AN: 70k words to get to why we're doing a 03 event in a brotherhood fanfic. Also...so sorry for not updating for almost a year.

Absent

Chapter 25

Comprehension

"Ghost warehouse?" Hughes asked. Getting information out of Roy's staff was always an adventure. There were always so many back-stories and so many tangents. His best friend either had the most dedicated staff that covered for him with some wild stories or Roy was a complete hypocrite when he admonished Ed for his missions. He accepted that it was a little of both. Normally he enjoyed the run around but today he wanted answers. Roy had called him and told him to get his ass here as soon as possible, and this reception was not what he was expecting. The team should have been in a somber mood if Hawkeye was in the infirmary and Roy was so shaken he called him for help. Instead, he was standing here listening to Fuery talk about a ghost warehouse.

"Warehouse 13!" Fuery said. If anyone knew about the dreaded haunted warehouse, it had to be Hughes. He was military intelligence. "Certainly you have heard about it?"

"Yeah, but it's in Central not East City." Hughes said simply and patted Fuery on the head as the rest of the team stared at him in disbelief. This was a legitimate Team Mustang adventure from the reactions he was getting. What the hell was going on? "Your warehouses here in East City are lettered , in Central we use numbers."

"Fuck it really was Warehouse B." Breda said and watched Fuery try to process the information Hughes had just delivered.

"We should have known that." Falman said and slapped his head with his hand. "Dammit."

Maes leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. They were thankful for the insight, now it was time to get a handle on the situation he was called in for. Roy was emotional when he called, he had significant time to compose himself and craft some damned story to cover it all up. This ghost warehouse, however, was definitely not a Mustang creation."Hawkeye went ghost hunting with you?"

"Nope." Havoc said and watched Hughes's sharp eyes shift over to him. This guy was scary good at his job and was clearly conducting an interview right now. Fuery and Falman were too busy scolding themselves for the number/letter oversight and a glance from Heymans told him to tread lightly. It might be Mustang's best friend, but it was the boss's right to determine who shared what with him. "The only member of the Hawkeye household involved was that little mutt of hers and I'm not talking about the Colonel."

Hughes cocked his head. Cue a grin at the implication that there was something going on between Roy and his adjutant. Odd that the dog would go and Hawkeye stay home. Odd that Hawkeye let Roy out of her protective perimeter. Clearly the ghost hunt was not a high risk endeavor.

"It wasn't Hayate's fault!" Fuery exclaimed.

"My back muscles say otherwise." Breda replied and sat down at his desk to get back to work before someone came out of Mustang's office. He decided to fill Hughes in on the situation, he wasn't here to listen to stories about after work activities. Whatever happened to Hawkeye was serious enough that Mustang called in backup and Hughes got here in record time. "Damned dog was making offerings to hell and burying bones in the warehouse lot. We thought we stumbled on a body dump site and spent the night looking for murder victims. Nobody was in a good mood this morning and the Colonel rightfully blamed the dog for his activities, pissing off Lieutenant Hawkeye. So she picked up her puppy and left the office."

"What happened next..." Havoc said and looked to the office door and reached for a cigarette he didn't intend to light. "Don't know. The dog came back without Hawkeye and Mustang left. He didn't say anything, didn't tell us to come with him, just obeyed the dog when it barked at him and followed it. Next thing we know we're hearing Hawkeye on the radio demanding the Elrics be brought in ASAP."

Hughes raised an eyebrow. He wasn't surprised the Elrics had something to do with this, but Roy was the one who would make that kind of call. Hawkeye was outranked and had no authority to have a Major hauled in to HQ. She would never overstep those boundaries unless the boys were in danger.

"General Grumman's staff officers came back and soon all of HQ knew that there was some dramatic showdown between an alchemist and Mustang in the warehouse yard, and the Colonel once again saved the day. " Havoc looked over as he heard the door to Mustang's office unlock. He quickly added, "When they come back here, she told us he knew she was going to get attacked and this was all part of the plan."

Hughes looked up as the office door opened and Hawkeye materialized , safe and sound. Roy had told him there was an alchemy attack on Hawkeye when he called. His voice, the way he said 'Hughes, get here as fast as you can' told him that this was not part of any plan. Of course these two would work together to manipulate the situation into a positive for Roy, the question was if they were going to tell him the truth about what happened or just close ranks. He gave the team a wave of thanks and accepted the open door as an invite into whatever private council was going on in there. That itself was suspicious as hell. They were good about just getting back to work to fan the flames of rumors and suspicions when anything happened to them as a pair. For Hawkeye to be locked in the room, that said something serious had gone down and they needed privacy, appearances be damned.

