Author's Note: It's time for the victors to step their efforts up.

….

Accelerate

The order had come in and Cashmere heard Finnick's words loud and clear. They were to accelerate, recharge their efforts and steadily build back up to the point where there would be no going back. The holding, steadying phase was over, and they would climb again.

They were words Cashmere was not sure she was ready to hear. Violet was still so young, and she was risking everything. There could be no doubt what would happen to her daughter and her husband if Cashmere were discovered. But there were people in One who knew, and she could not go back.

She didn't want to either. Her daughter made the risk more real, but her daughter and her future motivated her. Violet was not going anywhere near an arena, and they would be able to live freely. Winning would be worthwhile, and Cashmere had to help get the rebels there.

Freed from Ermine, Gloss was thriving off his increased role in One's rebellion. He was attending the most meetings out of any of the victors, putting in his own funds and working with the widest network of contacts. But still, he had to exercise caution. They could not be caught.

Aria had taken the orders as her cue to set up her most ambitious move yet. So far, she had been working steadily, stealing jewellery from her clients, returning it to One and selling a remodelled version back to Capitol purchasers for a handy profit. District One made money and fewer resources were sacrificed.

Now would be the time for larger acts, something to cause disquiet in the Capitol. A larger-scale jewellery theft would work, and she had people in mind. Cashmere and Gem would know who to select too. Plenty of people were willing to buy District One victors every year and they had too much money to spend and audacious jewellery on display. Aria simply had to ensure it would not be tied back to her. But she could make it work. By now she was feeling braver and ready to take the upper hand against those who continued to wrong her, and they were none the wiser.

Gem knew her role was coming to an end. Topaz had decided that she wanted in, in a limited capacity to start and it was time for a senior figure to step up. Gem knew where Topaz's efforts would be respected, so she directed her to those keenest to finance the rebel efforts. Topaz knew all about where to get money and how to spend it. She could now use those skills in a way that benefitted more than her.

As the oldest victor ever, a title that had started to weigh heavily on Gem, she increasingly thought about how she would bring her role to an end. Like so many of the older victors, she was withdrawing money from her Capitol bank accounts at a rapid rate and swiftly ensuring it left her hands. That way, the Capitol would be deprived of the fruits of Gem's years of wise investments.

Her children and grandchildren would benefit the most. None of her fellow victors needed the money after all. She had decided to deposit a sum with the Academy and funnel the rest through various rebel channels. Then with her accounts drained and money spent, her time would be up. She would continue to act in an advisory capacity for everyone who wanted to listen to her. But now, with Maria gone, Gem knew she was the last of her kind and it was time for the youngest victors to truly take ownership of their status.

Soon there would be no more victors from the first twenty years of Hunger Games and only Chloe and Liev from the first quarter century. Times had changed and Gem had done her utmost to keep up, but change had become tiring. Gem wanted to enjoy her final years with her family and friends and allow the world to pass by at a rate quicker than it did before. She welcomed Finnick's words and would allow their new leaders to carry on with the job whilst she sat back.

….

Lyme and Enobaria had different ideas about how to escalate Two's efforts. Unsurprisingly, Lyme favoured more subtle gestures whereas Enobaria wanted to make a statement. Lyme thought a grand gesture would get them killed. They could not run that risk now, still years away from the culmination of their efforts.

She was not about to leave Brutus either. Not when he needed her. They had returned from the pre-Games events in the Capitol and Brutus was quiet. He was closed off and spent much of his time alone, climbing in the mountains behind the Village until one evening, he came back bleeding and with a broken kneecap.

He had pushed too far, exceeded his limits and refused help in frustration. He came back, clumsily stumbling down the rocks before falling at their doorstep. After her back injury had healed, Brutus had never left Lyme's home and still, years on, they lived in her house without either of them suggesting the other should move out. They simply did not feel the need and now with Brutus injured, this was certainly not the time.

Brutus became sullen after the injury. At first, Lyme thought he was acting as she had. Angry and upset at his body's failings, frustrated at his limited capacities whilst he recovered and embarrassed to be seen limping around the Institute. But Brutus was determined and focused on recovery and got back to limited training in what seemed like no time at all.

