Recruiting Officer Jean Havoc looked up when the door to his office opened. "Sir, we have two young men here that would like to enlist," His secretary said as she entered the room.
"Send them in," Havoc replied, eyeing the dark haired woman briefly.
"Yes Sir," She nodded, then she turned and gave him a nice clean shot of her tight backside.
He was thinking about the woman's curves when two dark haired young men stepped into his office and stood awkwardly before the soldier. "Have a seat boys," Havoc said, shoving his lewd desires to the back of his mind.
They each took a seat and glanced at each other. The two didn't look quite like they were related, but they behaved like brothers did. They moved, almost synchronized, as they sat, but he noticed little differences. The one with glasses sat down with a more relaxed posture and wasn't afraid of meeting his gaze.
The other one was stiff in the folding metal chair, the hair in his face allowing him to keep from making eye contact.
"So what can I do for you?" Havoc put a friendly smile on.
"We'd like to enlist," Maes said.
'You mean sign the next four years of our lives away,' Roy thought sarcastically.
"Alright then. I'll need your names to do a quick records search," Havoc replied, pulling the phone on his desk closer to him.
"Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes," Roy provided quietly.
"Funny, I would have thought you two were brothers," Havoc admitted. They seemed to be awfully close for just friends.
"We are," Maes said. "Of a sort."
"We were raised by the same foster parents," Roy briefly explained. He didn't feel like listening to Maes explain how they'd agreed to always be brothers, and he was pretty sure this Recruiter Havoc didn't have the time to waste with silly stories anyways.
"That explains it," Havoc said as he dialed a number.
Roy and Maes shared a look. No pity? Roy was surprised. No one ever heard they were orhpans and just shrugged it off. They always had to say some sappy insincere apology for two kids they didn't even give a damn about.
Havoc gave the names to someone on the other end. He drummed his fingers on his desk as he waited for the person he called to respond. The officer watched the two halfheartedly as his mind roved back to the opposite sex, and then back to the enlistment when the feminine voice returned.
Roy watched nervously as he set the phone back on its cradle. "Well, looks like you're both clear," Havoc announced. He almost laughed when both sets of eyes on him brightened with relief.
"Next question," Havoc began a serious gleam in his blue eyes. "Why do you want to join the military?"
Both boys had been expecting the question but neither was sure how to respond. They couldn't just say they needed a quick boost in social status. Nor could they say they didn't care.
"Because we want a purpose," Roy simply replied. It wasn't a lie either. He'd spent hours thinking about this crazy idea and the more he had questioned it the more he was resolved to go through with it. How many nights had he lied in bed awake trying to figure out who he was? He knew his brother was guilty of the same.
The two knew it was quite possibly the most annoying and unforgiving question a foster child could be asked. Not knowing your parents could make it awfully hard to know yourself. You didn't have someone you looked like to base your appearance off of, and you certainly didn't have a personality gauge to decide who you were most like.
Perhaps they could find some sort of greater calling by becoming soldiers. It could even become a career for them and maybe one day they would be officers fighting to protect their home.
Havoc smiled genuinely. "That's the least popular answer I get."
The two wondered if it was the wrong answer.
"Everyone who comes seeking to enlist and says they need or want a purpose end up being rather successful," Havoc began. "Two smart guys like you will probably have a lot of opporunity to become greater than you are now."
Maes relaxed even more. This was going to be better than he had imagined. 'See Roy? I knew I had a brilliant idea!'
"You mean people join for other reasons?" Roy asked curiously. Maes almost called him out, but knew better. Roy was a strategist like no other. The guy could turn their own enemies into allies with a few well planned phrases and actions.
"Mostly glory," Havoc replied sadly. "People think a uniform and a rank are the fastest way to becoming someone important."
Roy nodded thoughtfully. He would just have to watch out for those kind of people at boot camp. He was sure they would be easy to identify. Someone loud and proud who cared only about how many people knew he was a soldier definitely fit the description.
