The "good doctor" cocked his head to the side and eyed the recumbent Sergeant curiously. "You know," he began inquisitively, "you never answered my question. Is that one dead?"

"Fuck off," Havoc snapped.

The doctor knitted his brows together and stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "Well, that wasn't very nice," he replied, a dash of hurt in his words.

"Sorry," the blond Lieutenant replied bitterly, "But sometimes I don't play well with others."

Dr. Beller shook his head and sighed. "You military dogs and your pack mentality… It always fascinated me during my service. You never seem to grasp the concept of leaving a downed comrade behind…"

"Wait," Hawkeye interjected, narrowing her eyes at the man, "You are military?" The name "Beller" was not familiar. Is he really-

"Was," the doctor corrected, his impish smile slowly returning to his lips. "But after the Promised Day, the military no longer needed my expertise; or rather, they no longer approved of my unconventional healing methods. So," he raised his arms once more, gesturing to the area around them, "I left and decided to open my own practice!"

"What are your unconventional methods," Hawkeye asked coldly. "Please, enlighten us."

The doctor shrugged. "All I was doing was fixing broken soldiers. There are so many of them in the military. And you," he pointed at the trio, "Are all broken as well."

Out of the corner of her eye, Hawkeye saw Havoc turn toward her, a bewildered expression on his face. Ignoring the Lieutenant's look, she advanced cautiously. "Tell me, how are we broken?"

Dr. Beller threw his hands up and exclaimed, "That's your first issue. You don't even realize you're broken!"

Taken aback, the two soldiers watched as the relatively calm doctor's demeanor began to change to one of derangement and animosity.

"We tailed you for weeks, weeks, and not a single indication from any of you that you even knew we were there," he spat with resentment. "We were always there. In your command center, outside your homes… Everywhere!" His visage was inches from bars now, his hands tightly gripping the metal on either side of his face. Eyes widened to the point of practically popping out of his head, he continued his tirade, spewing saliva from his lips. "Worthless, worthless soldiers! The whole lot of the military! That's-that's why-" He stopped, as if suddenly recognizing his own insanity. Stepping back from the bars, he clasped his hands together in front of himself and rubbed them together nervously. Taking a deep breath, he slipped back into his "good doctor" persona. "That's why I brought you here. You are all broken, so it's my duty as a military doctor to fix you."

Hawkeye realized the gravity of the situation as the man's words had slowly begun to sink in. They had been in the military command center. They'd been outside her home!

Her heart began to race, threatening to burst from her chest at any moment. She and the men had been watched for weeks without even realizing it. Had the General been under surveillance as well? Would they target him now that his team was out of the picture? The idea that they had been so close to him without her even realizing it was nauseating. She had failed…

Failed to protect her family. Failed to protect herself. And most importantly, failed to protect the one man that she had sworn to defend at all costs.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost didn't realize that the doctor had begun cackling madly.

"I know that look," the doctor exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together. "That's the face one wears when they realize their own incompetency!"

Hawkeye glared up at him, but said nothing. There was nothing to say to him. Clearly he was deranged. Everything they would say from that point on had to be crafted with the finest caution, lest they provoke his rage-filled ranting again.

When the two soldiers had apparently failed to respond the way the doctor had hoped, he shrugged his shoulders and snapped his fingers. In response, a large, black-bearded man stepped forth from the shadows, his narrow, deep hazel eyes watching them dangerously.

A shiver ran down Riza's spine. Something about him was wrong. Something about him seemed… inhuman.

He stared back at her, eyeing her down his long, curved nose. No doubt sensing her growing uneasiness, he folded his massive arms in front of himself and drew his lips back in a sneer.

"Anyways, we'll just remove that for you," the doctor casually stated, nodding toward Fuery.

"Stop!" Hawkeye was on her feet now, arms extended, blocking the man's path to the Sergeant. "This man is still alive. You can't take him."

The doctor shrugged nonchalantly, the object of his fascination quickly moving from Fuery onto the blonde woman in front of him. "Well, I was going to wait until later, but I suppose we can start now."

A heartbeat later, the massive man's enormous hand was around Hawkeye's arm, dragging her towards the door.

"No!" Havoc was suddenly on his feet, gripping her other arm with this two hands.

As Hawkeye turned toward the Lieutenant in surprise, an object flashed past her, just inches from her face. The object, the massive man's free hand, was around Havoc's neck, threatening to crush his trachea.

The blond Lieutenant's eyes widened in surprise, and then fear as he began to choke and sputter, desperately trying to fill his lungs with precious air. His grip on Hawkeye's arm loosened and released as his hands went to his throat, frantically trying to pry the larger man's hand from it.

The hulking man seemed unfazed by the Lieutenant's efforts as he tightened his grip on Havoc's throat, lifting him into the air as he did so.

"Stop! Stop!" Hawkeye screamed as she looked back at the doctor. "I'll go! I'LL GO!"

She saw doubt in his eyes.

"Please! Just let him go and you can fix me!"

