Well, we promised we wouldn't abandon this fic, and here we are - although admittedly a lot later than we planned. Real life has been hectic, with one of us raising four small children and holding down a part-time job, and the other in medical school, also holding down a part-time job. And to be honest, Mockingjay II sort of killed our HG writing mojo. Yes, we knew that horrible ending was coming, but it didn't make it sting less.
But, enough of our excuses - here we are, and we promise we're going to finish this bad boy! Hopefully you all still want to read it.
Chapter Seven
Hold Your Breath and Count to Ten
It seemed lately that life in 13 had become an endless string of meetings and briefs, and Katniss was beginning to tire of sitting around a table and waiting to be spoon-fed the facts. However, she suspected that Coin would be discussing the fate of Mona Arnold and, given the circumstances around her arrest, the situation was of particular interest to Katniss.
Not only had Mona potentially overheard information that could cause irreparable damage to the rebellion if leaked, but she had freely wandered the hallways of the District and would be able to provide anyone who cared to know with a detailed map of the area. From a tactical perspective, Katniss knew that casting Mona to the wind was not at all a wise decision, and she suspected that Alma Coin was both intelligent and experienced enough to have come to this realisation herself. However, the only other alternative that could be considered did not sit well with Katniss at all; the potential for the woman to be found dangerous enough to warrant execution.
The Mockingjay could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for Mona, who it appeared was more under the thrall of her addiction than anyone had first assumed. Thanks to her mother, Katniss had come to view the Morphling addicts as victims rather than perpetrators, and she had resolved to use her considerable influence to ensure that Mona would receive the help she needed, rather than the condemnation that she feared may be on the horizon. She had yet to tell Gale about her decision, but she knew that he would support her if she chose to speak up in defence of the woman. Gale was a good man and Katniss knew the depths of his heart intimately; there was no way that he could sit idly by and watch someone be decreed to die for the crime of not being strong enough to resist something that had been inflicted upon them.
As President Coin waked into the briefing room, those seated around the table and leaning against the walls fell silent, their eyes turned to their leader. The room was almost packed to capacity, given that the morning's meeting was a routine one, open to each of the senior military ranks within the district.
"Please, everyone take a seat." President Coin gestured to the remaining empty chairs around the table and waited somewhat impatiently for the soldiers and advisers to take their seats.
Katniss felt her mouth dry, and she leaned back in her chair with her hands gripping the armrests as she awaited news of Coin's decision. She didn't have to wait long, however, as the district president launched straight into a breakdown of the day's events.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, there have been certain... developments... surrounding a young woman who came to us from District 6," she paused, testing the words carefully on her tongue before she continued on, "we do not tolerate substance abuse in District 13, and our usual method of dealing with such individuals is to banish them from our borders. However, this young woman knows things that could prove detrimental to the fate of the rebellion and indeed to the life of our Mockingjay. Make no mistake, this information cannot and will not be allowed to leave our district. As such, I have had to come to a different arrangement regarding her... disposal."
Katniss and Gale exchanged dubious glances, before they returned their gazes to their leader, who appeared to offer a reassuring smile in their direction.
"I have spoken to the leader of District 6 at length, and he and I have agreed that the young woman will be taken under military guard back to 6, where she will undergo treatment for her addiction in a secure installation. She has been fitted with a sub-dermal tracking device so we can monitor her whereabouts in the future. Should she venture towards the Capitol, then other avenues will need to be explored. I trust that this solution meets with everybody's approval?"
Whilst that had appeared to be a question and an invitation for discussion, all seated around the table knew that their president was not in any way courting their opinion. Her mind, once made up, was not for turning.
"Yes. Thank you," Katniss replied, genuinely pleased that a more humane solution had been put into place, "has there been any word from the Capitol after our last broadcast?"
"Not yet," a blonde woman, who Katniss knew to be the chief Communications Specialist, piped up as she spread her hands on the table in front of her. "We're keeping an eye on both public broadcasts and a handful of private channels direct from the Presidential palace that we've been able to access thanks to Beetee's phenomenal work."
President Coin nodded in satisfaction, her keen gaze flitting from the woman speaking to Beetee, who slumped further down in his wheelchair as he grew uncomfortable with being the subject of such high praise. Katniss flashed the man a smile, grateful once again for his rescue from the arena at her side all those years ago, and the invaluable service he had provided the rebellion since.
