Returning Echoes

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor ever will, Fullmetal Alchemist or the characters within.

Chapter 36: Dinner And What Went Before

Colonel Naylor placed his laden tray on the table with a small thud as he sat down. The two men already seated there didn't spare him a glance as they continued eating and Naylor started on his breakfast without saying a word. It was only when his tray was nearly cleared that he spoke.

"Phone tap will be in place by ten this morning."

"Thanks Naylor. I'll let the General know," Colonel Becfor replied.

"My apologies for not being able to do it yesterday but Rowe only returned last night."

"Will he be monitoring the calls as well?"

"Yes. I've put him in charge of the listening crew and told him he can only have two others apart from himself. The less people involved the better."

"I agree. If you need anything further, let me know."

"How long will this be in place for?"

"I would assume until the investigation is over and they return to Central." Becfor looked at his fellow Colonel. "We need to ensure they never find out about the tap."

"We're taking all precautions and Rowe is too good to get caught out. When it comes to communications he's a genius. They won't know a thing," Naylor replied confidently.

"Don't get too cocky, Colonel," the third man suddenly said. "Didn't I teach you to be always prepared for anything?"

"You did, Sergeant-Major, but this is a basic task and one of the least noticeable forms of surveillance."

"It is, but your targets are investigators from Central and you know little of their capabilities, and that should be taken into account. Accidents can still happen." Sergeant-Major Harris placed his cutlery carefully and silently on his tray and looked at the younger Colonel Naylor. "Do not become complacent."

"I won't." Colonel Naylor had to stop himself from adding 'Sir' to his reply. The Sergeant-Major had been one of his first instructors when he had enlisted and while he had lost his initial fear of the man, the respect had grown. After General Sarin, Colonel Naylor - and nearly all of the other soldiers here - considered Sergeant-Major Harris to be the next most important person in South Headquarters. He had been in South Headquarters for nearly twenty-five years and it was believed by some that General Sarin had only been allowed to accept the command here after being approved by the Sergeant-Major.

"There is a lot of gossip amongst the lower ranks about this Lieutenant-Colonel," Sergeant-Major Harris said as he looked at Colonel Becfor.

"Yes. The men who are helping at the explosion site seem to be the originators of most of it." Becfor remained calm. "Her personnel file will be here the day after tomorrow and with our observations tonight we shall have a better idea of who we are dealing with."

Colonel Naylor leant back in his chair and let his breath out. "I get the feeling this is going to be a case of all talk and no substance. From what I've heard so far, she's only interested in the explosion and nothing else."

"And that is how we want it to stay, Colonel." The Sergeant-Major's voice was soft. "It is our duty to make sure of it."

There was something different about Edward today and Falman didn't know what it was. She worked with the same single-mindedness he knew so well. Nothing she said or did was or sounded any different but he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed it. He had seen Ralke looking at Ed a couple of times as well. The young man was completely confused by it. Falman at least was almost completely sure as to who had caused the change even if he couldn't define what the change was. Somehow after dinner last night, Ed and the Lieutenant-General had managed to talk to each other. And whatever had been said had caused this indefinable change.

Falman frowned as he began to wonder just how they had managed it. Edward hadn't known about the new office number when she had left to go to dinner, so that meant she had found it afterwards which in turn meant she had returned to the office after her meal which… Falman stopped and wondered why he was so curious. It wasn't like him to take such an interest in their personal lives. Neither the Lieutenant-General nor the Lieutenant-Colonel would welcome anyone interfering, even if he was an old… friend? After all, isn't that what am I? I've known Edward since he was a teenager. Only the Lieutenant-General has known Ed longer than I have. I want it to work out for Ed… for them both.

Falman let his breath out. He would make sure Edward stayed safe until they returned. There wasn't much else he could do. He knew he wasn't the most emotive of men, but that didn't mean he was completely unfeeling and unable to offer what support and aid he could. Maybe he could be a bit more forthcoming about Edward's activities when he called the daily report in. The Lieutenant-General would probably appreciate hearing it.

Edward tilted her head as she studied the debris in front of her. She pulled off her left glove and reached out to lightly touch the cold metal of a beam. Dust was everywhere and coated everything but to Ed's sharp eyes the dust was different here. There was something under the dust. The dust had piled up clearly defining the ridges and lines of whatever it was. She didn't know if it was structural damage or something else. She dragged her finger across one of the dusty lines and it disappeared to reveal clear steel. She frowned. So the lines were not a fault of the metal. Something, possibly a fluid, had hit the beam, either splattered or spilt. Either before or during the explosion. Ed sighed. She didn't even know if it was a ceiling or wall beam.

