Author's Note: Some deaths are needed others are not, that is all I will say at the moment, in a perfect world Peeta would still have his family, but who said the world was perfect right?

Thanks goes to Arrow, RR and FH for the reviews

Chapter 81

Devil's Run

I forgot that we were nearing the end of fall. The first minor flurries have already crossed the windshield of the airship as we are en route to our drop off zone. I'm the only one in blue. Ken tells me it will be easy to spot me if I run into problems because even if the blue is a muted hue it stands out against the white of peacekeepers and grey of our men. The jacket is slightly tighter because like Gale warned, before Boggs went to meet his team for his personal briefing with them he had made sure I put on body armor. It's not the sleek costume Katniss wears but its not the bulky polycarbonate plastic peacekeepers wear, it's a mesh made of Kevlar and carbon fiber made by Ziggy and Beetee on the behest of Gale. Boggs told me this as I put it on. It's ultra light but when I look dubious he has me take it off momentarily and shoots near point blank. Barely anything, maybe a scuff mark. So I'm wearing it.

Promised Gale.

Have to.

Ken comes to stand on my right as I stare out the window, we had left before I could see Gale and Katniss one last time. Haymitch wasn't going but I couldn't care about him. Maverick was still working with Johanna so he didn't show up. He messaged me wishing me luck and telling me to as always 'get this done and get back'.

"We have a pretty good crew" Ken finally says I merely grunt quietly, "something on your mind?"

"No just anticipating what we will see" I reply and Ken gives me a 'you're lying' look, "Prim wanted to come"

"That blond girl? Yeah she came to me as I was leading our men in, told her she can't ask me something I can't give, I'm no CO."

"Thanks" I nod, she must have been really desperate to come to ask anyone, even people she didn't know all that well, "what has gotten in her head, I will not know, no kid wants to run headlong into a firefight."

Ken shrugs, "maybe she wanted to prove something, since everyone sees her as an innocent little girl that has to be sheltered."

"Yeah but look at Posy, younger than her but so much bolder" I point out, "not that I would allow Posy! But y'know."

"Yeah I know, guess Prim is the sheltered type, Posy I could see hunting if she had to"

"Commander?" the pilot speaks up, "we are nearing your drop off."

We head in a street or two as I turn on my emitter. The first block is clear, but it's the outer most edge. A lot of the PODs are in the residential areas. It's eerie quiet.

"Like a ghost town" Julien Daleck says, "where is everyone?"

I'm at the front leading them, plus I have the high tech armor I can get shot and walk away at least I hope, they have the run of the mill stuff.

"Probably deeper in" Perry Boreal replies, "it has been a week since that propo aired right commander?"

Ken has to nudge me when I don't respond, being in command feels wrong, "thereabout"

"Don't mind the commander, her head is on a lot of things right now" Ken covers up for my non talking nature.

"Well I guess so!" Boreal says, "sorry commander"

"Can we not call me that?" I finally say, "just Crane will do."

I don't get acknowledgement save for a few grunts of affirmation.

"Crane?" finally Harvey Godwin asks

"Yes Godwin?" I stop because I have to adjust my emitter to show the next street.

"Is it all true? About what happened?...to you" he asks, and my crew, my small crew of five, Ken, Julien, Perry, Harvey and the last a guy named Joseph Kestrel are looking at me.

"Yep" I look back at my emitter. Looks like there is a POD just at the corner, no identification yet and my tech support hasn't gotten to the game center lab. I guess we have to play this by ear.

I don't hear any of them though, my crew is quiet. I sigh.

"Guys, propos or not, we have a job to do. If after all of this is over you want to wrack my brain with questions we will discuss it then and there" I look at them, "got it?"

"Just" Kestrel finally speaks up, "we will try not to disappoint you mam"

I smirk, "then do your job and buy the first round of coffee when we finish" I reply, "gather round boys we have an obstacle ahead and tech support is lagging behind."

We decide to air on the side of caution, we near it but we don't walk past it until we can figure out the trigger. Kestrel seems to have the best eyes for this and sees a cobble stone that is a slightly bit different color. It must be one of the pressure sensitive traps.

"We should get it disarmed" Ken says, "we are too close to shops and some higher end residences."

"Agreed" I nod and I go for my pack to get my kit out.

"Crane? What are you doing?" Boreal says

"Getting my kit to disarm the mine Boreal" I reply, I then feel all of them looking at me, "what?"

"Give us the order, you're not supposed to do this we are, Godwin is the bomb specialist" Boreal says.

"Yeah quit taking my job!" Godwin smirk taking his kit that he has attached to his belt, and then goes belly down to the cobble stones. I pace and watch while my team keeps a safer distance, I want to be able to grab Godwin and run if he makes a mistake.

I'm smart to stick close, he snips something and he gets sprayed with a foul smelling liquid. Smells like oil or gas.

