A/N: Look at that! I live, the story lives! :D Sooo sorry this is late. In my defense, I just started going to a new school and have a butt ton of work to do. But still, I know it is no excuse for late chapters a lot of the time. Still, I think the wait was worth it, since this puppy is pretty long for my standards. :3
A big thanks to all my reviewers and guest reviewers! Oh, and guys, be thanking Corpusclockwork, because if she hadn't told me to get my butt in gear, this chapter might have been even later than it already is. ;)
Disclaimer: Ownership, the process of thinking about, creating, and publishing your own work. However, it is not an easily earned thing. If one wishes to obtain ownership, they must go through a lengthy process. This is the law of authorization. In accordance with this law, there is a rule among all authors. The giving of ownership to other parties is strictly forbidden. For why would you give your rights to someone else? (So no, I don't own the rights. XD) *insert opening theme here*
Ford and Frustration
"That's the Fullmetal Alchemist!"
Everyone stared at Edward with varying expressions of shock, surprise, and disbelief, and Ed returned the looks, but they were directed at the man that had given the Drachmans the information. The fact that the men did not even seem remotely surprised by the fact that an Amestrian soldier was in their camp was comfusing enough, but... what?!
Black, it seemed, was the first to recover from his disbelief and the man grabbed the Amestrian's shoulder and hissed, "How can zis be ze Fullmetal Alchemist?"
The man shrugged Black's hand off with an uncomfortable grunt and then shifted his stance so he face the Drachman with a straight back. Much in the same manner one did around someone of higher rank. So Black might be a higher rank than Lieutenant Colonel?
"Because I have met the Fullmetal Alchemist before on one or two occasions through his superior officer, Sir. As well, I'm sure you are aware the Fullmetal Alchemist is the only teenager in the military."
Black nodded and stated that he was well aware of the fact, but Ed's thoughts were fixated on something else. Superior officer? So Mustang knew this loser? And the man was saying they had met before, yet Edward could not remember ever having even seen his face, and considering Ed liked to think his memory was pretty reliable, it was surprising that he did not remember the man. The boy understood that they must have met when he was doing something important and hadn't been paying attention... or perhaps he had simply ignored him because the man has seemed unimportant to Edward at their time of meeting.
"...Yet he had nozing on him but food and vaterr. State Alchemist always carry pocket vatches, do zey not?" Black was asking, his eyebrows drawn down in a frown. Ed couldn't decide if he wanted to smirk or copy the soldier's expression. That was right, he did not have his watch, but was that good or bad? Did the Amestrian know he had been discharged? No, wait, think about it... If the man had known, he would not have told Black that Edward was the Fullmetal Alchemist, because as much as it upset the teen to accept, he wasn't the Fullmetal Alchemist anymore.
Either way, the soldier didn't appear to know he had been discharged. Ed still could not decide if that boded well for him or not.
"Well he wouldn't," The soldier stated surely, "If he had been sent on a mission to go after you, he wouldn't risk taking his watch and getting caught with it on his person. The military dogs are not that dumb, Brigadier General Volkov."
Crap, he's kinda smart. The voice in his head reared up again and Ed clenched his teeth and shoved it back. It was bad enough his own thoughts were running rampant, he didn't need his "Inner voice of Mustang" commenting every thirty seconds. And Black's a Brigadier General? The teen did not pay as much attention to his name, as he had grown rather familiar with the name "Black". Starting to call him "Volkov", even in his mind, just felt weird for him.
That answer seemed to satisfy Black and the man turned back to Edward. "Fullmetal Alchemist." Ed couldn't figure out if he was addressing him, or just saying the name to test it out. It did not really make a difference to the teen though, as he did not answer either way. Then, the Brigadier General turned back to the Amestrian and ordered him out of the tent with him. When the men left, the alchemist was left alone with Void an Pouty.
Both men just stared at him, still looking taken aback. It wasn't every day you captured a kid snooping around your camp only to find out they were actually one of the most valuable assets to the enemy military. Ed for his part only raised an eyebrow and rasped out an unimpressed, "What?"
The men seemed to be snapped out of their gawking and turned to see Black coming back inside, the Amestrian man did not follow. The Brigadier General spoke in Drachman again and Edward found himself sighing in irritation. He had enjoyed being able to understand what they were saying moments ago, no matter how brief it had been. Among the jumble of foreign language Ed caught one intelligible thing: A name. Lieutenant Colonel Ford.
