Siege

"SOS? You mean someone sent a telegram?" Lieutenant Havoc said surprised. "Haven't they heard of the great invention of the telephone." The subordinate said leaning informally against the wall.

"Yes it was also accompanied by a note," the superior officer said handing his subordinate a note.

The subordinate looked surprised at the note, "Fort of Eureka invaded, stop. Reinforcements needed, stop. Wait but that's," he said worriedly taking out a cig.

"Yes and as of ten minuets ago I was put in charge of setting this up. All communication with the town is down; even the train tracks are blown off."

"You're so sure of your self eh, manipulating like always. Hey you got a light?" Havoc said. The Colonel sighed annoyed and with the quick flick of his wrist and a snap he obliterated the cigarette leaving Havoc black faced and his nicotine need not quenched.

Riza drove the Smith's car up to the fort in a rush. Angelina had explained to her what she believed what happened at the fort. Riza's first instinct was to call Geoffrey at the fire, but the phone line out of Eureka was dead. Riza and Hayate were the fort's last hope. She waited for the sun to beginning to set before heading up to the secret entrance. It didn't take her long to make her way into the under ground room. Pulling out a gun she cursed under her breath. Molly had absent mindedly washed her uniform when she needed it most, now she had to fight in a sundress; luckily the leggings she wore under her uniform weren't washed so Riza wore them under her dress. Quickly she ripped four slits around the skirt so she had more mobility.

"Ready Hayate?" Riza said to her dog opening the door to the stairway "hackles up."

Sneaking through all of back alleyways Riza started looking for where the soldiers could be. While walking through an alley on a road near the wall Riza saw two of the enemy men walking down the street. She put her gun away and readied her self waiting for them to walk by. "Hayate take the one further away, and keep him quiet," she said barely whispering. If she used her gun now the shots would ring out and her position would be revealed.

They neared Riza and Hayate and the dog of the military and his mistress jumped out, Hayate immediately went for the other mans arm. Riza meanwhile had to face off with an opponent without her gun, she ran up to him and did a quick wrist lock to get the large gun out of his hands. The man wouldn't take that and threw her off of his arm. Her element of surprise was over with. She squared up with him sizing him up and waiting for his first move. She would wait patiently. The medium sized man faked going for her feet but instead put her in a headlock from her side, bringing her head to his stomach. Instead of struggling against him she went along with his power, so as he pulled her in she went with it, bringing out her hand and using his own power with her hand to hit his groin. Yowling he let go immediately, thus she had a good grab at his mid-section since she was still inside of his guard. He, still in pain, fell to his knees right in front of her, so she grabbed his head and without hesitation, slammed it into her knee. He fell to the dirty ground, knocked out from the blow to his face.

Riza wiped her hands on the skirt of the dress and walked over to where the other man on his knees was attempting to remove Hayate from his arm. She walked behind him and told Hayate "I think he's had enough." When Hayate let go she didn't let the man have a chance she kicked him into the dust and pulled his arm behind his back. "Now mister I would be happy if you tell me what the hell you're doing at this fort and where the soldiers are."

"Why should I?" he asked in a gruff tone, Riza took her gun out and pressed it into his back "You going to cause a racket with that?"

"Your body will muffle the noise," she dug her fingernails into the bite wounds in his arms and asked "You going to answer my questions?"

"There are about 15 soldiers in the gym the rest of them are somewhere in the forest." He said wincing "You can't beat us though; we have at least 70 men at the fort. As for what we're doing here I have no clue boss said it was a high paying job."

"Thanks for the info," Riza said before hitting him in the back of the head with the butt of her gun. She grabbed both of the men's bodies and pulled them into the alley and hid them in a trash bin tied up. After doing that Riza trotted to the gym. The front entrance had guards around it, so she went to use the back entrance through the shooting range. None of the terrorists were even in there. Next Riza crept down the walkway to the door that connected to the gym and peered carefully through the door to the gym. When she looked through she saw all of the captive soldiers were tied up on the other side of the building. There was no way she could get to them through the entrance she was at. In her head she figured out that she would need to draw them out of the gym, if only she had another person with her. 'Oh well,' she thought for now she had to settle with Hayate.

