Chapter Ten: Ishbal
Yay, FINALLY they're off to Ishbal! It only took ten chapters… XD
Sorry this update took a while… I've had to work on my high school graduation speech since that's less than two weeks away now, plus preparing for my job at camp this summer, and headaches seem to have become a daily occurrence now. But today the speech is finished and I'm pain-free, so a chapter finally gets posted!
speedfanatic05: Roy and Riza are the best! I love them so much :D
lilaclily00: Your review made me laugh and grin like an idiot…
"You know I'd be coming with you if my damn legs ever decided to sort themselves out."
"That's bull, Havoc! You just don't want the Ishbalan sun to ruin your complexion."
Havoc flicked cigarette ash in my direction. "Like hell," he said, laughing.
It was 1:57 in the morning. Havoc insisted on seeing us off, despite the ungodly hour. If he wasn't still in the middle of therapy, I knew he'd be on the train in a heartbeat, just like old times.
"Take care of yourself out there, Roy," he said, growing more serious. "And give those terrorist bastards hell for me."
"Don't worry about that," I muttered.
"And make sure the newbie doesn't get too comfortable," he said, nodding in Kate's direction. "Scrawny thing like her can't possibly replace me."
"I thought I'd give one of Central Command's paper pushers a taste of real action," I said.
Havoc spoke with his cigarette clamped between his teeth. "Well don't work her too hard. And let that Ishbalan sun put some color on her face."
"Already setting your sights on another conquest?" A real big brother would have hated someone for hitting on his sister, but I thought it was almost laughable.
"Nah, bring me back a sexy Ishbalan girl if you get the chance."
A whistle blared across the platform as the 2:00 train screeched to a halt. "Right on time," Hawkeye commented. "Ready, sir?"
I nodded. "Take it easy, Havoc! I'll see what I can do about that Ishbalan girl." I winked at him and grabbed my pack, leading the way to our train.
The seats were the kind that faced each other. Kate sat beside me, closest to the window, with Breda across from her. Hawkeye was facing me. Breda was all but unreadable when it came to his opinion of our newest team member. He'd likely make his thoughts of her known once he saw whether or not she was a capable soldier.
True to her word, Hawkeye had whipped up a fake military ID, certification, and records for Kate. "Private Keirs" was a thirty year old soldier who'd only known desk work in her six years as a member of the military. The fake name had been requested by Kate herself. I didn't see any reason to deny her. The Doctor Keirs she'd known in Ishbal would be all but forgotten by now, and was, according to Kate, dead.
But no amount of believable backstory from Hawkeye could alter the fact that Kate didn't look much like a soldier fit for combat. The uniform hid most of her bony frame, but her face was still gaunt and pale. Her hands trembled as she grasped the strap of her pack. Across from an officer like Breda, she looked more like a child play-acting a soldier.
"Fuery is set to meet us at the station when we arrive," Hawkeye said. "He'll give us all the information they've been able to gather on the Red Lotus and their whereabouts so we can start following leads."
"It'll be good to see him again," I said. "It's been a while."
Riza nodded, yawning. She tried to force it back. "Sorry sir, it's been a long day."
"Get some sleep; that's an order. We have a few hours."
She saluted with two fingers and settled in for a nap, still rigid in her seat. I dozed uncomfortably for about an hour until Breda got up to stretch his legs. Kate turned to me the second he was out of earshot.
"You're not going to tell them who I am, are you? All your old subordinates."
"I thought you were asleep," I grumbled, shifting my stiff shoulder muscles.
"Are you ashamed of me?"
"Look, Kate, this is for the sake of your ass as much as it is mine. I tell them who you really are and they'll start asking questions. Once they find out your past, they'll start to wonder why you're on this sensitive mission to Ishbal. So unless you want everyone in the military to know why you were dishonorably discharged ten years ago and how you got that hole in your stomach, you'll keep your damn mouth shut."
