Chapter 2- Directions


"Finally," Hotwire sighed, as the screen blinked to life. "Sir, I've managed to hack into a civilian satellite network. We now have a map of the area."

"Good job, Hotwire," Parker said, as he drove the SUV onto Route 1. "Just keep that connection up! We don't know if the government'll jam it."

"That's the least of our worries, sir," Deadeye said, adjusting his body to the interior. "Those others…they seemed a mite different than your normal criminals, and I think any one of us could tell you that. They were something else entirely, sir."

"Agreed," Parker said, turning onto an exit into Philadelphia. "They were trained better than your average gang, even better than an illegal militia."

"Nod insurgents, maybe?" Gunner said, squeezed uncomfortably into the back seat.

"I doubt it," Parker said. "They didn't strike me as very…well, Nod! No signs of Kane, no tiberium anywhere, not even a scorpion. It's like…" Parker just thought, not knowing what to say. "Let's see if the news has anything to say."

Switching on the radio, he couldn't believe it when he heard "In international news, the situation in Afghanistan was complicated when an American air strike was blamed for the death of a funeral procession, killing dozens. The Coalition forces denied it was a funeral, stating-"

Parker turned off the radio, and looked over at Hotwire. "Something's wrong…"


After a few tries with the controls, Havoc had finally succeeded in getting the hijacked vehicle to work. The controls were essentially the same, but there were more dials and buttons inside than anyone knew what to do with. Thankfully, it was larger than any car they had ever seen, with more than enough room to fit them all.

"Thank God the major isn't with us, otherwise we'd need a bigger car!" Breda observed, as they drove to the city. The roadsigns in the country, thankfully, were large, green, and had the names in white letters, much better than those in the backroads of Amestris.

"So, what do we do when we reach the city?" Fuery asked nervously.

"We should move to the poorer sections," Mustang said. "From there, we get information, money, and blend in."

"But sir…isn't that…well, wrong?"

"Fuery," Hawkeye said, checking her clip. "We're in an unknown situation. We need whatever we can get to make it through. Will there be things we do that are wrong? Yes. But we're doing it in order to survive. We will have to live with the choices we make here."

Fuery opened his mouth, as if to argue against what the lieutenant had just said, but sat back in his seat, looking down at the floor.


Sirens blared as the ambulance arrived at the house, the firemen finishing up with the back of the house, blackened and charred from the burning bedroom. The two officers who were first on scene were hurriedly taken onto the ambulance by the EMT's, while the newly awakened homeowner was interviewed by Detective Walker.

"And what did the other guys look like, the ones who weren't wearing uniforms?"

The man just kept rubbing the back of his head, trying to make the pain go away. "Well…they were wearing normal stuff…t-shirts and jeans…but they were acting weird…Like they didn't know where they were…they didn't even know what Trenton was…"

The detective nodded as he jotted down the information, then looked at the man. "Thank you very much sir, this information should help us. If you'll go over to the sketch artist, he'll ask you to recall a few more things." Nodding, the man went over, smiling slightly, then taking another look at his house and hanging his head in sorrow.

"Christ," Walker said as he closed the notepad. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this information?"

"Sir," said the rookie, Callahan. "The other residents said they only heard a loud explosion in the back. Mailman said he saw six of them taking a red Cadillac, license FAI-284K."

"Alright, get an APB out to Trenton PD and Jersey Troopers, SUV and descriptions once we have them. All suspects armed and dangerous." The younger man nodded and set off, while Walker went to talk with the ranking firefighter.

"It's strange," said the lieutenant. "And I don't mean the fact that they had explosives. It's the fact they didn't have any."

Walker nodded, then, "You wanna run that by me again?"

"Bend down here," the firefighter said, kneeling at the window where the fire had started. "What do you see?"

"A blackened window sill, what's your point?"

"Exactly, only a blackened sill!" the fireman said, moving his hands excitedly. "Now, from what our few witnesses say, the blast was enormous! So, why isn't anything disturbed?"

Walker looked at the lieutenant, then down at the ground, then back at the lieutenant. "There…there weren't any explosives?"

"Exactly!" the fireman proclaimed, getting up. "Whoever did this used only incendiaries, and the gear to make that has to be pieced together. You can't just buy one from the local hardware store!"

