A.N.: Thank you very much for the reviews everyone! I'm glad a lot of people like this story. I also find it to be the most interesting one I've written so far, even if it's not finished yet ;) Anyways, I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long, but I don't have that much time to write since school keeps me pretty busy. Enjoy!

RIZA

Riza could feel someone nudging her on the arm, but she was too tired to pay any attention to it. She just wanted to continue sleeping and her mind felt too fuzzy to think about anything at the moment. However, she was brutally woken up by a hard kick in the stomach. Riza gasped, coughed and bent over in pain, curling into a ball as best as she could to protect her against another one. She opened her eyes, face still contorted in pain, and saw two pairs of legs.

Riza's mind was quickly clearing up and becoming aware of her surroundings. Damn it. I got taken. She was laying on a cold concrete floor, her legs tied together and her wrists tied behind her back. She looked around her and noticed metal bars surrounding three sides of the room. A prison cell? The air smelled stale, dusty and old. Everything looked old, like it was about to fall apart. Must be abandoned. There was an eerie silence about the whole place, with some water dripping somewhere, birds singing here and there, and the quiet breathing of her two captors.

She looked up and glared at the two men who stood expressionless over her, with a hint of annoyance in their eyes. The two men looked to be in their late thirties or early forties, but they didn't really have any distinguishing features that made them different from any normal person. Their looks were average, they both had short brown hair and dressed in cargo pants and t-shirts. However, one of them was bigger and taller than the other one and had burn scars on his left arm. The other one was skinnier, with a hooked nose and piercing blue eyes.

"It's about time you woke up. You were only supposed to be out for two hours, but you slept for four," the bigger man said.

Riza glared harder and asked, "What do you want with me?" Both of them looked at her with bored expressions and the skinny man answered her.

"You don't need to know that." He then glanced at the bigger one and signalled with his head toward her. The big man huffed, walked to her and lifted her to her feet by her arm in one swift motion. Riza's head was spinning and her vision became a bit blurry. She had trouble keeping her balance and she staggered to the side a little before the man caught her arm again and steadied her. When her vision steadied itself, she saw the skinny man with a long dagger in hand. Her eyes widened and she tried to pry herself free, but it proved to be futile since her hands and feet were tied and a big man was holding her still. He's going to kill me!

When he stood in front of her with his dagger between them, Riza growled and said with anger, "Do it fast." The man remained expressionless and it infuriated her that she couldn't read his face.

Suddenly, the man crouched and sliced the ropes that tied her feet. Riza blinked at him and stumbled a little as she steadied herself on her legs. However, the effects of the drugs left them numb and weak. When she tried to move, she felt her knees want to buckle, so she still relied on the big man's grip on her arm to stand up. When the skinny man stood back up, he slid the dagger back in its sheath behind his back and smirked mockingly at her. That asshole!

He then turned and walked out the door of the cell, with the big man dragging her along. She walked like a baby learning how to walk for the first time, but every step became steadier and better the the last one. She looked around and tried to get as much information as she could, but there was nothing that could help her identify their location. They walked through a long concrete hallway with other identical cells aligning one side of the wall. Some of them looked alright, but most of them had their bars all rusted and broken. There were no windows so she couldn't tell what time of the day it was. Other than the few light bulbs on the ceiling that were working, there was no other source of light. Some parts of the hallway were dark while other parts were brighter and better kept. Where the hell are we? Just an abandoned prison?

"Where are we going?" She asked irritatingly. Riza didn't know whether they wanted to hurt her or if they were going to help her. Everything confused her. One moment they were kicking her, the other they were cutting her ropes.

The big man beside her tightened his grip on her arm, making her cringe, and grumbled, "Keep quite."

They twisted and turned in the hallways, but the further they went, the darker and dirtier it looked. The air smelled of mold and rot. It was humid and suffocating. When they came to a dead end, the skinny man procured some keys from his pocket and unlocked a big metal door. When he opened it, the doors cringed and foul air came drifting out. It was a small cell and pitch black. He drew his dagger again and this time, cut the ropes that tied her hands. After sheathing the dagger he motioned for her to go in.

