You woke up to find everyone still asleeping. Feeling groggy, you got up and stretched a little before the sun appeared on the horizon. You stood leaned up against a tree and watched it for a few minutes, enjoying the colors splayed across the sky. It all looked so innocent; the reds, the blues, the yellows…it was all there for everyone to see. In every district there would be this sunset…at least something was linking them all together…"We should get going, Juliet," Marcus walked up from behind you, the usual grand-fatherly smile on his face. You gave him a small smile back and turned back to the sunset for a few brief seconds. You wanted to enjoy this minute for the rest of your life. This mission was dangerous and risky…you might not even come back alive…Marcus gently touched your shoulder, a move only he would dare to do. His kind grey eyes found your quick blue ones.

"It's okay to miss your family," he said softly. You sighed and gently removed his hand from your shoulder.

"I know," you stated pretty formily. Marcus gave you a knowing look, his eyes piercing your mind.

"I heard the conversation between you and Cid last night…sometimes, remembering the loved ones who have passed isn't weakness…," he chastised. This sentence caught you off guard, and your first response was to say something just as mean back. However, after examining the old man's expression, you realized that he wasn't trying to be hurtful. Raising an eyebrow, you locked down all emotions from your face and turned towards the camp.

"Thanks Marcus, but we have to go we have a schedule to keep up to," and with that, you walked with him back to the hovercraft and flew off into the distance. The wind whistled through your ears, blowing away any hurt feelings. Demitri was at the wheel once more, his face was stone-dead serious. Frank, however, was willing to tell a good joke here and there, Cid laughing throughout the whole trip. Marcus sat silently at the back, his head in the charts and maps. Sliding over to him, you helped map out the new route.

As the minutes grew into hours, the scenery began to change into a more hardened form. The trees gave way to hills and stone. District 2 was just on the horizon…Feeling the usual sense of importance, you allowed yourself a moment of panic before letting it all fall through you. There was no reason to be scared for the whole trip, so before every mission you allowed yourself 10 seconds of fear and panic before locking up all emotion. Looking over at Marcus and Cid proved that they were doing the same thing. Marcus's wrinkled face suddenly grew taunt and decisive, his lips pursed in thought. Cid had his goggles on his face, his bright blue eyes shining with a combination of excitement and determination. His usual smirk was a frown, a strange sight on his young face. As for Demitri and Frank, they were both in their professional states. Frank was no longer joking, and Demitri's jaw was as hard as rock.

Everyone was silent for the last few miles before the hovercraft began to descend a few miles out of the district's borders. It stopped in a bunch of trees, the perfect hiding spot for any suspicious eyes. Marcus brought out a map of the district border, he points to a spot near the outer wall surrounding District 2.

"Alright, since District 2 is naturally crowded by mountains and rock, they have no reason to have a fence or wall. We'll use this small weakness to our advantage. There's an outcropping of rocks leading up to the mining part of the district…," he points to a small spot on the map a few miles north of here. "Then, our job will be to make our way from the mines to the houses without being detected as enemies," he said tracing a finger from the mining area over to the housing part of the map. You raised an eyebrow at this in confusion.

"How are we supposed to do that, exactly? That area is VERY open," you said examining the map closer. The housing part of the district was big and spacious. There were no trees or any part that could be covered. Marcus smiled, he turned and grabbed a bag that you hadn't noticed before. Turning it upside down, Marcus let loose a whole lot of clothes. However, this didn't answer you question. At least, it didn't until you caught sight of what kind of clothes they were. Groaning, you picked up a skirt and shirt with obvious distaste in your eyes.

"Are you serious?" you asked mollified. Marcus nodded his head while the others picked through the pile.

"Yep, that's right. We're going in camouflaged as civilians. Just think about it Juliet, if we do this then we'll be completely safe. Besides this, along with the fact that they're showing the contestants for the Games over the monitors, will be a perfect cover to get into the housing part of the district," he said logically. Sighing, you picked out a few pieces of clothing and stuffed them into your own knapsack. Marcus pulled out another map, this one was even in more focus, it was mainly of the different houses. He pointed to three different ones, all in different corners of the area.

"We'll split into three different teams. Frank and Cid, you are to go to this house in the left quartrent," he pointed to a red and tan one at the very top of a plateau. "Demitri and I will be going to this one…," he then pointed to one at the opposite end of the area. You raised an eyebrow doing the math in your head, however, before you could comment on it Marcus was smiling at you with understanding. "Juliet, you're to go to this house…," he pointed to the one in the middle of the area, surrounded by other houses. You felt a smile take over your face. Marcus had assigned you the most dangerous house by yourself. Nodding with approval, you stood up and turned north. It was time to go.

