Chapter Twenty-Five | New Enemies

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It hadn't taken long for Quinn to be released. But then again, she hadn't been given much time or space to really be alone outside of the hospital. Dylan had come a few hours she had been released, and hadn't left. A few citizens from Thirteen had tried to stop Quinn, to say hello-- but Dylan quickly dismissed them, so the two of them could get to the cafeteria without sending Quinn into some sort of psychotic break. Dylan had said anything to suggest that she thought that was possible, but Quinn could see it in the way that she looked at her. In fact, the way that everyone was looking at her...

Everyone's eyes felt like they were burning holes either right into her, or avoiding her all together. Which was understandable. In though she could barely put together her own thoughts or the alphabet to spell her own name-- she knew that something was wrong with her and she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was. Was it something that happened in her games? In the Capitol? In the quell? Or was it everything just finally catching up with her? Was this what Annie felt like? Like a nutcase that couldn't even take herself seriously or make sense of herself?

"Are you sure you don't want to just go to your compartment?" Dylan asked, "I'm sure Coin would have then send your meal--"

"No," Quinn said quickly, "I'd rather not. I've had plenty of time to relax..." she confessed. Every minute that she had been alone, to think-- it made things worse. Quinn just wanted to be told what to do-- how to help the rebels...she didn't want to think of how to do it herself anymore. And honestly, she wasn't sure if she was even able to make those choices anymore.

Dylan nodded a bit, "Oka-"

"Quinn!"

The two girls stopped and turned around. Dylan looks like she was about to dismiss whoever it was like the others, but she didn't open her mouth to say a word. It was Jules who was jogging towards them.

"President Coin needs you in command-"

"Can't it wait? She just got released." Dylan retorted, her eyes narrowing.

She rose an eyebrow and shook her head, "Unless you plan to tell her everything during lunch," she stated with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "She needs to be told everything before she's thrown back into the population." she stated seriously, "I'll make sure she makes it back."

Quinn looked at Dylan for a moment before she took a few steps away from Dylan and went to follow Jules. She heard Dylan mumble a few profanities as she went with Jules-- but when Quinn glanced back over her shoulder, Dylan was continuing down the hall towards the cafeteria.

"How are you feeling?" Jules asked as they stepped onto an elevator.

"Fine," Quinn replied, "Irritated that people are going to be asking me that for awhile, but fine."

Jules scoffed a bit, "Yeah, I can imagine." she stated.

"Are you still a squad leader?" Quinn asked after a thick cloud of silence filled the elevator and was practically suffocating her.

Jules shook her head, "Well, depends how you look at it. I'm second in command of the First Response team."

"First response team?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded as the elevator came to a stop on the correct floor, "We're the first ones in, we go in before the Star Squad will go in." she stated, "Clear it for supplies, propos, or evacuations...that sort of thing."

Quinn gave a small nod, "So it's dangerous...why would you sign up for that?"

"This entire war is dangerous, and besides that-- the rebels are...winning."

"We are?" Quinn replied.

She nodded, "We have most of the districts against the Capitol," she stated, "District Two is the only one really resisting still."

Quinn wasn't convinced about that, from the way they were treated in the Capitol-- the rebels were not winning.

"Who's first in command?"

Jules sighed, "Finn Benson, District Two refugee...he's not easy to get along with but...you get used to it." she said as the paused outside of the command meeting room.

After a moment, Jules opened the door and revealed a room with only two people in it. The room wasn't like how she remembered it. The screen was now divided up into smaller screens and there was video footage of different areas. Not of Thirteen, but of a different district.

"No, that won't work. That sector is always heavily guarded. You won't get FR or SS in without losing a few." a man stated, not too much older than she was. Maybe about the age of Orion.

"We don't have another option, they'd see us coming from anywhere else-" Coin began.

"I'm not leading my squad in that way, Madam President. It's a death sentence." he retorted sharply, "Now if we could draw them towards the west side of The Nut, then FR could maybe get to the safe house."

Jules cleared her throat, and the two of them quickly turned around. Coin looked just how Quinn remembered her. The man was someone who Quinn hadn't ever seen before. He had dark hair, and it was messy. He wore a uniform similar to the one that Boggs wore.

Coin smiled, "Welcome back to Thirteen, Quinn." she said nicely as she made her way around the table and towards her. "We have a lot to discuss." she said as she placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her towards the table to sit down. She then gave the man and Jules both a curt nod as if to tell them to give them some privacy. Then as soon as the two of them stepped out, leaving Quinn and Coin-- Quinn knew that whatever they were going to talk about wasn't good.

"Firstly, the squad you were with in Four-- they all were and are still extremely sorry about what happened." she began, "And I am sorry for asking Gale to speak with you," she paused, "However, I do still think that having you on the front lines would be good-- a productive strategy. But I don't know where we can place you,"

Quinn pressed her eyebrows together, "Won't I be in the same squad as before?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to have you in the same squad as Orion Snow." she said, her voice was serious and Orion's name came out in a long sigh that was tinged with disgust. "I think the enemy might not just be in the Capitol, Miss Maverick."

"You think Orion isn't on our side?" Quinn asked. Despite how she had been feeling about Orion, she couldn't help but think Coin was right.

"I'm almost entirely sure he never was."

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