The doctor's wicked smile returned and he snapped his fingers again. Instantly, the monster of a man released his grip on Havoc's neck, allowing the Lieutenant to crumple in a heap at his feet. As he lumbered away from the gasping man, he pulled Hawkeye along with him.

"S-stop," Havoc wheezed his hands at his throat. "I-I'll-"

"I'll be fine," Hawkeye cut him off, flashing him a ghost of a smile. In reality, she doubted she would be. But as long as her team was safe, even for just a while longer, she'd do whatever was needed of her. Without looking back at Havoc and Fuery, Riza followed the doctor and his crony out of the decrepit cell.

She heard the sound of the barred door clang shut behind her as she was jerked along behind the doctor and his accessory. Over her shoulder she saw a third man standing near the door, this one taller and lankier; though he had the same eerie presence about him.

Turning back to face forward, she watched the doctor plodding along in front of her. After a few moments, she gathered the courage to speak. "The General… is he… Is he broken as well?"

Without rotating to look back at her, the doctor continued walking. "Hmm… I would suppose…" he pondered for a few moments before glancing over his shoulder at her. "What do you think?"

She quickly shook her head in reply. "No… No, he isn't."

The doctor turned back around and rubbed his chin. "I suppose you're right. After all, he knew we were out there. Unfortunately, he sent broken soldiers to do his work, so he certainly can't be accountable for your flaws."

If that was the case, Riza would accept it. Anything to keep them off of the General's trail. Even if it meant convincing them that she, rather than the General, instead fit their brazen, heinous definition of "broken."

Still, if she was going to die, she figured that she would wring as much information from them as possible. "Have you been selling weapons illegally to Aerugo?"

"My, my, you sure are full of questions," the doctor replied, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "But yes," he continued quickly, "I am. I have to fund my practice somehow."

Oddly, she felt a sense of relief. At least the men they were tracking were indeed the ones they had sought from the beginning.

"Of course," Dr. Beller went on, "You are welcome to repay me after I fix you by serving for me."

Like hell I would… Riza opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud hum coming from the darkness ahead of them. As they advanced forward, however, that "hum" morphed into a combination of howls and screeching. Disturbed by the noise, Riza tried covering one of her ears with her free hand while struggling to break free from the larger man's iron grip. Her attempts, however, failed, causing him to tighten his grip and quicken his pace, practically dragging her behind him.

The screams and howling reached its apex when they entered the dimly lit room at the end of the corridor. Riza stopped walking and squinted, trying to make out the various shapes that were shrouded in darkness. To the right appeared to be two additional men, though it was nearly impossible to make out their features. To the left, where the source of the agonized screams was coming from, was a wall lined with cages. And in the middle of the room was a massive and complex transmutation circle etched into the cement.

Ignoring the fact that his prisoner had stopped walking, the massive man yanked Riza along behind him and past the steel cages.

The creatures inside became hushed as he lumbered by, but quickly resumed their deafening cries when she passed. One in particular threw itself against its prison, desperately trying to break through. Upon seeing it, Riza leapt backwards in horror. The beast's wild, white orbs stared back at her; gnashing its sharp, pointed teeth as it did so. Pressing is hairless, grotesque face against the bars of its cage, the small, cat-like creature tried desperately to claw its way to her, yowling hungrily.

Riza launched herself away, running into the monster that was holding her. As she frantically tried pulling away, the man responded with a vicious laugh, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly against his torso.

"What is this," she demanded, desperately trying to hide her panic.

The doctor eyed her curiously, tilting his head to the side. "This is my office," he replied slowly, unsure of what she was asking of him. He slowly looked toward the wall that was lined with cages, "And those are my failures," he added gloomily.

"But I'm done making failures," he suddenly cried out joyfully, "because I have finally cracked the code!" Dr. Beller rubbed his hands together eagerly. "And now I have a new purpose. T-to fix the military. Every last one of them. Then they'll want me back… Otherwise they'll be sorry!"

Riza made one last attempt to struggle out of the minion's grasp, but to no avail. The pieces had clicked in her mind. It all made sense now…

The "doctor" was "fixing" people by taking away the one thing that defined their very being… Their humanity.

Dr. Beller had now turned his attention back to Riza, his sinister, crooked smile spread across his face. "Now, I just need a small blood sample, so please work with me here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a long, curved hunting knife that was caked in a thick layer of dried blood.

"You don't have to do this," Riza cried out in a last-ditch effort, struggling once more against the minion's iron grip on her.

Ignoring her completely, the doctor snapped his fingers and pointed toward the center of the room.

The doctor's subordinate obediently toted her over to the intricately-drawn transmutation circle per the doctor's request. When he had reached the center, he readjusted his hold on her, freeing one of his arms while keeping one arm wrapped around her. Using his free hand, he reached over her head and grabbed her chin, pulling it upward and exposing her neck.

She flinched as she felt a pair of cold, calloused hands push her turtle-neck away, exposing her neck further.

