The Capitol Games
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: This work of fan-fiction is not intended for personal profit. All characters utilized herein which are not creations of myself belong to Suzanne Collins.
Asedio Avalon
A guard inside the building has heard the announcement and points down one long corridor, barking, "Go directly forward down that corridor. Do not make any turns."
We whisk past several offices which ostensibly appear to be for the normal business of shipping, but little things indicate the picture is not quite right. The locks on the doors are stronger than they need to be, and I briefly see a thick vest hung off a door; it looks like the ones Peacekeepers wear.
Finally, we end up in front of an opaque force field, flanked by two guards. One comes forward and says, "State your business."
Mr. Dacius hands over his datapad. "We're here to see Elena Avalon."
"Okay. All of you stand still. Weapons check."
The guards pull scanning batons from their belts, which light up and stay a steady green as they wave the batons over us. At the end, the one who hasn't spoken so far moves back into position, and the other one says, "Clean. You related to the prisoner?"
Mr. Dacius puts his hand on my shoulder. "Her son is here, and we've been given permission to be with him."
The guard nods as he peruses the waiver, then hands the pad back. "All right. Wait until the field clears, then go in. Ask one of the guards inside about her."
The other guard enters a code, wiping the field clear and letting us enter a hall with reinforced doors set into it at periodic intervals. This must be the actual jail portion of the Execution Center. A shiver runs up and down my spine as I realize that Mom is in one of these rooms. What must she look like after a week and a half?
More guards are in this area, and the nearest one stops us. "Name of the prisoner?"
"Elena Avalon."
The guard consults a datapad and nods. "Cell number 137. Let's go."
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, then follow the guard as he takes us through the jail, with Jo's family following me.
At the cell, the guard slides an ID card through a slot on the combination keypad lock which is at chest level, then enters a code.
He gestures to us. "Which one of you is related to the prisoner?"
I step forward. I'm not much shorter than Mr. Dacius, who's 183 centimeters tall, and I weigh about 75 kilos, but the bulky guard near me makes me feel like I'm a little boy again. He barks, "Put your left eye on the retinal scanner. Afterwards, place your Capitol identification through the reader. Your identity will be recorded. Any conversation you have with the prisoner may be recorded. If it is, such recordings will be attached to your biometric profile and will be kept by the government for one year. Any indication that you are assisting the prisoner in an escape will be used as evidence in your trial. Is this understood?"
I swallow nervously and nod. I try not to think about some unseen person overhearing the things – private things – I want to talk to my mom about. I place my left eye over the scanner, waiting for the red light to blink out. Then I extract my universal ID card from my wallet and swipe it through the reader. The tiny screen reads AVALON, ASEDIO and continues with my particulars. The guard gives it a cursory look, then presses a green button on the lock.
As the guard opens the door, I look at Jo, who's smiling nervously. She rubs my back briefly and says, "Good luck."
I glance at Mr. and Mrs. Dacius, then enter the cell. The door closes with a loud thunk, momentarily startling me. The harsh fluorescent light shows my mother lying on a thin bed that barely deserves the name. I sit on the other one, looking at her for a moment.
She's dressed in what are obviously the same clothes she wore a week and a half ago, and she looks like she's lost some weight. She seems to be sleeping presently, though the shelf of a bed she's on doesn't seem comfortable. Hesitantly, I reach for her shoulder, whispering, "Mom? It's me, Ace."
Startled, she wakes up, looking around. Her eyes settle on me and her jaw drops in disbelief. She sits up, reaching for me. In an instant, we're embracing each other, and I feel safe again just for a few moments.
Mom's starting to cry. She's shaking and I'm awkwardly trying to soothe her, saying, "It's all right; I came with Jo's family. We're gonna make sure you're okay. I'm happy you're alive, Mom. Really happy."
A sniffle threatens to escape my throat, and I try not to think about it. I have to hold it together for Mom. I have to.
Mom withdraws from the hug to look at me. She takes a deep breath to steady herself and says, "What's happened, Ace? How in Panem did you find me?"
I breathe a huge sigh. "I dunno where to start. The Capitol was invaded – you know that much. Jo and I got stuck in the apartment when the bombs hit. The electricity got cut off for a few days. The news nets have been just crazy, Mom. There's a new government and that old Head Gamemaker is in it. We've got a new President, too – her name's Coin. President Coin. She used to run District Thirteen."
Mom just stares at me. I stumble over the rest of the recap.
"Um, the Capitol's off lockdown and Jo and I got back to her parents. Her dad found out where you were, and… well, we're here."
Mom says, "I was at the lab when the invasion began and the Capitol was locked down. We hid out, but the rebels blasted into the building and took us all prisoner. We were shunted around from building to building for a couple of days, and then I got put in this cell here. I kept asking them where you were, but the guards wouldn't say anything except you'd been told."