She looked at the dust on her fingertip. It would be very convenient if she could tell just from look and touch exactly what was in this dust but that wasn't possible. An array to break it down would only be partially effective. You couldn't deconstruct something completely without knowing what it was made of and that brought her back to the beginning again. She could guess fairly accurately at most of the components but not all of them. She'd have to send this to Stost and his lab and let them figure it out. Maybe she'd send Captain Grant with his knowledge of explosives along with it. She looked up and looked around.

"Grant!" She called when she saw the Captain kneeling not too far away. He had surprised her with his willingness to crawl over the debris and rubble. He had an abrupt manner with the other soldiers and was often impatient with them. But he worked hard and he didn't get as caught up in the work like she did she realised as his head lifted at her call. Ed knew that they had to shake her or shout at her to get her attention most times. She waved him over.

"Look at this. I want to get it tested."

Captain Grant studied the pattern and dust. "It came off when you rubbed it? So it can't be an old stain. Splatter probably but we'd need to find more of the surface area to determine that for certain. There's no way of knowing if it came from the explosion."

"I know that, but everything in South Headquarters is neat and tidy. They'd never leave a spill lying around and Ralke said there was an inspection due. If it's not from the explosion then it must have happened very close to the time of it." Ed looked up from the beam. "None of the reports from the survivors mention anything about a spill or an accident. It narrows it down to being either something only the dead guy knew about, or it was caused by the explosion itself."

"This could just be from some of the oil and chemicals they had stored here."

"Yes, and I would have thought that anything liquid would have been vapourised if it had been too close to the actual explosion. So this was just outside of the blast range, or shielded somehow from the direct heat. I want to know what it is."

"I'll take it to Colonel Stost. They'll be able to do that. I sent some other pieces over yesterday and they promised to have some results by today."

Ed blinked. "That seems a bit quick. I would have thought it would have taken a bit longer."

"I got the impression they would be working through the night to do it." Captain Grant shook himself with a casual movement. "They really want to know what happened."

"The General said that," Ed remarked.

"We'd be like that if it had happened at Central," Grant replied and Ed nodded. It would be a lot worse if this had happened there, she thought. She'd never get any sleep and she'd have the bastard, the asshole and the Fuhrer on her back as well. And anyone else who thought they were important enough to be involved, she added cynically. Here they'd been completely left alone. There hadn't even been any gawkers. Even a week after the incident in Central soldiers had still been wandering past the Research Department to point at the damage. Either soldiers here just weren't curious or they'd sated themselves in the two days before Ed and the others had arrived. And as soon as Ed thought that she shook her head. That wasn't possible. Not for soldiers, not for anyone. People were innately curious and she knew it. Some more so than others… like me. So someone here had the power to keep the lookers away. She mentally shrugged. Probably Sarin as part of his wanting to get everything solved as soon as possible. Edward didn't think too deeply about it. She wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible as well and what the General did in his own Headquarters had nothing to with her.

"You think Stost's team will get this done as quick?" Ed asked.

"Probably."

"Okay. Help me get this beam clear without spoiling the sample and then I'll see if I can find more of this while you send it to him."

Grant nodded as he moved around and they began to move the rubble away. They pushed a large slab of reinforced concrete aside and Grant managed to hold back from making a comment. It was disconcerting to him to see her doing things he didn't think women could do. Ever since they had started investigating, he had seen her lift and shift debris and rubble that she just shouldn't be able to move with an ease, and almost grace, that had been completely unexpected. It was common knowledge that Edward Elric had automail and to him that that was why she was able to do such things, but to see that slender female form casually lifting beams that he had trouble with was almost too much. It didn't seem right, even with automail, for her to have such strength.

He couldn't figure her out. She left much of the investigation in his hands and she gave any paperwork to the Warrant Officer to do. She happily crawled through and over the debris and rarely asked questions. When she did, they were always precise. She never asked the same thing twice and she never forgot what he had said, no matter how uninterested she seemed at that time, applying it straightaway to either her search patterns or to the reports she never wrote but always read. She scribbled notes and comments in the margins that, once he managed to decipher them, were helpful and relevant. He had the impression that she had a fair bit of experience with collapsed buildings but not much with explosives, although she was quick to understand due to her alchemical background.

