Chapter Twenty One: Traitors

The Flame alchemist couldn't help but stare in shock. For one, he had managed to walk in the front door at Central Command and no one even seemed to notice him. But the thing that really threw him off was the topic that every person he passed was talking about. He was probably the only person who wasn't thrilled to hear the Furer had returned. He was certain his lack of enthusiasm was written all over his face. Without speaking to anyone, he made it to his office and closed the door behind him. Taking in the room, he slouched his shoulders and let out a groan. The mountain of paperwork that was occupying his desk made it feel as though he'd been gone for years. Didn't people here notice he was gone at all? You would think they'd get the hint after dropping off so much that he wasn't there to deal with it. Trudging over, he dropped into his chair with a sigh. He was certain much of this concerned Lior and his loose cannon of a subordinate that he had so recently stuck his neck out for. He had a bad feeling he was going to be paying for that one for a long time. The silence in the room was broken when the phone rang from somewhere under one of the many stacks of paper. Leaning over the side, he found the phone's line going to the wall and tried to follow it before the person on the other end decided to hang up. Trying to shift a couple of stacks out of his way, he accidentally sent several papers to the floor.

"Oh come on," he whined, finally placing his hand on the receiver and answering the call. "This is Mustang."

"Sir, when you get the chance, the Furer would like to meet with you." He couldn't contain the grimace but remained professional in his tone.

"I'll be right there." He got off the phone quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. No one else even acknowledged his presence so how the Furer knew he was on the premise at all was uncanny. He knew there was the chance that the Furer would just deal with him on the spot and for whatever reason he wasn't worried about it. He had to admit though that this whole situation was strange. As he left his office he couldn't help but wonder what he would learn in this meeting. The purpose of coming here was to help Fullmetal out but he really wasn't in any position to be making demands.

Before he knew it, he was standing outside the Furer's office. There was no avoiding it now as he sucked in a breath and straightened up before knocking on the door. As he entered the office, he immediately noticed King Bradley as he looked out the window behind his desk. It almost seemed like a challenge but he was not about to attempt anything dangerous right now. This already felt like a trap as it was and he already didn't like that he had no exit strategy. Closing the door, he also noticed the young woman sitting in one of the chairs, holding a cup of tea.

"You showed up, I have to say I am some what surprised." The Furer remained where he was with his back to the General and his arms folded behind his back. Roy made his way over to the desk but remained standing.

"Well of course, he wouldn't risk being insubordinate. We have to keep up appearances after all," the very familiar girl mentioned. She grinned up at him, mischievously. He immediately recognized her from the mansion but he was shocked to see her at Central Command. Normally, she remained hidden but by this point she probably didn't see the point. Once again, Mustang had to remind himself not to under estimate her. Hughes had told him quite a bit before they went in to rescue Fullmetal and whatever gaps were in his explanation, Edward filled in on the train ride home. If he didn't know what kind of person she was, her appearance would throw anyone off, even a skilled State alchemist like Roy. Even now, she remained seated while sipping her tea in a polite manner. She wore a simple red dress with satin black gloves with lace edging the cuffs, completing the roll of innocent youth.

"I would ask how you survived, Sir but I am sure that is something you aren't going to tell me." Bradley let out a tired sigh and turned with an uninterested look on his face.

"I'm bored with this," he muttered as a flash of light filled the space he occupied. Envy stretched his arms over his head and strutted over to the desk. "Who wants to play an old man the rest of their life anyway?" He flopped down in the Furer's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. While the possibility of the Furer being someone else had been something Roy had already considered, he was still not expecting Envy to drop the facade so quickly. Dante seemed displeased immediately as she placed her teacup down.

"Envy, you're not doing as I told you."

"So I suppose you're going to get rid of me now that I know?" Mustang never liked being caught off guard so he figured he would just ask the obvious question.

"Well I never said anything like that. We're just here to talk." Roy remained standing, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And what is it you want from me?"

"For someone who could be arrested for treason, you certainly make a lot of demands. There is only one thing that I want from you and that is to play along with the idea that the Furer is still alive. We are going to tell the council to release Edward and we need it to look as though you managed to convince him. At the very least, anyway."

"Why not just say he changed his mind? He's allowed to do that."

"But it's not as believable. And once they agree to release him, he's coming back with us."

"Funny, I'm pretty sure he'd rather rot in jail if that's the other option." Dante narrowed her gaze at the Flame alchemist. She really didn't hold him in high regard despite his talent or the fact that he managed to single handedly take down one of her homunculi. "And then what? You're going to convince him to stay with you? What's the point of keeping him locked up?"

"At some point I will probably need another Philosopher stone and when that time comes, I'll need him."

"You honestly think he's gonna help you make it? You really don't know him very well." The smug grin on her face said there was more to it then what she was telling him. "I have no problem with getting him released however he was pretty beaten up last I saw. It might be smart to let his mechanic fix him first before you enslave him for the rest of his life." Roy fell into a lazier posture, trying to make it look like he didn't really care. "Of course to guarantee this all works out to your benefit, you might want to throw something on the table that benefits me. The Furer could always retire and hand the position over to someone younger."

Dante had to think about that one for a second. She had enjoyed toying with the country through it's leadership and the military. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give it all up.

"You'll have to convince him that coming with me is in his best interest."

"I should be able to handle that."

...

More annoying questions.

It was all Edward needed, only this time it was far worse then a room full of older military men who more then likely didn't care for him in the first place. Apparently this was just their way of buying time while they decided what it was they wanted to do with him. They hadn't even bothered to shut the door and talk in private. Instead they stood in the hallway right outside the room, discussing him as though he couldn't hear the conversation.

His sanity was being called into question now. As he sat there being forced to listen to General Hakuro talking to the therapist, he decided he didn't care what they said. Claiming that he had 'emotional trauma' was either completely ridiculous or incredibly accurate. And could he really blame them? He hadn't even had the opportunity to mourn for his loss. He had been tossed into one situation after another. Didn't Al deserve more then just the occasional passing thought. Didn't his short life deserve some acknowledgement? What kind of older brother was he that he didn't have the decency to honor his brother's sacrifice? And now his own life was just something to toy with. Before he was forced to come here, they had taken him to the military hospital to make sure he was okay physically. The doctor had informed the officers that Edward must not have been eating lately, considering he was starting to look thin through his face. Maybe if they gave him half decent food that wouldn't be a problem. A couple other things were mentioned but he expected as much considering how Envy treated him. And it wasn't like he enjoyed his automail being in such disassembly.

He didn't understand why there was such a sudden fuss over his well being, physically or mentally. It wasn't going to change anyone's mind in the end. Maybe his appearance made them all feel bad for him and they couldn't stand having a conscience about all of this. He heard the door to the office close and he turned his attention to the only other man in the room. The therapist almost seemed uncertain as he continued to look over the report in his hand. Readjusting his glasses as he glanced up at Edward, he forced a kind smile on his face as though he felt bad for the teen in his office. Edward turned his attention back to the window, deciding he didn't want to talk to anyone. Especially this guy and especially about his problems.

"So, Edward...," the doctor didn't sound very confident. If Ed didn't know any better he'd think that the man was intimidated by him. "It was brought to my attention that you supposedly quit the military shortly after leaving Lior. Can you tell me about that?" The blond across the room let out a tired sigh. He had no desire to talk about his motives, let alone his actions. Anything he did or said at this point would be over analyzed and in the end he would still end up looking like a traitor. What was the point of discussing it? Explaining things to this guy would not change the outcome.