It seemed like I had searched the entire facility, but there was no sign of Johanna anywhere.
Maybe she's actively avoiding me? I couldn't blame her.
After what seemed like hours searching for her, a deep feeling of hopelessness began to dawn on me, and I eventually decided to give in to defeat. I sluggishly made my way back to my quarters and was surprised to see Haymitch inside. He had fallen asleep in the chair next to my bed, his head lolled forward. His golden locks completely covered his face and the only sign he was alive was his heavy breathing and snoring.
With no sign of Johanna, I knew our plan was ultimately a failure. I defeatedly threw myself onto my bed and screamed into my pillow in anger. The adrenaline that once flowed through me began wearing out and the throbbing in my feet became apparent and nearly unbearable. The constant ripples of pain shooting from my feet to hips was a testament for just how long I had searched for Johanna. That ache however paled in comparison to what I felt in my head. Wave after wave of thoughts flooded my brain all at once.
Just how long will this blackmail last for?
Is there a way to guarantee the safety of Haymitch?
And even more:
How do I guarantee Peetas and my owns?
The door to my room suddenly swung open with a thunderous bang as it bounced off the wall behind it. The noise shocked me out of my thoughts and made me nearly jump out of my skin. In the dimly lit hallway stood the dark silhouette of Johanna. The loud crash of the door must have also stirred Haymitch from his slumber as he leapt to his feet, knife at the ready for the invisible threat.
Without uttering a single word, Johanna threw something to me. Upon me catching it and looking back to the door, she seemed to have disappeared from the door frame just as quickly as she had come.
"Wait!" I yelled out, throwing the object to the ground. "Let me talk to you!" I ran to the door, hoping to catch what direction she had walked off to. It was to no avail as both directions were completely void of anything other than dilapidated hallway.
"Katniss, look," Haymitch said, breaking me out of my frustration. He was pointing to the object I had flung to the floor. Lying there was a yellow thumb drive with bold black letters saying: Plutarch 357453.
"What is it?" I asked Haymitch.
He picks it up and begins thoroughly examining it, turning it over in is hand.
"Just a thumb drive with Plutarchs EID on it," Haymitch responds back.
"EID?"
"It's a 6 digit code that we all have in order to log-in and out of certain areas. The system also holds a log of date and times as well."
"Ok, so what's on the thumb drive then?"
"Now how exactly would I know?" Haymitch answered sarcastically.
"Good point." I scoffed back.
"But I know where we can find out. Follow me"
Before I could ask another anything else, he was on his way to the door, so I followed in tow. After a while, we were in front of what I believe to be his room. The stench of alcohol and musk emanating once Haymitch opened the door solidified my hypothesis. It was identical to the smell that lingers in my nostrils when I hugged him. I could not help but chuckle softly at the thought. Haymitch must have heard and turns around me with a look of confusion.
"Do I have to worry about you too now?"
"Shut up," I laugh, making smiles crack on both of our faces.
The room was just as disheveled as mine, with clothes scattered violently throughout. The bed looked uncomfortable and unwelcoming, with only a single pillow on top of a lumpy and stained mattress. Various mugs, blackened from coffee, and unmarked liquor bottles of differing sizes littered the bedside table and floor. His bathroom was also a mess of clothes and towels, with the stench of old urine exuding from the toilet.
Haymitch must have noticed my reluctance to enter the room as he flipped me a frown.
"Yeah, yeah I know," he said begrudgingly. "It's a pigsty." He lowered his head in what seemed like, for the first time, shame.
I gave him a hearty hug and inhaled his aroma of musk and coffee. "You have nothing to be sorry for," I reassured him. "We all are facing our demons and skeletons in the closet. I should be the last one to judge someone else. I'm sorry Haymitch."
His face broke into a grin and he allowed himself to feel the warmth of a hug from someone who cared for him. Knowing Haymitchs' character, I knew it had been a long time since he had let someone see this vulnerable side of him.
"OK enough," Haymitch says, breaking the comforting silence. "Let's get down to business."
We separate, and I swear I could see a glisten of wetness around his eyes and cheek. Before I can mention anything, he turns his head away from and reaches below his mattress. He picks it up and between the old mattress and the bed frame is a laptop.
"Perks of the position," he says, waving it in the air like a prize.
I had never seen a laptop up close, nonetheless used one. Cinna, along with my old prep team of Flavius, Venia and Octavia may as well of had their laptops surgically attached to them as they never left anywhere without them.