Lyme realised it was something more. He had returned from the Capitol frustrated by how events had played out. He felt infantilised and as if he were being used.

Of course, he was being used, they all were. Just as all the children were, as the Institute was, the entire district. Lyme wanted to scream it all at Brutus, but she knew that would never work. Brutus relied on his strength, and it would have to be his strength of mind that got him to where Lyme needed him to be.

She watched as he grumbled at home, muttered to himself about refusing to be a puppet and spent hours locked in his office at the Institute. He had told Petran that the injury had given him time to think and plan but Lyme knew it was more than that and she was waiting for it all to spill over.

He was angry about how the Capitol had treated Ember, and how they were selling Antigone. It was as if he was waking up from a decades-long sleep. He was suddenly tired and not just because his body was healing but because his mind had been sent into overdrive. He began to see everything in a new light and did not know what to do.

Lyme saw Brutus starting to spin and she demanded he tell her what was wrong, as if she did not already have an idea in mind.

"Nothing's right anymore. I don't think it ever has been. Are we doing the right thing, Lyme?"

"Brutus," Lyme started, as she stood up to take his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"Entirely. That's the only thing I am sure about."

"Let's go outside," Lyme said as she prepared herself for the conversation she was about to have.

….

Acceleration in Districts Three and Four meant running elections. In Three, they had to use subterfuge and disguise across the entire district. They would be voting for their Mayor, the person in Three who would find themselves aptly positioned to have the support of the Capitol and become their leader.

Their current Mayor was standing for re-election, having been assured of the Capitol's confidence in him. Similarly, his people in District Three were also confident in him. The election day had to be just another day for him as the district confirmed their choice. He could not let on.

The election was held on a day when the victors were usually engaged in community projects. Beetee and Wiress started at their factories and carefully moved around the city centre with disguised ballot boxes for workers to cast their vote in secret. Halley was visiting schools and Ryan had made the trip to Three's second city along with members of the Mayor's staff. Other officials from the Justice Building were also travelling the district and attempting to collect as many votes as possible before they could be counted in the Victors' Village.

In contrast, the election was almost openly held in District Four. Annie had received word that their current Mayor had announced his imminent retirement to his staff. The victors took the opportunity to run an election and have their chance at a leader of Four's choosing.

They used the Centre's open day designed to enrol as many young people into the programmes as possible. The volunteer candidates for the Ninetieth Games put on a display outside, there were activities for younger children and various hubs around the district showing off the trades learnt by Centre graduates.

Each venue also held a room operating as a polling station and visitors were guided there by Centre instructors to have their say in the election. With so many peacekeepers on their side and the remainder distracted by the candidates' showcase and ensuring water safety, the day went smoothly for Four's victors and their associates.

….

Soleil did not know what to do to accelerate her efforts in Five. She had hoped to speak to Chloe in the Capitol but with Coral's deterioration, Soleil only had a matter of moments.

Chloe had mentioned the photos before she left to attend to her partner and Soleil knew they would have to see the light of day at some point. But she was worried they would be linked back to her and in turn, her fellow victors. None of the others would forgive her if she were the cause of their downfall. Porter and Luna were sympathetic, but they certainly were not prepared to die for the cause.

Soleil was unsure where she stood. She valued her life and knew that the other victors did too. But Fern had told her of Seven's unwavering commitment, and it was clear that Four's victors saw their lives as secondary to the survival and freedom of their home. Many of the others had simply accepted the risk and Soleil supposed she ought to as well.

She was also concerned for those captured in her photographs. They would surely pay the price. People had been hurt on her watch already and she could not bear for that number to increase. If the images did not come back to Soleil, then surely someone else would be made into a scapegoat and she hated the thought.

She decided she would discuss it with friends from her group. Five's rebels operated in cells, sharing some but not all information between them to minimise risk should anyone be caught. Soleil's friends from her group were always full of ideas. She would ask them and take their advice. They were often braver than her and she knew they would not lead her wrong.

….

Cameron's mother had been sold on the cause when she realised what was happening around her. Cameron had made clear his desire to end everything about the Capitol and they were not surprised at all to realise that Poppy was District Six's rebel leader.

