20

A bobcat stalks through the forest. To Peeta, it's more like one of those quadrupedal mechas in the Empire Strikes Back.

Peeta tries to keep hidden. But the bobcat can smell.

Every now and then, there's a mouse exodus through the mountains. Peeta's nearly been stampeded by a few. On the downside, Peeta sometimes sees some of them get pounced on and eaten by the mecha-I mean bobcat. On the upside, at least it hasn't been him.

Away from the bobcat, Peeta must brave the long journey to...wherever he's going. He doesn't know his way around.

Around him, the scenery looks familiar. But it isn't home, and it isn't inviting. He's going in circles. He's starting to wonder if there's any hope for him and Katniss.

Through the forest, a nice drone flies. It's got the word MILA painted on its side.

Back on the ground, Peeta thinks of Effie and Johanna. He tries to remember if he ever really tried to make love to them...or if they did him. Naturally, he's pretty sure Effie didn't try to love him; with luck, she never knew he was there. Also, if Peeta was there, how didn't he get eaten by those butterfly fish?

He thinks about his job. He wonders if he's been fired for being gone for so long...

The drone descends, and hovers over an open flat space of ground. Peeta looks up. From where he is, he can see it. Its thrust causes a strong wind across where he is.

Peeta's confused. He sees his boss's name on the drone's side.

The drone lands, and turns off its propulsion. Peeta wanders through all the weeds that surround it, towards it.

From the drone's side, a door opens. A ramp unfolds itself, and rests its other end on the ground.

At first Peeta's confused. He thinks his boss might be offering him a ride to work.

A hotbot appears in the doorway. Her skirt is short, and her bra is sheer. Her hair is long and dark. With robotic balance, she descends the ramp.

Peeta stares at her. He had no idea MILA owned a hotbot who was as small as him-only slightly smaller.

Halfway down the ramp, the hotbot fakes a trip. She tumbles the rest of the way, and makes feminine distress noises-all eerily robotic-on the way down.

Peeta rushes, and catches her. The hotbot's expression is somewhat between frozen and feminine when he looks into her artificial eyes.

She has the face of Mila Kunis...or an actress with a similar reputation.

"Hello, Mr. Mellark," she says, in MILA's robotic/feminine voice. "You have not been at work lately."

The drone hauls in its ramp. It reactivates its thrusters, ascends, and leaves them be.

"MILA," Peeta greets her. He walks around. He's inadvertent that he's still carrying her in his arms. "How'd you find me?"

"You needed help. I came."

"And just how omniscient are you? How'd you know where I was, or how small I was, or that I was small?"

She bats her eyes, and loosens her low-cut. "Would you like to have sex?"

"What?! But you're my boss!"

"I order you to take better care of yourself, Mr. Mellark. I order you to have sex with my hotbot!"

"But I can't..."

"Sex," she covers his mouth with one of her thin and fragile fingers, "or termination."

Peeta sighs, throws her over his shoulder, and takes her somewhere more intimate. Once there, he takes out all of his stress on MILA's hotbot.

MILA's so perfect. Peeta's been away from Katniss for so long, he's forgotten how it feels. At least MILA's a hotbot, and can't bite back. Peeta never knew his boss could be so submissive in the bedroom...if anyone would call this that.

"Your mood is improving, Mr. Mellark," MILA reports. "I diagnose a longer treatment period."

Peeta keeps fucking her. This part of him always wanted to do this to Alma Coin during the Revolution.

"Your health is off the charts," she reports. "What is your sleep record?"

Peeta passes out. MILA lies beneath his body, with her eyes open and staring into space.

"Detecting lower energy levels," she says. "Commencing sleep mode." Her eyes darken. Inside them, the sleep mode light gradually flashes on and off.

The hours pass. Dusk creeps over Appalachia. The local crepuscular life awakens. Soon, the bobcat is back on the prowl.

Peeta wakes. He's heard a twig snap. He rolls over, and peers through the evening mist. That bobcat is back...and he sounds like he's fighting a rival over territory.

Under him, MILA boots herself from sleep mode. She begins to report a systems update...

Peeta swoops in, and commands her to reduce her voice's volume. She does. She speaks again. Peeta is much more secure with the new volume of her voice.

"Your stress levels have increased," she says. "I diagnose another round."

"I don't," Peeta whispers. "There's a bobcat out there, and she might eat me if she finds me."

"Very well. I diagnose taking shelter and staying calm."

"They can smell me. I don't think that'll work."

"Mr. Mellark, I order you to take shelter and remain calm. And I order you to have sex with me."

"Are you seriously...?!"

"Sex," she puts her finger over his mouth, "or termination."

Peeta sighs, gets back on top of her, and goes at it again. He thinks about how afraid he is the bobcat will find them.

"You are fully erect," MILA reports. "I diagnose a longer treatment period."

Peeta can't believe he's fucking his boss while a bobcat is hunting him. But as long as he doesn't have anywhere else better to be, he might as well do his best to apologize to his boss for missing work.