A/N: Apologies but the updates will continue to be slow for awhile. Hope you enjoy this fun trip for the Hawthorne clan; it's entirely made up, but follows up on Gale's promise in the Bunker chapter.
Gale grinned as he led his family down the empty hallway toward Special Defense. It had been difficult to get visitor access for his family to come here, and he owed Beetee for agreeing, but he knew it would be worth it. The kids were even patient through the security checkpoint, where they met Beetee. One of the conditions of their visit was Beetee's supervision.
The whole family was sick of living underground, so this would be the perfect chance to at least feel like they were outside the claustrophobic underground district. Gale couldn't be sure when his family would get above ground again. He counted himself lucky to be a part of Katniss' team with its opportunities to get out of 13's monotonous hallways, whether for Mockingjay filming or when he and Katniss got to hunt. His friend Thom was in the military in 13, just like Gale, but had been stuck underground their whole time here until recently. The only times he could get above ground were when his squad went outside for conditioning exercises.
Gale had remembered the hummingbird room in Special Defense during a game of I Spy with his siblings, when they were stuck in that bunker while the Capitol had bombed District 13. Though his siblings had all forgotten about it, Gale hadn't. He had told them he would show them the little green birds hidden inside District 13, and he wanted to make good on the promise. He couldn't wait to see his family's faces when they saw the underground meadow.
Once inside Special Defense, it was hard to keep up with the excitement and questions launched at him from Rory and Vick. Hazelle was carrying Posy, so at least Gale didn't have to worry about her she running off and getting lost down here. The Special Defense offices were a labyrinth to themselves. Beetee had no trouble leading the Hawthornes to their destination, though his attempt at conversation with Hazelle was more than a little awkward and soon the adults had lapsed into silence, leaving the young boys to fill Gale's ears with questions about his work and the different areas of Defense passed along the way.
Finally they arrived at their destination. Before Gale allowed them into the observation room, he took Posy from his mother and made them all cover their eyes as he led them in, so that they stood looking out the window, which took up the entire wall of the room. Beetee just watched Gale and his family. If Gale had been paying attention, he might have noticed a wistful look on Beetee's face.
Instead, Gale's attention was fully on his siblings. "No Peeking!" Gale chided, poking Vick to emphasize the point. When everyone was in place, he told them to open their eyes. Suddenly they were all looking out into the paradox of an underground meadow, filled with real flowers and grass, and even some trees. Though he didn't get to visit it often, Gale loved this part of Special Defense. It was the closest to his familiar woods available in the underground city.
"Is it real?" Posy asked wide-eyed.
"All this underground..." Hazel marveled.
Vick demanded, "Can we go in?"
Gale laughed as Beetee opened the door for the family. "It's arranged for you to have up to an hour in the hummingbird room. Gale went over the rules with you right?" Beetee asked them. They nodded seriously; Gale had made his siblings repeat to him the rules about being careful and gentle with the plants. He'd also explained that the birds would probably keep their distance, since he hadn't been able to imagine any of his siblings sitting still enough for the speedy birds to investigate closely.
Inside the room, Posy wanted to touch - and take with her - everything in her reach. Gale had to stop her from tearing at the grass, picking flowers, and pulling at the tree bark as she tried to climb the nearest trunk. "Hey little squirrel," Gale said to her, "no climbing today." When Posy pouted, Gale convinced her a piggy back ride would be just as good, and pulled her up onto his back. As they walked through the hummingbird room, Gale pointed out the small green birds to Posy. She wanted them to come closer of course, but they stayed a safe distance from the strange invaders. From across the room, Gale noticed the hummingbirds getting pretty close to his mother, Hazelle. She had settled herself down in the grass on a blanket Gale had brought along for them, after her own explorations of the room. She sat near some bright red tube-like flowers which the hummingbirds always seemed to visit, and the little birds buzzed around her on their trips among the flowers.
Though they were well behaved at first, Vick and Rory soon started chasing each other through the trees, until Hazelle had to remind them not to rough house. "The grass is a lot less tough than at home," Gale explained to them. "if it gets torn up from us being here, it'll take a long time to repair naturally. They'd probably grow new grass especially to replace it, and if that happens we're definitely not going to be allowed in here again."
When Gale tired of carrying Posy, he returned to the blanket and Posy slid down from his back and went to Hazelle's lap, launching in to her own explanation of everything Gale had pointed out to her. Then Gale joined his brothers who were trying unsuccessfully to herd a group of hummingbirds around the room. He had to laugh as he watched them futilely chase the birds, trying to mind the rules but caught up in their game. By now they were laughing themselves, spontaneously responding to the birds' movements. Glancing back, he saw Posy watching the birds with fascination as Hazelle braided her hair, one of her many tricks to keep the young girl distracted and calm. As he turned back to his brothers, Gale caught sight of Beetee standing in the observation room watching them. Pausing briefly, he smiled his thanks to his new mentor, grateful for this chance to let his family escape district 13 life, if only briefly.