7 Hours
It had been hours. Three hours in fact, and Jean Havoc was beginning to worry. Of course, he did not let the others see his discomfort, he was a professional. Fortunately, it seemed Hawkeye was worried too.
"Has anyone seen Master Sergeant Fuery?"
"Not for three hours," replied Havoc. Too quick, he panicked. The woman's eyebrow cocked in query.
"Well, the radio isn't going to get fixed with Fuery running amok. Lieutenant Havoc, go and fetch him," Colonel Mustang scowled from behind his desk. He was probably jealous that he himself could not waste hours of time while at work.
Havoc stood and grabbed his jacket that was hanging from the back of his chair. He left the base grounds in a military car, for the sky threatened rain. His observation was affirmed by a rolling boom of thunder.
Twenty minutes later, Havoc pulled up to the train station. Fuery had been sent there to reconnect phone lines that were taken out the previous night by a storm. "They'll probably go out again tonight," he murmured, glancing up at the ominous clouds that were gathering. He stepped into the main office of the station, which was really no more than a desk with a secretary and a fish tank.
"Hello ma'am. I'm here to pick up Master Sergeant Fuery."
"I' m sorry sir, I haven't a clue who you are looking for. Perhaps a description?"
"He's about this tall, wears giant glasses. Short black hair, probably looked terrified. He was supposed to report back two hours ago."
"Oh, him! He left a while ago. I haven't seen him since 1:00. He fixed the phones perfectly." As if to validate her statement, the office phone rang shrilly. She nodded in polite apology before answering.
"Sorry for the trouble." Havoc left the office and lit up. Sucking the smoke into his lungs, he thought of where Fuery could be. Where could he have gone in an hour that was not the base?
The first drops of the storm began to fall as Havoc reentered his car. The engine puttered to life and a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. He began to drive back to the base when he noticed the entrance to the city park not too far from the station. Sighing, he turned the car back off. It was his best bet. People were always leaving boxes of kittens in the park, as cliché as it may have been.
The park was void of life as he stood in the downpour. His cigarette smoldered sadly before he gave up on it and threw it to the ground. As he stubbed it out in the wet dirt, he heard his name being called.
"Lieutenant Havoc! What are you doing here?" Fuery ran to him from under a tree.
"I'm here to drag your sorry ass back to the base. You've been gone for three hours. The colonel wants you back if the phones are fixed."
"I'm sorry you had to come out here for me. But I saw the sky and remembered a stray dog I'd seen yesterday and I had to make sure he wasn't still out here. Thankfully it seems someone has taken him." Fuery replied as they clambered back into the car.
"What are we going to do with you, kid?" Havoc asked sarcastically.
"I'm sorry."
Havoc just glanced at him and pulled onto the road. Fuery was soaked and shivering. Havoc sighed, "Come on, we'll stop at my apartment first. You could use a towel before going back and electrocuting yourself on our radio." Besides, Havoc wasn't sure he wanted to go back to work just yet. A cup of hot coffee while waiting for Fuery's uniform to dry out sounded perfect for such a lazy day.
