A/N: I find the Elric brothers difficult to write, which is why I try and stick with the Military because I love them so. :) But anyway, I tried to make them as in character as possible, I just find them hard to write. Bear with me, please!

Also, I've been looking at Al's armor, and I've decided that the ribbon-looking thing attached to the top is made of some kind of animal hair. Historically (I believe, don't quote me on this) that horsehair was often used for that purpose.

And, I made a mistake. Sheska's eyes are green, not brown like I stated in an earlier part. Oops, sorry!

Okay, Edward thought. Maybe I overestimated myself. He and Alphonse stood at the entrance of the very tunnel where Johnny had been shot less than half an hour ago. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he murmured. "It looks like a trap."

"Brother, I've got an idea!" Alphonse said excitedly. "You get inside me, so then if we're captured they'll think I'm just a regular suit of armor!"

"That's a good idea, Al, why didn't I think of that?" Ed pulled Al's helmet off by the horsehair, and Alphonse knelt down to let his brother climb inside.

Edward knocked on the chest-plate. "Let's go, Al."

-xXx-

With each clanking step, Alphonse could hear his brother rattling around inside. Well, maybe if you weren't so small, he thought, then we-

"Fullmetal Alchemist!" barked a familiar female voice from behind them. "Turn around slowly, and put your hands on your head!"

"Brother?" Alphonse whispered, complying with the woman's demands. "I don't know if you can see this, but we're surrounded."

Al turned around to see Riza Hawkeye holding a gun on them, backed up by at least a dozen armed men.

"On your knees, Edward Elric," she ordered.

Alphonse did as he was told. "Brother," he whispered. "She keeps referring to me as you, wha-"

"I get it, Al. She had you kneel so I could stand," Edward answered softly.

"Helmet off," one of the others said.

"Play dead, Al," Ed whispered, throwing his brother's helmet to the ground, where it bounced twice with a splash and a dull clang.

"Get him out of the armor," Riza ordered the man standing next to her.

"We don't take orders from you, Rhade," he answered, glaring.

Riza gave him a look that said oh-you-don't-do-you? and abruptly turned and fired one shot at the Elric brothers. Both gasped, and they hoped that the criminals didn't hear Al's.

The bullet ricocheted off the armor, and the man who had spoken was forced to duck.

The report still echoed through the tunnel as Riza spoke. "Our weapons cannot penetrate Fullmetal's armor, now get him out of it."

The man glared defiantly for a moment, then motioned to the man at his side. The two of them wrestled a kicking and yelling Edward Elric out of Alphonse's armor and deposited him roughly on the ground.

Ed spat out sewer water and stared angrily at Hawkeye. I had better be right about her, he thought. Then blackness claimed his vision as one of them slammed the butt of his weapon against the back of his head.

The last thing he heard was; "Excellent work, Rhade," from a voice that dripped with malevolent suavity. Then he collapsed into the water.

-xXx-

"Excellent work, Rhade," Mae'var said smoothly as he entered the gathered ring of criminals to stare down at the limp body of the renowned Fullmetal Alchemist. "I can see why they call him 'Fullmetal'," he added, kicking the still kneeling (supposedly) lifeless suit of armor, which crashed into the water at the prod. "Superb armor; the bullet didn't even scratch it."

Riza took a deep breath, and then a gamble. "May I keep the armor?" she asked, coming up behind him. "I like to take things from each of the... victims... I defeat in combat."

"He's not defeated yet," Mae'var corrected, looking up at her. "He's not dead." He grinned wickedly. "But he'll soon wish he was when I'm through with him. As for the armor- it's yours, I have no use for such a thing. But I want you to remember I gave it to you free of charge... I may want something in return at a later time. Understand?"

"Yes... yes, I do." You foul bastard, I'll give you something in return, just not what you're expecting when you look at me like that. I'll give you a bullet to the brain, how's that for repayment? That's what alchemists call 'Equivalent Exchange', isn't it? She looked down at the suit of armor that was Alphonse Elric, then crouched down and picked up the head from where it had bounced. "I'm sorry," was all she could whisper, resting her forehead against his.

