CM: Hey! Once again a special thanks to those of you reviewing! You guys are awesome. :D Hopefully now that it's the holidays I'll be able to post more often.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Heat of the Moment
Hughes walked down the halls of Central as he thought about just how he was going to break to his sister the news about Colonel Mustang. He made a decision as he reached the door to their room and took a deep breath before opening it. "Hey Kat, I called up Roy earlier and he should be arriving here..." He paused when saw the room empty. "Kat?...Elly?...oh dear not again."
"So you do have a plan this time?" Elly asked Kat warily as she gripped the edges of her seat tightly whilst Kat careened around a corner.
"Yes, I did some studying and I think I've discovered a way around his abilities," Kat told her, focusing on the road.
"Well,zip-a-dee-do-da, then," Elly said. "Just try not to kill us before we actually fight the guy."
"Of course." When Kat drove into the district the gel alchemist was supposed to be in, Elly decided to be observant.
"Was that your brother's house we drove by?"
"Very observant," Kat replied was only a couple blocks down that she heard the familiar crackle of electricity and soon the Gel alchemist was within their sights. "Are you ready?" Kat asked her partner seriously.
"You bet," Elly answered moving to crack her knuckles but only ending up holding tighter to the car. "Let's just end this guy while we have the chance."
Kat pulled the car over before they got too close and they took a moment of preparation before jumping into action. 27 came around the corner as they waited, and the moment he was within their sight, Kat froze him to the ground. "This time you are not going to get away," Kat said dangerously. 27 looked at her and a smile appeared on his face, just as Elly unleashed a powerful gust of wind that hit him hard enough to free him from his icy prison and launch him several blocks away.
"I think you overdid it a little," Kat told her with a sweat drop.
"You said knock him as far away as I could," Elly grumbled.
By the time they located 27 he was back up on his feet with a large grin on his face. "Man, just when I was starting to miss you two. I was planning on hunting you down but you saved me the trouble. You really are nice."
"We try," Kat said with a friendly smile.
"Glad we could oblige," Elly grinned herself. "Now let's start round two. Just as a warning though, it won't be so easy."
"I hope not," 27 chuckled. "Last time was much too easy, make this one entertaining for me." As he spoke he jumped forward and threw his goo at the both of them. Elly and Kat both dodged his attack, but he followed it up almost immediately and once again caught them in the sticky substance.
"Time to charge it up," he said excitedly.
"I think not," Kat said rolling up her sleeve to reveal a newly drawn alchemist symbol. "Elly, you may want to avoid breathing." There was the momentary surge of light and suddenly they were covered in a very powerful smelly substance that melted the goop away.
"Woah, looks like you learned a new trick," 27 laughed. "What in the world was that?" Elly really wanted to taunt him with what they were doing, but she was determined not to breathe in the substance. Instead, she nodded at Kat and the two of them went to work.
"A hundred percent hexane," Kat said before once more attacking, except rather than freeze him directly, since it would chance him dodging she surrounded him with a wall of ice, leaving him in Elly's capable hands. "It's the one thing that works at removing substances such as yours."
Elly smirked at 27 as he sat trapped inside of Kat's prison. "Looks like you've got nowhere to run this time," she managed to laugh. Then she formed a weapon with her wind and attacked him from behind.
27 dodged her swings, for once looking worried now. He jumped up onto a wall, sticking to the surface. Elly didn't let up and followed after him. But each time she got close he would either leap to another vertical surface or find refuge on the ground. He was even able to dodge Kat's direct attacks. "Whoa! You almost hit me!" he exclaimed, after back flipping away from another one of Elly's attacks. "You two really are vicious."
"Grr.... Kat, can't we please up the anti a bit? Please?" Elly implored.
"If we did that we might accidentally kill him," Kat relied with a sigh.
"Maybe, but the fact is if we don't beat him we're now then plenty of other people will be hurt," Elly told her throwing a few knives at him which were stopped by his goop. "He's such a pain in the but!"
"Trust me, I realize that," Kat murmured. No sooner had she said this than she realized something else. Each of the places that the gel alchemist landed on had a spot of goop on it, and they were smack dab in the center of it. "Elly, get out of the way!" Kat shouted.