"Oh…" the doctor breathed in awe. "Someone already outlined it for me. How kind..."

She tensed when she felt a light pressure on her neck as he traced the slightly raised scar that ran from her right ear to her left clavicle. A moment later, she felt something cold and metallic slide along its entire length, followed by a sudden burst of warmth. The all-too-familiar pain of having her throat slit followed seconds later, radiating first throughout her neck, then her entire body.

She heard the doctor scream instructions to his minion, but she was unable to make out his words over the pulsing that filled her ears. She assumed that he had ordered the man to release her, because moments after his directions, she was dropped to the floor. Immediately she reached up, sticking her fingers into the wound as an attempt to stop the bleeding. The warm, sticky blood refused to stop, instead continuing to flow freely from the wound like a raging river, threatening to completely dry her body out in mere minutes.

Her wide, frightened eyes scanned up and met the doctor's, whose were filled with sheer delight. He held her gaze for barely a second before turning and barking an indistinguishable order to his right-hand man.

The man disappeared, and then reappeared hurriedly, carrying something large and fur-covered by its scruff in one of his massive hands.

The doctor quickly rushed over to it, blocking it from her field of vision as he went to work. She heard a yelp of pain as the doctor slid his knife across its throat. Beneath it, she saw a splash of blood splatter across the ground.

The doctor bellowed another order to the man, whom quickly jogged over to the circle and abandoned the creature in the circle next to Riza.

Her eyes widened with recognition, then horror at the sight of the animal.

An emaciated, silver wolf lay stretched out in front of her. Its bright yellow eyes screamed at her in confusion as the trail of its blood ran across the pavement toward Riza's.

The instant the two blood supplies met, the doctor cried out triumphantly before yelling one final order to his subordinate.

Moments after the sound of the echo of hands slapping concrete, the transmutation circle beneath Riza and the wolf began to glow a deep purple, emitting a black fog that swirled around her body. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as her panicked, sherry eyes moved upward, meeting the brilliant yellow eyes of the creature that shared the circle with her. For what seemed like an eternity, neither one of them wavered, sharing a mutual sense of agony and despair. Without warning, a pulse erupted from the center of the circle, shaking her body to its core. A heartbeat later, an overwhelming explosion of pain ripped through her body, threatening to tear her apart from the inside out. Her hands went from her throat to her head in a desperate attempt to stop the sensation of her skull splitting in two. The creature lying next to her howled as it writhed in pain. She followed suit, her screams blending with it as she felt her entire body being contorted, rebuilt, and torn apart again. A sudden flash of white light accompanied by a feeling of numbness overcame Riza's senses before hurling her into a dark void of nothingness.

Riza's eyes flew open as the agonizing pain returned; chasing away the feelings of numbness she had desperately clung to. She coughed a few times, tasting blood in her mouth. Through her blurred vision, she could make out her arms in her field of vision, twitching tetanically along with her entire body. She felt groggy, unable to comprehend where she was or how she got there. Regardless, she felt an overwhelming sense of panic and fear. Wherever she was, she needed to leave.

Fighting through the raging pain she felt throughout her body, she tucked her arms under herself, trying to push herself upward; however, her attempt failed, causing her to crash back to the ground, shooting a burning sensation through her joints. She cried out in pain and curled her knees to her chest in hopes that it would alleviate the torment her body felt.

Suddenly, the day's events came crashing back to her. The mission. Being taken. Fuery. Havoc. Being dragged away. Yellow eyes. Screaming. Pain. A white hand reaching toward her. Nothingness…

All of a sudden, an explosion tore through the air, sending fiery red sparks in every direction. The resulting noise invaded her skull, the sound threatening to rip it apart. Her hands instinctively went to her head in an attempt to block out the noise.

A second explosion quickly followed the first, this time closer to her. She could feel the heat at her back, sense the vibrations that rippled through the ground and the air as a result. Seconds later, the vibrations and the scent of hot air vanished, instead being replaced by the smell of burning flesh.

Gazing around in a cloud of confusion, she saw a pair of black boots thundering toward her. The man in those boots was suddenly in front of her, his voice resonating throughout her entire being. But she couldn't make out the words he was saying. Her ears were still ringing from the series of explosions.

Then his arms were around her, lifting her. She couldn't make out his face through the haze, but still, an overwhelming sense of calm washed over her. She recognized the faint scent of a particular men's cologne mixed in the air around him. It was the same cologne that clung to papers that he would hand her after he had (finally) signed them. The same cologne that trailed behind him when she was two paces back like always.

She was certain.

General…

Riza turned her head slightly, trying to focus on his face. Slowly, but surely, her vision began to clear, highlighting his features.

However, those features were not ones she'd ever expect to see on his face, directed toward her, nonetheless.

His expression screamed of confusion, pain, shock, and, dare she even wonder... Repulsion?

What was worse, she came to realize as her heart stopped, was when his face twisted in anguish and he uttered those simple, yet substantial words:

"Oh my god."

A/N: So ends chapter two of my random 4:00am story idea...

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