Chapter XIII
A few days later and we are still planet side. Clove said she'd be back from her commitments today. We should be good to go then. Good thing too cause I don't want to stay on this rock any longer than we have to. I've got a bad feeling. Like something is about to happen and I can't say I want to stick around to find out.
"Johanna." I call down the hall, I can hear her clankin' tools around in the engine room.
"Yeah Cap'n?" She responds, her voice muffled.
"Clove should be back before dinner. Are we going to be good for take off?" I ask as I wander into the engine room to see Johanna hanging into the engine, legs stretched high in the air.
"Jo what the hell are you doin'?" Surprise and curiosity colors my voice.
"We've got ourselves a bit of trouble here Cap'n. It's gonna take me more than a few hours to fix it. Can't say I'll be done before dinner." Her voice is still muffled by the engine.
"Alright. You just get it fixed fast as you can."
"Will do Cap'n." She mutters from deep inside the engine.
I turn and leave the engine room. Passing through the dining area I tell those sittin' around the table that we'll be here a while longer. Finnick groans dramatically before tromping off to his bunk.
"Why don't ya'll make yourselves useful. I hear there's a dump not to far off that could prove to be a gold mine. Gale will know what kind of parts to grab. And keep your ears open for a job."
So Peeta, Gale, grab Finnick, take the four-wheeler out and head off to the dump.
I head on up to the bridge where Annie is swiveling around in her chair.
"Still a no go eh Cap'n?" She questions but never stops spinnin'. You'd think she'd get sick at some point.
"Unfortunately no. Jo says we got a bit of engine trouble, she's tryin' to fix it. Soon hopefully."
I sit on the bridge with Annie for about an hour. All this waiting is makin' me unwasy.
"Hey Cap'n." Jo's voice comes over the intercom.
"Yeah Jo?" I ask after smashin' my fist against the call button.
"I need a favor from ya. Come on down here."
I nod to Annie and head off towards the engine room.
Jo is leaning beside the engine this time, her face covered in grease.
"Cap'n we've got a serious problem with the axial-flow pump. We're gonna need a brand new one. A second hand one from the dump just won't do it this time. I'm gonna need you to go into town to pick one up. There's a dealer, name's Hobs, he'll have one. I gotta stay here and wait for the guys to return with the parts."
She gives me the directions to where I can find this man, Hobs, before she buries herself in the engine again.
I take the spare shuttle and follow the directions. It leads me to a shady little market. Vendors sit at their stalls, table covered with their odds and ends. I wander to the first vendor, "I'm looking for a man named Hobs. Where can I find him?"
The toothless vendor gives me a lopsided smile before pointing to a stall at the end of the row.
So I tromp off in that direction and approach the indicated stall. An old, grey haired man sits behind the table that is covered in scraps.
"Are you Hobs?" I ask gruffly.
He grunts and nods. "Whose askin? And what's it to ya?"
"My name is Captain Everdeen. I've been told you have a part I need for my ship."
"What are ya looking for?"
"An axial-flow pump."
"Yeah I got one. You got the cash?"
I had him over a wad of Union credits and he hands over a large box.
It's awkward to carry but I manage to tromp back to the shuttle. When I'm just a few feet from the shuttle doors I hear the frantic scurry of feet behind me.
"Captain Everdeen!" I place the box down by the doors and turn around.
"Captain Everdeen!" A tall, thin yet busty, blonde is running across the field towards me. Her golden ringlets flounce over her bare shoulders. The tight fitting dress is rich and elegant. It looks like something I've only ever seen Clove wearing.
"Yeah, that's me." I say tentatively.
"My name is Glimmer. I have a job and I heard you were the best possible one for the job. Are you interested?"
"What's the job?"
"Oh not much." Her eyes flash with malice. "Just a little bit of revenge."
"Re-" I start to question but her lips twist into a snarl and she brings her foot up and it connects sharply with my head. Everything goes black.
The four wheeler rumbles beneath us as we finally pull into the cargo bay. Finnick hops off and hits the button for the intercom.
"Johanna we're back and we got a pretty decent load."
A few minutes later Johanna's combat boots come stomping into the cargo bay. As she arrives Gale stomps off deeper into the ship. The two of them can barely be civil in the same room anymore. They're both hurting but neither is willing to give in.