"Hayate, I need you to understand this." Riza said crouching down to look at Hayate feeling a bit crazy "I'm going to draw the people out of the gym and when most of them are out I want you to go over and free the soldiers," Riza looked back in the gym to see if she knew anyone in there that she could trust, Collin Webb was in there rolling his ankles in circles sitting against the boxing ring. "Bring the man at the boxing ring; remember the one who was the Range Master?" She took a piece of cloth that was hanging on her skirt and propped the door open, "Please don't fail me Black Hayate." She said before patting him on the head and running crouched down out of the range.

She ran to a road a block away from the gym and settled near a corner readying a gun in each hand "This is so stupid," she said to herself inwardly wincing. She raised the gun and peeked around the corner, there were about seven people lounging around the outside of the gym. If she shot one about three would come over to where she was and then the rest would come. In the gym she estimated there were about fourteen other men in the gym making 21 in total that she had to take down. "This sucks," she said before taking careful aim and shot someone in the right shoulder near the gym. He fell down and started screaming at his wound. "Stop screaming," she said before landing another bullet his head. He fell to the ground dead and Riza waited for the men to figure out where the bullet came from. They were acting stupid freaking out about the phantom shooter so Riza tried to give them a clue and aimed again and shot another man in the back as he fell onto another man someone said, "Did you see that I saw something over there!" he said pointing into Riza's direction.

"What's going on out here?" said someone who came out of the gym.

"Someone's shooting us down!" yelled a man.

"Stocker, Rascal, Black, Hudson get your asses down there and take cover you idiots," yelled the gym man and then he said, "Get these two out of here."

"So it's started," Riza whispered to herself, she crouched down and pointed the gun around the corner and shot one of them in the leg and then ran back around the corner before she got hit by their bullets. The fastest runner got around the corner first, Riza didn't blink when she shot him and then a split second later shot the second person around the corner. After shooting them she kicked the guns out of their hands and knocked them unconscious. Wondering where the third one was she heard a shot behind her it whizzed within an inch from her ear. Riza ducked behind a trash pile and then popped out not taking the time to aim for the legs she shot him in the head. She felt a small wet drop on her nose and then a few more. It had started to rain.

When she heard the thud of his body she already was getting ready for the second wave of the attacks on her. She listened closely and could hear that about five were coming; it was hard with the now pouring down rain. She went to the corner and started shooting them down. After shooting down the five, three came around the corner and once again she took haven at the trash bins but they were tearing through it quickly. She peeked through a hole between bags and took aim using the trash like sand bags at war. Doing quick math in her head Riza figured that there were only around six left. Of course that was assuming that they didn't call for reinforcements. Realizing that one of her guns was now useless she put it back in its holster under her dress and grabbed another out. Her outfit didn't permit her to carry extra magazines or clips.

Checking around the corner she could see they were all attacking at once, five since one was probably left to guard the soldiers. She once again started picking them off when behind her she heard the faint clicking of guns she turned around and four soldiers came around the corner. Now was time to pick them off quick she shot two down when the other men came around the corner with three. Surrounded and one against five Riza was contemplating surrendering but decided not to. She finished shooting the two men and was about to turn around to take the three down but a shot rang from behind her. She waited to feel the stinging of the bullet hitting her but didn't feel it instead there was a thud of one of their men. Confused she turned around and saw Sergeant Master Webb gun raised and Hayate going for one of the other men.

Webb finished off the other man and walked up to Riza saying "the men left are taking care of their guards it's time for you and me to get to the Lieutenant Colonel's office. I heard their men talking about their boss holding the hostages there." He started running towards the large office Riza nodded and followed with Hayate.

"Hostages?" Riza asked

"The Lieutenant Colonel and Degore is up there too. Don't know why they want her but she sure put a fight, they had to use ten men at once to get her."

"They didn't know what they were up against," Riza said frankly. Hayate perked up his ears and stopped running. Riza following his move stopped and listened, Webb following suite. "I think I can hear footsteps coming this way."

