AN: This is a throwback coming in from Chapters 9-10. In Chapter 2 (In the Line of Fire), Roy told Ed about the story of his fight with Lust (I used the name "Lujuria Solaris" for this AU). I thought I'd talk about it in detail in this chapter.
No Elric brothers in this one.
Hope you enjoy!
Bite the Bullet
Colonel Roy Mustang, risking the ire of his right-hand woman, slammed his forehead against his desk. "Stupid red tape," he grumbled. It had only been a few months since his promotion and eventual designation as Head of East HQ's Fraternization Records.
The system was in place, which his team adopted quickly with Riza's shepherding; but like any typical government office, there was too much paperwork going in and out. It was annoyingly amazing how much paperwork goes into each stage of a military couple's relationship, and how fast people file their paperwork to declare their new relationship or new relationship stage, only to file even more paperwork to declare it was over.
He lifted his head enough to peek at his fiancée and suppressed a grin. She was the one who filed their amended paperwork the day after she said yes, changing their statuses from 'dating' to 'engaged', much to the shock of their men. All she said about their inquisitive stares was, "No one's above paperwork in this office," and avoided all questions about their engagement.
He was still on cloud nine and there wasn't a doubt in his mind the only paperwork left for them to file in the future was to convert their status to 'married' and that was it. Happily ever after.
"Sir."
"Ack." He bolted upright in his seat when the subject of his daydream glared at him.
"I hope I don't have to remind you of General Armstrong's visit soon." The woman was well-known for overhauling their North HQ into an impenetrable fortress in both the structural and personnel aspects. Because of this, she was called to conduct a courtesy visit to other HQs to turn in her report about defense strategies and suggestions. She was rumored to be visiting East HQ in a couple of days and Hawkeye wanted everyone in their office to be ready or at least to practice being ready.
He sighed, picking up a pen and continuing where he left off on his work. Riza had good reason to be tense because, for some reason unknown to both of them, the formidable General seemed to dislike Mustang. One negative thing about him or his team in General Armstrong's report could set them back for years, so he promised to be on his best behavior until after the General leaves.
The scratching of pens against paper and Havoc's occasional grumbling was interrupted when Hawkeye piped up, "Falman. Are you sure about Warrant Officer Solaris?"
The gray-haired man cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am."
"Sure about what?"
Instead of answering her commanding officer, Hawkeye closed the folder on her desk and handed it to him. "There is a female officer who has had quite the record the past few months."
Havoc whistled. "I heard she's really blessed in assets and skill."
She schooled her expression to stop her eye from twitching. It was comments like that in the workplace if heard by the wrong ears, that could get them in trouble.
Mustang opened the folder and pretended to focus on what was inside. To anyone else, it looked like Riza couldn't care less about off-color comments like that but he knew better. "Why did you single her out? A lot of officers file this kind of paperwork like it's nothing." His lips twisted in disdain. "They go on one date and they file, they get dumped, they file." Some even viewed it as a matter of pride - how many fraternization papers they could file to prove their 'conquests' - without a single care to their office having to deal with it all.
"Falman matched her records and the male officers she's had relations with. It would seem around the time Warrant Officer Solaris would file paperwork to declare the end or beginning of a relationship, the previous male officer would file a sick leave for…" She stopped to break eye contact with Roy. While they have been sexually intimate, and the man was her fiancé now, there were still certain conversation topics she'd rather avoid.
Hawkeye glanced at the man responsible for the report, assessing if he'd be willing to explain his written report, and found him shifting in his seat. She coughed, "... pain."
"They're heartbroken? That isn't cause for sick leave, Lieutenant."
Her jaw tensed. Instead of voicing it out loud, now knowing even Falman was embarrassed about the subject, she reached over and flipped the file to her intended page.
"Difficulty or pain in peeing…" Roy mumbled the words on the file pertaining to the men's symptoms. "Swollen b…" His head jerked up. "Surely, Medical Records has done something about this." It was beyond their jurisdiction to look into diseases, even if they were sexually transmitted, spreading amongst the ranks. After all, their task was only to ensure impartiality during promotion or demotion despite the declared amorous connections.
"They tried until they themselves got sick."
His face fell. "You're kidding." He flipped through the file and true enough, efficiently highlighted in Falman's report, included in the list of names infected by Solaris' STD were the majority of the Medical Records Team and the In-House Clinic staff. He stood, the folder trapped in his arm. "Good work, Falman."
Hawkeye trailed behind Mustang as he went out the door.
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
The week of General Armstrong's visit came and with Mustang turning in Falman's report, their office wasn't under too much scrutiny. The Colonel's eyes drifted to his blonde Lieutenant casually chatting with General Armstrong's Chief Aide, Major Miles.