Later

In a few short hours, you found yourself climbing over some rock piles and into District 2. As soon as you had jumped over, you had crawled into the shadows with your team following you close behind. There was a few minutes of dead silence, then everyone began to change into their new outfits.

Your dress was a slim blue thing with big flowers sewn oddly around it. You impatiently threw a black coat over it and tied on your combat boots before combing through your hair once.

Looking over, you nearly laughed at the guys' outfits. They were all overly extravagant and colorful. Suppressing a laugh you turned for further instruction from Marcus. Even though techinically YOU were lead on this, you allowed Marcus to designate the plans and the groups because you respected his wisdom and skill. Marcus looked at his watch while everyone secured their equipment. Lucky for you, your outfit was spacious enough to hide a small gun, a few lockpicks, your communicuff, and a few detonators. Cid was standing next to you pulling up his stylish purple pants and securing a few technological devices he has managed to stow away. Winking at you he looked at Marcus as well, waiting for further instruction. Marcus looked at everyone through a pair of large glasses. Pulling out the map, he double-checked everyone's agreement in the arrangement.

"Alright, I suppose we've got nothing else to talk about. So….good luck," with a nod. He grabbed Demitri and took his leave, heading towards the east end of the district. Frank gently touched your shoulder reassuringly, then accompanied Cid to the West side. Taking in a deep breath, you began to walk north into the heart of the district.

As you walked, you felt the gun hit against your thigh. Oddly enough, you felt reassured by it, at least you had a back-up plan…Sighing, you enjoyed the faint breeze and the clear sky. It was a beautiful day out, and so quiet….suddenly, it hit you. It was quiet. Stopping in your tracks, you looked around the buildings. There wasn't a soul in sight. Confused and anxious, you began to walk down the lane at a quicker pace, keeping in mind the house you were supposed to be doing recon on.

It only took a few blocks, but you finally came upon the answer as to all of the silence. One of the monitors in the main square was lit up with activity. A giant mob was gathered under it, watching with rapt attention. Curiousity overtaking your reserve, you silently walked through the crowd to catch a closer look at this oddity. There were names scrolling down the bottom of the screen, each one held what district they were from. As each name flew by, a picture popped up. That's when you recognized it. It was the Games. Coin had said they were going on this year…the Quarter Quell…Those pictures were of the people who were going in. A lot of them were middle-aged or older, each one sporting wrinkles and crows feet. However, one person's face did catch your attention. It was the picture of a girl with long dark hair and dark eyes. Her complexion was tan and glossed over, her expression was somewhere along the lines of determined and serious. Her name was apparently Katniss Everdeen and she was from District 12. She was very skinny, yet toned. Turning away from the monitor you rumimented how she will probably be dead in three days…

Forgetting about the Games was easier than it seemed for you. You've been so busy for the past 2 years you haven't really kept track of who was going in and who was coming out. The fact that it was the Quarter Quell raised some curiousity, but not enough to distract you from the mission. So, without further notice you began to walk due north.

The house that you were looking for was big…REALLY big. It had stone on the front and was painted a dull blue. Doubling checking you weren't being followed, you darted around the house and crept up to the back door. Naturally, it was locked, however that never stopped you before. So, you got in under 10 minutes of picking.

The house was nicely decorated in a very modern and fashionable way. Whoever lived here was obviously up there in the ranks of the president, because everything in this house looked like it was way more expensive then it should've been. You crept through the house as silently as possible, keeping in check that there were no cameras and bugs. The thing that you were looking for was information. So, you first started with the desks and wardrobes. All you could find was clothes and a few scraps of notebook paper. That's when you heard it, the tell-tale sound of a door being opened. A voice floated to you from the livingroom. Holding down the panic in your stomach, you searched frantically around the room for an exit. Suddenly, you looked up to see an air vent channeling through the whole room…probably the whole house. Quickly, you climbed up onto the nearest counter and pulled open the vent.

Just as placed the grate back in, a tall lanky woman walked in. You slowed your breathing in order to listen to her more closely. You noticed how she was dressed like a Capitol minion, her hair was up in a ridiculous do and her make-up was smeared pink and purple across her face. Her outfit suggested that she was rich, yet it showed a few wrinkles, meaning it was over-used. A friend joined her quickly. This one was a man, stout and strong, his hair was in a crew cut and his eyes were a unforgiving grey.

"Lilibeth, you know that we have no choice in the matter. President Snow has recommended it himself, the troops are already nearing 12 as we speak…," his voice was raspy and teasing. The woman sighed dramatically and held her cheek. Troops were approaching District 12...for what? Suddenly it hit you, there must be a rebellion going on in the district.

