"Wait! Over here!"
We turned to see the man with gray hair from earlier squirm out of one of the booths like an inchworm, his arms tied up. I ran over and helped him to sit up before untying him. "So who are you guys," he asked while I worked on his bonds. Edward crouched in front of him.
"Just some good old fashioned Alchemists," he said with a slight smile.
"You don't say. I'm Warrant Officer Falman. Thanks for your help back there."
"Your military? You don't look like it," Alphonse said.
"Yeah, I'm supposed to be undercover, so I'm not in uniform."
"What for?"
"Well," with a snap, I finally got through Falman's bonds. He brought his hands to his front and rubbed them gratefully. "We have a high security guest. One of the front car type, if you catch my meaning."
"Figures," I grumbled to myself, standing up.
Falman glanced back at me but looked back forward when Edward spoke. "So that's why these goons are here. They are trying to get to this 'front car' passenger and take the rest of us down with them." He stood. "Al, Alex, you take out the guys in the train cars. I'm going up top." With that, Ed ran out the back of the car and slammed the door behind him.
"Is he always like that?" I said in annoyance. Who made him leader of the pack?
"Pretty much," Al answered in a long-suffering tone. "Come on, there could be other people in danger." Shrugging, I followed him out of the car.
"Hey kid, wait," Falman said. I paused looked over to him. He looked kind of woozy, as if he still hadn't gotten over the blow to the head. "Do you actually know how to use that thing?" He gestured to the gun in my hand.
I pointed the gun up to the ceiling and cocked my head. "Of course," I said with a grin.
Systematically, we emptied each car. The passengers had all been forced to lie on the floor in their booths, so luckily they had been out of the way for the most part. Al would go in first, since he was practically bullet proof, and shield me as I shot from behind him. Unconsciously, I aimed for non-vital areas. Once I had them disabled, Al would rush forward to knock them out and we would instruct the passengers to tie them up before moving on to the next car. At about the sixth car, we heard an explosion that shook the train.
"What was that," I yelled over the screaming of the passengers.
"Ed," Al grunted, taking out the last thug. "Make sure they don't get up!" Al instructed a man in the compartment beside him. We moved on.
"What's going on out there!" A man burst through the door we were about to enter, and I dove behind Al. "What the–" the man shouted, whipping his machine gun around.
"Wait, you shouldn't –" Al tried, but the man wouldn't listen. He started firing his machine gun with a yell. He got about three shots in before one of them ricocheted and hit him in the leg, and he fell down with a scream.
"I tried to warn you," he said. I peaked out from behind my adopted brother but quickly dove back when a second man came through, and in his panic at seeing Al, brought his gun up as well. "No wait!" Al tried again, but this man didn't listen either. The ricochet got him in the arm and he fell with a cry. "Ugh," Al groaned. I snorted loudly in amusement and he elbowed me in the ribs.
We stepped over the writhing men and pushed them out of the compartment. We had reached the front car. I maneuvered to the side of the door and nodded to Al. "Well, here goes." He said, and pulled the door open–only to jump back as a wall of water drained out, carrying a couple of drowned looking men with it. "Ed?" I asked Al weakly. "Ed," Al confirmed with a sagely nod.
Al turned to the stunned men and pounded his fists together menacingly. "Welcome to the brig." Leaving behind terrified screams, and sure Al could handle it, I stepped around him and into the compartment.
I passed through a couple more doors. I cracked the last one open and peaked through.
"Look on the bright side, Bald, you probably needed a shower." A large man wearing a ragged old cloak stood and jerked his head to the side to where I assumed another man had spoken. A flash of light flew through the air and 'Bald' whipped his cloak-covered arm around, blocking it with a clank. A knife skittered to the floor. With the same arm he blocked with, the dark haired man began shooting into the compartment, which slammed shut.
I jerked to the door open and spun around it, falling to my knee. I lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.
It clicked. Damnit, I cried in my head, I'm out of bullets!
Bald looked at me for a moment with stunned disbelief. And then he started laughing. "Ha! This is your cavalry? A kid with an empty gun?" he guffawed loudly.
"No!" Shouted a voice from above us. "I am!" Ed jumped through a hatch in the ceiling and landed in front of Bald, locking hands with the brute. His right arm hit with a loud clank, revealing that Bald had an automail arm of his own.
"What took you so long!" I yelled as I dropped the useless gun, dodging around Bald and slipping into the passenger compartment.
"I was a little busy!" Ed grunted, holding valiantly against Bald's strength.
"What's this? The military leading runts to the chopping board these days?" Bald taunted.
"You're going to pay for that runt comment asshole! And no one is leading me anywhere, I'm on my own!"
While Ed and Bald bantered I crouched down and helped a man with glasses and slick black hair sit up. I inspected a shot wound on his arm underneath the purple fabric of his shirt. The man winced. "Aren't you going to help him?" He asked, gesturing to the door, where Ed was still exchanging insults with Bald.
"Nah, he's got it," I responded with a smirk. "I'm Alex."
