It was a normal day for the men and women of the military. Mustang and Havoc were flirting with any girl in sight; Hawkeye was feeding her dog, Breada, Falman, Furey, and Hughes were playing cards. Just another typical day…until Armstrong walked in with usual bravado.
"Greetings everyone!" he thundered, striding through the door. "I see that your luck at cards is not diminished by fatherhood, Lt. Colonel."
"And why should it be?" Hughes asked with a mischievous grin. "My Elecia is nothing but good luck, which is why I keep a picture of her with me always. You guys wanna see?" he reached into his coat pocket; the same one that always held at least a few pictures of his beloved daughter.
"NO!" the entire room said as one.
Hughes sat in a corner and sulked for a good ten minutes before mustang and Hawkeye came in. The Colonel looked agitated, like someone expecting a package that was already a few days late. Riza…not so much.
"Has anyone come in here with official looking papers and a State Alchemist watch?" asked Mustang impatiently. "I've been expecting him for hours."
"No, sir," said Falman, everyone standing and saluting. "No one has come in matching that description."
"Damn bureaucrats…" muttered Mustang as he flopped down in his chair. He picked up the phone and dialed a short series of numbers. "Hello, Central train station? This is Colonel Mustang, and I'm calling about that person coming in today by train from Eastern Command…uh-huh…yes…well notify me when you spot him." He hangs up.
"Um…sir?" began Furey tentatively, "who is this person you're so eager to meet? I could ask a few of the guys I know to keep a lookout for him if you like."
"No, thank you," sighed Mustang. "If the men at the train station didn't see him, he'll either be in disguise or moving too fast to catch."
"Sir," began Armstrong, "who is it that you are expecting?"
"The Hammer Alchemist."
"But…" spluttered Armstrong, "he's supposed to have been exiled from any major city. How could he suddenly reappear here in Central?"
"I don't know, Major," said Mustang, rising and pulling on his special glove. "But I intend to find out."