A/N: The quote Riza claims is from her father is actually from my own dad. The 'open mouth, insert foot' is from my history teacher. Aw, crap... I just reminded myself I have a history final to study for.
Riza woke up in the morning with the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She lay there for a moment, not really sure what to do. There was no dog to walk, no laundry to be done, nothing needed to be cleaned, no paperwork needed to be signed- she had nothing to do. I wish the Organization would just contact me already, she thought with a sigh. Then I could get back to the job that needs doing- babysitting the Colonel.
Little did she know her Colonel was pulling into Central Station at this very moment.
The phone rang, and she snatched it up. "Hello?"
"We see that you are finally awake; and here we were thinking you would sleep all day," a male voice said coolly.
She bolted upright. "Who is this?"
"We hear you're a good shot, Rhade," the voice continued, ignoring her question. "Why don't you prove it to us?"
"How?" she asked. Slowly. Suspiciously.
"Warehouse Twenty-two. We'll see you there."
Click, then the dial tone. Riza sat and stared at the phone before carefully setting it back on the hook.
They knew exactly when I was awake. They do have someone watching me. The Organization is probably tapping the phone, as well.
What now? Am I supposed to report in to Hughes? Or do I just go? She hugged her knees to her chest, shivering despite the warn sunshine that came in through the curtained window. Why did I accept this assignment in the first place?
A memory flashed of little Elysia Hughes, staring at her with her huge turquoise eyes. "Are your guns heavy?" she had asked innocently.
Riza's gaze hardened, and the shaking stopped. She knew why she was here. It was her duty, and it was the right thing to do.
-xXx-
Riza stood outside Warehouse 22 twenty minutes later. She had her hair back in its customary clip, and she wore plain brown pants with a low-cut white tank top. The bottoms of the pants legs were tucked into her black leather lace-up boots, and her brown jacket was weighted by the pistol concealed inside. The hilt of a combat knife stuck up from her right boot.
She was as ready as shewould everbe.
Riza took a deep breath and used both hands to shove the rusted doors open. The squealed harshly, and her footsteps echoed through the empty space. She slowly drew her pistol, eyes darting through the shadows, seeing nothing. She kept the muzzle next to her left ear, pointed toward the ceiling high above as she moved forward cautiously.
A slight scrape was her only warning as something flew through the air at her. She ducked and twisted, firing twice.
The silence was deafening as the cloth dummy fluttered toward the ground, two bullet holes through its head and chest.
Her breathing was slow and even; her heartbeat barely elevated. "Is that all you've got?" she shouted contemptuously.
With a shhing! dozens of metal targets popped up from the floor. Riza dove, firing as each target presented itself. She rolled behind one to reload as bullets started flying through the air- somehow the sheets of metal were shooting back at her!
Impossible! her mind screamed as she rolled to the side, the thin aluminum not proving much in the way of cover.
Blam, blam, blam, blam! went her pistols. With every shot, another target crashed to the ground until there were none left. With a hollow clatter, the last one toppled. Silence rushed in to once again claim the warehouse.
Riza released her left hand from the smoking weapon and brushed her hair away from her face. The clip holding it back had fallen off sometime during the minute or so of combat. Her pistol was out of ammunition, and as she went to reload she heard a noise- footsteps. She crouched and spun, knife drawn and at the ready.
The sharp sound of a single pair of hands clapping greeted her.
A man was standing there, with two others standing slightly behind and to the side. It was his hands that clapped. He had a curly mop of dark brown hair and tanned skin, but the first thing Riza noticed was his eyes. They were a light grey that seemed to almost glow with malevolence. "So the rumors of you are true, Lisa Rhade," he said haughtily. "Oh, you can put your weapons away; they are no longer needed."
Riza slid the pistol into her jacket pocket, but kept the knife in her hand.
"Smart girl," the man observed. He stepped forward suddenly and roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, and only then did she see what made them glow so strangely.
A tiny transmutation circle was on the surface of the eyeball itself. "Scratched into the cornea," he said, releasing her and stepping back. "You'll do, Rhade."
Hawkeye's own eyes burned at this man's casual invasion of her space. "And who the hell are you?" she bit out.
"Feisty, eh? You can call me Mae'var." He smirked. "I'll be your new boss for the time being. Impress me, and you impress X."
She looked him up and down, and allowed her lips to curve into a small smile, then bowed, not a centimeter more than was proper. "You'll do," she replied, making it sound as though she were the one in control, instead of the other way around.
Mae'var laughed. Not a warm laugh, but an emotionless chuckle. "Come with me, Rhade, and I promise, whatever your motivations prompted you to join us, you will not be disappointed."
A fifth person joined them as they made their way out of the warehouse. He was small and soft-spoken, but lean and muscular. "The dummy would have been dead after the first hit, yet you fired twice. Why is that?"
