[AUTHORS NOTE]

This is where things are going to start changing a bit in the plot of Mockingjay-- but not much at all! The actual story is the same, some things are just...different. Sorry if that doesn't make sense!

Stay classy! 

_____

"That was what you wanted them to do?" Skyler asked, an eyebrow raised sharply. She leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed, "That was worse than anything I've ever seen on Capitol broadcasting."

Plutarch looked at Skyler as if she had personally offended him. Quinn couldn't blame him, he had put a lot into the propo. But she agreed with Skyler, the entire thing was awful. It was too staged, everything about it was fake. Quinn had barely been able to even look at it, she could barely even listen to it. 

Katniss, Quinn, and Orion all sat at the end of the table. They had been last to arrive to command to watch the propo-- they hadn't even been able to change. But the entire thing was cringe worthy. 

"If that's what you're going to use to get the other Districts to stand with you, good luck with that." Orion said in a long drawn out sigh, "Because that would honestly just make me not want to if I was in their position."

Quinn nodded in agreement. 

"It wasn't that bad," Effy defended, lightly patting Plutarch's shoulder.

But he didn't seem all that convinced. He sighed heavily and ran his hands down his face, glancing at Haymitch as he blew his nose. Quinn couldn't understand how he could be sick. The air in the compound was filtered and regulated as much as the air was in the arena's. There was virtually no way he could get sick. 

"No, no, you're right. But it's all I had to work with..." he scowled, he wasn't pointing any fingers. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Katniss sink down in her chair. "Madam President?" Havensbee stated and looked over at President Coin who had stayed completely silent after the propo ended. 

She thought for a moment, then glancing at Katniss. "We'll just have to try it again, in the morning--"

"And you think it'll turn out better?" Quinn asked, "She can't act. It's a waste of time."

"Thanks." Katniss muttered from next to Quinn, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Command remained quiet for a long moment. The table had every seat taken. President Coin sat between Boggs and Havensbee. On the other side of Boggs was Gale, then Orion, then Quinn, and lastly Katniss. Then on the other side of Havensbee was Skyler, Haymitch, Otto, Beetee, then Skyler. So to say the least, there were plenty of people there who could all agree at the propo was horrendous and now they had nothing to use. 

The room was still quiet, Quinn watched the gears in everyones heads turning. Trying to think of an alternative to the propos. After a moment, Haymitch pushed back from the table and walked around the table to the screen-- running his arm across it, clearing it of everything they had up there. Plutarch was about to protest, but President Coin looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder as if to tell him to be quiet.

"I hope none of that was important..." he sighed as he used his finger to write three names. Katniss, Quinn, Orion. "Alright, what do we all know makes Orion tick?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the table. The three of them shifted uncomfortably in their seat. 

"His grandfather," President Coin sighed, "If there's anything that makes him angry, it's Snow."

Haymitch sighed, and scribbled Pres. Snow under Orion's name. "What about Quinn?"

"What doesn't is a better question..." Katniss muttered, "The Hunger Games." 

Quinn looked over at Katniss and stared at her for a moment. For some reason, she hadn't really considered the idea that Katniss had known about her during her games. Quinn forgot about that sometimes since she had been in Thirteen. 

Haymitch nodded and wrote that under Quinn's name. 

"Pointless death." Coin added, "Like the Orphans in Four."

Haymitch raised an eyebrow, "Good one," he sighed as he wrote pointless death/Orphans under Quinn's name too. "Now what about Katniss?"

"She's smart." Quinn stated simply.

"I'd disagree sometimes..." Haymitch replied.

"She beat the gamemakers at their own game," Quinn stated, "They weren't too happy about that when that happened." she said, glancing at Katniss.

Haymitch sighed and wrote quick thinking under Katniss' name.

"President Snow." Coin stated, and Haymitch nodded and wrote that under her name as well. 

"Now what makes people in Panem love him?" he asked and he motioned to Orion.

"Where are you going with this, Haymitch?" Effy asked.

Haymitch ignored her and simply waited for an answer.

"He's dedicated to the rebels." Gale stated, "He's everything Snow isn't." 

Haymitch nodded and wrote rebel, stubborn, and brave under Orion's name. "And Quinn?"

"Her temper." Skyler answered quickly. Haymitch nodded, and wrote it down. 

"She's stubborn." Otto added, and Haymitch nodded and wrote that down too. 

"What about Katniss? What made people love her-- on her own, with out Peeta's help." he asked.

"Oh! When she volunteered for her sister at the reaping." Effy stated, "And when she sang that song to little Rue."

Haymitch nodded and wrote it all down. "All of this has something in common." he stated as he quickly scibbled a circle around everything under their names. "It's not scripted."

"Haymitch you have much better points when your sober." Gale noted, getting a snicker from Quinn and Skyler. 

President Coin looked the screen over, reading it over and over again. She was deep in thought. Quinn didn't quite understand where Haymitch had been going with all of that, but once he pointed out the fact that they were all just more effective when they weren't being told what to do-- Quinn understood what he was saying. Staged propo's weren't going to work.

"So we put them in the feild," Beetee stated as if it was obvious. "I have the improved weapons in Tech, and the new ear pieces I've been working on--"

Coin quickly began to shake her head, "No, no." she said quickly, "Orion, yes. We can set that up. But I cannot risk sending two untrained civilians into the Districts." she explained simply, "Orion's been through the training twice, when they arrived the first time, and then he went through the levels for a refresher when they got here the second time." she stated simply, "Quinn was kicked out of training the first time because mentally she was not stable enough, and quite frankly, I still don't think she is. And Katniss hasn't even been approved to start training yet."

"Madam President, if we want Katniss to be effective as the Mockingjay...people need to see her and the propo we have already just won't work. They need to see the real Mockingjay." Havensbee stated, "I think Beetee has a point."

Coin didn't look convinced, or like she was going to change her mind.

"Let's do it," Katniss stated from her seat, "If I'm going to be the Mockingjay, it has to at least be believable."

"I cannot risk sending you two into the field." Coin stated, looking at Katniss and then Quinn. "I cannot do that."

"Why not?" Orion asked, "They both survived the games twice-"

"Quinn was nearly dead when she got here, and she's still getting checked every day to make sure she's healing." Coin said sharply, "It's too risky-"

"She also made it from District Four all the way to Thirteen." Otto reminded her.

Boggs let out a long huff of air, "Madam President, a propo like that won't help us. Having some real footage, it would. People would see the other Districts nothing would be staged."

Coin sat back in her seat, resting her hands on the table still. She drummed the table with her fingers as she thought. She glanced at the three of them. Then at Boggs for a moment. She didn't exactly look happy with the proposal. But Quinn knew that everyone was right, it was their best bet. And if she wanted an effective Mockingjay for Quinn and Orion to both be with-- it was their best option.

After a long moment, Coin slowly began to nod. "Okay," she stated, "It's still early in the day," she confessed. "Where should they go?"

"What about District Eight?" Beetee asked, "They just suffered heavy bombing early this morning, maybe seeing the ruins and the survivors would be a good start." he stated.

Coin thought for a long moment again and then nodded, "I want all three of you to go to training, and go through a brief test for your physical abilities-- I will not send anyone who cannot handle themselves at all. If you pass that, go to Tech and get familiar with your weapons you'll be assigned." she ordered looking at Quinn, Orion, and Katniss. "Boggs, Otto, choose two other people you want on your team. I'll have Haymenn do the same." she stated before she looked back at the others, "You will each had a team, you will each stay with your Sargent, you will have an ear piece and be connected to someone in the hovercraft at all times, and if you decide to break any of these conditions I will not risk doing another propo like this. Understood, everyone?"