As the Mockingjay rose up to take her place in the ranks of the Rebellion, the newly reformed Black Dahlia returned to her position as President Snow's ultimate weapon. The Madame's manipulation tactics worked even better than the mind wipe alone, inspiring a deep hatred within the girl for anything connected to the rebels. Especially Finnick Odair.

She was sent to locations ordinary peacekeepers couldn't tread, carried out missions no other soldiers could pull off. Any whisper of revolution was snuffed out quicker than it could begin, enemies of the Capitol were slain before they even realised they were a target. While President Coin stressed over the devastating losses they were suffering at the Black Dahlia's hand as well as the repercussions of pardoning the women for these crimes, President Snow was revelling in the chaos his monster was causing. Finally he had what he had always wanted. A way to end wars before they could even get going.

At the time, the Black Dahlia was deep in the heart of District Eight, hopping from roof to roof searching for reported rebel hideouts. The district had mostly been blasted into an inhabitable wasteland after a series of bombing from the previous week, but intelligence suggested that some had survived and set up a rebel base, including the formation of a makeshift hospital. She was tasked with finding and reporting its location back to Capitol officials. But what she saw was far more valuable.

She ducked out of sight as a hovercraft soared overhead, sheltering behind a protruding chunk of concrete as dust and debris were kicked up by the engines. The Black Dahlia's white suit easily blended into the bland grey buildings of the district and the restrictive mask locked onto her jaw allowed protection from the harsh rocks and rubble. But as the hovercraft descended to the ground, she crawled over to the rooftop's edge to identify the new arrivals.

They were District Thirteen soldiers, that much was clear. The stark black outfits and heavily armoured bodies were the only indicators she needed to be certain of that fact. But then her eyes locked onto an unusual figure in the field. A woman clutching a bow with a quiver of arrows strapped to her back... The Mockingjay.

Her interest was peeked and her senses heightened as the assembled team moved swiftly through the wreckage and the hovercraft disappeared from the area. The Black Dahlia was even more amused to find the very targets she'd been scouring for emerging from a seemingly abandoned building to greet them. It looked like she would be killing two birds with one stone.

Removing the communication device from a pocket in her suit, she wasted no time activating it and making contact with the Capitol, "This is the Black Dahlia. I have eyes on the Mockingjay."

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

"Sir," One of Snow's trusted advisers, Antonius, began as he ushered the President and Egeria away from the party. They had received vital information from the Black Dahlia, who was waiting patiently for further instruction. But those orders needed to come from Snow. "Some cameras were damaged in the bombings, but the Black Dahlia confirmed it's her."

The video started to play, depicting Katniss and a group of District Thirteen rebels jogging through the demolish streets of District Eight as Snow approached with an impassive expression. He examined the footage with a calculating gaze, tilting his head silently in contemplation.

Finally he spoke up, "Zoom in." The order was carried out quickly as Snow stepped forward to observe even closer. A smirk slowly creeped onto his face as he recognised the familiar form of Katniss Everdeen.

"She was visiting a makeshift hospital. One that the Black Dahlia has been searching for." Antonius explained as a genuine yet sinister grin settled on Snow's treacherous lips. "We're not sure if she's still there, but the Black Dahlia is stationed in the area and awaiting her next orders."

"Hmm." Snow acknowledged the man's words, backing away while keeping his eyes locked on the Mockingjay. His mind whirred with the possibilities this opportunity could allow him. He could potentially end the Mockingjay symbol once and for all. But that could make her a martyr. No, he just needed to send a message.

"We can scramble hovercraft from the border of Eleven." Antonius suggested, turning to give Snow his full and undivided attention while they scheme of ways to take advantage of this favourable moment. "We may be able to target her."

Hmm." Snow hummed, dismissing that idea quickly with a simple shake of the head. Instead he calmly declared, "Kill the wounded."

"Sir..." Egeria cautioned weakly, not entirely happy with the plan he was putting forward but not quite willing to voice her disapproval to the President.

Snow glanced down at the horrified woman with a stony expression and reminded her, "You wrote that speech yourself, Egeria." The woman nodded her understanding and compliance, backing down from the confrontation before it could escalate. "Any association with the Mockingjay symbol is forbidden." Receiving no more arguments from Egeria, Snow returned his gaze to the screen. "Everyone inside that hospital has committed treason. Show them what it costs to be friends with Katniss Everdeen."

Antonius nodded his obedience, preparing to carry out his President's orders before remembering one last thing, "What about the Black Dahlia?"

Snow paused in thought for a moment, pondering what the best course of action would be for his little monster. Then he came to a decision, "Let the Mockinjay experience true fear." The two advisers watched as a dark, ominous look overshadowed his pristine features. "Mobilise her."

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

The Black Dahlia's orders were clear; distract not kill. She was to ensure the bombers could swoop in and blast the hospital without interference from the Mockingjay. The girl from District Twelve had a kind heart, seeing the weak and injured suffer would surely prompt her to retaliate. It was the Black Dahlia's job to stall her long enough to get their message across.

As a warning siren wailed and the team from District Thirteen hurried to take cover, she took the opportunity to sneak into the building through a shattered gap in the wall. The group sprinted along the twists and turns of the corridor, unaware of the figure tracking them through the shadows. Too focused on getting to safety, no one thought to check for enemies. Especially one who could hide in plain sight.

Predictably, Katniss was lured off course by the sound of machine gunfire and quickly darted away from the rest of the group towards the heat of the battle. Her gullible and overprotective guard dog followed suit with a cry of her name as the other members of her crew scrambled to catch up.