Despite the heavy glasses, Mustang spotted Miles' face light up at something Riza said. He knew better than to be jealous, with him being stuck at a morning 'catch-up' with General Armstrong and Riza was over there with another man, but he did wish she wore her ring on her finger right now.
"Good talk?" he asked her the moment they were en route back to their office.
"Yes, sir. I trust you were pleasant to General Armstrong?"
"In not so many words." He welcomed them at first, but the General asked him way too many questions about Hawkeye when he thought she should have been asking about his office. "She was impressed with the Solaris report though, said it was rare to get someone discharged that way."
"She didn't take her dismissal in stride, though."
"How the Discipline Committee failed to act was not our problem." He shrugged. "General Armstrong said as much, and admired how you acted back there."
"She would have stuck that knife in your eye otherwise. She's a good soldier." She swung her left arm a little forward than usual at the memory. Solaris flew into a rage that stunned the military personnel present at the hearing. She then decided to throw a knife aimed at Roy's eye and with everyone rooted as they were, only Hawkeye managed to act and blocked it at the last second with her forearm.
"Your military assessments speak for themselves too." He was certain Armstrong stalked his team's records prior to her visit and found Riza, maybe even Falman, exceptional.
If it gets us out of prying eyes, so be it. Not one to accept a compliment often, she refused to say anything else as they entered their office and paused at the sight of Havoc repeatedly flicking his lighter on and off.
Through the corner of his eyes, the Colonel saw her lips purse tighter. He knew that not until General Armstrong was on board the train out of East HQ, Riza wouldn't be able to relax. He stalked to the direction of his desk, grabbing the lighter as he went and stuffed it in his pocket without so much as an explanation.
Havoc almost protested but saw Hawkeye casually sinking into her seat with lowered eyes. He'd just ask for his lighter after work.
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
When lunch break came, four chairs scraped against the floor just as Roy's forehead hit his desk. "No one talks to me until after lunch," he groaned. The other men filed out, more than happy to comply. They needed a change of scenery too.
He closed his eyes, intent on sleeping the whole hour when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He forced an eye open to peek up at Hawkeye. "Any sandwich from the mess hall will do, thanks," he said, knowing she was about to ask him to eat something, "I need sleep more."
"I'll wake you up before lunch is over." She left him to catch up with the others.
The exhausted man didn't know how long he was napping for, but he knew it wasn't enough when the phone rang. "Damn it." Forehead still resting against his desk, he extended his arm to grab the shrilling abomination. "Colonel Mustang, Fraternization Records."
"S-sir, we thought we should let you know -" Roy heard screaming and crying from the background which caused him to sit up straight. "A woman with dark hair has been attacking passersby with knives and shouting your name."
"Mortality rate?
"Currently unknown, but a lot are bleeding out or already dead, sir. She's quick."
He gritted his teeth. Solaris. Even if they weren't first responders anymore, training kicked in and he can't help but ask, "Where was she seen last?"
"Corner of 4th Avenue and 29th Street, sir."
There was no time to gather the team. Besides, how difficult would it be to handle one non-alchemist?
On top of that, he guessed General Armstrong's entourage were most likely milling around town during the break, anyway. Slamming the phone back in its base, he dashed out of HQ, gloves tight against his palms. He would help finish this fast, then jog back to Riza like nothing happened.
The young Colonel traversed the streets, following the sound of screams and cries. Military personnel scattered, torn between firing at the perpetrator and treating the injured. He pulled the collar of a shivering medic, "Where is your Commanding Officer?"
The young man, looking no older than Fuery, shakily pointed down at the Major with the knife in his throat. Roy let go and continued to pursue Solaris.
No wonder the officers were acting like headless chickens. It was good they had half the sense to call him.
Pausing at an intersection, his head whipped left and right. Which way, which way. He wasn't sure if he was winded from all the running. The screams seemed to come from all around until a particularly high-pitched screech echoed above the rest. There.
He dashed toward the sound, months of being stuck at a desk job forgotten. He planted his feet in front of the only alleyway Solaris would need if she were to escape. A woman crawled out from behind Solaris and scurried behind Roy and out of sight. He raised his hand to snap. "That's enough!"
"My, my." The disgraced officer turned to face him. "Sir, Colonel Mustang, sir." She lazily offered a mock salute with only two fingers.
"Surrender quietly so this wouldn't get worse for you."
"Worse?" she clicked her tongue. "That's easy to say for someone with a stable source of income, isn't it?"
He snapped above his head to send a line of fire upward to signal for any nearby military personnel, preferably those who came with General Armstrong, that he was there.
Roy smiled when the fire stayed longer than anticipated before it dispersed. Eyes going back to Solaris, his breath caught his throat when the woman was no longer there.
