CHAPTER SEVEN
"INFILTRATION"

MASSIMO.

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STEPPING INTO THE TOWN SQUARE OF THE CAPITOL IS LIKE ENTERING AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION. It's a cultural hub of bright colors, filled to the brim with extravagantly overdressed beings, each of them strolling by without a care in the world. Massimo hates them all equally.

He and Atom join the mess of the crowd wearing ridiculous disguises that he'd swiped from the Prep Squad's closet earlier in the day. Massimo dawns a bright orange cloak, something that would make him stick out like a sore thumb back home in District Five. But here, he blends right in.

Massimo isn't sure who they're looking for. He searches the crowd for someone who looks to be on their side, a needle in a haystack. It was Atom who had made the arrangements and set up the meeting, but even he was left in the dark about details.

"Are we just supposed to walk around till someone sees us? Or should I start approaching people?" Massimo inches closer to Atom so he can lower his voice. "Hey, are you part of the rebel cause to kill the president?"

Atom rolls his eyes. "There's only so much we can do to remain inconspicuous, Massimo. Heavensbee said someone would come to us. So just keep walking. Do some sightseeing."

Massimo scoffs at this. It'd been a couple of months since Plutarch Heavensbee had first made contact with him, but he still hadn't met the man face to face. This was definitely for the best, to keep things under the radar, but it made devising plans much more complicated. There was always a middleman between them. Still, Massimo tried not to complain. Having someone like Heavensbee on the inside has given him access to information about the Capitol's inner workings which has proven to be beneficial for the revolution.

Someone taps Massimo on the shoulder and he spins around. A man in a bright green suit is standing in front of him, motioning for Massimo and Atom to follow behind. He takes off down the street and into an alleyway where he stands in front of a navy blue door, waiting for Massimo and Atom to catch up. The man knocks on the door four times and after a couple of seconds, the three of them are ushered inside the building.

The room is much less Capitol-Esque than Massimo was expecting. The walls are painted beige and the furniture is very neutral as well. There's a round wooden table in the middle of the room. The man in the green suit closes the curtains around the room which dims the lighting. He gestures for Massimo and Atom to sit down around the table. The two of them exchange a glance before reluctantly taking a seat. The man sits down across from them.

Massimo is able to get a good look at him for the first time. He has never seen or met this man before. Heavensbee sends someone new every time. This gives Massimo hope. There are people in the Capitol who know that the treatment of the Districts is wrong. There will be people willing to fight for them.

"He has made contact with Thirteen," the man says. "They will be on standby, waiting for Heavensbee's word."

Massimo nods. District Thirteen. When Massimo was a child, he was told the legend of District Thirteen as a lesson. As the story goes, Thirteen was obliterated by the Capitol during the rebellion. Since then, they have been made an example by the Capitol. When Plutarch Heavensbee made contact with Massimo, he informed him that Thirteen lived on and that everything he thought he knew about them was a lie. Seventy-five years prior, District Thirteen had struck up a treaty with the Capitol at the end of the rebellion. They would back down and play dead if they were allowed to secede from Panem. They had been living underground ever since, secretly building up their arsenal of nuclear weapons, waiting for just the right moment to strike. They were the perfect ally, the missing piece of the revolution.

The tributes were going into the Arena. That much was clear. There was no way of stopping that. But allies of the rebellion would stick together in the Arena, keeping themselves, but more importantly keeping the Mockingjay, alive. Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee would cause a diversion during the Games that would allow the allies to be extracted from the Arena swiftly and safely when the time was right.

"And any word on Katniss?" Massimo asks.

The man nods. "Yes. Haymitch Abernathy, their mentor, believes it is best to leave her out of the revolution until the time is right."

"What does that mean?"

"Katniss is not aware of any rebel plans, and she is not to be made aware."

"But...how are we supposed to navigate the Arena if she doesn't trust me?"

"Leave it to Haymitch," the man says. He turns to speak to Atom. "Heavensbee has asked that you work with Haymitch in putting together a team. This way, it just looks as if mentors are discussing plans for the Games."

Atom nods. "Of course. I'll meet with him after training." he nudges Massimo. "Anybody in particular you want with you in the Arena?" 

"Yeah," Massimo nods. "I want Finnick. Jo. One of the geniuses from Three,"

"Which one?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I can work with that. But you're right, we just have to get Katniss to trust you guys."

Massimo leans back in his chair. He has to admit he's upset that he's been put on the back burner. He wants to be able to make contact with Katniss.

"You tell Heavensbee this," Massimo begins. "Katniss and Peeta are the priority. Those two need to make it out alive, or everything else will come crashing down. They're the faces of this revolution. If there's time, you can come for the rest of us."

The man nods. "I will pass the message along." he clears his throat. "Anything else?"

"I WISH YOU'D STOP TALKING LIKE YOUR FATE IS SEALED," ATOM HUFFS AS THEY STEP BACK OUT INTO THE STREETS OF THE CAPITOL. He pulls his hood back over his head. "You will put up a fight in there, won't you?"

Massimo shrugs. "I guess, out of instinct. But I'm going in there to protect the Mockingjay. To me, this cause is worth more than my life."

"This cause is your life, Simo. If you die, what's left of it?"

Massimo turns to look at his mentor. His old friend. He's forgotten how much all of this could be affecting him. To Massimo, Atom is some invincible, wise being. He's learned so much from him, and he couldn't be more grateful for everything that Atom has sacrificed for him. But at the end of the day, Atom had been a tribute just like him. He's lost just as much to the Games.

"Katniss has to be the one to lead them. They'll follow her," Massimo replies.

Atom sighs. "I really hope she'll be willing to step up, for your sake."

As they round the corner to return to the Tribute Center, they are ambushed by a crowd of Capitol paparazzi. Cameras flash in their faces and Massimo pulls his cloak up towards his face. Atom grabs him by the shoulder and they make a dash for the Tribute Center. The crowd follows them down the length of the street, screaming questions and comments.

They reach the gate of the Tribute Center and pull their hoods down. The Peacekeepers standing guard let them in and block the paparazzi from getting past.

"Shit," Massimo breathes out. "That's not good."

Atom laughs. "So much for these disguises."

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author's note!

this was absoloutely a filler chapter but i just wanted to show you guys what massimo was up to since he's boycotting training :) and also give some behind the scenes of the rebellion/ alliances.

i feel like massimo has chemistry with LITERALLY EVERYONE and idk if it's bc he's played by dylan o'brien or bc of the way he's written or a mix of both but damn...i love this man

i'm looking forward to everyone's reactions to future katniss-massimo interactions and just tribute interactions in general in the arena cause as i just mentioned above, massimo meshes well with EVERYONE. (cough cough finnick-massimo dynamic is gonna be SO FUN)

i think i am gonna keep my chapters relatively short since i'm doing multiple POVs and i do want to speed up the publishing of this.

anyways, i hope you enjoyed!!!

love always,
chloe