Hughes casually sauntered into Roy's office and gave Hawkeye a quick once over. She was unscathed and back to work, so he assumed she wasn't severely harmed. His eyes immediately darted over to the couch and he cocked an eyebrow at the surprise of seeing the the Elrics. They boys were firmly planted on the couch with a spot in between them where Hawkeye must have recently been from the dimple in the cushion. Hawkeye closed the door and went to stand by Roy's side at his desk, ready to report when called upon. Hughes waved to the Elrics, they looked tense. He didn't ask them to leave figuring they would be helpful in shedding light on the alchemy portion of this situation as Roy was going to have a hard time seeing anything but Riza having been in danger. He had to play it cool here, last thing he wanted was Roy going into that interrogation hot. From the look on Ed's face, the kid would probably be right there with him. "So, why does this shit only happen to you, Roy?"

"Technically, Lieutenant Colonel, it happened to me." Riza replied and it was a reminder to Hughes to tread lightly. Roy still didn't have answers and he knew she was withholding things from him.

Maes leaned on the desk and nodded in understanding, Roy's eyes flashed with that spark of irritation that signified he knew they were communicating about him. Too bad! Roy's menacing looks didn't mean shit to him. "So what am I dealing with then?"

Roy stood. "What Mr. Henry will be dealing with is me."

"Sir." Riza said firmly.

"We're coming too." Ed said defiantly.

Al spoke, interrupting the Colonel's 'No'. "We just agreed this is dangerous alchemy and you admitted this man is targeting you! Do you think you should really go in there alone?"

Hughes cocked an eyebrow. Roy wasn't the only one getting protective, however Ed spoke before he had to vocalize that.

"I just want to see how his pocket change can stack up against real alchemy." Ed stood up, the fire of a fight starting to burn in him. He balled his fist and slammed it into the desk. "None of this sneaky shit. He makes a move and he's going through the wall."

Hughes made eye contact with Hawkeye. So it was that bad. "Well if you three are just going to be judge, jury and executioner then why did you make me come all the way out here? To make it easier to court-martial you?"

Riza watched the three alchemists calm down a little. Hughes knew how to handle all of them so well. However she couldn't help but recall the feeling of fear when she thought him coming after her for Roy's death. She had to tread lightly herself, Hughes was an exceptionally underrated man who played his role too well. Roy kept people on edge, Hughes dissolved that defensiveness with his smiles and pictures. She knew her story was full of holes and thin, she wasn't the master of half-truths and manipulations that Roy was. She had to hide from him, just like in the dream, just in plain sight this time. She was scared it would all unravel now, even though he was on their side. "I would be happy to answer your questions, Lieutenant Colonel."

"How did Mr. Henry attack you?" Hughes asked. Some research alchemist getting the jump on Hawkeye was hard to believe.

"You read Henry's file." Roy said sharply. "He used a coin for his transmutation circles."

"So where is this coin?" Hughes asked, knowing she was the one who had it. Roy's attempt to deflect his attention was weak. He noticed Ed and Al were fidgeting, he could see Ed tense and hear Al's armor squeak. The coin was something they didn't want to let go of. That...was unsettling. He also knew that taking possession of it himself would ultimately put it in the hands of the government, which was why they had a less than hospitable reception for him. He could feel the silence as the four people in the room thought about the same issue. "It was destroyed in the transmutation, wasn't it?"

It was the out they needed and Roy wasn't going to let the offer expire. "Yes."

Ed's reacted to Mustang outright lying to his best friend, but then he saw the look on Hughes's face and knew it something entirely different.

"Well, we don't have to let the prisoner know that. We can see what we can get him to confess to under interrogation. That, along with the Lieutenant's testimony, should be more than enough to prove his guilt. The question is, what exactly is he guilty of?"

Riza was now glad Hughes was here, he kept everyone focused on the real threat here: the alchemy. It was another question of what exactly did they want to report. They could 'lose' the coin but the research and alchemist were still the primary threat. It was also helpful to have Hughes asking the questions in this manner since Roy was apt to become defensive and hostile to anyone else. Hughes was just immune to it.

