Chapter Four Freedom

I sat in my chair. Herald showed up and looked at the carnage with shock, "They're here," he whispered. We debated back and forth for a few minutes. He, understandably, did not want to let me out.

He fretted. It was almost funny; here was a guy who worshipped the horrifying power of an alien bug race of murderous creatures now cowed by a hunting party secretly working for me.

….Man, my life sucks.

Back to reality- so he's going on about how I had better not start anything when a crackle comes down from the radio. Apparently the entrance to the tunnel between the top of the Capitol and the pyramid was being attacked. He looked at me sideways.

"Sounds like your friends are here to save you, Mr. Mellark," He had a dead tone, but his fear was more than evident. He shifted and asked how big the reinforcements were. The numbers ranged between a legion and two.

I laughed. I could not help it! It had to be Katniss! Only she would be able to…

Then I remembered, "I don't know who is coming or not coming, but if you don't allow me free, when they get here, you know exactly what'll happen to you!"

Herald swallowed hard, "Maybe you could put in a good word? People liked you ever since you… you know…"
"Died?"

"Yeah, that, but not really," he was back to business as usual, "We have to rely on one another if we expect to survive this!"

I nodded. But honestly, I did not want to survive. There was this play my teacher made us read back in school; 'Romeo and Juliet'. Horrible thing, really, it was so tragic. Romeo killed himself because his love was gone. I am no Romeo; I'll take out anyone who hurt my Katniss.

-Katniss

The grand entrance soon ended. Death and fire painted the earth and sky. Blood spilled while the world turned to ash.

I landed unceremoniously on my butt. Rolling to the side, I rubbed my buns to regain feeling. A few moments ago, I had felt ecstatic, an unstoppable super-soldier. Now I felt like lying down for a nap.

"Let's go!" Johanna was tending to her wounds. (Take this as a warning kids; Don't go out to assassinate anyone. Or jump out of exploding air transports. Or get involved in a civil war. Those are dangerous things.)

I nodded and loaded an arrow. The plan, as bad as it sounded at its conception, was to get the team on the ground right after President Snow entered the tunnel. According to the intelligence division, he had a great interest in something down here. There was indication that their target had a small army parked outside ready to take him down once it was declared safe.

The briefing was short; actual information was scarce. This was what the District Thirteen spies believed; something powerful had opened a tunnel into a previously-undiscovered cavern that existed beneath the Capital. President Snow, fearing a large-scale revolution, would set up a new bunker far from the war. Important governors were already down there, so, doubtless, killing them would upset the president. The idea was to drop a team into the cave, then try and kill as many Capitol governors as possible.

Hiding inside the earth was supposed to keep the team safe. With all the havoc on the surface, no one should realize that a strike force had been dropped off. The hovercraft was outfitted with surveillance equipment. The Capitol was supposed to think this was a poorly construed reconnaissance mission. In a sense, this was not too far from the truth.

The group headed down the tunnel with very little problem. Going down, it seemed, was not difficult.

After several minutes, we came across a body. It was a soldier, killed with razor blades. I bent and examined it. I swore as well as I was capable of swearing.

"It's them," My fellow champions may not understand the terror a predator could induce.

I flipped the body over, and found a large hole in the chest as well. Everyone but Gale let out an even fouler cuss, "And them."