"So, they still won't do anything but send a Mutt," Gale said, "even if it is one they don't consider expendable."

"Citizen Hawthorne, I would like to outline a theory," Victoria said. "You are assuming that this facility is equivalent to a Games Arena, run by a Gamemaster and crew. But it is entirely possible, if not more probable, that those functions have been assumed by automation and artificial intelligence. As I already suggested, the presumed person or persons you call `they' may not exist. It may only be this `Place' and any agents it creates."

"Management wishes it to be known that every effort is being made to ensure your happiness and contentment," Dilly said in her usual singsong. "Any complaints or requests you may have will be treated as matters of highest priority."

"We want to leave," Gale said. "We want you to let everyone go."

There was a pause, and then Dilly said, "Your request will be forwarded to Administration."

"Where is Administration?" Gale snarled.

"Management cannot comment at this time," Dilly said.

"They're dead," Johanna said. "Vick's right. `Management' is an automated system. `Administration' was the Ancients, and they are all dead."

"Administration has no comment at this time," Dilly said flatly. Then the singsong tone returned to her voice: "Gale, would you like us to improve on your current partner? Rest assured, we can make adjustments to the next edition. Or, we can make you married to Johanna. Johanna, you would be very satisfied with this, would you not? Or, if Gale desires it and you are amicable, we could arrange a polygamous partnership..."

Johanna lunged headlong with a knife in either hand, only to slam into the force field and fall with a bloody nose. A smear of blood hung in the air for a moment, then dropped to the earth as the force field dematerialized. "Please do not do that again," Dilly said. "You have injured yourself. You are instructed to return to your designated homes fo the day. If you refuse, it will be necessary to summon Security."

As she spoke, they all realized that the birds had fallen silent. Romulus raised the shovel and shouted, "Mutt! The Mutt! Run!"

"Nice," Johanna said as she rose. She circled Dilly at a brisk walk, ready to run into a forcefield, but it never came. "This Mutt kept us talking while another one closed in."

There was a rustle from the trees, and six squirrels came running out into the open 30 yards back. Romulus looked ready to charge into the bush, but he stayed close to the others, shouting,"Mutt! Mutt! Run! Run, you fools!" He looked over his shoulder, revealing tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why didn't you just run?"

Jan picked up the two knives Johanna had dropped, and moved to Romulus's side. It was clear from the stance he assumed that he had more than ample experience with the blades. "Go, all of you," he said, looking Johanna directly in the eye. "I will remember you."

As the rest hustled off, Jan began to sing "Hanging Tree", but in a fast and unmistakeably martial tempo. There was crashing from the brush. "Don't look back," Haymitch said, before giving Victoria a push and turning back himself. There was a thunderous roar that could have been the bellow of a tremendous beast or an awesomely powerful blast of wind, just as Romulus gave a scream and Jan sang a coda:

"We may grow old or we may die young- but we will all be together at the Hanging Tree!"

Gale and Johanna burst out of the trees, yards away from the front porch of Peeta's house. Johanna waited just long enough to pull Victoria clear. The mole woman was so badly winded that Gale carried her to the front steps, while Johanna ran ahead. She drew her biggest remaining knife before pounding on the door. "Who is it?" said a female voice. Gale reached the top of the stairs and froze.

"That's Prim," he said. "Please... put it away."

"I'm glad you could come," Peeta said. "I'm sorry my wife had to step out."

"Right, your wife," Johanna said. "Who would that be?" Peeta paused, looking uncertain. "Katniss. Isn't it? Except, it's not. All of this is an illusion created with Mutts. You know about Mutts. I'll tell you something else: You did marry Katniss, but you never had a kid. You made that up to drum up sympathy when they sent you both to the Third Quell. But I guess you really wanted it to be true, because this place made it so. I'm guessing you also think you both came straight here after she blew out the force field on the arena, and you settled down and had the kid instead of being tortured and brainwashed until you were ready to kill her."

"But... Prim's here," Peeta said. They looked to Katniss's sister, who was talking to Gale and Victoria, with Rosanna curled up in her lap. He looked back, clearly puzzled and troubled. "She...she seems real. And there's Rosanna..."

Gale waved the two women down the hallway. "We have a problem," Gale said. "If I didn't know better, I would think Prim was a real survivor. I'm still not sure what she is."

"I believe Rosanna is real, though it's harder to judge for a child," Victoria said. "By the same token, however, a child would probably be harder to simulate. The simplest explanation is that Rosanna is an actual survivor, presumably an orphaned infant, which Peeta has been conditioned to accept as his own child."

"I have an idea about Prim," Johanna said. "Gale, remember that cheesy fantasy film, when we dressed up forty extras to represent the goblin army in the life shots? The first eight were what the makeup people called `heroes'- they had really detailed costumes, and weapons good enough to hurt someone. They were always up front, where they would actually tussle with the real stars. The rest were just goofy rubber masks and foam axes, and it didn't matter because they weren't close enough to the camera. I think Prim's like that... They just did extra work."

"It is also possible `they' had better material," Victoria said. "I have been giving some thought to your description of the wishing ritual. It sounds like the perfect arrangement for the covert collection of DNA samples. A fresh blood sample could be used as the basis for a fully functional clone."

Gale nodded. "I thought about that, with the Hunger Games. Katniss complained about how much of her hair they pulled out. They told her it was to make her look good for the Capitol viewers, but if they saved it, they could have had her cloned."

"So, you think Prim could pass as real?" Peeta said. They all started. "And you're afraid to tell me that? Don't be. I'll tell you the one thing that matters: If this place can do that, there's only one thing we can do... Burn it to the ground."

Just then, there was a very loud knock at the door. Gale and Johanna moved toward the door, just in time to see a wooden bar slide spontaneously back and the lock undo itself. The door swung open, and in stepped... "You?" Gale shouted.

"I can be anyone I want to be," said President Snow.

A second figure stepped inside. "I can also be as many of me as I want to be." It was Gale's father.