"I know…but it seems like such a waste of money and men…," groaned the woman. Her voice sounded like a mouse being stepped on, squeaky and stupid. The man gently held on to her shoulders lovingly. His grey eyes were downcast.

"When they blow up District 12, I'll make sure there's hardly any of our Peacekeepers nearby…don't worry, your brother will be safe," with that, he lead her back outside the house. With your thoughts reeling in your mind, the other thing that was obvious was the fact that you needed to get to Coin immediately. Kicking the grate from the vent, you crawled out and landed back on the counter. Feeling panic rise up in your chest, you burst from the house without caring about who was watching. You ran down the street, pushing past the crowds of people mulling around the square. It was as if time had suddenly slown down; you could practically hear your heart thump as you ran across the housing area.

The first house you wanted to get to was Cid and Frank's, you needed to alert them first, so turning your body west, you full out sprinted. However, you plan faltered when you arrived to see that the house was surrounded by a group of Peace Keepers and a circle of civilians. Gently pushing past people you saw something that made your heart drop into your stomach. Cid, Marcus, Demitri, and Frank were all standing in a line with their wrists and ankles tied together, their heads were bent to the ground. A few Peacekeepers stood over top of them with guns pointed. The general walked forward with a smug smile. He raised his hands dramatically in the air; one of those hands was holding tightly on to a gun. Thinking quickly, you allowed yourself to sink back into the crowd. What were you going to do? If you attempted to free them now you would be in chains along with them.

However, you didn't need to worry about making a distraction, because suddenly the large monitor in the main area began flickering with light. Suddenly, the TV was showing play-by-plays of the Games arena and the scores of the contestants. In that moment, everyone's eyes were on the big screen, just enough time for you to step behind one of the Peacekeepers and steal the keys. Quickly, you unlocked Cid's bracelets and then Frank's. However, you stepped back, just as the guards turned around. Cid and Frank played their freedom coolly, however. They knew that if they were to jump up now, they would only be shot. The screen played the number of bets on each contestant, giving you another option to release Marcus and Demitri. The guards turned and glared at their supposed prisoners.

"Look at that, don't you wish you had another chance like those in the Games? At least then you would be still alive…," he laughed maniacally, bringing down his large gun towards Marcus's face. Smiling up at the guard, Marcus pulled apart his handcuffs and kicked the gun away. Following his lead, Cid disarmed the second guard and kicked him in the stomach. You quickly inserted yourself in this fight by pulling the others up onto their feet and running in the other direction. Cid followed close behind you with Demitri, Frank, and Marcus brining up the rear.

Already sirens were wailing through the district. You were heading towards the exit when you heard the stomping of boots on the ground.. At this moment you were pushing your speed to the limit, the door was so close! That's when you began to hear gunshot from behind. For most people this would cause a sudden halt in their footsteps, but you knew better…you had to get out of there.

"Juliet! It's Marcus, he's been hit!" Cid shouted from behind you. Skidding to a stop, you looked to see that Marcus was on the ground with blood dripping from his chest. You ran up to him and knelt down, anxiously watching as Peacekeepers began peaking out from nearby buildings. Marcus coughed and rubbed the wounded area.

"Go…Juliet…get them…out of here….," he breathed, his oxygen beginning to shut down. You shook your head like a little girl.

"We can't leave you here," you cried, feeling a clog form in your throat. Marcus dropped the hovercraft keys in your hand and laid his head back on the ground. You gripped the keys and looked up to see that the Peacekeepers were only a few yards away. Standing up, you heard Marcus give that last deep breath of life and then grabbed Cid's arm and ran through the closing door of the district. You didn't look back as you jumped into the trees and through the forest. Cid wasn't the most athletic, but when a few dozen Peacekeepers were on his tail, he was pretty fast. His goggles were flying across his face, and he was breathing heavily. Looking back, you didn't see Demitri or Frank following, but that couldn't be helped. So, for the next 3 miles you kept running.

Finally, with heaving breaths, you dropped down exhausted. Cid limped over to a tree and threw up the contents of his stomach. Sniffling, he wiped his mouth and plopped down next to you. "We lost Demitri and Frank…," he said slowly. You looked at him with a blank expression. There was nothing you could do about the other two, they were probably dead, but you knew what Cid wanted to hear…

"Don't worry, I'm sure they got away. We'll just meet at the rendezvous point in the morning," you assured him, getting up to set up camp. It was already dark out, which meant no fire, but you pulled out some freeze-dried jerky and handed him a piece. This would have to be dinner tonight, then, tomorrow you'd set out West to find the others.