PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
By order of President Snow,
For the safety of the Capitol's civilians, a curfew has been established. Anyone found outside after 8:00 is subject to arrest, interrogation, and indefinite detention. Also, Peacekeeper patrols, as well as security cameras, have doubled in number. Please remember to cooperate with all officers.
Albert Westfield, Head of Peacekeepers, Capitol Division
"Raven! Good to see you again! Haven't had you in here for a while. How can I help you today?" Willy McKenna is bursting with enthusiasm when he sees Raven. He practically runs out from behind the counter to greet her.
He's a little less happy to see me. I'm in my Avox outfit again, which means everyone's shunning me and avoiding looking at me. And of course, he doesn't want me in his store. He doesn't say as much, but it's been obvious from the first moment I set foot inside the building.
Willy's Spirits is one of the last places in the city that the Peacekeepers haven't covered in cameras. Yet. Funny, really. Before I showed up, the Capitol really didn't seem to care about what its citizens did. Not like District 5. Mostly the cameras in the Capitol were there to record every second of the tributes entering, sleeping, and training. Not anymore, though. Now I can barely walk outside our apartment without being in disguise.
We're here because Willy, in addition to being Raven's go-to guy for hocking some of the smaller items I've brought in, happens to be quite good at finding video recordings. The night Raven tried to trade the trident, she was in the basement of the bar two buildings over. Willy might even be able to get us a few different angles of the night it all went down. If we're really lucky, maybe there'll even be some faces to check out.
Of course, when Raven brings it up to him, he plays dumb until she produces the gold-plated watch I gave her when we first met. He examines it carefully, then goes to the backroom for several minutes. When he returns, he's carrying three large bags containing tapes. Raven and I look at each other, then she purchases a bottle of Willy's cheapest. Neither of us really want to sit through this.
Six hours later, Raven's fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I'm feeling pretty sick of watching the screen. Willy's tapes are only ten minutes long each, and of course he didn't label the times, just the day. Another tape goes by without Raven, a trident, or Peacekeepers on it. I take it out of the player and fling it into the ever-growing pile of useless films. Time for the next one.
Another hour goes by, and I think I've finally found something. Or at least we've gotten to the point where Raven is in the building. I see her walk in with a bag. There's no sound, unfortunately, but the picture is clear. She walks in, sits in the darker section, and waits.
And waits. I wish the player Raven owns had the option to speed ahead, but that's a pretty expensive addition. Finally, after what feels like forever, someone walks up to her and sits down. She's set the bag down under the table, almost out of sight, unless you're looking for it.
Then the tape stops. I'm tempted to wake her up, but we haven't really found anything that she couldn't tell me already. I pop in the next tape and reach for my mug. Oddly enough, since I started living here, Raven's love of coffee has started to rub off on me.
Two tapes later, the Peacekeepers interrupt Raven's meeting. They shoot Raven with a dart, along with the man Caesar claimed worked for him. So far, nothing unusual. Except that they leave the trident under the table.
Why would they do that? After going through all the trouble to bust someone for making an illegal trade, why ignore the actual evidence of the trade itself? Unless they're just doing it to get her out of the way for a few minutes while the real pickup happens... Looks like some of the Peacekeepers might be working with someone else.
Sure enough, another tape and a half later, a tall blonde man comes over and picks up the bag and exits the bar. I stop the player, timing it as well as I can. We've got a face. I sigh and lean back, and Raven almost falls off the couch. Then she's awake, looking as tired as I've ever seen her.
"Know who that is?" I ask. She doesn't respond at first. Instead, she reaches over for my coffee mug and drains the rest of it, then shakes her head a few times. "No idea." she mutters, then stands up and refills it. "I know how we can find out, though."
"Wow, I didn't know you could do that. I thought you just did building design." I'm surprised at how accurate her drawing is after forty minutes. No one will have any trouble recognizing him if they know him. "That is what I do for work," she gestures at the half-finished blueprints on the table, " and thisis what I do for fun," Raven smiles as she indicates the drawing. "Capitol doesn't have to know about all of my skills." She yawns.