"Too late!" he said gleefully before activatinghis alchemy. When he did, all the traces of goop converged, creating one huge sticky net.
Elly shouted in surprise as the goop trapped her in her tracks. "Kat, if you aren't caught get out!" she shouted. Only when the net had been made did she realize that the substance Kat had covered her in was now gone. "Geeze, and I thought we had it this time!"
"Haha...sorry kid, but neither of you are going anywhere," 27 laughed. "You'll both end up dying here!"
"I hope she didn't do what I think she did," Hughes thought as he walked out the entrance to Central. "She's always putting too much onto her own plate." As he arrived at the street, a car pulled up and three people got out.
"Hughes where's your sister?" Roy demanded. Next to him, Havoc stood ready but worried and on the other side of the car Hawkeye waited with one hand on the wheel.
"Ah, well you see, funny story actually," Hughes began with a forced laugh. But the look on Roy's face clearly said he wasn't in the mood so he quickly went straight to the heart of the matter. "She's gone, Roy. Elly too. I have no idea where they went."
Roy put a hand to his forehead out of frustration and sighed heavily. "We'd better start searching for them then," he muttered. "There's no telling what kind of trouble they're in this time."
Suddenly there was a loud explosion and dust rose into the air, not but 10 blocks from where Hughes new his house was. "Maybe we should start there," Havoc suggested.
"I'll come with you!" A booming voice exclaimed as Major Armstrong came charged down the steps of Central ten at a time.
"That's a very generous offer, Major, but I'm not sure if the Colonel's car can fit… so many people," Havoc said nervously.
"That's alright, I'll run next to the car," Armstrong exclaimed. "Using the running technique that's been PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS." As he finished, he noticed that the other four had already climbed into the vehicle.
"If you're coming then come already," Roy told him out his window. "We don't have time to dawdle." Then he turned to Hawkeye and said very seriously, "Don't slow for anything, Lieutenant."
"Roger that," she replied before hitting the gas with full force.
Kat had managed to avoid getting caught up in it and was now attempting to reach Elly without getting caught. She had manged to cover herself but there was no time to do the same for her partner as the slime attacked relentlessly. "You idiot! Leave me and get out of here!" Elly shouted.
"What have I told you about saying idiotic things!" Kat shouted back, ignoring Elly and attempting to push through. She was almost there... if she just kept dodging... she stretched out her hand, reaching for Elly's arm. Just another inch or so.... that's all she needed.
"No chance," 27 said sadistically. Then his goop completely fell on Kat, covering her and removing all the chemical she put on herself and then sticking her in place as well. "You should have left while you had the chance...now let's play a little game. Who's luck is better?"
He took hold of a strand of goop. "I pull on this, and see which of of you is lucky enough to sit back and watch your partner get barbecued. The chances should be roughly fifty-fifty, a then again.... maybe not..." Then he gave a hard tug.
The strand tightened and Kat was yanked from her place to the other side of the net. She landed hard on the ground a couple feet behind 27, completely tied up and unable to move. "What do you know, congratulations Ice Cold, you're the lucky winner," 27 exclaimed in an almost game show host voice. "Now you'd better say goodbye to your partner...as in a couple seconds, she won't be able to discern a thing."
"Wait," Kat said in a hard voice, trying to break free but he goop had turned rock hard. "You can have me just let her go."
"Well, I'll be taking you once I'm done here anyway," 27 replied with a shrug. "But you lost your only chance to say goodbye." He then turned on Elly who was thinking about just how horrible her luck was and allowed his slime to completely engulf her putting her in some sort of bubble. Then he grinned manically as he sent a charge through the slime and into Elly's body.
Kat fought hard against the slime trying to find some way to get loose. She could feel something inside cracking as she watched her partner get electrocuted, her screams engul by the goop that covered her. "Stop..." Kat gritted through her teeth. Elly couldn't remember being in so much skin felt like it was frying and her insides were on fire. And no amount of writhing eased any of it. Soon the pain was all she could even think about. "Stop it now!" Kat screamed. "STOP IT!!!"
