Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the related titles. All credit goes to Hiromu Arakawa.
A/N: Hey all! I'm not dead! I swear! I'm so sorry this has taken so long for me to update, but I swear I have really really good excuses. Lately, I've been really tied up with a bunch of things, (college, work, and a recent really bad break up…yeah, I know, it sucks majorly.) and I've just been emotionally drained so writing just kind of…didn't work. Do you know what I mean? But I'm trying to get back on track with a bunch of things, so now I'm updating all my stories before my Christmas break is over and I actually have to go back to doing homework and such. (Ew, right?) Anyway, this is a really long chapter, so I hope it makes up for the lost time, and that you all enjoy it.
Chapter 21: The Rescue
"Ricker…" Riza breathed, her hands gripping the bars of her cell. They hadn't required her to dress in prisoner garb which was a plus, though she wasn't keen on the idea of being locked up. "Ricker, please talk to me…"
Ricker didn't respond. Instead, he continued to stare at the opposite wall. She was certain he hadn't moved since they'd arrived. Not even a single blink. She knew. She'd been watching him.
"Ricker…is Davis really dead?" she asked, her fingernails now digging into her fleshy palms. Tears began to prick the corners of her eyes as she forced her face against the bars. "Or was Holland bluffing? I've got to know…"
"Did you kill her?" Ricker finally asked, his face remaining stony and still.
"No!" Riza insisted. She closed her eyes and tried to remember everything that had happened before she'd left Davis. She'd only hit her with the butt of her gun, and not very hard mind you! There was no way that could have been the cause of death. She herself had taken worse blows than that before.
"Why is it none of them believe you, then?" he responded, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Why is it you're in a holding cell?"
Suddenly, Ricker had turned to face her, his own hands holding the bars above her own. He stared down into her eyes with a mixed look of concern and curiosity. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth, but she couldn't exactly lie to him either. And if they were truly bringing Roy out to speak to her, she was in for more trouble than she had bargained for. Before she knew it, the Führer was going to be involved. She considered herself lucky, honestly, that it was only the Colonel making his way in her direction.
"Davis and I had problems…" she finally admitted. "We disagreed on a lot of things, and yes, we fought before I went to the meeting. And yes, some…things might have happened, but I swear, when I left her, she was alive…"
Ricker took a deep breath. "What do you mean, 'things might have happened'?"
Riza tore away from the bars and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know. I really don't remember what happened. All I know is that I didn't kill her…"
Ricker sighed and leaned his head against the bars. It was clear he wanted to believe her, but without proof, he had to stay as professional as possible. If it proved that she had done something to Davis, he wouldn't be able to help her anymore.
"Ricker, listen…" Riza turned around to face him. "What if someone showed up after I left? What if someone overheard our fight and decided to take advantage of the opportunity? What if someone wanted to frame me? Someone else who had it out for Davis?"
"But who would have it out for-" Ricker asked, stopping abruptly to eye her suspiciously. "Do you know something, Riza?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't. But you've got to be able to take it into consideration. I mean, we're doing research on the Homunculi. There have been recorded attacks in the area. Who's to say they're not trying to take out the very people who are trying to take them out in return?"
"But no one can get past the front desk without proper identification. There's no way a Homuculus could make their way down that hallway." Ricker explained. "It sounds good when you say it like that, but it's just not likely…"
Riza stared at him. "It wouldn't be the first time one of them got through. We've had attacks in headquarters before. They know how to get past us. They're not stupid, Ricker…" she said quietly. "They know what they're doing, and they're damn good at it."
Ricker didn't know what to say. Riza's theory was possible, and he wanted to believe her, but standing against the evidence that they'd probably get from the autopsy it wasn't likely it'd go far. Sighing, he turned away from her again, returning to his original spot.
"You don't believe me…" Riza said, a look of defeat washing over her face. "I knew you weren't going to believe me. Nobody's going to believe me…"
Ricker fell silent, his eyes falling to the floor. He had to think of something. If Riza were put in front of the Colonel, they'd never get anything out of her. In fact, she'd probably wind up killing herself before he even arrived. He couldn't let them go through with it. There had to be another way to find out the truth.
