AN: Written for Day 4 of Royai Week 2022.
This chapter is entirely from Riza's POV.
Hope you enjoy!
Saudade
Riza vigorously rubbed her hair with a towel with a small grunt. The Fuehrer did inform her that Roy will be able to trace her as far as South. After all, of his hand picked team to take out General Martin, she was the one who had to hide in plain sight.
What she didn't expect was for her idiot fiancé to physically be here!
Didn't he get my message?
She hung the towel on the hook and flopped on her bed. Ed was with him today, which would partly explain the reckless choice. But still… She groaned, annoyed.
Hayate popped his head up to check on her then laid back down on the floor when he realized there was no danger to his owner.
The riots were getting more out of hand by the day. She sighed, annoyed at her somewhat gray moral compass that prevented her from shooting the Corporal that started today's mayhem.
The civilians had only marched as they brought placards and chanted, impressive as they were in number, and stopped a good few feet from outside of military gates. Martin sounded the alarm to push back the civilians and even ordered snipers along the wall 'in case it gets out of hand'.
It got out of hand alright.
Once the soldiers were deployed outside the gates, one asshole Corporal drew his gun and shot at the foot of one of the protesters, claiming he was acting 'suspicious'. That was when they started to form barricades and pushed against each other and started hitting and throwing.
That was when Ed and Roy decided to show up.
He could have been crushed and trampled on today. He could have been injured or killed, even. She slammed a fist against the bed and it bounced with a soft whoosh.
With the shot she made, she had received General Martin's personal commendation which was a step in the right direction. It was an inclination she was willing to play along their rules.
She grit her teeth. Can I do it again? She wasn't even sure if she would have made that shot if Roy wasn't there.
Her body shot up from the bed when she heard four knocks on her door, beating in a specific thump thump pause thump thump pattern indicating it was either Storch or Rebecca.
The Fuehrer deemed it necessary that only Storch knew all the snipers whereas Rebecca and Riza were both kept in the dark as to the two others, which was reportedly the same arrangement for them.
She opened the door and allowed Storch to come in, gesturing to the small table and pair of chairs that served as both her dining and work area.
"This won't take long, Hawkeye. I'm supposed to be back in the barracks testing out my accommodations."
He handed her a folder as she took a seat as well. "Good job today. And no casualties."
She looked at him with a raised brow. She'd seen the handful of bodies they dragged out of the area in the aftermath.
"No casualties on your end," he amended. "General Armstrong left Central and is back North as we speak. With the reinforced borders on the Ishvalan Restoration, people have directed their protests northward and onward."
"To spread hate?"
He nodded. "And fake news. Generating that kind of disagreement and discourse among the citizens might force Grumman to rethink the final stages of the project."
She shook her head, knowing her grandfather definitely wanted to see it through like the rest of them who sought for atonement.
"Either way, breakaway groups spearheading the spread of disinformation have been substantial enough up North."
"I see. Do you think it will turn as violent as it is down here?"
"We're not sure yet, but to force Armstrong back… It's not something to close one's eyes on."
She had to agree on that. And to think they were fighting the tail end of a movement like this two years ago… and here it was again. Different enemy, same means.
"The other pair of snipers also managed to do some reconnaissance work while you were with the protests. The number of enforced disappearances and tortured individuals are still estimates but one of the holding facilities where they take prisoners is not owned by the Martin family."
She nodded. "How did they get so fast up North? More allies?" They had learned along the way that the Martin family kept mostly liquid assets. Any real properties and rotating funds used for their schemes were owned by and coursed through allies and cronies, which solidified Grumman's theory that getting rid of the Martin head would shatter them. None of them backing the movement wanted to be the face of it.
The disinformation movement was enforced and reinforced through said allies and cronies as well.
Storch deduced the Martin family's allies up North must have some sort of bitter rivalry with the Armstrongs enough to try and topple the way the region was being run. "For now, Armstrong can handle herself but it does leave the Restoration project at odds."
She read through the sheets he gave her that the Fuehrer ordered all military personnel on site to ensure the protection of Ishvalans, which she knew would no doubt have consequences as to the court of public opinion and Martin's trolls.
