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Twice Chosen

When the next day of training started, I had no idea what I was going to do about the problem Alpha and I had discussed last night. I appreciated the point he'd made about how that we weren't working out as a team at the moment, but when I'd never worked as a leader in anything more than leading the school in songs when I was little, it was hard to work out how to get this group to work together when we'd spent years thinking that we'd just regard each other as enemies if we got to this point.

The strangest part was trying to basically invert my old pattern of behaviour from the training sessions before the Games. When we were in the training halls, I'd often had to remind myself that Peeta and I were going to end up opponents when the Games started and would have to hide our true strengths from each other, but now I was in a position where I was fighting alongside four other people with the final goal of working together rather than fighting each other to the death. It was easy enough to work out how we could avoid basically hitting each other while we were training, particularly with the more obvious threat of the putties to focus on, but that was far from the same thing as working as an actual team in a fight.

The first couple of days of training were basically more of the same as we fell into a sort of 'routine', where we all tried to fight the putty holograms in the morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch and dinner after we tried and failed to morph all over again. Meals were particularly bland, as we only had the same protein bars to eat and some cups of water that I didn't want to think about the source of.

The fights with the putties were still painful, but as the struggle continued, it was easier to see how the others were improving in terms of combat ability. Thresh and Peeta still relied primarily on raw strength to take down their respective opponents, Thresh hitting the Putties he fought while Peeta tended to use wrestling moves to toss them around. Liv seemed to be taking some time actually trying to fight the putties, as so far she was relying more on avoiding their attacks and striking back when she found a suitable opening. Glimmer was the most obviously technically skilled fighter among us, often weaving around her designated opponent, but she occasionally attempted some kind of odd attack that I couldn't entirely understand, such as jamming her fingers at a point on the putty's body. When I managed to ask Liv about it the night of the second evening, she speculated that Glimmer was trying to attack nerve endings or something like that in the dummy, relying on her old training on instinct even if she had to consciously recognise that it wouldn't work on these opponents.

I thought about criticising her for that particular detail, but when I still found myself trying to go for my bow during a fight rather than relying on the current hand-to-hand, I could tentatively recognise why Glimmer was falling back on her own training. I'd basically taught myself how to use the bow with some help from my father before his death, so it made sense that Glimmer would find it harder to ignore her years of training in this situation.

It didn't make it easier to acknowledge just how many problems we were trying to overcome to make this work, but at least I was getting a better sense of what we were working with.

As we ate the next day, it struck me that none of us had actually talked much about our current situation beyond the fact that we'd agreed to go through with the training, but as soon as the thought occurred to me I had no idea how to take that idea any further. Making an impression during my interview with Caesar had been hard enough when he actually wanted to talk to me, but right now I wasn't sure if any of us were comfortable enough with the others to open up about anything. Thresh and Rue at least seemed to get along well enough, considering that she was staying in his room, but I still didn't know when Peeta had been telling the truth about his feelings where I was concerned, I wasn't sure what I could even talk to Liv about, and the more time we spent with Glimmer the clearer it was that none of us were even sure if we could trust her.

It wasn't like any of us even understood that much about how these coins worked; just because we were apparently a good 'fit' for each of these 'power coins' didn't mean we were automatically going to work well together…

Even as the other Rangers finished their food and left to return to the pit, I sat in silent contemplation, slowly chewing on my nutrition bar as I considered the problem. Even if I had my doubts about my ability to lead this team, I could appreciate that Zordon and Alpha weren't likely to accept the argument that they get someone else after the faith they had expressed in me, which meant that I had to work out some way to make this work…

"This isn't going very well."

"What?" I looked over at Peeta, surprised to see him still sitting at the other end of the table on the opposite side from me. "We're getting the hang of-"

"Fighting on our own," Peeta interrupted me. "We're meant to be a team, Katniss; how can we be part of a group if we're still not willing to trust each other?"

"We're not trying to kill each other right now; I think we can call that a victory," I countered.

"But is it enough?"

I didn't answer Peeta's question as I finished my current food bar, aware that he had a good point but with no idea what I could say in return. Even if I discounted Rue from the 'equation' since she wasn't part of this 'Ranger' dynamic, the five of us needed something we could use to help us bond as a team beyond the fight training, but when we had so little else we could actually do in this ship without giving away that we were still alive…

I smiled as I swallowed the last of my food bar and stood up, a new idea in mind.

