Chapter Ten
As Edward had expected, none of the agents had a clue what he was talking about. He did, however, feel Mustang stiffen in surprise while still supporting most of Ed's weight. With each moment that passed, he was becoming more and more grateful for the fact that Mustang was there, because fuck, he was beyond exhausted. He was, in fact, so exhausted that in this moment he was more useless than Mustang in the rain. If he had to do any alchemy at all before he'd gotten some sleep, he literally wouldn't have been able to. Even the thought of having to move was enough to make him want to weep. Of course, he would never actually admit how grateful he was for the support to Mustang's face – it would be too much out of character.
"Are you serious? Are you certain?" Mustang's voice was tight with tension and perhaps even a little bit of fear, to the point that the questions came out in a barely audible whisper. Ed could understand why Mustang's voice sounded that way, considering their history with the Philosopher's Stone. That small red stone had caused so much chaos and heartbreak in Amestris, and to possibly have to confront it here again…it wasn't something that Ed was looking forward to.
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Morgan asked. "What's a Philosopher's Stone?"
The agents looked completely confused by the reference, and Ed knew why. They knew nothing about alchemy other than the tiny fragments that he'd already explained and demonstrated for them. If they only knew…he could only imagine that it would be like telling them that Harding had an atomic bomb at his disposal (thank Truth that someone had left that history textbook behind). He couldn't be one hundred percent certain that Harding had a Philosopher's Stone, since he hadn't sensed anything unusual about his alchemic energy while his tracking array had been active. However, he also hadn't been looking for a Stone and had no way of knowing if a Stone would take on the same alchemic energy signature as its wielder.
He looked at Mustang out of the corner of his eye. "I am. It's the only thing that makes sense and answers all the questions about this whole situation. I can only think of two ways for Harding to dimension hop: Truth, or the Stone. Since Truth didn't admit to sending Harding here, I can only assume that Harding somehow cam into possession of a Stone. There is the possibility that Harding did go through the Gate and Truth is just being a dick by not telling us, but I think we should assume the worst."
He shifted his weight from his flesh leg to his automail one, since his metal leg wouldn't tire and he needed to get off his feet as soon as he could. "I can't be completely certain either way, not without seeing the Stone for myself, but I'm going with the worst case scenario," he added, a little apologetically. He had had his fill of Stones and those who wielded them. Although, if he was asked and was being truthful, Greed was the only one of the Homunculi whose death Ed almost regretted. Months of travelling with him while he'd been in control of Ling's body had softened his attitude. He'd been glad when Ling had regained control of his own body, but he also couldn't deny that Greed's abilities had proved vital to defeating Father and saving the country on the Promised Day.
"I'm assuming that this Philosopher's Stone is a bad thing?" Hotch asked, sounding a little defeated. He'd started to realize that good news rarely occurred when the alchemists were involved.
Edward and Mustang exchanged glances. "A bad thing" was probably the understatement of the century where the Stone was concerned. Mustang looked at Ed, but immediately saw that the younger alchemist was struggling just to hang onto consciousness at this point, so he took charge of the conversation.
"Yes. The Stone is a very bad thing. The fact that Harding might be in possession of one complicates things immensely, and if he does have one, it will put Fullmetal and I at a huge disadvantage. We'll be happy to explain it to you in more detail, but not here. It's far too sensitive a topic. Also, if we keep standing around, Fullmetal's going to pass out."
Edward would have protested his commander's diagnosis, but in this case Mustang wasn't wrong. His absorbing array had run its course, and while he felt a lot better than he had ten minutes ago, he still felt worse than he had after the smaller scale test from the day before. He was certain that if Mustang wasn't supporting his weight, he would have curled up right where he was and given exactly zero fucks.
The fact that Edward didn't argue drove Mustang's point home for the agents and only confirmed Mustang's concerns. If Ed wasn't arguing with him – which might be a first in the five years that they'd known each other – then the younger alchemist was worse off than they thought.
"Alright, we'll head back to the station for now. We need to organize some officers to do a canvass of the area that Edward identified, and he's welcome to sleep on the couch in the conference room until someone turns up Harding's exact location and he's recovered," Hotch decided, before turning and leading the way back to the cars.
Mustang tightened his grip around Edward's waist to support him and helped the blond alchemist. He could see Dr. Reid hovering nearby, as if he wanted to volunteer to help, but was uncertain if Edward would accept the assistance. He also didn't fail to notice how Rossi and Prentiss automatically fell into step behind them, watching their six and protecting their backs should Harding be opportunistic enough to attack them. The chances of that happening were slim, considering that Edward had located and tracked the man four blocks away, but Mustang still appreciated the gesture. It was exactly what he would have expected from his team back home.