Maes watched the other teen in curiousity. Was he scoping for potential enemies when they were shipped off? Or was he gleaning as much information as possible to use in the occasion of trouble? Most likely, he was going to use it for both.
"Let's get the annoying stuff out of the way," The blond man said as he pulled out two stacks of paperwork. Roy visibly pailed at the sheets. He hated filling anything out. Meanwhile, Maes cracked his knuckle in anticipation.
Havoc chuckled at the two. It was obvious they were complete opposites in a lot of ways. He'd have to make sure he sent them together. Usually 'family' was traditionally separated. But since they were brothers by a pact of their own freewill rather than blood, he didn't think it would matter. Besides, they like they were stronger as a pair than on their own.
Riza spent all morning watching the world from the computers her father kept running at all times. He'd tapped into a lot of secret feeds over the years and built up an impressive network. That's how they hunted the damned Homunculi.
Homunculi. The word alone sent shivers down Riza's spine. They were creatures that had no known origin, they just existed in Amestris and as far as she knew, they didn't have families or grow up from children. She also knew that they used humans to keep up their seemingly immortal lives.
By consuming the souls of humans the monsters extended their own lives. It was common knowledge to the Hawkeye family that you had to kill a homunculus enough times to drain away the life energy of every soul it had feasted on. Really old ones were sometimes easy to kill, taking only a dozen or so shots to the head and heart. Others like the one from last night were soul collectors that built up ridiculous amounts of human life and just continued to ensnare unsuspecting people.
Riza's eyes roved the screens in a pattern. She could always rewind if she missed something. "Where are you?" Riza whispered under her breath.
"Right here Riza," Berthold came up behind his daughter with a mug of coffee that he offered to her. She took it.
"Thanks, but I didn't mean you. I was talking about our target," She admitted. Riza had never been an impatient person with her father. She didn't want him to think she was becoming that way either.
"I figured, but I still needed to announce myself nonetheless," Her father said smiling. His long hair was pulled back out of his eyes if only so he could see better. "So, no signs yet?"
"I've been paying extra attention to the alleys and red light districts, but it looks like it's hiding for now."
"Wise creature," Her father said offhandedly. "We'll catch it when it finally decides it's safe to come out."
"What if it has humans in captivity and is feeding off of them?" Riza asked, her voice wavering in disgust.
"I'm afraid we don't know it's location. Until we find where it nests, we aren't able to see if there is such a horror going on."
Riza gripped the handle of her coffee mug tightly. It made her sick the way those things could enjoy killing people by turning their souls into energy. Riza had once seen a homunculus kiss a human. It wasn't a kiss though. The monster had effectively removed the human's soul, and simply deposited the now lifeless body on the ground and left it for someone to find.
That was the first time she had fired without her father's permission. She was successful in killing it, but for a week she remembered how until it walked away, she had just watched it take a life first. Not that she'd had a clear shot then, but it still made her angry to feel so useless.
"Relax, Riza," Her father said gently. "I'll watch for a while, you go rest up. We'll do some proper scouting tonight to see if we can discern it's hidng place."
Riza nodded with anticipation before rising from the leather chair and walking towards the closed door. For her, action was always better than doing nothing. And a proper hunt for Homunculi was an excellent way to keep from sitting idle.
"I'll see you in a little while," She said before closing the door. She didn't wait for a reponse because she knew there wasn't going to be one.
Berthold was already glued to the screens as she had just been. Ever so diligent, her father never gave up the hunting of Homunculi. He'd sworn an oath to hunt the damned things until he died.
Riza was approaching the age where her father would allow her to take the same oath. Until that day she could either hunt or choose a life of ease. Riza scoffed at the idea of living peacefully when so many people were suffering. A human soul didn't shatter when it was consumed. It lived on, trapped within the monster.
For Riza, it wasn't just about killing monsters, it was about setting the imprisoned human souls free.
