Gale
Immediately after landing, Katniss, her crew and I are 'escorted' by armed officials from District 13. Being inside the district is a huge surprise, seeing as everything I'd been hearing and/or suspecting about the rebellion and this fallen district are finally confirmed. Though the surface is left in ashes, with ancient rubble covering most of the dry, cold terrain, the underground sectors of 13 are actually quite impressive. It's a pristine, organized, marble version of our mines back in 12. Instead of the carts I'm used to, though, we walk everywhere, seeing as in 13 they don't have sufficient technology to be able to develop advanced transportation methods that would work under sea levels. There are complex tunnels, as well as countless elevators that even move sideways, orchestrated in such a way that you are almost sure to never land in the same corridor twice on the same day.
"Level 3, sector A," mutters one of the soldiers under her breath, gesturing almost imperceptibly down one hallway. I get the faintest feeling that she was trying to give us a tour, but due to her quiet voice and her lack of eye contact, it's hard to tell. As she points out other rooms and hallways, I make it a point to try to catch Katniss's eye.
I feel like, after she came back into the hovercraft when she was finished with her shooting, there was a moment when I was finally able to break through the nutshell and access her. Of course, she was practically nonresponsive at that point, probably because she'd been so worn out by all the shooting. After we made the rest of the trip into the district, she all but ignored me.
Even now, as we make our way to God knows where, she refuses to look at me. The soldiers finally lead us down one last hallway which is almost a dead end, with no other connected corridors or doors on the walls, except for the one at the end of the corridor. The officer steps in front of some strange machine connected to the wall, which then lets out an acid green light that scans her eyeball. The second soldier mutters something about a new identification technology now that some Capitol spies have been known to infiltrate the headquarters.
Finally, the two heavy doors slide open, and the sight inside seems almost as out of place in the tunnels as the tunnels seem in the district. I's a large room with a long, rectangular table in the center, some chairs set around it, and a large panel above the head seat—on which sits an aged woman in a light gray pantsuit. Of course, the only thing betraying her age is her shoulder-length gray hair, which isn't streaked with a shade lighter or a shade darker than the rest of her hair—the same color as her suit. Her face is almost completely smooth, except for some telltale wrinkles around her mouth, as well as above her eyes and in between her eyebrows, as if she scowled quite often. Her wrinkly hands, with long, thin fingers intertwined with each other, rest before her, and her eyes are downcast upon them.
"That will be all," says a stone-cold, low voice with an odd feminine touch. It takes me half a second to realize that the voice was coming from the woman at the table, who finally looks up, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. The corners of her mouth twitch up every other second, as if she can't make up her mind as to whether or not smile properly. "Thank you, Paylor and Wiles. I'll be meeting with you both shortly; you know your position." They both walk outside the office, and the door slides shut again. As I look around, I find that only Haymitch, Katniss, Effie and I are standing in the office.
"Please. Take a seat," she tells us. By the way she says it out loud, it's almost a distinct order, rather than a request, for us to sit down. Effie, who is looking slightly out of it, is guided down to a chair by Haymitch, steering her shoulders. Katniss and I finally exchange confused glances and she sits down across the table from the woman. I sit to Katniss's left.
The woman leans forward, looking at each one of us intently. "I will begin by introducing myself. I am Alma Coin, current leader of the rebellion as well as newly elected mayor of District 13. I would like to—"
"Wait, mayor?" asks Katniss irritably, confused. I don't bother shrugging or looking over at her, since she's just voiced the same exact thought I was having just now. "I'm sorry, I had no idea 13 was still being recognized by the Capitol."
Something about the way she mentioned that gave me the impression that she meant it to be accusing; however it just came out as though she really did have no idea what was going on. Alma Coin merely curls her lips up in a hideous attempt at a smirk, as her wrinkles deepen slightly. "As you may or may not be aware, Miss Everdeen—"
"Stop," interrupts Katniss, frustrated and putting her hands up to her face, "calling me that! It's not Miss Everdeen, it's Katniss Everdeen—and to you? We're not on first-name terms, so it's just Everdeen." I suppressed a grin; of course Katniss would take offense to being mistaken with some lady-like being. I just wonder what took her so long.
Finally, Alma Coin shows some sign of emotion, as her lips quirk into a frown. "As you may or may not be aware, Everdeen," she sneers, "as far as the Capitol, and the remaining districts, are concerned, yes, District 13 is still being recognized. Although the fact that a government is being maintained here is unbeknownst to many, the Capitol knows it—President Snow certainly knows it."
"Ironic, isn't it," Haymitch breaks in, looking bored, "how one of—pardon my bluntness, Alma—"
"No need, Haymitch," the woman responds dismissively.
"—Snow's possible lapdogs turns out to be planning his demise."