Quite frankly she baffled him and he was beginning to think that there was no way to figure her out. She did what she did and that was it. She fitted into everyone else's plans and still managed to remain independent. Without effort it appeared as if everything was being done as she wanted it to be done. He couldn't see how she managed it, and as he saw her lift her end of the beam, he realised she wasn't aware of it. Perhaps it wasn't something she did; it was that Warrant Officer of hers. He seemed to be able to predict her movements and requirements and had no hesitation in ordering the others to make sure it was all in place for her. No matter what she did or said Falman always seemed to know how to cope, and his efficient, matter-of-fact manner led everyone to follow without realising it.

"Hey Grant, you gonna move or what?" The Lieutenant-Colonel's voice had him blinking and suddenly aware he had been standing there lost in his thoughts and she was waiting for him.

"Sorry," he said as he hastened to move and lifted his end of the beam. He shifted around and they began to move it out of the debris. He felt the beam go up and down with her shrug.

"It's ok. I do that often enough myself," she said easily with a smile. No, he thought to himself, I am never going to figure her out.

Roy Mustang closed another file and sighed. Moving office had done absolutely nothing to pause the flow of files and paperwork across his desk. If anything there was more of it. He had thought he had signed all of the forms and orders necessary before moving office. He was a bit stunned, and very irritated, to be given more forms that were almost exactly the same as the ones he had signed before the move, although these were aimed at confirming that he had actually moved offices and to cover any and all variations to the original forms. It was very hard not to snap and incinerate them all. After this no-one was going to be in any doubt that he had moved and everyone in the damned country was going to know exactly where he now was, he was sure of it.

He looked at his new office and his lips curved slightly. It was a good office. It had a large window and plenty of bookcases. It was bigger than his old one and the couches looked very comfortable and appealing. But it was the other desk in this new office that made him smile. Edward's desk. Empty but for a pristine blotter and phone it was waiting for her.

The thought of being in the same office was both appealing and worrying to him. They'd shared an office before but that had been more of a large single room with everybody at a desk. And thinking back, Edward had spent as little time as possible in that office. A few weeks at the most and then he'd gone again. Edward had seen any time spent in the office as wasted and useless time. If he hadn't needed information and new leads, Roy knew Edward would never have come into the office at all. Of course if Edward hadn't attempted that original transmutation he never would have joined the military in the first place.

Not for the first time, Roy wondered what would have happened if Edward hadn't set that array alight that wet stormy night, or if he had appeared thirty minutes earlier than he had and stopped them. Would Edward have joined the military anyway, would he have studied alchemy in a different manner, or would he have remained in that small country village? If things had been different back then, would Roy now be staring at an empty desk and wanting a long haired, loud mouthed and completely desirable Edward Elric to be sitting there?

Roy tried to imagine the old Edward, the mouthy teenaged brat with those vivid eyes and hair and scrappy coat sitting at that desk and couldn't. Female Edward stared back at him with those same eyes. The glare that had challenged and defied him for four years shone clearly between the softer lines of the face he had held in his hands, above the mouth he had kissed and surrounded by the hair he had run his hands through.

I have the self-control to cope with Edward being here. It will not be a problem. Yes, I want her, but I also want her to feel comfortable around me and that's what I need to do first. Just because she likes me and seems to have less objections to my kissing her than I ever thought possible, this doesn't mean I can go further. Edward probably has no clue and if I'm too hasty I will lose everything I've gained so far. Even though she likes me, Edward won't forgive me if I try to push her this time. I can't do that now. Not for this, this is too important.

Perhaps it was just as well she was away, he thought with a groan. I'm going to need the time to learn more self-control.

Because there was no way he was going to have her placed in any other office but his.

Edward rubbed at her eyes and leant back in her chair with a yawn. Falman was summarising all they had managed to get done today and she nodded absently every now and again.

"You're not listening are you, Boss?'

"Not really." Ed's reply was quick. She had been expecting that query ever since she had decided to look completely disinterested and see how long it took for him to call her on it. Just over five minutes she thought with a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "Just give all that to whoever answers at Central. Until we get some results back from the lab we really don't have much to report and I'm sure they don't really want to know how much debris we've moved or sorted, but it's all we can do at the moment." She sighed. "It'd be nice to have something substantial to tell them."

"Finding nothing is just as important as finding something," Falman remarked as he looked at the pages in the file.

"I know that," Ed sighed again. "If it wasn't for that, I'd have transmuted the damn thing back into one piece and we'd be home by now. I don't know why we can't say it's an accident and do just that."