"Anything worth shooting once is worth shooting twice," Riza answered coldly, refusing to look at him. He must have been in the shadows during the entire fight to have seen where the first shot impacted. I'll have to be careful around him. "That's what my father always said."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod slowly. "Words to live by, in our profession."
-xXx-
Back in Eastern, Kain Fuery pushed open the door to Mustang's- temporarily Havoc's- office. "General Hakuro to see you, sir."
Jean hastily stood, straightened, and saluted. "Sir!" Oh shit. "This is an unexpected surprise!" And completely unwelcome. Shit-shit-shit. Go away. Please go away?
If the grey-haired general noticed the pleading look in the lower officer's eyes, he ignored it. "Lieutenant Havoc," he said warmly, adopting what Jean called the politician's smile. (A smile so fake a blind man could see through it, Jean thought "Where is the Colonel? I was rather hoping to speak with him."
Bullshit, Jean thought. "Colonel Mustang is currently on leave, sir," he said. "If we'd known you were in Eastern, I'm quite certain he would have delayed his plans so he could see you." When the hell did you get here, anyway? You don't like to leave your plush desk job in Central since you 'promoted' Mustang and gave him this middle-of-nowhere post. You seem to have a knack for being in places you shouldn't be, General. He returned the politician's smile.
"Really? Do you happen to know where he's run off to?"
"Nope- sir!" he added quickly, mentally kicking himself. You just said 'nope' to a higher-up! Open mouth, insert foot, Jean!
"I just find it odd that Lieutenant Hawkeye resigns, and now Mustang is on leave. That doesn't strike you as strange, Second Lieutenant?"
You strike me as strange. "No, sir, not really." Please go away? I'll give you a present for your birthday. I'll giftwrap a grenade. Now be a good higher-up and stop asking questions. Go away.
"I have to wonder about Colonel Mustang's management skills, don't you?" Hakuro was examining books neatly lined up on a shelf.
"Sir, I believe the Colonel has remarkable management skills. May I ask what brings you out this far, General? What about your own command in Central?" Yes! Score one for the good guys! Jean stuck his tongue out behind the general's back, hearing Fuery trying to restrain a laugh.
Jean quickly retracted his tongue as Hakuro turned around. "Well, when Mustang returns, tell him I want to speak with him, Lieutenant," he said, purposefully avoiding the question.
"Of course, sir," he saluted. Go away. GO AWAY!
Hakuro returned the salute, and left, Breda entering and Fuery shutting the door behind him. "See, my subliminal messages do work!" Havoc said triumphantly with a grin.
Kain rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh." Breda just shook his head.
"Seriously, though. What do you think is going on? Hakuro may be an idiot, but if he's noticed what a big coincidence this is, smarter higher-ups will be poking around as well."
Heymans shrugged. "I dunno."
Jean collapsed back in his chair. "I hope Mustang comes back soon. I didn't realize how much work the poor guy does."
"Huh?" Kain and Heymans exchanged a look of confusion, both knowing the Colonel's attitude toward working.
"Dealing with the scumbags known as higher-ups."
"Oh. So when is the new lieutenant supposed to be rotating in?" Kain asked. "The one who is going to... replace... Hawkeye."
"There's a new lieutenant coming in?" Jean asked stupidly.
"It's in the paperwork."
"Bah, who reads paperwork?"
"I do. Which is why I know a new lieutenant is being transferred here."
"Shit." Jean leaned back in the chair, pulling a fresh cigarette from the pack he kept in his pocket. "Know anything about him?"
"Actually, I think it's a her," Heymans said.
"A female subordinate..." Jean grinned happily, shutting his eyes. "This could work out."
Oh no, both Fuery and Heymans thought at the same time.
-xXx-
"So, Maes, care to explain what's going on?" Roy sat on the couch in Hughes' living room. The serious nature of their conversation was muted somewhat by the fact that Elysia had crawled onto his lap and insisted "Uncle Woy" use her plastic play cup for his tea.
"Elysia, Daddy and Roy have to talk about work now, okay?" Maes told her, taking a seat across from Mustang. "Why don't you go up and play in your room?"
Elysia smiled up at her 'uncle'. (Who was technically her godfather, but what's the difference to a three-year-old?) "You'll come see my room later, right?"
Roy laughed. "Sure, Elysia, but Daddy and I have to talk now."
"'Kay!" she scampered off up the stairs.
The smile faded as he looked over at Hughes. "So you're saying that Hawkeye is working for the same bastards that threatened your daughter?"
"It was the only way, Roy," Maes protested. "The Organization must be shut down! I can't risk sending in my own agents, but Hawkeye is an unknown to them. I didn't want to be forced into this corner, but shit happens, and we play the cards we're dealt."
"Couldn't you use someone besides my Lieutenant?" Roy's eyes burned with fury only suppressed because of Elysia's and Gracia's presence in the house.
