Chapter 11
I arrive there first and I am astonished at the sight of the gleaming statue of the bird. It stands in the centre of an open space, with Paylor's office on the left and the washroom on the right. Haymitch staggers out of the washroom, as drunk as a skunk. "The Capitol beers are not too bad." he sputters. "They even have gold colored ice cubes swimming in the bottles." Then he shuffles inside and I can here him vomiting his insides all out into some despicable sink. It'll take a long time for the poor cleaners to get the washroom clean again. I hope it won't be an ex-Avox that does it.
"This statue was also newly discovered, this time by the rebel soldiers when we captured the Capitol. This whole area used to be cordoned off as an antique storing space. Snow actually has a passion for old valuables. He even had a porcelain toilet bowl with gold rims." she hastens to keep herself from laughing at that pathetic monster's pastime. At least he knows how to keep himself busy when there is nothing to do, but abuse people like the Victors or drink blood-tea. I bursh my thoughts away from Snow's hobbies and I spot a thin crack at the right eye of the mockingjay. "A button?" I ask. Johanna tries to push the eye, but nothing happens or shifts. She feels around the statue's head while Peeta and I check underneath. Bettee inspects the body. "Clever. This is a masterpiece." he says. Then I look back at the crack. Something told me about a kind of key for that gap. "Any clue from the photos about President Johnson?" I ask Peeta suddenly. "No. President Johnson was a moderate and ordinary man. Most of the photos was about him and his family. There was one showing him trying to shoot a fish out of water with a bow and an arrow. Funny guy." He laughs a little.
OK, this guy knows archery, like me. That's awkward. But...wait. A key. Slot. Target. Bullseye. Force field. Bow. Arrow. Lightning. Statue. Shield. Sky. Many things rush through my head, but my gut is screaming for me to do it. I speak in a loud voice. "Get me a bow and an arrow." Everybody looks at me as if I were about to kill Paylor now and here. "What? But sweetheart, it's not the arena or the woods back at 12." says Haymitch. At last he is sobering up. But too bad he missed a lot of the action.
"Peeta said that the President knew archery. And you know how people use inspiration from their surroundings to create stuff. Like Cinna." I say. "Look at that crack. It's so small that nothing but the tip of an arrow can go inside. " "Bingo." says Bettee. Paylor immediately calls for a Peacekeeper to get a metal bow and some arrows from the guardroom. Everybody moves away from the statue in case the arrow I will send goes haywire. "Don't worry. I won't miss." I assure them. Then I put an arrow on the string and set it flying for the crack before Peeta or Haymitch can say anything.
It flew through the air and entered the crack as precise as a coin would when inserted into that snack machine at the Hob. The nylon synthetic feathers were cut clean off as the entire stick went in. For a moment, nothing happens. Then a thin ray of light is emitted from the statue's head. For a moment, I think that it is sunlight and that Paylor needs to get the holes in the roof fixed. Perhaps it is the work of rodents or bullets from the Rebellion. Two seconds later, a searing heat nearly burns me to death and I am sent flying with the others to the ground.
When I get up and brush off dust that isn't there, I am amazed to see a long stream of energy being blasted through the crumbling hole of the roof into the sky. I pull Peeta to his feet and rush outside to have a better look. Bettee is already outside, admiring the sight of the disintegrating force field. "Absolutely genius. It's breathtaking." he breathes. The shield, invisible to the naked eye, is peeling off like an onion does of the knife cutting it were also invisible. The thin pale layers of shielding drop to the ground and disappear into thin air. A rustic but sweet smell fills the air. It must be the smell of constant wear and tear, due to exposure.
"Gale, are you seeing this?" Johanna asks. "What's happening?" he asks. "It's beautiful." "Katniss figured how to destroy the shield and fired an arrow into some statue." she replies curtly. "OK, I'll send a few bullets as far as I can and we'll see if it is really destroyed." Gale says. A few bangs are heard on radio soon after. "Cannon fire." Paylor mutters. Then we hear a whoop from Gale. "She's gone alright! Now let's continue on our journey to seek the unknown!" he cries. Then his voice changes. "Wait...what the..." Johanna presses her ear to the earphones and speaks some inaudible words to Paylor. The only words I can make out is 'fleet' and 'funny cross'. Her face darkens and she starts talking quickly. "We have some matters here at hand to deal with. Thanks for helping us so far, but now I'm afraid you three will have to call it a day. Bettee will get you to your hotel rooms." She nods and disappears back into the building with Johanna and the Peacekeepers. I hand back the arrows and bow to a burly Peacekeeper. "Thanks." he mutters before he vanishes into the building.
Warning- Drunken scene ahead...
