Chapter 1-
Edward swore as he was forced to jump to his left while in a flat out run to avoid the bullet aimed his way from the criminal he was pursuing. He rolled with his jump with a well practised move and continued his chase, barely sparing a worried thought at the warmth he felt running down his left arm. He probably nicked it when he'd dodged and it didn't feel life-threatening so he didn't care. From his right he could see someone catching up with him and a quick glance confirmed that Alphonse had managed to catch up finally. He couldn't have stopped the pang of worry that ran through him as he and Al ran side by side. It had only been a month since Al was released from the hospital and his rehab doctor had cleared him for missions only a couple of days ago so Ed knew he was being stupid worrying about his physical health but he couldn't help it. He'd only gotten his brother his physical body back six months ago and you didn't need a medical licence to realise exactly how bad off Al was. The image of his little brother's skeletal body, hooked up to a dozen machines and so weak he could barely open his eyes, let alone speak, was something that would haunt Ed for the rest of his life and was a new feature in his recurring nightmares.
"Brother, he's gone!" Al gasped in surprise as he slid to a stop. Ed halted his own run as he looked around, searching for any movement to indicate where their target had gone. Slowing his heavy breathing down so he could listen for any off noise, he barely notice Al mimicking him. After a tense thirty seconds of waiting and watching, Ed let out a frustrated groan as he failed to see or hear anything that pointed to where the criminal was hiding. Al let out a similar noise as he failed to come up with anything and Ed used the opportunity presented to give his brother a once-over. When Al had been hospitalised he had hair as long as Ed's own and he was trembling from the effort it took to breath. Now he had his hair cut short, like it was before that night, and he was only breathing heavy because of the chase. He had a few scratches and his clothes were filthy but he had no major injuries and Ed could see that the strain of the fight and following chase was only showing only slightly more than it was for Ed.
"Well, fuck." Ed swore as he gave one last look at the surrounding warehouses for any movement. "I do not want to have to go back to Colonel Bastard and tell him we lost this arsehole." Ed pointedly ignored the exasperated look his brother sent his way. Mustang had assigned them this mission only that morning. Jarrod Moore was a 24 year old known low-level criminal. He'd been linked to four robberies over the last month, three home robberies and one business robbery. When Mustang had given him the mission, he'd been confused. Moore wasn't military and he wasn't an alchemist so he questioned why he was being sent after him. Evidently, one of the homes robbed belonged to a General and he'd requested the case be handed over to Mustang to be solved when the business had been robbed. Mustang had then given it to Edward, much to the blondes disgust. Moore had been identified by one of the police from the security cameras set up in the alcohol store that had been hit. It was pure luck that Ed and Al had been near the jewellery store Moore had robbed barely twenty minutes ago when they saw him tear out of the store. After leaving Al to check on anyone who was in the store, Ed tore after Moore. Now they were in the middle of the warehouse district and Moore had disappeared.
"Brother, you know he's a Brigadier-General now. I know you know that because I've heard him correct you a dozen times now. You were there when he got promoted after you two got back from your little adventure." Alphonse reminded him and Ed's response was to roll his eyes.
"I like the fact that your problem is the rank I used, not what I called him." Ed teased lightly. The familiar banter was a lot more enjoyable now that Al's voice didn't ring with the tinny undertone it used too.
"Besides, Mustang won't blame us for losing him." Al continued like he hadn't heard what his elder brother said. "I think Moore was intentionally leading us this way so he could escape. I think he planned an escape route before he tried robbing that jewellery store and it required him being in this area." Ed thought about what his brother said and something clicked in his mind.
