DA: Jeez, I extend my deadline and I still miss it... Damn it all... Sorry guys. I had a friend over this afternoon and forgot it was Friday... Forgive me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Alright guys! Here's the new chapter! Usual warnings apply.


Darkness to Dawn

Chapter 7

Havoc strolled down the marketplace, his blue eyes scoping out any possible dates for the night. So far any that seemed likely he'd either already tried, or they'd already been taken by his superior officer at an earlier date. His annoyance was almost tangible, lips pursed around the thin cancer stick he'd shoved in his mouth not a moment prior. The thing hadn't even been lit yet. He fished around in his pocket for the ever elusive lighter, hoping nobody from the office had taken it. Again. Mustang really enjoyed pulling that stunt, but lately, the others had been stepping up their games prank-wise to make up for their commanding officer's lack of humor. Hawkeye had moved her desk into Mustang's office under the guise that he needed extra supervision so he wouldn't fall asleep, especially after such a long break from desk work. But they weren't stupid. They'd all seen the look on the Colonel's face when she'd placed the report on his desk. And they all didn't say a word when they saw her filling out said report the next day, a strange worried look in her chestnut eyes and the scent of alcohol thick in the office.

Something had happened that night, and in all honesty, Havoc didn't want to know. His fingers touched the cold metal of his lighter, a surge of glee racing through him. Take that assholes. Nobody was going to take his smoke tonight! He lit his cigarette, smoke already curling from the tip of it. It tickled his throat as he inhaled, wafting from his lips as he exhaled. Ah, there was nothing like a good cigarette. Already his mood was improving. Keeping his eyes peeled for any attractive women, he continued his trek down the street. Today was his day. He could feel it. The day that he would finally get a girlfriend!

Sunlight glinted into his eyes, reflected off something shiny in the vicinity. Blinking, he glanced around for it, his mind's eye seeing a jeweled broach attached to a woman's shirt. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. The light had come from a rather large man, the sun mirroring off his shaved head. The man was facing him, but not looking at the soldier, though his sunglasses made it really hard to tell. Faint stubble brushed against the underside of the man's face, hinting at the black shade that would color his head if not for the self-inflicted baldness. His nose was crooked as if it had been punched one to many times, a scar tracing the skin above his right eyebrow. Dressed in simple clothing, he might have been overlooked if not for the reflective quality of his head. Havoc almost turned away after discovering the source, but something held his gaze, some memory. Had he seen this man before?

Nah, probably not. When was the last time he'd been out, really out? Before the war, of that he was certain. Unless he'd seen him during the war, but that was just outrageous. A chuckle started to leave his throat when a thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe it wasn't so outrageous... Mustang said that Ed was in Central, so the Cretans had to have a base located somewhere in the area. His blue eyes snapped back to the man's face, scanning it again for recognition. Again, there was a faint blur of something, but nothing he could put his finger on. It wouldn't hurt to follow him for a while.

The blond pulled to the side, putting up the guise of inspecting an item in a pawn shop. After the possible Cretan passed him, he slipped away from the shop, keeping a few paces behind the man. He only wished that he'd been able to call in for backup here, but this was a split second decision, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He could do this; he couldn't doubt himself. Walking casually, he kept his hands tucked into his pockets, his mouth curled around the comforting curve of the cigarette.

The man gave no sign that he knew he was being tailed, walking confidently down the street with a grace that only a commoner, or someone equally familiar with Central's streets, could manage. Havoc knew without uncertainty that a man had at least one gun hidden in that long jacket, a idea that sent a chill down his spine as he sent a wistful thought towards his own gun, resting on his desk at home. He'd forgotten it there this morning, and now he was paying for it. That just meant that this was an exploratory mission. Damn his thoughtlessness. The man took a sharp turn and Havoc peered down the way, pleased that it was still a populated road, before turning himself.

He almost lost him a few times, but the bald head was a dead giveaway for his position, and so that panic was usually short lived, though it never failed to give him a minor heart attack. When the man turned into a phone booth, Havoc took a position leaning on a nearby building, but within earshot. This conversation would be good, he could feel it.

The man fished a few coins from his pocket and fed them into the machine, bringing the phone to his ear. "General, this is Hunter. I have what you need," he said, his gruff voice finally bringing on the memories that'd been tinkering on the edge of Havoc's consciousness. Come quietly and I won't have to pull this trigger. Fuck! This wasn't just an accomplice in Ed's case, this was the man who'd kidnapped Ed. Well, this decided everything. He was going to keep following the man until he led him directly to the Cretan hideout. "Yes sir. Has everything been prepared with the boy?" Havoc's eyes widened. Ed. "I'll be returning to base within the hour." Without a goodbye, the man, who'd unintentionally introduced himself as Hunter, hung up, and turned away from the booth. The soldier quickly averted his gaze, pulling his cigarette from his lips to release a long stream of smoke. He could almost feel Hunter's gaze as it swept over him. Thank God today was his day off, or he'd be in military uniform right now. That would have given him straight away.

Glancing up, he noticed that the Cretan had left, heading towards the suburbs of Central. Havoc resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead, a realization hitting him. Of course the base was located in the suburbs. Half of the area was abandoned factories and the other half was wooded area. Why hadn't they started looking their first? As they moved further and further from populated areas, the soldier had to start lengthening the distance between them for fear of being spotted.

He didn't notice as his smoke burned to nothing, ash dropping from the end. Spitting it out, he noticed that they'd reached the border between the city and its suburbs. Hunter paused before stepping over, scanning the area nearby. Havoc dove into a nearby alleyway, his heart pounding in his chest. Shit, that had been close, too close. Peeking his head out from behind the edge of a building, he sighed in relief upon seeing that the man had moved on, finally striding into the more wooded area. Straightening his clothing, he too walked into the suburbs, this time making sure to extend the length between him and his target.

