The team moved briskly through the forest, prepared at any moment to encounter another band of warriors, or worse, some other thing like what they had fought before. For nearly an hour, they shuffled back-to-back, weapons, magic, and fists at the ready. No foes appeared.

Holly holstered her Neutrino. "Okay. I think it's fair to say we're not getting attacked, for now."

"He hasn't ended it, though." Twilight pointed out. "The computers haven't said anything."

"Then there's still one more team out there," said Katniss grimly.

The elf nodded in agreement. "The Master's team."

"How are we supposed to gain an advantage over them?" questioned Mikasa. "We can't ambush them if we don't know where they are."

"And I can't track them if I don't have a place to start," added Katniss.

Holly smiled. "Then our course of action is easy. We lead them to us."

This was met with a collective "What?"

"It's simple, really," explained Holly. "They have no choice but to take the ring from us. They show up, we beat them into a fine paste, we win."

Katniss wasn't so sure. "Do you remember fighting them last time?"

"Of course. They're a complete mess. I'm surprised they don't end up killing each other. It doesn't matter that they're scary-looking."

For a moment, the team contemplated.

"I am in favor of an honorable battle," said Ryu.

"Fine, whatever. Let's get this over with," conceded Mikasa.

Holly drew her Neutrino and waved it in the air triumphantly. "Three to two, it's decided! We're bringing them to us!"

"But-" Katniss stammered. She looked at Twilight, who performed an action she could only assume was the horse equivalent of shrugging. Reluctantly, she followed Holly and the rest of their team as they moved toward the light that glowed in the distance through the trees, the clearing where she first ran into Holly and Twilight.

Stepping out of the forest was relieving at first. Katniss even caught herself taking a deep breath, despite the fact that the air out there was no fresher than that among the trees. But across the grassy expanse was a grim reminder of her sins- a blackened forest, still smoldering. I can't believe I did it. I killed them in cold blood. They all wanted the same thing I did. Doesn't everyone here? What made me better than them? That I was stronger? Isn't that what I fought so hard to oppose?

Any further self-reflection was cut short by an unfortunate message from Mikasa, who was slowly drawing her swords.

"We've got company."

Across the field, emerging from the soot, was the final team. The huge, bio-mechanical form of Megatron looming over his subordinates- the fiendish swordsman Nightmare, the intelligent alien Predator, and the monstrous Xenomorph. They advanced into the clearing, coming to a halt forty meters away.

"Hey," Holly whispered to Mikasa. "Want to take the big guy?"

"No. 3D Maneuver Gear is almost useless in the open like this. I'll go for the sword-guy," responded the scout, eagerly twirling her blades.

"I'll fight the one with dreadlocks. It looks strong," said Ryu.

Twilight disagreed. "No way! That means I'm fighting that…" she motioned toward the Xenomorph. "…thing."

Katniss could not believe they were bickering at a time like this. They went back and forth. But over their voices, she heard something. A whistle? Or-

She extended her arm with speed and precision that was unnatural, even for her. Holly's face froze in horror as she realized what had just happened. Katniss' grip had sealed around an arrow, inches from one of the elf's eyes.

"…D-…D-Arvit…" she gasped.

Katniss gave the arrow a look, and snapped it in half. She directed her gaze along the trajectory it had followed. Up, up, and on top of Megatron's shoulder stood a man. With a graceful leap, he descended to the ground, and swung his bow onto his shoulder. He chuckled briefly.

"Well, kid. It's been a while."

***

Ice. Ice ran through her veins. Ice crawled up the windowsills and over the creek, ducking under snow and hiding, waiting for the unwary to pass over. Ice covered their brows and their backs as they hiked through the forest. He stopped and pointed up ahead. There, he would say. See? He's hiding along the trees. She would shoot, the deer crumpling, its last good eye regarding the two as they set to work.

Warmth. The life of the animals running over their hands, the food- so scarce, so rewarding- melting in their stomachs. The smiles of her mother and sister as they returned from a day's hunt. The songs sung in the woods and repeated by the mockingjays, an endless harmony. Earth, close, ever present, hollow, surrounding, consuming. Fire, death, grief, sorrow, and emptiness.

