Author's Note: Hopefully, you can tell the Games are dead in the water and we're closing out this story. There will be one more Wednesday chapter next week after this one and we will have reached the end.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this latest piece of victors' chaos in my brain, I really appreciate it.

….

War

"It happened as you said it would," Peeta started. "It's a shame it was over twenty years late."

"We still won," Annie said. "Most of us still have a chance at something better."

"Leave it to Twelve to surprise us all on the way."

"You know us well enough, Noah. We aim to please."

"Poor Daisy. It doesn't bear thinking about. The Hunger Games and a Capitol bombing campaign rolled into one."

"How is she?"

"Alive. Still a wreck. Sometimes lives with her parents, sometimes with me and Katniss."

"All of this and for what?" Annie asked.

"Hardly anybody watched, which in some ways was a success, in ending the Games at least," Peeta said. "Half of Twelve didn't even know we had a victor until we brought her home. But it was cruelty for cruelty's sake. Daisy suffered, and nobody will fully understand what happened to her."

"I guess that's why Haymitch gets on with her."

"That, and he's grown soft in his old age."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Noah laughed.

"He knows, don't you worry. He's one of the oldest Twelve-born people in Panem."

"Sixty-four isn't that old."

"It is for Twelve. Reaching their mid-seventies was a rarity and people look at Haymitch as an elder of sorts. And given what's just happened, it's no surprise. Considering the average victor's life span and the average District Twelve life, Katniss and I were looking at fifteen, maybe even twenty years as the oldest people in the district."

"I still can't imagine that."

"I know. But it won't be like that for anyone soon enough. We're finally getting real doctors in Twelve."

"Haymitch getting a new liver?"

"If I have anything to say about it, yes. Gale has a cough too which we've suggested he sort, but it's Twelve, it will take time."

"You have the chance now," Annie offered kindly.

"We do. We're getting a second chance. Later than you all wanted, but it's worth it."

…

They went home and pretended everything was normal in District One for all of an hour. It was just enough time to convince Luxor and Augustus that they would return to their lives as they were before the Ninety-Eighth Games.

It started when Theodore heard Cashmere call Gloss over. He knows now that she returned to an empty house. Her husband had taken Violet to the safe house they had arranged before travelling to their base. He would watch them agonise over every decision and question her safety every day until it was safe enough to visit.

They all knew Luxor was watching Gloss and it would not do for him to have a direct view into Gloss' home as he made his final preparations. Augustus was suspicious too but the last ties of loyalty to Gloss as his mentor had prevented him from acting on his concerns.

Cashmere was prepared so she called Gloss over. They packed their final bags and put on their new clothes marking them out as rebels.

As Gloss and Cashmere made their final preparations, Topaz loudly announced that she would visit the Academy and would take Theo and Amethyst with her. She had taken it upon herself to ensure their charges would make the right decision. Theo caught Gus' eye as they were leaving and raised his hand to bid him farewell. Augustus did not realise yet, but it would be the last time they would see each other in a long time. They had become distant, but their relationship was not fractured, unlike Gloss' relationship with Luxor or even Gus' strained relationship with Gloss. But Theo decided not to dwell on that. They would fix relationships later. The rebels had work to do first.

"I do not care what Luxor comes in here and tells you," Topaz started. "Luxor is stupid and deluded. Now, he is a man I usually respect, and you would not have heard me speak ill of him before this, but you need to hear it now."

"What she means, is that Luxor is wrong, and she is right," Amethyst said.

Topaz swiped at her arm, "What I really mean, is that the Capitol will not save you, or help District One. Only District One can help itself. We may have lost sight of that, but serving our home is what we do. We do not serve the Capitol. We belong to District One. War is coming. Luxor and I agree on that. But it is for you to choose your path."

Theo continued, "We trained you to survive. We also trained you to be strong. That strength means the strength to make decisions for yourselves. We have not come here to deliver orders, only to give you options."

"Luxor and Gus will no doubt arrive and talk to whoever is left. They will talk of their beliefs in the glory of the Capitol and the joy of the stability they bring. But ask yourself whether that represents our home today. Or even the Games we trained you to participate in. Is the chaos we just pulled the Twelve girl from worth it? It is up to you to decide."

