KATNISS

"They're coming."

Rue's words sliced through her frustration, leaving behind a vast, blank space in her chest. Stupid! Katniss thought, exhaling through her teeth. Stupid. All I've done is draw attention. She cursed under her breath, grabbing the knife from her belt. "Gale, cover me," she ordered, already heading in the direction Rue was pointing. When she heard no footsteps behind her, she looked back.

Gale knelt in the grass beside the fire, staring blankly in her direction. Not good, Katniss thought, feeling a stab of guilt. Gale continued to stare, lips parted, shoulders slumped. Of course I'd say something destructive just as we're about to be attacked. Naturally. "Gale, come on. This isn't the time to break down. We've got company."

"You don't love me at all?" he asked, as if he couldn't fathom the idea. Katniss hesitated, unable to think of a reply. He was her best friend, her hunting partner, her ally. But she didn't love him romantically. Why couldn't he understand that?

How could he have come to believe in the charade they were performing for the Capitol?

"Katniss," Rue called, her voice rising with fear. "They're close."

"We've got to climb," she said. Facing two Robots on her own would only get her killed. If Gale wouldn't fight with her, she'd have to hide. That's what I'm good at, she thought. I'm a survivor.

She grabbed Gale's sleeve, yanking him to his feet. "Come on. We have to get out of their range."

His expression hardened. He ripped his arm from her grasp. "No."

No? She stopped. Studied his face for a moment. Then, quietly, she said, "You're planning to fight them, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I won't run. That's not who I am."

"Gale, you'll get yourself killed."

"Have you ever considered that might be what I wanted?"

She gaped.

Gale let out a frustrated sigh. "You don't love me. Fine. But don't think you can order me around after kicking my legs out from under me."

Guilt pooled in her stomach. "Gale . . ."

"Run, Katniss. Run and hide. That's what you're good at."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, latching onto the surge of anger to push aside the guilt. But Gale didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed his knife and stalked in the direction of the Cornucopia. He's really going to fight the Robots, she realized, hands curling into fists. When did he get this reckless?

"Fine," she said. "I'll fight, too. But you're going to get us both killed." She followed after him, her gait shifting, becoming predatory. As she passed the tree where Rue acted as lookout, she paused. "If we die, climb as high as you can and try to make it back to camp. Tell Finnick first—he's got a lot of influence over the other Careers, and he's more reasonable than Cato. If you can't find Finnick, talk to Marvel."

Rue nodded, already climbing higher up the tree. I should be climbing, too, Katniss thought. That's the smart thing to do. Only a fool faces a stronger opponent head-on.

She hurried to catch up to Gale. Together, they moved through the undergrowth, setting aside their argument in favor of a more familiar pattern. Once she caught up, she took the lead, her smaller body slipping easily between trees. Gale shadowed her, keeping close enough that she could feel his body heat creeping across her back. He didn't make a sound.

When she saw a glint of metal in the dappled sunlight, Katniss pressed her body against the side of a tree, gripping her knife. All her senses centered around the Robot as it rustled in the bushes. Come on, she thought. Just a little closer.

The Robot turned its head, mismatched eyes zeroing in on where she and Gale hid. A green light blinked somewhere on the Robot's body, and Katniss shifted, her hunter's instincts commanding her to move. The green light expanded, shooting toward her and burning everything it touched as it streaked through the undergrowth. Have to keep moving, she thought, throwing herself to the ground as a second bolt shot through the air above her. This one struck the tree she'd been using for cover. Bits of bark flaked off the trunk, settling in the dirt.

"Damn it," Gale hissed behind her. "It's got a cannon."

Katniss rolled, then crouched behind a medium-sized rock. Another bolt flashed in her peripheral vision, striking a bush behind her. Smoke rose from the burning leaves, fire rising from the center of the bush. If I get hit, that's what's going to happen to me.

Instinct had her rushing forward, knife in hand. The Robot's bright blue eye settled on her face, glowing with an almost human look of annoyance. The green light flashed again, and she threw herself to the side, wincing as the laser grazed her skin. The smell of burnt flesh drifted up to her nose, making her eyes water.

She leapt forward, crashing into the Robot's torso. Her inertia knocked them both to the ground. The impact resonated in her bones, a dull ache that spread through her whole body. She'd have bruises from where her softer body had struck the metal structures of the Robot's torso.

A screech pierced the air, shrill and demanding. Katniss shifted her grip on the knife and brought it down, burying the tip in the Robot's throat. Circuits broke apart, wires coming free as she jerked the knife to the side, but the creature kept fighting, using its greater weight to throw her to the side. She rolled again, jumping to her feet even as the Robot readied its laser cannon.

A figure moved in her peripheral vision, blurring with speed. I'm dead, she thought, stumbling to the side and disrupting her momentum. She took a hard fall, landing on an exposed tree root. All the air rushed out of her lungs.

"Hey!" Gale snarled, suddenly standing above her. She looked up, too stunned to move, as he grabbed the Robot's arm and twisted, wrenching the creature's joint. It screeched again, raising its cannon a beat too late. Gale yanked its arm in the wrong direction, bending the metal hinges, ripping apart vital wiring. Oil flowed down the alien's arm, black like ink.

Still gasping for breath, Katniss buried her knife in the creature's ankle, spraying oil all over her gloved hands. Another inhuman scream tore through the air. Every alien in the arena will hear that, she thought fuzzily. We're as good as dead.

With two damaged joints, the Robot staggered backward. Gale shoved its shoulder, then followed it to the ground, ramming his knife into its chest. The alien's screech wavered, like a candle in the wind. Then, finally, the Robot fell silent, body twitching as it lost functioning.

Gale stood, turning away from her. The lines of his body seemed more defined than they had a few minutes ago, as if killing the alien had given him some indefinable presence. She looked up. Blood and oil slid down her arm, making her fingers slippery. A great silence pressed down on them, the forest hauntingly silent.

"Watch out!" Rue shouted from above. Katniss looked up and saw Rue looking down at them, her eyes wide with fear. Watch out for what? she wondered, feeling curiously numb. She looked back to Gale, hoping he could provide some insight.

A flash of green shot through the air, coming from their makeshift campsite. The laser seemed to move in slow motion, burning through leaves and twigs as it shot through the air. Katniss lifted her hand, opening her mouth to call out a warning.

The bolt struck Gale in the shoulder before she could say a word.