Chapter 10

The Tunnels

They're getting closer. I ask myself again why aren't we moving when there is a bright flash a few cars forward of us. The guards rush towards the flash. I see Em release herself and I do the same. I'm not as coordinated as I should be and I drop on my back and knock the wind out of myself. Em grabs me by the scruff of my neck and guides me towards the tunnel wall. I'm having trouble breathing and I'm struggling not to make any sounds when I see the door open and we all rush in. When we get inside the room I fall to my knees and try to breath deeply. Doc comes to me and asks if I'm alright. "I knock the wind out of myself." He rubs my back and it's soothing. My breathing is returning to normal. "Thanks, that's better."

Sarge tells us we have to go. We leave through another door and there is a hatch in the floor. Half the squad is already through and the rest of us follow. "The Capitol has another city underneath it. Miles and miles of tunnels. For utilities, water, sewage, trains and even roads for small delivery trucks." And it seems we're headed to a dock for delivery vehicles. There are two small vans waiting and we pile into both. In ours, Samcon starts to undress and puts on a deliveryman's outfit. "Ready Sam?" Em asks. Samcon nods yes and enter the driver's seat. We start moving.

The tunnels are dark and a little claustrophobic. I've always been leery about tunnels. I like the outdoors. If something goes wrong there are many directions to escape. In a tunnel, there are few options. I think of the miner's back home. How they deal with conditions worse than these in spaces much smaller. I picture my father, with pick in hand struggling to release the coal in the walls. When an explosion occurs that snuffs out his life.

We're moving at a good speed for a few minutes when we come to a complete stop. I hear someone talking to Samcon. We can hear that he wants to search the back. They walk around. I hear the key go in and turn. I'm sitting in the first seat by the door. The door starts to open. I see a peacekeeper and he sees me. As he starts to raise his gun I ram the butt of my gun right in the middle of his face. Samcon clobbers the other peacekeeper over the head and they both go down.

Sarge comes up from the second van. "Put them in the van. Doc, give them something to keep them out." We haul them into the back of the vans. Em comments to me "Good job." "Thanks." I respond. "I didn't even think about what I was going to do. It was almost instinctual. What about them?" "We'll be gone before they wake up" answers Em. We start moving again. About 20 minutes later we stop and are told we're here. The vans with the two unconscious peacekeepers are put into two storage garages and they are padlocked. We walk through a door and into a smaller utility tunnel.

We crawl about 10 yards and they open a hatch. We go up a ladder through a tight tube and exit into a small utility room. There are other soldiers there and as we exit the room; I see we are in an apartment. The apartment is filled with soldiers. The apartment is spacious, with many rooms. All the decorations are garish. The colors are varied and bright and the paintings and small statues are over the top. The drapes are pink and remind me of Effie's hair. "Who lives here." "No one. One of our agents acquired it. Up to now we've used it as a safe house. Ugly, isn't it?" She says as she makes a face to show her disapproval.

"Welcome Cap" a soldier says as we walk through and I get a look from him. Then I realize, they're all staring at me. "Where's the X.O.?" "In that bedroom with Sparks." "Come with me." We go into the bedroom and I see a Lieutenant and a radioman. Sparks is a young man with wavy hair and glasses. He's quickly typing instructions on one of the three computers sitting in front of him while he listens on his headset and speaks commands to someone on the other end of the radio.

The Lieutenant is a tall, thin handsome man with dark brown hair. I'm guessing he has seen some action by the look of the fresh scar on his face that runs from the corner of his nose, across his cheek ending just below his eye. I'm guessing it was a very sharp knife by the smoothness and thinness of the scar. A half-inch higher and he would have lost his eye. The scar makes him look very menacing.

"Good to see you Cap and...Miss Everdeen." She corrects him "Soldier Everdeen." He nods to me "Soldier." "Give me an update." "Platoon two and three are on schedule.""Good. I'm going to change." "Cap. You know you shouldn't be going on the mission.. You belong here at command. I should be going." After a pause she says "I appreciate your concern. It'll be alright." She then looks at me and tells me to come with her.

I know that blowing off my training was not a good decision. I don't even know what X.O. Means.

"What does X.O. Mean?" She answers back that it stands for Executive Officer. He is the second in command of the company.

"I have to change." She removes her uniform and starts to put on a white uniform. I see a tattoo of a snake with it's head on her back right shoulder. The artwork is magnificent. "That tattoo is beautiful." "Thank you. It covers a multitude of sins. And scars." "What is it covering?" I ask. "A burn scar.. I know you know all about being burned." I shiver at the thought of being burned. I remember being burned in the games and how painful it was. "How did you get burned?" After I ask her I sense she is trying to decide whether to tell me or not. "It was a mission gone south." She pauses, then "I was betrayed."