"My God," the detective said. "We could be dealing with a paramilitary group here…"

"Whatever they are, they're good," the fireman said, lighting a cigarette. "The blast radius on this thing hasn't been exact yet, but I can already tell you it's small but powerful for something of its size. We'll need to get some experts in here, but whatever made that blast wasn't garden fertilizer."

Walker nodded, stewing over the implications of terrorists in the suburbs.


Crossing over the river that apparently led into Trenton, Mustang and the others were amazed at what they saw. The buildings before them were taller than anything they had ever seen, one with a golden dome. The bridge to their left spelled in large neon, "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES". Cars flowed to and fro, while a train passed them on the right.

"My God, this place has more going on than Central," Havoc whispered, as a number of boats speed through the river below.

"No way man! Central looks like a village compared to this place," Breda said, pressing his large face against the glass.

"None of that matters now," Mustang said. "Lieutenant, turn to our right ahead. It seems to lead to some apartments."

Nodding, Hawkeye obliged, taking away the magnificent view.


As Al slowly gathered his senses, he tried to remember what had happened before someone had slipped the blindfold onto his eyes. He could see Hawkeye in the hall, remembering the darkness that surrounded them…then…

"Lieutenant!" he screamed, shooting up in his bed. "Wait…where am I?" he asked, slowly coming to the realization he was back in his hotel room. "But…how'd I get here?"

"Al!" Turning his head, Al saw Ed barging through the door. "What happened! The guards at the third institute said they found you with a blindfold over your eyes! They said you couldn't even talk!"

"But brother! Something happened to lieutenant Hawkeye! We have to go find her, we need to tell the colonel-"

"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen, Alphonse," said Major Armstrong, as he and Sgt. Brosh followed Ed into the room, a young corporal closing the door behind them. He had short cropped brown hair, and a rounded face. "It seems the colonel and his staff have gone missing too," Armstrong explained. "All six of them."

Ed and Al just stared at the major, unable to believe what they had just heard. "But…but how…"

"It seems Col. Mustang and 2nd Lt. Havoc also disappeared from the Third Research Institute. At around the same time they were being searched for, 2nd Lt. Breda, W.O. Falman and MSgt Fuery were found to be MIA as well. All we could find was the equipment they had used for surveillance."

Al and Ed silently digested the information Armstrong had given them, keeping in mind that it could be one of Mustang's plans to lure out the enemy. But for his whole team to just up and vanish? "What else did they find?" Ed asked, trying hard to keep his voice from breaking.

"They only found Lt. Hawkeye's dog barking into thin air. It took three men to drag him away. We're keeping him in a pen right now, at least until someone volunteers to take him."

"Brother, we could send him to stay with Winry." Al said, head down to the floor.

Ed didn't answer, he just stared in silence at the wall, his balled hands held in front of his lips. Nodding silently, Armstrong started to leave. "Cpl. Huey, have the proper arrangements made to transport Black Hayate to Ms. Rockbell's home."


Locke paced nervously about the bridge, his worst fear realized at last. Capt. Parker had failed. "Lt. Maus, have we had any contact from 6 yet?"

"None sir," the officer answered, carefully monitoring the comm. channels. "It's like they vanished off the face of the Ear-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Lt!" Locke ordered. "They're…they're just out of radio range. They should be contacting us very soon. For now…for now, we have to focus on rescuing Sydney. Have we sent in the strike force?"

"Yes, sir, but…well, we seem to be encountering a few snags…"

"Such as?"

"Well sir…the Nod stealth camo can't be detected until it's too late. Our men are being decimated right now, and reinforcements are still an hour and a half away."

Locke stared down at his control panel, his face clearly displaying his disbelief. These were some of the best troops GDI could put up, with equipment and technology far beyond the current standard. Now, they were being destroyed, all because five people had simply vanished. "Am I that incompetant…that I can't even lead a battle anymore without Parker?" He quickly shook the thought away. "No! I'm a trained and tried officer, I've served in the Royal Army, and I was personally chosen by the Secretary General himself! I should have no trouble leading these men!" "Lieutenant! Order all troops to take the open field where the obelisk is positioned! Order an MCV to that position post-haste! Order the officer on-scene to organize sweeper teams specifically tasked with locating the civilians resistance and eliminating Nod patrols!"