"Or you could just do what you think is best to survive!" Amethyst added whilst Theo and Topaz rolled their eyes.

They left the Academy in the direction of the base where they would meet Gloss and Cashmere. Aria had turned back to the Capitol within an hour of arriving home. Her efforts were best placed adding to the chaos rebel leadership wanted to cause. She had engaged the efforts of Gem's men to help her. Unlike One's oldest victor, she was not asking them to kill, unless it was entirely necessary. But they had become her operatives in pulling off increasingly daring jewellery heists.

What started as an attempt to get back at those who brought her whilst helping One's production efforts, had become a stealing-to-order mission. Several of the victors had requested specific pieces and she had a list of targets to work through. The richest of the Capitol would feel the consequences of their actions when they realised their homes and possessions were no longer secure.

The three victors arrived at the base after Topaz gave Amethyst a stern warning. Everyone knew she was only with them to save herself and whilst that told Theo they were winning; they knew their youngest victor could pose a threat. Topaz wanted to contain her.

But their arrival went smoothly, and they set up operations without detection. There was a sense of confusion in One which they were able to exploit, and it was time to begin. Theo watched as Cashmere placed a silver band around Gloss' arm, the rebel mark for their leaders.

"It's your time, Gloss. Let's do this."

….

Paulus returned to Two to find Enobaria waiting at the door to Lyme's home.

"You took your time!" she shouted towards those who had returned from the Capitol.

"It was a shitshow, Baria. A total mess. We left when it was stable," Lyme replied.

Paulus thought that the Capitol had disgraced itself. What loyalty he had left had evaporated. He knows now that what helped him most was the stability of the system Lyme and Brutus were leading, not the Capitol.

Poor Daisy and her fellow tributes were not given a chance. The Capitol did not intend for any of them to survive and Paulus had no doubt that sentiment extended to the rest of the victors. It was contrary to the agreement his home had made with the Capitol. They could not expect District Two to submit their best when there was no chance of survival.

The Capitol had reneged on their protection of Two and their defences. Their new peacekeepers were being sent for slaughter in Districts Eight and Eleven. The Capitol could not protect Two and they saw their people as expendable.

Paulus and Diana had both had enough and their eyes had been opened to the network they operated in. Four's victors had worked heroically for their district for decades and they could now see that Lyme had been doing the same. She had been trying desperately for Two to loosen its ties to the Capitol and defend its interests for the first time since the Dark Days. She deserved their backing more than any leader in the Capitol.

With Brutus sworn to Lyme's side, Paulus knew where he would go. Marcus had followed their mentor too and that only served to strengthen Diana's convictions.

"We're doing this, aren't we, Paulus?" Diana asked.

"We sure are. It's the right thing for Two. Underneath everything, that's what it's about. The Institute, our strength, the work we do, it's for Two."

Back at Lyme's home, Enobaria was having the same conversation with their leader. Brutus was in earshot but neither woman cared, whatever Lyme knew, Brutus would find out.

"It's chaos, Lyme. People are ready. More news about death in Eight and Eleven, and more of ours not coming home. There's real anger. They're blaming the Capitol too. The system has failed, and their eyes have finally opened."

"We have to exploit it. Keep on with the messaging. Two can look out for its interests and we're stronger with the other districts. Their enemy isn't Two, it's the Capitol."

"There's talk of the next deployment refusing to leave."

"Good. We do what we can to support it. If they try to conscript, we'll let the Capitol know that's not happening either. District Two won't do the Capitol's dirty work for them anymore."

"Can I get out there? Properly I mean. Not having to sneak back in under Petran's nose. I'm bored and people are willing to stir up trouble. Any fighting to stop conscription or forced deployment, I'll be there, and I'll get people there."

"I know you will. I trust you, Enobaria. That's why this is yours," Lyme said as she held up the silver band, signifying rebel leadership. Finnick had given her the approval and he also handed Lyme the gold band that he, Halley and Poppy would be wearing as a sign of their ultimate authority. Lyme was to be one of them and she would be the final authority in District Two.

Enobaria's face softened briefly, she knew what it meant. She had worked for years to gain Lyme's trust, and this was the sign that she had.

"I know, Baria. I questioned the idea of it. But you know what Finn is like. Just a little showpiece to keep him happy. But we're doing this, and you deserve it. You've proved yourself time and time again and it's about time you knew that."