"That would be highly unprofessional and not like you at all, Edward," Falman said sternly and looked up at her. She seemed relaxed enough but there was a small crease on her forehead and the fingers of her right hand were rubbing together. He didn't think she was aware of it and they'd only been there a couple of days. It was too early for her to become impatient so there had to be something else that was bothering her. In most people he would have labelled that behaviour as 'nervous' but Edward rarely let anyone see her being nervous. Bravado and rushing headlong into whatever was ahead of her had always been her way to cover and counter any perceived weakness like nervousness. "What's wrong, Boss?"

Ed shot him a quick glance, frowning briefly. She hadn't thought she'd let her restlessness show and she'd forgotten just how observant Falman could be. "It's nothing. Just a bit… concerned about this evening." She wasn't going to say she was worried because she wasn't, and it wasn't exactly the truth, but it sounded plausible.

She wasn't about to admit that if she wasn't thinking of the explosion and concentrating on the debris her mind went straight to Roy. Which annoyed her. It was one thing to like him, it was another to be always thinking of him. It hadn't been like this before she had left. Yes, she'd thought about him rather often, but not as much as she was now. Was it just because he wasn't around, or was there some other reason? She didn't know and that added to her irritation. It didn't help that there was no way of finding out either. She wasn't about to ask Falman and there was no-one else here. She thought of Ralke and Van as friends but Ed hadn't known them long enough to feel comfortable talking about these sorts of things. Ed didn't talk about personal matters easily, and even if she'd known them for as long as she'd known Falman she probably still wouldn't have considered talking to them.

If Al had been here he might have been able to get her to talk but he wasn't and she didn't know when she'd be seeing him next. He'd be home in Resembool soon, she could ring him, but knew she'd never be able to initiate such a conversation. It always worked best when Al goaded her to speaking without thinking and better still when they were facing each other. Her other choices were in Central. Gracia or Roy. Of the two she'd prefer Gracia. Gracia had a way for phrasing things that made Ed's thinking clear and Gracia had a comforting air with a clinical distance and Ed liked that. There was no pressure with Gracia. There was with Roy, and it was all self-inflicted she suddenly realised.

She groaned oblivious to the amused expression that crossed Falman's face. He knew where her thoughts had gone. Ed had never been as inscrutable as Mustang even though he had tried and she was doing an even worse impression. To those who had known her longest Ed was always going to be an open book.

"When are you expected to dinner, Boss?" Falman asked calmly and waited for his words to reach her.

"Seventeen hundred." Ed looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes to wait. "Becfor's coming to escort me so I guess it's not held in the mess."

"If it's dinner with the officers and the General then no. There's usually a separate dining room kept for special entertaining and most bases will have an officer's dinner on a regular basis."

"I don't recall … the bastard doing that when we were at Eastern," Ed said managing to avoid a frown as she realised she'd nearly used his name.

"What the Lieutenant-General did back then didn't interest you much, Ed," Falman replied with a straight face. Ed almost glared at the grey-haired man before she made a grumbling noise at the back of her throat.

"It didn't interest me at all," she agreed. "So he had to go to them too, huh?"

"Yes. It's a necessary part of the job."

Ed sighed. "I am not going to like this at all."

"You'll get used to them, Sir," Falman told her almost cheerfully and she had a sudden urge to hit him.

"I think I really will ask for Fuery next time," she retorted and he actually laughed at her.

"Fuery gets travel sick." At the calm phrase Edward stood up and brought her hands together. Falman's bland face became wary and he stepped back. There were no sparks coming from her gloved hands but he knew that a mere thought would bring the alchemy to life.

"I've never considered using alchemy against you before, Falman, but you know, right now I have this little urge to do something I've never done before. It's kind of exciting." Ed grinned slightly as Falman's eyes widened. They both knew that Ed wouldn't do anything that would cause actual physical pain but there was a great potential for humiliation and embarrassment.

"Edward, Boss. Such urges aren't healthy and can have dire consequences," Falman said with an audible quiver. Ed's grin widened and became a smirk.

"Scared, Vato?" Ed almost purred and Falman was torn between fleeing and sighing. Edward's behaviour was still predictable despite the changes. He managed to hide his smile although he was tempted to let her see it. After all he would only suffer some embarrassment. The others would hear about it, of that there was no doubt, but they weren't here to witness the actual event. He could live with that if he had to. Compared to other incidents that had happened in the office over the years this would be fairly minor. The first sign of a blue spark coming from Ed's hands had him leaning towards flight and he was thankful for the sound of knocking at the door.