"Ricker, think about it…" Riza continued, her arms dangling through the bars as she thought over possible situations. "Why was Davis there to begin with? What if someone had slipped something to her? What if someone had convinced her to come to me and caused her to say the things that she said? She couldn't have known what she knew on her own. There was no way. Someone must have told her, knowing that she'd say something to me, and knowing that it would have gotten some kind of rise out of me. If that same person stood by while it all happened, they could have acted just as I left, pinning me as the only suspect."
"I've already told you," Ricker turned his head ever so slightly. "It sounds possible, but getting people to believe you is going to be a lot harder than that. Even impossible. Everything points to you at the moment, and until something else proves otherwise, you're screwed, Lieutenant."
Before Riza could respond, the door at the end of the hallway banged open and Holland was making his way toward them. Ricker's eyes shot upward, where he continued to stare at the wall as he'd been doing before Riza spoke. Riza pulled her arms back into the cell and backed away from the bars. Both of them knew it was against orders for Ricker to be speaking to her.
"Well, well, well," Holland said loudly, his voice echoing off the walls almost immediately in the tiny space between them. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, this may or may not be your lucky day…"
Riza wasn't sure if she was expected to speak at this or not, but decided to keep her mouth shut. There were several things she wanted to tell Holland, but none of them were appropriate or about to get her out of trouble, so she didn't risk it.
"The autopsy came back with some interesting results…" he announced. "And they may mean that you're off the hook, but perhaps not entirely." He stopped right before the cell, paying no attention to the soldier standing outside it. "Do you want to hear what happened to Davis?" he asked.
Riza avoided his gaze, her stomach turning as she awaited the results. She knew he was going to tell her what they'd discovered whether she wanted to or not, so she continued to keep her peace.
"Or do you want to tell us how you did it, Hawkeye?" he suggested. "Because, we're honestly quite baffled. You see, there was this incredible gash across her forehead, which matches the butt of your handgun…" he tilted his head, watching her carefully. "But then again, just about every officer has a similar, if not the very same gun, so it could have been any of them to be completely honest. None of them were at the scene of the crime, but for your sake, let's just say it could have been anyone." He cleared his throat before continuing, making himself comfortable as he leaned against the bars. "But that's not what killed her," he said. "No, no. Just about any officer can take a blow to the head from a gun. Most of them could run a marathon soon after the fact as well, so no, that couldn't possibly be the cause of death."
Riza felt her stomach settle a little. It wasn't her then. They couldn't prove her guilty because she hadn't done anything wrong. Yes, she had caused the blow to her head, but if this wasn't the cause of death, then she wasn't guilty of anything. They could let her go. She was free.
"What we found curious was the fact that all of Davis' insides, all of her…well, vital organs…were torn to shreds," Holland explained, the thought not appearing as disturbing to him anymore as it was to both Riza and Ricker. Ricker flinched momentarily, as though the mental image of a shredded and bloody Davis were going to make him sick. He calmed himself quickly before Holland could notice. "But, the funny thing was…there were no other incisions on her body. So, somehow, someone caused Davis' death…without actually touching her. Could you possibly explain this to me, Hawkeye? Do you know how such an act is possible?"
Riza stared back at him, just as dumbfounded about the situation as anyone would be. She certainly didn't have that kind of power, and she didn't have any idea as to how someone could have done that to her. Even from what she knew of alchemy, she'd never crossed something so strange. She didn't even know if it was possible with alchemy. They would have to ask-
"Your Colonel arrived just a few minutes ago," Holland cut through her thoughts. "We understand that he's quite skilled with alchemy. After he's done getting whatever he can out of you, we're going to bring him in for some questioning ourselves."
Holland reached for the keys on his hips, one hand on the lock of Riza's cell. She couldn't imagine why they'd be questioning a man who couldn't possibly be involved with the murder in any way shape or form.
