Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-60-

"451 to base. Over," Jackson attempts to contact people at main base.

"Hey, we better mover," Finnick suggests, an undertone of panic evident in his voice as he looks down at the girl cuddled into his chest, a girl who has been put through enough by these people already. "If Peacekeepers didn't know where we were, they do now."

"Those surveillance cameras caught us," Castor explains.

Unable to get any signal, Lieutenant Jackson offers to get us back to base and asks Katniss for the Holo.

"Boggs gave it to me," she refuses.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson asks, suspicious of the girl.

"He did, he transferred security clearance to her," Rosalie speaks up, having been with Katniss and Boggs when he died. "I saw him."

"Me too," Homes backs them up.

"And why would he do that?" Jackson questions.

"I'm on special orders from Coin," Katniss lies. "To assassinate President Snow."

"I don't believe that for a second. As your new unit commander, I order you to transfer security clearance to me now," Jackson orders.

"I can't do that."

Guns and weapons are soon turned in different directions as soon Jackson reached for hers.

The camera crew kept their weapons down, all the Victors plus Gale protected Katniss whilst most of the district thirteen soldiers aimed their guns at Katniss.

"I won't ask again, Everdeen, give me the Holo," Jackson doesn't lower her weapon.

Cressida steps forward, standing between Lieutenant Jackson and Katniss, and says, "she's telling the truth. Plutarch wants it televised. He thinks if we can film the Mockingjay assassinating Snow, it'll make the Capitol surrender before the casualties get too high."

"And while we're arguing, there's a hundred Peacekeepers on their way here," Gale tells her.

Katniss lowers Gale's gun and walks past, taking to Jackson, "Boggs promised me that when the time came, you would help me.

It's clear Jackson doesn't really believe any of them, but she trusted Boggs.

"Alright soldier, Holo's yours," Jackson stands down.

Gale walks back over to the steps and places a foot on the black covered stone to discover it didn't leave a mark, "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."

Castor speaks up, gesturing to the injured Leeg sister, "she can't move forward like this. Her leg is too bad, we have to evacuate her."

He apologises to the other sister and she tells the group she will stay behind with her. Jackson promises to send someone back as soon as they make contact to base.

Finnick helps guide a now conscious Peeta whilst Johanna and Rosalie link arms again, staying close behind them.

Gale and Katniss now lead with the Holo, Cressida following.

Rosalie refrains from looking at the two dead bodies outside.

They break their way into another house now, closing the curtains for cover. Peaking through them, the group could see the Peacekeepers arrive. They immediately surround the building the squad had previously been inside and start shooting. There is some shooting back from the Leeg sister, effectively killing a few Peacekeepers, but it's not enough.

The building is then blown up and the group turn their eyes from the scene as the building collapses into a pile of rubble, taking the Leeg sisters with it.

'Mandatory viewing, attention all Panem residents,' flashes on the tv screen followed by Caesar Flickerman's face appearing, "good afternoon. I'm Caesar Flickerman. Here with our continuing coverage of the defence of the Capitol. Today, as our Peacekeepers valiantly hold off the rebels, our story takes a surprising twist."

It begins to play footage whilst Caesar's voice continues to speak. The video shows the squad running from the black oil.

"Katniss Everdeen, our once favourite daughter, has infiltrated the city with some of the Victors, whose names are all too familiar. Finnick Odair, Rosalie May, Johanna Mason, and Peeta Mellark."

'Odair', Rosalie mentally corrects, rolling her eyes.

It shows the footage of Peeta attacking Katniss before pushing Mitchell into the black liquid. Rosalie watched Peeta's reaction as his eyes tear up with guilt.

"Clearly, some alliances don't last forever," Caesar speaks from the tv. "Take a look at what happened just a moment ago, when our Peacekeepers cornered Katniss Everdeen and her band of foolish rebels. 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 footage of the Peacekeepers arriving shows on the screen. A few of the men in white are shot down, by the Leeg sister inside, but the building is soon blown up into flames and rubble and smoke.

"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."

Caesar Flickerman and his pink eyebrows disappears from the screen.

"So now that we're dead, what're we gonna do?" Gale asks.

"Isn't it obvious?" All heads turn to Peeta as he speaks. "The next move is to kill me." Katniss' demeanour changed as her eyes soften in both concern and confusion, maybe even a hint of adoration at his selflessness. "I murdered one of our squad members." Nobody says anything, waiting for him to continue. "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."

"If it gets to that point, I'll kill you myself," Gale says.

Rosalie tenses in her spot beside Finnick but, as neither Katniss nor Peeta argue, she says nothing for now.