Roy put his hands on his desk and thought it through. Riza had told him enough and he needed to figure out exactly what their story was. The coin was no longer in play, but Henry was still out there. To neutralize him he had to downplay him as a threat. Of course there was the added bonus of having to lie about how he anticipated this attack and gave Riza the tools needed to overcome it. "I already reported Mr. Henry after he presented his research to the Alchemy exam pre-qualifier interview committee. That should be on record."

Riza spoke up. She hated using Kimblee's words and putting them in Roy's mouth but it was just a dream and a shame to not use what her subconscious handed to her on a silver platter. "The Colonel informed me that Mr. Henry appeared unstable. He said that men like that are always plotting and over-the-top when they go for revenge. They want a revenge that proves their work was legitimate and while ruining the life or career of the person that wronged them. Alchemists always work on a system of equivalent exchange."

Hughes was surprised Hawkeye was stepping in and speaking for Roy. It wasn't odd for her to explain away his actions and save him from reprimand, but this was a little more involved than that. Roy would have told him this on the way out of the office if these were actually his words. 'All part of the plan' might be right, but this was not Roy's plan. Not from the way he was bowing out and letting Hawkeye take the podium. This was weird. It was at that moment that he realized Roy had no fucking clue what had happened. "I talked with your staff, they knew nothing about this."

"The Lieutenant is my bodyguard, it was only important for her to know." Roy said simply. Hughes gave him that look that told him he knew this was all bullshit.

"I am responsible for his safety and the Colonel felt that Mr. Henry would not be satisfied with just an attempt on his life. He felt humiliated and wanted to return the favor. That is why he told me, because he felt I would be a target as well. Considering the rumors that go around this building about the Colonel and I being in a relationship, it seemed a good way to create a political problem for the Colonel and perhaps remove him from his role on the committee." Riza said and she could see Hughes didn't believe any of this. He knew Roy too well.

Hughes finally gave in and sat on Roy's desk to listen to this wonderful tale that she was telling. A story about how Roy was omnipotent and the ultimate strategist. Yeah, Roy was brilliant but he was not keen on putting his people in harms way to catch a lucky break like this. These two were good together, too good. He gave his disarming smile and said, "I heard from security that Roy was cradling you in his arms in the warehouse district when he found you. That's quite the act."

"It was necessary to draw Mr. Henry out." Riza sighed. "The Colonel tends to be a little dramatic when he is given the opportunity."

"Oh, trust me I know." Hughes said and reached over to pinch Roy's cheek to keep the mood light. Roy slapped his hand away. "So, Henry used his alchemy on you? How did that come about?"

Now was time to quickly come up with a story. "The Colonel was expecting to be targeted as well which is why he agreed to the ghost hunting trip with the team. They too can be quite dramatic and the Colonel knew Henry was lurking around headquarters looking for an opportunity to impress someone in order to be granted another interview. However while ghost hunting, they could not find the coin so I went back out to the site the next day. Henry used the coin he made as a transmutation circle, made a larger circle in the dirt to give himself something to activate it with. It was his method of attack and to ensure we caught him in the act...I seized the opportunity to pick it up when I saw it. The only way to stop Henry was to allow his plans to succeed."

Hughes crossed his arms and nodded. There was no way this was Roy's plan. "Did your team know they were looking for this coin?"

"If the team knew, they would have been on guard." Roy said. Hughes cocked his head. He wasn't believing a word of this. "They were looking for evidence to support that ghost warehouse theory, finding anything would have been evidence. We needed to look oblivious and unfortunately that was the only way."

"So it worked? This dream maker of his?" Hughes directed the question to Riza.

"Yes." Riza said. "However not to the degree he advertised at his exam preliminaries. I was immobilized by the coin, I did dream and I woke myself up with the knowledge provided to me by the Colonel as well as the Elrics here. I knew something was wrong and I was able to wake up. It did not save me from insomnia, cure my nightmares or do anything other than awaken my anxiety when I knew something was wrong. A soldier's senses are honed for a reason and it saved me from this trap."

