Chapter 10

Gideon's Cabin
Outside the Shenandoah National Forest

Spencer

"Her bow?" Morgan asked.

Spencer retrieved a different case, this one hard sided, meant to carry something more fragile or dangerous. He unlocked the latches and opened it to reveal a bow and quiver. He gingerly pulled the bow from the case, trying to hold it like she had. It was a glossy black, its limbs swept back in a way to evoke wings in flight. When he turned it into the light you could see circuitry tracing the inside. He carefully passed it to Morgan.

"Whoa," was all Morgan could say at first. He was clearly impressed by the lethal beauty of the piece. He wrapped his fingers around the string and tried to pull it back but the string stayed rigid. He tried harder. "She can pull this?"

"It's locked." They turned at the voice to see Kat standing in the bedroom doorway. "It's coded for my voice, operates off of voice commands." She move beside Morgan and cupped one of the limbs in her hand, tipping it toward her cheek. "Wake up."

They all heard a hum start up and then settle. Morgan's eyes went wide. "This thing…it feels alive or something." Now he was able to pull back the string, but even with his strength it was still a bit of an effort. "Same question, you can pull this?"

"They wouldn't have made it for me if I couldn't." Kat took the bow from him and pulled it easily, the part of her back exposed by her tank top rippling with muscles as she did. "With the augmented pull it's accurate to a hundred yards." She eased the string back and turned to the quiver, indicating the different colored shafts. "Incendiary, explosive, armor piercing."

Morgan whistles. "Okay, that is a serious piece of hardware. You're right though." He said to Spencer. "If that thing can do what she says it can then it has to be from the future."

"Yes, but that's also not a hunting weapon." Rossi pointed out as he started bringing food to the table. "Okay, we heard Reid's side of things, now it's your turn. What were you doing before you came through that hole?"

Kat thought for a moment as she settled at the table, "War." She admitted at last, "Rebellion. We were fighting through the Capitol streets. They were booby trapped, all these weird traps that…I fell into one."

"Uh-huh," Rossi set the bowl of pasta on the table. "I don't know if you have profilers in the future or not, so let me tell you what we do. We have to get in the minds of the sickest, craziest, most vicious killers out there in order to try to get ahead of them and stop them. That means we all spend hours interviewing these guys, checking out their stories from every angle possible. The first thing you have to be able to do to be a profiler is spot a lie. So don't even bother. Now why don't you try again?"

Kat looked up at him with a cold, angry glare. "Go to hell." She got up, gathered her bow, quiver and jacket, and walked out the door.

"Kat," Spencer got up and ran after her. "Kat!" He'd never find her if she reached the tree line. "Kat stop! Please!" Thank goodness she did. "Kat," he took her by the shoulders and gently turned her around.

"You don't understand." She told him, bitterness filling her voice. "You don't know what it was like."

"I'm sorry. I know it's not easy. But someone is after you, not because you fell through that hole, they're after you." He watched her eyes widen as that sank in. "Now we can help you, we can keep you safe, but to do that we need as much information as we can get."

She shook her head. "You don't understand…"

"Please."

Angry tears filled her eyes, but her shoulders slumped beneath his hands as she gave in.

The Capitol
275 years from now

Katniss

Boggs was dead, his legs blasted off by the mine in the streets. Miller had fallen into another trap, he was screaming as the strands of barbed wire tore him into shreds. All around them was chaos as civilians who had been sheltering in place started pouring out of the buildings and running from the black wave bearing down on them through the concrete canyon of the streets. At the moment the holo held Katniss' attention, she had to find a way out of here.

Then she heard more gunfire, and a sharper scream.

Gale and Leeg 1 had been shooting at the street, trying to clear it of more mines. She hadn't given any thought to it, it seemed like a sound tactic, but as she looked Gale fired again. And deliberately shot a civilian in the back.

And he smiled.

Her heart stopped.

She knew he hated the Capitol and all it stood for. She knew he hated every evil thing that had been done to her and to the people from their home in the name of the Capitol. She knew now that he was born to be a rebel, a soldier, to fight for freedom and justice.

That wasn't what this was.

This was revenge. And that smile was blood lust.

That is not the Gale I know, she thought. The Gale I know would never hurt an innocent person. But he's been growing toward this, I've seen it right along, and now it's happened.

Two more people tried to run for safety and Gale cut them down.

This is not the Gale I know, she thought. I've lost him. I destroyed him.

And he was the last one to lose; her last chance at a future.

She'd lost her mother when her father died. Cinna was dead. Darius was dead. Peeta was insane. Haymitch had betrayed her for the rebellion. Gale had become a monster. Even Prim didn't need her anymore, she was safe in Thirteen; she had a future of her own now, one that didn't need an empty shell of a sister to drag it down.

All that was left was the uniform she wore and her desire for revenge. There was no future left for the Mockingjay once the war was over. And look what revenge had just done to Gale.

She had nothing left to fight for.

She looked down at the holo in her hands. Down the alleyway behind her was another trap. This one marked The Desert.

It didn't matter what it was. It would do.

She placed her thumb on the screen as she spoke a series of letters and numbers. "Unfit for command. Transfer of prime security clearance to Squad Four-Five-One Soldier Marilla Jackson. Jackson!" When the woman's head turned she flung the holo in her direction. As soon as she knew it was caught she looked back at Gale. "Good-bye," she whispered.

Then she turned and ran down the alley.

Gideon's Cabin
Outside the Shenandoah National Forest

Spencer

"I knew it was down there." Kat admitted again as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I didn't know what it would do, but it didn't matter. I knew it was down there. I ran down that alley deliberately." She started sobbing now. "Everything was gone long before I met you. They destroyed everyone, Spencer! They even destroyed our home! And it was all because of me!"

She was right; he didn't know what to say.

He pulled her in close and let her tears soak his shoulder. It wasn't her fault, he thought, she did the best she could. She was stronger and more resilient in this situation than I could have been. Everything did fall apart, but it wasn't her fault. I don't know how to help her. I don't know yet but I will find a way.

"I'm glad you didn't die." He murmured finally. And then he held her for a long time.

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Note: For all of the Hunger Games fans who are thinking "But that never..." and "But what about..." and "Where is..." this story is cannon to Chapter 14 of Mockingjay, but it splits off at the beginning of chapter 20. Also, be patient.