AN: Here we go with another one! Never fear, The Runners will still be updated. This is just something I cooked up in April and has been a work in progress ever since when I need a break from writing The Runners. The chapters will be short and I estimate there being around 10ish. I will try and get one out a day too since they will be around 1000-1500 words.

Also, the title and fic was inspired by the song Battle Cry by Angel Haze and Sia. Check it out if you want the full experience xD

Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think :D

"Get off me," Riza Hawkeye growled to the man holding her firmly by the elbow. Shrugging him off hadn't worked and she was being unceremoniously dragged through Central Military Headquarters. Anger bubbled within her, threatening to break free. However, she knew she was stuck. The penalty for assaulting a military officer was prison. Instead, she kept trying to escape his grasp, but to no avail. The man had a grip like iron.

Riza glanced around her. The hallway they were walking through was filled with military personnel who continued to stare and whisper as the duo walked past. Riza kept her mouth shut, knowing that what she really wanted to say would get her into even more trouble than she was in. Her glare never faded though. She met their eyes head on, causing their gazes to drop. At least some looked sheepishly away.

Abruptly, she was pulled to a stop outside a set of oak doors. The soldier knocked twice before a voice told him to enter. Riza stopped her struggle as she recognised the voice.

Oh, hell no.

The Silent Soldier opened the door, thrusting Riza ahead of him.

"Get off!" she growled, finally prying herself from his grasp. Taking a few more steps into the office, she glanced around her. Men sat around a table working, ignoring the woman who had entered the room. No exits on that wall. Looking ahead, a figure sat in a plush chair behind a desk. Riza felt anger surge within her, knowing who sat behind that desk. She knew who had found her and dragged her into her office. Eyes flicked to the window ahead of her. The drop would be too high for her to survive. There must be ledges she could walk along and escape, but there was no way she'd make it past all these soldiers. Behind her, Silent Soldier remained in the doorway, barring any escape.

Riza smirked. You're smart, Mustang.

The man in question swirled around, his gaze meeting hers immediately.

Riza hadn't seen him in five years. She was surprised to find he looked almost exactly the same. His black hair was messy, falling over his eyes. However, his dark eyes no longer held the same spark of life. Instead, they were cold and calculating.

Just like you, you bastard.

"Riza Hawkeye?" The General spoke finally.

However, Riza was in no mood to play games.

"Yes," she snapped.

Mustang frowned. "You have been quite active recently. Your recent strain of attacks on jewellery stores has been quite messy for us."

"Pfft. Do you really think I would carry out a job that sloppily?" The fact Mustang had even suggested it disgusted her. At this point, Riza Hawkeye was a known thief.

Five jewellery stores in Central had been robbed recently. There had been three casualties, all dead. Riza was a thief, and a damn good one, but there was no way she would leave anything so messy. How dare he?

"I am insulted you even think I did those jobs."

"So you admit you are a thief?"

Riza folded her arms over her chest. "If you are just finding this out, you must be extremely slow."

Mustang's cheek twitched, but not out of humour, out of irritation. His expression never changed, but there was anger simmering underneath the surface. Riza had been riling him up on purpose. She was amused to see it was working.

"Now, do you mind telling me why your man broke into my house this morning and dragged me here against my will?"

Mustang's eyes flicked to his subordinate. "You broke in, Private?"

"No, sir," he replied.

Dark eyes flicked back to Riza's.

"The lock on my front door didn't miraculously explode off the door by itself now, did it?" Riza rounded on the young soldier. A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow, but he remained steadfast.

"She was refusing, sir. Force was necessary, like you said."

Riza narrowed her eyes at her former friend. Cold eyes stared back at her, refusing to back down.

"We need your help." Roy's voice was quiet as he admitted the real reason Riza was here.

Riza barked out a laugh. "Come on. Seriously, why am I here?"

"This is no laughing matter, Hawkeye."

"And why would the great General Mustang need my help, a lowly thief?" she sneered. Riza had quickly closed the distance between her and his desk. "You must be desperate." Placing her hands on his desk, she glared at him. Simply the sight of him made her angry. She had told him the secrets of Flame Alchemy and he had become this… monster. She had trusted him, and Mustang had betrayed her. Riza would never forget that.

Mustang was the first to drop his gaze, sifting through files on his desk. He handed one out to her.

"We need help catching this man. He has already murdered countless people, the majority soldiers. We're at a dead end and someone with your… talents would provide very useful."

Riza eyed the beige folder. She grasped it, tossing it behind her, uninterested.

Her eyes challenged his, as his expression finally changed. It mirrored hers, the glare just as intense.

"And what if I don't? You'll arrest me? Kill me?"

"Do not test me, Hawkeye," he warned, voice dangerous. The men in the room had stopped working, watching the standoff. Hands moved to holsters as they got ready to retaliate if need be. "You're assistance is required on this. It comes from the top."

Riza didn't miss the meaning behind his words. She narrowed her eyes again. Something told her Mustang had pulled more than a few strings to get her here, those strings being her Grandfather.

"We will call you when we need you."

"I am not some dog, Mustang," she spat.

"You will do this," he warned. "Or you will go behind bars. Let's see how much you will enjoy life after that, shall we?"

"Fuck you." Riza spun on her heel and stormed out of the office. She was stuck all right and Mustang knew it.

No doubt, in an effort to set her straight, her Grandfather had either suggested or agreed to seek Riza out for her help. The old man worried about her, which did make her feel guilty, but she had no other choice.

Defiantly, Riza strode out of the office and right out the front door. No one made a move to follow her, to try and take her back into the bastard's office. Not that Riza would let them anyway. Riza strode back to her home, her face grim. She knew this day would come. She had just hoped she would have been more prepared for it.