Poppy needed a second in command, even if not officially, someone had to be there in support when she could not. She was being pulled in multiple directions at once and their decision to step their efforts up would only increase demands on her time.

There were matters she had to manage personally. The morphling dealers could not be left to anybody else. Very few listened to anybody else who tried to control and regulate their operations. They did not take anybody else's threats seriously either, believing they lacked power in comparison to their gangs. But they believed Poppy would kill them if they stepped out of line and she had proven them right on several occasions.

Cameron could be trusted to lead a fight and organise battalions and Poppy had asked him to learn the mechanics of whatever vehicle he could to occupy his mind. His mother could become Poppy's right hand. She was not a fighter but had an inner strength and conviction that Poppy admired. She was organised, took no nonsense from anybody, including Poppy herself, and had proven her worth time after time.

Acceleration in District Six meant organisation. They knew the Capitol would tighten the screws at each sign of increasing rebellion and they needed to respond each time with an increase in control and manpower. They could not be intimidated or naïve as to the Capitol's likely response and everybody had to be ready. Poppy was assembling the team around her who would do that.

….

Fern knew she was being followed. She had gone for her usual run in the forest and decided to push herself further when she thought she saw the flicker of the whitish-grey peacekeeper uniform in the trees alongside her. She carried on running and the figure moved again. She changed direction and the figure did too until a peacekeeper vehicle swerved in front of her and she was accosted by four peacekeepers.

They demanded to know her purpose in the area and told her that accessing this part of Seven's forests was forbidden. Fern was trying to push her luck and test the likely response each time she ran further from the Village, but she did not know the exact boundary past the Village that she could not cross. It seemed she had found out.

She told the peacekeepers she was running and became distracted, unaware of how far she had run when she was so in the moment. She did not know if they believed her but when she said she would turn around immediately, she was allowed to go, the vehicle following her home.

She arrived home eager to shower and collect her thoughts before speaking to the others. Instead, she found Johanna in her kitchen.

"You figured it too?" the older woman asked. "You look flustered."

"We're being followed again?"

"Yep. I went to my usual spot, climbed to the top and saw them hiding out."

"I figured out how far past the Village we can go without being ambushed."

"I don't need to hurt anyone for you, do I?"

"They kept their distance and let me go once I offered to turn back."

"I'll get them one day! I suppose you haven't told Linden yet or else he would have gathered us for one of his paranoid speeches."

"Not yet. Was going to have a think about it and then let him know."

"I guess we'll need to. Then it will be time for all the paranoid watching again," Johanna sighed.

"He takes it seriously, Johanna. None of this is without reason."

"I know, I know. You go and sort yourself out before you start lecturing me too. I'll wait here until you're back, then we can tell the oldies."

In true District Seven style, they met in the clearing behind their gardens after they had checked the area was clear of peacekeepers and audio recording devices. As Johanna had predicted, they were back to the more regular checks of their houses and the area surrounding the Village for signs they were being spied on. Linden also told them to get a good look at any peacekeepers who took an interest in them. They had copies of the records of who was occupying their home, and they would decide where the real threats lie. If the Capitol was going to increase its presence again, Seven's victors would respond in kind.

….

They had just come from a round of executions and arrests in District Eight. Cecelia and Calico knew that any deliberate increase in tensions now would become something they could not contain. District Eight worked in cycles. People would relax and become complacent and there would follow a round of arrests for disobedience and sedition, making people nervous and agitated. More arrests would follow until everything turned quieter, and the cycle would begin again.

People were currently on tenterhooks. The new Mayor had stamped their authority with the typical fashion of someone encouraged by the Capitol. The victors knew they would have to wait this time out.

Eight was already further on in their efforts towards revolution. They did not need to keep up with every gradual increase in the other districts. Cecelia and Calico could tell people to fight, and they would. They just had to hold their nerve and keep people calm.

They tried to ensure that life continued as normal. Cecelia's husband and eldest son sold their jewellery at the local market and tried to track the peacekeepers in disguise. Calista had worked her way into a consulting role at the Justice Building advising on projects and jobs that could keep young people away from violence and was keeping watch over the new Mayor's every move.