The name sparked a memory in the teen's mind and Ed suddenly remembered who the Amestrian was. They had met briefly during one of the alchemist's briefings. Ford had come in to report something to Mustang about the Fuhrer wanting the Fullmetal Alchemist on a mission to Madxo in the West Area to investigate some sort of financial dispute over land or something. The Colonel had told Ford it was good timing because he had the Fullmetal Alchemist with him, so Mustang wouldn't have to brief him himself. Ford had turned and greeted Edward and the teen had only rolled his eyes and given an offhanded 'hey' in reply. That was the only time Edward could recall having actually spoken with the man, but he could believe they had seen each other again after that, even if he didn't remember when.
Ed was brought from his musings when Void nodded and turned to Ed, Pouty cracked his knuckles from beside the man and Edward rolled his eyes. Seriously, how cheesy could that guy get?
"The Amestrian has told us much, little alch-"
Despite his burning throat, Ed managed to grate out a screech. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC ORGANISM YOU JERK?!"
Void, Pouty, and Black all looked unsure of exactly what to do with that, and after a moment Void continued. "You are the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. Your superior officer is the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang. You were sent here to find out our plans for the war."
Ed frowned at that last part. No he wasn't... "And just what part of his ass did Ford pull that out?"
Pouty kicked him in the side and Ed bit his lip to keep from crying out. The stupid Drachman was wearing steel-toe boots apparently.
"You do not speak when I am addressing you, Fullmetal Alchemist." Void said calmly, knowing full well he had the upper hand now that he knew just who Edward was. Somehow that unnerved the boy even more than the fact that they seemed to have an Amestrian mole at the moment.
"Now, how much have you reported back to your officer?" Void demanded and Ed glared it him. They really did not know when to just live and let live, did they? Oh well, whether or not they left him alone was their choice, but Edward had had about enough of them for the day.
Black left and Ed had to smirk a little, because come on, it was hilarious that the boss knew the teen was going to be difficult and didn't want to stick around to watch. The smirk was short lived though because Pouty grabbed his hair and yanked his head back against the pole, sending pain lacing through his skull. Careful now, if you get a concussion it won't be very easy to get out of here. Ed hissed at the voice and shook his head to rid himself of the stars in his vision.
"What have you reported to your officer, Fullmetal Alchemist?" Void asked, sounding as patient as a parent telling a child "No, they could not hit their sibling".
Ed leaned his head against the pole and closed his eyes. Ah that was better, now he didn't have to see their ugly faces. Apparently that was the wrong move though, and moments later the alchemist was sucking his breath in sharply when Pouty's hand wrapped around his throat and applied the smallest amount of pressure. It would seem the move had only been to get Ed's eyes open so he could see what he was actually being threatened with. The boy narrowed his eyes when he saw the small dagger in the torturer's hand.
"Pretty. You planning on chopping veggies with that?" The teen quipped and Pouty, moving faster than Ed thought possible, brought the knife flashing past the alchemist's cheek and Ed felt a prick of pain. The feeling of blood trickling down alerted him to a small cut an inch or so below his left eye. Ow.
"How much does your military know about our forces?" Void had crossed his arms loosely at this point and Ed eyed the knife in Pouty's hand thoughtfully. Then that nagging voice of the Colonel came rearing up again and Ed swallowed a bit. Careful. Don't do anything stupid or next time it might not be a nick on the cheek. He knew his conscience was right of course, so the teen said nothing. When he said nothing, he didn't get the pain as bad. He had found that out the first day. He got more impressive bruises when he snarked. So as difficult as it was, Ed kept his mouth shut.
Pouty slashed at his shoulder and the blade easily cut through his leather jacket and it was only then that the teen realized they had confiscated his red coat. The bastards! Ed couldn't believe it had taken him that long to realize his prized clothing item was even gone. The black of the fabric darkened with his blood slowly and while it was painful, Ed knew the cut could not have been all that deep. He knew what deep cuts felt like, having received them all too often.
Void asked him the question again and Edward only sent him a blank look that had Pouty cutting him again.
Ed didn't know how much longer that went on, but when Black entered again sometime later, the teen realized parts of his arm had gone numb and blood drained down his fingers and onto the ground. His leg throbbed from where Pouty had shoved the dagger in just a little bit, but otherwise, Ed didn't know how much damage had actually been dealt.
Upon entering, Black produced a pair of strangely designed handcuffs. They looked like mini medieval stocks, and Ed easily guessed their use when the man handed them to Void and the interrogator passed them off to Pouty, who came over to Ed again and untied the boy from the pole. The moment his automail hand was free the boy tried to throw a punch at his torturer, but Pouty saw it coming and halted Ed's attack by grabbing his metal wrist and forcing it into one one of the spots in the cuff. His flesh wrist soon followed and the device was then snapped shut, keeping his hands a safe distance from each other. Then the cuffs were tied back to the pole. Well great, now you can't transmute.
