"Finnick, Finnick," a voice broke through the haze as he felt his body being shaken.

"Go away," Finnick mumbled as he tried to swat the hand away.

"Finnick, you have to wake up."

"Katniss?"

"I have news. You have to wake up."

"What?" Finnick groaned, cracking one eye open to look at the younger girl. He let out a small groan as he realised he was back in the hospital. He was so going to lose that bet with Buck.

"It's happening Finnick. It's happening. They sent a team to break them out of the Capitol."

This was enough to rouse Finnick. All agitation he felt at being woken up faded away and a delighted, but slightly deranged smile took over.

"Don't you see, Katniss, this will decide things. One way or the other. By the end of the day, they'll either be dead or with us. It's… it's more than we could hope for!"

"Ok," Katniss nodded with a frown. She wasn't quite expecting his negative outlook on that. But in a way, it brought with it a sense of peace. The torment would end. It was the first time in over a month that Finnick felt at all relieved.

"Katniss… I don't know Peeta that well, but I know Taiya. I should warn you, if they get her here, she's going to be pissed. At everyone probably. Just… don't judge her too harshly, please?" Finnick pleaded with his friend.

Katniss gripped his hand. "It's fine, I get it," she shot him a smile. Finnick was a true friend to her, and he loved this girl. Katniss had no idea what she would have been put through so she'd tolerate anything from her, and she'd do it for Finnick.

The curtain was then ripped aside and the recovering alcoholic District 12 victor was revealed. "Plutarch has a task for you two to help… if you can pull it together."

"We can do it," Finnick nodded, sitting up so his legs were dangling over the edge of the bed.

"They still need footage of 12 after the Capitol's bombing. If we can get it in the next few hours, Beetee can air it leading up to the rescue, and maybe keep the Capitol's attention elsewhere."

"Yes, a distraction," Finnick nodded. "A decoy of sorts."

"What we really need is something so riveting that even President Snow won't be able to tear himself away. Got anything like that?"

"Let me get prepped!" Katniss immediately leapt up and ran out.

"Kids," Finnick smiled at Haymitch.

"Put some pants on Peacock," Haymitch rolled his eyes before following Katniss.

"Wait! Haymitch!" Finnick called him back. "Tyler and Buck?"

"They didn't go. No victors allowed. They wanted to. Turns out you District 4 men are easily distracted, we told them to go check out weapons with Beetee downstairs and as soon as they were out of sight the rescue mission took off. I think they're still down there."

Finnick couldn't help but laugh at how easily Buck and Tyler were fooled. But then his smile dropped and a frown creased his eyebrows. Hadn't it just been the other week that Katniss told him to go to Beetee to check out weapons while she headed off on a mission?

"Wait a minute!"

"Gotta go," Haymitch ran off.

Katniss was a sweet girl. That was no doubt. But she was not a good storyteller. The District 13 editors could only do so much to improve her story. To be fair, her story about meeting Peeta was yes, very touching, but her performance… not so much.

"Oh boy," Haymitch shook his head in disappointment as Katniss dramatically turned her gaze to the sky. "That girl's never going to have a career as an actor."

"You said 5 minutes ago you taught her everything she knows," Finnick crossed his arms, taunting the man with a smirk.

"Yeah… well… I don't know much about acting," Haymitch tried to defend himself.

"You must be real embarrassed right now."

"Shut up."

"Finnick! Haymitch!" Plutarch hurriedly waved them over.

"You're in trouble," Finnick whispered as they walked over.

"What are you? 12?" Haymitch whispered back before they arrived in front of Plutarch.

"Finnick," Plutarch clasped his hands together awkwardly. "We need to distract the Capitol. We can try to run it with the Katniss and Peeta bread story, but we can only captivate Snow for probably five minutes tops with that before he loses interest and cuts us out. We need something juicer. Something that he won't be able to look away from. Something to get everyone talking," his eyes flickered nervously between the two men.

"What are you getting at?" Haymitch asked.

"We need secrets."

"Secrets?" Haymitch frowns in confusion, not putting two and two together yet.

But Finnick had. And all the colour had drained out of his face.

Haymitch glanced over at the silent boy and quickly realised. And then he was furious.

"No."

"Haymitch," Plutarch tried to reason.

"No," Haymitch stepped forward, blocking Plutarch's view of the boy. "You're not making him broadcast that all over Panem for the sake of one of your stupid propos."