He looked down in time to see her eyes looking up at him with amusement as he felt something cold in the side of his stomach. "Guh."
The last thing Roy remembered was the sun's glint against the reddened blade when Solaris pulled it out and stuck it against his skin a second time.
"I won't kill you, but it's not my fault if you bleed out."
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
With a paper bag and cup of coffee trapped in one hand, Hawkeye closed the office door with another. "Sir, nap time is… over." She dropped the items on her absent Commanding Officer's desk and rummaged through the files.
Toilet break? With no note left behind, that was the only plausible reason she could think of even if Roy wasn't the kind to go before his midday cup of coffee. She had a sinking feeling in her chest she couldn't place, but going to the men's restroom to check on him would be absurd.
While she was weighing her options, convincing herself she was being paranoid for nothing, an orange glow from the window caught her peripheral vision and she turned toward it. A tower-like blaze shot up and held its position for a few heartbeats.
Roy. She'd know those flames anywhere. Why the hell was he all the way over there? She patted herself down, counting the guns she strapped to herself this morning, then opened Mustang's drawer and took the gun from there too.
Why did he leave his gun here?
She passed Havoc and the others on their way back from lunch break. Without slowing her pace in the direction of the exit, she ordered, "With me. Now."
The men fell into step behind her. "Ma'am?" voiced Fuery.
"The Colonel is approximately 2 kilometers from HQ right now." She bit her tongue. Yet the rest of us are all here.
At the head of their group, Riza retraced the direction of where she saw Roy's flames earlier and saw the scattered bodies and overwhelmed military personnel. Why hasn't anyone called this in?
"Fuery." She nodded toward an overturned ambulance. "Call for a backup response team, hopefully, one with a levelheaded Commanding Officer." Was everyone distracted by the General's visit? She tried to recall how their team operated before Roy's promotion.
"Falman, assist the medics. Breda, Havoc, we need to head that way." She pointed to what she hoped was Roy's approximate location. When Riza drew Roy's gun along the way, Havoc and Breda followed suit.
They turned left at a minor street and Riza aimed the gun at the woman smirking at them.
"Surrender, Solaris."
"Aww." The dark-haired woman clicked her tongue. "He said the same thing. Such a shame."
It was a clear taunt, but Hawkeye refused to take the bait.
Solaris raised a brow at Havoc cocking his gun. She threw a knife at him and it stuck itself to Havoc's foot.
"Shit." He stepped back, pulling the knife out, grateful for the thick combat boots.
"Don't try."
"What do you want?" demanded Hawkeye. If it was her intention to escape, she should have done so before they arrived instead of strolling through the streets the way she did. If she wanted to kill them, knowing the distance at which Solaris stood from them and the speed of the knife used to hit Havoc's shoe, she could've done something close to it by now.
She shrugged, her loose curls shifting. "Not really sure. I wanted Mustang to pay, but that's been handled."
Breda tried to count how many weapons the woman had on her but found the task impossible. "Handled how?" he asked, gun steadily focused on Solaris. Unlike Havoc who made his movements known, he successfully readied his aim without a knife being thrown at him.
She pulled more knives seemingly from nowhere and held two on each hand. "I stabbed him. Twice for good measure, of course." She tilted her head, smirking as Hawkeye's face started to lose its impassiveness. "He was good looking until the end."
"No." Eyes widening at the implication, and the fact that her fiancé was indeed nowhere near to be found, Riza emptied the clip of the gun in her hand. "You bitch!" My fault. I wasn't there. It's my fault.
Solaris shouted in surprise then threw the knives in their direction; two hitting pavement once they failed to connect with the soldiers, one slamming against Breda's gun, and the other one missing Hawkeye's gun by a mere inch as the latter pulled her arm back and temporarily ceased fire.
The dark-haired woman then ducked behind a large dumpster to hide from Hawkeye's next round of gunfire and it was at that moment Breda realized why the woman chose this particular alley to wait for them.
The dumpster served as a large shield and an effective deterrent for their bullets. Even if she couldn't duck out and escape from behind the dumpster, it would be impossible for them to approach and apprehend her without her managing to jump out and hurt them.
Breda guessed they could leave Hawkeye now and go to the other side of the alley to surround and surprise Solaris, but… His eyes raked over Hawkeye's heaving form as she discarded the weapon in her hand and drew two more from her jacket, resuming scattered and unfocused fire at the dumpster with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Tsk." As much as Havoc wanted to stop Hawkeye from emptying all the clips she had on her… his eyes met Breda's stare. They were just as commanding officer-less as the officers they encountered along the way. What now?
Hawkeye's screams continued to echo.
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
Roy groaned at the firecracker-like sounds rumbling through the earth. His palm traced the surface of the concrete beneath him, attempting to recollect his memory. He got stabbed. "Ugh." One hand went to the open wounds profusely bleeding and he winced when his fingers made contact with the hilt of a knife.
