Okay, time to start this one up! There are a few reasons this chapter makes me smile, and shake my head at the characters. I hope to see a lot of readers back again, and I know several people have already put this on alerts or favorites. I'm not sure if this one will surpass Please, Stay in alerts or favs, but I hope you enjoy it. I really do, and I know it's practically a polar opposite from either of my other fics I've written to date.
Chapter Two
Edward awoke that next morning to the banging on his front door. Pushing the covers off him he rubbed his temples with his fingers trying to ease away the headache he was getting. If that was Mustang down there again making this racket, so help him, he was going to slice something vital off of that man.
Quickly Ed dressed and braided his hair as he made his way down the stairs. "Coming!" He snapped out as he made his way towards the front door as the banging continued.
Sighing in annoyance, Ed pulled on his boots, jackets, and gloves as well. He may as well leave for work after he dealt with this. That done he unlocked and wrenched open the door, a confused look settling over his face in place of the annoyed one. "Can I help you?"
"Major Elric?" The uniformed military official asked.
Edward's eyes swept over the fourteen other officers cluttering his doorstep, before going back to this one. A Sergeant, by the markings on his uniform. "Yes?" He asked slowly. Why did he have such a bad feeling about this? Why did this scene seem so familiar? Suddenly, it came back to him in a flash. He'd seen this before in Berlin… with the Nazis. Immediately he tensed inside, this could end up being interesting.
"You're under arrest. You can either come quietly," at this fourteen guns suddenly made themselves known, "or we can drag you in barely breathing. Your choice."
"On what charges do you have the authority to arrest me?" Edward frowned, not budging from his doorway. No, he really did not like this… not at all.
"By order of Fuhrer Mustang, for stealing and selling military secrets."
"What?!" Ed gaped. What sort of sick joke was Roy pulling now?! Ungrateful bastard! They hadn't even gotten into a real fight last night! Where did the man get off doing something like this, and making up such nonsense?!
"Now," the Sergeant began, "will you come quietly, or do we get to shoot you up a bit first?"
Fury raged like a lion in Edward's veins, yet he still managed to keep calm. "Oh no, do please escort me back. You can have ringside seats to watch me put a fist in that bastards face."
"Bring him!" The Sergeant ordered, turning on his heels to begin marching away.
Edward soon found himself roughly shoved into a military car, handcuffed and with four guns pointed at his head. With the road as bumpy as it was, Ed was rightfully a bit nervous at this arrangement. Meanwhile inside he was seething.
After not to long Edward was jerked from the car and herded at gunpoint into a building and room he'd only been in once before. The room where he had been interviewed as part of his initial State Alchemist exam. It was no less full now than it had been that day, if not fuller. There was an audience, Mustang was part of it.
"Mustang! What the hell is this about?!" Edward snapped as he was shoved forward, still handcuffed, the officers hanging back with guns still aimed at him.
Mustang looked away, as if he'd heard nothing.
"Answer me, damnit!" Ed said, starting forward, but stopping as guns were cocked.
"Edward Elric, you stand before this council today," began the voice of the man at the center of the table in the room, "accused of stealing and selling military secrets. How do you plead?"
"Um, let me think," Ed growled sarcastically, "not guilty?!" He then ignored the council that he now realized was the military court, now rounding on Roy again. "Damn you, say something!"
Mustang glanced over at him once, then looked back towards the table. "Enough, Edward."
"Look at me when you talk to me!"
"Major Elric, you will not address the Fuhrer in that unseemly manner!" The man at the center of the table barked. "You stand here, accused of-"
"You've told me!" Edward bristled, "accused by whom?!"
"That information is irrelevant-"
"Irrelevant?! You're telling me that your source for this fallacy is irrelevant?!" Edward fumed. "I demand to know!"
"You have no rights to make demands." The man said with an irritatingly calm voice.
"Let's see if you can tell me this one then," Ed sneered, "when is it I was supposed to have committed such atrocities?"
"Last night."
"Last night?" Ed rounded on Mustang again, "don't just stand there looking stupid! Say something! You were at my house last night!"
"Not the whole night, Ed." Roy corrected him. "How am I supposed to know you didn't run off after I left?"
"Because you know me! You've known me since I showed up here!"
"Do I really, Ed?" Roy asked angrily, putting a hand to his head. "You have no proof, no alibi."