"Right," Webb said agreeing "We better hide." The three split up hiding on the sides on the road. In her head Riza noted how much it felt like she was in the city fighting criminals not a terrorist group. Except for the fact she was doing it alone. Looking at Hayate and Webb she thought, well not totally alone.

Across the road Webb glanced around the corner quickly and mouthed to her 'five'. Comprehending it Riza nodded and held up three fingers, two then one and they both shot around the corner and picked off the men quickly and kept going.

The closer they got to the office the slower they went. The invading men were everywhere assisting the fights around the fort. They were walking carefully in a back road with only a block to go when Hayate gave out another warning sign. He spun around and growled hackles rose towards something in the ally. A man stepped out his gun raised. Both Webb and Riza turned to him ready to shoot when they heard the clicking of guns all around them. Glancing back she saw the terrorists had made a circle around them. The three backed into the middle their muscles tight ready for the attack.

In the circle they stood backs to each other Hayate was still growling fiercely. Webb whispered mouth unmoving to Riza "You make a break for it, if you get their boss I'm sure they'll stand down."

"Surely if we're captured we won't be killed. And it's not like we won't be saved later. " she said back to him the rain thudding hard on their heads

"Ummm… I don't think so Hawkeye; they have a pretty big claim to kill you."

"I will not leave you to die, and you will die if you're left to fight alone."

Their conversation was interrupted by one of the men saying gruffly "Shut up and come with us." Except he was cut short, quite literary, before he could finish, Riza saw a flash of silver spin inches past her face and the man dropped dead with a knife in his throat. Everyone looked over at the man shocked and looked back at the two soldiers in the middle ready to shoot.

"It wasn't us!" they both said in unison.

"It was me," said a familiar deep voice behind the terrorist circle. Second Lieutenant Andrea Marshall with a thin sword in each hand cut down another terrorist in the back. Mass chaos broke out; the terrorists started trying to shoot the agile Marshall while she cut down men quicker than the eye could see. Webb was the first to get over the shock and covered Marshall by shooting down the men.

He yelled to Riza "Get your ass to the building." She nodded and started sprinting to the building when she saw about ten other terrorists coming around the corner. Glancing back at the fight she saw a few more soldiers had joined the fight. The fight was now all of the terrorists against the soldiers. At least Riza and Webb's trek had cut down their numbers down sharply. She hid avoiding the terrorists and ran. The soft pitter patter of Hayate's feet accompanied her loud slippers on the ground. The entrance on the building was unguarded as she strode in. The lights were turned off and the building was silently empty.

Feeling relieved, cautiously she started walking across the room to the stairway entrance so she could make her way to the top floor. Halfway though she heard a voice on her left cough. Riza quickly swung he gun towards the person, he was sitting in one of the chairs by the secretary's desk.

"Put your hands up! I am from the Amestris military and we have this place taken," he stood looking at her with black squinty eyes face, without emotion. He was short and stock very muscled. He had black hair in a ponytail and a large scar going from his eyebrow to the chin line of his face.

He grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Finally," he said with a thick accent that Riza couldn't place. He almost sounded as if he was from Xing. He got up and advanced towards her. Riza shoot at him twice but he avoided both while still keeping speed. He grabbed her by the waist and slammed her to the floor before she could get another shot off. Her gun went flying out of her hand and the hand was pinned between the floor and his body. Hayate, protecting his mistress lunged at the man's hand. The man knocked him aside harshly. Hayate went flew at the wall and slid down it unconsciously. He didn't get up. Riza was worried but at that moment in time she couldn't do anything about it, she had to get the man off of her. He had himself positioned so that he was sitting on her, and his knees where digging into her shoulders and also some of her burns.

She got her feet under her and lifted up her body, making him so he was off of her partway. Next she used her newly freed arm to flip him onto his back and she ended up in between his legs on her knees. She couldn't reach his face or any other suitable target, so she stood up. Except he had his feet hooked around her hips, she had him attached to her. She was able to turn enough to grab his foot and flip him back onto his stomach. Riza turned his foot so fast that she heard the snap of his foot breaking. Then she got onto his back and hit him in the base of the neck knocking him out. When he was out she ran to Hayate who was just now waking up from his fall. He stood up and shook from head to toe. Riza gave him a appreciative pat on the head.