Edward simple appreciated the fact that he'd be able to lie down and recuperate soon. And Al says I never get enough sleep. It seemed as if sleeping was the only thing he'd been doing since he'd arrived in this dimension. Every step they took until they reached the cars cost him precious energy and made him want to cry; since it wasn't energy he could afford to spend while he was this exhausted.
He honestly didn't remember the drive to the station, and even the bright lights of the city weren't enough to attract his attention and keep him engaged. He didn't notice that Mustang kept his arm around him for the whole trip, and if any of the agents or Mustang said anything to him, it didn't register in his conscious mind in the slightest. He did notice that Mustang and Agent Jareau both helped him into the conference room and onto the couch, and he thought he noticed the brightly colored clothing of Garcia as she entered the room, but he was too tired to respond to her if she actually asked him anything.
As soon as he felt the cushions beneath him, he immediately lay down and curled up tightly on his left side, his red coat pulled tightly to his body, since the loss of so much of his energy had drained him and left him feeling a little chilled. Agent Jareau draped a blanket over him a few seconds later and he pulled it tightly around himself as well, a little greedily. Mustang knelt down on the floor beside the couch so that they were at eye level and he struggled to stay awake long enough to hear what Mustang wanted to say.
"Get some sleep, shrimp. We'll need your genius to beat Harding and the Stone soon." Mustang's usual smug expression seemed forced this time, and the worry for his youngest subordinate was all too evident in his dark eyes.
"I always knew you were a big softie," Edward smirked weakly. "Think I might have to pass that around Central Command when we get back, especially if you keep up with the short jokes." Mustang's chuckle in response and the feel of the older man ruffling his hair affectionately was the last thing that Ed was aware of before he gave into the exhaustion and his world went black.
The whole room was quiet, with the only exception behind the sound of Edward's heavy breathing as he drifted off into an utterly exhausted slumber. Mustang knew the agents were being very patient and were waiting for him to provide the explanation that he'd promised them, but he wanted to wait a few more minutes. He wanted to be sure that Edward was definitely asleep before he began. Edward's breathing finally evened out and Mustang had never felt more relieved.
In addition to equivalent exchange, one of the first core lessons an alchemy student learned when he began actually performing transmutations was balancing their internal energy so as to not exhaust themselves – especially those who wanted to serve the military in a combat capacity. Although it had never been proven, Mustang suspected that those who drained themselves too much while using alchemy were at risk for other health complications, exhaustion being the least of the potential complications, along with the potential for chronic migraines, ulcers, and other stress-related issues. Given that Edward had already been tired from the past three months of constantly caring for his brother, Mustang didn't want to think about the complications that could happen to Ed if he continually exhausted himself without taking the time to get proper rest.
Running a hand over his face, and breathing out a sigh of relief, Mustang rose from where he was kneeling next to the couch and moved over to the end of the couch by Edward's feet. Cautiously, not wanting to accidentally wake his subordinate, he took a seat and faced the agents. "Alright, what do you want to know?" he asked quietly. Alphonse had told him once that Edward was a heavy sleeper, but given how desperately the teen needed sleep at the moment, he didn't want to take the chance that their voices would rouse him.
No one spoke for a few minutes, and Mustang glanced at Edward again while he waited for them to gather their thoughts. The teen's chest was rising and falling evenly, and his face was slack in unconsciousness.
"Is Edward going to be alright?" Garcia asked.
Mustang nodded. "He will. He needs sleep and food and time to recuperate, but Fullmetal is one of the strongest alchemists that Amestris has ever had. Overreaching himself in the use of one array won't kill him."
"Colonel, I think we'd all like to know what a Philosopher's Stone is, to start with," Hotch finally said, his tone equally quiet to avoid waking Edward.
Mustang nodded. It was the logical question, considering the theory that Edward had proposed. "Okay. This might take a little bit of explaining, so please bear with me." He barely noted the agents' nods as he gathered his thoughts. "The Philosopher's Stone is a blood red stone created from alchemy. For as long as we've been practicing alchemy in Amestris, the Stone was believed to be the ultimate goal for an alchemist to strive for, since it enables its wielder to be able to bypass the laws of alchemy that Edward told you about the other day. The only real limit to what an alchemist can do if he or she has possession of the Stone is dependent on the alchemist's imagination and the life of the Stone itself. There have been Stones which have lasted for centuries and others that lasted for barely two years, as I understand it. The reason that Fullmetal and I are at a disadvantage if we go up against Harding now is because the two of us are still bound by the laws of alchemy. Harding is not."