After that deed had been done, Black said something brief to Void and Pouty and the soldiers left, the Brigadier General in tow after sending the boy a look that told him he was going to be sorry for not answering questions.
They had only come for him later that evening to grab the boy and force him out into the wind and snow. Ed saw the camp was nearly packed and he felt a trill go down his back. They did not give him much time to worry though, as the moment the teen got his bearings on where he was they were tugging him forward again. He was stopped in front of the man Edward had dubbed "Fuzzy" a few days ago. Fuzzy was atop a horse and Ed watched as the Drachman exchanged a few words with the men that had dragged the teen outside.
Once they finished speaking, A thick rope was tied between Edward's hands and then the other end was handed to Fuzzy, who tied it around his saddle horn, tugging on it hard a few times to make sure the alchemist wouldn't be able to break it. Said alchemist glared at the man and asked him what they were doing. Fuzzy didn't deign to answer Ed much less look at him and the teen shouted at the soldier to listen to him when he was talking. Fuzzy still didn't say a word and Ed ground his teeth in frustration.
About ten minutes later, the entire camp seemed to have shrunk, everything having been packed away so they could hit the road. Edward hissed in frustration when Fuzzy kicked his horse to start walking and he was pulled forward, forced to keep pace with the animal and it's master.
Ed could not have been sure how long they traveled for. To him it seemed like hours and hours, but when he looked up at the moon its positioning told him they had probably only been travelling for an hour and a half. Still, the freezing cold had seeped into his bones in the past half hour and he had been fighting to keep his teeth from chattering since. He could no longer feel his fingers, and his flesh foot was soaked, his boots having long since allowed water to seep through.
When they finally stopped, Ed could see they were in some sort of run down, abandoned town. It was unimpressive to say the least, but there were houses, and houses meant protection from the wind and the cold. Though Ed doubted they would put him in one of the houses for that very reason; they wanted him to suffer after all.
After the necessities for the camp had been set up once again, the sun was beginning to rise and Ed was having difficulty even keeping his eyes open. His stomach growled and his throat was dry, having not received food or drink the entire trip, but Ed knew they would feed him eventually. They would have to if they wanted him to stay alive and useful for questioning.
But food never came. Ed was only led to the tent that has apparently been assigned to him and tied back to the pole, left alone for the rest of the morning. A sigh escaped through his chattering teeth and he pulled his knees to his chest to try and insulate as much warmth as possible. He was freezing. The boy didn't think he would be getting much sleep, despite how tired he was.
By the time the sun was setting once again, Ed's stomach was protesting it's neglect loudly and the teen cursed the Drachmans for their lack of care. Of course he knew by then that they were cruel and unusual, but forgetting about him? Now that was just rude.
By the time the sun was down and the moon had taken it's place in the sky once more, Edward no longer felt hungry, his stomach finally having gone numb in realization that no matter how much it whined it would not be given sustenance. Ed had finally begun to doze off when the hairs on his neck rose, sensing a presence having entered the room.
Golden eyes glinted in the light of the moon briefly before the tent was filled with the light of a lantern, carried by none other than Lieutenant Colonel Ford. The alchemist narrowed his eyes at the soldier and dropped his legs so he sat cross-legged. He was not going to be curled up like a child in front of the traitor.
"Hello Edward," The man greeted, almost sounding sorry about the boy's predicament. Ed wanted to punch him in the face. As it was, he did not give the man any return greeting.
"I can understand what you must be feeling right now, Major Elric, but you must know I have nothing against you. In fact, I suggested they just let you go, but Brigadier General Volkov insisted on keeping you." Ford obviously was trying very hard to get Ed to believe he was on his side, and the teen had to admit, the man was an excellent liar. Like a snake. The Colonel's voice whispered in the back of his mind and the boy smirked. Yes, just like a snake. Even the man's eyes looked black and dead despite their blue color.
"Oh, I'm sure." Ed said calmly.
Ford sighed and crouched down in front of the alchemist. "I know you don't trust me. I don't really blame you. I just think you should know-"
"Oh do cut the crap." Edward drawled, unimpressed with the soldier's act. "I've already gathered that you work for the Drachmans as a mole. But the real question is why. Also, why are you here?"
Ford's eyes darkened slightly as Ed spoke before lightening again when the boy asked his intentions for being in the tent. "Well that's an easy one, Fullmetal. I heard that the others hadn't fed you recently." The man produced a small sack and pulled out some bread for the teen, completely missing the way Edward glared at the use of his title the way Mustang used it.
"Right, like I'm gonna eat that. It would be my luck you poisoned it." Ed scoffed, "Do you think I'm really that stupid." Despite the fact that the sight of the food sent his mouth watering and his stomach growling with gusto, the teen was not going to be fooled so easily.
