Disclaimer: The FullMetal Alchemist characters used in this fic are the sole property of Hiromu Arakawa. I own nothing, save it be my own plot ideas and original characters.
Symphony of Destruction
Chapter 1: Farewell To Freedom
A/N: Since Kimbley (Kimblee?) is my favorite character out of the whole FMA series, I thought I should give him his own fanfic. :) And I really liked Archer from the first anime series, so he's in here, too. That's right. I LIKE Archer. There. I said... I mean, wrote it. Whatever. My point gets across either way (except that writing isn't nearly as effective as speaking).
"I can't believe this is happening," Frank Archer scowled as he stared at the letter that lay on his desk. The Lt. Colonel covered his face with his hands, trying to convince himself that, when he opened his eyes, the letter would be gone. Sadly, this was not so, for when Archer did look down at his desk again, that damned letter was still staring him straight in the face. He swore under his breath, taking the paper in his hands as he read through it again.
At first glance, the letter looked to be nothing special. Just a few orders from the Fuhrer, who was currently away on vacation with his wife and son. But once Archer had neared the bottom of the page, he realized what task, aside from his usual military duties, Bradley had assigned him to. Archer was to provide lodgings for the raving psychopath known as the Crimson Alchemist while additional military dorms were under construction. Archer sighed, slamming the letter on his desk. Had Bradley asked him to simply find lodgings for Kimbley, the officer would have happily complied.
But this was an entirely different matter.
This is unbelievable, Archer thought as he headed down the hallway to the phones, paperwork in hand. I'm being forced to bring a convicted criminal out of prison and keep him in my house until construction of additional military housing is completed. Oh, yes. This is completely normal.
Tucking the papers under his arm, Archer swiftly dialed the number to the prison, and pressed the phone to his ear. "This is Lt. Colonel Frank Archer," he said into the receiver as the warden picked up the phone on the other end. "The Fuhrer has informed me that the Crimson Alchemist, Zolf J. Kimbley, is to be released under my jurisdiction."
"Yes, sir," the man on the other end replied. "I'll turn him over to you immediately."
Archer rolled his eyes. He really wanted nothing to do with the sadistic alchemist, but he had no choice in the matter. "Have him ready to leave in fifteen minutes."
With that, Archer hung up the phone and headed back to his office. As Archer gathered his paperwork into two separate folders and grabbed his coat, he grimaced, wondering what hell the Crimson Alchemist would so "graciously" bestow upon him. He just hoped he wouldn't attempt to blow up his cat or any of the other animals that had a tendency to wander around the neighborhood at the most ungodly hours of the night. Well, blowing up the neighbor's annoying dog wouldn't be that bad, he supposed.
Archer sighed as he made his way down the stairs to the ground floor of the building, stopping by the secretary's desk to hand over the documents he'd completed. The stoic officer then turned and headed out the front doors of the building and made his way toward the parking lot to find his vehicle. It would, after all, be much easier to drive the deranged lunatic around, rather than drag him down the street like the dog that he was.
Starting up the car, Archer pulled out onto the street and headed for the prison. As he watched the road, Archer said goodbye to his last few fleeting moments of silence and freedom. For, within a matter of short minutes, he'd be towing the Crimson Alchemist around. And if he absolutely had to drag Kimbley around, Archer decided, it'd be best to put a leash on him. After all, wild dogs like Zolf J. Kimbley needed to be controlled somehow.
As calm and collected as he usually was, Archer was feeling oddly nervous. It had been quite some time since he'd met the alchemist down south, and he wasn't sure how things would go once they met up again. Especially since Kimbley had spent the past two weeks in the prison after his destruction of a large portion of the Southern military headquarters. And being locked in a cell was sure to have driven the alchemist up a wall.
As he neared the prison, Archer felt his stomach drop. Now he believed he understood Bradley's reasons for sticking him with Kimbley. After all, Archer had been the one to make the request that the Crimson Alchemist be absolved of his crimes, but only on the condition that he assist the military in the arrest and destruction of the homunculus Greed and his chimera crew. And something in the pit of his stomach told him that the next few weeks with the Crimson Alchemist was going to be a living hell. Archer knew that, far within the innermost workings of his brilliant mind, Zolf J. Kimbley was going to cause him some kind of trouble. And, more than likely, Archer would end up with some kind of severe emotional trauma.
He just knew it.
The Lt. Colonel pulled into the prison's parking lot and stepped out of the car, dreading his encounter with the alchemist. He showed the guard at the prison gate his military I.D., and stepped inside, where another guard led him to what appeared to be a waiting room. As Archer stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was a man in, what looked to be, a crimson blazer and matching slacks. His hair had been cut short in the front and left long at the nape of his neck, tied into a ponytail with a leather strap.
"Zolf Kimbley," Archer said as he stepped into the room, catching the man's attention. "From this point forward, you're under my jurisdiction. Should you attempt any of the stunts you pulled back in Ishbal, you'll be brought back here for immediate reprimanding. Do I make myself clear?"
Without even a word, the man simply stood up and walked out of the room, brushing Archer's shoulder with his own. "Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his amber eyes at the officer. "I've already heard what the punishment's gonna be. The Fuhrer was kind enough to inform me himself, just last week. So, you got any idea why the old man stuck me with a tightwad like you?"
Already, Archer was having thoughts about slugging the alchemist. As capable as the man may be, the Lt. Colonel wasn't going to put up with what Kimbley had dished out to Basque Gran in Ishbal. "Don't get smart with me, Alchemist," he said, narrowing his blue eyes. "Lest you forget, you have me to thank for your release. And as far as I'm concerned, you're still an inmate. So keep your mouth shut and get moving."
With a sardonic grin, the dark-haired alchemist shuffled out the doors, Archer close behind. Only moments after the doors closed behind them, a stray dog darted through the parking lot, clearly catching the alchemist's attention. Having noticed Kimbley's excited reaction to the dog, Archer grabbed the alchemist by the hair and began dragging him to the car.
"Don't even think about it, Kimbley," he said curtly, shoving the alchemist toward the vehicle. "Get in, and keep your mouth shut."
Crazed bastard, Archer thought as he climbed into the car. He's going to give me hell...
That's chapter 1 for you. I'm working on chapter 2 right now, since I have nothing better to do at the moment. I hope you enjoyed this. So, please favorite and review. :)