Mustang paused there, as there were certain things he'd only answer if the agents asked directly. Otherwise he was keeping them between himself and Edward. It wasn't that he thought the agents could really do anything with the information, but there wasn't any point in stirring up potential trouble between themselves and the agents considering that they still didn't have a complete level of trust.
"So if we were to attempt to arrest Harding and he does have one of these Stones…" Morgan said slowly.
"He would more than likely destroy you with one move," Mustang said bluntly. "He wouldn't even have to get close to you to use his boiling alchemy the way we thought he would have to before Fullmetal realized that he could be in possession of a Stone."
"So why don't you and Edward create Stones of your own before you face off with Harding and even the playing field?" Prentiss asked.
Mustang sighed. Of course Edward's bad luck would transfer to him while the kid was dead to the world. Prentiss had asked and now he would have to answer. There was no point in sugarcoating the truth now. "Because in order to make even a single Stone with any degree of power, Edward and I would have to sacrifice thousands of people."
Utter silence fell in the room as the agents absorbed the impact of that statement. Mustang wasn't at all surprised, considering how he'd felt the first time Edward and Alphonse had revealed the truth to him after they'd decoded Marcoh's notes.
"Thousands of people?" JJ asked, horrified. It was obvious that the rest of the BAU agents equally as appalled as the blonde agent, judging by the expressions on their faces.
"Yes. The Stone uses human souls to bypass the laws of alchemy. Nothing is worth a human soul – it's the most precious resource in the world, and that's why bringing the dead back is the greatest taboo that exists in alchemy. However, if you were to exchange a human soul in order to create something, it would be within the rules of equivalent exchange," Mustang explained. "As long as you give equal or more of what you want to exchange, the rule applies. It's only when you attempt to exchange something worth less than what you want to gain that arrays will rebound on you. With the Stone, you're always exchanging more than what you want in return, so you can do anything – at least as long as the Stone has souls to give in exchange. Once the souls used to create the Stone are exhausted, the Stone itself will rebound if further transmutations are attempted."
This was definitely more Ed's forte, but he hoped he'd explained it simply enough. He really wasn't sure how to dumb it down any further. He waited quietly while the agents digested the information, listening to Ed breathing, waiting for any other questions the agents might still have.
"What was the Promised Day?"
Mustang blinked in surprise. Of all the questions that he had thought they might have, that was not one of them. How had they even heard that term, or knew how it related to the two alchemists? "What?"
"You mentioned it when you and Edward identified that our victims were reflections of people from your world," Reid said. "I believe your exact words were '…then the Promised Day arrived and we needed all hands on deck dealing with the aftermath.'"
"So what was the Promised Day?" Hotch repeated the question.
Mustang's practiced, professional mask fell into place immediately, but his thoughts were racing. While the true knowledge of Father and the homunculi's plans was mostly restricted to those who had been involved in helping to combat it, most of Amestris knew that something horrible had happened on that day and that it had involved alchemy. But the exact details weren't discussed with those who weren't already in the know, considering the bad light it painted the military in.
"Colonel, while we cannot deny the help that you and Major Elric – Edward – have given us on this case, you have to admit that there is still a lot that we don't know about the two of you or where you come from. It makes it difficult for us to know how much we should be able to trust you."
"Everything about your body language at this moment tells us that there is something that you're still hiding," Rossi added. "We've taken your word at face value up to this point, but your word alone is only going to bring you so far."
What the agents said was true, and Mustang knew that if he was in their place, and they were the ones telling him that they had jumped dimensions and came to Amestris, he'd probably be just as suspicious and cautious. He would also be demanding information, anything that he could use to verify their honesty.
"The Promised Day was the day when the entire nation of Amestris – over fifty million people – died and were then brought back to life through alchemy, and all because of one being that sought to obtain the power of God for itself."
If the revelation of what the Philosopher's Stone was had caused silence in the room, this statement dropped like a bombshell in the room and left all of the agents looking ill and disbelieving.
"But…" Emily couldn't finish the statement.
Mustang took a deep breath. "If you really want details, I can give them to you, but it's a horrifying story and doesn't really have any relation to our quest to track down Harding."
The agents looked at each other before they turned back to face Mustang. "I think we need to know, Colonel," Hotch finally said. "We need to understand your world."