"Hehe...isn't it fun?" 27 chuckled. "Watching her squirm is really amusing to me. Aren't you glad that you aren't the one stuck in there?" He glanced over at Kat while she was struggling on the ground and chuckled again. "You know you can't get through that...unless you find some way to apply that chemical again. Just sit back and watch, you'll get to experience it next."
"I don't think so." SNAP! Suddenly Kat's vision was filled with orange and she was surrounded by a powerful heat followed by the sound of gun shots and a painful shouting.
When her vision cleared, she saw Roy, Hughes, Hawkeye, Havoc, and Armstrong standing just behind Elly who was gasping and coughing on the ground. "Woah, the Flame Alchemist right?" 27 guessed. "Lucky me...I never thought that we'd ever meet. At least, not before I finished these two off." He was about to say something else, but Roy's flames cut him off. He held his fingers out poised to strike again as Elly managed to push herself up enough to see what was happening.
"C-Colonel? Wait...was he...?" Elly thought before he mind went completely blank and she almost passed out.
"Whoa there," Havoc said, catching her before she fell over. "Don't worry, Elly, the fight's over now. No passing out."
"Kat! Are you okay?" Hughes said, running over to his sister and helping her peel away the hardened slime.
"I'm.... I'm fine," Kat said in a slightly shaky voice. She watched as Roy stepped up to pwn the Gel Alchemist, and as she did so, she thought that he seemed much more... gallant looking than usual. Roy made short work of the insane alchemist before having him restrained by Armstrong.
"Major Armstrong, take this man to headquarters," Roy said with authority.
"Yes sir," Armstrong replied with a salute. He then proceeded to pick the Gel Alchemist up and headed for Central Headquarters.
"Everything's all fuzzy and stuffs," Elly mumbled. "I'm going to sleep now."
"Hey, I said you're going to have to stay awake," Havoc repeated giving her a good shake to keep her conscious.
"But I sleepy," Elly complained.
"Havoc, do whatever you have to to keep her awake," Roy ordered, then he turned on Kat who was being held lovingly by Hughes. "Lieutenant, why is it that once again I have to save you?"
"Colonel, maybe this should wait," Hawkeye pointed out.
"No! This happened twice now! Except this time I had to spend my money on a train ticket that could have been invested in something more useful," Roy said angrily.
"Roy, maybe..." Hughes began but Kat stopped him by standing up and facing her superior.
"Colonel, it's not what you think," Kat began.
"How is it not what I think?" Roy demanded. "This is the second time you went after a criminal without any back up or at least without alerting anyone else to what you were doing, and you nearly got yourself and your partner killed again. So explain to me how exactly this could be something, anything different."
"It was something I needed to do..." Kat tried again.
"Every time you say that it means something horrible is going to happen or has already happened," Roy pointed out. "Why was going after someone who had already defeated you once, something you needed to do?"
"But sir..."
"No buts Lieutenant, I just got done saving yours."
Kat's face suddenly went sour. "With all due respect, sir, I never asked for your help."
"Whether you ask for it or not, I take care of those underneath me, because if you die it means more paperwork for me," Roy retorted angrily.
"No it doesn't, it would go to your subordinates while you went around chasing skirts," Kat replied icily.
"Skirts...oh, like the mini skirt you wore," Elly exclaimed excitingly. "That was a hoot. I mean it really didn't take much to change your pants. We just had to place a something into your pant lining so you wouldn't notice. Oh, and the tape we used to keep Gracia from finding out that we left for HQ was just a bunch of nonsense we cooked up on the spot. But all in all, the four of us really enjoyed the sight."
"The four of you," Roy grated, looking angrier with each passing moment. Kat was praying a lightning bolt would strike Elly into unconsciousness, Havoc was praying that Roy didn't decide to torch Elly while he was holding her, and Hughes looked rather concerned, but couldn't help but feel proud at his sister's cleverness.
"The four of who?" Elly asked dazedly.
"Never mind, I think I can figure it out," Roy stated darkly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Lieutenant?"
Kat, figuring it was a lost cause anyway, decided to throw caution to the wind. "Miniskirts make you look fat, sir."
Havoc's cigarette dropped out of his open mouth, Hawkeye put a hand to her head and sighed, Elly laughed, and Hughes muttered an 'oh dear'.
