Prologue
Hortensia Heavensbee
February 2nd (approx. four months before the 15th Annual Hunger Games)
The cab continued rumbling down Trajan boulevard toward the Citadel as I checked my watch. Twelve minutes, twelve minutes until my crucial meeting with Dr. Gual. It was certainly not my first time heading to the citadel. After all, working as a Senior Case Officer for the War Department's Office of Counter Insurgency Operations, colloquially known as COINOPS, necessitated my daily presence in old and storied building. Today's trip was not COINOPS related however, but rather one of personal interest. A meeting with Dr. Volumnia Gaul that could make or break my future ambitions. It had been almost four years since a young girl from 12 and her, soon to be powerful, Capitol mentor had changed the nature of the Hunger Games from simply a grim punishment inflicted upon the districts, to an entertaining spectacle that captured the hearts and minds of Capitol Citizens.
A flurry of reforms had followed the 10th Games. Instead of cattle cars, tributes were brought into the Capitol on a passenger train, typically intended for Peacekeeper deployment. No longer were they dumped in the Capitol Zoo, but were now housed in a formerly abandoned apartment complex, specially renovated into decent living quarters for the Tributes. A shower and change of clothes were provided, along with a daily diet of bread, water, and stew. And Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman had become a staple of the games as its annual host.
These reforms paid its dividends. Viewership peaked in the 11th Annual Hunger Games with the introduction of a small outdoor arena centered around a Pond, and a popular victor in District 4's Mags Flanagan. The Treasury Department had begun to tax the previously unofficial gambling surrounding the games, as well as the sponsorship donations. Yet, the games were once again stagnating and viewership had once again begun to steadily decline.
Still, the Hunger Games are still the future, it just needs some further… tinkering. The cab reached its destination and parked in front of the Citadel's main entrance. I paid the cab driver and stepped out into the frigid air. I could hear my boots crunch on the freshly fallen snow that was now blanketing the gray square that bustled with bureaucrats and peacekeeper officers exiting and entering the building that housed the War Department. As I made my way towards the entrance hall I couldn't help but admire the Citadel. The building was beautiful in its own harsh and imposing way, a white rectangular building seemingly held up by rows of columns, a steep staircase led up to a set of absurdly tall glass doors that were flanked by marble sphinxes, and above the doors was a new edition, a large Golden statue of the Eagle of Panem clutching arrows in its talons. After climbing the stairs, I took a moment to catch my breath as well as tighten up my outfit, dusting the remaining snow off my shoulders. I stood in front of the farthest left glass door and took in my own reflection. I was dressed in a tailored black trench coat with a white collar, silver buttons dotted down the double breasted closure, sleek black slacks led down to my black ankle boots, my red hair was tied up in a simple top knot, my blue eyes seemed darker as if toned down by my attire, and while I had once hated the wrinkles that had started to show my age, I now loved them, my age combined with my outfit exuded a sort of authority. And Authority was what I needed today while meeting Dr. Gaul. "Calm" I whispered to myself before taking a deep breath and pressing the metal button that opened the glass door into the entrance hall of the Citadel.
I started toward the reception desk and informed the attendant of my appointment. As I sat waiting to be called I reflected for a moment on what had led me here. Fifteen years ago, the War was coming to close after the Rebels had been thrashed during their attempted assault over the Rockies, the military had little in the way of work except as grunt peacekeepers and reservists and I had desired to serve the Capitol in a more impactful way, so at age 19 I found my way to COINOPS. At the time, COINOPS was the perfect place for a young and ambitious Capitolite to make a name for themself in the aftermath of the war, and make a name for myself I did. But as years passed by and the remaining rebel cells were snuffed out, COINOPS began to lose its relevance, budget cuts followed, and talent flocked to other agencies. Now at the age of 34 I was faced with a dilemma; I could accept the offer to succeed Octavian Smythe as Director of an increasingly irrelevant Office of Counter-Insurgency Operations, a position that would guarantee a comfortable if unremarkable life, or I could take a gamble and resign my post for a chance at a new career on the Gamemaker council for the Hunger Games which guaranteed neither comfortability nor success in the hope that Games can swing upwards once more and I can leave my mark in the history books.