Either Hunter was a cocky son of a bitch, or he was just plain dumb, for after that first cautious scan, he did not look back once, his head remaining where it was. From prior experience with this man, Havoc guessed it was the first, resisting the urge to rub the side of his head, where the gun had once left an impressive mark. An uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, he continued on, missing the feeling of the thin roll of tobacco between his teeth. He couldn't light one here though. The sound and smell would give away his position. The large man led him into a heavily forested area, which the solider was almost certain contained an abandoned warehouse large enough to house an invading force if necessary. The feeling increased, a nervous nausea churning in his abdomen.

He almost stopped there, almost positive that this would be enough to let him and the others find their missing member, but something urged him forward. How did he know Ed was actually here? So he continued following the Cretan, falling back even further until the man was nothing but a pinprick in his vision. Trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible, he took a roundabout route at tailing him, taking strange turns, but still keeping the large man in his sight.

He ducked behind a tree as they approached a clearing, a large building standing tall at its center. Just as he'd thought, an abandoned warehouse. Havoc made no movement to continue following Hunter, contenting himself with just watching him enter the building. At least he had proof that this existed, but how to get proof that their missing alchemist was here... He might have been good at sneaking, but he wasn't that good. If he entered, he would get caught. It wasn't something they could afford right now.

His question was soon answered, but in a way that made the soldier's already queasy stomach clench. A scream, loud enough to escape the brick walls, echoed around the forest, heavy with anguish. That was Ed. The sound rolled around in Havoc's head, his own thoughts drifting back to the battle. That fucking battle. He still couldn't think of anything that might have changed the ending of it. They'd simply been outnumbered and exhausted, days upon days of numerous other battles wearing them down. Anything Havoc could have done would have been fruitless. Perhaps this was a best case scenario, for Ed hadn't been too badly injured when he was captured. Probably wasn't the case now...

Swallowing, he drew himself back up, unsure of when he'd hunched over, and began running, not caring that his footsteps now crunched loudly against the brush of the forest floor. He had to tell Mustang. Ed couldn't stay in that building. Not for any longer.

Hang on boss. Help's coming.

FMAFMA

"Is everything ready, Brigadier General?"

"Yes, sir. I just finished reworking the circle to fit our needs."

"Good. And Amestris?"

"Still clueless. Though...The entire military is on alert."

"What did you expect? You kidnapped their most famous alchemist, who serves under another famous alchemist. I'm sure Mustang's throwing a fit." A snort. "Do it tonight. I want no mistakes."

"Yes, sir."

FMAFMA

Mustang started, eyes wide, when the door to his office slammed open, revealing a gasping Havoc. Huh... Wasn't today Jean's day off? What the hell was he doing here? "Havoc...Wha-"

"I'm sorry to have woke you sir, but this is important," the blond wheezed between desperate gasps for air. At the mention of sleep, Hawkeye, who'd been gathering paperwork in the outer office, craned her head to glare at her superior. Mustang swallowed at the look and glowered at the heavily breathing man, onyx eyes flinty with annoyance. Havoc threw him an apologetic grin, the expression trembling. Irritation fading slightly, Roy raked his gaze over his subordinate. The blond was pale, blue eyes wide and startled. His hair was windswept and messy, his clothes not in much better condition. A sheen of sweat shone on his forehead, trickling gently down the side of his face. More astonishing than the physical appearance was that the cigarette that was forever present, even in the office, was absent, his lips instead firmly pressed together.

"I wasn't sleeping, 2nd lieutenant," the black-haired man protested weakly. The incredulous looks he received after that were totally unwarranted. He didn't sleep that much while at work... "Now what the hell was so important that you had to barge into my office at all, much less on your day off?" Havoc took a few more steadying breaths before straightening from his slightly hunched over position, looking his superior officer directly in the eye.

"I know where Ed is." All the normal office noise settled, silence falling like a blanket over the rooms. Mustang sat frozen at his desk, eyes wide and face pale. His mouth fell open and snapped shut multiple times, the words rushing through his mind not quite reaching his lips. Finally, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, collecting himself. Now was not the time for a hope-driven display of emotion. Standing slowly, using his arms as leverage, he walked over to his subordinate and gripped the man's arms tight, the material of the shirt crinkling under his hands. His onyx gaze bore into one of sapphire.

"Are you absolutely sure, Havoc? We cannot afford to make a mistake." He shook the man with each few words, his tone urgent. Havoc nodded sharply, his lips curled slightly downward in a serious frown.

"I heard..." He trailed off, taking a shaky breath. He shook his head, refusing to finish that sentence. "Let's just say I'm willing to stake my life on it." Those dark eyes searched the pair opposite him, looking for any trace of doubt. Finding none, the Colonel backed off, sighing.

"Alright, I'll hear the report later. Falman!" The man in question stood, saluting at his superior. "Work with Havoc and try to find a floor map of the place. We'll work from there. We move out tonight." Mustang smiled as he watched his men launch into action, a flurry of activity centered in the usually boring office space. It was good to finally feel normal again. Sneaky plans he could do. Waiting...not so much.


DA: Hope I threw you guys for a loop by switching to Havoc for a little bit. I like keeping people on their toes. It's a hobby of mine. I'm on spring break now guys! Rest and relaxation for this girl!

Anyways, as always, tell me what you think! Next chapter is the beginning of the rescue operation, which should hopefully make up for the shortness of this chapter. Hehe... But see you all next week!

May your hearts stay strong,

DarkAngel555