The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay

Chapter 18

After Plutarch's briefing Peeta and I went off to discuss a few things. First, what are the consequences and options of us going in? We could be killed, that's the main one, leaving our children as orphans. Second, I could go in alone leaving Peeta here with Plutarch then if something did happen to me then he'd at least be there for the kids.

"There no way you're going in" he says.

"Peeta you're not thinking logically. You saw Plutarch's reaction to Gale going in our place. He needs me to go in, he want's the Mockingjay"

"And what about our kids, you saw what it did to them back in District 3, saw how upset they got when you ran out in front of those snipers"

"I know what your saying but you have to understand Peeta. This needs to happen, to safeguard their future. You heard what Plutarch said, what would happen if we failed, do you really want our kids growing up in that world, it'd be no different to the life we had as kids"

Peeta sighs and looks down "I know what your saying Kat, and I totally get what the consequences are for Kyler and Rue. It just seems......wrong I guess"

I cup his cheek in my hand and smile "you're the President of Panem and your place is here with Plutarch. I'm a rebel leader and nothing more. If the worst happens and I don't make it out then the kids will still be with their father and the country will still have it's president"

Peeta looks up with tears in his eyes, then throws his arms around me and pulls me close. "I just can't bear to lose you, you're my life Katniss Mellark, I'm nothing without you"

"You'll be fine, and I'm happy that you'll always be there for the kids. And in any case if what Plutarch is saying is true then it should be easy, what with him being on our side. We might be worrying about nothing"

"Yeah, I hope so"

We both explain our decision to Plutarch who strangely seems a bit unimpressed with the news that I've decided to go in, why this is I'm not sure. He wanted the Mockingjay and that's what he got.

Once again we all group around the 3d hologram of the arena for our briefing. Everyone is here, everyone agreed to go in, Alek and Steph, the Rapiers, Gale with two of his soldiers, Haymitch, even Annie put her hand up to go in. It seems everyone has accepted the consequences of what could happen if we stand back and do nothing. Beetee is the only one who isn't part of the briefing on the Arena, he sits quietly at the back with a comms headset pressed close to his ear, no doubt listening in on the Brotherhood.

Plutarch walks up to the hologram in the centre of the room and looks around at us

"Okay, so the arena. As you can see its mainly laid out as Grassy, hilly sand dunes. The grass is long and before you ask it's harmless, there's no pods or Tracker Jacker venom to worry about, even the lichens and moss are harmless and edible. The arena stretches to some 4 miles in length running parallel to the coast. Its roughly 2 miles wide with a beach on one side and a small sparse boggy forest on the other side"

"Where's the Cornucopia?" asks Alek

"Ah, thats the interesting point of this arena" Plutarch pulls up a holographic control panel and highlights a part of the map just off the beach, in the shallows listing to one side is an old warship, its grey paint pockmarked with rust and soot. It looks like an old relic of a battle that must of taken place here.

"The cornucopia is the warship. The weapons aren't laid out as they normally would be but they are to be found on board the ship, they're hidden, although they're not too hard to find"

"Okay so we have to make a beeline to the ship to get our weapons, I can't see any Pedestals, where do the games start?" I ask

"This arena was set up with a completely different strategy to anything that came before it. The aim of these games was to make the tributes work together, to try and set up two different career packs that would face off against each other. Because of the adhoc nature of these games the Brotherhood will start in the warehouse we passed through when we first arrived. You'll start here" Plutarch zooms the map into what appears to be a large circular concrete bunker in the centre of the dunes. "Before the games begin you'll walk out to the bunker where you'll start your battle against the Brotherhood. No pedestals, no tribute parade just the arena. This in itself gives you an advantage"