DISCLAMER: I own nothing other than the fanfiction itself

A/N: Just so everyone knows, I'll be out of town for the better part of the next three weeks. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but it might not be until August. That's the reason why I put out this chapter early.

Chapter Eight: Riot

"Everyone at arms! We have a riot situation in the Ishbalan capitol! Troops depart in three minutes!"

Riza awoke with a start as one of the female soldiers rushed between the tents, repetitively shouting out the orders. From a distance away, she could hear a male voice doing the same thing. She shot up in her bed, taking a moment to grab her pillow and throw it at Rebecca, who had remained asleep. "Wake up, Rebecca! We have to get going!"

It took her less than a minute to strip out of her pajamas and pull on her uniform, managing to put it on in the darkness of their tent. After fumbling around for a moment, she tugged on her boots and grabbed her blue jacket before rushing out of the tent, not bothering to wait for Rebecca. She needed to run to the tent keeping their weapons and stock up for the battle. The camp was total chaos as she weaved through the tents, but she managed to make her way to the armory before the call came that there was only a minute left.

Her hand shot out for a holster with two pistols already inside, and she fastened it under her bust before grabbing extra ammunition. The last thing she took was a sniper rifle, which she slung over her shoulder. She still had yet to put on her jacket, but that wasn't her first priority. Her boots raced across the sand as fast as she could move, and she soon placed herself in the lineup gathering just outside camp. She took a moment to remove her rifle and slip on her jacket, buttoning up the front before slinging her rifle across her back.

"Hawkeye!" General Hakuro's voice rang out, and Riza snapped into a salute.

"Sir!"

"Go join Mustang's squadron. You are to take back the Ishbalan temple." Hakuro barked, and it was clear that he wouldn't be entertaining any protest.

"Yes, Sir!" Riza nodded before leaving her place in line, hastening over to Roy's side.

"When we get to the temple, I want to make a path inside so that we can attempt to keep the Ishbalans out. If they've already broken inside, it's our job to clear them out. If I'm not mistaken, there's a back door and windows we can access from either the road behind of the buildings beside. If we need to, we can force our way in by breaking a window or two. The only problem with that is that the Ishbalan rioters would be able to use the same path. Our orders are to kill, so it might be best to take down as many as we can before breaking inside." Roy stood with his arms crossed over his chest, giving orders to those assigned to his unit.

Roy looked around at the faces before him, assessing what he had to work with. Charlie stood ready with a machine gun in his hands, looking rather threatening. Riza was heavily armed, and the fact that she was in his unit reassured Roy more than words could say. They were accompanied by the rest of Roy's unit, and Roy had little doubt that this mission would go off without a hitch. He trusted his men with his life, and the fact that he didn't have to worry about Riza's safety without him was enough to keep his mind more focused on the task at hand. "Let's move out."

The entire group snapped to attention, barking a collective "Yes, Sir!"

-x-x-x-

The Ishbalan capitol was in a complete state of chaos. Any survivors of the last raid had rallied themselves together in a last-ditch effort to reclaim their city, and there was nothing more desperate than a dwindling nation of people who had lost everything they ever had. The only thing they had left to cling to was their religion, and the people were desperate to get into their scared temple of the god Ishbala.

"Forty, forty-five tops. One hundred meters south-east, enraged. It doesn't look like they've been able to break down the doors yet, Sir." Riza reported as she surveyed the scene through the scope of her rifle. She moved her gun away from her face and straightened up, turning to face Roy. "They're in a state of disarray. I don't think they're organized enough to set traps for us, but we should be careful nonetheless."

"Right. I want as many of them taken out from here as possible. Scatter so they can't locate our exact position. Once their numbers are down, we can move in from the ground and finish it there. At that point, we break into the temple and keep it under our control." Roy ordered. "No more than three officers to every rooftop. Watch for my signal to move in on the ground. When I use my alchemy, make your way down."

"Sir!" After a brief salute, Roy's squadron scattered, setting up a semi-circle around the front of the temple.

Riza knelt back down, taking cover against the high wall of the roof. Roy joined her a second later, hiding himself until the moment was right for him to strike.

"Fire." Roy ordered.

Riza nodded, lifting her scope to her eye to survey the scene below. It seemed as though the group of Ishbalans was centering around one man, and Riza knew that a leader was the worst thing for a rebellion. She singled out her target, gauging distance and elevation. With a slight movement of her trigger, a shot rang out through the night, shortly followed by panicked screams. The leader crumpled to the ground in a pool of his own blood, and it was half a second later that more shots sounded from Riza's left and right, causing more rebels to fall in their tracks.

Shot after shot, Riza indiscriminately fired as Ishbalans passed in her line of sight. It was her orders to kill, and she knew she would come to terms with what she did here tonight at a later date. For the time being, it was easier to just blindly follow the orders given to her by her superior officers.

When there were only a few rebels left firing desperate shots back at their attackers, Roy stood and snapped his fingers. An unrelenting wave of fire streamed down from the rooftop, engulfing the dead and survivors alike in flame. The look in Roy's eyes was cold, and Riza hardly recognized his voice as he spoke his next order.

"Let's move."

A/N: Reviews make me a happy writer :)

Up Next:

Chapter Nine: Damage Control