Not wanting to take a chance that the little man could wake up and hunt her down, Riza tied him up and left him in the middle of the floor where he couldn't cause any trouble. Hayate and she walked to the stairwell entrance and she looked at him saying tiredly "Ready for what should be the last battle?" He just looked at her blankly with his black eyes and took a shaky step on first the stair. Riza followed suite and when she pushed up for the next step she felt the whole night's pain. It was to be expected she had been bruised up by the Xing man, shot over 20 men, made the journey to the fort and ran almost through the whole thing!

Biting her lip, which was bleeding, she started walking up the stairs slowly but surely knowing that if she had survived this far nothing could kill her. Her goal was to survive and rub it in Colonel's face showing that she could not only do something without him, but she was strong enough to return to Central. Holding her gun to the level of her eyes ready to shoot she stepped into the top floor's hall. She did a quick sweep and moved down the hall crouched down in case someone was in the offices. Making it to the Lieutenant Colonel's large office she put her ear to the secretary's door and listened. It was quiet, most likely no one was in there. She opened the door slowly not making a sound. Closing it behind her she looked to the next door but was shocked to see the Lieutenant Colonel's pudgy assistant lying against the floor blank eyes looking at the ceiling. In his chest he had two bullet wounds.

Riza stood for a moment looking sadly at him them moved her ear against the next door. Silent again, maybe they weren't in there she thought. She waited a few more minuets and then opened the door a crack making sure to not to make a sound. From what she saw she couldn't see anyone in there and the lights were off. She opened the door and stepped in carefully; the lights flashed on and in front of her stood the man from the picnic white hat, blond hair and moustache. He held a gun that was aiming straight at her before she could react he fired. The bullet hit her in the shoulder. She stared in shock he fired again this time hitting her had and she dropped her gun. She held her hand up quickly only a small scratch was evidence of his well aiming. Glancing around Riza saw that the room was in fact occupied with about five of the terrorists and the Lieutenant and Colette in the back tied up. Hayate snuck in inconspicuously.

"Hey mister you hurt my friend more and I'll kick your ass back to Araego!"

The moustache man started walking towards her ignoring the private, she tried backing up but either fate or her exhausted legs made her fall clumsily. She had no gun, no strength, but she still couldn't give up. "Ah so you were the Lieutenant Hawkeye," he said stopping a few feet away smiling as if they were getting introduced over tea. "There were rumors about a soldier placed here but I had heard that you were at the wildfire. You remember me of course Miss from the movie night. At the time I had thought you weren't a trained officer, more like dowdy kitchen wife." Riza glared bullets into his skin, "Come on, and don't give me the look of death. I won't kill you even though you have killed plenty of my men. No you, believe it or not, are very valuable as a hostage since that Roy Mustang fellow is you commander. I happen to know that you are his right hand woman. He even came to visit you here." This man knew way too much about her. His tone changed to that of a rough terrorist. "Of course you still practically killed most of my men so you can't go unpunished." He said swinging his leg back about to kick her.

Before he could though he was interrupted by Colette, who had gotten herself untied and had right at that moment jumped up and ran at the leader and ran and grabbed his leg remaining on the ground and brought it straight up so that he fell over. Then four of his men came running in, all about a head taller than Colette.

Leader then screamed from the floor "GET HER!" They all formed a circle around her. "This should be fun" she muttered as one man took one step too close to her. She swept her foot around so that his foot was swept out from under him and he fell face colliding into the spunky private's foot.

Another man grabbed her braid of long dark hair. She spun around and since he just kept pulling her in she brought up her tiny fist to his face, so all his power was used against him. She started grabbing at his nose, but she was helpless for a moment because a bear hug from the side trapped her arms. She was lifted up into the air, feet dangling. She swung her feet around and hit his groin, which he immediately dropped her. Then the man with a gushing nose came after her again. He was obviously disoriented, so he was just running after her, grabbing at whatever he could. He ended up grabbing her by her shirt; she easily grabbed his hand and put him in a wrist lock which broke his wrist.

