Author's note: So this is from the first show. That's really all I'm going to say. And sure I'll throw in a disclaimer too...that was it.

Chapter One:

Over-confident.

It was a character flaw that Edward Elric had always been blessed with. He was always certain that no matter how bad things got, everything would be okay. He could always fix it, at least most of the time. Ever since he'd proven himself in the military, he had protection from up above and no one would ever question how strange he and his younger brother were. He was a hero after all so when he showed up, no one would ever suspect anything off after all the great things he had done. Right? And even if anyone ever did become suspicious, Colonel Mustang would snuff out any questions about the Elric brothers. It was his tail on the line too and if they went down, he would go down with them. At least that was how it seemed. The Colonel hadn't made any 'threats' lately of telling those above him of Ed's little secret. How the Fullmetal Alchemist attempted the worst taboo in the book and had the most convicting piece of evidence right under everyone's noses. It hadn't come up in years so why worry about it now? But that was why Alphonse hadn't joined the military. Edward didn't want anyone finding out about his 'condition' and taking him away. He didn't want them studying him and trying to figure out how he worked.

Somehow over the years though, this fear faded. No one seemed to even notice he didn't eat at meals or ever take off his armor. Sure it was odd but not worth really bringing up. Edward was sure that people had just accepted Al the way he was and although it was kind of strange, they seemed to over look it. But it had just made Ed let his guard down. Mustang's staff probably all knew and sure your average soldier didn't think twice about it but they also didn't question the military either. Ed and Al knew that there was something bigger going on although they still weren't really sure what that was. They knew Chimeras were being created by the military and as much as they were against it, they were sure but creating the philosopher stone had more then likely been attempted. They had both seen Laboratory 5 so how had they managed to go unnoticed for so long?

Unfortunately for them, someone had eventually noticed. At first, Frank Archer had a difficult time pinning down the state alchemist and his odd brother but finally he was able to track them down and demanded a meeting. He had heard so much after all, so why wouldn't he want to meet them. As he entered the office where the two of them stood, all their oddities came to his attention immediately. The hollow sound the armor made when Alphonse shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. The fact that the Fullmetal Alchemist wore gloves all the time even when it was the middle of summer. As though just the sight of his automail was something he was ashamed of. Other soldiers, the Lieutenant Colonel knew with automail displayed it proudly as though it was a badge of honor.

There were other things he noticed. Both the Elric brothers seemed overly nervous when they weren't even in trouble. It was almost as though they had been caught doing something they weren't suppose to be doing. Of course Fullmetal seemed to cover it up pretty well by being impatient. He hated this inconvenience and normally wouldn't tolerate it but for whatever reason, the way Archer eyed the two of them kept him from speaking out. But his annoyance was still obvious. Archer continued to look at the two of them as he made his way to his seat. Quietly, he gestured for the two of them to sit as well. The Lieutenant Colonel's demeanor was cold as usual. He didn't really even acknowledge them while he looked over the papers ha carried in. Finally he looked up again at them, that same hint of curiosity in his eyes as before. Like they were a mystery to figure out. Lacing his fingers together, he leaned forward on his elbows.

"So I must say it is interesting finally putting a face to the reputation. I wanted to meet with the two of you because it has become clear to me that there are a lot of unusual occurrences that should be looked into. I am particularly concerned about the large amount of traveling taking place." Edward's typical laziness came out as he slouched some in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Have you spoken to Colonel Mustang about this? He has all the orders for each of those trips."

"Yes, I've already gotten all the records from him. This last trip however was not approved and my understanding is that he was completely unaware of it. In fact, the military didn't even approve it." Ed grit his teeth and glanced over at Alphonse who was still obviously nervous. The red glow from his helmet met his older brother's stare as though they shared some deeper secret. "So boys, can you please explain yourself?" Ed jumped in as he always did in these kind of situations.

"It's not really that big a deal. We wanted to visit our teacher. I'd just gotten out of the hospital and my commanding officer was not there for me to request time off."

"So you just decided to take the time without permission?"

"I took leave because I was still recovering from my injuries and hadn't taken a vacation since I joined."

"But you didn't consider taking a body guard along? After all, Scar had been after you recently. What would you have done if he'd shown up?" Ed didn't like the direction this questioning was going. He wished the Lieutenant Colonel would get to the point of this interrogation. He decided it would be best to just play dumb.

"I guess we hadn't really thought about that. From what we knew, he was reunited with his people and wasn't coming after us anymore. Have there been any more attacks lately?" Archer caught the snide tone in the teen's voice but chose to disregard it. He knew it was just a distraction anyway.

"Not yet. You're fortunate that we got here before something happened. Anyway, until you get further orders from Colonel Mustang, I think it would be best for you to check in with me. Unless you're planning on heading back to Central in the near future?" Ed's temper was evident in his eyes but the more he cooperated, the sooner he and Al could be out of this meeting.

"I'll get a hold of the Colonel today and find out what he wants me to do." At least Edward was attempting to make an effort.

"Very well. I expect to hear from him once you've spoken. And while I have you here," the older man's gaze shifted to Alphonse immediately causing Ed to visibly bristle. "Is there any particular reason your brother accompanies you?"

"Hes' kind of my personal body guard." Edward tried to make it sound obvious.

"I see, but he's not military personel. Is there a reason he's wearing such heavy armor?"

"I just really like it." Now Alphonse was lying which didn't come naturally to him.

"Well how do we know you're not a criminal or something like that? Has anyone ever seen you without the armor?"

"Mustang has. Why is it such a big deal?" Ed's efforts to make it seem frivilous appeared to work as Archer backed down.

"It's not, just kind of strange. It's pretty hot down in the South so I would think it would be unbearable."

"No, I'm fine," Al chirped back in a content tone. Something about Archer's suspicious gaze said he wasn't convinced.

"If theres' nothing else you need, we've got stuff to do." The older of the two brothers rose to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. Trying to act bored was easy since he really was bored.

"I suppose thats' all." Quietly, he let the two of them leave. As he watched them move quickly towards the exit, the sound of Al's hollow steps just confirmed his suspicions. "They are definitely hidding something and I'm going to find out what."