"Keep looking," Coin responded, returning her attention to the other woman, "the new President seems to be flamboyant to say the least. I imagine it will only be a matter of time before we have our response."
As murmurs of assent rose up around the room, Coin glanced at Katniss, an almost woeful frown in place upon her face.
"I hate to ask this of you at the moment, Katniss, but now more than ever we need to maintain our allegiances with the other districts. Given the apparent strength of President Mellark's convictions, we can't afford for our biggest allies to run scared and go straight back over to the Capitol with their tails between their legs," she began, pacing the length of the room with one hand on her hip as she spoke.
"What do you need?" Katniss asked immediately, almost relieved to sense that she was required beyond simple propos. in a studio and training green recruits to shoot.
"District 10 has always been one of the harder areas to crack, as you know," she stated, ceasing her pacing and addressing Katniss squarely, "the Capitol sent a number of Peacekeepers in yesterday to stir up some unrest with the rebellion. Scores of animals were slaughtered, crops were set alight, and lives were lost, not only from those farms the Capitol suspected to be loyal to the rebellion."
"What was the motivation for the attack?" Gale inquired, interrupting Coin unapologetically with a grimace twisting his features taut. "10 provides meat and food to the Capitol too. It hardly seems wise to destroy your own supplies."
"Anger? Rage?" Coin cocked her head, "we see this as nothing more than a presidential temper tantrum. There was no real motive behind these actions, Captain Hawthorne. Except for bloodshed and destruction."
Katniss took a steadying breath, "What do you need me to do?"
President Coin smiled appreciatively and placed her hand over the young woman's.
"Thank you," she replied, as if she'd known all along that the Mockingjay would not deny her people, "there's a hospital in District 10, the wounded citizens and rebellion fighters and their families are being cared for there. The elderly, orphans... I've seen the footage, it's... quite awful. They've asked if the Mockingjay will visit them. It's simply to bolster support, I imagine, and let them know that we stand with them."
"I'll go," Katniss agreed almost instantly, looking up as she heard Gale sigh, the tension easily discernible in his features.
"The new psycho president issues a bounty on Katniss' head, and we're sending her out there for a PR stunt?" Gale argued.
"It's not a PR stunt to those people, Gale," Katniss argued, already knowing that Gale was all too aware of the comfort people took in seeing the figurehead of the rebellion out amongst the citizens of each warring district. Though she would never understand how she could possibly be important to them given the hardships they faced on a daily basis, it had become part of her job as the Mockingjay, and it was a role she gladly embraced if it meant bolstering spirits and providing support to those in need.
"Besides," Katniss smiled briefly and leaned closer to her husband as she rested her hand on his arm and squeezed it, "my head of security is the best, I trust him with my life."
"Except I won't be able to go with you, will I?" Gale retorted, shaking his head in evident frustration. He caught Katniss' eye, his inference obvious. She nodded her head almost sadly, recalling the vow that they had made when they had first held an hours old Briar in their arms; they would never knowingly both walk straight into the path of an oncoming storm and risk orphaning their child. They had both lost a parent when they were very young, and neither one of the couple could think of anything worse for the little girl than to lose both.
"No, you won't," Katniss conceded, "but we agreed..."
"I know," Gale cut in, seeming to deflate as the fight left him at the thought of leaving Briar completely alone in the district, "I'm not about to back out, I just..."
"If it makes you feel any better, Captain Hawthorne, you will have full say over the security plan for the entire trip, and you'll be able to maintain communications from the control centre," Coin assuaged, waiting for a response from Gale, who hunched over in his seat, appearing deep in thought.
"How long will I be going for and when do we leave?" Katniss inquired, deciding it was perhaps best to leave her husband to his brooding for the time being.
"It's merely a day trip," Coin assured them, "you'll leave here in an hour, arrive in District 10 a little after 14.00 hours, spend an hour with the casualties, and then return to base here. In time for dinner with your family."
"I want to speak to their head of security," Gale demanded, receiving a nod of agreement from Coin.
"Whatever you want," Coin agreed, holding up her hands defensively, as if she understood his concerns and would do all within her power to accommodate him in ensuring Katniss was as safe as possible, "the safety of our Mockingjay is always our paramount concern."