"Hughes." The man smirked back. We leaned against the wall and watched Ed's fight.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, kid," Bald continued his monologue. "I used to be in the military too, and it was fine as long as I pissed on cue, but the second I got this upgraded arm they discharged me. You see, the queen bee doesn't like it when her workers are stronger than her. Since then, I've developed a taste for destroying them and everything they stand for."
"That's why you are threatening these people? Some petty grudge!" Ed exclaimed.
"What do you mean petty! You are the same as me, getting an automail arm to gain power. You'll see–"
"Don't," Ed took a step forward, pushing the older ponytailed man back, "you ever compare the reasons for my automail arm," Bald struggled to hold his ground, "with yours!" With a wild look in his eye, Ed smashed the automail in his hand, the lower grade pieces of it scattering on the floor. Bald stumbled back with a startled shout, only to fall into Al, who reared back and knocked the obnoxious man into next week.
I gave Hughes a look and gestured in the direction of the two brothers as if to say, 'see?' and sauntered out of the compartment. I gave a low whistle at the destruction. "Damn, kid, remind me not to get on your bad side."
"Don't call me kid, you're younger than me." Ed retorted back immediately, crossing his arms.
"Alright, alright, 'big brother'," I chuckled. Something caught my eye in my peripheral vision. I gaped. "Um, Ed? What the heck is that?" I pointed to an oddly shaped horn sticking out of the wall. It looked like some kind of strange duck but it had Ed's braid and hair antenna, and it was looking fiercely down at us. I guffawed. "Oh my god, is that supposed to be you?" Al snickered when he spotted it as well.
"Shut up!" Ed screeched. "You try to focus enough to visualize exactly what you want to transmute in a high stress situation. It's not easy!" We laughed harder.
FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA
Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang sauntered forward, his hands behind his back and his faithful subordinates by his side. Bald of the East Freedom Liberation Front Blue Squad and his cronies sat bound before him like the pathetic nuisances they were. Mustang smiled smugly, his black eyes narrowing.
Bald looked up. "So, you're Mustang." He jerked his arms and lunged forward, somehow having escaped his bonds. The Lieutenant Colonel didn't flinch, but smoothly brought up his gloved hand and snapped his fingers.
A surge of flame burst forth from thin air in a violent explosion, causing everyone in close vicinity to throw their arms up to protect their faces. Bald was consumed in a flash of burning crimson agony, and then fell to his knees as the flames were just as quickly dispersed.
Mustang flicked some nonexistent dust off his pristine blue military uniform casually. "I controlled myself. The damage to your skin isn't nearly as bad as it feels, despite the agony you are no doubt in."
He continued with a smug look. "You may call me Roy Mustang, or just Lieutenant Colonel. Hell you can call me the Flame Alchemist. Whatever you do, remember this pain."
Lieutenant Riza was rolling her eyes behind him he could just feel it. Roy preened.
"Hey," Edward Elric, the boy he had recruited just over a year ago, ran in front of him, a furious expression on his face. His hands were fisted at his side and he hunched over, looking like a puppy that got kicked. Roy fancied he could even see a tail tucked between his legs under that obnoxious red coat he was wearing. "You knew these guys would be on that train! You put us at risk on purpose."
"Now Ed, don't be so paranoid. I don't have the whole world on strings you know." Roy waved his hand in a flippant manner. "Besides, the General heard about your exploits and has decided to make an exception and let you take the State Alchemist exam."
The kid looked stricken. "But you said we could always take the exam, that's why we're here!"
"Come on, did you really think the State would allow a kid to take the exam? But fortune smiles upon you." He leaned forward slightly and lifted his eyebrows. "Good thing you got on that train, huh?"
Leaving Ed with a comical flabbergasted expression, Mustang walked away, Riza hot on his heals. "Sir," she said, "who was the third boy that was with them? I don't remember seeing him when we visited the Rockbell's. He looked just like Ed, but I'm pretty sure there are only two Elric brothers."
"Yeah, that's pretty strange all right," Roy said, glancing casually over his shoulder to see the boy for himself. Sure enough, another kid stood by the large suit of amor that he knew to be Alphonse Elric. "How about that."
"Sir?"
"Did you see the crest on his jacket?" Mustang asked, turning his back on the scene and continuing forward.
"It looked like a hurricane, sir."
"Right," Mustang stuck his gloved hands in his pockets, intrigued. "That boy has been trained by Orkan." He grinned. This was getting interesting.
Hey guys, I–Oh wait, hang on, the pizza's here...munch munch...
Ok, so this chapter. Yeah, we got to see some action! And Mustang! Just like I promised. Well, this was my last day of freedom since the semester is starting, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update after this, but no worries. I'll always be working on this when I have the time. Please bother me if I seem to have fallen off the face of the planet, and remind me that you're waiting for the next instal and I'll get it done.
Next Chapter: Nina. I'm going to bed now (cracks sore fingers and wipes tired eyes). Review please! See you next time!