"That's why he robbed that jewellery store! It's the closest one to this area. I thought it was weird he didn't try robbing the one on the main street. Everyone knows it's bigger and has more valuable goods. The reward for successfully robbing that one would outweigh the risks, especially since his method he used would've meant he could have been successful at that store too. I just thought he was too much of a coward to try." Ed exclaimed and Al nodded in agreement. He'd been thinking the same thing. Ed sighed as he shifted slightly on his feet. "We'd better go and report back. Might as well get it over and done with. I could go for some food now. That dick interrupted us on our way to lunch." Ed complained and Al rolled his eyes. Of course his brother's only complaint is missing lunch. Al had only taken one step to the side so he could follow his brother when there was a loud crack and the ground behind and to the side of Al exploded as the bullet fired at him buried itself in the concrete.
Ed was the first of the two of them to react. Grabbing his brother, he shoved him behind himself and track the trajectory of the bullet back to a warehouse in front of and to the right of where he stood now. He caught the noise of a gun being cocked again in the complete silence that had followed the gun shot and he took off for the warehouse, dragging Al with him. They'd barely burst through the door on the ground level when they heard someone running above them. Gesturing for Al to stay quiet and follow, they made their way up. It was a three level warehouse and from the noise, Moore had holed himself up on the third level. It took them barely any time to clear the second level. The warehouse was empty and there weren't any rooms built so it was a simple case of checking behind the support pillars before moving up to the third level. They made it through the door and stopped short when they spotted Moore standing in the middle of the floor, completely in the open. On the floor next to him was a revolver. An empty one from the look of it. So that meant they didn't have to worry about being shot.
"Give it up, Moore. You had a slight advantage with the gun and you've lost it now." Ed pointed out, striding forward until he was barely five metres away, Al right behind him. Moore sneered at them both and the brothers exchanged a glance.
"You think you've caught me?" Ed rolled his eyes. Moore sounded like he was quoting every bad villain in the stupid crime book Al had been reading while he was the armour. "I don't think you realise how wrong you are."
"Seriously, man?" Ed sighed, getting annoyed now. "Just give it up. You're out-matched and out-classed here. Come in quietly and you may win some points in your favour. Or don't. I really don't mind putting you through the wall. I don't like people who take cheap shots at someone else and I especially don't like it when that person is my brother." Ed snarled at him. Moore started cackling and Ed would never admit to anyone that the sound had him step back in shock. He and Al exchanged glances while Moore laughed.
"You're angry that I took a shot at your brother?! Your brother?! What about my brother?!" The anger Moore exhibited took both Elrics by surprise but they were more confused by what the unhinged man was implying.
"You don't have a brother." Was all Ed could say as he watched the man's face start turning red with all of his rage.
"We may not have been related by blood but Thomas Harding was my brother in every other way and you killed him!" Edward flinched violently as the man's screeched words hit him. Harding was the first person Ed had killed intentionally. While no one outside of Mustang's team, Alphonse or the two men themselves knew anything about their trip to a different dimension and the actual events that took place there, they did have to give some sort of report. Thanks to Mustang being a manipulative bastard, he was able to forge travel documents that showed them chasing after Harding to some small, insignificant town so they used the documents to provide some sort of cover about where they'd been. Aside from location, travel and the kind of place the final battle between them and Harding took, the report was written truthfully. They hunted Harding down and found he was in possession of a fake Philosopher's Stone. The subsequent fight had ended with the Stone rebounding on Harding and them killing him by trapping him and burning him alive. There was no mention of America, the FBI's BAU team that helped the two Alchemists out nor the Truth in any report, official or otherwise.
"He'd committed several crimes, including murdering people, and he refused to come in quietly. I did what I had to do to protect myself and others around me." Edward told him. He knew his words had that tired overtone to them, like he'd repeated them often or that he didn't care and, judging from how his face turned from red to purple, Moore had taken the tone to mean he didn't care.