And how did he get there so quickly?
"Sir, did you invite the Colonel here before Davis was murdered?" she asked quietly.
"That I did, Lieutenant…" Holland responded, slowly unlocking the cell. "We were going to ask him a few questions about the Homunculi. There was another attack reported on the other side of town, shortly after Davis' body was discovered, and the one we discussed at the meeting today from two days ago." He opened the door and stared at the stricken Lieutenant blankly. "But now, we'd like to ask him about his skills, and his nasty habit of teaching his subordinates illegal alchemy."
Riza looked horrified. Roy would never do such a thing! She was certain even Roy couldn't have done that to Davis if he wanted to, and now they were thinking he'd taught her alchemy in his spare time? It was obvious they were doing anything in their power to pin this on her.
"Sir, Colonel Mustang never-" she started.
"Now is not the time for that, Lieutenant…" Holland said, grabbing her shoulder and leading her from the cell. "Leave the explaining to the Colonel himself. Come Ricker…" he added quickly to the officer still standing guard outside the now empty cell. "If things get out of hand, I'd like you to be there to help me."
-----
Havoc paced back and forth inside the office they'd brought him to. He knew that they were bringing Hawkeye to him, but he didn't know anything else. The officer he'd met at the front desk said something about an attack he assumed he should have already known about, but Roy had failed to mention anything of the sort. He wondered if it had anything to do with the file he forgot to read on the way out there.
Suddenly, he wasn't so sure about that promotion he'd been dreaming about in Central.
"Colonel," the door opened and Holland stood in the doorway, his hand still clamped onto Hawkeye's shoulder. "We're going to leave the two of you alone for a little while. She knows what she's supposed to tell you. When you're ready, we'll be right out here." He indicated Ricker behind him, who looked a bit bitter toward the man standing inside the room.
Riza was forced into the room and with a small snap, the door was shut behind her. Her hands began to tremble as she looked at the man she hadn't seen in a great while. The man, she had thought for a while, who loved her more than any other subordinate.
"Hawkeye…" Havoc started quietly, trying to make his voice sound as much like Roy's as possible. If anyone were going to notice a difference, it'd be Hawkeye, so he had to be as careful as he could. "What's going on?"
Riza tried to catch her breath. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, while at the same time, she wanted to hit him and beat him to a bloody pulp for everything he'd ever done to her. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to do either.
"Hawkeye, you're going to have to help me here," he said, turning his back on her to look out the window in a very Roy-esque fashion. It wasn't often Roy turned his back on his Lieutenant however, and if they hadn't been through what they'd been through in the North, she would have found this quite odd. "I'm not sure what's going on…"
Riza shook her head. "Sir, I really don't know. I got into an argument with an officer this morning and the next thing I knew I was being interrogated about her murder! They've got it out for me, sir. They're not going to stop until they've pinned me for this thing and got me hanging from a rope."
Havoc turned a little bit. "Are you serious? A murder?"
"Yes," Hawkeye stepped forward, suddenly feeling a little more at ease with being around someone who'd believe her. "I swear, sir, it wasn't me…"
"I know it wasn't you," he reassured her. "You're not the kind of person who'd let someone get to you that badly. I know you wouldn't do something like that. Who do you think it was?"
Riza stared at him. Something wasn't right. She shouldn't have had to bring up the Homunculi theory. In fact, his first thought should have been the Homunculi, and why he was ignoring it completely was beyond her.
"Sir, are you okay?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject.
"Yes," he answered quickly, his eyes suddenly getting very wide. He'd only been there a few minutes and he'd already screwed up. His cover was going to be blown completely. He needed to do something only the Colonel would do in order to win her trust.
He turned around to face her and Riza stared into his face for the first time in ages. She wondered how long it had been really, because it seemed as though some of his facial features had changed. Something just wasn't the same. He looked younger, if that were possible. Perhaps he'd gotten plastic surgery or something to please one of his little bimbo girlfriends. She wouldn't have put it past him.