"Get in," the big man was pulling her toward the dark cell. No way in hell am I going in there. I'll never get back out.

Riza punched the big man as hard as she could in the face, which made him lose his grip on her arm. She pried free and was about to turn and dash the other way, but before she could get far enough, the skinny man kicked her behind her knee, making her fall down. Damn these stupid weak legs! When I need them the most, they're useless.

The big man was over her again with a furious face. His lip was broken and she could see the streak of blood after he had wiped it angrily. He pinned both of her hands behind her back with his right hand, before grabbing the back of her neck with his left. Without a word, he lifted her, making Riza groan in pain. She scramble to her feet quickly before her arms popped out of her shoulders. She had tried to free her hands, but he had a death grip on them. He dragged her back to the entrance of the cell and this time, kicked her hard in the back the moment he let go of her arms. Riza flew in and crashed onto the concrete floor hard, banging her head against it. Before she could get back up, the door slammed shut and she heard the keys rattling.

Riza banged against the big metal door, "Let me out! What are you going to do with me?"

"The toilet works in there. You better use it because we won't be cleaning up after your shit and piss," the skinny man answered. Then they walked away.

"Wait! Don't leave! What are you going to do to me? Tell me! Who are you?" she screamed but they ignored her. She continued banging until the sound of their footsteps disappeared.

She was left in the eerie silence of the black cell. The only source of light that she saw was the light from the hallway passing through the cracks of the door and from the small slit near the top. The ceiling was high, however, and it was impossible for her to look out that slit. She felt her way around the room, fallowing the wall, and sat down against it. She closed her eyes and waited.

In the distance, she could hear some water dripping, she could hear some rats running around, but there was no sound of human activity. The air was awful and it made her want to gag. It was a mixture of mold, rotten meat and something close to vomit. Just get used to it, then you won't even smell it anymore. I don't think they'll keep me in here for that long anyways. She felt something warm on her forehead and cheek and felt it with her hand. It was wet and hot. Blood. She felt around, looking for the gash and found it on her forehead, close to her hairline. The blood had already stopped flowing and clotted. Good, it's not too deep.

When she opened her eyes again, they had accustomed to the dark and she looked around the cell. It was about three meters in length and two in width. Not that small. I was expecting worse. The toilet seat was connected to the back wall, with a strong stench oozing out from it. I'm not sure it works. They should've given me some toilet paper too, she scoffed inwardly.

Now that she could see around the room, it didn't appear so dark after all. The light coming in from the hallway was bright enough for the small cell. The walls weren't in such a bad condition as the other cells they had passed by, but they were still very far from good condition.

Sitting on the floor was making her shiver. The floor and walls were cement and there was definitely no heating in this building, making the whole room feel like a giant fridge. Riza sat curled up in a ball and rubbed her bare arms. The two men had taken her jacket away, her shoulder holster with the two guns, her belt, her other gun at the hip and her boots. Smart asses. They had taken every article of clothing that had hidden her weapons and now she was left weaponless and freezing. Not defenseless though. In a corner, she spotted a heap and crawled toward it to see what it was. Upon touching it, she knew it was a blanket, an old, wiry and ripped blanket, but a blanket nonetheless.

Riza wrapped it around herself and immediately regretted it. A foul smell emitted from the thin blanket, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. Riza breathed away for a bit, but willed herself back to the blanket and snuggled deeper into it. Either bear the smell or die freezing.

Riza was too tired to think of anything and too cold to move. They'll come back in a few hours. I should sleep and get my strength back before then. And so she fell into a fitful sleep in a corner of the cell, cuddled into the sad excuse of a blanket as best as she could.

Riza woke up to the soft echos of footsteps approaching. She tried to bolt up, but staggered to the side, clutching the wall for support. Her members were all stiff and frozen, but her head was clear and alert. She leapt to the metal door and banged on it.