Then, wrist still in hand, she threw her foot up in the air to his face, and then slammed him on the ground landing on his broken arm. Next she kicked him in the ribs, at which point he started coughing up blood. The other man, who had been hit in the groin, grabbed her by her foot and made her fall on her back, she however, quickly did a scissor kick so he fell onto the first man both unconscious. Colette went to the next man and kicked him in the back. He fell on the ground on all fours. Colette kicked under him in the stomach and then the face. The pile of unconscious men was now at three.

Then there was the final man who went to make sure the leader was safe. He twice as tall as Colette stoped her attempts and lifted in the air by her neck.

Riza seeing the time to interviened used some of her last strength to knock the choker over. Colette took it from there, since Riza had again fallen. Colette stomped on his hand so it was broken and he couldn't choke her anymore, and then, she for fun let him back up. He got up, looked at her, looked at the door, and ran for it!

He only made it two steps though, because Colette's tiny little body had jumped up on his back and had put him in a headlock. He started to struggle from not being able to breath, and then fell over and passed out from lack of breath. Colette got up and stood looking at the leader. He started clapping at her. "Bravo! Well done private. You've fought my best men and beat them.But now what? I have a gun, and you don't!" Then out of the blue Hayate jumped up and grabbed him by the arm and knocked the gun out of his hand. Seeing this as an opportunity, Colette grabbed his small moustache kicked her foot under him so his feet were swept our from under him and she then brought his head around so he was lying on his back on the floor. She then went down to his level and was grabbed his throat.

"Private wait," Riza said before Colette finished pummeling the leader to smithereens. "He needs to be alive and well for questioning." Riza stood up groaning.

"Nice to see you living!" the private said after knocking the leader out and running over to help her up. "I was surprised to see you up here I thought we would have no hope until a while."

"Not as surprised I was to hear you were a hostage." Riza said dusting herself off, "I didn't save the day myself though Webb and Marshall helped a lot not to mention some of the other officers."

Colette grinned huge "Well I guess that Andrea showed you how she kept in the military. Apparently her great grandfather was once the greatest fencers in the world. As for me being a hostage," She paused for a moment hesitating, "It probably doesn't hurt to tell you that my father is the owner of the worlds largest trading company. As an heiress I'm worth millions of sens."

"What?" Riza said shocked

"Private you are still in the military so I want you to tie these men up," said the Lieutenant Colonel said rubbing his hands, "good dog." He patted Hayate's head; the dog was wagging his tail holding the rope which restrained the Colonel in his mouth.

"Yes Hayate good dog." Riza also patted Hayate on the head.

"Riza, Riza, Riza." Warren said walking into the forts medical station. Riza had just changed back into fresh clothes after Warren fixing her up and taking a shower. "tsk, tsk."

"What?" she said. A few hours ago the remaining soldiers found the rest of the members of the fort in the cliffs near the border. The other soldiers had already started a revolt against the terrorists. Now they were just containing them in the towns jail.

"Once again you've helped save the world from terrorists. That may be the only good part, taking another bullet, aggravating the burns, terrible scratches oh and not to mention you smell terrible." He said plugging his nose making his voice sound all nasally. "Body odor, water and trash does not complement you. Why must you always fight the kids at school?"

"Well they did start it, and I don't smell any more I took a shower."

"Amen for soap." He said clapping hands together and looking towards the sky. He looked back at her and started in his doctor tone "You're very lucky with what you got out of this Miss Riza. Nothing will keep you out of commission for more than a week. I suggest you let that wound heal, it wasn't too deep but I don't want any infection." He plopped down in the chair sighing "When I got the call to come up here I had a heart attack. At least I knew you succeeded, the first question I asked was if you were okay."

"Don't worry Warren I won't die that easily." Riza said joking. She stopped smiling when he stood up and placed both of his hands on her face.

"Good," he said calmly but changed back to joker and patted her on the head. "Molly's outside and has the car. I have to stay here for a while, lots of injured people. And don't worry your head about cleaning up. Someone is coming over from Western."

"Thank you," Riza said before walking to the car and then later to a soft warm bed.