"They don't either! And I have you as my alibi, or I would if you weren't acting like such a pansy!"
"That's enough, Ed!" Mustang snapped now, "just… enough."
"Why won't you look me in the eyes?" Ed asked, softer this time. "Look me in the eyes, Roy. Then tell me that you actually believe I could do something like this."
"We're getting nowhere right now." The man in charge at the table decided. "Secure him in a holding cell until a later time. Maybe a day of no food will calm his temper."
Edward glared, but did not resist as he was seized and dragged away. "Mustang, don't let them do this! Don't you do this to me!"
Roy bit the inside of his lip, hard, keeping the unbidden tears at bay. He could not help Edward right now, not here. Edward didn't understand that, and he doubted the blonde wanted to speak to him again today. He couldn't exactly risk it, not just yet. He'd have to wait until just before the hearing tomorrow. "Forgive me, Edward." He whispered, and swept out of the room.
Ed was currently being chained up to the wall, and wasn't actually resisting. He was too pissed off really. As the officers left and guards appeared by his iron barred cell, he sighed heavily and glanced up at the handcuffs and chains binding him. Did they seriously think those could hold him? He'd have to wait for nightfall to make his escape. Then he could go to Mustang's house and interrogate him about this whole misunderstanding.
Meanwhile in Mustang's office, Riza stormed in looking furious. "What did you do?!" She practically screamed at him.
"Started my paperwork…" Roy said hollowly, staring down at the reports.
"Edward's been arrested, and you're doing paperwork?!" Riza's eyes were volts of fury, and her fingers itched to grab her gun.
"He's been arrested for stealing and selling military secrets last night. He logged into the secure system with his password and sent several top secret files to unnamed locations. A private bank account was found under his name and it contains the funds he received from the transactions." Roy said, looking up at her. "There's nothing I can do about it right now."
"Of course there is! You know Ed would never do that!" Riza yelled at him, and suddenly looked to be fighting the urge not to cry.
"I…" Roy fell silent, thinking back to what Edward had said last night. That one day he'd leave and never come back… this whole thing was making him a hurt, confused, frantic mess.
"You what?" Riza asked coldly.
"There's nothing I can do until tomorrow when his hearing is set for. I'll see if I can't find any way to clear him. But I can't promise anything." Roy told her. Inside he knew Edward wasn't guilty. But until tomorrow he couldn't risk trying to get to Edward. And while he might have liked to soothe the volatile Lieutenant's temper right now, he didn't want to expose anyone else of his team to any risk. Any of the risk he was going to take.
"Well do something." Riza said and stormed from the office encountering and startling the men there beyond the door.
"Wait, Hawkeye," Breda called after her, "where are you going?"
"To shoot something!" She snapped over her shoulder.
To Edward, it felt like eternity that he sat down there in that holding cell, waiting for night to fall. The less people to deal with upon his escape, the better.
When it came, he still had to wait a while. Nearer to midnight would be best.
Edward was just prepping to spring himself when he heard a familiar voice draw closer. "Hawkeye?" He asked incredulously as the blonde woman appeared.
She glanced his way, but said nothing to him yet. "You're to wait back in the office." She told the guards at his cell. She watched them until they'd gone before letting herself in. "Ed, I'll explain everything once we're in the car."
"You're helping me get out?" Ed asked her in confusion. "Then, you believe me?"
Riza nodded, "I do. So does Roy… whether you believe it or not. He's just very shocked and it's making him think worse than usual."
"So, he does believe me then?" Ed asked, running his flesh hand over his automail arm to summon the blade that instantly broke his bonds.
"Yes, even if he won't admit it." She said, "you have to understand he's tied to rules right now. So don't hate him for this, please."
"I don't hate him…" Ed said, rubbing his flesh wrist, "just confused and angry. He's the one who yelled at me once for not coming to him when I needed help, for making him worry. And when I asked for his help today, he shut me out."
"Yeah…" Riza said sadly and suddenly hugged Edward. "I'm sorry, Ed. I know Mustang's beating himself up inside about this whole thing."
"What happens now? Want me to knock you out or something, so they don't try and arrest you for helping me get free? Did Mustang ask you to do this?" Edward asked as she pulled away.