"Cleo would be proud of us, wouldn't she?"

"Of course. And telling us that she knew this would happen all along. Her girls, united, more alike than they ever thought," Lyme said, as she tied the band around Enobaria's arm. "But enough with the sentimental. You go and do your thing, Baria. Keep in touch. I'm in charge after all."

….

Even though she was still a new victor, Stella's status meant she was automatically a leader. People looked up to her and knew she was loyal to Three instinctively. Still, she worked to show her status was deserved. Stella split her time between command in the bunker and the fight at the university.

Orion took charge of building temporary defences around the university and other key buildings. The whole district was a hub of action under the nose of the new Head Peacekeeper. The rebels were operating in plain sight and the Head Peacekeeper was a title in name only. She held no power whatsoever in Three.

That did not mean that the peacekeepers did not try to fight back. Everyone knew they would. The first challenge came after their own were repeatedly held hostage during the working hours saga which soon ended after peacekeepers threatened to desert if they were held hostage in a factory for sixteen hours anymore.

The peacekeepers turned the tables and held factory workers and passers-by from the street hostage. But when the rebels ran the district, word spread quickly. Operatives offered to be taken hostage so they could gain control. Stella offered to go in herself, but Halley had used her gold status to overrule that idea, claiming she would be the first to be shot. Her mentor was likely correct, so Stella helped operations from the bunker alongside Halley.

It was their first test of leadership in real combat. Negotiations were never going to work. The peacekeepers would have to be overrun by force.

They managed to open communications with the factory office, and they were provided with muffled snapshots of what was happening in the factory. Gunshots could be heard, and it was clear the peacekeepers were picking someone for execution every hour.

Stella knew her mentor would not want to keep time running on to try to save their people, but they would not rush to lead a botched mission either. They carefully worked to coordinate teams who would overwhelm the peacekeepers and extract the hostages. Individuals were sent to key locations to watch the situation on the ground and the cameras linked to the bunker were homed in on the factory too, alert for any changes in peacekeeper behaviour. The peacekeepers aimed to frighten, and nobody had any doubts that they would be under orders to kill everyone if they got the chance.

Immediately before they launched their rescue, the rebels lost contact with the factory and panic ensued. Nothing was unusual from the camera footage and their people on the ground reported no changes either. But they could not confirm to anyone what was about to happen. They would later learn that their link and volunteer hostage had heard that a child was about to be executed and offered himself in the child's place. District Three had gained a new hero to rally around.

Stella and Orion both volunteered to go inside the factory. Halley knew she could not stop them. They were both young and had signed up to fight. They were as prepared as they could be.

They left the bunker together and waited side by side before they were given the clear to enter. The aim was to cut the electricity and release gas into the factory to incapacitate as many people as possible. Once enough time had lapsed that they thought people would be sedated, the extraction teams entered.

The wiser peacekeepers had realised what had happened. They replaced their helmets to protect themselves and started shooting into the dark. But still, the teams moved in and fired back. They hauled as many people as they could outside where a sub-team of further fighters and medics waited.

The team outside were under fire too. The rebels had to scramble to appoint a final line of defence to target the peacekeepers striking their medics. It was messy and violent, but they ended the hostage situation, and the peacekeepers were outnumbered and overrun.

Every peacekeeper who had survived was given the choice to surrender. Those who did were taken prisoner in makeshift facilities. Those who chose not to were summarily shot. Orion and Stella were good shots, and they did not object to keeping on their balaclavas and shooting down those who would still fight against them.

Halley did not know what she thought of her victors becoming executioners but she made her mark that night. In retaliation for the hostage operation, she, Beetee and Wiress executed a drone strike on the centre's remaining peacekeeper barracks. They deployed the usual tactics and gave a five-minute warning before destroying the barracks. Anybody sheltered in the secondary facilities the peacekeepers had tried to establish would fall victim to Wiress' mutts. The Capitol would need to find District Three another Head Peacekeeper.

….

Ossian left the stage after the execution of the Head Peacekeeper and went to his base with the bandits. This time, they wore their bandanas, but they blended in with the blues of Four's fighters. It would become clear that the borderland bandits were Four's men all along.

