Chapter One
It was a boring day in Central. Roy Mustang was sat at his desk. He wasn't doing any work even though there was a huge pile of paperwork on the side of desk. He looked at it with his good eye, the other under his eye patch. He prodded it with the end of his pen and then lifted a couple of sheets up to see what he had to deal with.
He sighed. Boring, boring, boring. He hated paperwork with a passion. He liked the north for that one reason there was no such things as paperwork. The only paper there was what he'd decided to take there himself. Now he was back in Central and the flow of paperwork seemed endless.
Maybe he should do some so that Hawkeye wouldn't take a shot at him for being lazy. He smiled. Yeah, she did deserve not to moan at him for once.
So he started signing away. He even read a couple of documents before scribbling his signature at the bottom of them.
Lieutenant Havoc strolled into the office. Mustang didn't look up at him because he was concentrating on a rather complicated document. He had no idea what it meant. Havoc gave the General an odd look. Was he really doing paperwork without Hawkeye in the room? There was something wrong here, something very wrong.
Mustang sighed and looked up at Havoc.
"What is it, Havoc?" he asked. Havoc put his hand up.
"Nothing, chief. It's just that you're doing work and there's no Hawkeye around," Havoc explained with a grin on his face. Mustang frowned. Did everyone think he was a lazy ass General or something? He decided to let it go and he returned back to work.
He bit the end of his pen, trying to figure out what this document said. Still nothing. He had no choice he'd have to ask Hawkeye.
The phone rang. Mustang's hand shot to it and he lifted it to his ear.
"Mustang," he said. Havoc's ears pricked up. Who would be phoning the General at this time? Maybe it was a girlfriend of his. Maybe it was a girlfriend of Havoc's? It was more than likely. Mustang pulled the face he normally did when girls phoned him up. Havoc etched closer to the desk, hoping to catch who was phoning him.
"Sure," Mustang said. He noted an address down on a spare piece of paper and a time. "I'd be happy to come. Good bye."
He put down the phone and calmly went back to the paperwork.
"Who was that, chief?" Havoc asked, his eyes suddenly narrowing humorously.
"Some person," Mustang replied.
"A girl?"
"Yeah,"
He knew it. The General had a date! He'd only been in Central for a month and he'd already got a date! Havoc sat back on his chair fuming. He bet it was Natasha. She was always giving guys the eye. He hated the General for being such a playboy.
Hawkeye entered the room holding an empty box of ammunition and her favourite gun. She placed them quietly on her desk and looked towards the General. He was reading something.
"Sir, shouldn't you be doing paperwork rather than reading fan mail?" she snapped. The General looked up. He hadn't heard her return but then again she wouldn't be such a good sniper if he had heard her.
"Hello, Hawkeye," he said. He placed the document on his desk and leaned forward. "Can I ask you something?"
"What, sir?"
"What's postmodernisation?" he asked raising a finger. Hawkeye looked at him. Was he pulling her leg?
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, this document says something about it but I'm not quite sure about it," he held the document up for her to take. She took it and read it.
"Just sign it," she replied. She dropped it back down on his desk and he followed her advice. She noticed the address and time he had scribbled down on a scrap piece of paper. She picked it up.
"What have I told you about the phones, sir?" she asked. She gave up. He really hadn't changed after all. What did she expect? A miracle?
Mustang looked at her again. "An old friend phoned me from the Academy. He's been working on this project for years and he thinks he's finally cracked it. He's giving a lecture tonight and was wondering if I'd go and meet him."
Havoc fell off his seat. "You said a girl phoned you!"
"His wife," Mustang snapped. He picked up another piece of paper and read it. After a minute or two he signed it.
"He did say I could bring a few people along," he went on. He glanced up at Hawkeye.
"I'm sure I wouldn't understand his theory. I'm not an alchemist after all," she said coldly. She turned her back to him and sat down at her desk. She opened her drawer noisily and threw her gun into it. Mustang smiled slightly by this outburst.
"Havoc, how about you?" Mustang asked. Hawkeye stopped dead. She looked at Havoc.
"Sure, why not," Havoc said, "It's not like I have a date or anything."
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Mustang asked Hawkeye. She thought for a minute. "Corgen isn't really understood by most people."
"OK," she said quietly. Mustang slapped his hands together.
"Great," he said. Hawkeye blushed. Did he really want her to come that much? Probably not, but she did think it could be fun.