"But it's not just a propo," Plutarch argued. "It's a chance to keep Snow distracted. To see what's circulating around the Capitol elite. He'll tune in, I know he will. I just want you to tell your story. Just like Katniss did. Tell the truth about what Snow does to the victors. About what he's put you and Taiya through over the years. Think about Taiya, do it for Taiya. This is the only shot we'll have at getting them out. At getting them out alive. We need every advantage we can get."

Finnick had to think about it. He couldn't find words immediately. He was no longer embarrassed about his story like he used to be. Taiya had helped him with that. But airing the truth all over Panem seemed like a betrayal to her in a way. It felt like he was popping the bubble they'd spent the last 9 years living in and inviting the whole of Panem into their secret world.

There were few people out there who really knew him, and there were many who thought they did.

Kenna was a dear friend and they hadn't even told her the truth about what went on in the Capitol. How could he tell the whole world?

But it was Taiya. And he would always put her first.

So he nodded his head and made his way over to where Katniss had been seated just moments ago.

"You don't have to do this," Haymitch tried to reassure him.

"Yes, I do," Finnick nodded as he wrapped the rope Taiya had given him around so tightly around his knuckles that he felt the circulation being cut off. "If it will help her."

"You ok Finnick?" Cressida asked as she lined up her shot, she didn't know what was coming, but she could see the stress on his face.

"Yeah," he breathed. "I'm ready."

"Alright, and… go," Cressida signalled.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

"This is Finnick Odair. Winner of the 65th Hunger Games. And I'm coming to you from District 13, alive and well. We've survived an attack from the Capitol. But I'm not here to give you recent news. Instead, I'm going to tell you the truth about being a victor. The truth. Not the myths about a life of luxury. Not the lie about glory for your homeland. You can survive the arena. But the moment you leave. you're a slave. President Snow used to… sell me… my body that is," he began, his tone flat and removed. And he began just as Buck and Tyler arrived. Their eyes widened as they took in his words, and their eyes filled with rage, ready to attack whoever had made him get up there.

It only took one nod from him to calm them down. This was his choice.

"I wasn't the only one. If a victor is considered desirable, the president gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them for an exorbitant amount of money. If you refuse, he kills someone you love. So you do it. I wasn't the only one, but I was the most popular. And perhaps the most defenceless, because I was so desperate to keep my loved ones alive. It started when I was 16, on my birthday President Snow visited my house and asked to speak with me. What an honour, I thought. But then he told me what he expected of me," Finnick sighed as he blinked back tears. "He warned me what would happen, and I still refused. On his way out I exposed one of my biggest weaknesses, my best friend. She was there in the house and he immediately knew what she was to me, and what I'd do to keep her safe and happy."

Finnick had to take a moment to collect himself. He couldn't get lost in his own mind again, it wouldn't help anyone. It wouldn't help her.

"As punishment for saying no, Snow arranged for a boating accident to occur just off the harbour with my parents on board. It wasn't just my parents though, it was hers as well. The mayor of District 4 and his wife, Taiya Ambersnow's parents. That was the first time he punished her, to punish me," Finnick glanced up at Katniss.

Now that she knew what Snow was doing to Peeta, he didn't need to hide it from her anymore. She had no idea how much Snow loved this play.

"He came to visit to pay his condolences to the Mayor of District 4, and he took Taiya for a walk. I agreed to his terms that day. Leave her alone and I'll do what you ask. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was a child. And I've been in love with Taiya Ambersnow since the moment I first laid eyes on her. But I couldn't do it. So… she was reaped into the 67th Hunger Games. I checked the bowl, every piece of paper had her name on it. She never had a chance. Our friend Theo went in with her to try and help her, not that she needed much help," Finnick sighed. "It was the first time I realised how easily the Games could be rigged. I knew I had to obey or President Snow would alter the Games to target her. It was also the first time I realised I could get something out of the hell I was stuck in. Taiya was popular in her own right, but I could trade off my popularity for sponsorship for her. It helped."

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking. He was just skimming the surface of what he knew, he hadn't even gotten to the Capitolite's secrets yet, and if this mission failed, the punishment Taiya would have to pay for his words would be horrific.