But that was the least of their concerns. District Four knew that the Capitol would react. They were free but the Capitol would want to drag them back. Ossian was the leader of the bandits on the ground, and they were to act as lookouts for enemy invaders.

They anticipated reinforcements from conscripted peacekeepers or perhaps an immediate visit from the Capitol Guard. The bandits were also stationed at the highest points of the district to look for invaders by air and sea. They reported back via Ossian to Finnick and were ready to do what they could to intercept unwanted arrivals.

But Finnick, Ossian, and the rest of Four's leaders were shocked by the message they received from Beetee. He had found his way into more of the Capitol's defence systems and was monitoring their moves from District Three.

"District Four, this is an urgent message from District Three, do you copy?"

Ossian was listening in on his radio for Finnick's response.

"District Four, copy. How are you in Three?"

"We've taken an early lead."

"Just as I anticipated."

"Of course. But you need to listen. I've found my way into the Capitol's aerial defences. They sure know about your stunt with the Head Peacekeeper. They've aimed missiles in your direction."

Ossian heard a sharp intake of breath and then nothing.

"District Four, do you copy?" Beetee repeated.

"Copy," Finnick confirmed. "It's a surprise, but I'm sure we can find our way through."

"We need Thirteen and you need an evacuation plan."

….

District Five was comparatively quiet. Soleil had moved into Porter's house whilst the peacekeepers paid a disproportionate amount of attention to the Victors' Village. Porter had suggested that Hal move in with them too as one house was easier to defend than three. But Hal refused. Soleil was quietly relieved. She did not want to have to live with Hal during a war.

Soleil's activities were subdued once again. There was not much she could do. But she was reassured by the fact that she and Porter had given her connections enough information to focus on sabotage missions.

In many ways, she was disappointed that District Five was at the stage many of the other districts were years ago. But Porter reminded her that their sabotage efforts could have a much greater impact and would benefit the rebels now Panem was at war.

Their first targets were the energy projects that benefitted only the Capitol. Those that affected the innermost districts would wait until the other districts were informed that their power supply might be impacted.

The solar fields at the northernmost part of Five were first on the list and once they had got word to Lyme and One's leaders, the hydroelectric dam would be next. The lights would be switched off in the centre of the Capitol and they would have to draw on their reserves to keep the heart of the city functioning.

But all Soleil could do was sit and wait for news. It was frustrating but being shot on sight beyond her permitted shopping trip was not part of her plan. They would have to escape at some point, both Porter and Soleil knew that. The Capitol had them stuck and they needed to get out before the peacekeepers decided to shoot them for no other reason than because they could.

….

Cameron had led Six's fighters in the aftermath of their attack on the peacekeeper train. The Capitol retaliated and the district took early losses. Six's people were dying in their droves, and they needed to turn the heat back on the Capitol's forces.

They decided to retreat and focus on targeted attacks as opposed to widespread fighting in the streets. That would come again, but they needed to weaken the peacekeepers first. They could not afford for their forces to collapse and become demoralised by their losses.

They had to play to their strengths. They were District Six, and they could use that to their advantage. Their factories were dangerous enough already without adding war to the mix, but Poppy and Cameron decided they could use that in their favour. Only their people knew how the machinery worked. Only they could strip them for parts and turn them into makeshift weapons.

A knife would struggle to cut through peacekeeper uniforms or do much damage to peacekeeper infrastructure, but motorised blades from their factories would do better. Cameron had been working on his collection of old abandoned cars that found their way to District Six's scrapyards and they could be adapted further into something that would wreak havoc on peacekeeper barracks.

It was a District Eleven tactic, straight from Chaff's book, to go straight to the peacekeepers. But it took skills from Six's heart plus their connections with Three and their knowledge to put their plan in place.

In the meantime, they would rush barracks to outnumber and overwhelm the peacekeepers, go on strike in the factories and turn on the peacekeepers who tried to hold them there. It would be a lot of work, but Six would fight back stronger.

Cameron watched as Poppy continued to lead their battle. She had thrived on their early victories and the prominent position their home was taking in the east but that soon turned to upset as they saw heavy losses. She respected her people and their sacrifice but did not want to be responsible for wasting good people's lives. It was why they changed tactics and devised a new strategy.