Gale met her gaze evenly, "The safety of my wife and the mother of my child is my concern. I couldn't care less about the Mockingjay."
"Gale..." Katniss warned, her grip on his arm tightening.
"No, he's absolutely right. Family is... everything," Coin smiled briefly, her eyes clouding over with a sadness Katniss was now all too familiar with. Her heart ached for the woman, and for the unimaginable loss she'd suffered.
The meeting continued without further event, Gale listening only half heartedly as he brooded over the mission that had been tasked to his wife, and her reckless willingness to take it. Katniss remained quiet, becoming involved only when necessary, but otherwise maintaining a gentle and reassuring grip on her husband's hand underneath the table. When Coin dismissed the room, Katniss shot Gale a weak smile and hung back deliberately from the departing crowd.
"You know why I agreed to this, don't you?" Katniss pressed, ensuring that the room had emptied before she reached up and rested a palm against Gale's cheek. He nodded, his jaw clenching as his thoughts flitted to the new President of Panem and his vendetta against the rebellion.
"Yeah, I get it," Gale replied, tone softening as he peered down into the depths of Katniss' eyes, then added with a snort, "doesn't mean I like it."
"I know and I understand," she conceded, leaning back against the table with both hands, "but this is for the best, for all of us. At the moment, we're in a stalemate with the Capitol and Peeta won't allow that to continue for much longer. We need all the allies we can get, before..."
She trailed off, averting her eyes to the tiled floor, swallowing down the sudden lump that caught in her throat as the images in her mind silenced her. Gale sighed and gathered his wife into his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her head as he embraced her.
"Before he tries to finish this, once and for all," Gale continued.
"We don't need any more enemies. We can't allow the other districts to keep taking beatings without being seen to do something... to just... care..." she murmured, closing her eyes as she listened to rhythmic thumping of Gale's heart with her ear pressed against his chest.
"We do care," assuaged Gale, dropping a kiss onto Katniss' forehead and offering her a small but encouraging smile.
His voice little more than a whisper, Gale's lips brushed her ear and he held her closer, his arms tightening around her in a fierce embrace.
"Be careful out there, Katniss. Don't take any risks, okay? Just do what you gotta do and come home. No heroics!"
Katniss smirked and rolled her eyes at the inference, and she leaned up to plant her hands on either side of her husband's face.
"I'll be back this evening, I promise. Besides, I have to get home in time to tuck our baby girl in."
Gale laughed and tried to distract himself from the nervous churning that had settled in the pit of his stomach, and he planted a series of tender kisses against her cheek.
"You better not let Briar hear you call her that," he teased, chuckling against her lips as she craned her neck to kiss him.
"Don't!" Katniss smiled, poking him playfully in the chest in response. Whilst it was true that Briar saw herself on the precipice of womanhood, Katniss had a very different view on the little four year old. "She'll always be my baby, Gale... no matter how big she gets."
"Our baby," he reminded her, a wide grin tugging at his lips as he gently bumped the tip of her nose with his. Katniss mirrored his smile, half out of wonderment at the very idea, and half out of intense pride in their beautiful daughter, who was already proving a force to be reckoned with even at such a tender age. Briar Hawthorne had certainly inherited her mother's spirit and determination, but also her father's big heart and sociable disposition - and Katniss couldn't imagine their life without her.
"Ours," Katniss nodded, tracing her fingertips over Gale's cheek and cupping his jaw in her hand. But the weight of the moment and her impending trip started to prompt an all too familiar sense of fear and dread, and so Katniss desperately sought to lighten the moment. "Unless she's being a total pain in the ass, and then she's all yours."
"Are you still here, Hawthorne?" Gale mock griped, biting the inside of his cheek to keep the smile from his face.
Katniss laughed and shook her head at her husband before pausing to draw herself up onto her toes in order to brush her lips against his in a chaste kiss.
"I will see you later and you can tell me all about your awesome day catering to Briar's every whim," Katniss teased, winking at Gale for good measure before she began to walk backwards in the direction of the armoury, where she would be able to collect her bow and a tactical vest before embarking on her hovercraft flight to District 10.
"Don't count on that, I'm tougher than I look," Gale protested, although the amusement that danced behind his thick lashes told Katniss that he was under no illusions as to exactly who was in charge out of him and Briar.