"Over here!" She yelled as loud as she could and continued banging. "Help me! Open the door!" The footsteps were getting closer and closer. It's working. Someone's coming!

She continued making noise until she was sure the person knew where she was. Riza didn't know whether it would be someone who could help her or one of her captors, but she had to try to get someone to come if she wanted to have a chance to escape. How many hours have I been here?

The footsteps stopped in front of the door, but no one spoke. What's going on?

"Hello? I know you're in front of the door. Can you try to open it?" she tried asking. But instead of a reply, she saw a small metal tube slip through the slit at the top of the door. What is he doing? Before she could say anything else, she heard a soft constant hiss and her eyes widened as she stared at the tube. Shit!

She backed away quickly and tried to cover her nose and mouth as best as she could.

"What are you doing? Let me out!" It's too high to reach. Riza groaned and cursed in her head before she succumbed to sleep.

Cold water splashed on her face as she was forcefully woken up. She coughed and spat out the water from her mouth and nose, trying to get a good breath of air. Like last time, she was in a daze, everything seemed to be spinning around and her head was throbbing. Uhh, what now? She was lying on the floor, her hands and feet untied. She saw two figures and confirmed they were the same two as before when her vision started to clear up.

They were in a cell similar to the one she had first woken up in, with metal bars all around and a concrete wall in the back. This time, however, she saw a man sitting on the other side of the bars, staring at her hardly.

"Are you their leader? What do you want from me?" Riza was the first to speak. None of them moved. The two guys she had already seen were clearly waiting for instructions. The man on the other side shifted in his seat, making himself comfortable, but said nothing.

Riza was losing patience and had to make an effort to keep herself from growling. She didn't want them to know how their silence was affecting her. She stared at him with a look that matched his intensity and waited, refusing to lose. Finally, the man spoke in a deep tenor voice.

"You will write a note to Kain Fuery asking him to take car of your dog," he started, "Tell him you'll be away for some time. Make it short and believable. Don't try to write anything more or try to pass on a secret message because it won't reach him."

Riza glared at him. He knows about all of us. I have to be careful with what I say. "Why do I have to write that? Tell me what you want from me? Who are you?"

"It's not yet the time for you to know. Now, I need you to write that note." He signalled to the skinny guy, who then dragged a small desk and a chair from the corner of the cell, which she hadn't even noticed was there, and put a nice sheet of paper and a pen on the table. "Look we even prepared you a nice little table and chair for you to write your note."

Riza stayed where she was, on the ground and looked quickly to the two other men. If I wasn't so drowsy, I could probably take these two on, but-

"Don't even try Riza Hawkeye. Do you take us for fools? We know what you're capable of and we won't let it happen a second time. We gave you a stronger drug that's going to keep you weak for a while. Now get up and write that note," he said with a calm, cold voice.

"You cowards! I won't write your damn note!" As if I'd do something like that. I'll take on whatever they throw at me. I'm sure when the others find out that I'm missing, they'll have a search party.

"Caution is not cowardice. Miss Hawkeye, I do not think you understand me. You do not have a choice in this. You will write that note and do other things we require from you in the future or there will be grave consequences." Seeing that Riza was as stubborn as ever and unmoving, he continued. "I bet you're thinking you can take on anything we do to you and just wait until the others notice your disappearance. Well, you're certainly wrong on that. The consequences won't be falling on you but on your precious teammates. We have someone in there, working for us and giving us all the information we need. We know their routines and their homes, and much more than you can even imagine. If you don't do as you're told, I can't assure you that your precious Fuhrer will be in one piece when you go back, if you ever do anyways. Now, if I was in your position, I would rather chose to write a simple note than to risk my friends' lives. Don't you agree?"

Riza stared at him, fury in her eyes. This man knew much more than she thought he did. He knew exactly what to threaten her with and she hated him for it. Grudgingly, she climbed onto the chair and did the best she could to write a neat and simple note. When she finished, she looked up at the skinny man, who took it from her and handed it to the other man sitting on the other side. He looked at it and nodded in satisfaction.