He saw his mother at the helm, at Poppy's right hand, trying to make emergency infrastructure from nowhere. They needed a rebel-controlled hospital to treat their wounded, a further burial ground for their dead and emergency shelters for the displaced. Cameron was glad he was amid the fighting instead. It was where his skills had always been.

Poppy wore the gold band of their highest leadership. It was an open secret who was pulling Six's strings but only those closest to Poppy knew how much power she could wield in the coming weeks and months. Cameron was happy to sport the silver armband alongside his mother and stand in support of his mentor.

Poppy received updates from Calico and Marshall almost daily. She was in regular contact with Peeta and was ready to deploy forces that Cameron would lead to Twelve's border for the rescue mission they all knew would be needed. Twelve's lives were Poppy's responsibility as well as Six and Cameron knew it would weigh heavily.

Others had turned to her for assistance too. Plutarch Heavensbee needed to defect and do so publicly. Cameron was not happy at the prospect of sharing their hideout with the man from the Capitol. He was delighted when Poppy deemed it too risky to transport him across the country. She was their primary contact with Thirteen and she could not trust that they would not kill Heavensbee on sight so that was not an option either. Thirteen's support was vital, and they needed to focus on that rather than encouraging them to harbour Capitol defectors.

Four needed aerial support now they faced the threat of missiles and Poppy and Halley were straining every sinew to ensure Thirteen delivered on the support they had tentatively suggested. Plutarch Heavensbee would be transported under cover to District Three instead and they in Six would focus on not angering their allies in Thirteen and preparing to welcome arrivals from Twelve.

It would be a frantically busy time. Cameron could only remain determined that they would overcome everything and win.

….

Seven's victors loved a fight. Fern, Johanna and Birch jumped off the train whilst still travelling towards Seven's station on their return from the Capitol. Blight and Linden waited until they started to slow before repeating the move without falling within reach of the peacekeepers. Together, they ran head-first into the heart of the battle.

The peacekeepers were ready for the people's first push. But soon they realised they were outnumbered and under-resourced. Ferocity with an axe could fare quite well even against a peacekeeper with a gun.

Seven's people had stolen a supply train of peacekeeper armour and had turned it against their occupiers. They had guns, batons, shields, spray, the axes they had retained from the lumber camps and the bows and further batches of axes they had been making for years.

Their victors were not the type to remain hidden whilst their people bled. They fought among them and then ran campaigns behind enemy lines. Linden spent time in command and relayed messages via Fern and they knew where to target.

The victors knew when a village was about to be raised because of accusations of sabotage and rebellion. They would not let their people die in the masses. No part of Seven would be led to the slaughter on their watch.

They heard reports and caught up with the battalion of peacekeepers who were under orders. They brought people with them and Seven's people knew they were welcome to fight alongside the victors. They could be trusted to put Seven first.

Peacekeeper barracks were blown up with makeshift bombs, transport vehicles were set alight, and villages were evacuated or surrounded by defenders before the peacekeepers could arrive. It was a brutal fight, but the victors were proud to be at its heart.

….

Eight was pure carnage. Calico barely had to do or say anything. Her people fought and defended the streets of their own volition. They were going to drive out the peacekeepers no matter what it took.

The factory producing the peacekeeper and Capitol Guard uniforms had been destroyed by the very dyes used to create those uniforms. Calico knew from Halley just how flammable and explosive some of the chemicals could be. Cotton fields were burnt and anything symbolic of the Capitol's control was destroyed.

Calico knew it would only be a matter of time before the Capitol Guard arrived on the ground. Eight had already been the subject of a sustained bombing campaign and the victors were working hard to try to keep a semblance of order among their people.

Cecelia and Calista worked together on Eight's rebel-held infrastructure, hoping with all they had that they could convert buildings into hospitals and shelters and that thousands of people would not find themselves on the streets. Cotton was barely keeping herself together, becoming increasingly unsettled with every explosion. But still, she kept working on their correspondence and acting as a messenger. People knew Calico was in charge and how to find her. The victors tried to know everything they could about the current state of their home.

They had already had to move base once after their previous shelter was exposed by bombing and a peacekeeper attack. They had left with moments to spare and were somehow still alive. Their peers in the other districts were alarmed by the loss of contact but they relocated and confirmed they remained alive and ready to work.

