brinna Paylor 03/20/202
I've scanned this statement who-knows-how-many times already, and the implications of the words on it are only now beginning to sink in. From the look on her face, it's the same thing for the actual intended recipient of the pardon; actually, Katniss has been frozen on the spot ever since I showed her it.
Yeah, she probably should have been the one to see it first, but curiosity got the better of me after repeated walks by that yellowing government-seal-blazoned envelope sitting on the dresser. After asking for permission and getting a noncommittal shrug in return, I tore open the envelope to allow several documents to spill out. Which leads us to this point.
As that realization finally sinks in and takes root, a grin grows on my face. "You know what this means, right?"
"I have a good idea…" Katniss still looks fairly suspicious; as if she expects the document to suddenly catch fire and be revoked if she allows herself to accept the facts and be glad. Her demeanor does put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm, as does another fact:
The twentieth day of March…
I really can't help but heave an exasperated sigh when I actually pay attention to the date.
Of course I don't really blame Katniss for not bothering with the document. It's not like we've exactly had a good track record in dealing with the government; not to mention the first couple official letters addressed to her were from Plutarch repeatedly asking to send a camera crew here to get the Mockingjay to sing for his blasted show.
Still… three months… three months have passed since that pardon was issued. Three months during which we could have gone anywhere together — I mean, I know that she hasn't exactly expressed interest in traveling, but that doesn't mean we can't entertain the notion — if that envelope had been opened earlier.
Katniss must sense my discontent because she immediately sends me a scowl: "It's not my fault this was the only way they notified us. Why didn't they just announce it on the television?"
"You know as well as I why they didn't." The government can't afford to make it look like they soft on unsanctioned vigilantes; even ones that are symbols of the conflict that got it installed in the first place. "Besides, do you want the publicity?"
The scowl turns into a grimace. "No. But they could have least called and told me about this."
Okay, she's got a point there: why didn't they simply call us? Granted, it's probably no coincidence that Dr. Aurelius told Katniss around that time that she's no longer obligated to report to him — we still make appointments, but they've become much more infrequent — or why the security force assigned to this district seemed to collectively be reason to throw a celebration when she talked with them.
"Besides," she adds, "if they wanted this to be subtle, how do they expect us to travel?" I suspect that even if my lover didn't care about said subtlety, she's not exactly keen towards the idea of sharing a train with the public right now.
"Actually," I note while bringing up another document, "it says here that a transportation service is already provided for us. We just have to call the stated contact and tell them where we want to go, and they'll take us anywhere we wish to go within the nation. Seems simple enough." More likely than not, that means it will probably be a military hovercraft.
"I guess."
"Come on," I mutter with a roll of my eyes, "the dedication is coming up. Do you really want to stick around here during this time?"
My words seem to hit the right point, because Katniss immediately shakes her head with a grimace.
In a few weeks, the second anniversary of the bombing is going to come around, and with it, a dedication. This time, there's going to be an unveiling of the memorial: a set of stone walls and columns with the names of all who were lost in the bombing inscribed on them; design provided by District Twelve and stone provided by District Two.
Looking ahead, however, there's going to be another ceremony for a ground-breaking of the new military base. Officially, the reason for this base is due to our district being at a strategic spot at the edge of the northeastern frontier. The unit itself isn't going to be a regular Army unit but a smaller Special Forces battalion; 3rd Ranger Battalion they're calling it. While the official reason does make perfect sense, I suspect there are a few additional reasons: first being a way to keep Katniss safe due to the various terrorist organizations that have been on the rise — usually something along the lines of wanting to reinstate a government that's similar to Snow or Coin — and secondly as a way to keep District Twelve relevant, as there has been murmurings that various politicians want to cut off support for the district due to its "insignificant size" and "ties to the Peacekeeper district". The presence of the base, especially with a specialized function, would not only add additional relevancy to us; it would likely bump our population up by at least several thousand.
Despite her general distrust of the government, Katniss actually hasn't really expressed any opposition to it beyond her natural level of skepticism about things. The only thing she opposed was the original name, which was to be Camp Mockingjay. So after some negotiation, they changed the planned name to Camp Artemis; when my girlfriend found out that the name was still homage to her, she was grudging but ultimately accepted it. The other thing she ended up negotiating was the fact that the surrounding region was going to be military property subject to live exercises. The nice thing is that the Army was accommodating to her desire to leave the wilderness open to the public; once operations begin, any outing will have to be coordinated with them so as to prevent incidents, and to be on the safe side, there will be several areas of land that will be completely off-limits to either the public or military exercises.
Anyways, it's not the dedication itself that has been making Katniss anxious lately; though neither of us will want to deal with the media. Rather, it will be who's attending it — just as fair considering his role during that fateful day two years ago, as well as the fact that he's one of the founding members of the Rangers — that has her flustered. I don't think she hates him per say, but it's clear that she's no ready to come face to face; to be fair, I don't think he's ready either.
Thus the original plan was to stay holed up in here for those few days; at least, until now.
"So, since you have no wish of staying here, why don't we try this out and go on a trip then?" I postulate. "In fact, you can pick the destination."
This time, there's zero hesitation when she responds:
"Let's go to District Four."