-xXx-

"We have to help my brother!" Alphonse exclaimed. He sat on the cold stone floor (not that he could tell it was cold) in the quarters Hawkeye had been given within the Organization. It was simple, with only a hard metal bunk and thin sheets for a bed. The only other room was a tiny bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower.

Riza was running her hands along the walls, searching for listening devices of any kind. "Quiet!" she hissed.

Once finished, finding none to her surprise, she sighed and sat down cross-legged across from him. "I can't do that, Alphonse."

"Why not? He would come after me!"

"And if he were here and you were captured, I would be telling him the same thing," she said bluntly. "I can't afford to have my cover blown."

"So you're going to let them hurt Brother, and I'm just supposed to sit here?"

"They won't kill him. Not yet. Al, I need you to listen to me. There's more at stake than you know." She then proceeded to give him the short version of what she was doing.

"So I'm supposed to choose Elysia's life over Brother's?" Alphonse stood, furious. "How can you expect me to do that?"

"I'm not, Alphonse," Riza said sternly. "I asked you to listen. Standing and shouting is not listening."

He knelt and placed his hands on his metal thighs.

"I'm going to get Edward out of here, I just don't know how yet." Riza clenched her fists. "I refuse to cause the death of any more friends. It's a thin tightrope, but I have to walk it." She paused. "Who else knows you're here?"

"Ummm," Alphonse thought about it for a second. "Only Colonel Mustang, I think."

"Ah, hell!"

Al stopped at the uncharacteristic outburst from the normally cool and collected Lieutenant. "What? What's wrong?"

"God, I hope Hughes intercepts him. If he finds me..."

"I don't understand, Lieu- eh, Lisa," Alphonse corrected himself quickly.

"Mustang is very protective of his subordinates. If something should happen to me, he'll come running. He is a good man, though." She looked down at the floor as she admitted this.

"Brother doesn't like the Colonel very much."

"He just puts himself and his direct subordinates above everything else. He'll do what he has to be promoted, and change this State for the better. That's why we would follow him until death- and he would do the same for us."

Alphonse nodded. "I understand."

"Mustang and Edward clash because they are so much alike," Riza finished. "That's just the way things are."

-xXx-

It could be said that Maria Ross was extremely worried. More accurately, she was freaking out completely. She was pacing back and forth, glaring at Denny for no apparent reason.

Bloch was surprisingly calm. "They'll come back," he said confidently.

Glare.

"Where do you think they went?"

"If I knew that, I would be there!" Maria snapped.

"Guess what I heard."

"What?"

"Falman and Sheska are going out."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she stopped pacing with her back to him.

"Well... you could go out with me," he said hesitantly.

Maria started pacing again. "We should be finding Fullmetal instead of-" She paused. "What did you say?"

"Umm... nothing."

"You said something, what did you say?"

"Never mind," he answered quickly.

"Sergeant..." she said warningly.

"Wouldyoupleasegooutwithme?"

"What?" she looked at Denny, confused.

He was blushing now. "Colonel Mustang!" he shouted suddenly.

Maria blinked and turned to see the approaching Colonel. "Sir!" She saluted, hearing Denny do the same behind her.

"Lieutenant, Sergeant," he greeted coolly. "Don't try and find Fullmetal. That's a direct order."

"What?" Maria was furious. She also seemed to be saying 'what' a lot today. "How can you ask us to do that? He's in our charge, and we have to protect-"

"Lieutenant," Roy said, his voice like a snapping whip. "Right now, you two could cause more harm than good. Edward stumbled onto something he shouldn't have."

"You mean like Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir?" Denny asked hesitantly.

Roy paused. "I don't know what you mean."

"Understood," Maria saluted sharply. "But... sir... will Edward and Alphonse be harmed? I just... I don't want anything to happen to the Elrics when we're not here to protect them."

Roy shook his head slowly. "I don't know... I just don't know."

End Part Five

A/N: I have officially decided that Maria/Denny is the most complicated pairing to write. I'm working on Part Eight right now, and they're causing nothing but trouble, mainly because they keep jumping out of character. Grr...

Anyway, thanks to 'whateverman' who reviewed with the smiley-face idea. Thanks!