Every time she did this she felt a small amount of joy. Her work wasn't about hatred or prejudice, it was about saving people both still alive and already lost. Either way, a dead Homunculus was better than letting one live.
She walked down the hall to her bedroom. She opened the door and looked at the small but comforting surroundings. Her bed and dresser were where they had always been. The curtains over her window were a cheerful shade of blue and closed tightly to keep the room dark. She shut the door and sighed triedly.
Homunculi hunting was a latenight activity, so she often slept through the middle of the afternoon.
She took off her jacket and boots. These she tossed at the chair in front of her desk. She undid the armored vest she wore then took off the black athletic shirt underneath. Her fingers undid the belt on her cargo pants and they fell to her ankles.
In just her bra, underwear, and a short sleeved shirt, she crawled under the blue and brown covers of her bed. She leaned toward the lamp at her right and flicked the switch. The room went dark and she closed her eyes.
Having been trained to deal with the sights of fighting monsters, she was easily sound asleep. Her home was safe, and it always had been. Her father was a wise man and the dogs he kept were not just pets, they were trained to attack anyone that Riza or her father did not invite in.
Maes and Roy left the recruiting office with the goofiest of grins on their faces. "How many forms did we fill?" Roy asked.
"Dunno. Quite a few," Maes replied.
"Well, my hand hurts," Roy complained childishly.
"Mine does too, but you don't hear me complaining."
"Whatever."
"Want to celebrate?" Maes suggested.
"Sure," Roy looked at him, waiting for the suggested form of merry making.
"How about we go out for pizza and invite what few friends we have to say goodbye?"
"Lame!" Roy shouted, walking again. "Why don't we go eat pizza and then trick some morons into a game of pool?"
"What is it with you and manipulating people?" Maes asked.
"I just like watching people squirm," Roy admitted a gleam in his otherwise dark eyes.
"Sometimes you scare even me," Maes admitted, not looking into his brother's eyes.
"I know," Roy said proudly. "It's always good to keep fear in your repitior." He said.
"You sound like you have years of fighting already under your belt," Maes teased.
"I do. Just street fighting, not military fighting."
"I don't know which is worse," Maes said.
"What?" Roy asked.
"If you becoming a soldier is worse than you staying here and living on the streets," Maes answered.
"Hm, that's a good question. Let me know when you've decided on an answer."
The two started walking once again. Roy slouched as they passed the real street kids. He didn't look up and he certainly didn't say a word to them. He knew better than to start fights with these hooligans. And not because he would lose, but because he knew how much fun he had kicking their sorry arses.
Maes followed suit, and the two were silent as they passed. Whispers started until someone dropped a name.
"That's Roy Mustang?" Someone asked, their voice raising.
"SSHH! You want him to come over here?"
Roy smirked. Even the toughest of the tough could learn to fear the proper people. Maes shook his head when he caught a glimpse of the look. He much preferred to let things go and not start fights.
They stopped at a pool hall and entered. Roy grinned as he scanned the room for inexperienced players. Maes sighed, "I'll get the pizza, you go look like a moron."
Roy nodded and headed for an empty table. He eyed a group of older men playing a good game. Roy channeled his focus and as he went to 'practice', he completely missed the group of balls. Maes arrived, faking a laugh.
"You still suck," He said as he took a cue to 'show' Roy how to break. This went on for a few minutes. Roy would fail miserably, and Maes would show him the proper way to do it.
"Ten bucks," A big burly guy growled.
The boys looked up at him. "Pardon?" Maes asked politely.
"Ten bucks says your friend can't even hit one ball."
"Hey! I can hit one!" Roy said in mock outrage.
"You willin' to wager on that punk?"
Roy nodded forcing the smile to stay burried under a mask of annoyance. Maes held a ten up and set it on the rim of the table. The guy did the same.
Some people gathered to watch. Pool halls were notorious for wagers like this, and sometimes even the most skilled at shooting pool were no match for a crafty shark. Especially a shark who was already ten moves ahead of his opponent.
The man broke the set and the real fun began.