"That'll do." He got up from his chair and started walking away. The other two men in the cell opened the small gate on the side and followed him, locking the gate behind them.

Riza got up quickly and stumbled to the metal bars. "Wait! Are you just going to leave me here?" she asked, but they never bothered to turn and answer her. They walked down a hall and turned right, out of her view.

Riza listened as the footsteps faded and sank back down on the chair. Unlike her dark cell, this one was lighted, but was still bare of any windows. She held her head in her hands and sighed heavily. Because they had increased the concentration of the drug, she still felt lightheaded and had no doubt that it would continue for a few more minutes. Her limbs were numb and weak and she didn't have the energy to do anything.

She heard her stomach grumble and clutched it with a hand. It was only then that she realized how hungry she was. She felt nauseous and a new wave of discomfort came over her. Her mouth was parched and she now felt the extent of her exhaustion.

Reluctantly, she got off the chair and went to sit on the floor, her back to the cement wall, facing the gate where her captors would come from.

She roused from her sleep when she heard some noise. Prying her eyes open, she realized she had slid down along the wall in her sleep and was lying on her side on the floor. She propped herself back up on with her elbow and noticed the bigger man turning the corner at the end of the hallway where they had all left before. Shit, I missed him.

She trailed her eyes to the foot of the metal bars at the front of the cell and saw a full cup of water and some bread. Unable to resist her hunger, she stiffly got up and went to take her little meal. No wonder I didn't hear him. He just slid these past the bars.

Riza practically wolfed her piece of bread down and drank half her water deeply, saving the other half for later in case they wouldn't give her any for a long time. Feeling a bit better, she went back to her spot at the back of the cell and sat down, carefully putting her cup down beside her. She tried staying awake, waiting and listening for someone or something, but sleep tugged at her until she decided to give in. It's not like I can do anything else.

She woke up the next time, startled, to terrible banging of metal on metal. Her head shot up, eyes wide open, blinking rapidly to ward off the traces of a deep sleep. Then she saw the three of them, outside her cell, the skinny man holding a metal bar that was slung over his shoulder. He looked at her with a sneer, while the bigger man had a face full of contempt. Their 'leader' stood in the middle, staring at her with an unreadable look, although she could see traces of impatience. The bigger man on his left was holding a phone in his hands, with a very long cord.

The leader beckoned her closer with a hand signal. She stared at him intently, debating whether she should go or stay. Finally, she complied, not before gulping down all the water that she had left. She approached cautiously and stood a good meter away from the bars, far enough that she couldn't be grabbed through them.

"What is it now?" she asked sternly.

"You are going to call your landlord and tell him you'll be away for some time, but that you will continue paying your monthly rent," the leader said, wasting no time.

"Are you- are you kidding me?" Riza asked, baffled and angry. "You want me to stage my own disappearance?"

The leader squinted his eyes in a menacing look. "Don't make me repeat the same thing I told you the other time. If you refuse, there will be consequences for your friends." He slowly picked up the receiver and walked toward her, extending his hand. His hand, with the receiver, stopped a good forty centimetres from his side of the bars and offered it to her.

Riza clenched her jaw hard, feeling angry and defeated, and tensely reached for the phone. She brought it back in the cell and stepped back to a safe distance, the long cord permitting her to do that.

"Now, you are going to say exactly what I told you to say. You are leaving for a while. Don't say where or why. You will continue to pay for your rent until you come back. That's it. If you try to say anything else or anything suspicious, it will end badly, very bad. Do you understand?" His cold eyes told her he was not joking. She gulped and nodded stiffly.

With that, he was dialing her landlord's phone number. Her mind raged and tried to think of a possible way to tell him that she had been kidnapped. Her hand clutched the phone tightly until her knuckles turned white, her palms were sweating and she could feel all her muscles becoming tense. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she panicked inside, trying to think of a way out. The anxiety and her tired mind was not helping her stay as calm as she would've liked to be. I can't risk it. What if he really does have people around the others and Roy? I can't risk it. She stared at the leader until he finished dialing and turned back to her, scrutinizing her every movement.