"Everdeen!" A commanding voice called out as the Black Dahlia expertly weaved through industrial equipment to keep the Mockingjay in her sights. "Everdeen!" Katniss had ducked behind a blasted section of wall to observe the action outside, eyes widening at the horrors of war occurring right before her very eyes. "Gale, back away from the wall!"

Just as the warning cry reached their ears, the dark silhouette of a hovercraft passed overhead and Gale tackled Katniss to the floor moments before an explosion could've knocked them backwards. To the Black Dahlia's luck, the dust and rubble caused by the blast momentarily separated the two from the rest of the pack. While they were down, she made her move.

Disoriented the sheer force of the detonation, Katniss' eyes struggled to adjust to her surroundings, squinting through the misty air for any sign of Boggs. As a blurred figure strode towards them, she distantly heard his muffled voice yelling out, "You okay?"

Katniss relaxed as the person approached, grateful for Boggs' presence. Until she remembered... Boggs wasn't wearing white. None of the District Thirteen rebels wear white.

"Gale, watch out!" She called out to the boy who was so concerned with her well-being he had yet to notice the danger marching towards them. Her warning came too late.

The Black Dahlia raced forward and kicked Gale powerfully in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the crumbled wall where he was temporarily incapacitated. Katniss barely had time to scurry to her feet before she was doubled over in pain as the Black Dahlia sunk her knee into the girl's stomach. Then she gripped the Mockingjay's arm and flipped her effortlessly to the ground, making Katniss land with an anguished wince and a loud groan.

The Black Dahlia stalked around her prey like a lioness drooling over her next meal, but she never attacked while the girl attempted to recover and she never drew her weapons. Katniss could see the infamous twin swords strapped to her back, not to mention the intimidating plethora of guns and knives displayed across her body. So why wasn't she using them?

As Katniss stumbled to her feet once more and faced the girl, she quickly moved to strike first. Using her bow as a weapon, she swung the handle at the Black Dahlia, who ducked under each swipe with graceful ease. She brought her forearms up to block the next attack which came clattering down on her skin with such bruising force, any normal human would've leaped away in agony. Yet the Black Dahlia didn't flinch. In fact, it seemed like she hadn't acknowledged the pain at all.

"What are you?" Katniss muttered in disbelief, eyebrows furrowed at the unstoppable machine her old ally had become. The Black Dahlia forced the girl away with an irritated shove, casually strolling after her as Katniss staggered trying to stay upright.

Tilting her head, the masked warrior replied with an eerie calmness which made her seem all the more menacing, "I'm a monster."

Katniss hastily ripped an arrow from her quiver as the Black Dahlia launched forward to resume her non-lethal attack. The Mockingjay slashed in the girl's direction, hoping to maintain some distance between them, but the Black Dahlia just kept advancing. Though Katniss was still confused. She could tell her opponent was pulling her punches, holding back from unleashing her true potential. Surely Snow would've wanted her dead as soon as possible. A swift silent assassination while she was out in the field would make perfect sense and rouse less suspicion. Why wasn't she dead already?

Growing fatigued from the constant bombardment of aggressive attacks meant to tire her out but not injure, Katniss' defence became sloppy and desperate. This left the Black Dahlia with plenty of opportunities to finish the job. Yet she didn't. Katniss was sure she shouldn't have survived this long against such a formidable adversary, especially when she was already weakened and made many mistakes. Maybe the Black Dahlia was just toying with her? Prolonging the suffering? Possibly refining her combat skills or simply getting in some practical experience...

Though all these theories proved to be false as the Black Dahlia landed a harsh kick to Katniss' knee to send her sprawling to the ground once more. Panting in exertion, the Mockingjay's grip on the arrow faltered and she stared defiantly up at the girl, waiting for the end to come. Where was Cressida at a time like this, cameras all set to livestream her death to the whole of Panem?

But the Black Dahlia didn't claim her life. She just stood above the Mockingjay emotionlessly, holding all the power in the situation and choosing not to use it. Katniss waited for what felt like years to become the next victim of the Black Dahlia's wrath. Waiting for a merciful death that would never come.

"Why don't you just get it over with, huh?" Katniss eventually asked, shifting uneasily under the Black Dahlia's cold intense gaze. "Go on. Kill me."

The Black Dahlia didn't react to Katniss' encouragement. The only indicator that she had heard the girl's words at all, was when she kneeled down next to her on the dusty floor. With a hint of smugness in her tone, she calmly responded, "You're not the target."

"Everdeen!" Boggs shouted through the haze, making Katniss' head whip around to find the source of the voice. She was relieved to find the man jogging through the clearing smoke with a now-conscious Gale following closely behind.

However, her relief was short-lived as she turned back to discover that the Black Dahlia was gone. Other than the scuff marks on the ground from their intense fight, there was no evidence she'd ever been there in the first place.

As Gale helped her to her feet once more and Boggs eyed the Mockingjay with concern, she shakily asked, "Where-- Where is she?"

Boggs' eyes narrowed in confusion at the question and had to reply with one of his own, "Where is who?"

"The Black Dahlia." Katniss answered, scanning the area for any sign that she hadn't just imagined the whole interaction.

"The Black Dahlia?" Boggs repeated, eyes now blown wide with agitation as he too glanced around their surroundings. "Here?" Katniss nodded hesitantly, not entirely certain that she hadn't just hit her head a bit too hard. "Are you sure?"

"I-- I think so." Katniss stammered, still in a daze from the speed of the attack and the Black Dahlia's disappearance. "She said..." Her eyebrows scrunched as she tried to recall the girl's final words. "She said..." Then her face morphed into an expression of horror. "She said I'm not the target."

And from the burning embers of a wrecked hospital, the Mockingjay would find the fury she needed to ignite the districts into rebellion...

"Fire is catching. And if we burn, you burn with us!"