"I was terrified Snow would want her to do the same thing as me, to sell herself. She was already broken after her Games, I don't know if she would have survived it. I begged and begged our President to leave her, but he refused. He had her enter into a relationship with Seneca Crane, at the time an up-and-coming Gamemaker. He wanted to use her power over men to manipulate Crane into doing his bidding, using Taiya as a proxy. He plays people like a puppet master. But once Taiya was relatively safe, I no longer had anything to ask from my patrons. So, to make themselves feel better, they would make presents of money or jewellery, but I found a much more valuable form of payment. Secrets."

Another glance at Katniss told him she was putting everything together. She now knew that his joke about secrets at the parade was not in fact a joke. She just hadn't had the information to understand it.

"And this is where you're going to want to stay tuned, President Snow because so very many of them were about you. But let's begin with some of the others. See I know all the depravity, the deceit and the cruelty of the Capitol's pampered elite."

This is where Finnick really let loose. He'd spent hours discussing and laughing about these with Taiya, and he knew how to tell a story. So he weaved all of these secrets into a tapestry that was so rich in detail, that no one could possibly accuse him of making it up. The strange sexual appetites, the betrayals of the heart, the bottomless greed and the violent and heartless power plays. Secrets that had been whispered to him over years sat in his head like a Rolodex and he could pull them out of the hat for hours if he wanted. These Capitolites never dreamed these secrets would be broadcast over the country, because who would Finnick tell? He was a commodity to them, someone bought and sold. Nothing more than a District slave. A very handsome district slave, but in their minds he was inconsequential. But some of these secrets, boy were they delicious! The list of names Finnick had to share secrets about felt endless.

Incest, back-stabbing, blackmail, arson. But Finnick knew what everyone was waiting for. They were all waiting to hear about Snow. The dear President. And who was he to keep a captive audience waiting?

"And now, on to our good President Coriolanus Snow. Such a young man when he rose to power. Such a clever one to keep it. How, you must ask yourself, did he do it? One word. That's all you really need to know. Poison."

This was what everyone was waiting for.

And Finnick didn't disappoint.

He detailed everything from Snow's political ascension up to the present day.

"He stopped every mutiny before it even started. There were so many mysterious deaths to adversaries, even to allies who were threats. People would drop dead at feasts or suffer long drawn-out deaths. Bad shellfish, elusive viruses, a dodgy heart. Snow would publish any reason he could dream of, and no one would dare question it."

But the story that intrigued everyone the most was why he was so obsessed with roses. Tyler and Buck hadn't even been told this story. They knew a few of Finnick's secrets, but there was a lot they didn't know. And that included why Snow wore roses. Snow would drink from poisoned cups himself in order to deflect suspicion. But antidotes don't always work, Snow wore roses to cover up the scent of decay that emanated off of him. A perfume to cover the stench of his brushes with death. To cover the scent of blood that wept out of sores in his mouth that would just never heal.

Finnick revealed exactly how Seneca Crane had been corralled away from his 'fiancee' only to never return.

Snow has a list, and no one knows who will be next.

"Poison. The perfect weapon for a snake," Finnick snarled, and he was done. But the film crew was standing in shock at everything he'd said. "Cut," he had to prompt them. That was all it took and the whole crew flew into a hurry to run inside and edit the tape. They had gold on their hands.

Plutarch quickly hurried forward and ushered Finnick to the side and Tyler and Buck raced over as backup.

"You did good," Plutarch encouraged. "This will provide us with plenty of material for Beetee to project. Thank you, Finnick."

"I did it for her," Finnick emphasised. Only for her.

"You ok?" Tyler asked nervously. He was still wearing the mentally disoriented bracelet after all.

Finnick took a deep breath. "I'm going to have to be. If this works she'll be here soon and I have to be strong for her. She'll need my help."

"Hey kid, think about it, if they get Taiya out at least you won't be the ruler of the psych ward anymore," Buck slapped his shoulder to try to cheer him up.

"I'll be better," Finnick gave a half smile.

"Nah, she'll take over."

"Buck!" Tyler groaned. "Think before you speak man, seriously."

"The discord this will sow in the Capitol…" Plutarch redirected the conversation. "Finnick what you've done tonight is going to help more than just the hostages. All of the elite will begin to distrust Snow. You know how the citizens gossip, they'll be tearing each other apart."

"He rules by fear," Finnick sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "It won't make a difference to him. No one will be brave enough to say anything. They'll gossip sure, but not about Snow."

