"Sir, this is a fairly dangerous neighborhood, please use caution," advised Hawkeye from behind the brigadier general..
"I'm well aware of that, Hawkeye." he said calmly. "Luckily, I have you to see to it that my surroundings don't interfere with my work."
"Regardless," said the captain. "If you keep your nose in that file while you're walking you're going to walk right into traffic."
"I suppose it is my own fault for waiting until the last minute to read the debriefing," said Mustang with a chuckle.
"Well, I would appreciate if you could spare me from being punished for your negligence by having to save you from being run over."
He knew she was trying to keep things light seeing as how he'd been so stressed out lately, but he could also sense her serious intent. President Grumman made it known to the public that he intended to retire soon and it was no secret who his intended successor was to be. Mustang and his team had made great strides in Ishval but for every person who admired his mission, there were several who disliked his efforts. Since the rebuilding began, there had been numerous blatant attempts on his life, keeping Hawkeye busy and more alert than ever before.
He didn't think it was possible for her to be any more protective of him but the past couple of months had certainly proved him wrong. Luckily, she had literally been preparing for this most of her life.
He offered her a light smile. "I'll certainly try, captain."
There was no question that Riza Hawkeye was good at what she did, and there was no doubt her skill and dedication would only intensify once Mustang was officially made fuhrer. It was whispered throughout Amestris for years that the only reason Mustang was still alive given his history of reckless behavior and what many dubbed a "hero complex." Though only the two of them knew the truth: that they kept each other alive. But regardless of the opinions held by the public, one thing was certain: with Riza Hawkeye behind him, Roy mUstang was untouchable. She had been taken from him before, seperated by government policies but as long as they could find someway to communicate, Mustang grew stronger. So, of course, the only way to truly stop Roy Mustang from taking office was to remove his queen from the picture entirely.
For good.
"Hawkeye, I think you worry too much," commented Mustang, his nose buried in the file.
"Interesting thought, sir," she said dryly. "I happen to think I worry the perfect amount. It may seem like I worry too much because you don;t worry enough."
"I worry about plenty."
"Yes, everything except yourself."
"Well, that's why I have you."
It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary, as they made their way to their meeting: Hawkeye thoroughly examined every alleyway they passed, locking eyes and shooting a death glare at anyone who came within 10 feet of the brigadier, and showing her weapon to the expected citizen who strongly disapproved of Mustang's intention with Ishval and chose to be vocal about in in a rather threatening manner. Typical.
Except, they never made it to the meeting.
It was at an intersection that Hawkeye felt especially uneasy. So many people, unusual for an assassination attack but at the same time perfect. Some terrorist groups meant to take down Roy no matter what the cost, even if it meant killing innocent civilians. In the past, they had been more private, sticking to poisoning him or stalking his house. But here Riza knew they were sitting ducks and suddenly her eyes saw all.
"Sir, get down!" she commanded literally two second before the shot was fired. The surrounding crowd went into panic, scattering. Trying to get away but not knowing who they were running from.
Hawkeye pulled out her gun in one swift motion, preparing to fire, frantically looking for her target. She traced the source and went to look but as soon as she was sure another bullet was fired from the complete opposite direction.
An ambush, she thought. She could tell this was well planned out. These were professional, they were missing on purpose to inform her they were surrounded. They were making it clear this wasn't some ragtag group of rebels but a determined force who would see the brigadier dead at any cost.
She couldn't allow Mustang to use his alchemy with the street so crowded with bystanders. The likelihood of a hostage situation or someone being taken as a human shield was just too likely and her best bet was to remove her superior from the situation all together. Another shot. Then another.
She ceased her own fire and ordered Mustang to take cover while she attempted to locate the gunmen.
"Not without you captain!"
"Sir please just let me do my job or I'll shoot you myself!"
He nodded, knowing there was no use fighting her and began to crawl towards a hotel. He planned to use the phone to call for backup, trusting Hawkeye to hold her own for a few minutes. He took note of his surroundings best he could in the chaos, just to the left of them was a river that could be used to hide or flee and could be used as a last resort. There were too any buildings with too many windows, who knew how outnumbered they really were? He tried to shake off the thought and focus on the task at hand, but half way there, he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. He heard its owner laugh and prepare to fire, whispering something about Ishvalans. But before Roy could snap his fingers in response, he heard a grunt and then saw a combat boot send the gun flying.
In practically no time, Hawkeye was on top of the masked man, her own gun at his forehead.
"Who do you work for?" she demanded. The man merely smiled.
"Go ahead, kill me," he mocked. "I'm just a diversion anyway."