Coin lets out a shrill, cold laugh, so thick with sarcasm that it's hard to tell whether or not she's actually offended by the remark. "Certainly, President Snow is fully conscious that we are active in the rebellion. If the signs haven't been clear enough, the breakout in Eleven will bring him to his senses."
"What use is it for them to know it's you—I mean, us?" I ask brusquely, because really it's much harder to plot an entire government's downfall—not to mention a very totalitarian government—while they know one is planning against them. "I heard from Paylor, err, Wiles, uh, one of them, that spies had already breached the perimeter. It's possible that, even now, they are listening to our conversation."
Something clicks in Coin's mind when I say my bit, and her eyebrows furrow together, sharpening her glare. She presses a button on the desktop that I hadn't noticed before, and an elegant, curved silver stick pops out, with a black tip. She leans over it and mutters, "Stone, Ottoman, inside the main office now. Code eight. Now!"
Almost immediately—and it's nearly comical how quickly they appear—two tall, muscular soldiers walk through the heavy sliding doors, each one armed with machine guns. One scans the tabletop as the other one walks the perimeter of the room, possibly searching for hidden cameras. Fortunately—in light of the fact that we'd been speaking freely about District 13 up until now—they find nothing, and go out as quickly as they came in.
Coin finally returns to her bland smirk as she turns to look at me. "For starters, we are offering an almost impossible target. Thirteen is so well-hidden underground that it is nearly ludicrous for the Capitol to be able to attack us. The only way we could possibly receive an incoming strike would be if they sunk as low—as despicably, loathsomely low—as to using their nuclear weapons, in which case a counterattack from our behalf is completely guaranteed. That is, if we discard the advantage of steering their attention away from the struggling districts. Because we are so hard to attack, they will most likely spend their time trying to do just that, and leaving our fellow citizens alone. So," she concludes in regards to my question, "it is good that they know it is us. Very, very useful."
"Who gives a damn about waiting for them to attack us?" I roar impatiently, getting up on my feet. A stunned Katniss turns to look up at me in awe, eyes wide. I don't know why; it's not the first time she's seen me raving against the Capitol. "Why don't we attack them, and get this whole deal over with?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," growls a deep voice with a laugh. I turn around swiftly, just in time to witness the large doors slide together behind Commander Boggs. He walks over around the table and stands behind Coin, slightly to her right. "You know, our same logic was applied hundreds of years ago. It was developed into something called Mutually Assured Destruction. You see, just as we would counterattack their bombing, they would counterattack ours. What would be left but more rubble, and no people to rebuild it?"
"Rebuild WHAT?" shrieks Effie, finally coming to. I'd almost forgotten she was in this office. "I JUST GOT CATERED AWAY FROM A VERY IMPORTANT AFFAIR OF MINE, I AM WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE HE…WHAT THE HE…WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE CAPITOL IS GOING ON!"
Katniss winces at Effie's shrill, squeaky voice. Haymitch simply rolls his eyes, as if all this time he's been counting down the minutes until she cracks, and Coin remains practically stoical. "Samuel," she says smoothly, "perhaps you could get Miss Trinket a glass of sedahol?"
I raise my eyebrow at the term. Thankfully, I'm not the only one completely in the dark as to the meaning of sedahol. Katniss also looks skeptical, and Haymitch…well, frankly he looks like he could use a glass of anything as long as it contains alcohol. Still, Boggs seem to know what she was talking about, and so he steps once again outside the office. Meanwhile, Effie is still going on, screaming—ironic, really, that she is demanding an explanation but not shutting up long enough to receive one.
After what seems like hours, Boggs returns with a small glass filled with some weird, clear, bluish liquid that he sets in front of Effie. Still looking suspicious, Effie takes it and takes a sip. In a matter of seconds, she is totally unconscious.
"What did you give her?" demands Haymitch, sitting up immediately. "Poison? Are you poisoning everybody with a Capitol pedigree, Alma?"
Coin smiles sweetly at Haymitch, but only offers this as an answer, "Sedahol is a lab-created combination of alcohol and sedatives; the alcohol masks the sedatives, and the sedatives…well…" She waves her hand towards Effie as a form of conclusion. "Now, Haymitch, I would much appreciate it if you'd help Boggs escort the escort off to her correspondent compartment. Thank you." Haymitch grumbles, but still gets up and helps Boggs take her out. Coin sighs and looks back down at her hands, taking a deep breath.
"Onto more pressing matters," she breathes, lifting her gaze towards Katniss and I, "you should know that Twelve, Eleven, Eight, Four, and Three are currently under rebel command. This means no food is being imported to the Capitol, or to any of the resisting districts; nor is anything being produced or invented by engineers. Of course, we cannot yet vouch for weapons, as we—that is to say, Thirteen—are no longer in charge of manufacturing their nuclear warfare. They have moved that center, as well as their central Peacekeeper forces, to District 2.