She approaches the pile of parts and begins to pick through it. She sorts it into two different piles. Junk and useful, I'm assuming.
It takes her nearly an hour but once she's done she has Finnick and I haul the junk pile off back to the dump.
We make the return trip quickly and once we arrive I can immediately feel a strange tension. Something isn't right.
Annie is sitting on the stairs chewing on her fingernails. Gale is pacing across the cargo bay and Johanna is watching him with an enraged look on her face.
"What's going on here?" Finnick asks immediately after the four wheeler goes quiet.
"Cap'n hasn't come back yet." Annie murmurs.
"What?" The unfortunately high voice comes from me.
"I sent her out for a special part two hours ago and she still isn't back. But she should be." Panic is evident in her voice. "And would you please stop pacing! It's driving me crazy!" She roars at Gale and he stops with a startled expression.
A loud whirring sound outside the ship alerts us to the return of a shuttle. Everyone looks up hopefully until it is evident it's Clove's. The sound of her docking echoes through the cargo bay and a few moments later Clove steps out of her shuttle and surveys the situation before her.
"Who died?" She jokes.
Johanna explains the situation and Clove joins in the worry.
"We should go see Hobs. See if he can give us some answers." Johanna concludes.
"We can take my shuttle." Clove volunteers.
Darkness. Pain.
My hands are bound above my head with harsh chains. A cool metal structure digs into my back. Rough fabric binds my eyes in blackness.
The side of my head throbs from where that bitch landed her kick.
The room reeks of blood. Not exactly comforting. Then again none of this is.
Even from Clove's shuttle we can see Katniss' shuttle in the field below. Finnick tries to radio the shuttle but there is no answer. So Clove lands beside it and we all pile out.
The doors are still closed and a lone box sits outside the entrance.
Johanna opens the box carefully and sighs.
"It's the part I asked her for." Finnick opens the shuttle and places the box inside. He disappears inside for a minute.
Upon his return he says, "She's not in here."
Johanna begins to march into the shabby market, down to the end of a row of stalls.
"Hobs." Her voice is demanding.
"A woman came by here not that long ago. Bought an axial-flow pump. Where is she?"
The old man looks up at her, not even intimated by this very angry Johanna Mason.
"I'm not sure. Maybe a few credits will jog my memory."
Johanna growls but hands over a few paper bills.
"Yeah I saw her. She was just standing by that ship over there. Some blonde escort asked me what her name was before she took off after her. They exchanged some words. It didn't look like an argument. But then Blondie gave her a real good kick to the noggin. A few muscular type men showed up all of a sudden and hauled her away. That's all I know."
"This escort you mentioned. What exactly did she look like?" Clove demands.
I can hear the creaking of an opening door. Light footsteps approach and perfume floods my nose.
"Ah Captain. Good to see you are awake." Glimmer.
"Yeah…good." I deadpan. "I do often consider being kidnapped a positive morning experience."
"Well I'm happy I could oblige." I roll my eyes even though she can't see me.
"What do you want from me?"
"It's not what I want. It's what my master wants."
"Master?"
"Yes. You've wronged him and now he wants revenge."
"I've wronged a fair amount of people in my day. Would ya mind be a tad more specific?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Be patient. For now just relax." A pinch on my arm and suddenly a dizzy feeling takes over.
"Glimmer." Clove decides after the vendor's description. Her voice is full of dread.
"Who's Glimmer?" I question. " Why is she so bad?"
"It's not her that's bad. It's her master, the man she works for." She says. Her face contorts with anguish. "She's a personal escort. Unlike me she has only one client. He owns her and she is to do whatever he needs or desires. Unfortunately in this case…Glimmer is also in love with her master. She'll do anything for him. She also hates when his attentions are drawn elsewhere. She'd be more than willing to kidnap, even kill Katniss if her master asked."
"Who is it Clove?" Gale's gruff voice takes on a commanding tone. "Who has taken Katniss?"
"Cato." She whispers.
Author's Notes: Thank you all for reading! The reviews I got last chapter really made my day. This story doesn't get a lot of response but it is one of my favorites to write so whenever I get reviews on it I am happy for days!
Let me know what you think about latest chapter.