"Are you ready, Lieutenant-Colonel?" Colonel Becfor could be heard asking as the door opened and Ed swallowed a curse. Blue glowed and sparked around her hands as she separated her palms and let the reaction go. She winced at the small sting of backlash and met the amused look on Falman's face with a glare that disappeared as Colonel Becfor stepped into the room.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She moved around the desk, brushing her gloves clear and tapped Falman's shoulder lightly letting a tiny reaction spark. Falman jumped as his uniform seemed to jab at him. "Don't be late with the report, Falman," Ed said as she passed.

"No, Sir," Falman replied. "Enjoy your evening Ma'am," he added and he had to hold in his laughter until after the door had closed behind them. The look on Edward's face, made all the better because she couldn't make a scene in front of the Colonel, had been priceless and worth every moment of future reprisals. He was still smiling as he sat at the desk and began preparing the notes for the evening report.

Edward walked beside Colonel Becfor as they went through the complex. She could feel herself getting nervous the closer they got. Edward didn't like feeling nervous and it made her irritable. She'd been through much worse so why would some stupid military meal get to her like this? It was stupid. She was stupid. She had to start getting used to this. She'd managed to get through that civic dinner, this should be much easier. It was just dinner with other soldiers. Just like every evening in the mess, except these were all going to be higher ranked than she was. And since when did I care about rank? There'd be no speeches. The only person who'd be doing any public speaking would have to be the General and she couldn't think of any reason why he'd want her to speak. No, all she had to do was sit, talk politely, eat neatly and listen. It shouldn't be too hard. She knew how to behave when she had to. It wasn't much fun but she could do it. Ed put a polite smile on her face as they walked along. I hate this and my face is going to ache again, just like last time.

She told herself she was an idiot to start comparing the two occasions when this one hadn't even started yet. Maybe it's because Roy's not here, she thought and straightaway her smile vanished and she frowned. I am not nervous because he's not here. Even though she'd asked for his company at these sorts of events, it didn't mean she had to have him there all the time. I don't need him here for this one. Just because I like him doesn't mean I have to have him at my side every time. That'd just be pathetic. Just because I asked him doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing this anyway. Besides if I prove I can do this, it'll shut that damned asshole Kinase up as well.

"If you will excuse my bluntness Lieutenant-Colonel, I would suggest that for the next dinner you wear the correct uniform." Colonel Becfor's voice broke through her thoughts and she looked at him, an eyebrow lifting.

"I am in uniform," Ed replied with a wave of hand down the front of her alchemically cleaned uniform.

"As a female officer, Lieutenant-Colonel, you should be aware that you are expected to be in the female uniform for occasions such as this."

Ed stopped and Becfor had to stop and turn back to face her. Golden eyes stared fixedly at him. He resisted the urge to step backwards.

"You mean I should be wearing a skirt," Ed stated, her level voice at odds with the increasing gleam in her eyes.

"Yes." Becfor straightened up. He didn't know why he felt intimidated by those eyes but he was a Colonel and ranked higher than her. Despite the uncertainty and questions about her background, it was his duty to instruct her and to make sure nothing she did caused his General any embarrassment or upset.

"Unless it's in my orders, I don't wear a skirt." Ed nearly bit her tongue in two trying to remain calm. It was going to take a direct order from the Fuhrer to get her to wear that skirt again. Having to wear it for the Parade had been enough and she didn't intend to ever wear it again. She wondered if she could get that as a condition of her new position.

Becfor frowned. She wasn't sounding appreciative of his advice at all. In fact those strange eyes were becoming even darker and there was a thread of steel appearing in her voice.

"It is a requirement for formal occasions. It is not a matter left up to individual assignments, Lieutenant-Colonel."

"I came here to investigate an explosion, which was not a formal occasion last time I checked." Edward took a steadying breath. "Let's get this straight, Colonel. I will not be wearing a skirt tonight or at any other time while I'm here." The Colonel blinked. There was no sense of a threat, it was a simple, forceful statement of fact. She didn't seem to care that he was a full Colonel nor that she was defying regulations.

"You can be reprimanded for not following orders and regulations, Lieutenant-Colonel." Becfor almost questioned her.

"I am aware of that," Ed replied. "But I have a job to do and it does not include wearing a skirt or dinners with officers." Ed took a breath and managed to bite down on the 'I don't care and you can't make me' rant she could feel building up at the back of her mind. She didn't need to start the evening off with an argument. "The matter is closed, Colonel. Let's get to dinner before we're late. The General did say seventeen hundred, didn't he? It's about that now. We were heading this way, weren't we?" Edward pointed along the corridor and Becfor nodded before he realised it. The Lieutenant-Colonel started walking again and Becfor had to give himself a mental shake before he began moving after her.

