"This safe secure world is not something Katniss would want." Beetee said quietly ovver the hum of the bank of computer servers along the wall in the familiar tech room. Wiress nodded as she repaired a hard drive. "You knew this." Another nod. "Now what?" Beetee asked before connecting his laptop to another server to continue his routine tests.
"We can't keep her safe." Wiress whispered sadly.
"No - we're not loosing her!" Beetee said as his whisper constricted with pain. "She's - like -"
"Like our Estelle." Wiress said. "We need to leave. Here. To keep her safe." Slowly Wiress opened her palm to reveal a cardboard circle. One side had the letters CCR. A picture of a rail car on a monorail track was on the other side.
"The Capitol." Beetee whispered looking at the improvised commuter rail token. Wiress nodded before using her soldering gun to melt the cardboard.
"There. This soot will make a small fire -" Wiress thought out loud knowing the audio scrambler she had in her pocket was deactivated.
"Not near the servers, hon!" Beetee yelped automatically.
"I know, dear, I need to weld these two wires -" Wires took her work to a nearby metal table where she finished repairs on the hard drive that Beetee inserted into another unit. They finished their sever maintenence duties just in time for their meeting. Everyone acknowledged the Teslas with a nod as they sat at their usual seats around the table. Haymitch, Plutarch, Cressida, and her camera crew entered the conference room and remained standing as Coin was behind them. Everyone rose to their feet as Coin entered the room.
"Now, I would like to discuss the progress of The Block." President Coin addressed the Teslas directly. "Have you tested the pods for each soldier?" Beetee and Wiress nodded.
"The general's voice recording to take cover is set to play exactly five seconds before the explosion. Enough for Katniss to make a decision on whether to follow orders." Beetee finished.
"And the pod for Johanna Mason?" President Coin looked directly at Wiress who returned her stare with large eyes reflecting distain.
"Ready. The water will flood the simulator and will receede in five minutes." Wiress replied. "However, I was wondering if she should be warned that she may encounter water in her training just so she can be extra prepared -"
"No!" President Coin snapped glaring at the inventor. "I do not want Mason in combat with The Mockingjay. They both have strong dissident tendencies." Stunned silence filled the room with everyone staring straight ahead not wanting to answer the President for fear of being accused of dissent or treason.
"We have tested the pods and they work as they should." Beetee said in a flat tone breaking the tense silence.
"Very well. You and Mrs. Tesla will ensure they activate at the proper time. I will be with you in the observation deck."
A week later, the Teslas sat in the observation deck overlooking The Block five minutes before Squad 451's soldiers would enter. Wiress completed her system checklist with Beetee and sat down next to him at their desk with three computer monitors and two keyboards. They looked out the one way mirror that looked to be a large window in one of the buildings of The Block."There is Everdeen." Boggs said. Beetee counted down before clicking a button on one of the screens. They listened as the 'commander' in the simulator gave The Mockingjay orders to take cover. Everyone listened with baited breath for a second before Katniss dropped to the ground.
"She passes." President Coin said. "And she knows her weakness. That she refuses to obey orders."Ten minutes later, Johanna Mason entered the simulator. She eagerly toook down Peacekeepers and soldiers with her two axes. "Now." President Coin ordered. Beetee gulped as Wiress took his hand. "Now, Mr. Tesla. That is an order!" President Coin snapped as she slammed her hands down on the counter near Beetee's keyboard.
"Yes, Madame President." Beetee replied heavily as pressed the enter button on his keyboard activating the pod. The observation booth was silent as a wave of water crashed over the strong young woman. Johanna dropped her axes and began thrashing in fear rather than to keep afloat. Terriffied screams turned most everyone's blood cold.
"She went under! BEETEE!" Wiress screamed in horror watching Johanna flail in the water screaming in fear and pain."The water doesn't drain for five minutes." Beetee said shakily."No -" Wiress gasped as Johanna's terrified screams were choked out by water a second before the current pulled her under the water's surface. Frantically, Wiress pushed the other observers aside so she could reach the phone.
"Mrs. Tesla, what do you think you are doing?" President Coin barked angrily as Wiress dialed the direct line to the hospital."She's not moving!" Boggs yelled in horror at loosing one of his trainees to the combat simulator."Training casualties are expected during a time of war, General Boggs." President Coin snapped. "Leave it!"
"We do not leave allies behind in the arena." Beetee snapped harshly as he typed away at his computer. "Water's going down! I unlocked the simulator doors!" They watched as a team of medical personnel ran through six inches of water with a gurney to the lifeless young lady laying face-down in the water. A young medic with blonde hair an her scrub top hanging out like a duck tail checked Johanna's neck for a pulse before quickly sliding a tube down her throat. "She's out." Beetee said as he heard the medics running down the hallway toward the hospital. "Do you need anything else, Madame President?" He asked not bothering to keep the anger from his voice.
"No. You may go." President Coin said glaring at the Teslas while her voice remained dangerously calm. "I will speak with you both later." The Teslas nodded before joining Boggs in the weapons maintenance room.
"You both are serious?" General Boggs asked under the whir of drills and other machines in the weaons maitenence room. Here he could learn new repair techniques and of the latest technology available to the Capitol military as the Teslas had invented much of it. He also used his time with them in the maintenance room to discuss his concerns about his Commander in Chief. Even though he, along with President Coin and the Teslas, received the medical report that Johanna was in stable condition and would recover, he was still shaken by the event and President Coin's callous reaction.
"Yes." Wiress said bolting a panel back onto a missile. "It's the only way -"
"To keep her safe." Boggs finished with understanding. "The president will not sign any order authorizing you to the Capitol."
"We know." Beetee said. "That is why I would like you to authorize our little diveresion." Boggs' face changed from curiousity to surprise to incredulity and finally to determination.
"I will have the technician uniforms and ID cards ready for you two. The hovercraft leaves at 1300." He paused. "Thank you."
Two days later, the Teslas were in their compartment working on some old computers they had permission to work on away from Special Defense. "Dear, can you hand me the screw driver?" Beetee asked his wife as they worked at their desks.
"Yes, but did you replace that -" Wiress asked before connecting wires to a large monitor on her desk. "BEETEE!" She gasped as smoke issued from the vents in the PC hard drive on his desk. "We need to go!" The noxious smell of burning wires filled the Tesla compartment. "Come -" Running out into the hallway, Wiress pulled the fire alarm before steering Beetee toward an elevator.
"Dear, the elevators don't work when there is a fire -" Beetee began before Wiress shook her hand and waved a small remote-control device. "I suppose I did invent that a few years ago -" He chuckled as his wife wheeled him into the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, Wiress ran down the hallway toward the hovercraft hangar.
"Hurry up!" Boggs called over the roar of a hovercraft engine. "They haven't called for a search of the evacuees!"
"DEAR!" Beetee yelped as Wiress pushed him over several cords and bags on the floor of the craft.
"I gotcha, Tesla!" Boggs said grabbing the armrests of Beetee's chair. "We'll secure your chair in the cargo bay." Hoising Beetee to his feet, Boggs led him to an aircraft chair next to Wiress. He nodded to the inventors as they strapped themselves into their seats. "Alright, we're ready for takeoff!" Boggs called. "Rebels forces, we are off to the Capitol!"