Kate opened her mouth to respond but turned away quickly as Breda sat back down. He glanced at Hawkeye, who was practically comatose next to him. "I wish I knew how she did it," he said.
"Me too," I said, trying to move to a more comfortable position. Kate had her head leaning against the window, eyes closed. I wondered if she could have fallen asleep that quickly.
Breda looked at her too and leaned over to talk more quietly. "You sure about this kid? If your idea was to replace Havoc, I think you missed the mark."
"She's not here to replace Havoc," I said. "Private Keirs is just with us for this mission."
"Has she even seen combat before?" Breda looked more skeptical than ever. "Hawkeye told me she was a desk worker."
"Central ordered me to bring her along, and that's what I'm doing." I wanted to be off this subject as soon as possible. "Now pipe down so I can catch a bit of sleep."
Breda was the one I was most worried about when it came to bringing Kate along. I knew he'd press to know why she was here. I could only hope that what I'd said kept his suspicion at bay.
xXx
A few hours later, Hawkeye was shaking me awake. I must have fallen asleep sometime during the ride. "We're here, sir," she said.
I stood up and smoothed down my uniform, readjusting my hat over my black hair. There were very few other passengers joining us on the platform as we climbed off the train. Ishbal wasn't exactly a popular destination for travelers at the moment.
"Fuery!" I called to the familiar figure at the end of the platform. He came to greet us, saluting the whole way.
"Good to see you again, Colonel," he said. "Welcome to Ishbal."
"I just wish it was a better time," I said. I could feel the tension in the air. The few people who had gotten off the train with us were already hurrying away to their final destinations. The train platform was in the open air, so I had a good view of the street. Next to no one was out even though it was a fine morning.
"I assume you want to be taken straight to the Amestrian military base? We have rooms prepared for all of you in the barracks." Fuery pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger. He looked exhausted.
"Yes, I think we'll get settled in before the briefing," I said.
"Follow me; it's not far."
We fell in behind Fuery as he led the way through the dusty streets. Hawkeye was by my side, as always, and Kate was on my other side. "Don't walk next to me," I whispered to her. She slowed pace immediately and dropped behind Breda.
"What's it been like, Fuery?" I asked aloud.
"They're scared. Ishbal was just starting to settle down when the first incidents started happening." He shook his head. "It doesn't seem fair to them at all. Everyone walks around with their heads down like they expect to be the next target – and who knows, any one of them might be."
I watched a young Ishbalan mother on the opposite side of the street, carrying a sleeping baby on one arm, holding the hand of a toddler with the other. The little boy was fussing as she dragged him along, all the while telling him to hush. She shot us a quick, nervous glance as we passed.
"How do they take to the Amestrian military?"
"For now they still trust us, for the most part, but their trust of anybody is running out."
We turned another corner and I saw the Amestrian military flag flying over a six foot stone wall. The gate was guarded by two soldiers. Three small figures stood a few feet beyond them. As we drew closer, I saw that they were Ishbalan children, dressed in rags.
Fuery held up his ID for the guards and we waited for them to open the gate. "Fuery, why are these kids here?" I whispered.
"There's usually a few who hang around. Looking for a handout, poor things. They're starving."
Kate slid past me and knelt beside the children. She spoke softly to them, but they hung back shyly and didn't respond. "Can't you do anything for them?" she asked Fuery.
He didn't look at her or the kids. "No. We hardly have enough rations to feed ourselves. Just let them be."
Kate looked at me, pleading with her eyes for me to do something. I glanced away. The gate was open now and Fuery was waiting for us to follow him. "Leave them alone, Private. That's an order." Kate reluctantly came. The smallest of the children started to follow her, but the oldest one held him back. I could feel their eyes watching us through the bars of the gate.
I cleared my throat to cut the awkward silence. "How long till our briefing?"
"About half an hour," Fuery said. "I'll show you your quarters first. Oh, and you might want to start preparing yourselves now. Scar's in on this one, and he's not been too happy these days."