Solaris was still on the loose, but she didn't mind leaving him a little present.
Through blurry eyes, he raised his free hand to his line of sight. With the glove he saw beyond repair, he can only guess the other one tight to his side was in the same torn-up state.
With shallow breaths, he focused on the wet and cold feeling of his blood seeping from his uniform. Alright. He tried to calm himself down. Think. Breathing too deeply hurt and moving was out of the question if he wanted to stay awake, not to mention the air hitting him every now and then and aggravating the knife still stuck to him.
He isn't kicking the bucket this way. Solaris was cruel, leaving his fate up to the hands of those inexperienced medics and military personnel when they knew full well he wouldn't be found for maybe another two hours.
Maybe I can rest my eyes for a while. If he didn't pull the blade out, the wounds might not be so bad if he left it for a while.
"You bitch!" he heard from a good distance away, the letter 'i' seemingly drawn out longer, and Roy's eyes snapped open. Riza?
Shit. He heard gunshots coming from at least three different weapons. Riza, Riza, and…
"Ahhhhh!" It was a woman's shriek.
Solaris. Solaris had a gun all this time? Why was Riza fighting Solaris on her own?
Where the hell were his other men?
Havoc. He focused all his energy on patting his jacket and pulling out the lighter he confiscated this morning. "You son of a…" he flicked the lighter on. "Thanks," he muttered then dropped the lighter on the ground where he could easily pick it up later.
Now all he needed was a transmutation circle.
He braced himself. 1… 2… He pulled the knife out and yelped.
/-/ /-/ /-/ /-/
Hawkeye clicked the guns in her hands and discarded them upon discovering they were empty. She drew her last gun from behind her and stalked toward the dumpster.
Breda pulled the blonde back. "Hawkeye, you can't get close range."
She shrugged out of his hold, avoiding eye contact when her gaze settled on Havoc: steadfast in his stance, aiming his gun at the dumpster, patiently waiting for Solaris to make the mistake and crawl out. With his aim, even if it wasn't as accurate as Hawkeye's, he was confident he'd hit her if she only gave him a clear line of shot.
"I…" the adrenaline and will to fight from earlier zapped out of her. Roy was gone? Roy was gone… gone?
"Snap out of it," said Breda, "The Chief would hate to see you like this." Whether Solaris' claims of killing their leader was true or not, they looked to Hawkeye now to take control. He still held the sliver of hope Mustang was only severely injured.
"It's more than enough bloodshed for today." Havoc squeezed the trigger and shot past the dumpster, grazing Solaris' shoulder when she made the mistake of peeking at them. "Let's focus on the now, ma'am." His focus never left the dumpster, intent on hitting Solaris again if she made a move. "What are your orders?"
She wasn't much of a leader, unlike Roy. Her gaze flitted from Havoc and his steady arm to Breda whose presence was a comfort. She swallowed down her dread. "Alright," she murmured. Blinking the last of her tears away, she checked the bullets in her gun.
With the back of her fist, she tapped Havoc's shoulder and pointed to the dumpster - a wordless command to continue focusing on Solaris from here. She then pointed at Breda and made a signal to go around the other end of the alley and cut off the only possible way of escape. The latter walked away only after he gave Hawkeye a once over and determined she would be fine at least until Solaris is in custody.
Havoc remained deathly focused on his target. Still, he asked, "Good?"
She turned her face away and wiped her eyes with a sleeve. "No," she answered honestly, biting her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out again.
"You're not giving up on our watch."
"Perfectly said, Havoc." A resounding snap was heard.
Dropping his gun, he pulled Hawkeye by the back of her collar just as heat and a gust of air surrounded them.
She struggled, wanting to see Roy. Wanting to know for sure he wasn't… he wasn't…
"Hawkeye." Havoc stiffened the arm wrapped around her shoulders. She might get hit by flames by accident.
They heard Solaris' scream followed by a "Chief!" from Breda.
Hawkeye wrenched Havoc's arm away and ran past the dark-haired woman and the latter's cries of agony over her charred knees. She dropped to the ground beside Roy, who laid there with a smile on his face. Her tears lined her eyes once more at the sight of him.
"Are you alright?"
"Worry about yourself first!" she scolded.
He chuckled, though the sound came out shaky. "I seared the wound closed." He pointed at his waist. His uniform and undershirt were thrown open where Riza could see the reddish patch. "I passed out twice, I think. Thanks," he looked up at Breda who returned in his line of sight after cuffing their criminal, "for looking out for her."
AN: Stay safe, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed, read, followed, and supported this despite the erratic posting schedule and introverted writer.
'Til next time!