Chapter 9:
Katniss's eyes adjusted to the darkness; she drew back from Peeta and walked over to the light switch controlling the ceiling lamp. She flicked the switch downwards; nothing happened. She flicked it back up, then down again. She repeated this a few times before giving up.
"What's going on?" Katniss asked.
Haymitch stood and moved over to the door. "It's over and we have to leave. Now!" He opened the door, and light streamed in from the hallway. Haymitch put his head out into the doorway and glanced about.
"Good," he mumbled. They followed him into the hallway and out the door leading to the hall.
Katniss narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?" she repeated. Haymitch increased his pace; she and Peeta had to jog to keep up.
Instead of going left, which would lead them to the main entrance, Haymitch led them right and up to another door. Katniss had enough and was not waiting any longer. She pulled Haymitch's sleeve forcefully, causing him to twist and stop.
"What?" he snapped.
"What's going on? I'm not moving from here until I know," Katniss said.
Haymitch snarled. "We don't have time for this—"
"Then make time," she said.
He gazed at her in bewilderment. "What? "
"Haymitch!" Peeta said.
Haymitch ground his teeth. "We started, all right?" He looked at them pointedly. "We started…Now let's go." He spun on his heels and went through the doorway.
"You don't mean…" Peeta said.
Katniss swore; she caught up to Haymitch. "How do we get out?"
"There is someone..." He rummaged through his breast pocket and pulled out a paper sheet; he gave it to her. "Here, if you ever get lost…" He gave her a look; she nodded and pocketed the sheet.
Haymitch pushed up a door and walked out; the sun had gone down over the horizon and the moon was out. With bright moonlight and lamp posts illuminating the street, they had no trouble finding their way through the back alleys of the city. After ten minutes Haymitch stopped; Peacekeepers patrolled a crossing further down the road.
Haymitch grimaced; he turned and walked to the right instead. "There is nowhere to hide here; there are cameras everywhere."
Haymitch increased his pace once more and started to jog.
Katniss peered at the surrounding buildings, trying to spot the cameras. Nothing stood out. But Haymitch was right; Snow was a paranoid man and would want to keep track of everyone.
They took a right, then a left and then a right again. Soon she lost track of where they came from and where they were going; it was not a pleasant feeling. Haymitch was breathing heavily beside her; his face was red and his feet made loud noises as they collided with the pavement.
She ran on and overtook Haymitch; Peeta brought up the rear. Katniss kept her eyes moving, searching for Peacekeepers.
"Left…Go left," Haymitch wheezed.
She went left and almost ran into a Peacekeeper patrol. Katniss came to an abrupt stop and she stared at the group; they halted a hundred feet down the road. She was seen, and the Peacekeepers turned in her direction. The leader pointed at her and said something. Katniss saw Haymitch and Peeta from the corner of her eye; they had stopped just around the corner and were hidden from view. Katniss swallowed; there was only one thing to do.
She ran; away from the Peacekeepers and away from Haymitch and Peeta.
"After her!" one of the Peacekeepers shouted. Katniss was fast, she could outrun anyone. So it was strange that there were footsteps behind her, very, very close to her. She glanced over her shoulder, and almost fell over.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
"I couldn't leave you," Peeta said.
"I did this for you. Go away."
"No. We need to stick together."
Haymitch was nowhere to be seen.
Katniss ground her teeth; her feet hit the ground harder as she pushed off with extra ferocity. The street stretched on; she kept her head down in case of gunshots. Finally, they came to a junction and they took to the right. This street was narrower than the last and had more intertwining streets; this suited Katniss well and she took a sharp left. A yellow apartment complex stood out from the others and a dark skinned man stood in the doorway. His dark red clothing clashed with the building behind him; he opened the door wider and waved them over.
Katniss frowned; it was too risky.
If only she had her bow.
"Over there," Peeta said. He pointed at the man.
"Too risky."
"He is an Avox."
"I know."
Another Peacekeeper patrol appeared from a side road; two pairs of feet changed direction promptly. They reached the yellow building and the Avox closed the door behind them, he locked it three times and bolted it, before hurrying off down the hallway. They ran after him and passed three elevators, and then through a door with a picture of stairs on it.