~oOo~
After making sure everything's packed up, we get ready to head out on our way. Besides the essentials, we also got several gifts to bring with us: a case of wild herbs for Katniss' mother, a aromatic box carved from juniper for Johanna, a painting of Finnick for Annie, a toy for little Odair Junior — it's going to be his first birthday after all — and a set of various baked treats for everyone.
The nice thing is that we no longer are required to walk or rely on getting a lift from somebody when having to carry things around the district. A trolley system opened up just a few weeks ago and goes through all the important spots, with the ability for expansion if need be; the cars themselves even were made in mind with space to carry game. Chalk that accomplishment up to several independent factories that haven't bought the rest of their district's rhetoric and wished to repay us in some manner.
Unlike the national railway, the trolley system is fairly low-tech; though it's coincidental and not an homage, it's actually reminiscent of the carts used in the mines, especially in the ability to overcome the inclines that cover this community. Instead of being powered directly by an engine or magnets, the trolley car moves by gripping onto a constantly-moving cable — powered by a central operating center — that pulls it along; the operator on the car itself stops the transport by setting the brakes and causing it to let go of the cable, and things start up again by reversing the process. Besides the ease of travel it gives, especially in times of inclement weather, the need for power plant and car operators means that this system has the added benefit of being a consistent source of jobs for people in this district.
As we sit at the aft open-sided area of the car — there is a enclosed section in the middle for when the weather becomes uncomfortable — I appreciate how the road is no longer a dust path but paved with clay and stone tiles; also that it's now flanked by new houses with all of the style and none of the rickety threat of the past, various gardens to bring life back into the community, and peach trees that are now laden with their fuzzy fruit.
I also end up marveling at the cornerstone of our work being seen in the nearly-complete administration center. Besides the use of granite for the base, limestone for the sides, and marble for the front columns and accents, the three-story structure is topped with a copper-domed clock tower; the only element that wasn't imported from Two is a frame of anthracite brick — for some reason, there was a storehouse in the Capitol that had the material — that borders the main entrance. Besides the civil — to the surprise of no one but him, Thom was appointed the position of mayor — and judicial offices, the building will also house a library and district museum. That's actually part of a national initiative started by Paylor to increase literacy and critical thinking throughout the district; due to said initiative, it will be stocked with uncensored copies of various books and documents — including previously-banned ones — courtesy of the Archives. It's definitely a step up from the old Justice Building, and considering that over eighty percent of the design is due to my concepts, I can say with zero shame that I swell with pride every time I see it; those who donated the material should be proud too.
Already, there preparations are being made for the dedication coming up in a couple of days. Banners are placed on the still-unfinished shops and admin building around the square, a podium has been placed, and media are already streaming into this district; I have a feeling that, for Katniss, we could have not left soon enough.
After passing through the covered memorial flanking us — it will be unveiled at the dedication ceremony — and the park that surrounds it, we finally arrive at the transportation center. I only spare a glance at the refurbished train station and completed medicine factory as we disembark from the trolley and head towards the hovercraft port; just in time as well, as I think this our ride that's in descent.
The… okay I'm not even sure it's a hovercraft, but whatever it is, the vessel landing before us is way different from most hovercraft — Capitol or Thirteen — that I'm familiar with. Certainly, it's about the same size as one of the transports, but that's about it. It could be the matte finish that's different from Capitol silver or rebel gray; it could be that it lacks the arrowhead-like form that the other hovercraft have; or it could be the rows of blood-tipped fangs and rage-laden eyes painted at the front of it.
In any case, I don't get much of a chance to muse on that as the disembarking ramp lowers and out strolls a victor.
"Katniss! Peeta!" Beetee states with no small amount of warmth. "I see that you're ready to head out. Just give them a few minutes to do some preliminary ground checks, and you'll be off in no time." So he's here for the opening ceremony as well.
As we shake hands, I stay, "Sae will be able to show you to where you're staying. I hope you'll enjoy your time here."
"Honestly, I already feel a bit at home," he notes while looking at the surrounding forest-covered hills. "Word of warning: you may have some… security accompanying you."
"Security?" If the look in her scowling eyes is any indication, Katniss is already balking at the thought of our original plans.
The District Three victor just offers a dismissive wave in response: "Oh, you can actually part ways for the most of the time while you're in Four. Just know he's accompanying you at least for—"
"Hey, Uncle Benny, you forgot your… stuff…"
As the interrupting statement trails off, I look towards the source to see a uniformed and tattooed youth frozen in the process of holding a duffle bag out towards Beetee; said uniform is as unfamiliar as the aircraft before us.
The soldier doesn't even bother introducing himself when he bolts over to begin shaking our hands with zeal before going on a hyperactive rambling of our praises… or something along those lines; it's hard to tell when there are little-to-no spaces between the words. Despite the facial scar and visible weapons suggesting that he's far from harmless, the earnest friendliness and cheer this guy emanates makes it seems like he's Delly's long-lost athletic and caffeinated counterpart.
With Katniss currently getting the brunt of the attention at the moment, I use the reprieve to mutter to Beetee, "He's our 'security detail', isn't he."
The victor gives the slightest of nods while grabbing his duffle bag and muttering back, "I may have forgotten to mention who the people he's watching over will be. Just a heads-up: he may ask about your leg."
Wonderful… "This is going to be a long fight, isn't it."
This time, Beetee simply offers a smile and claps me on the shoulder as he walks past me and my girlfriend… who's staring daggers at me.
A really long flight…