Maes nodded and his eyes shifted to Roy who was still very quiet. He wasn't quite sure if they were trying to provide him with complete bullshit or plausible deniability. He didn't need clarification as to why they would be secretive or downplay the alchemy used here, he just wanted to know why they weren't telling him what really happened. He could see Roy wanted to tell him, this was about damage control now and not the truth. Roy was actually scared this could become something. He wouldn't be so secretive if he was just scared of this coin being used as a weapon, he was scared of Hawkeye being used...as research? Evidence? Blackmail? It didn't matter, he was here to help. "Well this should be an open and shut case. Nice work anticipating this and getting ahead of it Roy."

Roy wanted to vomit and he knew Hughes saw it. In an instant Hughes's hand was on his head, ruffling up his hair.

"Good boy."

"Hughes!" Roy snapped.

"Well I'm ready to go interview this guy and slap him with charges so he can be shipped out ASAP." Hughes said and swung his leg back and forth. "So why don't you take the Lieutenant to a safe house and let me and the boys take care of this."

Riza felt that chill of respect for the man that had surfaced in her dream. That shock of a move that was so deliberate and yet so casual that it left a wake a shock and silence in the room. Everyone saw what he just did, but nobody saw it coming. It was how he fought, it was how he worked and it was exactly what had made her scared to face him. Thankfully he didn't look at her, but instead glanced over at Roy who was still in the process of reacting to his statement.

"Excuse me?" Roy spat.

"You heard me." Maes reached out and tapped him on the nose. "You need to take the Lieutenant to a safe house. You don't need to be here. Did you forget the part in this where you were the intended target all along? Did you forget that the Lieutenant was attacked by some mental alchemy that you don't know anything about and could have side effects? Do you really think I am letting you in a room with this guy?"

Roy swatted his hand away again. "Dammit Hughes..."

Hughes was quick and grabbed Roy's hand and held it, gripping it hard so he understood this was not negotiable and he needed to listen to him. "Why play into this guy's plan anymore than you have? He's waiting for you in there, trying to come up with a new plan for revenge. He's failed thus far, but now he's a caged animal looking for freedom or victory. Do you honestly want to pass up the opportunity to add a final insult and complete destroy this guy? Brush this off, leave as if this is beneath you to give him any more of your time. Worse, send in Ed to help me. Ed, the youngest State Alchemist. Ed, a teenager who achieved what this guy can not. Ed, who is going to behave himself and not beat the shit out of this guy or destroy the damned brig in the process."

Ed's fist was still on the desk from where he had hit it earlier. He was so absorbed by how casual Hughes was about the situation that he hadn't moved an inch. Now he was suddenly the focus of attention and he didn't even see it coming. All he could do was say, "Yeah. I can do that."

Al spoke, softly. "The Lieutenant Colonel has a good point. Mr. Henry appears to be very dedicated to his mission to prove his alchemy's worth as well as discredit you, Colonel."

Roy shook his head and tried to grab his hand back, but Hughes held on firmly. He glared at him and Maes didn't flinch. He was already so useless in this situation, the only thing he could do was go into that interrogation room and make sure it never happened again.

"If this alchemy is as dangerous as it sounds." Hughes said slowly. "The only thing to do is snuff out the fire before it can get any more attention. You already won, walk away with your victory and make sure the Lieutenant takes the day off. Drive her to a safe house, make sure there aren't any residual effects of being knocked out and call in after a few hours to see if the interrogation is over. I will speak with Grumman about initiating a safety protocol because his alchemist has been threatened. He'll smile and laugh and you'll deal with the rumors tomorrow. I'll get a pat on the back for doing my job, interrogating people, and not compromising my investigation by allowing a victim to play a part in the process. I'll also use your protege as alchemy consultant and you'll get points for delegating. Got out of here, Roy, let us do our jobs."

"I can do this." Ed blurted out. Mustang looked at him and he could see him struggle with the idea of just turning his back on all this and leaving. "I'll even throw in a little bonus jibe at you about leaving me to do your damned paperwork while you take the rest of the day off."

"That's why you had the Lieutenant broadcast that APB on us, right?" Al asked innocently. He could see from the eyes that looked towards him that everyone appreciated where he was going with this. "So Ed could spend his day stuck inside interrogating Mr. Henry and doing the paperwork instead of you?"

Roy felt Hughes release his hand. There was no more need for convincing, no more need to force the issue. "You do love exposing frauds, don't you Fullmetal?"

Ed grinned. "Damned right I do."

Hughes slapped his hand on the desk and stood up. "Well that settles it! You two get going and let me investigate without interference. Ed and Al, you come with me and help me make sense of this freak."