Battle Field

Thirteen

I could hardly sleep. Every time I closed my eyes for a few minutes the tiniest sound would make me jump awake again. I guess Peeta felt me jump at the sound of a distant bomb and put his arm around me until he fell asleep quickly after. After hours of just laying down with my own thoughts the sun starts to light up the capitol and I stand up and walk to the broken down windows. "Couldn't sleep?" I turn around to see Katniss standing there. Anxiety rippled through me leaving goosebumps all over. I just shake my head. I adjusted my gear on my chest and turned back around looking outside. Katniss made her way to stand next to me leaving a solid couple feet between us. "Sorry I never checked on you." She says. I just shrugged, "Kinda saw it coming." I answer. I couldn't look her in the face. After all I just took Peeta but even from the clips of the games I could see she treated him like just an ally. An ally she occasionally had to kiss for the public's approval. "I was just focused on Peeta and this war.." She starts but doesn't finish. "You're focused on yourself. And that's ok. Peeta was your ally and you had everyone looking at you as just the face of the other side." I say turning my face towards her but keeping my eyes on outside. "I never wanted any of it." She says quietly. I finally look her in the eyes. If she didn't want it then why have the balls to give snow the trouble in her games? Why not eat the berries herself? "And what about everyone else you effected since the beginning. Since your first games? Why not play your part that you started when you brought out that nightlock?" She stayed silent. "Snow would tell me how little you cared about me. How little I meant to you. How I was just a pawn for you. How both Peeta and I were just pawns in your game to get what you wanted. And I may have had my brain fucked by the capitol but I'm starting to believe that when he said that, it wasn't a complete lie." I confess looking back outside. "It was hard being in those cells getting physically tortured day in and day out. And when I fought back and did what I could to help any of you, I just got hurt even more. I know you saw the scars at the wedding." She looked up at me and I could just feel the pity and confusion. I looked at her dead in the eyes. "But please know that actions have consequences and not everyone can just forgive and forget so easily." After I said that I gave a small look to Peeta then back to her. She got the message and looked back outside. "I know you probably hate me. And I know I probably seem like a villain to you but I'm just rolling with the punches and someone has to tell you what it's like on the other side."
"I don't hate you. I'm just conflicted at the moment. With myself and the rebellion." She says. "Then just work on yourself and doing what you need to get done." I shrugged. It's the only thing I could say to her at the moment. I looked at her and remember a memory of her helping me and me helping her during training. The laughing but getting work done. "We helped each other during training before the games. Real or not real?" I ask her. "Real. I helped you with a bow and you helped me with knives." She said. I just nod. "I wanted to be friends. You and I had a great time together. I'm just not good at the whole friends thing." She says. "Well as of now we are just allies." I say to her. She just looks at me and nods. I started to walk back to Peeta and sat next to him again. He was still asleep and I only wished I could.

Everyone was up and we started to prepare to get ready to get back on foot. "Listen up." Boggs started he was holding up a magazine for a gun. "Mag's empty. It's only for the propo." He says handing the gun unloaded gun to Peeta. Boggs went to me and Handed me the same kind of gun, unloaded as well. "I know you're more in control than Peeta but I'm gonna keep the cuffs on for precaution. Just for now, okay?" He says. "Yes sir." I say. He gives me a small nod. "Let's move. We're headed five blocks north."