Calico was following guides prepared by Halley about the explosives in District Eight's factories. She believed she had made her first bomb and was working on her first controlled explosion. Cotton was frightened by the increased noise and remained at home, working through their correspondence to try to occupy her mind.

Cecelia was working on another clothing range to boost their popularity and increase their funds. Another range would also mean more employees and people working in safer conditions. It also meant increased communication between the victors. Cecelia hoped to finally establish a secure connection with Poppy and Cameron.

Life went on for the victors and Cecelia's family. They had to wait for the others to catch up if they wanted to make sure they could time their efforts together. She did not want her home bearing the brunt of the Capitol's force. This time, when the word came, everyone had to be ready. It had to work or else they might not get another chance anytime soon.

….

Ryan was the first to respond when he heard Ana, Barley's wife, screaming in the night. He reached their door first and was pulled upstairs by Ana who was frantic and crying. The lights were on in the bathroom and Barley was slumped on the floor, next to his vomit and he was not breathing.

Ryan remembered Ossian's words about what they taught in Four. Check the airway and begin chest compressions. He hoped he had remembered correctly but truthfully, he did not have much hope. Barley was ageing and switching between drinking heavily and not at all. There was no surprise that his body could not cope.

Barric and Maizey had by now arrived and were standing in shock at the scene. Maizey was trying to console Ana whilst Barric called for help before returning and trying to shout at his mentor in the hope he would wake up.

But everybody knew he would not. They all knew this was the end for Barley and it was not long before the doctor arrived to confirm it and to tell Ryan he had done the best he could to try to revive him.

The Capitol allowed Nine's victors and Ana until the day after the funeral before peacekeepers and a representative from the Justice Building arrived at Ana's door to evict her. Their house had to be cleared and she no longer had any right to remain in Victors' Village.

Thankfully, Ana's housing was something Barley had arranged. Maizey had easily agreed to her living in her now empty home as she had moved in with Barric years' previously. The Capitol did not like it, but Maizey had claimed Ana as akin to a sister and expressly permitted her to live in her home. They were never going to see her made homeless.

It was possibly the most blatantly rebellious act District Nine's victors had managed. Ryan was working in the shadows with Barric's nervous approval, but blatant disregard for the Capitol and authority in Nine was not something they had done before. But they got away with it and Ryan started to feel emboldened. Maybe it was time for him to step up.

….

Their business had taken off like they did not believe. They knew the takeover of their primary restaurant those years ago had the potential to succeed. Now, Charo and Adan found themselves in meetings with agricultural leaders and Capitol investors to discuss a possible expansion.

They had two restaurants in District Ten and had become landowners to regain control over their supply chain. Buying back from the Capitol what was grown in Ten was nonsensical, but it was the way Panem operated, and they had to join the ranks of the landowning class to subvert the system.

It was a way in with those in Ten who were not inclined to join the rebels. Charo and Adan were able to assess the mood among the wealthiest and try to find those who would be amenable to change.

Now an expansion even further out of their natural circles was on the cards. Investors were looking to bring a version of Charo and Adan's restaurant into a middle-class neighbourhood in the Capitol. Their restaurants had a rustic charm, although the victors did not know what that meant. They were just offering what worked to the people of District Ten using produce made at home.

They had no idea whether it would work in the Capitol, but it would not be a risk on their shoulders alone. Investors were willing to buy in and people with connections to farming were interested. Charo and Adan would have a stake and Maria had left them with plenty of money so they decided they should use it and see where it took them.

It was an opportunity to get closer to the hidden groups in the Capitol even if the restaurant was not as successful as in Ten. When the other victors heard about it, nobody told them to stop. If nobody in Three or Four thought it was a bad idea, they decided they had their implicit approval and would not be doing anything that could jeopardise the cause.

They had promised each other that they would take opportunities as they came, and this would be no different. It opened the possibility of connections none of the other victors had and if it was a financial success, it was more money for them, for Rosa and District Ten.

….

District Eleven's acceleration was focused on Marshall. He had accompanied Seeder on various trips around the district to answer people's calls for help. He watched as Seeder advised small business owners and market stall holders around petty theft, disputes with their workers and all manner of problems. They even had to deal with the result of a relationship breakdown of a wealthier couple and helped finalise their financial arrangements before the matter escalated and came before the Justice Building.