"Tell the others I'm having some private training with Zordon," I looked apologetically at Peeta as I stood up.

"You're-?" Peeta began in confusion.

"Peeta," I shifted my expression to what I hoped was an authoritative glare as I looked at him, "if you ever had any real faith in me, have faith that I have a reason for doing this that will help us if it pays off."

When Peeta finally nodded at me in acceptance, I could only hope that my impulsive idea would be enough to at least break the ice. I might not have any clear idea how I was going to bring this team together in time to actually fight Rita, but if this worked out, there might be something that I could change about our currently exasperating situation.

"Katniss?" Alpha looked at me in surprise as I walked into the room to see him and Zordon. "What is it?"

"I need to go out."

"Go out?" Zordon repeated, looking at me with a frown. "You are needed-"

"Look, I'm sure Alpha's told you that I understand that what we're doing here is important, and I'm sorry that we're having so much trouble 'morphing' or whatever the term is, but the fact is that we're not getting anywhere training like this," I stared resolutely at the face in the wall. "If we're going to improve… well, I don't know if this is going to help, but I thought I could go out and get us some new food?"

"New food?" Alpha repeated curiously. "The machine-"

"I get that it's giving us what we need, but there's a difference between something that sustains us and something we actually like," I explained. "The nutrition bars are keeping us alive right now, but that's all you can really say about them. I was thinking that we might… well, we might be able to bond more if we had something good to eat, rather than just the same old thing."

"It is… worth consideration," Zordon conceded. "You know how to get food?"

"I hunted a lot back home," I replied, surprised at how easy it was to admit that to two relative strangers. "I know what to look for; I just need to go somewhere outside of the immediate area to do it."

"I understand," Zordon said, before he turned his attention to Alpha (on a strange level, I had to be impressed at how that projection system could show a shift of attention when Zordon had such a relatively limited presence). "Is the outward teleportation system working?"

"It should be now that the coins are back," Alpha nodded. "I spent some time scanning the area to confirm that the coins hadn't moved, but obviously I ended up taking in a lot of the wider local terrain in the process-"

"Hold on; can you just explain what you're talking about here?" I looked urgently between the talking wall and the strange little machine. "What's this 'outward teleportation system' you mentioned?"

"Oh, it's an emergency feature of the coins; if you're facing mortal peril, so long as you've got the power to spare to activate it, they'll automatically take you all somewhere you consider safe so that you'll be protected from serious harm," Alpha explained.

"…Really?" I looked sceptically at the little robot. "I thought you said Zordon's team died-"

"Facing a threat from another Ranger who could hit them so hard that the coins couldn't spare the energy to activate the system, especially not when they were using power while morphed," Alpha clarified. "The point is, we can teleport you out of the ship with relative ease so long as you choose an area you can be sure won't have anyone there who might see you arrive, and then all you need to do is trigger the coin by mental command and you can come back when you're ready."

"…Thanks," I said, deciding to just accept that I was getting what I had asked for. "I just need to grab a couple of things from our rooms-"

"Wait," Zordon's voice cut in. "If you intend to go outside without armour, you will require this."

I didn't have time to ask what he meant before I felt a layer of cloth settle around my head. Reaching up in surprise, I felt a strange hood and scarf, wrapped around my head and face so that only my eyes were visible, pulling the cloth just forward enough to confirm that it was made of a red material.

"The garb of the Ninjetti, the warriors who first harnessed the power of the Morphing Grid to become Power Rangers," Zordon explained as I looked back at the wall. "Until you can morph and properly harness your armour, if you intend to go out of the ship and use your powers, this will conceal your identity should you be discovered."

"…Thanks," I nodded, deciding to just accept the 'gift' in the spirit with which it was intended. "Once I get back, I can help you find a spot to drop me off…"

Walking through the forest an hour later, I could barely restrain the urge to laugh for joy. When I'd been so convinced that I'd never get the chance to do this a couple of weeks ago, it was frankly a relief to once again be doing something I knew how to do, out hunting in the forest for food for those I was close to.

Admittedly, right now I was hunting for food in the hope that it would give me an opportunity to get close to other people, but the basic principle was still the same. I'd managed to grab the bow and arrows from Glimmer's room, but I'd also picked up a bag to collect some firewood in case the ship didn't offer any means of cooking actual food, and a couple of knives from various packs in case I got the chance to do some work on skinning my catch before bringing it in.