"I know what really happened! I know you didn't murder him in Amestris! I know he was in another dimension! And you and that bastard flame alchemist hunted him down and murdered him like he was some animal!" Moore was screeching so loudly he was barely understandable. Al and Ed's faces paled. Moore noticed and his grin turned triumphant and sadistic. "Oh yes. I knew all about it. Tommy came to me when he found those pretty red stones. As soon as we realised what they were and what they could do, Tommy had an idea. He told me he'd heard rumours about how the Elric brothers were able to do alchemy without arrays. He'd heard whispers about an all-powerful being called Truth who guarded the Gate of Knowledge that one could pass through for the right price. So he read every book he could, every scrap of paper that had sort of information on it about Truth and came across something interesting. There were theories hundreds of years ago about how Truth could grant passage to different dimensions. There were theories even more recent about travelling to another dimension with alchemy alone but anyone who tried, well they weren't too successful." Moore's eyes glazed over as he lost himself in his memories and Ed got this horrible urge to run as far away as possible but his legs refused to move. He could feel Al trembling slightly behind him and he reached back blindly to grab his brother's arm. Moore continued talking. "Well, we had the stones and we knew what they could do. I was supposed to go with him but Tommy said he wouldn't risk me getting hurt or killed if it went wrong somehow. I was supposed to wait a month for him to come back and get me. But you and that flame alchemist somehow got over there and you killed him before he could!" Moore's eyes had snapped back onto Ed and the blonde knew something was wrong. Moore's eyes didn't scream unhinged anymore. They looked like he had a plan for his revenge and Ed didn't want to stick around for it.
"Al, we need to go." He whispered, using his grip on his brother's arm to start pushing him back. Al moved without protest, slightly pulling Ed with him. They moved slowly so as to not attract Moore's attention to their retreat. They weren't quick enough though when Moore suddenly knelt down and alchemic energy sparked along the ground to light up an array they were both standing in.
"I bet you didn't realise I had a slight talent for alchemy. I wasn't anywhere near my brother's level and, if I'm being honest, a child would be able to out perform me on their best day but you don't need to be a genius at alchemy to be able to use one of these." A glint of red drew their gaze to his hand and Ed's heart leapt into his throat as he realised what he was looking at. A Philosopher's Stone. When he was done with this bastard, he was going to create a world-wide array that would destroy all of those blasted stones. He glanced at the array he and Al were standing in but he didn't know what it was for and that made him more scared than anything else. If he didn't know what it did, he couldn't counter it. The array took up the entire room and they were still inside of it. Ed turned around and started shoving Al with purpose. "You and Mustang are going to pay for what you did to my brother, Elric! Good luck coming back from this!" Purple energy sparked and raced around the array while the brothers ran to get out but Ed knew both of them wouldn't make it but he could at least make it so Alphonse did. Using his momentum and all of his energy, he shoved Al hard enough to send him flying and he cleared the array with a heartbeat to spare. Al looked back at him, shock and despair on his face.
"You take this bastard down, Al! Get him back to Mustang!" Ed ordered and the last thing he heard before everything went black was Al's desperate cry of his name. The first thing he felt when he opened his eyes next was the sensation of falling. He opened his eyes just in time to see a bitumen car park and four surprised faces before he hit the ground.
At the same time, in America
"Good morning, McGee." A woman's voice called out to him as he made his way from the elevator to his desk, coffee in one hand and his backpack containing everything needed for his job slung over his opposite shoulder. He quickly identified his greeter as Ziva David, their once Mossad Liaison, now Probationary NCIS Field Agent. He returned her smile quickly and offered his own greeting.
"Morning, Ziva. You're in early." He noted as he realised she had already settled in for the morning and had made it through several pieces of paperwork. It wasn't unusual for her to beat himself and DiNozzo in but she had been in for at least two hours from the looks of it and that was unusual.
"I have a doctor's appointment this morning and figured I'd come in earlier to complete what work I can so I have the time to spare." She replied as he dumped his bag next to his desk and sat in his chair.
"Doctor's appointment? Are you alright?" He asked, concerned as he switched on his monitors and started up his computers.
"I'm fine. It's just a check up for that injury I got a couple of weeks ago." She said dismissively yet secretly pleased McGee sounded so concerned for her health.