Then Ford produced a water canteen and shrugged. "What would I gain from poisoning you, Fullmetal?" The man took a quick swig from the canteen and then offered it to the teen. Edward raised an eyebrow. Well, the water was safe at least if the Lieutenant Colonel was drinking from it. Still, he wasn't going to trust the food.
Ford must have noticed the way the alchemist was eyeing the water, because he offered the boy a sip the next moment. Ed rolled his eyes and sent the man a look that clearly said he was not drinking water like an infant. Ford only shrugged. "Your choice, I can't untie you for even that long. So it's either you drink it from me, or get none at all."
Edward weighed the two options and in the end chose the former. He didn't know how long it would be until he was offered water again, and even if the human body could survive several weeks without food, the cold liquid was a necessity. As the man brought the canteen to his lips Ed tried not to think about his first night in the camp when Void and Pouty had decided to have fun with water. Calm down you big baby. You have control over this. Until the voice spoke Ed hadn't even realized that his heart had started beating faster. Jeez he was such a ninny!
Once he had had several gulps of the fluid, Ford pulled it away from Ed and the teen sighed, his throat no longer dry and his mouth no longer papery. That was much better. Though Ed thought he might have drunk too fast because his stomach was stirring when the water hit it. Oh well.
"So, since you guys have been asking me questions, I think it's fair you answer some of mine, what do you think?" Ed questioned the man and Ford looked surprised for a second before his expression shifted to amusement.
"Well, from what I heard, they asked questions, but you never answered."
Ed shrugged. "So?"
Ford chuckled and then looked to be contemplating it for a moment. Finally he said, "Fine, ask me a question, Fullmetal."
Ed bit his tongue to keep from snapping at the man and telling him to stop calling him "Fullmetal" in the way he was. It was like he was trying to imitate the Colonel and failing miserably. Though Ed doubted anyone could ever pull off the condescending, smirking, haughty tone like his superior officer did.
"Okay, this one should be easy for you." Ed made sure to look the soldier right in the eyes. "What do you get out of betraying your country?" The alchemist was dying to know why anyone of Amestrian decent would ever be in cohorts with the Drachmans.
Ford smirked and laced his fingers together over his knees. "Glad you asked. I'm sure to someone of your age and rank it sounds mundane and silly, but there are lots of things I gain from siding with the Drachmans. First is a promotion. Then there's… simply the reason that I can- but that one isn't really important. No, I think the important one is: I hate Amestris. Hate it with a burning passion. I hate the people, the Fuhrer, the politics, and I hate you goddamn alchemist. You all think you're so much better than everyone, getting your high pays and flaunting your abilities, destroying everything you touch and leaving the rest of us normal people to fix it. You disgust me."
Ed didn't know what to say to that.
What was wrong with Ford?! You don't betray the country you joined the military of because you hate it! You get a passport and visa and you move! But… Alchemists. He hated them. Edward would have liked to know more on why that was, because it had to be rooted more deeply than just general dislike, but he was too furious with the man in front of him to ask. The man was condemning hundreds- no likely thousands of Amestrian soldiers to death because he didn't like the country. What. A selfish. Bastard. Not to mention- "Sick!" Edward hissed.
Ford raised an eyebrow and Edward continued his rant aloud. "You're sick! You're just a pathetic waste of a human. You don't like this country? Then move! Plenty of people do it!"
Ford laughed harshly and glared at the alchemist. "Oh, if it were that easy I would have left years ago, Fullmetal, but it doesn't work that way."
"Then how does it work?" Ed snapped, suddenly feeling dizzy. Ah, the bastard was making his head hurt with all his asinine comments!
"I don't have time to explain myself to you, Fullmetal-"
"And stop calling me that!" Edward growled. He did not want to hear that title slip from that snake's mouth ever again.
Ford smirked and crossed his arms, standing up. "Very well. But I'm going to leave you for now. You're looking a little pale."
"You make me sick!" Edward hissed at Ford's back as the man pushed the flap of the tent up.
"Oh, that's not me making you feel that way, Fullmetal. I do believe there was something in the water." Ford chuckled darkly and left the area.
Edward groaned quietly when he felt his stomach lurch and his vision started going blurry. "The hell?" He muttered as he felt his eyes grow heavier. As the teen's lids slipped closed and his mind began shutting down on him, he had to wonder what had been in that water. Now look what you got yourself into! And with that last scathing remark from his conscience, Ed passed out.
A/N: Yeah, I know, kind of a boring chapter... but I got some plot rolling... I think... eh, whatever, it's a long update. Be happy. Now, I'm off to school. Reward me with the gift of reviews? O.O
Stay Nerdy!
~WhoLock