Colonel Becfor wondered if she would say the same if the General called her on the uniform matter. He had the feeling she would and he wondered where she got such an attitude from. She had been completely self-confident in her manner. The few times he had seen her, not once had she shown any awe or even basic awareness of rank. But he couldn't say she was disrespectful. When she had been insulting the First Councillor during her conversation with the South City Councillor she had not been spiteful, and he had the impression that even if Kinase had been there she would have said exactly the same things.

Was there something in her background that made her unlike anyone he had ever met before? The information they had been given at the beginning had been very basic. Her name, rank, a few sentences to say he had served for nearly four years before Liore and then an even shorter sentence to say she had returned and re-qualified as a State Alchemist. The change of gender had been almost completely ignored. Hearing that she had trained with Izumi Curtis had been a shock and he wondered just what else was to be learnt about her. Her personnel file was going to make interesting reading when it arrived.

Colonel Becfor saw her braid swing slightly and wondered why he suddenly felt unsettled.

Edward entered the dining room and looked around. Soldiers milled in small groups. There couldn't be too many here she thought. Twenty perhaps, a couple of dozen at the most and all ranked higher than she was. She wondered why Ralke and Van had not been included. Surely as Majors they should have been invited as well. She'd mentioned it earlier but they had both just shrugged and said they'd never been invited. She wondered if there was a cut off rank and thought she might ask R… the bastard when she phoned him afterwards. Dammit, why is he always Roy now, she thought with a fleeting frown. I couldn't say his name at all before and now it's all I damned well say. She mentally shook herself away from Roy-land and focused on the room.

Long tables just like the mess except these were covered with long white cloths and cutlery set out at regular intervals. The chairs looked as if they had padded seats and there were even glasses set out along the tables. Ed wished it looked more like the normal and comforting Mess halls she was used to. There were no jumbled voices and rattling trays. It was like being at a restaurant and it was just reinforcing her desire to be anywhere but here.

Despite her earlier thoughts, it would've been a relief to have one familiar, friendly face to look at. Becfor might be familiar but she doubted he was friendly. Stost would be here somewhere. Again he was familiar but not friendly. She swallowed and straightened her back. She really was on her own this time. It was a sobering thought to suddenly realise that this was the first time that had ever happened. For all her declarations of independence and stubborn refusals of aid, she had always had someone with her. Al had been there for the first sixteen years of his life and then there had been Alfons and the others on the other side of that Gate. Upon her return she'd been reunited straightaway with Al again and after he had left, she had had Roy, the office and her own staff. Falman, Ralke and Van were in the same complex but they weren't here. They weren't at her side or her back. No-one was going to stand up for her if anything went wrong, not that she'd want that. But she would miss having the support should she make a complete idiot out of herself. There was no-one to stop that from happening.

"We should greet the General first, Lieutenant-Colonel then you can find your seat." Becfor spoke softly as he led her further into the room. "There will be a name card to mark your place."

"Thank you, Sir," Ed replied at a complete loss until she noticed the small cards on the tables. She wondered how they had worked out the seating. Alphabetically or by rank? Either would fit into her growing impressions of South Headquarters. It didn't really matter she told herself as they moved across the room. Just because I don't know this stuff doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing this. I wonder if Roy knows. Falman would, I could ask him. Shit, no, I don't need to know. It's not important and I don't need anything else to worry about.

The General was standing near a small table with several people around him. Edward looked at them curiously. Finally she saw someone lower ranked than she was. Edward nearly shrugged. Rank meant little to her and that Sergeant-Major seemed to fit right in there. It wasn't unusual for aides to have a varying array of ranks, Ed knew that. Ability had little to do with stripes and stars; she'd seen that ever since he'd joined Mustang's office. But it was strange that this Sergeant-Major was considered so necessary that he was present at this dinner when others, like Ralke and Van, had been excluded. Maybe I should ask …no, not interested, remember Ed, not interested.

Ed saluted as the General turned in their direction.

"Good evening Lieutenant-Colonel. Glad you could join us." The General looked over them both and Edward half-expected there to be some comment about her uniform, but there wasn't and it took her a moment to switch her thoughts away from the rant she had been mentally preparing.

"Thank you General," Ed paused not sure if she needed to say anything more. Was she supposed to thank him for this? She hoped not because she didn't feel thankful at all and she wasn't sure if she could lie that effectively.

"I believe dinner will be served shortly. I will talk with you afterwards." The General looked over her shoulder for a brief moment and she felt someone moving up behind her.

Edward blinked, saluting again. "Yes, Sir."

"Thank you, Colonel Becfor," the General said after a slight nod at her and with a look at the man beside her. The Colonel saluted.