"Your shoulder injury from when you and Tony crashed the car chasing after the drugged-up Petty Officer?" McGee questioned, relieved it was nothing major. That crash had hospitalised both of the Agents and the Petty Officer in question. Gibbs was not impressed with the damage done to his sedan but even McGee could see how relieved he was when they got news Tony had woken up after being unconscious for nearly six hours. Ziva had been discharged after a nights stay while Tony had to stay for two nights before the doctors would clear him. He'd been required to take a further three days off by Vance and Ziva assigned desk duty until her shoulder had healed from the bruising. She'd been out of the sling since Tony came back and today she would hopefully be cleared to return to active duty. McGee was worried she'd go crazy if she had to spend another day strapped to her desk. Ziva nodded in answer. "When is it? Do you need a lift?" He asked and Ziva gave him a nice smile. Nice smiles were good from her. It meant she probably wouldn't stab him for asking.
"I'll be fine. If I can drive myself to work, I can drive myself to the doctor." She checked the clock before making a surprised noise. "Actually, I need to leave now if I want to make it there in time. Let Gibbs know I'll be back in two hours." She said as she gathered what she needed and left once McGee assured her he would. She waited for the elevator to arrive and the doors opened to reveal her second co-worker, Anthony DiNozzo. He gave her a confused look as he took off his sunglasses and stepped out of the elevator so she could step in.
"Where are you headed?" He asked as he spun to keep his eyes on her.
"Doctor's appointment. I'll be back soon." She said, pressing the button for the ground floor and giving DiNozzo a reassuring smile when she spotted his concerned face before the doors slid shut. DiNozzo headed for his desk and dropped his gear in its usual spot before facing McGee.
"Is she okay?" The older man asked and McGee debated not answering or telling Tony it wasn't his business but the look of genuine concern on Tony's face made him tell the truth.
"She's fine. It's a check up appointment for her shoulder." Relief swept across his face for a second before he schooled his expression to resemble something less caring.
"Oh, right. Forgot about that." He said casually but McGee knew what Tony was thinking. He had been the one driving the car and even though it was the Petty Officer who crashed into them, Tony still blamed himself for putting one of his team members in harms way.
"She'll be fine, Tony. Remember yesterday when she threw that pencil at you because you wouldn't shut up?" A look of only slightly exaggerated fear flicked across Tony's face as he recalled the memory and he glanced at the hole the pencil had made when it buried itself in the wall behind his right shoulder.
"You're right. She'll be cleared, no worries." He said, finally sitting at his desk and starting up his computers. McGee chuckled to himself as he let the silence between them stand until Gibbs walked in an hour later.
"Where's Ziva?" Was the first question the grey-haired man asked as he sat behind his own computers and looked around his bullpen.
"Morning, Boss." DiNozzo was the quickest to speak up. "She's at her doctor's appointment for her shoulder check up."
"She said she'll be back in a couple of hours and she left about an hour ago." McGee answered the silent follow up question. Gibbs simply nodded before taking a sip of his coffee and getting through some of his outstanding paperwork as well. The next hour was relatively quiet, with the exception of DiNozzo and McGee bantering or asking actual questions about details they needed clarifying on a case. Ziva turned up ten minutes after her self-assigned deadline and headed straight for her boss.
"Cleared for active duty. Here's my doctor's note." She said as she handed the piece of paper to him. He took it with a nod and placed it aside to file away later, not even glancing at it first to make sure she was cleared. He knew Ziva knew better than to lie to him about something like this. Barely five minutes after Ziva had settled herself back at her desk, exchanging some snide comments with DiNozzo and civil ones with McGee, did Gibbs' phone ring.
