Necessary Evils (Gunner x Yoshie)

She had been in prison for a little over three years, not that she knew that. Her cell in the black prison had no clock, no calender, not ever a day/night cycle. The closest she came was being able to count meals, although without a clock that was of little use, being as she couldn't time the intervals. Her meals cycled between trays of red glob, green glop, and grey glop with noodles, all of which were offensive to a refined palate like hers. The uniform was equally as bad; consisting solely a thin bright orange two-piece uniform similar to scrubs and a pair of cheap black shower shoes; not even allowed underwear.

Her cell was a twelve foot by twelve foot by twelve foot cube made of one-way mirrors, preventing her from seeing anything while allowing the guards to see everything. Her furniture were spartan; a bed, a shower facility, a seat & desk, and a toilet/sink combination. The bed was a thin mattress set on a concrete base that was molded into the floor and wall, with a single sheet, wool blanket and pillow. The shower facility was a grate in the wall that dropped cold water straight downward into a corner of her cell with a raised border around it to contain he water, and an indentation in the wall to hold a single bar of soap; all she was allowed for hygiene besides a stick of deodorant. The seat & desk were little more than round pedestals for her to sit on & lean on, also molded from the concrete of the floor. And the toilet/sink was the same molded stainless steel item ubiquitous to prisons and jails everywhere.

Suddenly the lights in her cells went out, plunging it into total darkness. She knew what this meant. In seconds the door to the cell, seamlessly integrated into one of the walls, slid open and eight guards swarmed in, simultaneously handcuffing her, blindfolding her, and fitting her with noise-cancelling headphones, leaving her senses completely blocked. The guards spun her around then drug her from the cell, leaving her unable to conclusively tell direction of travel or get a pace count to establish distances.

She was hauled around the facility, in a couple circles and down a few dead ends to disrupt her sense of direction further, before being pushed down into a chair. When the headphones and blindfold came off, she was seated in a blank-walled interrogation room, across a cheap metal table from a man. A man she recognized.

She had known him as Theo Kalinin, though she found out when she was charged that his true name was Eric Wright, a member of some secret government agency who's name had never been revealed to her.

He looked exactly the same as she remembered. 5'8" tall and about 170 pounds of lean muscle, his piercing hazel eyes roving over her. Ironically, while his brown hair was shorter than before, buzzed short, his facial hair was longer, a few days of stubble visible on his face. He was dressed simply as was usual for him; blue jeans, tennis shoes, a loose grey t-shirt and a light wind breaker jacket over it. He looked her over one more time before speaking.

"They weren't kidding when they said orange wasn't your color."

He was smirking as he talked, clearly enjoying his dominant position over her. In truth he didn't like the idea his superiors had foisted upon him, but they'd put him down this path despite his objections. The last thing he'd wanted was to deal with her again, especially since it meant letting her out of her cage, which for someone like her was a dangerous proposition. But she had knowledge and skills they needed, and he was the only one who'd ever made anything stick to her, so he had no choice in being her handler.

Days came and went, time… time was all she had now. She’d thought she had the plan figured out. She thought she had covered all her bases. She was a careful one, a sly one. One that no one could trace; or so she thought. The thing about people was that they can’t be trusted. She made one slip up. One single mistake. The simple mistake of falling in love landed her in here with three meals a day of food… if one would call it that a day. Her mind still stayed sane even in this wretched place. She kept her composure through it all. She had to. Everything was taken away from her. Not everything on the outside. She kept that secure and hidden even from him. The one that put her here.

When things needed solving she was the one they would call, when shit needed to get done and there was no one to do it then they would call her. Today was no different. When the lights went out she knew what was up. She quietly accepted the blindfold and the headphones and was transported to a place she did not recognize but once the blindfold was removed, and her eyes adjusted to the light she saw one face that she despised. That face that she loathed more than any other. However, when he smiled she blushed. He could still make her do that after all this time. Damn him. Then he spoke; that dark husky voice rang through her ears. It was good to hear another voice besides her own but why; why did it have to be his voice that she’d hear.

She scoffed at the comment that he made about orange not being her color. She was usually; well if she were a free women she would either be in all black or in one of her exotic dresses. She looked down at her attire, now that she can see it in the light; still she hated it. She sat down in the hair and folded her arms. She was not in the place to act high and mighty but she knew that if this was the case she knew they needed her for something so she in turn would make her own proposition.

“No, it is not my color but please feel free to change it to something a bit better… now let’s cut the shit. What is it that you need?” She said raising her eyebrow at him.

Eric kept smirking at her.

"Really Winry? No pleasantries? My, prison really has changed you, hasn't it?"

He paused for a moment and reached behind him to the coffee table. The table had a pot of coffee, no doubt something cheap & freeze dried from the smell, the standard sugar & powdered creamer, and a stack of styrofoam cups, the latter of which had attracted his attention. Slowly, almost lazily he took the cup and reached into his jacket, pulling a flask from some internal pocket. With the same lack of speed he screwed open the lid and poured about two fingers of the brown liquid into the cheap cup before returning the flask to it's place in his jacket.