They ran down two sets of stairs and then went through an open doorway. It was a spacious room, with lots of shelves holding various objects. There was an entire shelf filled with white walking sticks and another with hats and glasses.
The Avox strode to the back of the room, and stopped before a mirror. It was one of those full sized mirrors; all three of them could be seen in the reflexion. Footsteps stomped down the stairs behind them; the Avox took a step towards the mirror and placed a hand against it. He leaned forwards and pushed; the mirror gave in and spun. The Avox glanced behind him and over their shoulders; their followers were approaching fast. He walked into the mirror and waved for them to follow; they did so hesitantly. The Avox dragged the mirror back to its original state. He twisted a knob, locking it in this position.
Then he walked on; Katniss stared after him. Peeta tip-toed after him; the noise from across the mirror grew louder. Shelves were turned over as the Peacekeepers searched for them. Katniss hurried after Peeta and together they caught up with the Avox.
The ceiling was low and the walls seemed to close in on them as they journeyed further down the hallway. Both Katniss and Peeta had to keep their head down as they walked. The Avox was short enough to walk upright, allowing him to move faster and more efficiently than them.
The hallway became too narrow for her and Peeta to walk side by side, so Katniss walked ahead, her eyes fixed on the Avox.
They came upon a small red door with no handle. The Avox walked up to it and knocked four times; he took a step back and waited.
The door opened slightly, enough for a sliver of wind to push through. A dark blue eye appeared in the gap and peered over at them. Apparently satisfied with the situation the eye drew back and the door opened fully. The eye belonged to an elderly woman, also dressed in dark red. Her eyes were like that of a hawk and they followed Katniss's every move. The woman gestured with her hands, rough motions, almost like she was fighting with the air. The man reciprocated with gestures of his own, just as hard and cutting as hers. Maybe that was how the language worked, or maybe they discussed something particularly nasty.
The male Avox hit out with his hands in exasperation and walked away from the woman. She stared after him with pursed lips and one hand on her hip. The male Avox walked in front with Katniss and Peeta behind him; the woman stayed by the door.
It was an oval room, with several doors leading away from it. Noise came from behind some of the doors, footsteps and metal hitting rock, reminding Katniss of the mine back home. They walked through the door directly in front and entered a new hallway, wider and taller than the last. The previous hallway had been more of a tunnel, made for one purpose, which was to take people from A to B. This new one was of a finer quality, made for comfort and for someone that, while they had to get somewhere, could take their time getting there.
They walked through the hallway, past ten identical doors, and stopped at the very end. The Avox knocked on the door and entered immediately. It was a strange room, the walls were plastered with maps and pictures, but there did not seem to be any pattern to them. There was a picture of President Snow, and next to him one of Haymitch, two people that were as different as they came. Maybe some perverse attraction?
A table took up the middle of the room; two chairs were placed in front and one at the back. The chair behind the table had a bigger backrest, and it was tall enough to allow the woman sitting in it to rest her feet comfortably on the table. She was young and healthy, and the only person they had met in here not wearing red. There was something strangely familiar with the woman before them; Katniss had seen her before. But there was something off, something that made her different from the last time.
Suddenly, the woman grinned. She ran her left hand over her almost bald head and raised one eyebrow. "You like?"
"It suits you," Peeta said.
She jumped to her feet. "How dare you!"
Katniss took a step towards Peeta; his mouth was open and his eyes large.
Silence. It stretched into awkwardness.
Peeta closed his mouth; then he opened it again to speak. But thought better of it and closed it again. The woman glared at them, and then she raised her arm and pointed straight at Katniss. "You…"She licked her lips. "Are finally here. God, you took your time didn't you?"
It was Katniss's time to gape.
The woman walked around the table and extended her hand. "Johanna."
Katniss hesitated, but took the offered hand. "Katniss."
"Peeta," Peeta said.
Johanna Mason, the victor of the Seventy-first Hunger Games; this was where she ended up.
"Where are we?" Katniss asked.
"Do you have a map?" Johanna asked.
Katniss glanced at the wall and raised her brow.
Johanna laughed. She gestured about her. "These are all special maps; they're not here for tourists. Not unless you want to see something special. I could show you our position on them, but you wouldn't recognize it."
Katniss grabbed the sheet Haymitch gave her and unfolded it; it was a map of the Capitol. She put it down on the table. "Here."