"What?"
BAM! As if cued by this phrase, the hotel the brigadier was crawling towards crumble to the ground. Pieces of debris flew in every direction and Hawkeye abandoned her hostage to lunge at the brigadier. She covered him the best she could and made sure his face kept to the ground. He couldn't see if she was protected from the blast and then soon he couldn't see anything as the impact turned everything black.
When he came to consciousness, he wasn't quite sure he had as everything was still black. It took him a moment to realize that he was buried beneath a large amount of bricks and other rumble. He uncovered himself, noticing the dryness of his throat and the way his entire body ached. This had certainly been the most elaborate attempt yet, He could only hope no one else was badly hurt. Thank God for his captain-
His captain! Where was Hawkeye?
He frantically looked around him, ignoring the severe pain that came with each movement but found no trace of her. She had been right next to him! How long had he been out? His mind flooded with every worst possible scenario as he struggled to call out her name.
"Hawkeye!" he pleaded. Please let her be alright he thought, no he prayed. Not again. Once was one too many times. I can't lose her. Being in danger was nothing new, it was only when he was without her that the realness of it got to him. All the times she said she'd die for him echoed in his head, becoming all too real like a seal of fate.
"Sir, run!" he felt his heart melt. It was her voice. She was safe, well at the very least she was alive. His eyes found her. But for how long?
She was badly injured, that he knew for sure. She was cut up badly and bleeding but these were thing she always assured him came with the job. But as much of a fighter as Riza was, she was not invincible. The amount of blood she lost made it difficult for her to stand, but she was being held up by a masked man. Not the same man as before, Roy noted, this one was taller but they were no doubt from the same group. He held Riza by the neck and placed a gun at her temple, chuckling. He stood only a few feet from Roy but he knew if he tried to come any closer the gun would be fired without hesitation.
"Let her go," he demanded with every ounce of his strength. "I'm the one you want."
"Don't be an idiot!" she shouted. "Get out of here!"
"You know I can't do that Hawkeye."
"How touching," mocked Riza's capture. "But I see no reason why you both can't die. That way everybody wins."
He flashed Roy a cocky smile, demonstrating how pleased he was with his mission as Mustang felt the pain of this all too familiar situation. Hawkeye is danger, him feeling useless, and her willing to accept the finality of it all for his sake. He swore to himself there would be no repeating the Promised Day.
And so did Riza.
She summoned her remaining strength and fought her way free from the man's grip. He expected this, so she was not able to make him drop the gun but at the very least she could prevent Mustang from doing anything foolish to save her.
"Run!" she demanded.
"Not without you, captain!"
"This is really not the time, sir!"
She knew their time was limited and she was used to his stubbornness so in the moment she compromised. She brought him to his feet and steadied him, but before she could attempt to lead him away, he pushed her aside. He tightened his gloves and prepared to take aim, but his opponent was faster. The shot was fired.
But Hawkeye was faster.
She dove between the oncoming bullet and her superior, much to his horror. The bullet hit her right in the heart and he heard her cry out in pain. Her hand flew to the wound as the blood began to surface. She fell at Mustang's feet, and he merely stood frozen in shock.
"Captain!"
No response.
"Well, one down, two to go," said the shooter
Her eyes were closed. Her face in pain. She was loosing alot of blood.
"You'll pay for this!" declared Roy as he prepared to make his opponent suffer. The man merely laughed.
"Oh, I have no doubt you'll attempt to destroy me and my men," stated the man, his gun still raised. "But I intend for this to be one vendetta you seek to fulfill alone."
Suddenly, Mustang was attacked from behind. Several men grabbed him by the neck and restrained his shoulders, taking advantage of the distraction his injured subordinate provided. All Roy could do was watch and struggle.
"Hawkeye!"
BAM!
Their leader shot Riza again. And then once more. She did not respond, which made Roy assume the worst. The enemy man merely chuckled at Roy's pain as he walked closer to his victim. He placed his boot on her arm.
"She's a pretty thing," he commented as Roy yelled. How dare he! "Such loyalty is admirable. And foolish. You'll never find another subordinate like her."
Then he began to kick her as if she was an old soccer ball. The restraining men tightened their grip on Roy as he fought against them. The man continued to kick until Riza was at the edge of the bridge and one more blow would send her into the water below. Her abuser looked at Roy with satisfaction as the flame alchemist's eyes filled with anger and sorrow. He delivered the final blow.
"Let's see how far you get without your precious bodyguard."
She disappeared from sight.
Within a few seconds came a confirming splash.
The masked man cackled.
Roy Mustang absolutely lost it.