"Gibbs." He answered as he placed the phone to his ear. He noted his team pause in their work as they waited to see if it was a call out. After the person on the other end of the call finished speaking he informed them they were on their way and hung up. "Grab your gear. Got a dead Navy Lieutenant." He'd barely started talking before they moved into action and were at his side by the time he was halfway to the elevator. They left the building and were halfway to the cars and the van when a flash of what looked like lightening, even though it was clear day, drew their attention to their left. As quick as it appeared, the light disappeared and something red and black was falling from about six or so metres above them. The object landed only a couple of metres away from them and it took them no time to realise they were looking at a person. All fours had their guns drawn and aimed at the blonde teenager before anyone could blink. The boy's eyes flicked open as he let out a small whine of pain before gingerly sitting up. He mustn't have been too hurt because he was quick to jump to his feet and look around, spotting the team quickly. He glanced at the weapons and immediately moved into a defensive position before looking at them all. Three team members were shocked enough at his eye colour for it to show visibly before they could school their expressions. Gibbs' eyes squinted slightly as he watched the boy take in his surroundings as best he could without any of them leaving his sight.
"Who are you? Where am I?" The boy demanded as he kept his defensive position. Gibbs watched as a trail of blood ran down his neck and took in the rest of his appearance. He had blonde, almost golden, hair and matching eyes. He looked about 15 and his clothes were a mess. His right red jacket sleeve was torn enough for the black one to peek through and his left glove was half-soaked with blood, the rips through his jacket sleeves indicated an injury on that arm. Despite his disheveled and injured appearance, the boy looked alert, confused, angry and scared, though that last one was very well hidden. The sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel behind the boy had him swinging around to face the new threat. The four agents looked up to see who the newcomer was and were shocked and on high alert when they realised it was Director Vance. They gripped their guns tighter, keeping them trained steadily on the boy who was quick enough to put himself between two cars so he could see them all at the same time. Vance's hands were up in the universal sign of 'I'm not a threat' but the boy didn't seem overly calmed by that. "Who are you and where am I?" The blonde asked again, sounding a lot angrier now. Vance was the one who spoke.
"My name is Leon Vance. I'm the director of NCIS. These are Agents McGee, DiNozzo, Gibbs and David. You're at NCIS Headquarters, here in Washington, DC. What's your name? Why are you here?" Vance's voice remained calm and level through the introductions and explanation. The gold eyes squinted slightly as he seemed to assess whether the dark-skinned man was being truthful or not.
"Edward. I don't, I don't know why I'm here. I shouldn't be here. This shouldn't of happened. I should be at home with my brother." His voice sounded so young and worried that it took them by surprise in comparison to how he was before. "Washington, DC? That's in America, right?" He asked and the agents exchanged glances before Vance answered again.
"Yes. Where are you from? Maybe we can help you get home." Vance asked and they were admittedly startled when the boy, Edward, chuckled humourlessly.
"I highly doubt that." He sounded so sure that even Gibbs looked at him worriedly. He still hadn't moved out of his defensive position and Vance wasn't the only one to notice they were starting to draw attention from others around them. The attention from the crowd was making Edward even more tense which was something none of them wanted. Vance strode over so he was standing behind Gibbs' team but facing the crowd.
"This doesn't concern you. Go back to work." He ordered, appearing unconcerned with what was going on behind his and his tone had the undertone that promised swift consequences to any who disobeyed him. The few people who had gathered to watch quickly scattered. Edward's body loosened slightly but he was still apprehensive and ready to fight if need be. Well, one problem solved.
"Why don't you come in?" Vance gestured to the building behind him as he faced Edward. "I promise nothing will happen to you. You can get cleaned up and we can discuss your situation." Edward looked almost convinced but he still looked like he wanted to ask some questions. A slight glance between Gibbs and Vance, which had Vance give a slight nod, had Gibbs lower his gun and holster it. A moments hesitation had the three others follow suit. The lack of immediate danger had Ed relax his defensive stance but no one was foolish enough to think he wasn't ready to fight if he thought he needed too. It took only a couple of minutes of silence for Ed to ask something that had been nagging at him.
