A/N: Holy crap, two updates in the same month? It's baffling! Hopefully I will be able to keep this momentum up for a while. As always, thank you for reading and reviews, if you decide to leave any (though they are most definitely never required!). I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Chapter 5

Several hours after she'd set out — at least, she figured it was several hours, who knew by this point — she stopped to realize she was in the middle of nowhere. North City was so far behind her that she couldn't see it anymore, and yet she felt as if she was nowhere near the fort. It was frustrating, it was cold, and she was getting more and more discouraged with every step she took. What, had the soldier at the headquarters lied to her? Sent her out here with the intent of killing her off? Even at that, had the entire military conspired to kill her already? She couldn't have pissed off that many people in three days! Karla groaned, trudging on. This was ridiculous: She was out here in the snow with nothing more on than a uniform, a Central uniform at that, so one that wasn't even built to withstand very much cold, and she was carrying nothing more than a suitcase.

"What the flying fuck?!" she cried into the air. She looked down at her hands, which were trembling with cold, and she knew that if she didn't get out of this soon, she was going to end up getting hypothermia or something and end up freezing to death. Yet… where the hell would she go? She was somehow far enough away from everything that even the mountains were in the distance. Either way, whether she reached the fort or the mountains first, she would end up coming down with something before she got there.

With this thought in her mind, she sighed and threw her suitcase down, kicking the clasps open and yanking out the thickest coat she had: a long, slightly tattered black one that reached down to her calves. She slipped this on, and while it wasn't ideal, it did provide some slight warmth and protection against the cold surrounding her.

She continued on, and she didn't know just how long it was since she'd stopped when she suddenly heard snow rustling around her. Instantly snapping into a defensive position, she unsheathed her knife, looking around before starting to move again. Her steps were cautious, slower this time, and she kept looking around her, prepared to fight if an attacker were to jump out toward her.

The rustling occurred again, and Karla stopped again. Where the hell was it coming from? She didn't have time to react, however, as suddenly around six white-clad men burst forth from the snow, knocking her straight into it, grabbing at her arms. Her knife flew from her hand into the snow, and one of the soldiers picked it up and inspected it as she was forced onto her feet.

"Who are you?" one of them in front of her demanded, his voice rough. "What are you doing out here? You're a spy for Drachma, aren't you?"

Karla's eyes narrowed, and she glared at him. "Do I look like a spy for Drachma to you?" she spat. "Why in the hell would I come in from this side if I was from Drachma?"

The soldier didn't respond, but returned her glare before looking over at the soldier holding her knife. "What do you have?"

"The weapon that she was holding," his companion answered as he peered at the blade. "Looks to be Drachman in origin, though I can't tell exactly what make it is."

"How convenient for you," the other soldier said, looking back at Karla. "Drachman in looks and Drachman in weapon. To me, that equals Drachman spy."

Son of a bitch. She'd been so used to carrying her knife on her that she'd forgotten it had used to be her father's, who had been a Drachman assassin in his day. The cards were indeed stacked against her right now, and if she could have, she would have thrown up her hands in frustration. "Listen. I am a state alchemist, and I have been assigned to Fort Briggs. I am not lying to you!"

"Tell that to the general," the soldier interrogating her spat. "Let's go. Bring her with us."

They had moved with alarming speed, and the next moment Karla looked up, she was face to face with a massive building she could only guess was the fort. Really? She hadn't been that far from it? Of course. It was just her luck that she'd gotten caught this close to it. She caught sight of a man with brown skin and white hair standing on a balcony of sorts above their heads, and though goggles obscured his eyes, she almost flinched at the intensity he seemed to radiate. What kind of place was this?

"What is that?" the man asked, surveying them with his arms crossed behind him.

"A Drachman spy," the soldier in front of Karla answered. "She was found with a Drachman knife, but she says she's a state alchemist. I believe she is lying, sir!"

"Bring her in," the man up top responded. "I will notify the general."

Karla was shoved forward, and due to the fact that they had cuffed her hands behind her back, nearly fell into the snow. "I told you," she growled as she regained her balance, "I'm not a spy! Don't you people know how to listen?"

"Knock her out," the soldier in front of them ordered instead, ignoring her. A split-second later, pain exploded in the back of her head, and she slumped forward, blacking out.

Cold.

It was the first thing she felt. It pierced through her coat, straight through her uniform, and seemingly straight through her flesh. She immediately bolted upwards, opening her eyes and looking around wildly in the process. Her hands were still cuffed together, but in front of her this time, and once she realized she was in a jail cell, she groaned. This wasn't exactly how I'd imagined getting into the fort, she thought in frustration.

Karla stood and went to the bars, rattling them to get the guard's attention. "You!" she called once he'd looked over at her. "Get me the hell out of here! I don't belong in here, and you people would damn well know that if you'd listened to me!"

The guard strode to the bars, staring at her with cold eyes. "Keep quiet, Drachman," he ordered, his tone threatening. "Do you need me to gag you as well?"