"Your next task is to get General Martin's trust, enough for him to station you close to him at HQ or as his aerial support when he leaves the office."
The commendation she received was indeed a step in the right direction. All the easier to shoot him in the back of the head.
Storch nodded at her and moved to leave.
She jolted when his hand landed on her shoulder with a dismissive air. "Colonel Mustang," she said, hoping her voice didn't falter.
He smiled but didn't slow down his short trek to the door. "We'll get him out of your hair."
She stood under the premise of seeing him off. "And out of someone else's shooting sights?"
"Yes."
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The next few days were uneventful. Riza knew Roy was sniffing around Southern Military Headquarters for her and/or the clue on her note, but with her station as a roving guard, the chances of them meeting was nil.
She clocked out as per usual, taking heed to avoiding main corridors and usual egress points just in case. She walked along the dimly lit streets, nodding at each soldier posted on every corner and loosening her coat as she passed so they saw her uniform.
Storch had been repetitive to the point of nagging about telling her to never walk at night in civvies. With the current undeterminable number of enforced disappearances, it was a reasonable assumption that there were unimaginable heinous crimes being done to those people.
Hayate tugged on the leash in her hand, jumping at something only he heard and baring his teeth toward a darkened street corner.
The soldier supposedly posted there was nowhere in sight.
She took a step forward, looking back the way she came and assessing where the last soldier posted was. She was certain there should be one here.
There was a soft gasp in the dark followed by a grunt that had Hayate snarling, waiting for her command to attack. She drew her handgun and released her dog, letting him go after whoever he deemed a threat.
A panicked scream and whimpered cries was all it took to propel her feet in that direction as well. Adjusting her sight on the alleyway with only the lights from the street she came from as her aid, she saw her dog's teeth clamped firmly on a soldier's pants leg, pulling sharply and making the man panic.
Upon seeing her in her uniform and military-issued gun, his face lightened up. "There you are!" he said as if he was expecting her. "Wait on my post until I'm done."
He waved at the woman on the ground, trembling hands holding the ends of her blouse closed. She had a split lip, her hair tossed, and her skirt was bunched up to her thighs.
Riza ordered Hayate to release the soldier.
"Won't be long," said the soldier, grabbing the woman's ankle and pulling her to him. She struggled and whimpered but he promptly covered her mouth after slapping her.
He pushed the woman's skirt up that Riza saw a glimpse of her underwear as she squirmed and cried.
She pulled the trigger without second thought.
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"We're supposed to lay low, Hawkeye! They might know we're on to them."
Storch dragged Rebecca to Riza's temporary quarters and laid it on her. The woman she rescued from the alley was slumbering in her bed in the other room.
"I was not about to let her get raped! I thought we were here to stop the Martin regime," she hissed with low tones, not wanting to wake the woman.
"Not at the cost of the mission itself! Lots of people got raped, killed, and tortured in that hellhole! If they're still alive, we're supposed to be getting them out!"
"Keep your voices down," said Rebecca, eyeing the door to the bedroom.
"I wasn't there to stop all of it, but I was there to stop this one," said Riza, doing her best to level her tone.
"And what do you think would happen once they find the dog bite on his leg and the bullet in his head? Not to mention the investigation on the gunshot."
"Hayate didn't bite his leg, he bit his pants and held on," she said defensively.
Rebecca looked at her as if she had grown a third arm.
"I'll deal with the repercussions." She was, after all, the only one in the team stationed as a soldier in Southern HQ. "I don't feel guilty about killing him, I'm only sorry I wasn't there for them all."
"Hawkeye," said Storch with a warning tone. An experienced soldier himself, he knew how empty and useless her last words were about guilt. "Take the day off tomorrow. I'll see what I can do."
He and Rebecca left shortly, leaving Riza to mull over the night alone. She took a peek into the bedroom and once she confirmed the woman was out cold and resting, albeit with some tear streaks down her cheeks, she settled on the floor in her small dining/living area.