I really wonder how they're all doing.
"You'll get your chance to poke and prod," Haymitch says, breaking me out of my thoughts. "But first we see what this is all about."
I nod in acknowledgment. "Deal."
Flipping the screen up, I'm blinded by various pictures and codes of things I could never begin to comprehend. Haymitch inserts the thumb drive and the screen is flooded with various videos, all with Plutarchs chubby frame sitting at a desk, a concerned look on his face on all of them. Haymitch clicks on the video at the very front and Plutarch comes to life on the screen. The background behind him is a mishmash of different screens and beeping noises. His environment almost seemed distressing, with too much going on all at once.
"Log 1198. Plutarch Heavensbee. Number 357453. The boy is still in a comatose-like state. Once he awakens, we will do everything we can to advance his recovery as quickly as possible. Our operation will be incomplete without him." He lets out a long, exaggerated sigh and continues on. "No new information on the girl. She continues to be thorn in my side and the urge to do away with her is abundant. However, I know she is also a key piece to the operation. All I ask for right now is your patience. Please. Plutarch out."
The video cuts off and the screen is flooded with the still frames once more. For the next few hours, Haymitch and I go through each video, with Plutarch giving information in chronological order about everything going on in the facility. From when I had arrived to Peetas awakening and everything in between.
"But why is he recording all these?" I pondered out loud.
"Isn't it obvious. He's sending these to someone on the outside."
Haymitch and I jump from our positions on the bed and swing our heads to the door. Johanna stands there, hands on her hips and a sardonic smile on her face. I begin to walk towards her, slowly and methodically as if I feared for my safety.
"Johanna, I-," I begin to say but am cut off with a hand to the face.
"I couldn't figure out where he's sending these," she interjects. "But these are only a few. There are what seemed like hundreds of them. Between pictures of you and baker-boy, blueprints of machines I've never seen before, and those videos, his laptop is packed to the brim with information. This was all I could get my hands on in short notice. Didn't want to wake old lard-ass up."
"Wait," Haymitch says, eyebrow raised. "These were all from his laptop?"
Johanna nods.
"Why were you in his quarters?" Haymitch asks her. "And even more, how did you manage to snag these?"
Johanna turns to my direction and stares into my eyes with an intensity I've only felt from her in the Arena. " Well, I'm only good for one thing, remember?"
A wave of shame washes over me and I drop my eyes from hers. The mortification I felt for my stinging words I had told her before was too much to bear. I could not dare look into her eyes.
"Please Johanna, I-."
"Anyway," she said, interrupting me again. "We figure out who he's sending all this information to, and we figure out his dastardly plans."
Haymitch lets out a sigh. "Now that's much easier said than done if you ask me."
"Whoever it is, plumptarch made sure to delete all traces of its recipients. I couldn't find a trace of evidence about the receiver." Johanna lets out a chuckle. "He's careful. I'll give him that."
We all sat in the room for several minutes in complete silence, all contemplating our next move. The eerie stillness lasted for a while as the room thickened with a sense of doubt and dread.
"While we don't exactly know our next move," Haymitch chimed in, breaking the quiet. "We do know that we will have to be cautious from now on. We can't raise any type of suspicion with plump-, I mean Plutarch."
Before anyone could say anything else, a roar of laughter explodes from Johanna. She's doubled over, tears beginning to fall to the ground as her high-pitched cachinnation bounced from wall to wall. I could not help myself, as my tittering eventually progresses to me falling backwards into my bed, grabbing at my stomach as I begin to howl in delightful glee. Haymitch stands at the edge of the bed, arms crossed over his chest, with perturbed look on his face. He watches as Johanna and I completely void the danger and uneasy feelings of the current situation we are all in. His face eventually cracks into a smile, and he shakes his head at us.
"What am I going to do with the two of you," he says through small chuckles.
It had been so long since I shared a genuine laugh with someone and even longer since the thoughts of the rebellion or death clouded my mind. This moment of joy, albeit short-lived, felt almost heaven-sent.
Authors Note:
Hi everyone! I know, it's been quite a while. Life has thrown its curve balls but I'm glad to be back. I will do my best to get back to the weekly/bi-weekly uploads of chapters. All I ask is for your patience. Thank you for all the support and love! If you're liking the story so far, feel welcome to leave a review. Creative criticism is always welcome!