DISCLAIMER: I don't own fma or any of the characters.
CHAPTER 26 – The Calmness Before the Storm
Now everyone who worked in the military knew all about First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. If you even try to flirt with Miss Hawkeye you won't live very long at Central Headquarters. New recruits are always advised not to try and 'hit' on the beautiful blonde. That's if you value your life.
There are three simple 'rules' to follow to survive working with the 'trigger happy sniper' so dubbed by her co-workers. 1) NEVER make her mad. It might just be the last thing you do. Only one man has been known to break this rule and live. He is currently her superior officer. 2) Whenever Miss Hawkeye is in a bad mood, run the other way. She has a deadly aim and you don't want to be her target. Very few have been able to divert this law. Keyword: very. 3) ALWAYS do your paperwork. If you do there'll be a content first lieutenant and office. If not, well, its best not to think about the aftermath. None have been permitted to escape this 'rule'.
As mentioned few had been able to dodged these rules. So what happens one so breaks at least one of these carved-in-stone-rules? There just happens to be a story to that. A group of her unsuspecting co-workers were on the receiving end.
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First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye marched down the main connection in HQ with a purpose and a heavy glare, which sent many of the other officers flying into unknown rooms just to keep out of her way. It wasn't that she was mad and it showed. It was that the look of determination that scared them out of her way.
The clicking of her standard military boots echoed through the empty halls she walked. Finally reaching the door she was searching for she stepped in. Apparently the workers behind the door weren't expecting her to stop at their office and were positively terrified.
"Is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes in yet?" Riza asked in the smoothest tone possible. Every man in that room cringed at her voice. It was obvious that she was trying to keep her twitching fingers from her gun so to speak.
At that precise moment a loud voice came from the door just behind her.
"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GOO-" Riza swiveled her body around to meet the one and only Maes Hughes.
"Well g-good morning, Riza- I mean- Lieutenant. What honor do we owe for your presence?" Again, another distinct sign of fearfulness.
"Just the man I was looking for." Riza smiled cruelly. Not a good sign on Maes' part.
"Do you mean me Riza – I mean – Lieutenant?" Hughes asked uncertainly.
"Follow me." Were the only words she replied with. Marching out of the office the announcement of someone condemned to death rang out. His underlings gave him sympathetic looks, but most were worried about their superior's health to be.
"Don't worry, I'll be back. Get me my work while I'm gone if you would." The closest soldier only nodded in response. With his last and possible final words, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes departed from the room.
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Following Riza Hawkeye was never a good sign. Many of the offices passed were shut until she walked by. Only then could you see the several heads poking out around the wooden door. As his subordinates had done, these recruits slipped him empathy looks as if to say, "I hope you come out alive".
When Riza turned around she noticed that officers from other units were making pity faces at Maes.
"Get back to work. All of you." She commanded in a low but stable voice. Everyone scurried back into their departments not once looking back for fear of seeing a bullet whiz by their heads.
Riza trooped forward with Maes trudging behind her. At last they reached their destination. Holding the door open for Maes he took a peak into the room. He half expected everyone including Roy to be tied up and at the mercy of the flaming Hawkeye. Instead she found everyone doing their work dutifully and surprisingly even Roy.
"What's-" Maes began but Riza cut him off.
"Don't even start. I've got a few bones to pick with you men." Maes and the rest gulped at this. Riza rolled her eyes.
"Not literally." She shook her head at the idiots in front of her. Then she spun towards Havoc who ducked his head. She ignored this action.
"Now which one of you is going to confess? I believe you know what I'm talking about…" She trailed off. Scanning the room Riza looked at each one of her co-workers individually. Roy was about to speak.
"Roy-Colonel." Riza glared at him sternly. Well that certainly shut him up. Inside her head she chuckled at this.
"Sit. All of you." Riza ordered as she saw everyone besides Roy inch towards the door in hopes of escaping. Fat chance.
Slowly but surely the men returned to their seats while Maes sat on the corner of a desk. Riza stared each one of them down.
"Now. I'm going to ask one more time. Who's going to confess?" All of them sat there in silence. Roy could've sworn he heard a cricket chirp. Riza shook her head.
"No takers? If you confess I won't punish you as much as the others." That's what set off the bomb. They all exploded all of them trying to be louder over the other.
"Quiet!" Riza shouted as loud as she could over them all. Apparently they didn't hear her. She mentally rolled her eyes and took out her handgun. She shot two warning bullets into the ceiling. That definitely shut them up.
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Roy sat back in amusement. Seeing the blonde first lieutenant have five grown men no less military officers hiding in silence was beyond hilarious. The way her eyebrows creased when she became angry made her look positively stunning. It sounded weird but it was the truth for Roy. She looked beautiful when she had that look off determination on her face. This thought caused him to smile while staring at the radiant blonde.
That's when her gun sounded off. That's what made Roy jump five feet, bang his head, fall over dumbstruck all in one. Just as suddenly as the gunshot was heard, laughter rang out through the area. His subordinates, at least Havoc, Breada, Hughes and Falman, were doubled over cracking up laughing. While Fuery's mouth was covered by his hand trying to keep his laughter in. From his position on the floor, he looked up at Riza, who was closest. He could see from the shine in her eyes that on the inside she was laughing hysterically but nothing got past that.
"Are you all right Colonel?" Roy noticed Riza was back to strict 'sir yes sir' Hawkeye. Roy merely dropped his gaze and nodded his head in reply. Picking up and brushing himself off, Roy returned to his seat with a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks.
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"I'm waiting for a clear, simple answer." Riza asked for the third time. Each man looked at the next, apparently deciding who was gonna go.
"All right, all right. You seem to know that we hid a camera in your office. I'm assuming you didn't think it was the higher ups… why was this so?" Maes announced. Riza felt the need to roll her eyes.
"I knew it was no one from out of this unit because the higher ups would've been smart enough to know that I can detect these kinds of things. Apparently the people who work with me didn't even know that. Besides, they'd be smarter to know to put the wires OUT of practically plain sight." Riza replied. Oh how defiant she was feeling right now.
All the men in the room, that is excluding Roy, bowed their heads in 'shame'. One stupid mistake is sending them to the land of pain no doubt. And boy how they were right.
"I'll give you five seconds to get out of my sight…" Riza trailed off. They bolted out of their chairs and out of the office before she even got to one. Giving one last glance at Roy, who obviously was watching her, she carefully stepped from the room drawing both her guns from their holsters.
Rizahawkeye21A/N: I am so so so so so sorry. I can't believe it's taken me this long to write this. Over a month I know. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter however short it may be. I absolutely positively promise to not take so long updating ever again. That is to say unless I warn you ahead of time. I didn't exactly like how it started out butI wasn't sure how else to do it. So please review so I can have your opinion! Go Royai!