Hayate cuddled against her feet and while she would usually scoot him farther away, tonight… Tonight, they needed each other.
She replayed her words, the mechanic retelling of a soldier who has seen too many deaths: "I don't feel guilty about killing him, I'm only sorry I wasn't there for them all."
Regardless of who was on the other side of the barrel, it was still a matter for the conscience after and she knew that memories of the moment were the devil's spawn.
It's because you made it out alive that you have guilt.
She swallowed the lump down her throat and extended her leg so her bare foot rested on Hayate's fur. Roy.
Her chest ached at the thought of his name, his face, unbidden as it was in her solitude. Would he be disappointed in her if she was the one to put an end to this mission?
Would he be able to forgive and, if not, accept her choices?
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
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It turned out Storch didn't have to do anything to smooth out the repercussions of her killing the soldier that night. She was called into headquarters early the next day, with barely an hour of sleep, because civilians — armed this time — had charged the gates.
Casualties from both sides were racking up and it was barely past 10. She slinked through the back entrance of the barracks and crawled through the slim, secret connecting space that led to headquarters.
She was sure that wasn't standard, like Armstrong's underground basement in her residence, but didn't have time to think much as she was propelled to the top of the gates to act as sniper.
With a heavy heart, she set her sights down on the chaos below. Medics were unable to tend to and rescue the wounded without getting shot at or beaten themselves.
It was akin to a pack of rabid wolves… if the wolves had guns and acted like they had nothing to lose.
Platoons of soldiers had been deployed and she saw the snipers posted on the walls had doubled by the time the sun was reaching its highest point in the sky.
With a heavy heart, she aimed and shot on the ground as close as possible to bodies and hoping against all hope she wouldn't hit anyone so long as they didn't move into her line of sight as her shots rang out.
Soldiers on the ground eventually became tired, dehydrated, wounded, and beaten. It was clear it was their first time to encounter a head-on match with armed civilians who were unafraid to die for what they were fighting for.
Riza had seen many soldiers break from their ranks and join the opposing side. Commanding officers scramble to get a hold on their units, confusion ringing out as to which soldiers were for them and against them.
She took a deep breath and raised her rifle. She finally had an excuse not to shoot.
By the time the fighting had let up a bit with lines drawn and territories barricaded, General Martin stomped out of the gates with a fresh platoon. He was red in the face and screaming, demanding for the soldiers to move.
Only a handful snapped at attention but no one made a move to raise their weapons.
The imagery from where she perched was chilling: beaten soldiers on one side and hunkered civilians on the other, the only thing separating them was their makeshift barriers and the sea of blood and fallen people — civilian and soldier alike — in the middle.
"Attack, attack, attack!" screamed Martin, the platoon that he came with marching forward to cover him and taking aim at the civilian barricade.
An old man wiggled his way from behind the civilian barrier and stepped forward, spreading his arms to the sides like a bird taking flight.
Martin's voice was turning hoarse. "What are you doing?! Attack!"
No one pulled their triggers. No one from the civilian camp had their weapons raised anymore, which made the soldiers hesitate to fight.
The power of the people.
Riza wiped the sweat off her brow as she sighed. Please, she prayed, neither knowing nor caring which god, deity, demon, or spirit heard her. Let this end. Let him back down peacefully.
Their commanding officer passed each sniper lined up, including her, and gave out new orders: aim and fire at will behind the civilian lines even if they weren't attacking.
Cold sweat trickled down her nape as she heard guns cocking at her sides. She set her sights down on the ground once more, but this time finding the back of General Martin's head in her sight.
One shot. It would only take one shot, but everyone would know it was her. Or would they?
Some of her fellow snipers were already following orders, making chaos ensue behind the civilian lines. The old man who had his arms spread out earlier laid on the ground, eyes unblinking, the horrifyingly perfect picture of a martyr.
For the second time that week, she pulled the trigger without second thought.
AN: Happy Royai Day, everyone!
I'm sorry I'm late in posting each chapter per day, and I barely had any time to edit this chapter, but I will see this through to the end.
'Til next time!