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𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 : 76𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴

"i'm a soldier, like all of you, so here's what i know. for the first time in our lifetimes, we're standing together with 13 districts. from what i see here, we've already made history." the crowd cheered at paylor. hattie clapped along. "but history doesn't stop to celebrate. and we're facing an enemy that will not change and will never surrender. president snow has pulled back peacekeepers to fortify the center of the city. he's evacuating residents from the outer blocks. these civilians will be confused and desperate.

"you are under orders not to target them. we're deploying medical brigades to help anyone in need. we'll show the capitol people who we are. to slow our advance, president snow is building a minefield of traps and leather devices called 'pods'. the sadistic inventions of gamemakers meant to make sport of our deaths. if our armies make it past peacekeepers and other defences, we'll converge in the center of the city at snow's mansion, where we won't just unlock his gates, but unshackle all of panem."

everyone exploded into an applause, and paylor continued. "if we did, let it be for a cause and not a spectacle. if we succeed. let it be for all of panem, and let it be forever. yes, you've already made history. but the future, our future, starts tomorrow at dawn, when we march together into the capitol." cheers came from around them.

hattie just started to play with her hair.

« « « » » »

"squad 451?" gale walked in on the girls packing their bags in their tents. "looks like you got your meals covered. and your weapons. fire, is that a shotgun?" gale pointed into hattie's bag, and hattie just zipped the pocket closed, looking into the eyes of the boy. "you don't wanna know." "trying to be prepared." katniss said. "don't lie to me. we've been hunting together all our lives. i know when you're gonna go off on your own. you gonna leave me behind, too?" gale asked her.

suddenly, it felt as if hattie didn't exist in this atmosphere anymore.

"as your fellow soldier, i suggest you stay with your unit." at katniss' statement, hattie snorted. she felt gale give her a look, "why are you even here?" he asked her. "because this is our tent, shitbird." she responded harshly. "i couldn't stop you if you wanted to come." katniss told gale. "hawthorne, fire, everdeen, come meet your new unit." a voice called from outside.

hattie stood up and left the tent first, and katniss and gale glanced at each other before following. "i'm lieutenant jackson, and i want to introduce you to your squad. this is second lieutenant mitchell, best sharpshooter in panem. these are the leeg sisters. first combat division." "hey," hattie smiled at the sisters. "hi." they greeted. "and this is corporal homes."

hattie smiled at them, until katniss said, "finnick." she walked behind the tent, where the blonde man stood, and hattie ran after her. "are you with us?" "looks like it." he said. without another word, hattie threw her arms around the man, and he hugged back with a smirk. "that was a short honeymoon." hattie commented into his shoulder. "yeah, well," they separated, and he and katniss hugged, "i guess we're gonna have to have one in the capitol. after we take it." "only way, baby."

"gather 'round." they heard boggs call. "squad 451, you're my unit. lieutenant jackson is my second in command. each one of you is elite in some form of combat. but we are a non-combat unit. so we'll be following days behind the front-line troops." lieutenant jackson said. "you're to be the onscreen faces of the invasion. 'the star squad'. it's been decided that you're most effective when seen by the masses." cressida explained.

"so we're not gonna fight?" gale asked. "you'll do whatever you're ordered to do, soldier. it's not your job to ask questions." colonel looked to gale, and he carefully nodded, "yes, sir." "our instructions are to shoot propaganda footage on the battle-scarred streets of the capitol. you were handpicked to intimidate their forces." "and inspire surrenders." LJ added.

"even though we'll be working on abandoned streets miles behind the front lines, i guarantee you, wherever they put us, it will not be safe. this is a war zone. it is likely that we'll encounter both active pods and peacekeepers. you're considered high-value targets to the capitol. in the event of capture, you'll be given a nightlock pill. a poison that acts immediately." at the two words, hattie's mind started to race.

her father killed with poison, but did she want to be killed by poison? and this early on in her life, too? her birthday was the day before the reaping. she had just turned 16, just old enough to drive and to have her curfew stretched by an hour. not to be taking pills that would kill her instantly.

"lieutenant jackson, do the honors. i've already briefed you on the pods. i remind you, they are in every block." LJ handed hattie one, and she took it into her hand with shaky palms. she just shoved it into one of the many pockets of her cargo pants and zipped it up. "our unit has been give a holo." colonel told them. "a database that contains a detailed map of the capitol, and presumably, every known pod." hattie spoke up, not even realizing what she was saying until she finished her sentence.

"correct, fire. these pods can trigger anything from bombs to traps to mutts." as colonel continued to speak, gale bent down next to hattie's ear. "suck up." he whispered. "kiss ass." she mumbled back, barely letting her lips move. "that's the same-" "i'm sorry, hawthorne, are we interrupting you?" gale looked up at saw colonel was staring at right at him. "fire, was he bothering you?" "just a bit, sir." hattie responded, not looking the boys way. "hawthorne, come stand besides me." gale just let out a sigh, before walking to stand beside the colonel.