Panicked, I blurt, "Mom, please tell me they've been feeding you, at least!"
It's odd how reassuring Mom can be even in a jail cell. She just pats my shoulder and says, "Of course. Just basic rations, though. And I'm let out once every few hours to wash up, though they haven't let me get new clothes."
She looks at me and says, "There's something you haven't quite told me, though. What is it?"
The charges.
Slowly, as though I have to drag it out of myself, I reply, "They sent me a list of what you were up to all those years in the lab, Mom. They're chargjng you with being the originator of all those muttations they say the Capitol was going to use against the Districts."
Mom sits on her bed and leans against the wall, looking suddenly weak and tired. I'm suddenly not feeling very charitable as I sit down across from her. "And when were you gonna tell me the truth, Mom?" I ask accusingly.
"Huh, Mom? You weren't just a worker there. You ran the lab! All those times you had to work late – all those times you had to be away a couple of days… that wasn't really true, was it? Who were you really seeing? What were you really doing? Damn it, I think I deserve to know!"
My fists have clenched, and I have to relax with an effort.
Mom won't look at me. She talks off to one side of me as she says, "It's true. Ever since you were ten, I have been the director of the Facility for Genetics Research, as it's called. I reported directly to the Minister of Internal Security. I occasionally even met with President Snow himself. I couldn't tell you, Asedio. It wasn't safe, and you didn't have the right security clearance."
I snort. My eyes narrowed, I reply, "Right security clearance, my foot, Mom! Tell me the truth, damn it. You didn't want to tell me because you decided I was too stupid, is that it? More important to make sure your son's distracted with his girlfriend and parties, huh?"
I grit my teeth. "And don't think I've missed how you used to give me a lot of money every time you took off for one of your little meetings. What do you think I blew it on? I feel so fucking manipulated, Mom. It's like you waved a big shiny thing in front of me to keep me being a completely naïve idiot. The only way I could have been any stupider is if the drugs sucked all my brain cells out!"
Mom's upset. She frowns and shakes her finger at me. "Asedio Avalon, that is not fair! You should know by now that the truth isn't black and white – that sometimes you have to hide it because otherwise bad things will happen to you! What in Panem do you think would have happened to me if I had told you and you had gone off and said something incautious at school?"
She's right. I still can't help feeling bitter about the way the lies that covered all of our lives are being ripped away, one after the other. It's so hard to believe that everything I knew, right from what I was taught in school to what my own mother did for her job, has all just been a big shining lie to cover the ugly truth.
Even so, it might have been a bit easier…
My voice cracks as I softly say, "I just wish you had trusted me, Mom."
I lean back against the wall, my foot up on the bed as I rest my elbow on my knee, my head in my hand. I can't keep it together anymore. I just can't.
The tear escaping my eye breaks something inside me and I give in, letting the stress of just everything overwhelm me as I close my eyes, sniffling as more tears begin to flow.
After a few minutes, I manage to collect myself and I look up at Mom, who seems to have been on the edge of tears herself. I'm grateful she left me alone to cry myself out for a bit.
I sigh. I can't take this anymore. "Mom, I gotta go. I know I should stay, yadda yadda, but if I stay here any longer we're probably gonna have an even bigger fight. Look, we'll try to get you a lawyer and stuff but…"
Mom stands up, beckoning for a hug. I swallow my feelings of betrayal and hug Mom, knowing this could be the last time. She softly says into my ear, "For what it's worth, Ace… I'm sorry."
I say, "All right, Mom."
Mom moves so she can look me in the eyes. She fusses with my hair like she used to do when I was just a kid, which forces a small grin out of me. She says, "Just remember. I love you, Ace. I always have and I always will."
I look away. It's so complicated. I love my mom too, but I'm still feeling a bit hurt and I can't think in this claustrophobic jail cell.
Mom seems to understand, because she lets go of me and moves back a bit. She says, "Will you come to my trial? Please?"
I shrug. "If they let me. I honestly have no idea what's gonna happen. They could execute you as early as tomorrow, you know."
Mom closes her eyes, taking a fortifying breath. "Then since this might be the last time I see you, I want you to know that assuming the old laws are in place, you are the sole beneficiary in my will. Everything I own will be yours, and you will be legally emancipated even though you are not of the Captol's age of majority."
I don't know what to say. She's made it all sound so final. So I just nod and walk to the door to knock loudly on it.
After the guard opens the door, Mom says, "Goodbye, Ace."
I mumble, "Bye, Mom."
I hastily escape the cell and follow Jo and her family to the fresh outside air.
Author Notes: Thanks to SkyWriter9 for the beta work! :)