"The guys who file my checks think they need you for an operation. I'm not too keen on it, but then again, they didn't really give me a choice..." he said.

Eric started to slowly swirl the liquid in the cup, allowing it's scent to slowly come to life in the room. Many wouldn't have been able to pick up the subtle differences, but Winry would know the smell; Johnny Walker Blue. This was obviously some sort of ploy, since the entire time they'd been together his drink of choice had been vodka, never whiskey.

"...But it will get you out of here. All you'd have to do is submit & agree to do as I say. I can't give you any other details until you agree. Orders are orders." he said with a shrug.

Eric had picked his words carefully, calculating the results. He knew that words like 'submit' & asking her to follow his orders would have an effect on her. He knew she wouldn't like it, but it was the way things had to be. He looked back up at her, waiting for her response.

Seduction had been sober for a very very long time. So long in fact when he opened the flask she smelled it. Her precious Johnnie Walker. It was the blue label, she only drank this when she was happy, when she was celebrating something. When he poured it in the cup she watched the liquid shimmer a bit teasing her; all of her. She licked her lips. This was indeed a ploy to get her but she had no choice. It was either to say no or be dominated by him.

“Orders are order eh? Even a dog like you has a master so how would I be any different. I give orders; I do not take them Innocent.” She said reaching for the cup. “How would this work…? I need specifics…” He said that she’d be out of here, out of this hellish place. This was something that was worth looking in to but like the woman she was she wanted to know more. “Let me guess, I’d be out of here but what is the catch? Do what you want me to do and then once you’ve used me to your needs I’d be thrown back in here huh?” She scoffed at the offer. “I need something better. If I help you I want out… that’s final.”

The liquid was calling to her, begging her to take it. She wanted so badly to savor his flavor, she wanted so badly to part her lips and let Johnnie swoon her mouth, cascading down her throat. To lick her lips in ecstasy; to have Johnnie serenade her one more time. “Would you be so kind as to pass me that ‘coffee’ Innocent? I’ve been so long without anything but water and that processed shit you wish to call food.”

She remembered his words and then looked at him. That piercing gaze she gave to his comment was in the least a compliment. "I have no changed Innocent... I..." She paused picking her words wisely. "I've been so long without a conversation that... I infact forgot my manners. The cup...?" She said. Her head motioning over to it.

Eric shrugged at her reply.

"If you don't want to take orders, that's fine. YOu can keep giving orders to yourself back in your cell, doll." he said, using his old pet name for her.

He slowly swirled the liquid in the cup some more, taunting her. When she'd known him before he hadn't been this forceful; this strong-willed. Back then he'd been mostly fine with going with the flow, letting her call the shots. But now he was seated across from her, playing hardball, playing carrot & stick. He smirked again when she mentioned trying to negotiate a more permanent release.

"Depending upon your behavior, and how the operation goes, you may be able to turned free afterwards, with stipulations, of course. We're not going to just turn you loose on the world. Of course my post-operation report is going to probably be the make-or-break on your release..." he said.

He trailed off at the end of the sentence, his implication obvious to a woman as intelligent as Winry. Play ball, or go back to her cell. When she mentioned the cup again, he pretended to have forgotten about it.

"Huh? Oh, the whiskey... No, I'm afraid not. Facility rules prohibit prisoners from drinking alcohol. They fear it may make them... difficult to control." he said, again exerting power over her.
"But really, that's all I can tell you. Time for you to make a choice. Walk out into the big wide world, whiskey in your belly & a leash on your neck, or go back to your cell, free to tell yourself what to do."

“Fuck you!” She hissed at him. She knew what this meant. She knew that by saying this she had sealed her fate. But rather deal with this and be on a leash was not it for her. Pride was her second sin. Lust being the first; and that Johnnie Walker speaking to her was very enticing but she had to say no. She had to refuse. It wasn’t too much longer was it? She could endure much more right? Her cell was comfortable enough right…? She bit her lip and rolled her eyes.

“What do you take me for?” She spat. “I will not just go along with your ploy and then it will land me back in here or get me another charge!”

She glared at him, angry at this proposition, angry at him teasing her with her whiskey and mainly upset with the fact that she had power in this situation. She was at his will, she was at his beckon call and she had no ground to stand on. She growled and folded her arms and her leg left over right.

“Take me back to my cell… I’d sooner eat slop than to be your lap dog. I am not some toy for you to get your jolly’s off with… Innocent.” Seduction’s head motioned for the door. Maybe, just maybe if she was alone she would reconsider his offer… if he would make it available again.

"Suit yourself."

Eric just shrugged at her response, not bothered by her response. In truth, he'd expected this meeting to go [i[exactly[/i] the way it had. Someone like her wouldn't be convinced on the first trip, and possibly not on the second or third either. But she would eventually come around. Because while he knew she valued her dominance over other, he also knew that she valued her freedom even more.

He also knew that now, knowing that her freedom was available, her detention would be all the more intolerable. Her rough sheets would feel even more uncomfortable, her cell would seem smaller, her food even more unpalatable. It would eat at her knowing that she could have the things she wanted, if only she'd agree to play nice with others.

