Author's Note: The start of a few chapters with lyrics as their titles. A cookie to the first reviewer to say where these titles originate :P

Thanks to FH11 for the review

Chapter 83

Will You Join In Our Crusade?

Our mission was to get to city center and if needs be direct the populous to safe houses or medical areas.

No one ever said this was a recruiting mission. But it seems that's what a lot of Capitol residents think when they glimpse me or my team.

Devil squad we are not but we are definitely something formidable. I make sure we keep everyone behind my crew and the peacekeepers under my command, each street is checked before we continue. But even with my meticulous nature we still get blindsided.

We had to send Kestrel away when he got darted with a sedative dosed dart. He was fine until his leg gave out and he started to slur words, we didn't know he was doped until he started walking drunk and almost set off another POD in his wayward sauntering.

He was our best set of eyes out here. Now he has to sleep it off or get drugged to reverse the effect. We're down to four people, not including me.

And that's what bothers me the most.

My men insist I get used to giving orders and not executing them myself. It's really hard to just trust them to do it. I trust them, heck I trust anyone of them even the peacekeepers to make sure people are okay, but when it comes to something like disarming a POD or securing a building I have a hard time just telling them to do what I want. I want to make sure of things myself, their lives are in my hands, and I want them all to make it home.

It gets a lot easier on the fourth day in, when my earpiece that is meant for my tech help comes to life and a voice I thought wouldn't be there is.

"Hey Sekmet how is Devil Squad?" Ziggy says and I know she has a smile on her bespectacled face.

"Zigg! How the hell did you get our squad?!" I reply touching my communicator.

"asked for it and told them it would have to be Beetee or I because you won't listen to my subordinates…sorry I had to lie or I would have gotten someone else" she pauses, "how is it out there, we noticed some of the PODs are deactivated, everyone okay?"

"Kestrel was send to aid station number two, it was the closest" I say, "he's drugged, lost two peacekeepers to an acid attack. We have civilians who want to help but I don't trust them to keep safe, they want to rush and just set them off, thinking its better than what we've been doing."

"Capitol people" Ziggy scoffs, I hear her tapping on a keyboard since she always bangs loudly, "you're nearing 81st and Vine?"

"Should be, why?"

"There are three PODs in succession, I need a code from the first one, it's probably engraved on something" she says, "something that is common place, an urn, or a stone in the street"

I give the order to spread out and search, and sure enough we hear not an adult but a kid, who I think is maybe ten years old point out that on a cement bench there is a series of numbers and letters. I tell them to Ziggy and we hear a whir and a couple clanks then three common place items deactivate. A cobble flips over, a light posts flickers and turns away and an urn gets taken underground.

"Okay this street should be safe to cross" Ziggy says.

We go about it like this, those she cannot disengage we try and avoid. It doesn't always work though. Godwin dies trying to disarm an explosive one. He was lying down with his pliers and next his body ended at his ribcage. I couldn't even cry out to him it was that quick. One minute here next minute gone.

We all retire to a safe house when Ziggy crackles in my ear, "I'm sorry Ariana, I tried but some can't be deactivated from here, once they are activated they have to be either set off or deactivated on the spot"

"It's okay Zigg, I don't blame you" I say

"But you blame yourself," Ken says after a minute, we always take shifts together. I liked Godwin, he was a nice guy, and now he's dead. I miss my friends more now. I miss Gale saying things will be okay.

"I wish I never did that propo" I say nestling my chin on my knees, "Kestrel wouldn't be drugged 'till next Sunday and Godwin would still be ali-"

"Don't Ariana" Ken comes and sits beside me, "everyone who is here knows the risks, and is still here. Godwin was a great guy, but he knew his job was dangerous and he still wanted the job. Be it to work with you, or Gale or Katniss and Peeta, it doesn't matter, he joined, heck we all joined because this has to end. And in a few more days it will end either way."

"I still think he shouldn't have died" I say

"And you will still think that, all good leaders regret loss of life y'know, but they also know its part of the life of a soldier, the chance however likely of not coming home," he puts his arm over my shoulder, "don't let it stop you from moving forward okay? Mourn but mourn while going forward."