"I'm trusting Riza with Elysia's life, Roy, because I know you trust her with yours. I have faith in her, you should try and cultivate the same."
"I want to talk to her."
He shook his head adamantly. "Not possible. Her cover will be blown."
"Can't we do anything?"
"No. It's all in her hands, now."
Silence.
"Uncle Woy, come play with me!" Elysia's voice rang through the house.
Roy got up from the couch and placed a card on the table. "This is the hotel I'll be staying in, if you need me," he said softly. "Elysia?" he called. "Uncle Roy has work to do, can he play with you later?"
Elysia peeked out from the top of the stairs. "Could you come see my room before you go?"
His heart ached for the child with the turquoise eyes. "Sure," Mustang followed her up the stairs.
While Elysia cheerfully pointed out her favorite toys with all the joy of Major Armstrong discussing his illustrious family background, Roy's gaze kept moving back to a freshly plastered section of the wall that must have covered where the bullet had come through. The white stood out from the soft pink paint that was all over the rest of the room.
His attention was abruptly yanked back to the child when she wrapped her arms around his legs and looked up pleadingly. "What's wrong, Elysia?" he asked, crouching down to her level.
"Uncle Woy... something's wrong with Daddy. He looks busy all the time." Elysia looked down. "I'm scared," she confided softly.
Roy patted the top of her head, at a loss at what to do. "Don't worry," he said comfortingly. "Your daddy and I will figure this out, okay? I won't let anybody hurt you or your dad."
"Promise?"
"There's nothing for you to be scared of." As he spoke, Roy looked up and saw Gracia watching the two of them. Nothing to be scared of, he thought, nodding acknowledgment the woman as he let Elysia go.
I wish I could be sure of that.
-xXx-
"Mae'var!" a young man, no more than seventeen shouted, his running footsteps splashing in the shallow water of the sewer and echoing off the dank tunnel walls. "Mae'var!"
An arm whipped out of nowhere, clotheslining the young man. As he lay flat on his back gasping for air, sewer water seeping through his clothing, another man walked into his line of sight, followed by his ususal guards and a blonde woman he didn't recognize. "When you want to find me, Johnny, you ask, you do not run screaming."
Johnny coughed, massaging his throat. "But-"
"And you wait until I deem you worth speaking to," Mae'var added harshly.
Aside from the drip-drip of water, the only noise was the boy's labored breathing.
Mae'var nodded slowly. "Speak."
"He's coming!"
"Who?" Mae'var was quickly loosing patience with poor Johnny.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist!"
From behind him, he heard a sharp intake of breath. Mae'var turned to see only Lisa Rhade and his guards standing impassively where he had told them too. Strange, he mused, turning back to face the boy. "Now, then, Johnny, do get up."
Johnny stood warily.
"What have we learned today?"
"No shouting, and speak only when spoken to," he gasped, still with his hand on this throat.
"You're a smart lad, but something must be done to reinforce the lesson," Mae'var sounded truly regretful. "Miss Rhade, shoot him, if you please. In a non-vital area, of course; he still has some use."
"As you command," Lisa replied smoothly, pulling her pistol out of her jacket pocket and sliding in a fresh clip. She walked toward the young man and looked into his eyes.
Johnny whimpered, but her eyes showed no mercy. To his credit, he stood straight and didn't look away.
Lisa sighted along the barrel and fired once. The bullet penetrated the meaty flesh of his right biceps, and he collapsed, his screams echoing off the tunnel walls.
"Get up," she said coolly, sliding the pistol back into its concealing pocket. "If you don't want that to become infected, then get up, or at least keep the wound out of the water."
"Leave him, Rhade," Mae'var ordered. "And come with me. Seems we are going to have a mouse to play with."
Lisa nodded and followed silently.
-xXx-
Riza felt like she was going to be sick. It was all she could to keep from drawing her pistol and blowing Mae'var's brains out. But she couldn't- not yet. She'd have to gain their trust one step at a time until she got close to the mysterious 'X' that was the leader of the Organization- and now her. She didn't even know if this 'X' was male or female.
And now Fullmetal was coming. He could ruin everything.
End Part FourA/N: I would like to say one thing right here: this is not an Edward-bashing fic, contrary to what my beta keeps telling me. But, she is an Edward fangirl, and she gets upset if Maria punches him. Anyway, I apologize if this is coming off as Ed-bashing... I love Ed as much as any FMA watcher, I just like Roy better. :) Again, apologies to all the Ed fangirls.
As another note... thanks to Anicka and SnakeCharmerFoxx: I wasn't able to reply to your reviews until I uploaded this chapter, so... yeah. If this chapter is uploaded and I don't appear to have replied, blame ff . net's slow service.
:glares at anonymous people leaving hits on chapters: Don't you feel bad, reading without offering feedback?