Roy closed his mouth to stop from commenting before calmly placing his ignition gloves back on. "Lieutenant, you have exactly three seconds."
Kat's eyes widened in surprise. "Sir?"
"Two."
"You wouldn't really..."
"One," as he held his fingers out.
"Shoot," Kat breathed before turning on her heels and sprinting away.
There was a snap followed by an explosion that happened just behind her.
"Now, Roy, don't you think you're being just a little..." Hughes began.
"Hughes, let me do my job," Roy growled before stalking past in pursuit of the running girl.
"Okay... just don't keep her out too late," Hughes called after him.
"Ahahaha.... flamey is angry. Night night," Elly giggled before letting her eyes shut.
Havoc shook her a little. "We told you, you can't go to sleep for awhile, otherwise you might not wake up."
Elly opened her eyes once more to stare at him. "Havoc...you look weird with a blue face."
Havoc heaved a sigh. "You're going to drive me into an early grave."
Several hours later....
"I think I finally lost him. Oh... but I'm so hungry," Kat thought as she moved discretely through the shadows. "But it's not safe to go home, or back to Central, and all the shops are closed." Just then she spotted her favorite coffee shop with the lights still on and the open sign up. "Huh? Usually they're closed by now. Did they change their hours? Or maybe this is a trap?"
GROWL, went her stomach.
"Ah, maybe just a quick bite," she thought wearily. She was fatigued both from her earlier fight and from being chased by the raging Flame Alchemist. She needed nutrition. She checked all around her twice before sneaking over to the shop and entering the front door. "Anna, are you still in?"
"It's about time you arrived, Lieutenant Hughes," the calm voice of Roy Mustang answered. "Why don't you join me for a cup?"
Kat whirled around to see the Colonel sitting casually in one of the chairs, enjoying a hot beverage. "Anna, how could you?" Kat asked hurtfully to the girl behind the counter.
"I'm sorry, Kat, but it's the Roy Mustang," Anna apologized with stars in her eyes.
Before Kat had the chance to make another bolt, Roy had stood up and grabbed her by the collar of her uniform jacket before beginning to drag her out the door. "Your assistance is much appreciated, Anna," Roy said with an overly cheerful smile.
"Of course, anything for the Flame Alchemist," Anna said waving goodbye. "Have a good night!"
"Of course, anything for the Flame Alchemist," Kat repeated in an undertone.
"That's enough out of you," Roy growled as he forcefully led Kat out of the shop and into a nearby alleyway. "Now, you're going to explain to me exactly why you thought it was necessary for you to go after him."
Kat looked up at him in surprise before frowning. "What's the point of explaining? It would only sound as if I was making excuses."
"I want to know."
Kat sighed. "When I was in the infirmary, I was told that he was spotted near... and that there was no one else able to pursue him. I tried to leave Elly behind, but she ended up following me, and I just when I thought we had him figured out, he turned the tables on us once more. I was careless."
"Yes you were," Roy agreed. "You allowed your worry for your brother's safety to keep you from looking into what that soldier told you." Kat stared at the ground once again feeling the shame of being berated by him. Then he did something she did not expect, he pulled her head into his shoulder and held her somewhat tightly. "To be honest...I probably would have done the same thing in your position."
"I don't understand... this isn't like me. I didn't use to do things like this," Kat murmured, feeling her face heat the slightest.
"Yes you did," Roy corrected. "When you were younger, before you joined the military, before you lost your General, you would have done it every time."
Kat's eyes widened. "Colonel..."
Roy suddenly separated from her. "Shush, someone's coming." He pushed her back and Kat stood very still, watching the mouth of the alley. A soldier passed by, glancing over his shoulder, as if concerned that someone might be following him.
"I know him," Kat whispered when he had passed them. "That's Private MacEnitre... but he's not supposed to be stationed in this area."
Roy's eyes narrowed at this and he moved toward where he saw the private disappear. "Lieutenant, come, we're going to find out what he's up to."
"Yes, sir," she immediately obliged, following him.
They clandestinely trailed the Private, making sure to keep out of sight from him or anyone else. They finally stopped when they had reached a much more secluded part of the area. A figured hidden within a cloak stepped out of the shadows to meet the young soldier.