Karla glared at him, her eyes narrowed for a moment before she stormed back to the small bench, sitting down on it. God damn it, did nobody in this fort know how to listen to reason? This was ridiculous! What the hell was she supposed to do now? Had that soldier in North City even sent the notification up here? Oh, if he hadn't, Karla knew exactly who she would have some choice words for.

It wasn't long, however, before someone else came to her prison: someone who was clearly so large that their mere figure blocked out all the light pouring into the cell. Karla looked over to see what appeared to be merely a huge mass of nothing but muscle. Muscle and the glint of automail, and it was only after she did a double take did she discover this brutal figure was actually a man, his arms crossed in front of him. He looked nothing short of threatening, and her heart jumped in her chest as she looked up at him. Who in the hell was this?

Oh, god, please tell me that's not supposed to be my commanding officer.

The man took the keys from the guard, unlocking the cell and opening the door. "Get out here," he said, his voice a low growl. It sent shivers down Karla's back, and she wasn't sure whether they were from fright or some sort of strange admiration. The automail that composed his right arm looked vaguely normal except for the claws that seemed to be tipped with nothing short of diamond, and Karla knew just by looking at them that he could use them to tear her apart if he wanted.

She stood, quickly departing the cell before he got any ideas to try and shut her in again. He took a different key and uncuffed her, throwing the cuffs back into the cell and handing the keys back to the guard. "Follow me, Drachman."

With a scowl on her face, she did so as he began leading her through the fort. Where they were going, she had no idea, but she wished she had her knife on her. She felt more than incomplete without it, and these bastards had no right taking it from her! "You people can stop with the Drachman thing now," she said with a huff. "I have a name, since you've failed to recognize that."

The massive soldier in front of her halted for a moment, though he didn't look back at her. "What is it?" he grunted.

"Chernikova," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Karla Chernikova."

The man grunted again, and Karla thought she heard the smallest hint of a laugh in there, which only incited her anger. What the hell could he be laughing at her about? "That's a Drachman name if I've ever heard one," he said, starting to walk again. "I don't like it."

"No one said you had to like it," she shot back, having to jog slightly to keep up with him. "Has anyone told you you're more than a bit of a jackass?"

He seemed to ignore this, though she caught him tensing slightly. Good. At least there was some acknowledgment towards what she'd said. It was much better than being ignored, after all.

He escorted her through the many hallways of the fort, though she was sure there were more, when he stopped suddenly in front of a closed door. She almost ran right into him, caught off guard, and scowled again. Damn it, why couldn't he have warned her first? She sighed as the soldier knocked on the door, and it was only a moment before a voice said sternly from within, "You may enter."

He opened the door, and Karla followed him in. "Here she is, General," he said, standing on the side of the desk, revealing Karla. "The Drachman alchemist you asked for."

Karla was taken aback. She was standing before who she figured was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen: with long, blonde hair and blue eyes so fierce they were chilling… There was no way this could be the major general they'd told her about back in Central! She'd been expecting someone so angry and ferocious… there was no way in hell this woman was in charge here.

"Stop staring!" the woman snapped, and Karla instantly sprang into attention. The woman leaned back in her chair, her arms crossing in front of her. "So. You're the one who North City warned me that I was getting in advance. You're the one who got herself captured by my men. I shouldn't be surprised. Alchemists are always sloppy in their methods."

The young alchemist's eyes narrowed. "You should probably teach your men to actually listen to someone besides their own asses. I wouldn't have been imprisoned otherwise."

There was the smallest of reactions from the bear man, but the woman's own eyes narrowed in return. "You're not the one giving orders around here," she said, her voice firm, strong, stern. "I am. I am Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong, and you'd do well to keep your mouth shut in my fort. I'm not fond of your kind, alchemist; let me make that clear right now. Why Bradley decided to send you to me, I have no idea. My advice to you, however, is shut up and follow my orders, otherwise I will send your ass packing straight back to Central. I have no room for arrogance here."

Karla almost flinched at the ferocity behind her words — now she understood how she got to be in charge. Her pride didn't allow her to back down, however, but she bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep her scathing remarks from leaving her mouth. "Yes, sir," she said instead, the sir being completely automatic. The general didn't seem to care, though, instead picking up a knife that had been sitting on her desk. Karla's heart leapt — that was hers! She very nearly reached out to take it, though she thought at the last moment that the general would slap her or something if she were to do so.

"What the hell is Bradley playing at?" Armstrong muttered, unsheathing the knife and inspecting it. "Sending me an alchemist… and a Drachman one, at that!" She then looked up at Karla. "Karla Chernikova. That's your name, is it? I would doubt you, but they've sent me your file in advance. If there wasn't a specific note in there about this damned knife, I would keep you in that cell until I'd decided what to do with you."

The redhead nearly sighed in relief. At least those in Central had paid enough attention to what weapon she'd been using. Olivier sheathed the knife again, slamming it down onto the desk in Karla's direction. She then looked at the soldier next to her. "Buccaneer, get her out of my sight and find her something to do. Make sure you keep an eye on her. I don't want her getting any ideas."