Plutarch nodded, it was disappointing, but Finnick was probably right. "Let's go back inside. You can all wait in Special Defence if you'd like. Distract yourselves a bit. I'll send word when it starts."

CAPITOL

"You're such a goddamn cheat Gloss!" Taiya snapped as she slapped his hands away.

"I am not!" he defended himself.

"You told me it was impossible to cheat at slaps," Johanna's voice numbly called out from the cell next door.

"Yeah…" she did remember saying that. "But he found a way."

Gloss was doing his best to help Taiya. She was freaking out and he couldn't get a lot of sense out of her.

Johanna had just been brought back from a torture session, her screams ringing down the hallway.

Peeta still hadn't been brought back.

Taiya was muttering out voices and incoherent nonsense.

Gloss was stuck with a group of nutters. But to be fair, he was very sympathetic, he was trying to be at least, it just wasn't his strong suit.

And in all honesty, he was cheating at Slaps. Taiya was just so exhausted she just hadn't worked out how.

"What's the first thing you're going to eat when you get out of here?" Gloss asked her, wanting to distract her as he watched her eyes start to glaze over.

"Hot chocolate," Taiya's eyes lit up as a dopey smile took over her face.

"You can't eat hot chocolate," Johanna argued.

"I'll accept it," Gloss interrupted, wanting to cut off the argument before it began.

"Of course, you'd take her side," Johanna grumbled. "You're just angry about Cashmere."

Gloss gritted his teeth in anger. He'd been trying to uphold the victor code, forgive and forget. But Johanna kept bringing it up, deliberately antagonising him, trying to reaffirm her opinion of him as a deplorable career. It was her self-defence method. It was easier to have no attachments.

"I don't want to get out," Taiya sighed, pulling his attention back to him.

"Woah, why not?" Gloss asked gently.

"There's nothing out there for me. In here I have you, Johanna, Peeta is somewhere, Annie and Mags, I hear them sometimes."

"Taiya," Gloss tapped her hand. "You've got friends out there, family. You have Finnick waiting out there for you."

Taiya flinched away violently.

"Don't mention Finnick," Johanna warned.

"Why?"

"He's dead," Taiya began to shake. "They told me he's dead."

"Who told you he's dead?"

"Everyone, just… just trust me," she pressured. She didn't want to be lectured, and he seemed to pick up on that.

"Tyler and Buck?" Gloss offered up some more friends she had outside their prison.

"Just drop it please," Taiya closed her eyes to try and disconnect from reality.

"Ok," Gloss ran his hand comfortingly over the side of her hair. "Just promise me one thing, if we do get out of here, we're going to raise hell."

She didn't open her eyes, but she did let out a small laugh and a smile broke out on her face.

A loud crack then echoed throughout the room and Gloss immediately stood up, ready to go.

Taiya's eyes flew open to be met with darkness. All the power had gone out.

"What's happening?" she asked, standing up, only to be pushed back slightly by Gloss, keeping her further away from the door. "Jo? You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice stumbling slightly.

The sound of dragging snapped all of them out of their confusion, and a long groan seemed to echo around the walls.

"Peeta!" Taiya yelled out, instantly recognising the sound of the younger boy.

"Quiet!" a Peacekeeper yelled back in warning.

Gloss grabbed her arm in warning, he knew she wanted to yell out again, but that wouldn't do any of them any good. Best to keep quiet and wait for them to leave.

She gave it 5 minutes after the door slammed to Peeta's cell before she broke away from Gloss and ran to the wall adjoining Peeta's cell.

"Peeta?"

"I'm fine," he croaked. He was not fine.

"Peeta, sweetie, we're going to get you help ok? I'll talk to Romulus, I'll get you help. You'll be…"

Taiya was cut off by another crack as the power turned back on, making her recoil back as the light pierced through her eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" Gloss shaded his eyes as he looked around in confusion.

"Something's going on," Taiya shook nervously. They heard the door handle click, and Gloss and Taiya immediately linked hands and retreated into the corner of the room.

The door was opened only slightly, and a canister was thrown in. The pair exchanged a confused look before flinching back as the canister began releasing gas.

They couldn't do anything to stop the gas from flooding the room, and they similarly couldn't stop their eyes from closing as they slumped down to the floor, having absolutely no clue what was happening.