"Great. We are—"She ran her finger over the map. "—Here." She pointed; it was marked with a red circle. Katniss's eyes widened; through sheer dumb luck they had arrived exactly where they should.
"Have you seen Haymitch?" Peeta asked.
Johanna shook her head. "No, but I'm expecting him any second now. You can wait for him here." She turned to the Avox. "Pale, could you show them to the spare room?"
He nodded.
Johanna's eyes found them again. "It's late, why don't you get some rest? I'll come and get you when he arrives."
Neither Peeta nor Katniss moved. "What are you doing here?" Katniss asked. The back of her head itched but she refrained from scratching it.
Johanna walked back to her chair and sat down in it. She gestured for them to join her by the table. "Sit down, and I'll tell you."
Katniss sat to the left; she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back.
"So?" Peeta asked; he sat to Katniss's right.
"We are the resistance; here to help our own in the Capitol. This"—she gestured around her—"is the only place in the city were we have control. "
"Why are you here?" Katniss blurted out. "You're a victor."
"I am." She shook her head. "I was. The Capitol and I had different opinion about what that implied—now I'm here."
"But why here? This is the Capitol; who are you helping?" Peeta asked.
Johanna raised her brow. "Didn't you see them?"
Peeta leaned back. "The Avox."
"Yes. There are thousands living in the city; forced to work against their will."
Katniss narrowed her eyes. "So that's your purpose? To save the Avox?" she asked, unconvinced.
"Yes."
"And then what? You're just going to stay down here?" Katniss asked.
"The Avox have been wronged by the Capitol, and because of that they have a deep seated hatred for the people living here. I'm giving them another opportunity to live." She hit the table with her palm. "But, I have things to do. And you really should sleep; you have a long day ahead of you."
Pale opened the door and held it open for them to walk through. Katniss cast one last look back at Johanna before leaving; Johanna waved at her.
The door closed and they followed after Pale; he led them back through the hallway and into the oval room. The woman sat at a chair poised in front of the door, she did not turn around as they passed, but kept her gaze fixed at the door.
They went through one of the doorways to the left, and sidestepped as two Avox women passed, carrying a wooden chest between them. It was a long hallway; they walked for five minutes, never changing direction nor opening any doors. Every time they came upon a door Pale would speed up and pass it quickly.
Then finally, he stopped in front of a door. Identical in appearance as the others they had passed; no numbers nor any markings.
He rummaged through his pocket and found a keychain; three keys were fitted on it. He brought the keychain up to his eyes and looked at the keys in turn; he grabbed the smallest one and put it into the lock. Turning the handle he took the key back out and placed it into his pocket. He pushed the door and it slid open.
Two beds, a small bedroom dresser with two drawers and a lamp; that was the room and here they would stay. There was no window or any other escape route; if they got trapped in here there would be no way out. Pale gestured something to them, and then he walked off, back to Johanna.
Peeta sat on the left bed and he pulled off his shoes and lay back; his head finding the pillow.
Katniss walked over to the bedroom dresser and opened the top drawer. Empty. She opened the next one, also empty. She sat down on the bed to the right. What was going on? Why was she still feeling uncomfortable, as if something was pressing on her chest?
She rubbed her eyes; they stung, a clear sign that she should sleep. What time was it now? There were no windows for her to check the position of the moon, and the stark white walls did nothing to lift her spirits.
She sighed. "I don't get it, why would she do this?"
"I don't know…" Peeta asked.
"Do you remember; from her Hunger Games? She was cold, ruthless and sly. Not someone who would dedicate her life to save anyone."
"The Hunger Games twisted everything. Who knows what the real her looks like?"
"I'm sure. She is the kind of woman who would be at the front; not the kind to hide in shadows."
Peeta sat up and rested his back against the wall. "Maybe she has changed?" He looked thoughtful.
Katniss frowned. "I don't think so, something is off…"
"Well, I don't think she's working with the Capitol, so let's give her a day." He shrugged. "We'll move on tomorrow."
Katniss kicked off her shoes and lay on top of the blanket; she closed her eyes.