"What's NCIS?" The question prompted one of the younger agents to groan and let out an exasperated 'really?' before the older man slapped him upside the head, causing both Edward and an abashed DiNozzo to flinch.
"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Services. We deal with cases involving or caused by any naval officers, their family or our own agents." Vance explained as simply as possible. Edward seemed to be contemplating something.
"So you're like the FBI, only for the Navy? So you're on the same side as them?" DiNozzo looked like he wanted to comment but a quick glance from his boss had him rethinking that idea.
"More or less." Gibbs was the one to comment and Ed's eyes snapped to him, suddenly cautious again.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded and Gibbs gave him his trademark look that had most people looking away and apologising. The kid just glared back and Gibbs was amused to see his team exchange glances of awe and fear for the kid.
"It means that, unless we get in a jurisdictional pissing match, we're on the same side." Vance answered, beating Gibbs to the punch. Edward's eyes were back on him now and Vance made himself keep his expression neutral.
"If I go in there," Ed pointed to the building after a few seconds, "can I call someone?" The question was cautious, almost like he expected the answer to be 'no'.
"Only after you've cleaned up and been checked out by a doctor." Vance negotiated and Edward eventually nodded and took a careful step forward. When none of the agents moved in anyway to stop him, he moved a lot more confidently though the way he held himself only told them he was ready to bolt if he had too. Vance was leading them to the building while two agents, McGee and David if Ed remembered correctly, flanked him and the other two agents flanked their director. No one spoke until they were in the elevator.
"DiNozzo, escort Edward to the showers. McGee, find him some clothes and meet them there. Ziva, you're with me. Leon, you'll need to assign another team to the case we were just given." Edward watched as Vance's eyebrow raised in reaction to someone giving him orders but he never said anything. The elevator stopped and they exited into one of the most horrifically painted rooms Edward had ever had the misfortune of being in. The orange was literally an attack on his eyes. Someone gripped his flesh arm, luckily, to draw his attention. Unluckily they managed to grip the part of his arm that had a large cut on it and Ed couldn't stop himself from wrenching his arm out of their grip nor could he stop the hiss of pain that escaped.
"Sorry. Showers are this way." DiNozzo apologised, grimacing at the pain he'd caused the boy. Edward glared at him until he started leading him to the showers. Once inside, DiNozzo grabbed him a towel, a washcloth and some other toiletries. "Showers are there. McGee will be here with some spare clothes for you shortly. I'll have him put them on that bench there. We'll be just outside when you're ready. Also, sorry about grabbing your arm earlier. I didn't realise you were hurt." Edward looked at him and could only find sincerity in his expression.
"Don't worry about it." He eventually grunted. "I've had worse." That did not seem to reassure the agent, if the look on his face was any indication but Ed deliberately turned his back on him before he could ask any questions. DiNozzo took the hint and Ed heard the door shut behind him. Ed stripped himself bare and turned the water on. He fiddled with the temperature and hopped in once it was perfect. He drew the shower curtain shut so he had some privacy and rinsed himself off before using the soap and cloth DiNozzo had given him to actually clean himself properly. The outside door opened and Edward paused, coiled to attack if he had too, relaxing only slightly when McGee's voice sounded.
"Edward? I have some clothes for you. Is it okay if I come in and put them on the bench for you?" Ed liked that he'd asked instead of just barging in like some military officers were prone to doing.
"Yeah. Thanks, Agent McGee." He said as he listened carefully to the man's footsteps. He heard something being dropped onto the bench before McGee spoke again.
"It's no problem. Just let us know when you're done." Edward gave an agreeing hum as he listened to him leave and sighed lightly when the door shut once more. Only once that had happened did Ed allow himself to think about the situation he was in. He was back in America, only this time he was in a completely new city and surrounded by completely new people. His instincts screamed at him to run, to try and find any of the BAU members he knew but his gut was telling him he could trust these five as well. The more worrying discrepancies were that he was completely alone and had absolutely no way back to Amestris unless he used an array to get to Truth and who knows what that god-like bastard would demand as payment? Ed shook his head. No, going to Truth was an absolute last resort. He hoped that the fact Al hadn't appeared with him meant his little brother was safe and he'd taken down Moore and was with Mustang right now, trying to figure out how this whole mess happened. Mustang and Al were his best hope for getting home.