At first, Marshall thought Seeder's role strange. But she was good with people, patient, a great listener and able to reason with them even when they were angry and upset. He soon realised that people trusted her, and word got around that if Seeder could solve a problem, they need not attract the attention of the peacekeepers.

Marshall realised that Seeder was training him to take over her role. He had always thought, being Chaff's victor, that he would follow in his mentor's stead in leading the fighting. But it initially seemed as if Seeder had other plans. Yet Chaff did not stop involving him in his plans either. A new peacekeepers' barracks had been constructed and as a point of pride, Chaff needed to find out how to attack.

The peacekeepers anticipated an increase in tensions and the victors did too. They knew what Finnick's orders would mean, and Seeder stressed the importance of their people having both her and Marshall available wherever possible to help resolve disputes.

The victors would be working both sides, first to help spark a revolt and keep their people safe when tensions inevitably increased. Marshall would be heavily involved in both factors, and he had come to realise that was Chaff and Seeder's plan. They rarely did anything without a plan and whilst he was involved in most of the decision-making, there were some things left between the two senior victors. The shape of his role must have been one of them.

He would find himself in a unique position and Marshall realised that this could make him one of the most powerful people in District Eleven and most people would not realise. He decided it was better that way. It meant that the peacekeepers would not know either, provided their attacks on the barracks went to plan.

It was a sign of Seeder and Chaff's trust in him. Marshall had changed beyond recognition from the boy grappling with President Snow's demands to a man leading workers, making business decisions, solving disputes, and fighting authority. He knew he had Seeder and Chaff to thank for his growth and he needed to pay back their trust in him with the results they all wanted.

….

It had happened, just as Mags predicted almost ten years previously. Peeta had been chosen as Twelve's rebel leader. He went about his business as quietly as a victor could in District Twelve and people liked him, granting him access to everything and everyone across the district. They were used to his presence and the peacekeepers rarely challenged him.

He had managed to win over the miners with his good sense and constant quiet support for changes to working conditions. So, when Gale decided he did not want to lead, his colleagues followed him in support of Peeta.

Haymitch had spoken strongly in his favour and Katniss proposed that she and Gale could lead on the fighting where their knowledge was needed whilst Peeta had overall command. After they had debated and listened to each other, Peeta was chosen almost unanimously and decided to appoint one of the miners as his deputy to stand in his absence.

It was a significant responsibility. Twelve was small and vulnerable, so their group of rebels was especially so. Anyone being discovered could prove catastrophic and Peeta felt the weight of maintaining their secrecy heavily.

He, along with Katniss and Haymitch, knew the precariousness of their entire district's position. It was not difficult to realise that District Twelve was surplus to requirements and by being left alone as they now were, the Capitol were putting them on the road to extinction. They were also an easy target for violence and reprisals should any district try to revolt. They could easily become the sequel to the story the Capitol had told the country about District Thirteen.

In many ways, they had nothing to lose, and it gave Peeta some confidence as he stepped out as their new leader for their first meeting. Realistically, very little had changed. His day-to-day role continued, and it would only be when a deciding vote was needed that everyone would look to him to steer them. He had always offered guidance, proposed ideas and found supplies wherever possible and that would all continue.

He would report back after every Games and Victory Tour, as he, Katniss and Haymitch always did. But now there was a greater chance of communication beyond those events. He spoke sporadically with Poppy, Cecelia and Calico when a connection could be established. But as his home was now officially the centre of rebel command, there was a chance that some of the other victors could bring them into the fold more frequently. It gave Twelve a seat at the table and the chance for him to make their needs clear. The other victors and their associates would see Twelve once more and they could begin to wrestle back control from those who held them in their grasp.

Power was an unusual thing for Peeta to figure out. He did not wield it with the ease that Finnick, Halley and Poppy appeared to. He took to heart people's feelings and they would shape his leadership, given Twelve was so small. Everybody knew him and he would not be able to escape the consequences of his decisions.

But the time was right. District Twelve needed formal leadership if they were to step up in their efforts across Panem. Haymitch and Katniss saw in him what Mags so clearly did those years ago and it was time for Peeta to rise to the challenge. Twelve would live or die with him at the helm.