The nation of Panem was at risk of falling apart and Coriolanus Snow was not going to let that happen on his watch. He had seen the districts (well, those of them that actually mattered) prosper and flourish over the years and he wasn’t prepared to let it all go to waste over some flash-in-the-pan rebellion.
Perhaps even more troubling was the ill health that the President now found himself in which only marked further trouble for his run as the nation’s leader. He knew that the presidency changing hands at a time like this would only cause further unrest in the outer districts and he refused to let that happen. He needed a plan and thankfully he had the brightest minds in Panem at his disposal.
The citizens of the Capitol were used to going to extreme lengths in order to fit the ever-changing beauty standards and fashions and President Snow knew that was something he could manipulate to benefit himself. As the most powerful man in all of Panem he could get away with far more than the average man. If his body was determined to give out on him then he would just have to claim a new one and his private funding could make that possible.
Once he was certain that the scientists of District 3 in collaboration with his own men in the Capitol were capable of creating a machine that would switch his consciousness and thoughts from his own aged body to that of a much younger man, President Snow set out to find his next host. He knew that many of the more desirable public faces were out of the question, unfortunately ruling out the famously beautiful Finnick Odair. While that was a great loss, there were still twelve districts to look through and Snow knew he could have anybody and any body he wanted.
The last thing the politician had expected was for the best choice to come from the impoverish District 12 of all places. Gale Hawthorne was tall, strong and plainly beautiful. He was a goldmine of untapped potential and there was no doubt that with a bit of Capitol styling he could be one of the most beautiful men in all of Panem. He was the perfect option for President Snow’s renewed youth and as such his Peacemarkers were commanded to pull Gale from his home and get him to the Capitol as soon as possible.
Learning that Mr Hawthorne was a rather outspoken opponent of the Capitol and President Snow in particular was hardly surprising but it certainly amused the older man. How fitting for Gale, who had spent his whole life raging against Snow’s rule over Panem, to end up being lucky enough to be selected as the new face of Snow’s government?
The device was rather unique in design - two pods standing side by side that were connected by a number of tubes and would fill with fluids when activated. The President was not a man of science but he had been given a demonstration and found the end result suitable for his intentions. He was excited by the prospect of a new beginning and making sure he kept Panem under his rule for a further sixty years.
To absolutely nobody’s surprise Gale was violently thrashing around as he was forced into the pod and strapped down. “This is sick, you can’t do this! You’re sick!” he spat, before his angry tirade was finally muted by a strap being placed across his mouth. Instead he merely glared out at the smirking Snow.
“Oh dear boy, how on the mark you are. I am sick, just not in the manner you think. You’re doing Panem a great service by taking the sickness off my hands,” he assured the other as he closed the glass door on the pod. Gale was in place for the exchange and Snow followed suit as quickly as he could manage in his ailing body, helped along by the faithful servants who had been by his side throughout his reign as the leader of the nation.
Snow wouldn’t lie, he felt some trepidation as he was strapped into the pod. He had been assured time and time again that this would work painlessly and perfectly - hell, he had even seen it with his own eyes - but this was more than any simple ‘modification’ procedure, the likes of which had been done millions of times to enhance Capitol citizens. This had only ever been tested once before and it was far more complex than anything else Snow had been a part of.
As the tubes began to fill with purple fluids, Snow felt a number of needles press into his back and was immediately calm. Whatever had been pumped into him made him feel more relaxed and less pained by his withering body than he had in a long time. His vision swum and he finally allowed his eyes to close, praying for everything to go as smoothly as promised.
The next thing Snow knew, the fluids that has consumed his whole body relented and his pod door was being opened. “President Snow?” a familiar voice asked as eager hands began loosening the straps keeping him down.
“Did it work?” Snow asked, too pumped up with drugs to truly make out the sound of his own voice. It was only when he managed to step out of the pod without any assistance that he realized he already had his answer. He was now in the body of the young man from District 12!
“How do you feel, sir?” one of his servants asked, delicate hands pressing against Snow’s muscled back.
“Young,” he remarked with a soft chuckle, finally recognizing the deep voice of Gale speaking his words. He stared down at himself, taking in the sight of the hard-earned muscles and tanned skin. He could hardly even believe what he was seeing! All of his doubts about the transfer had been proven incorrect and now he truly had the capabilities to continue as Panem’s leader for many years still to come.
Gale was hardly impressed to find himself in an aged and ill body but he was the least important party involved and Snow had every intention of putting him up in a retirement home far away from prying eyes. He wasn’t cruel enough to throw the young - or perhaps, not so young - rebel in prison but it would hardly be a free life, especially with that aged body on limited time as it was.
There was no immediate reveal to the public. Snow had previously announced his intentions to “renew” his reign in a younger body but none of his citizens knew what that meant until he finally considered himself ready to debut in his new younger body. It had taken some work to get Gale’s body up to Capitol standards but he was still impressed by just how good everything felt.
Taking several weeks to adjust, Snow finally felt like he could breathe easy. It wouldn’t be long until he crushed the rebellion and reasserted his leadership over the great nation of Panem. He was sure that he could sway them back into silent subjugation and those who refused to submit would be removed from the equation - permanently.
While he waited to debut though, Snow decided to familiarize himself with one Finnick Odair. If he couldn’t have the victor’s body for himself then the least he could do was use him for a test run of his own new equipment and even just ten minutes proved that he had chosen wisely! Even Finnick complimented him, whispering filthy things into his ear as they collapsed back into bed together.
With his new gorgeous face and enviable, President Snow was about the become the most desirable man in all of Panem whether people liked him or not!
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