33. Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)

A/N: This is very AU, kind of like an X-Men universe. Our "good guys" and "bad guys" (an organization called the State) each have their own base. Mutants are in the minority, but in this particular bit, you won't be seeing any "regular" humans. Mutations/powers will be explained within.

Riza was feeding Black Hayate when her cell phone rang. She snapped it open. "Havoc?"

"We got a new one coming in!"

Snapping her phone shut, Riza left her apartment and dashed down the stairs to get to the mini-hospital.

She flung open the door and walked over to the man who had called her. "How bad?"

Havoc shrugged as he tucked his wings in. "Lost a bit of blood, some head trauma, and he's got a few burns. We found him just outside the gate."

"Human or mutant?"

Again, Havoc's shoulders went up and down. "No obvious indication. That would be the reason I called you down here."

"I don't like to go fishing around in strangers' heads, Havoc," Riza reminded him testily, walking over to examine the new patient. "Looks like he'll be okay with a bit of treatment." She reached out hesitantly to brush away the man's bangs to touch his forehead.

He was running… someone in pursuit… a stinging pain in his shoulder… he turned… fire… a blow to the head… darkness.

Riza pulled her hand away. "He's a mutant. On the run. I don't know who was pursuing him, though." She debated for a moment. "I'll try again." She placed her hand on his forehead again.

Open up. I want to help you, but I need to know more…

The next thing Riza knew, she was lying on the floor, Havoc crouching over her. "That sounded painful. You screamed, you let go, and you collapsed. You've been out for a few minutes, and you had a really high temperature. Everything okay now?"

"Ungh… He's in pain. He might be coming around." Riza closed her eyes. "And he's scared. No sudden movements. 3… 2…"

The man's eyes shot open. "Where am I?"

"You're safe," Riza told him, propping herself up to look him in the eye. "Can we please treat your injuries? You have my word we won't harm you. We're against the State, too."

Nodding warily, the man relaxed only a little. "What's your name?"

"Riza Hawkeye. This is Jean Havoc. May I ask your name?"

"Roy… Mustang." He looked at her curiously. "Why so polite?"

"I find patients respond better," answered Riza. "You're right to think we're trustworthy." She paused before explaining, "I need to touch someone's skin to first access their thoughts, memories, and feelings, but after that, I can get thoughts and feelings just by being in the same room."

"She can block 'em out, too. Saves her the trouble of knowing every little thing going on in people's heads," Havoc chimed in cheerily.

Riza rolled her eyes. "Well, Roy, let's get you patched up."

"…and Maes Hughes is my co-leader," Riza finished. "We make joint decisions, but there's a fair bit of democracy, too."

Maes chose that moment to pop in. "So, how ya feelin'?"

"Pretty bad," Roy admitted.

A look of horror crossed Riza's face. "Maes—"

But she was too late. "Well, some pictures of my lovely wife and adorable daughter will have you feeling better in no time! I swear, if you're not already married, you really should consider it. It's the best thing ever for your health! I've been trying to tell her that for years!" He jerked his head in Riza's direction.

"Please, stop it Maes. He needs his rest." Riza was going a bit pink in the cheeks, and was looking like she had a headache coming on.

Maes smiled very enigmatically. "Right. Rest. Well, I'll leave these here for you in case you change your mind." He waltzed out whistling some sort of love song.

"Yes, he is this eccentric for the most part. He does have his serious moments, and a good head on his shoulders. Easy to like, most people trust him…" Riza trailed off. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't read your thoughts like that."

Roy shrugged. "Nothing that couldn't be read on my face. Doesn't seem like you're trying to pry."

"You'll tell me when you're ready. I don't want to be knocked out again," Riza explained.

Sighing heavily, Roy looked at his hands. "Where to begin…"

Riza smiled slightly. "The beginning's always a good place."

"Very well." Roy sat up straight. "The beginning it is."

A/N: I don't know if I have enough coherent bits of this for an entire long chapter story, but next week's piece is going to be a later segment of this story.

And yes, Maes does have his own power/mutation. He can create physical barriers. Invisible physical barriers. No power/mutation can get through them.

Tell me what you think!