He shook his head once more. Thinking about this wasn't helping him right now so instead he focused on his body, specifically his injuries. The cut to his arm was long and jagged but not deep so he didn't need stitches. He had a collection of bruises that accompanied his fight with Moore and from the feel of the wound and his head, his head injury was nothing major. He finished washing his hair before he shut the water off and grabbed the towel from where he left it. Quickly drying himself off, he pressed the towel to his wounded arm and was pleased that the wound hadn't started bleeding again when he took it away. He dressed himself in his boxers before donning on the clothes McGee had found for him. He was surprised they fit him well enough. The pants were a little long and he had to tighten the drawstring and the shirt was maybe a size or two too large but he was clean and comfortable. He put his boots back on and finger combed his hair before braiding it back. He picked up his own gloves and slipped his right one on before looking at the bloody, filthy mess that was his left one. Placing it on the bench, Ed took a deep breath. One of the things that occurred to him was he might not have his alchemy anymore. When he'd turned up in America the first time, Truth had said he'd still have his alchemy. The energy around him felt like a weaker version of the energy back home but that didn't guarantee he could still use it. Letting out his breath, he took another deep one and prepared his cleaning array. Clapping his hands, he heard the unique and familiar ring his clap made and pressed a hand to the glove. He had never been more relieved to see the familiar blue crackle of energy that appeared than he was now. A second later he put on his now clean glove and gathered the rest of his clothing. He looked around and found a bag big enough for his stuff before he opened the door up, startling the door agents who were standing outside.
"You look better." DiNozzo commented, giving Ed his trademark cocky grin and Ed was surprised to find himself smiling back. "Let's get you down to Ducky so he can check you out." Ed followed the two of them.
"Who?" He queried and McGee beat DiNozzo to the explanation.
"Doctor Mallard. He's technically the coroner but he is a licensed doctor and Gibbs decided you'd be seeing him rather than bringing someone else in. Gibbs and Ducky are close friends so Gibbs trusts his judgement." Ed simply grunted in acknowledgement. Gibbs seemed like a man whose respect you had to work hard for gaining so if this Ducky had it than Edward would probably be better off seeing him than not. They were in the elevator again and Ed soon found himself stepping out of it and into a sterile room with three steel slabs set up in the middle of it. There were steel doors set on one wall that Ed realised would open to the compartments that stored any corpses Doctor Mallard had worked on. A large wash basin and numerous protective gear were on another wall. A set of doors that led somewhere else, some glass-door refrigeration units that held vials, jars and chemicals. A desk and office chair were sitting against the wall closest to the door. The doors to the elevator behind him dinged and Ed spun around at the noise, immediately slipping into his fighting stance, only relax slightly at the sight of the kind-eyed, elderly man who was accompanied by the two missing team members. Vance wasn't with them.
"Hello there. I'm Doctor Mallard but you can call me Ducky. You must be young Edward." Ed jolted at his voice. He sounded very different to the others though Ed was quick to realise why. The man must've come from a different country and had an accent. He offered his own polite greeting and the man lead them into the room Edward was just scoping out before patting one of the steel slabs, an obvious gesture for Ed to sit there, which he did. "Yes, Gibbs was just telling me about how you got here. I'll admit that I'm curious. I've seen and heard of many strange things in my time but I've never head of someone arriving quite the way you did. Now, where are you injured?"