When she heard the ringing, her throat tightened in indecision. All the while she kept her eyes on the leader, as he did her. What do I do? Do I try it? She resolved herself and was determined to tell the landlord of her situation the moment she had the chance to. I can't underestimate the men. They'll have to take care of themselves for a bit so we can catch these people and find out what they're after.

The moment she heard the phone being picked up on the other side of the line, her eyes flicked to the phone base, making sure it was well connected to its wire. However, before she had the chance to utter a sound, the leader's hand flew to his left and slammed down on the base, hitting the button to disconnect the line. All of them stared at him, surprised by his sudden action. Don't tell me...

His face twisted in fury and he reached behind his back to take out a pistol. Without warning, he shot her in her left thigh, giving her no time to react. Riza cried out in pain, falling to the ground and dropping the receiver. She clenched her jaw hard, gritting her teeth to stop from screaming and covered her wound with both hands. The bullet had passed through her thigh cleanly, leaving her with two bleeding holes to hold pressure on.

"You bitch! I told you not to try anything. Don't try to fool me. I know how to read people and I knew full well what you were planning to do. If you try that again, the Fuhrer will die and so will his loyal dogs. I'll make sure you see their bodies before I kill you," he spat at her. Seeing her glare at him, hands clutching her leg and breathing hard through her teeth, he said with disgust, "Stop acting like it's that bad. I purposefully avoided your bone so you wouldn't faint from the pain. I don't have the time to wait for you to wake up. Now pick up the receiver and we'll try this again. And speak normally."

This time, he watched her with his gun in his hand, making sure she knew how serious he was. When her landlord picked up and answered with a gruff voice, she forced herself to steady her own and to speak normally.

"Hello Mister Cooper, this is Riza Hawkeye from room 316." She waited for him to acknowledge her, then continued, "I just wanted to inform you that I will be away for some time, so don't worry if you don't see me for a while. I'll also be continuing to pay for my rent every month until I come back."

"Okay, no problem. Just make sure I get the money on time. If not, I'm throwing out your things to rent out the place to someone else," he grumbled. Mister Cooper spoke roughly, but he was really a kind man when he wanted to be and Riza got along with him fine. If only I could say more.

"Thank you. Goodbye Mister Cooper." Riza moved the receiver away from her ear after he hung up, hating the fact that she had just lost her only chance to communicate with someone from the outside about her predicament.

She dropped the receiver, smeared with her blood, and the big man pulled it by the cord out of the cell and placed it back on its base. The leader put his pistol away and gave her a final scornful look before turning around and walking down the hallway.

Riza growled and cried out in frustration. I'm not getting any information! She was tired, hungry, thirsty and her thigh was burning and throbbing in pain. The flow of blood had slowed down, but she was already feeling the effect of her blood loss.

The gate to her cell opened and the big man pulled her up to her feet like the last time, keeping a firm hold on her arm. She grunted in pain as pressure was put on her injured leg, but she held in any more sound that wanted to come out. The skinny man led them down another hallway and they walked her all the way back to the big metal door of her dark cell. By the time they arrived, Riza was soaked with cold sweat, her face was white, drained of any blood she had left. Her breathing was labored and she could barely keep herself up. Everything was blurry when they opened the metal door, but she recognized the darkness that greeted her.

The big man ushered her forward and she clumsily walked along. When she entered, she was overwhelmed by the feeling that she would be imprisoned here for a long time. It was only when the big man released his grip on her arm that she realized how weak she was. She immediately collapsed on the floor, laying on her side, with no strength left in her to fight. I just want to sleep, she thought and watched the last bit of light being shut out as the big metal door banged shut, leaving her in the dark.

A.N.: Getting interesting? I hope you guys liked it. I'll try to update a little sooner for the next chapter. Please leave a review! Thanks :)

D