A voice snapped me out of my thoughts "Hortensia Heavensbee, Dr. Gaul will see you now". I followed the attendant toward Volumnia Gaul's infamous laboratory. I have never met the Head of the War Department despite technically being her subordinate. I can only imagine my name recognition is why she would even bother to give me the time of day.
As we approached the Laboratory, I held my chin up and took a deep breath. The attendant ushered me in and the sight that laid in front of me was both deeply disturbing and equally fascinating. I was not squeamish by any sense of that word; while conducting my work in Districts 8 & 11 I had employed plenty of "enhanced" interrogation methods to squeeze information out of rebel agents. However, even I felt unnerved by this laboratory. A smell of formaldehyde and cleaning agents permeated the lab. The walls of the blindingly white room were lined with tubes filled with all sorts of abominations, failed experiments I imagine. Some of the "experiments" seemed to be human body parts crudely sewn onto animals. Part of me wondered: Do some of these body parts belong to rebels I had hunted down and arrested over the years. Had I consigned them to such a grisly fate? I pushed the thought down and refocused my attention on the woman that was hunched over the top of a large glass tank that contained a big cat of somesorts. "You are a Heavensbee and yet I have never heard of you." Dr. Gaul spoke as she threw a piece of red meat down into the tank. "Yes… just not the famous kind" I replied somewhat awkwardly. It was true, I was a Heavensbee, my ancestor was Trajan, the "Father of Panem", but I was not a member of the main branch of our old and prestigious family. Based on the genealogical records that survived the destruction of the Dark Days, my branch of the family had split off at least a hundred years ago, and has since primarily been made up of faceless finance managers, middle-rung government bureaucrats, and military officers. We were materially fortunate but otherwise unremarkable. "An unknown Heavensbee, a name with no-name" Gaul remarked somewhat cryptically. She climbed down from the ladder she had been on, removed her gloves, and finally turned around to fully face me. She was a short old woman with dark skin, gray curly hair, and brown eyes that seemed to glint with a dangerous kind of amusement. I reached my hand out and formally introduced myself "Hortensia" I stated. She took my hand and shook, "the sword is sharpened with a whetstone, and the hands are withered by the hilt " she said in a voice that almost sounded like she was singing. "Uh - yes I suppose so" I replied. I tried not to be taken off guard by her demeanor, based on the conversations I caught at the office and what I had read about Dr. Gaul, she was quite eccentric. "I read your resume, and I was quite impressed. Though a bit curious why you've decided to make such a sudden jump in careers? COINOPS to Gamemaker is quite a sudden shift" Gaul spoke – "I have taken an interest in the changes that are sweeping the Hunger Games and believe I can contribute some ideas in the coming years to help continue moving them forward" I replied. "Ah, and you believe your ideas are so monumental and groundbreaking that I should give up a seat to you on the Gamemaker Council?" she said, sounding somewhat annoyed. I could feel my heart rate and breathing increase, I closed my hands together in front of me in order to calm myself down. "I have a particular proposal I think could significantly change the nature of the games –" Dr. Gaul suddenly interrupted "Let's be honest with ourselves here, you see an opportunity to advance yourself and your ambitions using my games". She was staring intently into my eyes now as if challenging me. A flash of anger surged through me as the room went silent for a minute while I thought about what to say next. I am not some timid District peasant, and I will not be cowed like one I thought to myself. "A bear has to be willing to stir the nest to get the honey" I said bluntly while shrugging my shoulders. An awkward moment passed before Dr. Gaul's stony expression shifted into a twisted face of amusement. Without further explanation she spoke to me "Welcome to the Gamemakers Council Mrs. Heavensbee, I look forward to reading your proposal".