"I have a plan, and no, he didn't ask me. I'm doing this on my own because there's no time left. If I involve Mustang he might put this in jeopardy. I'll explain to him tomorrow. But we've got to get you out of here." She said and looked towards the wall. "There's nothing but the laboratories behind here, if you can make a door out, and change your clothes into something more of a disguise, I have my car waiting."
Ed nodded quickly. "Thanks, Riza. Really, I owe you." He said truthfully. He had never really expected this of her. "First thing first." He said, and clapped his hands before placing them on his red jacket. When the blue light faded his red jacket had become a long black trench coat that rested just above the toes of his boots. Reaching back he pulled the hood he'd attached to it up over his head to hide his blonde hair.
"You look very serial killer, sir." Hawkeye almost grinned.
"Good, nearly matches the fake accusations they've slapped on me." Edward grumped and turned to the wall before clapping his hands again. Soon enough a door formed through the wall which they both hurried from. Ed closed it up just as fast before hurrying after Hawkeye. "Think they'll believe I kidnapped you?" He asked as he caught up with her.
"Let me worry about me." She replied and gave Edward a concerned look. "You're the one in the most immediate danger."
"I don't understand."
"They don't have concrete proof, Ed!" Riza hissed and motioned for him to be quiet. Only once they'd safely gotten into her car did she begin to talk again. "That was easy as expected."
"Yes, well. I'm used to sneaking on missions." Edward reminded her, "but if they don't have concrete proof, they cannot hold me. Why am I in danger?"
Riza accelerated the car to a very illegal speed as they headed away from the headquarters. She wanted to get Ed far away before they realized he was gone. "You're not the first alchemist to have this happen to them. I'm going to make damn sure though that you're not killed like the others. At least, as much as I can."
"Hang on, back up, what's going on?" Ed asked, confusion in his eyes.
"This isn't the first time I've heard of something like this happening. At that time we weren't stationed in Central, so I didn't hear much about it. Another alchemist was arrested just like you, for the same thing. The hearing was postponed, and the next morning they were found dead. I rushed to get you as soon as I could."
"Who's behind it then? It can't be the Fuhrer… Roy wouldn't do this to me." Ed's eyes darkened. "Even if he didn't save me, but… I understand why he couldn't."
"I've no idea. But whoever it was transferred those files logging in with your password to the system. I'm trying to track down which computer it was done on, see if that helps me."
"So that's their only proof? Some person who wants alchemists gone and has hacking skills?"
"Basically. But they're no common person, I'm guessing someone with a high rank somewhere. I'm going to keep looking into it, I'll do what I can to help you clear your name."
"But in the meantime I need to survive, right?" Edward realized and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm being forced into exile."
"Better than being dead." Riza whispered and accelerated faster.
"True." Edward admitted and rested his head back with a groan. "How are we going to keep in touch then?"
"In the glove compartment you'll find a radio. I'm the only one who knows what frequency you'll be on. I'll contact you on it whenever I have information."
Edward opened the compartment and took out the device, checking it over before stuffing it in one pocket. He'd recently transmuted his clothes back to normal. "Thanks."
"I'll take you as far as city limits. But you'll have to go from there on your own." Riza told him. "Find someplace to hide out, someplace safe. Don't go anywhere though they'd think to look. Especially Risembool."
"I'm not about to involve them in this." Ed said grimly. "Will you tell Al what's going on for me?"
"You can count on it."
The rest of their drive was mostly silent, and Riza finally pulled off to the side of the road, the lights of Central dim and twinkling behind her as the nightlife continued. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to get you food, but here's some money." Riza said, shelling out some bills to the other blonde. "But your life is more important."
"Can't say I disagree. I can always transmute something else organic into food." Ed said and pocketed the money, getting out of the car.
Hawkeye too got out, fixing Edward with a saddened look. "Good luck Ed, I'll be in touch as soon as I can."
Edward nodded, "thank you, for everything. Don't let Mustang fret too much."
"Shall I tell him you still love him?" Riza asked.
Edward chuckled darkly, and shook his head. "It wouldn't provide him any comfort." He didn't even bother asking how she knew, nor did he bother denying it. They were both too smart for such exchanges.
"Bye then Edward… don't die on us."
He nodded ruefully. "I have an idea of where to go. Thank you, for everything."
"Goodbye sir." Riza whispered as Edward vanished into the night.