"Thank you Sir."

The Colonel stepped back and Ed followed suit and they both moved a few steps to the side before turning around and walking further away. Ed looked back and saw another Colonel greeting the General. It reminded her of the line of guests at the end of the civic function except this was at the beginning. Was it something the military did and the civic events only had it at the end? Why am I thinking like this? I can handle this. It is not difficult. And why does the General want to talk to me later? Why not tomorrow in his office? It's not like I'm going anywhere.

Ed stared at the tables and blinked a few times before her mind cleared and she decided to seek out the card with her name on it. Best to get settled as soon as she could, she thought. She looked around the room and caught a glancing look from the Sergeant-Major. She kept her face empty as she moved her gaze past him and wondered at the sudden conviction she felt that he'd been looking at her with more than just passing curiousity.

Someone is always going to be looking. I know that, people have always looked and I've always ignored them. If I ignore them they stop quicker and I can pretend they aren't looking at me like they used to. I'm a stranger here, people will stare but his eyes felt different. Is he the General's eyes for the night? He might be looking at everyone, like Falman does when he thinks I'm not looking. Hawkeye does that too. Or does he know something? Was he here back when Teacher came after Wrath? Dammit, I'm probably reading too much into this. Face it Ed, being on your own is unsettling and you don't like it.

"I'll go find my place," Ed said almost abruptly in a low voice to Colonel Becfor and moved away before the startled man could respond. She looked at the table and walked slowly reading each card as she tried to get herself balanced again.

Find my place. Just where is my fucking place?

Havoc leant against the wall, feeling the sun-warmed bricks at his back. He looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and Riza would be along shortly and they could look forward to a nice quiet evening at home and a day off tomorrow. Life didn't get much better than this for Jean Havoc and he smiled. He almost wished for a cigarette but he had given them up when Riza had moved in. It had been one of her conditions and although it had been hard at times, he didn't really regret it, and she was kind enough to look the other way if he had one when they were out and someone offered him one. But only one; any more than that and Riza would object as only Riza could. Jean knew very well that she didn't always need to shoot at people to get her point across. Come to think of it, I've been knocking the offers back the last few times too. Guess I really have stopped.

"Major?"

Havoc turned his head and met the slightly nervous gaze of Sergeant Terlat.

"Hey Sergeant, what's up?" Havoc spoke easily. "How's that replacement Colonel behaving?"

"He's starting to get the hang of it, Sir," Terlat replied and then held up his hand. Havoc stared and his mouth dropped open slightly. "They came for the Lieutenant-Colonel and I didn't know what else to do but bring them to you Sir."

Four pink flowers were resting across Terlat's palm.

"Were they delivered to the office?" Havoc asked.

"Yes Sir." Terlat paused. "I checked with the gate. They were delivered by a young kid they'd never seen before. He said they were for the Lieutenant-Colonel and left as soon as he'd said that. The guards seem to think it's some kind of joke and I didn't think it wise to make them believe otherwise."

"Good move, Sergeant. You kept it from the Colonel?"

"Yes Sir. Major Hawkeye was most adamant that we not let anyone know about this last time it happened."

"Yes, the Major would." Havoc nodded with a frown. "Let's take these up to the office. Whoever is doing this obviously doesn't know that Ed isn't here."

"The guards said the kid left too quickly for them to tell him that she wasn't here."

"That might be very handy to know." Havoc let his breath out. "I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but when it comes to the Boss you can never be sure. Damned brat got into more trouble than any of us thought possible when he was a kid. I can't see it changing that much just because she grew up."

"What's going on?"

They both turned at the new voice and Terlat was unable to ask for further enlightenment of the Major's words when he recognised the other Major arriving. Havoc smiled and caught the answering gleam in her eye even as her expression didn't change.

"Flowers for the Boss. I think we might need to go back to the office." Havoc waved at Terlat's hand.

"Agreed," Hawkeye said without hesitation as she eyed the flowers. "Come on Sergeant."

"You're stationed in Central, Lieutenant-Colonel?" The brown-haired Colonel on Ed's left asked.

"Yes Sir." Ed spoke calmly. Once she had found her seat and they'd all begun to sit down she had felt better. Even between two Colonels and with another opposite she felt more at ease. The soup had arrived within a few minutes of everyone being seated and now there was the soft chink of spoons in bowls and muted conversations filling the room. She still couldn't help comparing it to the civic dinner and admitted that the lack of speeches was a welcome difference.

"With Investigations?"