"And you'll be back?"

"Hey, kid, of course I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Katniss."

"Katniss. Katniss. Katniss!"

She blinked. Holly had been the one speaking, fear filling the elf's eyes. The girl looked up, and saw him standing in front of her, his cold grey eyes locked onto her near-identical ones. Her father, the man who taught her everything she knew. The man who had ruined her life.

"You sure have grown up," he said softly.

Katniss remained frozen, asking him one thousand questions in her head. There were simply too many- Why are you here? Why are we both here? Why are you with them? How did it happen? What was it like? What was the last thing you thought of? Was it us? Did you know what we had to go through? Do you know what I went through?

"You're… you're-" she stuttered.

"Yes. I'm alive, very much so. It's good to see you again, Katniss."

"Ahh… uhh.. ye… yes. G-good to see you, too." Her mind was still reeling. Nothing made sense any more. Her nightmares made more sense, this whole Grand Combat made more sense, than this did. She fell backward, attempting feebly to sit up.

"Listen, kid, I'd really love to talk. But I'm afraid I have to go through you to get that ring."

"Yea- wait, what?"

"Sorry, but that's the way it is," said the man who was in fact her father, and he promptly punched Katniss in the face.

"ATTACK," screamed Megatron, and his warriors charged down Holly's stunned team.

"I'm just going to take the sword-guy, OK?" grunted Mikasa, who sprinted toward the blue knight. Holly shook her head and barely had time to dodge Megatron's huge sword-like weapon, which was composed of his dinosaur mode's tail. A quick hop and the oversized tail-sword buried itself in the ground beneath Holly's feet. She sprinted up the wide surface and leapt onto the robot's shoulder.

"Guess I'm stuck with you, huh, Barney?"

"You miserable organic SCUM," he cried, thrashing desperately to throw her off.

Katniss was still dazed from the punch, and was very glad that the big robot monster's weapon had not hit her in her stupor. She struggled to get up, but soon her father loomed in her view again. He reached down and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her to eye level.

"Why?" was all she managed to gasp. Her father's expression did not betray happiness, or anger. It was something closer to disappointment.

"Why are you doing this? It's like the big man said. 'The winner will be given the ability to recreate their universe as they see fit.' I know you haven't exactly thought very highly of me since my… accident," Katniss was not sure how he would know that, "And I figure I could make things right for you. For Prim. I'm sure you would want that, wouldn't you? I'm sure that's what a lot of people here want. Now, why don't you just give up, and let me get to that ring, huh? For you." He still held her aloft. Katniss wasn't sure he was quite that strong when she was young, but then again, she had never prompted him to lift her by the neck. She decided now would be a good time to pick a question.

"Do you know what we went through, without you?"

He let go, and Katniss fell to the ground. She sprung to her feet and caught her breath.

"No," he said frankly.

"We starved," Katniss sobbed. "And after we starved, we got by on the skin of our teeth. And after that, the Games."

"Oh, God. Not Prim," he said softly. For a moment, Katniss noticed the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, talking with her father, standing next to a burnt forest as a variety of martial artists, magical creatures, aliens, and robots did battle around them.

"Me," she said astutely. "I went once. I screwed things up, got people angry. I won. They made me go again. Again. Goddamned twice. Then everything went to hell, there was a rebellion, and then- then Prim-" she stopped. Her father's face now was a visage of hatred itself. He drew a large hunting knife from his home-made leather jacket, which Katniss remembered helping her mother sew together.

"You see?" he seethed. "This is why. I wouldn't want that for any child, let alone my two precious daughters! Now can you just give up? Make this easy?"

"But- but, dad, I-"

"Stop! Listen to yourself! I don't know what happened to you in those slaughter fests but you are not making sense."

"No, dad. I can't let you-"

"Fine then," he said, drawing the knife into an aggressive stance. "You leave me no choice."

And with that, he swung.