I tried to upload this yesterday, but the servers were down? I couldn't log in and I was getting a 502 error.

Chapter Ten

Ed was finally recovered. She had been able to leave the crummy doctor's office for some grub a few times and that's what she had been out doing. However, when she returned, there was an MP standing in front of the door to the office. They had been planning on leaving anyway, and that's why Ed had sent Darius with her pocket watch to get some money out of her bank account. She should have guessed they would run into trouble. She practically deserted.

"Hold it," the MP spoke as he noticed her walking up to the door with bags of food. "Do you work at this doctor's office?" Ed stayed silent, chewing on a stick of food and letting the MP assume that she did work in the office. "Have you seen anyone unusual frequenting the clinic lately?" he asked. "We're looking for a military officer. He's described as wearing a red coat, blonde hair worn in a braid, and short."

Why did people always think she was short?! Well, she was normal sized for any girl her age, but not really for a boy. Still, she snapped on the man. She would've had to take him out anyway. She moved to a different position while waiting for any other MPs to come out.

"Harris?" another MP asked as he came out of the office. "Harris? Harris! What happened to you! Come on, snap to! Harris-!" Ed interrupted the man's yelling by knocking him out in the process. They needed to move. She went inside of the office to stake out the place and find out if there were any other MPs. Usually they came in teams. She wasn't surprised to hear another one in the back room where she had been staying.

"Coen! Harris!" the MP called out. "What's going on?! Hey, answer me!" Ed had enough of the stupid military's babbling. She was also done being merciful. She rammed her automail arm through the wall and used it to hold the MP in a choke hold. She knew she had got him when he stopped his insufferable shouting. After a moment, he was on the ground.

"Damn, you just had to take them out on your own, huh?" Darius asked as he got out of the bed Ed had been laying in to recover in before. "You're pretty reckless, kid. You haven't even fully recovered yet."

"Don't treat me like I'm an invalid," Ed said as she turned the corner into the room. Honestly, even if he treated her like an invalid, it was better than him treating her like a girl. The chimeras had yet to do that. "My injuries are completely healed and I'm revving it full throttle."

"In any case, we better get out of here," Heinkel commented. "We've been here long enough. Sooner or later more MPs are gonna be out here looking for us." They didn't really have anything to pack up, but they got their shit and got out.

"Thanks for everything you've done, doc," Darius said. Ed rolled her eyes. They paid them enough for it.

"Don't worry about it; just go," the male doctor said.

"We've had about all the trouble we can take for today," the female doctor added.

As the three of them made their way out of the building, Ed lifted the slip of paper the MP was reading off to describe her. She figured she'd have to make sure with her current look for a while. Hell, she might just have to wear feminine clothing and be disguised. She currently had her hair down, though had switched from a red coat to a white one.

"Freeze!" an MP shouted from behind them. They turned around. "Drop your weapons!"

"We took too long," Heinkel commented.

"Get your hands up in the air!" an MP shouted. "Do it now!"

"Move, kid, those guys are dangerous!" the other shouted.

Darius and Heinkel shared a look before grabbing Ed in their arms.

"Stay back or he's dead!" Heinkel shouted, holding a gun up to Ed's head.

"Don't force us to blow this kid's brains out!" Darius added, though he was really just holding up his fingers in the shape of a gun to Ed's head. The MPs didn't register that and let them go. Unfortunately, when they ended up outside, there were even more MPs.

"I'll hotwire some wheels for us," Darius said, still holding Ed in his arm as they ran.

"Okay," Heinkel agreed. Ed wondered how they even knew how to hotwire a car. It wasn't like everyone in the military knew how. Though, Mustang had always stopped her from learning stuff like that.

Thankfully Darius turned out to be quick at hotwiring. They were in the car and driving with soldiers on their tail before they knew it, Ed staring into the back window to see them gaining on them.

She turned and faced Darius. "Hey, gorilla, step on it!"

"Don't call me that!" Darius shouted.

"Just drive faster!" Ed exclaimed.

"these guys are from Northern Command!" Darius said. "We're never gonna ditch 'em!" Suddenly a car pulled out in front of them and Darius had to swerve the car. Through the snow the car swerved more than usual, but Darius was able to regain control of the vehicle.

"That was a little too close," Heinkel commented.

"How's it looking behind us?" Darius asked.

"Not good," Ed answered. "They're right on us!"

"Dammit!" Darius exclaimed.

Ed suddenly hatched a plan and pulled herself forward, pointing to a street. "Turn there! I've got an idea!"

"What?" Darius asked.

"Just shut up and turn!" Ed shouted.

"This better be a good plan," Darius responded.

"Just park the car as soon as we turn," Ed ordered as she clapped her hands and prepared for a transmutation. The car turned quickly in the icy road and just as Darius had parked the car, Ed performed a transmutation that changed to outward appearance of it.

"Whew," Ed breathed out in relief. "And you doubted me."

"Yeah, well can you change it back into a normal car now?" Darius asked, irritated with the new design. The outside of the car was purple and red with yellow horns sticking out the front.

"And why is that?" Ed asked. "I think this car looks cool as hell!"

"Just change it back," Darius said. "Please, we're begging you."

"You guys got a problem with my sense of style?!" Ed shouted.

"You don't have any!" the chimeras stated simultaneously.

"Seriously, it's hard to believe you're really a girl under all that," Darius said.

"Oh, shut up," Ed said as she rolled her eyes. She transmuted the car back into a normal looking car like they asked once they were a safe distance away. "What is 'all that'? And how is a girl supposed to be?"

"It's not how a girl is really 'supposed' to be, but usually girls are feminine," Heinkel said. "Everything you're not. What kind of girl has always gone by the boy name 'Ed'?"

"It's short for Edelle, all right?" Ed said grumpily. "My brother had trouble saying it when we were little and always called me 'Ed'. The name grew on me. When I turned twelve I had it legally changed to Edward so I could enter the military without anyone questioning me."

"How'd you get away with passing as a guy?" Darius asked.

"Well, I was ten with short hair when I was recruited," Ed said. "Well, it was almost down to my shoulders. I was growing it out."

"You're telling me that you were only ten when you were recruited?" Heinkel asked in a shocked tone.

"Yep!" Ed smirked proudly. Finally, something she could actually talk about. "Ten when I was recruited, had automail surgery, walking at eleven, studying 'till twelve, and finally passed the exam about a month after my twelfth birthday," Ed explained.

"And how old are you now?" Darius asked.

"I'm almost seventeen," Ed answered quietly. There were a few minutes of silence in the car that the chimeras hadn't expected.

"Why so quiet?" Darius asked.

Heinkel looked back. "Kid's sleeping."

"'Bout time."

Lily (Anon): "Thank you for updating. I really really like this story :)"

Well, I'm glad! Hopefully you like it better than the last one, which was…rough.