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'How I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls.
Swimming in a fish bowl.
Year after year.'
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Debris flew past his head, the small shards cutting his hands and face as he ran. Instantly, there was a gun in his hands as he eyes furiously searched for the Mockingjay. On unsteady feet, Cato dragged himself behind a large, square, stone pillar and tried to ignore how the ground shook beneath his feet. He tired to block out the sounds of screaming and exploding bombs. Much to his relief, Katniss was safely behind the pillar on his right and Gale behind the one on his left.
Instructions from Plutarch and Haymitch sounded in his ears upon hearing that the Mockingjay crew preparing to plunge themselves into the fray whilst somehow remaining hidden from the eyes of the Capitol's bombers. Nobody could know that the Girl On Fire was there.
Eyesight blurring and head fuzzy, Cato guarded Katniss as the Mockingjay team attempted to make their way down to the light blue warehouse, three down from where they were currently hidden. Forming a shield around Katniss, the team blocked her from the bombers of the Capitol. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the attack didn't appear to be aimed for the rebels from District Thirteen. Instead, they had a completely, far more horrifying target – the hospital full of the sick and dying.
Breaking free from formation, Katniss dashed towards an access ladder, scaling it with near-inhuman speed. Cursing under his breath, Cato shared a look with Gale before hurrying after the impulsive girl. The two from Twelve targeted the bombers with their explosive arrows, falling into a familiar pattern whilst Cato manned one of the machine guns. Taking pleasure in destroying Capitol hovercrafts, the man from Two lost himself in the sounds of warfare. As the final hovercraft crashed, Cato attempted to assess the damage done through the thick cloud of smoke. However, the dark grey cloud obstructed his vision and he struggled to see anything other than the faint outline of his companions.
At the edge of the roof, he spotted another person. Their outline was undoubtedly female and as the figure came closer, there was no doubt in Cato's heart that the advancing person was his fiancée.
"Indie?" Cato called out, stepping eagerly towards her.
Her blonde hair was loose and flowing in soft curls, her dress was pure white and unaffected by the dirt and debris surrounding her, blue eyes filled with love. Reaching out to her, Cato stumbled his way to the place where she stood, calling out for her with more need. Tears welled in his eyes upon seeing the woman who was so close and yet, no matter how many steps he took forward, she seemed just as far away as before.
Crying out, he took one step too far and came to the sudden realisation that he had reached the edge of the roof. Closing his eyes and waiting for the fall as his foot teetered over the edge, Cato prayed that the pain would stop and he would finally be able to watch over Indiana.
However, the impact never came.
Muscular hands wrapped around his biceps and pulled him back before he toppled over the edge.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Gale demanded.
His interrogation was cut short when the team began rushing to the site where the hospital had once soon. The roof had collapsed and screams filled the once silent air. Judging by the look on the team's faces, Cato knew the situation was hopeless; there was nothing they could do to save the people trapped inside. As sad as he knew the scene before him was, Cato felt more despair for himself and the harsh reality he found himself trapped in.
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After spending the night being patched up and monitored in the Hospital Wing, Cato was stood before Coin and Heavensbee, blond head hung in shame. Somehow they had found out about his little incident and were now reprimanding him for his 'reckless, dangerous and self-destructive' behaviour.
"You leave me with no other choice, Cato. You are banned from going out in the field and will attend sessions with a medic to assess whether you are of sound mind." Coin declared in her usual no-nonsense voice.
"What? You can't do that! My mind is fine! Please, I need to be out there. I need to be doing something to help!" Cato exclaimed outraged.
"You will do as I say, Soldier Hadley, or you will find yourself stranded in a different District. As of the state of your mind, might I remind you that you imagined seeing Indiana Summers on the top of a building in District Eight."
"Seeing lost loved ones is considered perfectly sane, research indicates that it's a common thing," he argued.
"It is not normal when you believe it so severely that you are willing to jump off a building for it. After all, Indiana Summers is imprisoned within the Capitol. You know this and yet you still thought it possible she was there. Do you know how reckless your actions were?"
Opening his mouth to speak, Cato knew Coin's question was purely rhetorical and she cared little for whatever answer the angry boy before her would give. In her opinion, he was volatile and clearly losing his mind. He was not someone she wanted out there defending the 'precious' Mockingjay. Furthermore, Coin didn't want him out in the field, as she couldn't trust him due to the District he had been born into. She found it difficult to believe that a person from Two could be an ally to the cause and had been looking for numerous reasons to keep him under surveillance. Coin thought he only cared about himself and his fiancée, not helping free the Districts from years of suppression.
However, she couldn't have been more wrong. Whilst Cato was fighting to get the love of his life back, he had also formed a deep bond with Katniss and the others. He had seen the injustices of the District system and the cruelty of the Capitol, and he was willing to fight with everything he had to make even the slightest change.
"You could have died. Worse than that, you could have drawn attention to yourself and your team, thus endangering the lives of those you are meant to protect! Soldier Hadley, you are stripped of your position as a field agent and will now spend your days training and focusing on your mental wellbeing. This is not a topic up for debate and you will follow my orders otherwise I will have no qualms about dropping you on the doorstep of the Capitol. Are we understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Cato said through gritted teeth, fighting against the rising anger and hurt.
After all, Coin was right – he had endangered the lives of Gale and Katniss.
"Dismissed, Soldier Hadley."
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'Running over the same old ground.
And how we found.
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.'
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