Mustang nodded slowly. "The story actually starts six hundred years ago, before Amestris was even founded. Off beyond what are now our eastern borders, there was a powerful civilization known as Xerxes. Our history claims that the entire country was destroyed in one night by an alchemist wielding the Philosopher's Stone, leaving only a single survivor who travelled west to the area that eventually became our capital city of Central. That survivor became known as the Philosopher of the East, and it was said that he brought the science of alchemy to Amestris before sealing the Philosopher's Stone away to prevent it from ever being used in such a destructive way again. Two hundred years later, Amestris was officially founded.
"We started out as a small nation founded on the principles of alchemy, and eventually expanded our borders through military strength until we became the nation that we are today," he continued. "On paper we're a parliamentary republic, but in reality we're a military state under the command of our leader, the Füehrer. Our country is divided into five regional governments, with Central City being the top of the hierarchy and the other four regions answering to the Füehrer and the rest of the High Command in Central."
"So the military has absolute power in your land, and I'm guessing that as a Colonel you hold quite a bit of authority," Rossi theorized.
Mustang nodded. "Not as much as some, but with the fallout from the Promised Day and now all of the rebuilding going on, I've gained more than I had before, especially since I'm posted to Central Command. I'm still not as highly ranked as the Generals, but as far as day-to-day administrative tasks, yes. But there are some among those of us in the military who seek to restore our country to what it is supposed to be, myself and Fullmetal included."
He shook his head. "It was our arrogance that led to the Promised Day, however. We allowed ourselves to become complacent, and that made it easy for our military to become corrupted from the inside, and the one who was behind the whole situation was able to manipulate events for nearly four hundred years without anyone except his allies being aware of the situation."
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked. "There were plans being made four hundred years before this Promised Day would happen?"
Mustang nodded. "The one behind the whole plan was a creature called a homunculus – a life form created solely through alchemy. Until we learned the truth about the Promised Day, it was believed that using alchemy to create life was only theoretical, but also considered to be part of the taboo of human transmutation. What we didn't know was that the one we revered as the Philosopher from the East was actually a homunculus that had been created in Xerxes prior to its destruction. The creature deceived the King of Xerxes by promising to reveal the secret of immortality to him, and the King's desire to obtain that power directly led to the destruction of the entire kingdom. The homunculus used the so-called ritual of immortality to trap the souls of the people of Xerxes and transform them into a Philosopher's Stone. At least a million souls, all trapped and providing him with alchemic power far beyond anything an alchemist is born with."
"That's horrible," Garcia exclaimed. "He wiped out an entire civilization?"
"Yes. But that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to surpass God, but the only way to do that was to somehow find a way to generate an even stronger Philosopher's Stone, and at a specific time – a solar eclipse which occurred three months ago to be precise – he set his plan into motion. For four hundred years he worked behind the scenes to manipulate the leadership of Amestris. He carefully controlled the expansion of our borders until our country formed a circle which would be large enough to contain the population levels he needed to put his plan into effect. He created seven other homunculi out of the Philosopher's Stone and used them to help manipulate our country. They referred to him as their Father and he manipulated our military's High Command with promises of power, glory, and immortality. He even placed one of his children – one of the seven homunculi he created – in the position of ultimate power by making him our Füehrer."
"How do you stop something like that?" Reid wondered. "To have that much power, and to be able to manipulate so many people and events in the way that you're describing - it almost seems unbelievable."
"I wish that were so, Dr. Reid," Mustang said grimly. "If it wasn't for Fullmetal and his brother, we never would have learned the truth until it was far too late. Their determination to research the Philosopher's Stone eventually allowed them to uncover the homunculi's plan, and their courage and alchemic skill was what enabled us to defeat them in the end." He looked down at Edward. "I was the one who recruited Fullmetal when he was twelve years old, and I don't regret my decision in the slightest, but even I couldn't have predicted what an innocent trip to their hometown would lead to a few years later."
He sighed. "The homunculi's plan not only required a country-wide transmutation circle and a large population, it required bloodshed at five specific points along that circle, so over the four hundred years the homunculi created dissidence and chaos that allowed Central to send in military forces to put down the rebellions and create the bloodshed required to complete the transmutation. The final component was five human sacrifices – five alchemists who had performed and survived a very specific transmutation. Fullmetal and his brother were two of the required sacrifices, and their teacher was a third. On the Promised Day, the five sacrifices were gathered by the homunculi and forced to open the Gate of Truth, which allowed Father to acquire the power of god, at the cost of the lives of the citizens of Amestris."