"Left arm. It's just a scratch. Won't require stitches. Back of my head. Doesn't feel too bad. I've been hit harder and I know the procedure for a suspected concussion." Ed told him, slightly curtly, and the elderly man looked both surprised at his own assessment and understanding about his tone. The team members seemed more offended by it than the doctor. "I don't like doctors. The only reason I haven't left is because I agreed to this. You're just lucky that man hadn't tried getting me to agree to go to a hospital." Ed didn't know why he felt the need to explain himself but he did it anyway. The team looked slightly less scandalised. Doctor Mallard's expression softened into one that told Ed he wasn't being judged.
"It's okay, Edward. Completely understandable. You'd be hard-pressed finding anyone who didn't have a group of people they didn't like being around. Can I see your arm please?" Ed pulled up his sleeve and the cut was revealed. It ran from just above his elbow and stopped about a third of the way down his forearm. None of the agents expressions gave anything away but Ed could tell from their eyes they thought it was pretty bad. Ducky clicked his tongue and grabbed some supplies before getting to work. "You're right. This doesn't need stitches thankfully. I'll clean it out and wrap it up for you. This will sting." He warned as he applied the disinfectant. Ed barely flinched. Once Ducky was done, Ed pulled his sleeve back down.
"What happened?" Gibbs asked as Ducky had Ed hop off the table and sit on his chair so he was at a better level for him to examine his head. Ed considered him for a moment before answering.
"I was in pursuit of someone wanted in connection to some minor burglary charges. He shot at me. I dodged. Must've cut myself on something when I hit the ground. Hit my head on the ground when I appeared in your car park." Gibbs was the only one who didn't look surprised at his explanation.
"So you're a cop? You look barely old enough to be out school, let alone on the force!" DiNozzo commented and Ed glared at him.
"I'm 17 and I'm not a cop. I'm military." Ed snapped at him defensively. DiNozzo looked almost shocked, though whether it was his tone or answer, Ed didn't know.
"Which branch of the military?" Gibbs asked, voice calm and curious. Ed's eyes slid back to him.
"None of yours." Was his reply. Gibbs didn't comment on the lack of answer but he did narrow his eyes as he studied the young man in front of him while he was being distracted by Ducky. He was good at evading questions he didn't want to answer yet he was defensive about his age when DiNozzo questioned him and Gibbs got the feeling he hadn't actually meant to let the military comment slip. He pulled himself out of his thoughts just as Ducky finished giving Edward medical instructions the kid looked like he'd heard a dozen times before.
"Thanks, Ducky. Let's go." Gibbs said as he left the coroner and headed for the elevator, trusting the others were close behind him. He pressed the button for the floor the conference room was on and let the other four people pile in. He led them down the corridors and opened the door up to the conference room, letting Edward go in first to get his bearings. Ziva and DiNozzo followed him in but Gibbs stopped McGee before he could. "Go get Vance." He ordered and McGee nodded before heading to the director's office and Gibbs entered the room himself.
"I wanna make that phone call now." Ed said once he'd given the place a once over. Gibbs saw Ziva and Tony exchange a look and glance his way. The man himself simply nodded and gestured to the phone sitting on the table. Ed reached for it hesitantly, like he expected it to be a trap.
"You need to dial '9' for the call to go to anyone outside of this building." DiNozzo told him and Ed nodded his thanks before dialing the number he'd committed to memory the first time he ended up in America. There were three rings before a chirpy voice on the other end answered.
"This is FBI Technical Annalist Penelope Garcia speaking." Ed let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
"Miss Garcia? It's me, Ed."
A/N- So here's a new story for you lot! I know I haven't finished Spirit Animals yet and I am so sorry to any of you who have been waiting patiently for a new chapter but I'm afraid I've placed that story on temporary hiatus. I will be posting an authors note with why it's on hiatus but it mainly boils down to lack of motivation and lack of love from my readers. But anyway! Here is the promised sequel to 'Alchemists meet Agents'! I decided to challenge myself even more by throwing in the main characters from NCIS in there so hopefully everything will come together. As you noticed, Mustang is not in the first chapter but I promise he is going to be added in the next chapter. So please leave me a review with praise, criticism or any other comments!