Finding a few herbs and other plants that I could use as flavourings had been both the easy part and the hardest part of this particular excursion. Thanks to my father's training, I'd known where most of the good 'crops' were around District Twelve for years, whereas here I was starting from scratch and just had to hope that I had kept track of the conditions necessary to grow the relevant crops. I'd managed to find a few spices that could be used to add flavouring to anything I might bring back, but the challenge now lay in finding something that could give six people at least one decent meal. So far I'd spotted a few birds and rabbits, so I at least knew that I was in the right area to find game, but I was going to give myself another hour before I decided to just settle for whatever I could find out here. If I was going to work on bringing my team together, I was going to get us something good to eat-When I saw a deer off in the distance, I immediately froze, unsure if I should believe my good luck. It had been months since I'd seen a deer before that one I'd glimpsed on the day of my Reaping, and now, to see one here…

Moving with a speed and precision that somehow managed to surprise even me, I had notched, aimed and fired my arrow almost on automatic. As soon as the deer fell, I ran over to examine it, relieved to find that I'd caught it directly in the heart. I retrieved the arrow and prepared to pick up its body when the forest fell silent…

I suddenly knew what was about to happen.

Looking up from my position over the deer, I froze as I saw a disturbingly familiar sight; a small group of people in tattered clothes, running through the forest, a Capitol hovercraft almost directly above them.

It was just like that time I'd told Peeta about on our first day in the training centre; 'traitors' to the Capitol, destined to get caught and either be killed or made into Avoxes, and all I could do was-

No.

I hadn't been able to do anything last time, but I wasn't going to let myself hesitate now.

Maybe I wasn't able to morph yet, but I was still a Ranger… and even if this wasn't the big threat of Rita, that hovercraft was still going to threaten innocent people if I didn't do something.

I was moving so quickly I didn't even realise what I was doing as I tossed the dead deer into a bush, tossed my leather jacket over it (anything to make it less obvious that I'd been a Tribute) and scrambled up the nearest tree until I was near the top. I only vaguely registered the net launch from the hovercraft towards the fleeing group as I leapt from the tree and practically flew through the air until I hit the front windows feet-first. I didn't know if it was my enhanced strength or if this glass just wasn't that strong, but the whole screen shattered under my impact, my feet striking the pilot inside in the same motion. A couple of peacekeepers positioned inside the ship looked up in shock, but I just lashed out with my hands extended, trying to copy what Liv had identified as Glimmer's 'nerve strikes' at points on their shoulders.

As the peacekeepers fell backwards, I spun around and grabbed the control stick for the hovercraft before I shifted the ship into a downward descent; I doubted that I would be able to fly this thing anywhere, but a quick crash might be enough for what I had in mind. With the course set, I grabbed the three crew- it was almost disturbingly easy to pick them up like this- and ran further into the hovercraft, soon finding an open hatch that linked to the cable leading down to the net. Not entirely thinking about how I was doing this, I grabbed the cable in my hands and yanked it apart with one move, subsequently taking hold of the end with the net on it as I jumped out of the falling hovercraft. Even as I fell, I yanked the cable in my hand so that the net at the other end hit a large bush or low tree of some sort before I reached the ground myself, tossing the three peacekeepers I'd grabbed off to the side before I ran for the net. Taking only a moment to confirm that my Ninjetti mask was still in place, I reached up and pulled the net apart, smiling in relief when I saw that the people inside, while clearly shaken, showed no sign of being seriously hurt by what had happened.

"Go," I said, only just remembering to make my voice sound low; I hadn't spoken much when I was being filmed for the Games, but I didn't want to risk anyone recognising my voice if I could do something to avoid that. "And keep running."

I didn't know where they thought they could go from here, but the important thing was that the Capitol wouldn't have the chance to make them Avoxes. The group nodded uncertainly at me before they turned around and ran back into the forest, one of them looking uncertainly at me for a moment before he continued after the others.

Turning my attention back to the Peacekeepers, I was relieved to find that they all still seemed to be breathing and showed no sign of any serious injuries. Whatever they might have done, I wasn't ready to start killing people even if I was meant to keep this 'Ranger' thing secret. What mattered was that they wouldn't be getting up for the next few minutes, which would give me enough time to get the deer and teleport back to the ship without anyone here realising where I had gone.

Still… for the first time, I could kind of understand where Gale was coming from when he went off on his anti-Capitol rants; it felt good to save someone from the kind of punishments they could inflict…