Lighter Fluid! I grab him before a spark just beside the trigger goes off and a pyre ignites.

He's looking at me, all color drained from his face. "Jesus!" he wipes his face with his sleeve, "bleh! I think I swallowed some!"

"You'll live" I say over the roar of the column of fire.

"Freeze!" we hear and raise our hands.

"Nightlock?" he whispers and I shake my head, the holo-emitter is wired to explode if we say that word three times.

"Hold your fire!" Ken comes from behind a dumpster.

Everyone starts yelling at each other, I finally break my line of sight from the tower of fire that is starting to finally die down when I realize it's a peacekeeper and Ken at a standoff.

"Officer Gabriel I presume" I finally say getting Godwin on his feet.

The peacekeeper blinks and looks at me, Ken steps forward still with his handgun trained on the officer.

"Ken stand down" I tell him when the officer gives a small nod, "Commander Ariana Crane" I offer my hand.

He looks shocked; "I always thought you were taller" he smirks then brings his wrist up, "all clear"

We hear a few guns disengage and a few well disguised peacekeepers emerge, "sorry about that, we were told to wait for you but we actually didn't know you'd be escorted" he offers his hand finally, "officer Keith Gabriel, I'm ordered to bring you to our safe house."

Keith is a couple years older then Ken who in turn is older than me by a couple years. Even so I feel we are on the same side. Their safe house is just a couple spots up from our first POD encounter. It's big bungalow. There are some families already here using it as a refuge. I can see some have already been burnt or cut or some even look like they have been bitten. Scars will heal but the inner scars won't. Keith brings me to the basement with Ken, I have the rest of my crew offer some first aid if they can, help out while we are getting sorted.

Keith's commanding Officer is an old man, he looks up thru his glasses and smiles, "ah! So we get the 'angel of mercy' at last!" he comes over, "Gabriel found you before you got hit excellent."

"We were almost toast, we found a POD no more than a stone throw from here sir, it's disabled now" Ken says for me.

The Peacekeeper commander looks at Ken dubiously.

"He's my second in command Commander, he goes where I go" I say.

"And where we don't want her to go" Ken adds, I give him a look and he shuts up.

"Call me Ishmael, we should be on first names" Ishmael says.

According to Ishmael many residents have vacated the lower parts of the residential quadrants, but as they did they triggered some of the more creative traps. Some have already fallen into pits being attacked by mutts of undefined origin or description. Some families have found safe heavens scattered across the city. Not many are equipped for injuries, they are just there so people can be safe, food has to be brought from outside and even that is getting scarce since no one wants to venture out in case they get attacked.

"We are setting up first aid stations here," I point to his map. "Once we get control of the game center we should be able to disengage the PODs, but until then my crew has to keep moving toward the center."

"How long will that take?" Keith asks, "we can't hold out forever, people are already starving, or dying on injuries we are not capable of handling."

Ken doesn't like Keith because he glares at him, "and in the districts people have been dying of malnourishment and injuries for longer than a couple weeks" he looks beyond miffed.

"Enough you two" I call them over, "look we can argue until the cows come home, the point is right now we are all on the same side. If you can't keep a civil tongue then keep your mouths shut, if we all get out of this I'll give you guys foam bats to smack each other silly but for now drop the 'who's had a worse life', because I can name five people that would win over both of you" I add sternly, "got it?"

Ken crosses his arms, "fine"

Keith 'humphs' and stomps back up to the families.

"Sorry about that, Keith is from district Two, he had a pretty easy life" Ishmael explains, "he never had to do without."

"If only he knew how others were he wouldn't be so surly" I sigh, "right, I was told you have men for me?"

"Yes, I have a squad ready to help, just waiting for you really" Ishmael leads me to a squad of twenty peacekeepers all with rifles and armor and riot gear, "times up grunts!" he hollers to them, "your under Crane's direction now! Objective is to get to city center!"

The sound of them all grunting like a unit of one mind makes me both nervous and confident at the same time. I can feel goose bumps form on my arms.

"All yours chief" Ken whispers in my ear.

We manage to make it to a second safe house before the light starts to fade, everyone agrees traveling at night and trying to avoid the PODs is not a good idea. We take shifts on sleep just in case we find residents looking for a safe place to sleep with all the horrors they might face in the streets.

Ken and I take the late shift Godwin and Kestrel wake us.

I sit at the window. Ken sits at one of the few tables that is still unmarred. We had seen some shops that were broken into and sadly some casualties who had limbs blown off and died of the injury. Now just carcasses that would be stinking if it wasn't winter. I watch snow slowly fall and shiver. I never got the hang of the cold and the idea of walking in this stuff at night has me worried.

Triggers will be concealed.

Bet anything there will be more bodies in the streets if people aren't smart.