Maus nodded and started issuing the general's orders, while the troops on the ground readily obeyed. However, the fight for the Nod SSM launchers was complicated both by the Obelisk, and the stealth tank nearby. The second the Sea Knights landed, they were torn apart, while the others in the air hurriedly pulled up. The following A-10 strike utterly destroyed the Nod defense, allowing a quick set up of the Construction Yard. The sweeper teams moved through the tiny village, linking up with the small resistance and escorting a few to the base, where they were briefed and sent back with new directives. Humvees were flown in, as Orcas flew fire mission after fire mission. That didn't mean the battle was easy. Nod laser weapons cut a terrible swathe through the GDI forces, unaccustomed to such attacks. The terrible weapons shot straight through men and machine, leaving gaping holes in their wake. Nod stealth troops ran freely among the GDI and Resistance forces, appearing when least expected, cutting through the teams as though they weren't there. Finally, the GDI forces were given heat-sensitive gear, and Nod stealth was made useless. But the battle lasted long into the next day, and by the time the last Nod soldier had been neutralized, any trace of Syndey Mobius was long gone.


Roy only needed one look at the area to know he was in the right place. The houses were worn, some literally falling to pieces as they drove by. Anyone who was outside was worn, trudging slowly to a place they'd rather not be. The men wore clothes that were torn and baggy, while seniors remained inside or close to the door.

"Well sir, what now?" Riza said, spotting some of the men looking at the car with hungry eyes. Others just looked at her.

"Park this thing in an alley. We'll enter one of the houses from there, and grab the things we'll need. Falman, you'll stay with the lieutenant. Havoc, Breda, Fuery, you're with me. Any questions?"

"No sir," they answered, as Hawkeye pulled into a nearby alley. Quickly, the four soldiers silently moved from the vehicle, leaving Falman and Hawkeye alone in the strange town.

As Falman waited outside, Riza finally looked down at the clothes she was wearing. The green shirt stretched against her body too much for her comfort, along with the denim pants. Such clothes pushed the limits of what was acceptable women's wear in Amestris, thought such apparel was considered conservative by this nation's standards.

Falman tried to relax, leaning against the quickly warming metal of the vehicle, but he couldn't! One minute, he was just barely regaining his senses from being knocked unconscious, the next, he woke up in a strange new nation! Yet every time he tried to piece together the interim, all he could bring up was a great blank. "What happened?"

As Roy and the others carefully snuck through the apartment, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Stealing from a middle-class home, while still immoral, did not carry the same weight as stealing from a family who was clearly struggling to make ends meet. Where the first house was mostly filled with expensive looking objects and devices, the ones here were blander and worn from age. The great silver icebox in the first house translated into a beige, rusted contraption. The flat screen device that had created both picture and noise was boxier, with actual buttons and two antennae sticking up from the top. The floor was covered in small toys, and the cupboards were barely stocked with food. Even then, however, Mustang and the others were surprised to see that the food was already prepackaged, and scant few raw foodstuffs.

"Breda, Fuery, stay down here. Havoc, with me." Nodding, Havoc followed Roy up the stairs to the next floor. The bedrooms weren't heavily crowded, but they were clearly not single rooms. On the first one, they arrived in the parents room, and sifted through the drawers and next to the bed.

"Colonel, over here!" Havoc whispered. Going over, Mustang saw Havoc holding up a wad of green papers. "Looks like this one is the lowest," he said, holding up one with large "1"s in the corners, centered on an aged man with a strange hairdo in the middle. On the back, a strange pyramid and an eagle, grasping a branch, arrows, with a shield superimposed over it. On both sides, the words, "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". "Must be the name of the country, sir," Havoc said, getting up from the floor. "At least now we know we're not back home."

"Agreed. Get Fuery and Breda up here, see if they can't find anything in the bedrooms. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of business."

Locating the bathroom, Mustang quickly finished his needs and looked at himself in the mirror. The shirt was a little loose, but still fit. The pants were slightly tight, but the shoes were unbelievably comfortable. Havoc was also wearing similar clothes, while Breda and Fuery were still running around in their uniforms. Hopefully, they would find the right clothes to blend in.