It was clear that the Capitol had already lost. There was no control left in Eight, only bombings, random, ill-fated peacekeeper attacks and televised warnings left. But that did not rattle Eight's resolve. They had never turned themselves to the Capitol's cause after the failed rebellion attempt in Seventy-Five. Kersey Paylor's name lived on in Calico and in their spirit. Eight fought for their home and for those who had always fought for them.

….

District Nine had yet to piece together unified attacks on the Capitol's control. The main city was at war, but they were evenly matched with the peacekeepers. A village would join the fight and be shot down and their people killed. Another would rise in support only to face the same fate.

Nine's rebels had to pull their people together. But having spent decades isolated, knowingly only those they lived alongside, it was difficult to create a sense of unity when the Capitol had kept them so divided. Ryan and Sandy had tried to build acts of solidarity, support and sharing resources but not everybody could rid themselves of their local ties to bring the victors' efforts together.

Ryan and Sandy fought in the city, much to Barric and Maizey's concern. The older victors had relocated to a bunker and were hoping to remain hidden, holding together radio communication and putting together maps of territorial changes. But the early stages of the war brought them very little to do.

The entirety of District Nine was still under Capitol control as Three and Four liberated themselves and fought to defend their freedom. Sandy knew it would take something drastic to turn the tables in her home and she had to seek out those truly willing to act. They had to go beyond sabotage and trying to make friends with the villagers, they needed to be bold.

Sandy wanted to attack the granary stores, and she clashed with Ryan for the first time since they started working together. After decades without a victor and Parcel Days, Ryan was always seen as the one who brought food to Nine. It would be more than ironic to be the one who took the food away from them years later.

He was not entirely opposed to the idea, and he knew they needed to be bold. But he could not be one of the causes of inflicting famine on Nine and Panem. Ryan managed to get Sandy to agree to save some of the stores and relocate some of the grain where they could hope to control it. But it was a risk. Their plan could be exposed. There was a sense in trying to help themselves beyond the war, so Ryan and Sandy sought the teams brave enough to carry out their plan.

….

Charo and Adan had to face up to the fact that Rosa was not a little girl anymore. Obviously, they knew that. Their daughter was twenty-one, an adult in her own right. But for the first time, she was forging her way forward, independently of them.

They knew they had kept Rosa closer to them longer than nearly any other parent in Ten kept their children close. But such was life in the most privileged area of the district. Rosa did not need to fend for herself and Charo and Adan could afford to support her for life.

She had made a role for herself in their constantly growing businesses. However, the war brought a new sense of independence and desire in Rosa.

As the fighting developed from sporadic, isolated uprisings to a connected and concerted effort, Rosa approached Charo and Adan to tell them she was accompanying Santiago in the fight. They would take the horses she had learnt to ride so adeptly and use them in battle. Santiago had taught her for years and she had absorbed everything she could, intending to do something right from her privileged life.

It was difficult for Charo and Adan, but they knew what war meant. Rosa would not be safe anywhere. They could not deny their daughter her plans either. Besides, they trusted Santiago. He had become Rosa's brother. They accepted each other immediately and Ten's senior victors knew he adored their daughter almost as much as they did.

Rosa's peacetime role would wait for her if she wanted it after the fighting ended. Charo and Adan were not about to shy away from the front line either. They were in charge of supplying the fighters and would see active combat.

They had brought Rosa up in line with theirs and Maria's values so it could not be a surprise that their daughter wanted to fight for the home they loved. Because they loved Rosa, they would let her go and do as she wished.

….

Eleven was not a good place to be a peacekeeper. It was not a good place to be someone of Olive's loyalties either. She had been driven out of the Victors' Village and into hiding. Chaff made her family's life intolerable after Seeder passed and Marshall did not have it in him to stop his mentor.

They returned to the company of their old associates, hiding in basements with families who were not sure they wanted to be associated with the Harringtons. But they were accepted because loyalists were so few and far between.

District Eleven was falling apart, and the rebels were destroying their way of life. Crops had been destroyed, fields burnt, their homes targeted, and peacekeeper barracks destroyed. Nobody wanted to work, and they fought them when they tried to instil discipline.

