Having not walked for four days or so, my legs feel stiff but wobbly as I stand up out of my wheelchair, and walk toward the door. My legs shake and I stumble, catching on to Finnick and Haymitch's outstretched arms. I steadied myself, and stood up straight. I hug Finnick quickly, nodded to Haymitch, and we leave the hospital.
I was back in my uniform - grey pants and a grey vest top (a privelage I had received after being promoted to General - I complained that the grey polo shirt restricted me from moving properly to execute certain moves) and a black jacket with a golden mockingjay pin embroidered into the waterproof fabric. My boots feel stupidly heavy as I walk along the corridors beside Haymitch, but I carry on quite stably.
My power of speech has almost returned, but it still tires me out to give long sentences. "If Gale was so worried why isn't he here?" I mutter, and here Haymitch exhale in a gust beside me.
"Someone's gotta look after that girl, sweetheart." he says, and he doesn't say anything else as we walk the corridors to command.
The door slid open as I held my comincuff under the scanner, and the talking in the room stopped.
"General Cartwright." Coin says. She's sat at the head of the table, as always. Around her sit Boggs, Plutarch, Cressida, Fulvia, Mesalla and Gale.
Katniss isn't there. "Lovely of you to join us."
"Lovely to be out, ma'am." I reply.
I sit in a chair next to Cressida, and she smiles sweetly at me, setting a hand down on mine. I notice Gale's eyes following me as I sit down, and I feel them on me for a while, before he is forced to look to the hologram in the middle of the table.
"We're discussing our rescue plan for the captured tributes." Coin says.
"TributES?" I ask.
Coin nodds. "Our spies have informed us that Peeta isn't the only one being held captive."
"They have Johanna, Enobaria and Annie, too." Gale says, his eyes meeting mine across the table.
"Annie." I murmur, and my attention is cut to the hologram of a Capitol building near Snow's mansion that I sort-of recognise. It had three floors,
and with a flick of her hand, Coin made the hologram move up, so we could see the sewers, which are big enough to comfortably have trucks drive through them.
"We're going to send you in underneath, and you'll have to disable the pods which are here, here and here," She points to three flashing ovals,
dotted even spaces apart along the tunnels.
"Pods are like, well, like pods that'll release something nasty if we activate them and don't realise." Cressida explains to me, and I nod.
"There's a hatch a few metres to the right of the third pod. Open it, and it should lead up into a shaft with a ladder in it. Climb up there and you'll get on to the lab in the fourth floor." The hologram changes to a close up plan of the fourth floor, and the lab we'll enter into is highlighted pink.
"Expect to see some horrors in there." Coin says, her voice turning deep and mysterious. The room beside it flashes pink. "This is Peeta's room.
The rooms are connected by a metal gate, I'll let you think of why," Coin looks at us all before turning back to the hologram. "Johanna is just behind him. Annie's on the opposite side, so send another two people to get her. She's with Enobaria, we think." Coin nods. "We haven't got the official team yet, and this is the only strategy we have. As for who is going to do what and go where, we're going to leave that to you, General."
Coin's eyes settle on me.
I nod. "I don't want Katniss anywhere near this mission." I say. "She's to volatile."
The people in the room nod.
"As for others I want Boggs, two of his men, Soldier Jackson and Soldier Hawthorne."
"That's it?" Plutarch asks, raising his eyebrows.
"Too many of us will get us killed." I reply simply.
Coin nods. "We go tonight. If you're up to it."
"More than ready." I reply.
"Go and choose your men, then, Boggs," Coin says. "Soldier Hawthorne, your comunicuff." Coin takes it out of her pocket and hands it to Gale, who mumbles a thank you. "Boggs, you're to tell Soldier Jackson too. You'll meet at the launch pad at zero-hundred hours. Anyone who isn't there will be left behind. Sort out your plan before you go." Coin nods. "Good day, soldiers, general."
We nod, and Coin leves the room, leaving me to tell the others the plan.