"To the citizens of the capitol, our war is not with you." Finnick was helping Peeta with his lines. "To the citizens of the capitol, our war is not with you." Peeta repeats. I started to slowly disassociate. "Harmony, You will be a vital part of the democracy that follows our victory." Finnick says for me to continue the line. "Be a vital part of the democracy that follows our victory." I say staring in front of me as we walk. "You got it." He says comforting Peeta who seemed stressed. "Okay." We all stopped. "Boggs. This is a good spot. Through there, in the courtyard." Cressida says. "Okay, let us clear it." Boggs says. We walk down the steps and enter a circle courtyard in the middle we're first pillars then bigger pillars with a roof. It looked like a small tunnel. "Got a pod." Boggs says pointing in the middle of the tunnel. "Split. Take cover. Stay back." We spilt in two and hid behind the pillars. I was in front of Peeta who was in front of Finnick. Boggs throws something and machine guns start a rapid fire. I covered my ears. The volume of the guns firing was overwhelming. I couldn't think which turned into how I couldn't breathe. I start seeing the ugly memories again. I couldn't focus on anything anymore. Boggs, Gale, Homes, and the Leegs twins moved forward and then a bomb went off. My heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. Everyone went to be able to see what had happened. I only glanced around the corner to see Boggs on the ground. As soon as I saw the damage I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I mentally checked out. It wasn't until I felt my arm pulled in a direction that I saw a huge wave of oil coming for us. Jackson had pulled my arm and escorted me to one of the buildings. Homes shot at a door to open it. I turned back to see Peeta getting thrown off of Katniss and then he pushed Mitchell into the Oil. I saw his body get burned and tied up in the sky. Jackson pulled me inside and we ran up the stairs until we got to where the stairs just ended. They had seemed to break off conveniently in that one spot. I see everyone else make it up to where we were and Finnick injects Peeta with a syringe. Peeta passed out for a bit. "It's slowing down." I hear someone say. I was still catching my breath. Cressida sat next to me and helped me out. I look to see the oil going down slowly. "Gamemakers are still putting on quite a show."
"451 to base. Over." Jackson calls on her radio. I felt better after a bit just felt no energy to talk. I stood myself up and looked to see Finnick and Peeta in the corner. "Hey, we better move. If peacekeepers didn't know where we were, they do now. Those surveillance cameras caught us." Gale adds. "451 to base. Come in." Jackson tires again but still no response. "This is a bad spot. We need to move now." Gale adds again. "451 to base. Over. I can't get a signal. But I can get us back to base. Everdeen, give me the holo." She says putting her radio away. I look at Katniss who was holding the holo. "Everdeen, what did I just say? The holo. Come on, let's go." Jackson continued impatiently. "Boggs gave it to me." Katniss answers. "What are you talking about?"
"He did. He transferred security clearance to her. I saw him." Gale answers. "And why would he do that?" Jackson asks. "I'm on special orders from Coin." They started going back and forth.
"To do what?"
"To assassinate president snow."
"I don't believe that for one second. As your new unit commander, I order you to transfer security clearance to me now."
"I can't do that."
Jackson started to point her gun at Katniss and then it became a showdown. "Let's not lose our heads here." Gale says behind a gun pointing at Jackson. "I'm not asking you again, Everdeen. Give me that holo."
"She's telling the truth." Cressida adds. "Plutarch wants it televised. He thinks if we could film the mockingjay assassinating snow, it'll make the capitol surrender before the casualties get too high." She moved in between the gun and Katniss.
"While we're arguing, there's 100 peacekeepers on their way here." Gale adds again reminding us we don't have a lot of time. "Boggs promised me that when the time came, you would help me." Katniss says. The statement made Jackson think for a minute then put her gun down along with everyone else. "All right, soldier, holo's yours."
"I don't think we're gonna leave any footprints. We should move now. And those cameras outside should be covered up by the oil." I made my way to Finnick and Peeta. "Let's get him up." He says. We stand Peeta up and he wakes up. "Can you walk?" I ask holding one arm. He just nods. Finnick stayed near but I helped him down the stairs. We made our way across the courtyard to another entry and Went upstairs to find an apartment. "Get these curtains closed." Jackson orders. Everyone closed the curtains. I helped Peeta sit down and then made my way to the window to peek outside. We see hundreds of peacekeepers aiming at the window we were just by. We see the Leegs shooting first. The peacekeepers shoot back until they move out of the way for a peacekeeper to shoot at them with a bazooka. The whole sectioned building they were in came towering down. I quickly pulled away from the curtains and sat in a chair trying to keep myself level headed. Finnick tried to comfort me but I stop him. "Please don't come closer. Just leave me alone right now please." I tell him. He understood and stayed his distance. We hear the Panem triumph play and the screens show Caesar Flickerman with his big booming hair and a serious face. "Good afternoon. I'm Caesar Flickerman. Here with our continuing coverage of the defense of the capitol. Today, as our peacekeepers valiantly hold off the rebels, our story takes a surprising twist. Katniss Everdeen, our once favorite daughter, has infiltrated the city with some of the Victors, whose names are all too familiar." The screen shows the video recording of us walking together. "Finnick Odair, Harmony Odair, and Peeta Mellark." It then shows the moment when Peeta was attacking Katniss then killed a soldier before Finnick pulls him away. "Hmm. Clearly, some alliances don't last forever." Then the screen shows a recording from a peacekeepers view. "Take a look at what happened just a moment ago, when our peacekeepers cornered Katniss Everdeen and her band of foolish rebels." It showed them blow up the building and it towering down again. I looked away once they showed the bazooka fire. "Whatever arrogance brought this treacherous girl back to us, you are about to witness a great victory, not only for the capitol, but for panem." The building towered down. I pulled my hand up to my face to start some tapping again. "So there you have it. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, a girl who inspired so much violence, seems to have met a violent end herself. Stay tuned for more information. Caesar flickerman. Thank you." He says before the screens cut back to the regular Panem logo. "So now that we're dead, what are we gonna do?" I ask. "Isn't it obvious?" I hear Peeta. "The next move is to kill me. I murdered one of our squad members." He adds. I stand up and was speechless. "Katniss is right. I'm a mutt. And it's only a matter of time before I snap again. I'm not in control. I need a nightlock pill, so I can die when I need to." I sat myself next to him. Gale answered him only. "If it gets to that point, I'll kill you myself."