"as i was saying, we cannot move without this device. there's not guarantee that our database is complete. there could be new pods that we're not aware of. because we don't want the gamemakers to know we have this intel, it has a self destruct on it. you flip this switch, say 'nightlock' three times, and it blows itself and anything within a 10 foot radius. stay within our unit. even with the holo, it is likely that new pods have been set. whatever they contain, they are meant to kill you."

"ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 76th hunger games." hattie heard finnick say to katniss.

and this time, hattie was in the crossfire.

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as distant explosions sounded, the squad followed colonel boggs through the capitol streets. "i've never seen these streets so empty..." hattie told herself. it hurt to see the home she had grew up in destroyed, but she knew it wasn't because of her. "just keep your eyes open." the colonel warned.

when they got in front of a huge building hattie recognized once as the bank, colonel boggs put his arm up to stop them. "got a pod. let's take cover." hattie ran after the colonel, and realized that they stopped in front of the metal statue in which marked the very middle of the capitol. hattie would remember the countless amount of times her and cypress would play tag around that exact statue when they were younger.

"shoot through those two buildings." cressida instructed katniss. "whenever you're ready. katniss." katniss and hattie took a knee beside one another, and katniss drew an exploding arrow. "hold it. pollux, tighter. okay." she finally let go of the arrow, and in between the two buildings, it went up into smoke. hattie had to stop herself from gasping when she saw it catch on fire. the building to the left was where hattie used to have her old fencing lessons, up until the reaping. suddenly, an explosion, and huge piece of metal fell onto the street.

the fire quickly disappeared, but the smoke still rose. "sorry." she heard katniss mumble. "all clear."

"no need. it's not your fault. just.. doing what you're told." hattie sighed, standing up.

...

"i don't think we can get across this minefield." gale said to the girls. the squad resided in a wrecked diner that effie would take cypress and hattie to every sunday. "not without that holo. we're not gonna get it off him while he's awake." katniss said, and hattie's eyes widened. "wait, we're seriously doing that whole 'running away' thing?" the couple ignored her, and she sighed. "let's make sure we're on the same watch tonight." gale told her, and katniss nodded.

suddenly, hattie could hear a vehicle approaching, and her head perked up. maybe it would be someone to save her from this god forsaken couple. colonel boggs stood up. "is that PK?" hattie asked, standing up and grabbing her machete before approaching the group. "451 to base. we've got a truck coming in from the south. over... copy that, over." LJ spoke into a walkie-talkie, "stand down, everyone. it's friendly."

"'it's'?" hattie asked, getting closer to the vehicle, staying in step with the colonel. out from the back of the truck came...

peeta?

she heard him whisper things to himself as he walked up, and katniss started to nock her bow. she saw finnick walk forwards, and she joined him. "hold up," they chorused, "relax." finnick said as LJ walked up and cuffed the boy. "soldier, this is just a precaution till we get everything straightened out. yeah?" closer, now, she could hear peeta mumbling, "my name is peeta mellark. i'm from district 12."

"it's okay, peeta, you're safe." hattie crossed her arms. for the first time since he had gotten out from the truck, he looked up and saw hattie talking to him.

"we got you, man." finnick assured.

...

"they want us to add him to the propo. show us that he's on our side. we'll move forward a few blocks tomorrow and shoot new footage. he's not in control of himself." colonel informed. "i say we schedule an around-the-clock watch on him—" LJ said. "i'll do it." hattie raised her hand. "thank you, miss fire. but do you think you could shoot him?" hattie sighed a shaky breath, "that's why i have katniss, isn't it?" she joked. "give me a watch." katniss stated. "you can shoot him?" "i wouldn't be shooting him. i would be killing a capitol mutt."

"i don't think that comment recommends you for the job, either, soldier. you can do from 1000 to 0000, fire, but we need you to get some sleep." LJ recommended. "put her in the rotation." colonel said, walking past LJ. "alright, fine. 0000 till 0500, everdeen. the leegs from 0500 till 1000. got it?" hattie raised her hand. "yeah, fire?" "uh, permission to have odair join me on my watch?" the girl asked. "permission granted." the woman nodded. finnick held out a hand for hattie, and she hesitated, before slapping his hand.

katniss got up and walked out of the wrecked diner through the window, and hattie just turned to peeta and smiled. she couldn't imagine what it felt like to be so judged against for being hijacked. she wanted to scream it wasn't his fault, it was her fathers, and he shouldn't be judged because of it.

but, she stayed silent.

a / n :
he cancelled on me. ITS FINE. i have peeta 🤭 ANYWAYS, LOVE YOU. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
xoxo,
mel 💋