"Fifty million lives, you said, correct?" Hotch asked.
Mustang nodded. "One of the sacrifices was aware of Father's plan and he had spent years leading up to the Promised Day putting a countermeasure in place, and after the sacrifices had played their part, the countermeasure was activated and it returned the souls of the people of Amestris back to them, reducing Father back to a very powerful, but no longer invincible homunculus. The army and the rest of the allies that we had gathered pulled together to fight Father and we eventually defeated him. Actually, it was Fullmetal who ultimately defeated him, but the cost to our country was extremely high. Most of the High Command was either killed or revealed to be corrupt, and we lost our Füehrer – although since he was a homunculi himself, that wasn't exactly a great loss. Ever since then, we've been struggling to rebuild what we had, while also making changes to lead us closer to reclaiming the parliamentary republic we are supposed to have. It will take time to make that full transition, as most of the people of Amestris don't have any idea of what actually happened on that day and our country has been so tied up in the military for so long we can't make an instant switch to a different form of government."
He didn't know how much more he could explain without revealing some information that the agents didn't need to know. They didn't need to know that the five sacrifices had performed human transmutation, or that Mustang himself had been one of the sacrifices, if unwillingly. He sat quietly, just listening to Ed breathing, waiting for any more questions the agents might still have.
"Thank you, Colonel," Rossi finally said. "While that was difficult to hear, it helps us to understand more about the world you come from." The other agents nodded in agreement, although a few of them – JJ and Reid specifically – still seemed to be disturbed by what Mustang had revealed.
"Please, don't speak to Fullmetal about what I've discussed with you," Mustang added. "I understand why you wanted to know, but Fullmetal and his brother were at the center of those events far more than I was, and I know that they still don't have good memories of that time. I've been on the front lines in war and conflict, more than once in my military career, but Fullmetal and his brother were actively being watched and stalked by the homunculi in the final months leading up to the Promised Day, and it caused them a lot of pain and suffering."
The agents all nodded in agreement and began conversing in low tones among themselves. Mustang was inclined to allow them to talk around him, as he was far more concerned for Ed's health at the moment. He was glad that the teen was getting some rest at long last. He knew that the first night that they were here was the first night in a long time that the blond had gotten proper rest. The fact that he had slept so soundly that night had been because Edward had been so utterly exhausted. But any rest he'd gained had been lost after the tracking array test run and nightmare he'd had the previous night, plus the discovery of the death of Edward's reflection and the younger alchemist exhausting himself tracking Harding down.
Hell, today had taken a toll on Mustang, and the sun hadn't even risen yet. He was going to kill Harding for doing what he had done. Killing people using alchemy just because they resembled Amestrian alchemists was horrible enough, but the fact that Harding had decided to call him and Edward out had crossed the line. Harding had made this personal and, Stone or no Stone, Mustang was going to make him regret it. He was certain that Edward felt the same way.
He was soon distracted from his thoughts when Morgan answered his cell phone. It never failed to fascinate him how this world didn't need landlines to contact people. He wondered if they could take this technology back to Amestris. Maybe he'd ask Dr. Reid to give him a run down on how it all worked. The youngest agent was clearly a genius, like Edward. Although, if he was like Edward, it might be better if he actually explained the technology to Ed directly. Edward would probably be more likely to understand all the technical jargon. Movement from the agents brought him back from his thoughts.
"What's going on?" he asked, glancing quickly at Edward to confirm that the noise hadn't disturbed Ed.
"Garcia is going to go back to the NYPD's cyber unit and work with some of the officers to check the cameras around the park and the area Edward located Harding to see if she can track him back to where he's hiding. Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid are going to join some of the NYPD officers and canvass the area as well, just in case someone else saw Harding in an area where the cameras don't cover. JJ and I are going to stay here and coordinate with the police as well as assist with any tips that come in. JJ's also our point person when it comes to dealing with the media, so if any information comes in that we feel like the public needs to be made aware of, she'll be able to work with the media to get the information out. We're going to go and brief the locals on our profile, but we'll be back shortly," Hotch explained, pausing at the door.
"Before you leave," Mustang said, not wanting the agents to leave without giving them all the information he could think of that would help, "make sure that you let the officers or any potential witnesses know to report any sightings of bright blue, red, or purple flashes of light, but to stay away from the area. Also, if they see any circles drawn anywhere, make sure they know not to touch them. Tell people they're marks for traps or something, just make sure that civilians and the police officers stay away from them. Once Fullmetal wakes up, if necessary, the two of us can go out and disarm the circles safely."