"Get some sleep, Raven. We have a big day tomorr-" I roll my eyes and just barely catch her before she passes out on her drawing. Good grief. Sometimes the fact that she lived alone for as long as she did really surprises me.
It's a chilly day, and we're on our way back to Willy's. We walk in, and the store's completely empty except for the three of us. Raven drops the picture on the counter in front of Willy, and he stares at it for a few minutes. Then he says he might know who it is, but we'll have to cough up. Of course. We're out of things to trade him, but Willy makes a suggestion that works out perfectly for everyone.
An hour later, we're leaving, and Willy is thanking Raven over and over for the portrait she drew of him. He framed it immediately, and as we're walking out the door, I look back and catch a glimpse of him hanging it on the wall behind the counter. Capitol people. Who understands them?
We've got a name and an address. Quinton Forest. He doesn't live too far away from us, but I want to make sure he's not going anywhere before I tell Caesar about him. If I'm wrong, all he'll need to do is have an "anonymous news report" come in announcing that I'm alive and well. Nothing like working for a television personality.
I've been keeping my eyes open, and I've noticed something interesting. Yes, there are video cameras spreading through the Capitol. Yes, they are on the roofs as well as everywhere else. Funny thing, though. They're all just pointing at the streets. As long as I stay up top, I should be fine. So, that night, I roof-hop my way over there, and check the address again.
Looks like I'm at Forest's place. It's a small area, which is both good and bad. Bad, because I might have to drop down and possibly get spotted by a camera. The good part is that at least I won't have to search long to find him. There's only three homes in the whole place that even look like they've been occupied.
I'm still on the rooftops, trying to decide the best way to get each person to open their front door, when I see a flash of blonde hair through one of the windows. I duck down on the roof as quickly as possible, but Forest is peering out. He shakes his head after a minute, probably convinced he imagined whatever it was he thinks he saw. He closes the curtains. I see the light shut off. Well, at least now I know. Time to get out of here.
Back home, I tell Raven about my night. We decide to go see Caesar again as early as possible tomorrow. I want this job to be over with already.
The next morning, I wake up late, and Raven's looking through the house for something. All through the house. Before I manage to drag myself off the couch, I've seen her check above the windowsill, under the table, and on top the door frame. She notices I'm awake and makes a gesture for silence, then points at a note on the table.
Great. Another note. I wonder how complicated my life is about to become. It's from Caesar, and it's a congratulatory note, thanking me for my excellent work in finding Forest, and his address. Also, it includes an apology for bugging our place. Gee, thanks. There's something attached to it that does make me smile, though.
At the bottom of the note is a small, folded slip of paper with Raven's name on it. Good. At least she's safe. Safer than before, that is. After seeing that, I feel much better about the whole thing, and even help her search the house.
After three hours, I've realized something. I really hate Caesar Flickerman. We've found twelve bugs, and Raven throws what appears to be the last one to me. I quickly deactivate it. With a hammer. Despite how annoyed I was earlier, I really hope someone is listening right now as I hit it a few times.
We're just finishing lunch when another note flies under our door. Yep. Hate him. Raven rolls her eyes and keeps eating. I go over, pick it up, and open the envelope. Ugh. It's even scented paper.
My dear friend Marissa, it begins. Four words in and I'm already rolling my eyes. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Quinton Forest managed to escape the Capitol early this morning, taking a certain item of great value with him. My sources have informed me that Forest is now in District 4. I'm willing to pay you a substantial amount for the safe retrieval of the item. Transportation will be provided.
Your friend, C.F.
P.S. As an additional incentive for your cooperation, I have arranged for the cameras around your place of residence to be deactivated.
Well, what can I say? Caesar apparently knows how to get my attention. Plus, it sounds almost like a vacation compared to sitting through all of those videos. "What is it?" Raven asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I smile at her. "Pack your bags, Raven. We're going on a trip to District 4."