Olive could not accept that the old order was changing, never mind that it had already died under her nose, driven by her former neighbours. She deemed Chaff a disgrace of the highest order and wanted nothing more than to see him destroyed. If Marshall wanted to stand by his mentor, he would have to face the consequences too.

She was free of their constant watch and decided she had to act. They were the instigators of Eleven's destruction, and she wanted them to pay the price. There were still enough people who disliked Chaff enough to turn on him and Marshall would be caught in the crossfire trying to defend his mentor. Olive could not bring herself to care about the supposed loyalty between victors. None of them had shown her any and they were the antithesis of everything she was. She was still determined to get one victory over them.

….

There were very few peacekeepers in District Twelve, and they were surprised to discover that half of Twelve's population had guns. The miners refused to go to work and when the peacekeepers tried to round them up, they were forced into a standoff. They tried to round up family members and threatened to shoot them unless the miners started work, but they were outnumbered. The Capitol's decision that Twelve needed fewer and fewer peacekeepers had come back to haunt them.

Subduing the peacekeepers was not difficult in Twelve. Skirmishes before the Ninety-Eighth Games had turned into a full-blown fight. Three victors became four and Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch were emboldened.

Peeta told them not to hold back and get the job done. He joined in the fighting himself before looking on to see Katniss and Gale lead their men to the Justice Building where the Head Peacekeeper was holding out.

They had planned for years and Peeta had tried to account for every eventuality but Twelve was quiet. The job was done but they all knew what was about to happen. Three and Four would have to fight for their freedom but Twelve would have to fight for its very survival.

Their former peacekeepers who refused to surrender and defect became prisoners and Madge had taken over the running of the district in her father's stead. Peeta, the mining leaders and key figures from the merchant community kept order and the district tried to govern itself.

Nobody went down the mines, Katniss's mother and Prim spent their time dealing with injuries from the fighting, from both Twelve's people and their prisoners. Twelve was strangely calm.

Their calm was interrupted when Capitol bombs descended on the mines, and they caught fire. Peeta initially went frantic, thinking it was the start of the inevitable and he had received no warning. He immediately turned to the radio to reach Poppy, but she had heard nothing. Cameron and his men were deployed to journey to the border in readiness but Twelve carried on quietly.

They did their best to quell the fires and used the prisoners and the peacekeepers' resources to fan the flames. But the mines were left simmering. Nobody would be returning to work.

Peeta listened to constant reports of vicious fighting, relentless bombing campaigns, peacekeeper brutality and district gains. The Capitol was losing, the Capitol Guard was being deployed, missiles were aimed at District Four and Three had blown up half of its remaining peacekeepers.

It was only a matter of time before the Capitol decided to take drastic action. They did not need District Twelve, and everyone knew it. Its people were dying out and the Capitol was doing nothing to stop the declining birth rate. The district had no use. They didn't need coal and Panem certainly did not need thousands of thin, sickly people burdening the country.

Snow had once issued a threat against Twelve, ordering its destruction as a message to the other districts. The Capitol could destroy anyone it wished. But they never needed to act on it. This time was different. Twelve was the bargaining chip and the districts had gone too far. Twelve would be destroyed. The Capitol still had the power to end any district life it wanted.

Twelve's leaders knew it was possible, perhaps even inevitable given the context of the war. The Capitol was losing and desperate to reassert its dominance as power slipped away. The other districts knew too and had resolved to stand by Twelve.

When Beetee picked up Capitol bombers in formation heading east, he alerted the others immediately. Lyme confirmed that they had intercepted intelligence that they were heading for Twelve and the alarm was raised.

The message reached Peeta, and he told his fellow leaders as soon as he could.

"Get ready. It's happening. Make sure your families head to the agreed points and round up everyone else."

"It's not another bombing like the mines?" Gale asked.

"No this is the real thing. Get everyone out. Save as many people as we can. The prisoners have a choice. Stay here and be destroyed by their Capitol or take a chance on Poppy, Chaff and Calico's good nature with unrepentant peacekeepers."

"I'm not wasting my time on them."

"They're under my control, I'll spread the good news," Madge said.

"I'll see you all on the other side," Peeta replied.

He paused before speaking again, this time tuning into the radios they had distributed around the district. The message would spread quickly from here on in.

"District Twelve, it's time. Evacuate and assemble at the agreed points. They're coming for us."