Peeta got up from his bed and walked towards her; he stopped in front of the dresser. He drug it away. Katniss opened one eye; Peeta placed the dresser against the door. Then he sat on his bed and started getting undressed. He pulled off his shirt and let it fall to the floor. His hands went to the pants and she held her breath. He glanced at her; her eye shut closed immediately and she felt heat flush to her cheeks. A bed creaked and a blanket ruffled; when she opened her eyes again he was fully covered by it and lay staring the other way.
She could not see the pants anywhere, so he was probably still wearing them. She bit her lip; she wanted to see the leg.
Katniss did not get much sleep that night; she kept waking up frightened and sweaty. After the third time, she gave up and decided to watch the door instead. She sat with her back against the dresser; on the floor in her underwear. She brought the blanket over and drew it around her. She peered at Peeta. He was lying on his stomach with his head turned in her direction. His hair was ruffled and fell over his forehead, his lips turned downwards. Was he having a bad dream?
She had to protect him; he was too trusting and would get killed if she ever left. She shivered. He had to survive, she was going to make him. Katniss got to her feet, and while dragging the blanket after her she walked over to Peeta's bed. She sat on it, carefully avoiding his outstretched hand, a full head separated her from Peeta.
Katniss coughed, and then she waited. Peeta slept on. She coughed louder and started tapping her fingers against the bed; making a near inaudible hollow sound.
Her patience ran out and she poked him in the shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly and raised his head to look at her. He did not smile when his gaze landed on her, but instead he frowned.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I'm sorry I kissed you!" she said, hurriedly.
His eyes was wide. "What? What time?" he asked, smartly.
She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "In front of the sponsors."
He sat up and rested his back against the wall; his eyes were focused as he levelled her with a stare. "It was Haymitch right?" he said, bitterly.
"No. He didn't have anyt—"
"Stop. Please don't do this."
"But I—"
"I don't want to hear it." He stood up on the bed, he wore blue boxers, so he had taken off his pants. He passed her and collected his clothes on the floor, leaving the rest on the dresser, he started putting on his pants.
Katniss stood up and clenched her fist. "Listen to me," she said.
He fastened the buttons on his pants. Still facing the other way he sighed. "Katniss, I'm tired…and I really don't want to hear," he said, wearily.
Katniss walked up to him, and placed her palm against his naked back. Inside was his heart, beating fast, like her own.
"I can't let you go. I need you; I will always need you," she mumbled.
His turned around and she pulled her hand back; they were face to face.
She stared at his face, his nose, the dark circles around his eyes, and then finally into the blue spheres someone had once called eyes.
"I can't…" she started.
He raised his right arm and touched her cheek. He left his hand there as he leaned in. He kissed her, a soft and tender kiss, it lasted only for a moment.
"I love you," he murmured.
She put her hands around his neck and kissed him again, this time the kiss was wilder, more desperate. They broke off for air.
Katniss rested her forehead against his. "I can't lose you…"
"You won't."
"Promise."
"You won't; I promise."
"You better keep it."
They stayed like that for a long time.
Katniss removed her hands from his neck. She was suddenly very aware of their state of undress; she stood in her underwear hugging a shirtless Peeta. She smiled as she got dressed and a thrill of pleasure ran through her when she thought of the kiss.
She had done it; she found the words.
"Shall we go?" Peeta asked. He was already fully dressed and waited for her by the door.
"Let's go find Haymitch."
She did not take his hand this time, but they walked side by side back towards the entrance. They walked past many Avox on the way there; the population seemed to have doubled overnight. They entered the same corridor as the night before, and at the end of it they once more found themselves in front of Johanna's office. Katniss knocked, and entered just as Johanna spoke.
"Enter."
Katniss pushed the door open and walked inside. Johanna wore the same all-grey outfit she had the day before. Her eyes were bloodshot and her feet quivered slightly; she took a long drag from a blue mug.
"You want coffee?" Johanna asked.
"No thanks," Peeta said. Katniss shook her head.
"Your loss," Johanna said.
"Where is Haymitch?" Katniss asked.
Johanna glanced at Katniss, and then at Peeta. "Unfortunately, he did not make it here. But don't worry; we had contact with him earlier and he's fine. Well…" She hesitated.
"Well, what?" Katniss snapped.
Johanna frowned. "He is trapped; on his way here he had to hide from a Peacekeeper patrol. Now he is stuck there and Snow has increased the guards and surveillance everywhere; there is no way to get him out unseen. "
"He'll figure out a way," Katniss said.