A sound brought Falman back from his thoughts, and he turned to see a group of men, all with similar clothes slowly surrounding the vehicle, some staring, some chuckling. Looking over at the driver's seat, he couldn't see anyone inside. Gritting his teeth, he looked back at the slowly encroaching group.

"Well, well, well! Look what we have here! Fine little Cady, and all gassed to go!" the man turned to Falman, his grin full of deceit. "So, you wanna do this easy? Or there gonna be problems?"

"Look, I don't want any trouble, okay?" Falman said, putting his hands up. "I'm just a…tourist. I'm a little lost, so, if you could just help me out-"

"Oh yeah, we'll help ya! We'll show you the hospital you don't hand over the keys, boy!" said another man, pulling out a switchblade. Falman looked at the knife, then back at the driver's seat. Thankfully, he saw it was completely lowered, the lieutenant already armed.

"Sure…sure I'll give you the keys…Just let me get them from my girlfriend…"

"Ha! Even better!" said a younger man, looking like he was barely over eighteen. "We get a little side action! So, where is she?" he said, hungrily eyeing the "Cady".

"Just let me open the door, okay?" The leader nodded, and Falman slowly opened the door.

As soon as the door was opened enough, Hawkeye rolled out onto the pavement, firing as she dove. The bullets drove their way into the arms and shoulders of the men, as Falman hid behind the door, drawing his own pistol. The criminals screamed in pain and shock, their own weapons falling harmlessly to the ground. However, more came from the side. Spotting them, Falman yelled, "Lieutenant!" then started firing at them through the windshield. The shots were slightly deflected, but did their job, forcing the men to dive back to the side. Deciding the first ones were sufficiently disabled, Riza aimed at the feet of the others on the other side, and fired again, each bullet striking true. The men cried in pain, falling to the ground. "Falman! Gun!" she cried, the W.O. obliging by tossing the steel to her. She fired again, this time at the enemy's arms, disabling their ability to fire on them.

The whole gunfight lasted less than two minutes.

Mustang and the others quickly ran from the apartment, looking around, surprised to find the men on the ground. "Well, that's some quick work, lieutenant. Good job, both of you." The pair nodded, as the colonel looked over the scene. "I think it's safe to say leaving the vehicle here is a good idea. Grab their weapons and cash. No I.D., though. Breda, Fuery, take what clothes you can." He walked over to the nearest one, who was busy clutching a bullet hole in his lower arm. "Don't worry, let me take care of that." Kicking away the man's right arm, he seared the man's wound shut, causing the wounded man to pass out from a combination of pain, blood loss, and disbelief.

The others did the same, grabbing whatever they could, then sending their prey into la-la land. However, approaching sirens put a quick end to their foraging. "I think we've overstayed our welcome. Let's move, now. We only have minutes until the authorities arrive."

With that, the group slipped into the alley and out the other side, separating over short distances, for only seconds or minutes at a time, until they could reach a place to stay, as cars labeled "Trenton Police Department" flew by, sirens blaring into the afternoon sun.


"Hey, captain, I just thought'a somethin,'" Gunner said from the back. "What if it wan't a Nod weapon that brought us 'ere. What if it was…well, what if it's sometin' else?"

"I've been thinking about that too," Parker said, as he drove past a large motorcycle dealership. "But that's our only real explanation. Nobody really knows what Nod's been developing during the war, so who's to say what got us here." A curse in Hebrew suddenly came from the passenger's seat. "Something wrong, Hotwire?"

"It's the date, sir," the woman answered. "For some reason, it keeps reading that it's the middle of spring, six years into the future!"

Parker looked at Hotwire, then at his surroundings. On the whole, there was nothing that would instantly indicate that they were in the future, but slowly, now that he had been told the discrepancy, he started looking around. Even then, he couldn't find anything that would jump out as being futuristic. Smaller cell phones and civie computers. "Let's just focus on getting to the city. We'll figure out the rest from there."


And the redux of chapter 2! Hope you're all appreciating the reworking I'm doing, it's not as easy as you'd think. Chapter 3 up soon, so standby!