"Did you bring them?" He asked throatily.
"Yeah, it took some work, but I managed to get them," MacEntire said. "But before I hand them over to you, I'd like to get what I was promised."
"Of course," the man replied pulling out a small briefcase. He slowly opened it and showed that inside were several piles of bills. "All 100,000 cenz."
"I knew that he was having difficulties making ends meet but, to do this..." Kat murmured.
"What is he selling?" Roy murmured more to himself.
"Here's the plans you were wanting," MacEntrire said holding out a few folders. "I'm sure they'll help you out with whatever it is you're doing."
Roy shifted to get a better look and his foot ended up knocking a can a few inches, enough to make a small clattering noise. "Shoot."
Kat meanwhile readied herself for a fight.
"You were followed," the hidden man said nervously. "We're done here."
"Wait, I'll find out who it is," MacEntire offered and the sound of a gun being cocked was heard. "I'll make sure we're not overheard."
"If this turns into a fight now, the other one might escape," Roy thought in frustration. He quickly grabbed Kat and backed her into the furthest corner of the alley until she was pressed up against the wall.
"Colonel, what are you..." Kat began in a low whisper.
He didn't answer, instead he covered her as best as he could, making it very difficult to see their military uniforms. Then he took a deep breath and made the plunge by closing the remaining gap between their faces to keep up the appearance. He felt her go rigid beneath him and a voice in his head told him actually making contact was unnecessary, but he didn't stop... he didn't want to stop.
Kat's mind went into a haze as she felt the slight pressure against her mouth. It was soft, and warm, and tasted faintly like coffee. "What's going on?" she thought blankly. "Is this... is he really..." And then the crack in her mask spread further and further... until it finally shattered to pieces.
She didn't even notice that Private MacEntire had come and gone, telling the man that there was nothing to worry about and it was just a couple of lovers.
After MacEntire's and the other man's footsteps faded, Roy separated from her just barely but held that pose listening to his surroundings. It wasn't until half a minute later that he finally thought it was safe and let go. When the warmth vanished from Kat's lips, it left behind a burning tingle that she could not ignore.
"It looks like the coast is clear," Roy said after glancing over his shoulder, ensuring they were no longer being watched. "Let's go." He let her go and began to pursue, but stopped when he noticed she wasn't following. "Are you coming, Lieutenant?" Roy asked somewhat impatiently.
This snapped her out of her trance. "Of course, sir," Kat responded, and followed.
He couldn't help but notice how different she was acting and how red her face appeared to be. He also noticed that his own pulse had quickened but explained it away as being the adrenaline from the near catch.
"Lieutenant, I need you to hold the two of them in place once we catch up to them," Roy ordered.
"That I can do," Kat said with confidence, her heart still thumping.
The followed the sound of the two traveling deeper into the alleyways until they came upon a lot where a building used to stand. The two stood face to face and switched packages.
As they finished Roy stepped out of the shadows. "Private MacEntire, you are hereby under arrest for selling military documents to outside forces," he announced taking out his gloves once more and with a snap of his fingers he made a wall of fire behind the pair, preventing their escape.
Ignoring the dizziness she was beginning to feel, Kat slammed her palm down on the ground and the manhole nearby burst open with a geyser of water before rushing at the two men. It engulfed them both up to their shoulders before freezing over.
"Good work, Lieutenant," Roy commended.
Kat didn't answer. Instead she slumped over onto the ground, finding it to be very comfortable as her vision began to fade.
Roy looked over at Kat as she lay on the ground unconscious and went to her side lifting her into his arms. "I guess after everything you've been through tonight I shouldn't be too surprised that you passed out," he murmured. Looking down at the girl in his arms, he realized how disheveled she still was from her earlier fight. Yet, despite that, she looked so.... when his eyes strayed to her lips, Roy was forced to shake his head in order to clear it. "I'll get you back to the infirmary now, I'm sure your partner is worried about you.
CM: Confused emotions can have disasterous results, especially when one does not know how to approach them. Worse yet, outside forces are also at work. Next time on Sisterhood. Stay tuned!
