An Extra Tribute

-he saves us-

I skid into Communications, hovering over Beetee's work. He alerted me via my communicuff that there's been a crash in the Capitol's system. The power's gone out and after getting a wire out to the districts, we were informed that it is due to the rebels in 5 taking down a huge hydroelectric dam. The dam helped 5 supply power to all of Panem, but more specifically, it powered the Capitol. There are other electricity manufacturers that also aid the Capitol in their power supplies, but the dam was a major one. Basic things like television and the president's studio should still be powered with the help of the minor producers, but big things like the Capitol's outer automatic defenses and their system boards are completely shut down.

"We're going to try to interrupt Snow's broadcast with the 12 propo," Beetee explains. I nod and Coin and Heavensbee burst into the room, quickly followed by Dad and Boggs.

"Dad!" I say.

"Hey, kid," he says. "You make a good propo today?"

"Yeah," I reply. "If we get it through, we should be able to get through to Peeta too." He nods and the large television in the front of the room flips on as I press the power button on the control board. The anthem plays accompanied by the seal and then we see our own President Coriolanus Snow. On the side, I see Peeta, his legs dangling off the tall chair he's perched on in front of a touch screen map of Panem. Dark circles fill in the space under his eyes and his cheeks are so sunken in it scares me. His collar, once again, is pulled tightly in and shows just how much weight he's lost. His nervous jitter in his hands is more apparent now and his foot taps the bar by his feet in an unorganized rhythm. His eyes are wild and terrified, his gorgeous blues seeming diluted and lost. He's sweating and he seems too pale. His skin is naturally fair, but it usually has a light tan and glow to it, especially with the Capitol makeup. But, it seems as though they overlooked that detail when trying to remake him before the broadcast. The sleeves of his suit jacket lift up just barely, allowing me to see purple bruises flowering on his wrists and forearms.

"Oh my gosh," I breathe out. Dad wraps an arm around me, rubbing my shoulder. But, his eyes are trained on the screen too. Peeta begins explaining the devastation the rebellion has caused, pointing to areas on the map that light up and explaining the destruction there. Katniss is brought in hastily by Boggs and she has the same reaction to his appearance as I did.

Suddenly, Katniss is on the screen. She's standing in 12 in what used to be the Mellark Bakery. You can see me in the background backing away to the gallows, which aren't far, only yards away. I rip my hand from Gale's as I sit down, my face becoming expressionless. Katniss waits for Cressida's instruction on the TV.

"I'm in!" Beetee yells excitedly. Then, all at once, Katniss is gone and Peeta's back. His mouth is open as he tries to recover. He clears his throat and we can hear the frenzy on set in front of him. The Capitol fights back against Beetee's interruptions, but we still make it through barely. He inserts short clips that are most likely to make an impact; like Katniss and I singing the Hanging Tree together, an aerial shot of the destruction of 12, Katniss standing at the bakery, her message to Peeta, my message to Peeta, and the last one he shows is my message to the Capitol citizens. I can only imagine Snow's fury when he hears my statement. "Snow always falls."

In between the clips, we see Peeta looking shocked at the screen. Towards the end, he looks desperately at us.

"Katniss?" He asks. "Noah? Noah?" Their set's in chaos when they finally gain control again. People are running back behind Snow and Peeta and Snow is pissed.

"The rebels are trying to disrupt the announcement of information they deem dangerous to their movement. But, justice and truth will prevail, I promise!" He spins to Peeta, energy flowing through everyone there except for my boy. "Do you have any last words for Noah Bryant and Katniss Everdeen?"