"Our priorities right now are to tackle Districts 5 and 6—halting transportation and communication—and District 2, for obvious reasons. But," she adds, staring at us intently, "we cannot do this alone. This is where you come in.
"Everdeen, you are widely known, as I'm sure you're aware, of your stanza in this entire matter. Tribute, lover, victor—twice—surviving against all odds. You have become, as proven time and time again, the symbol of the rebellion. The mockingjay, symbolically speaking. But you cannot tell a mockingjay from an ordinary bird until you hear her song."
"A speech?" Katniss asks, and I can almost see her turning a sickly shade of pale green. She gets queasy easily when asked to go public; even as a victor on the first tour, as well as the countless interviews before and since, it has been obvious that she is no public speaker.
"Oh, no," Coin laughs, waving the suggestion off with one hand. "We are beyond speeches at this point. No, I am afraid that the only advancement will be made through action. Now, it will not, by any means, be necessary for you to actually engage in combat. We just need you to appear to be fighting on the rebel side, to say just a few encouraging words. Your mentor will be able of helping you."
"Wait, wait, wait," Katniss gasps, looking as if she's just been slapped across the face. "You're saying I won't actually get to fight?"
That catches my attention, because, if I know anything about Katniss, it's that she'll refuse to sit out during any battle, especially one that she's being forced to fake.
"You'll have a few shots here and there, but you will not be on the front ranks," Coin explains. I sink back into my seat, relieved. It's probably good that Coin came to this conclusion on her own accord; if Katniss had done any convincing, they would be debating this until sunrise.
"I just…" Katniss mumbles, combing her fingers through her hair. "This is a lot to take in, okay? Could we maybe…tomorrow…"
"Yes, oh, yes!" Coin agrees immediately, getting up from her seat—probably to open the doors for us. "Certainly. Even mockingjays need their slumber, do they not? And today has been such a stressful day…" She walks over, her eye is scanned, and she waves us out of the office, reminding us to come to her first thing in the morning.
I put my hands tentatively around Katniss's shoulders, aiming to be comforting, as Paylor/Wiles guides us to her chamber. Once we reach the door, she hesitates halfway inside. I pause, waiting for her to say something. Sheepishly, as embarrassed as that time she kissed me back at her house before this mad venture, she mutters, "I don't think…I won't be able to…Nightmares," she says finally. It's okay, though; I understand what she means. She's afraid she might not get her sleep because of the nightmares that seem to have been coming back stronger and more frequently than before. I nod and follow her inside, then carefully take a pillow and lean it against the wall by her bed, ready to take my station.
"Gale," she laughs gently, her eyes serious and almost pleading. "You don't have to…I mean, the bed's big enough for both of…" Again, without much reading into it, I am able to understand what she means. I pick up the pillow from its spot on the floor and rest it on the bed once more, then carefully tuck myself in next to her.
I don't know if I'm going to get any sleep tonight, so I lean my head back on my arms. I can sense that Katniss isn't really asleep yet either, and I turn to the side, facing her back. Gingerly, as if afraid she might break under my touch, I lift my arm and put it carefully over her, just barely grazing her bare arm. She sighs and, just as delicately, takes my hand and pulls me closer to her, resting her head against my shoulder.
"Katniss?" I breathe.
"Mm?"
"You're going to be a great mockingjay."
She doesn't say anything for a second, but I can feel her tense up. "Oh, God, I really hope so."
Gently, I let my thumb rub over her knuckles, feel her relax under my arms. It's so quiet, so peaceful, that I lower my guard and let it just slip out.
"I love you."
There's a pause, in which I can almost feel my gut fall deeper than the underground terrains of 13. Then she whispers, "I know."
"Oh."
I close my eyes, trying hard to control the burning sensation that reaches my face, shame probably. I'm possibly seconds away from sleep when I feel hot breath on my hand, and my eyes burst open once more.
"Gale?" she repeats, quietly and breezily.
"Yeah?"
"Me, too."
Somehow, I know she's not referring to my faith in her as a mockingjay.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Y'all owe me a few reviews because it is 2:22 AM and I am currently on a plane as I write this… Also I'm watching Journey 2 so this is taking up attention that I could be giving to Josh Hutcherson. (;
Anyways, I've been aching to include President Coin in a chapter. Feel totally free to give me advice on how to write her, or if she was OOC, or just anything! As you'll notice, Paylor is already in 13, but that is because there was a delay in my story that was not in the actual books, since Katniss was not taken to 13 immediately following the Quarter Quell. And yes, I did include some Galeniss fluff in the end because it was too much action and not enough romance! Totally disproportionate!
As to the reviews for chapter 21:
noname: No worries! I hope you like this chapter too!
Moonstripe: Thank you so much!
Love you all, and have fun this summer!
-TGBW