Eric made a simple hand gesture, and she was plunged back into darkness as she was blindfolded and deafened. She was dropped back in a cell; they were all the same and so spartan it was impossible to tell if it was even the exact same one she'd been in before, and left to stew. It was another ten days (not that Winry would be able to know though) before she was once again 'abducted from her cell & brought to another interrogation room.

Inside, again, was a smug Eric seated across from her. He was dressed much the same as before, and still somehow had a few days of stubble on his face. Sitting in front of him was a closed styrofoam to-go box, which Eric started to open as they sat Winry down.

"Sorry to eat while doing this. I know it's a bit unprofessional, but I've been so busy lately, and I do have to take care of myself, don't I?"

He opened the box, and the smell hit her, telling her what it was even before she saw it. Orange chicken & lo mein. He pulled a plastic spoon.

"I know it's not the usual-" he said, referring to the spoon.
"-but they don't let anybody bring anything with points, like a fork in here. Apparently there's a lot of dangerous people in here."

He paused to scoop a piece of the chicken onto the fork then into his mouth, taking his time chewing & swallowing.

"It's pretty good. Not as good as that place we ate at in Orlando, but still good. Anyway, the deal still stands. Any second thoughts?"

She had no choice but to go along with his ploy. Smelling the food next to him made her mouth water. How long had it been since she had a decent meal? Something that she could look at and in that very moment knew exactly what she was eating. How long had it been since she tasted something that smelled like it was delicious. No questions; no wondering where it came from and no changes in the texture, taste, or color when she ate it.

Winry despised him for this. She knew… no he knew that what was in the styrofoam plate was in fact her favorite dish. She glared at him. Her eyes shifting from the plate to him; just as it was with the cup of Johnnie Walker. He was literally doing this on purpose. To make her twitch, to make her upset and to make her cringe. It was working and it was working in his favor. Seduction could not refuse, she was in a situation where she had no power, she was in a position where she could not wave her finger and have people do shit for her. She bit her lip and swallowed hard. This was the equivalent of hell; all she needed now was fire… all she needed now was to die.

Looking around the room she did not have a lot of options and she could weigh the ones she had on one hand. Either decline again and be sent back to the hole where there was little food no water and even less to do. Or agree and be Eric’s lapdog; something that if he commanded her to jump she would have to say how high. She smirked, not because she had an idea but because she was a mouse caught in the cats cage. She was on her last leg and saying no; if she were to say no then there were no third chances, no three strikes and you are out. That’s it. No more tries and no more ways out. This was her only option and being stubborn, at a time like this… well fortune would not seem favorable on this woman.

She took a deep breath. The look in her eyes when she looked at him was one of defeat, she literally had given up. There was no winning this battle, there war was over. Holding her hands up showing the handcuffs she stretched them outward in his direction.

“You.. win…” Her voice choked. She looked away loathing the satisfaction if there was any on his face. There was nothing she could do. “Just… Let’s just get this over with.” She growled submissively. This was not easy for her, putting her feelings and emotions aside. Swallowing her pride was something that she never did. She bowed her head; a tear came from her left eye; but she quickly shook her head trying to get rid of it.

“What happens now?” She pondered for a second and the anger came back to her voice. “…And get that damn food out of here! I can’t stand the smell!” She sneered at him. She wanted so bad to kill him; shoot him dead where he stood, but what would that accomplish? All the years she spent; now was her chance… He would get his… she would make sure of it. If Karma was late on delivering this entrée she would make sure that she personally would deliver his fate to his front door.

Eric just nodded slightly & made a motion over her shoulder at the guard seated behind her. There was a slight pressure on the cuffs, then they came off, leaving her unshackled in front of the man who had 'betrayed' her. He didn't at all mention her surrender or rub it in, even though he knew how difficult it would've been for her to say that. He took the high road; letting it be. There was no need to poke the bear, especially when he needed to work with the bear for be foreseeable future.

"I suppose I could trash the food, but don't you think that would be a bit wasteful?" he asked with a cocky grin.

Eric pulled a second spoon from his pocket, set it in the to-go box, then spun the box around and pushed it in front of Winry. He also reached into his jacket and again pulled out the flask, setting it next to the styrofoam container.

"Not a suggested pairing for that drink, but still one I think you'll appreciate. Take it easy with the booze though. I doubt you have any kind of tolerance after being sober for three years & change."

She could evil eye him all she wanted, for now he held her leash and more importantly, he held her future. She could probably escape, if she did her damnest, although it wouldn't be easy. But what then? She'd be the subject of an international manhunt. And as Eric had proven before, she wasn't invincible.

Once she finished the meal, Eric handed her a black, baggy track suit, the cheap kind, a pair of no-frills black underwear, and a pair of cheap black tennis shoes, in her size. Not a great wardrobe, but still several steps above what she was currently wearing.

"Change." he said simply.

he stood and turned around to give her some privacy, an odd gesture considering that he had done a lot more than see her naked in the past. The guards walked out, locking the door & leaving the two alone.