"We have to do something," Peeta said.
"Didn't you hear? There is nothing we can do," Katniss said.
"There is," Johanna interjected.
Two pairs of eyes focused on her, one pair more eager than the other. "There is something you can do—it's dangerous, but it will help everyone."
"What is it?" Peeta asked.
"The real problem is not the patrols, it's the cameras. Fooling the Peacekeepers is easy, but fooling the camera is impossible." She smirked. "So we turn off the cameras."
"How?" Katniss asked.
"There is a tall building a couple of blocks west from the City Circle, it looks just like any other building, but inside it lies the brain of the Capitol. Everything is controlled from in there. We have to take it out; if we do Haymitch gets an easier way out, and even you will gain from it."
It was true; turning off the cameras would make life easier for everyone. Getting out would no longer be a pipedream, but they would have a real shot at it.
"But how do we get there without being seen? You already said that they upped the surveillance..."
"It's going to be tricky, you have to move in the dark an—"
"They have night vision cameras." Katniss said.
Johanna glared. "Let me finish! We'll blow something up and divert their attention."
Katniss blinked.
The door opened behind them and a familiar voice called out. "Katniss, Peeta. I didn't think I would ever see you again, least of all so soon." Finnick strode into the room followed by a shorter, brown haired woman.
"This is Annie," Finnick said, introducing her.
"Hello," Annie said.
"Hi."
"So, you are the lucky ones to join our operation…" He shrugged. "I'll take it. Everything ready? We have to go now; it's a long walk."
"Yep, I'm done," Johanna said.
"Great, then bye." He said quickly as he turned around and walked out the door.
Katniss hurried after them; glad to be away from Johanna.
"So, we're going to blow something up?" Katniss asked.
Finnick looked at her and shook his head. "No…one of our friends has given me a device that can jam all electricity for a few minutes. We get in, place another device, and then get out again." He shrugged. "A few minutes should cover it."
"Then why would she talk about a bomb?" Peeta asked.
Finnick laughed. "That's just her—I think…" He narrowed his eyes. "Well…let's hope not. " He sent Katniss an uncertain smile.
Finnick led on; he walked with a confidence that betrayed familiarity.
Katniss found her map and showed it to Finnick. "So, we're here, and going here. Do we go back the same way?" Katniss asked.
Finnick glanced at the map. He frowned. "No…We're here." He pointed to another spot, ten blocks away from the red circle.
"No, Johanna said…" Peeta said.
Annie laughed. "Shouldn't trust her. She would do anything to further her cause," she said and walked away from them.
Katniss halted. They were not supposed to be here…Was Haymitch even trapped? She grimaced. "Why are you two doing this?"
"Someone has to—I'm simply the best someone." Finnick said, cheekily. "But, we can't afford standing around, we have to hurry." He strode after Annie and caught up with her quickly.
"It's the best thing to do," Peeta said when they were alone.
"I don't like it."
He smiled. "Then let's be fast about it."
She frowned, but allowed him to drag her along. They walked in two groups from then on. Finnick and Annie in the front, with Peeta and Katniss following fifty feet behind.
A door opened to the right and a child ran out. She was young, six or seven years old, with short brown hair, and wearing a white summer dress. A woman came out after her and raised her hand gesturing something, but the girl was too busy playing to notice. She had a wooden toy in her hands, a bird figurine, and the girl ran around pretending to fly it. The woman knocked on the door three times and finally drew the girl's attention. The woman crossed her hands over her chest and raised her eyebrows; she pointed to the room. The girl frowned and her shoulders dropped, and with a glance in their direction she went back inside. As they walked past the door, the smell of shampoo and the sound of running water came from within.
The next door was also open, and the people inside were making dinner, fish and bread, the couple waved at Katniss and Peeta as they passed.
After forty minutes of manoeuvring through the corridors, they reached a dead end.
Katniss raised an eyebrow at Finnick. "Lost?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No." He pointed upwards, to a hole in the ceiling, it was covered by a round metallic object. A man hole. "But it seems we will have to wait." He glanced at his watch. "Any minute now." He took a small round object from his backpack; it looked like a ball with a button on it.
A scratching noise came from above, and the metallic cover was pulled aside. A man appeared in the opening.
"Let's go," Annie said, and they went.