Katniss laughed, a real, genuine smile blossoming on her features.
"I gotta go," she sighed, raising one hand in a half hearted departing wave. Gale took a slow, deep breath and bobbed his head. The couple shared a brief yet meaningful gaze, and Katniss finally stopped walking, drawing to a standstill in the hallway.
Gale closed the distance between them within a handful of strides, his lips on hers in a demanding and hungry kiss that Katniss eagerly returned.
"Be safe," Gale pleaded, his breath ghosting the shell of her ear as he kissed down her cheek and then claimed her lips again and again.
"You know I will," she promised, stroking her fingertips down the finely chiselled line of his jaw.
"That's an order, Hawthorne," he barked, straightening up and doing his best to replace his troubled expression with one of complete composure. Hiding her smile behind a solemn nod, Katniss began to walk down the hallway once again, throwing up a mock salute at Gale as she went.
"Yes, sir," she called out, watching with a flutter of unease in her chest as Gale turned on his heel and stalked away from her, no doubt in search of their daughter, who would be unbearable in her mother's absence.
Katniss let out a sigh and finally turned to face the direction of the armoury, where she would retrieve her bow before boarding the hoverplane that would deliver her to 10. With effort, she pushed all thoughts of Gale, Briar, Prim and the rest of her family from her mind, knowing that she would require the kind of focus on her mission that could not be attained by entertaining thoughts of her loved ones. The role of Mockingjay was far from easy but Katniss had vowed to embrace it completely, and that sometimes meant putting her roles as wife and mother on the back-burner, albeit temporarily. However, even as she forced one foot in front of the other in order to drive herself towards the armoury, Katniss could not shake the feeling that something was poised to go terribly wrong.
x-x-x
She had only to wait until the hoverplane had landed in 6 and her burly yet inattentive guard had seized her arm to begin marching her down the ramp. He had taken her but a few steps towards the centre of the district she had loathed so much before his attention had been captured by the pretty female guard that had been sent to receive her. As the two chatted, almost oblivious to her very presence, Mona had begun to slip away.
It was with an almost disappointing ease that she was able to creep away from the flirtatious pair, her heart hammering in her ears as she swallowed down her nervousness and staggered away on heavy, uncoordinated feet. Turning her head, she made out the forest surrounding the landing strip, only the small control tower and underground bunker giving any indication that the area was inhabited.
Sucking in a deep breath, she darted away from her captors, thankful that the District 13 guards had negated to shackle her feet for the journey. After all, how much of a threat could she be? Slight in stature, unassuming, afraid - and her body ravaged by the effects of withdrawal. Yet now, she found the strength to run, and as her feet pounded against the broken asphalt beneath, she tore away quickly as she could. She was vaguely aware of the sound of raised voices behind her, yet she ran full pelt towards the trees, her chest pained by the exertion of breathing.
She ploughed into the trees with such ferocity that the birds surrounding her took to the air in fright, their shrieks mercifully masking her footfalls. She rushed deeper and deeper into the woodland, thankful for the coverage of the trees but all too aware that the tracker that had been implanted into her arm back at 13 would give her location away within minutes.
Mona stopped abruptly, eyes scanning the ground in desperation for some kind of makeshift tool. When her gaze set upon a rock, long and jagged and appropriately sharp, she snatched it up. Without a second thought, she hiked up her sleeve and pressed the tip of the rock into the edge of the faint line remaining on her skin. She cut into her own flesh with gritted teeth, wincing and whimpering when a trickle of blood oozed down her pale arm. Finally, once the wound was opened again, Mona dug the tip of her nails into her flesh and blindly felt for the thin metal tracker. She found it within moments, ripping it out with a cry before she tossed it far into the trees behind her.
Then, one hand clamped firmly over her arm to staunch the flow of blood, she continued on as fast as her legs could carry her.
Glancing back towards where she could hear the sound of bracken breaking under the assault of boots, Mona kept on running, unsure of her direction, but certain that she had to keep on going. There was no life for her now in District 6, and she could never hope to make the citizens of 13 understand her plight. They were too consumed by their own self-righteousness; too besotted with their adored Mockingjay. There was only one place Mona could hope to make her home.
And so, with a deep breath, the young woman ran onwards.