Riza stepped forward. "Roy…I don't know what's going on, but something's not right with you. I can't quite put my finger on it, but…"
A Homunculi.
The thought struck her suddenly. She knew they had the power to shapeshift, or rather, at least one of them did. She knew something wasn't right, and a Homunculus would be the only reasonable explanation.
And if she were right, this would prove how easily it was for such a creature to get past the front doors in order to follow through with anything inside headquarters. Even murder.
Instinctively, her hand flew to her hip where her gun would have been, had it not been taken from her person as soon as she'd been pulled into the interrogation room. For all she knew, it could be lying in pieces somewhere below them. If this man before her proved to be a Homunculus, she'd be the next one lying on the autopsy table in shreds.
"No, Hawkeye…" Havoc stepped even closer, taking her shoulders into his hands. "Don't worry. I'm sorry, I haven't really been myself since we returned from the North."
He was talking funny. Something had changed with his accent. It sounded rougher than usual, as though the man before her was a smoker. She almost thought she could smell the scent of cigarettes on his clothing.
"Sir, what happened to you?" she asked, trying to stay as calm as possible as she thought of an escape route in case things turned bad.
Havoc shook his head, thinking quickly. He wanted to get Hawkeye out of there. He'd heard enough to know that the people there were determined to accuse her of murder and if those creatures Roy had mentioned were involved there'd be almost no way to prove it was them and not her. He needed to think of something, however, to convince her he was Mustang first.
Without warning, he acted upon instinct, his lips locking with hers. Riza's eyes grew wide as the man before her kissed her deeply, almost growing weak at the thought of being in Mustang's arms again, before she realized that this truly was something wrong. Roy would never have done that, especially during an emergency like this.
Not to mention, his lips were never that rough.
Grabbing his hair, Riza pulled herself away, taking Havoc's wig with her. It took her a moment for reality to sink in as she stared at the man in front of her. His golden hair was unmistakable and the scent of cigarettes suddenly made complete sense.
"Havoc!?" she yelped, quickly brushing her lips. Without thinking twice, she smacked him. "What the hell were you thinking? What are you doing here?"
Havoc shushed her quickly, worrying about the officers in the hallway. "I was sent here, in place of the Chief. You see, he had to be somewhere else, and he thought I'd be able to come out here and deal with whatever it was they needed him for. I never expected to be dealing with murders or invincible creatures. I didn't ask for this Lieutenant…"
Riza shook her head. "You asked for it when you joined the military, Havoc…" she sighed, and held a hand to her forehead. "I can't believe he chickened out. He chickened out right when I needed him most. That is so like him…"
"Look," Havoc stepped toward her once again, unsure of what he could really do to help her. "I don't know what happened between you and Mustang, but…I do know that we need to get you out of here…"
"Don't you think I already know that?" Riza turned back to face him, this time looking terrified. "I'm going to be charged with murder, Havoc! I'm going to be charged with the murder and I'm going to hang, and the one man who could give me at least a little bit of a fighting chance chickened out and is sitting pretty back at his office, oogling nurses and twiddling his thumbs!"
"No…" Havoc said. "The Colonel's out on another mission. He asked me to come out here because he couldn't be in two places at once, but he could certainly pretend to. And you know just as well as I do, if he were here, he'd want to help you. So I'm going to continue filling his shoes and help you out…"
"What do you propose we do, Havoc?" she asked, seeing no way out of this. She almost wished Havoc had been a Homunculus instead.
Havoc paced back and forth for a little while, thinking of different options. Riza continued to watch him, feeling more and more hopeless at time ticked slowly by. It was only a matter of minutes before Holland and Ricker bust down the door to bring "Colonel Mustang" into questioning himself.
Suddenly, Havoc moved toward the window. Slipping the locks, he glanced down at the ground below. It was quite a ways, but if they were careful, they could get free with ease.