"No problem, we'll add that to our briefing. JJ and I will be back in a couple of hours. Get some rest, Colonel. We may need your help identifying any legitimate tips that we get after JJ finishes with her next press conference." Hotch left the room, closing the door with a quiet click as he did.
For a few minutes, Mustang sat quietly, monitoring Edward before he started to get bored. He got up and grabbed copies of the case files before returning to his spot next to Edward. He decided to use this time to go over the files properly so that he was aware of every fact. For the next hour, the only sounds in the room were pages being turned and Edward's slow, even breaths. It quickly became evident, however, that it didn't matter what dimension you were in, paperwork was still boring. However, setting the paperwork on fire would no doubt be a bad move. It might be a way to alleviate the boredom for a moment, but Mustang knew that the agents might see it as something more aggressive. He hoped that telling them the truth about the Promised Day would be enough to help the agents trust them more. So, while he decided against the urge to snap his fingers, he still wanted something interesting to happen.
It was another hour, however, before his wish was granted. A noise to his right drew his attention away from the paperwork he was pretending to read. Edward's eyes were flickering open and the teen was shifting underneath the blanket.
"You okay, kid?" Mustang asked, as Edward slowly sat up, rubbing his golden eyes with his flesh hand.
Edward blinked a few times and yawned before he focused his attention on Mustang. "Hmm? Yeah, totally fine. How long was I out?"
Mustang frowned. His subordinate did not sound fine. His voice was rough from sleep and exhaustion and he looked like he still needed another good twelve hours before he was fully rested. "You were out for a grand total of four hours. Why don't you get some more sleep? Nothing's happened, and trust me when I say this, you look worse than Father did when we beat him."
"Like you'd know what he looked like, bastard. As I recall, you were blind at the time." Edward scowled.
"Hawkeye described him to me, and I have a vivid imagination," Mustang shot back.
"I know you do. You have some amazing fantasies about somehow avoiding all of your paperwork and the Lieutenant's bullets when she realizes that you've been slacking off," Edward snorted. "It doesn't matter though, I'm not tired anymore."
"Really?" Mustang raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Okay, fine, I am, but I can't get back to sleep. But it's not a problem. As long as I don't do any more alchemy, I'll still get my energy levels back up," Edward said assuredly.
"But what about your actual health, Ed? I know your teacher had to have told you that using that much alchemic energy repeatedly isn't good for it. That and your sleeping habits. You need more sleep."
Edward rolled his eyes. "I know, but I can't help it. I'm tired, but my brain won't let me sleep. It'll sort itself out in time. Besides, if I just rest for a few more hours, I'll be ready to go. Stop worrying; you're starting to freak me out." Edward waved his concerns off, pushing himself more upright so that his back was pressed into the corner between the arm rest and the back of the couch.
Mustang sighed. He knew that Edward was stubborn. He had spent the last four years learning just how stubborn the kid was, after all. The simple fact that he had completed his recovery and therapy from his automail surgery in a third of the time it took most people was more evidence that Edward wasn't the type to surrender to a challenge. He knew no amount of arguing or pestering would serve his purpose and would only irritate the younger alchemist.
"Fine, but you're not allowed to do so much as make your own coffee. You stay on this couch, got it?"
Edward huffed in irritation. "Fine," he replied, rolling his eyes. "You must have been taking lessons in being a worrywart from Hughes and Al."
Mention of his deceased best friend was enough to cause the two of them to lapse into silence. After an awkward thirty seconds, Edward cleared his throat. "Where are the agents anyway?"
"They're briefing the local officers, canvassing the area you pointed out with your tracking array, and dealing with the media and tips from the public. Agents Hotchner and Jareau will probably be back soon," Mustang said before turning his attention back to the files.
"Oh, okay." Ed replied. After a few seconds, he leaned forward, trying to peer at the files. "What are you reading?"
"The files on the case. Just in case there's something we missed that might end up being an important detail later on."
Edward fidgeted a bit, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch. "Can I read whatever you already have?"
Mustang shot him a look of annoyance. "You need to rest, Fullmetal."
"What? I'm bored. There's nothing to do, and besides, you might miss something too."
Mustang decided not to acknowledge that with a response. He merely handed Edward the two files he'd already read. Edward grabbed them with a quick thank you and opened the first one up to begin reading. Soon, the only sound in the room was each others' breathing and the rhythmic flip of pages.
A/N - Revised chapter 10, anyone? As always, let me know what you think to PhoenixQueen's epic work! I'll see you for the next update!