Bullets And Betrayal: Chapter 1 – Welcome To The Team
Riza inhaled sharply as she opened the heavy oak door to her new unit. She had just graduated the academy, with perfect accolades no less. It would either make her a respected member of the team, or the butt of a never ending in-office joke. Her grip tightened on the doorknob as she pushed the door open to find four pairs of eyes boring into her on the other side.
"Hey, you must be the new boot," Havoc tipped back in his chair, cigarette bobbing between his lips as he spoke. "Thought you weren't supposed to be here until next Thursday."
"Yes well, I was able to test out of marksmanship training, so they sent me here a week early," Riza could feel her knuckles turning white as they gripped the books in her hands. Their gazes made her uncomfortable, and they all sat in an awkward silence…the only sound coming from the overhead fan as it hummed softly.
As she opened her mouth to speak again, a side door inside the office burst open, revealing a disheveled and frustrated looking Mustang.
"Great, you're here," Mustang motioned her forward as he pulled several files from the folder in his hand. "Once you get settled in the empty desk over by Havoc, you can start sorting these reports. That'll keep you busy until we can find a more permanent job for you."
Frowning, she took the files from him. She wasn't the type of person to put herself above a job, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a fringe of frustration that Mustang thought this was all she was capable of handling.
As she dropped the files on her desk Havoc pulled her chair out for her. "So, you tested out of marksmanship training huh? Surely we don't need pencil pushers that bad that they sent you here instead of the Marksman Unit." He eyed her curiously as she sat down, but still not noticing her jaw clenching as he spoke to her.
"That was the dream," she said softly, not bothering to look up from the files in her hand.
She jolted as the vibrations of a nearby explosion ripped through her. Pulling her cover back over her head and gun she steadied her breathing as she peered through the scope. She drew a deep breath in as she lined up an unsuspecting head in her crosshairs.
"Some dream," she mumbled to herself racking the bolt back as a casing shot out of the smoke. While she had expected she would eventually see combat with her exceptional skills, she wasn't exactly ready to be deployed for nearly every conflict that arose. She had risen from "pencil pusher" as Havoc had so delicately put it, to one of the most respected and decorated soldiers in the Amestrian military.
As she lingered on the thought, she felt her body slowly sinking with disappointment.
If only the feeling of accomplishment was genuine.