"You're crazy…" Riza said, following him to the window. "There are guards everywhere. People watching from the roof. There's no way we could get away with it…"
Havoc turned to her and grabbed the wig from her hands. Without warning, he yanked it onto her head, her hair tucked as nicely as possible beneath it. Havoc quickly shed his coat and started to unbutton Riza's.
"Havoc, what the hell are you thinking?" Riza asked, swatting his hands away. There was no way she was going to let him undress her.
"I'm disguising you as the Chief," he explained, as though this were some kind of brilliant plan. I'll give you my coat, and my hat, so you'll be able to hide the fact that you're really a woman. And I can walk out of here like this, because I'll look like your everyday soldier, and nobody will know who I am. People will be looking for you, not me. See? No harm."
It was brilliant. It really was. And for it, she really could kiss him. As long as no one saw them jump, they could really get away with it and hop on the next train to Central, where she'd be able to kick the real Roy Mustang's ass for leaving her high and dry in such a situation. From there on, the Führer could deal with the whole murder investigation. Surely, he'd be able to get her off.
"You're crazy, Havoc…" she said, taking the coat from him. "But this might just work."
Peering outside the window, Havoc made sure the coast was clear. He couldn't see any officers on the roof, nor were any in the immediate area below them. Holding her breath, Havoc helped her prepare for the jump.
And as some strange twist of fate would have it, the doorknob jiggled just as she reached the sill. Riza froze, her heart leaping into her throat as Holland's voice sounded loudly through the wood of the door.
"Hawkeye! Mustang! We're coming in now!" he announced, suddenly throwing the door open.
Riza didn't have another moment to even think about her actions. She leapt from the window and landed painfully on the lawn below it, Havoc landing not too far away from her. They could still hear the yells from the officers above.
"Goddammit, Ricker, I said shoot!" Holland began shooting after the escaping officers. "Call for back up. Tell 'em Hawkeye's on the run."
"Sir, that's not Hawkeye!" Ricker insisted, staring after the escapees. "They're both men!"
"I don't care!" Holland growled as his gun emptied. He grabbed Ricker's from him and continued aiming at the pair racing across the field. "I don't want either of them to get away. I want them back here, dead or alive."
Riza grabbed Havoc's hand as she felt herself begin to fall behind. For some reason, the events of the day had seemed to drain every last bit of energy from her. Havoc seemed to be a machine, however, dragging her along as quickly as he could.
Unfortunately, as they reached the front gates, several officers were already waiting for them. Riza didn't hesitate before stealing Havoc's gun from him and firing a few warning shots at them to clear the way.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Havoc asked, dodging a few "warning shots" the officers had fired back at them. He attempted to lead her down a side road that ultimately brought them to the entrance he'd been brought through before.
"If they're going to accuse me of murder, I might as well commit one…" she said, a fiery crackle to her voice as she shot back at them, this time hitting an officer in the leg. "Aha!"
"Hawkeye, stop!" Havoc insisted, pulling her inside a nearby doorway. He clapped a hand over her mouth as they heard the officers continue onward past them. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked at her, panting from their race. "Let's get out of here without killing anyone, thank you…"
Poking his head out for only a moment, Havoc verified that the officers were indeed gone, although a few still remained at the main gate. They would have to use the side one if they intended on leaving, which they most certainly did. Riza pulled the visor to her hat down low and Havoc stood up straight, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary. And with that, the two casually began to make their way out of headquarters, attracting as little attention to themselves as possible.
In fact, Havoc was certain an officer had tipped his hat at them as they walked through the gate.
A/N: I'm still trying to figure out where to go next with this, so please be patient with me. I am so thankful you all have been this patient so far. Seriously, it means the world to me to still be getting reviews and favorites and such, even after this long. So thank you all so very much. You're what keeps me going, I swear. I'm going to try and update very very soon, and if there's something you might like to see in an upcoming chapter, I'm always welcome to ideas. Thanks! I hope you liked the chapter!