"No Sir. I'm in Research at the moment." She dipped her spoon into her soup. It had vegetables and some respectably-sized chunks of meat in it. She scooped up a generous amount and found it very tasty. Ed didn't usually eat soup; she preferred more solid food and in larger portions. Stew was probably the only food Ed ate that came close to soup. A bit thicker she thought and this could almost be a stew.

"Why was someone from Research sent?" The Colonel on Ed's right queried and Ed shrugged.

"Don't know Sir. It was organised in a hurry," Ed replied wondering just how much she could and should say.

"I heard that Central Research has an explosion of its own to deal with." The Colonel on Ed's left turned his head to look at her.

"Yes, but they thought it was more important for me to come here." Ed had a quick look at his name card. Colonel Mantel. Brown hair and probably somewhere in his forties. He had a quiet voice and a manner to match and there was some intelligence there. Ed could see it in his eyes and wondered if his questions would become more specific. He wasn't exactly fishing for information that she could tell, and she was used to being questioned by curious people. But where was the line in a situation like this? Just how much could she say? What impression should she give them? Ed cursed silently. She just didn't know. With her own history she knew exactly what could be said and what couldn't, but this was different. It wasn't exchanging gossip and there were no deep dark secrets to hide, so she could tell the truth without a qualm. But just how much truth did she need to share?

"The General would have insisted on someone coming down straightaway," the Colonel on Ed's right said and Colonel Mantel frowned.

"That is obvious Rourke, but why would they send a Lieutenant-Colonel from Research and not someone more qualified from Investigations?"

Ed's eyebrow rose and she revised her original impression of Mantel. He wasn't so quiet after all and she wondered if she had misread his intelligence as well. She had to give him points for being so up-front with his question and for not automatically apologising in case he had offended her.

"I don't think Central would send anyone who wasn't qualified." The other Colonel, Rourke, a quick check of the place card confirmed it was his last name, looked past Ed to Colonel Mantel. "And they sent two from Investigations as well as the Lieutenant-Colonel here. That's more than I was expecting."

"Probably to make up for the deficiencies in rank," Mantel said in a low almost insulting tone and Ed's hand tightened around her spoon handle. The guy was turning into an asshole. An asshole of the lowest kind Ed would bet and she started wondering just how far she could let her temper out and not get into too much trouble.

"I'd rather they send people who know what they're doing than someone with a few more stripes on their shoulders." Colonel Rourke looked at Ed. "How long have you been in Research, Lieutenant-Colonel?"

"About two weeks, nearly three," Ed replied as calmly as she could without sounding facetious.

"That's not very long," Mantel said with a smirk at Rourke.

"I am very familiar with research so I was put there to fix it after the explosion you mentioned earlier," Ed said keeping a casual manner.

"You were put there?" Colonel Mantel's smirk widened slightly. "Where were you before that? Running errands for the Records Department?"

"Sorry to disappoint, Colonel," Ed said as her eyes flickered as she resisted the urge to sigh at the almost juvenile jibe. "But I usually work in Lieutenant-General Mustang's office."

Colonel Mantel frowned. "Lieutenant-General Mustang? What does he do?"

Ed blinked. He didn't know who Mustang was? Was he for real? Ed struggled not to let her disbelief show. "He runs State Alchemy and he's overseeing Investigations at the moment."

"State Alchemy?" Colonel Mantel sounded disapproving at the same time as Colonel Rourke spoke over him.

"Is that Mustang the same one who …was the Flame Alchemist of Ishbal?"

"Yes Sir," Ed replied as she wondered at the pause.

"Oh, that Mustang. I thought he retired a few years ago." Mantel shrugged and Ed wondered just how much of the guy's behaviour was for her benefit. Was he deliberately trying to make her angry? Why would he even be doing that?

"No, Colonel. He's not the type to retire." Not anymore, anyway. Someone stopped him four years ago and Al…shit, if it hadn't been for Al going to Central back then he might have up and left after all. Didn't the Fuhrer say that Al had had some influence on him, and Al did say that Roy'd given up his position because of him. Just what happened while I was gone? It was more than just isolation and depression, wasn't it? I've never really wondered too much about it because I thought he was like me during those years except I had someone drag me out of the holes and he didn't. What else happened to him, I wonder?

"Are you an alchemist too, Lieutenant-Colonel?" Mantel asked.

"Yes Colonel, I am," Ed said calmly. Oh great, here it comes.

"You really don't keep up with the gossip, Mantel," Rourke said lightly. "The Lieutenant-Colonel here is also the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Gossip is a waste of time." The disapproval she had thought she had heard earlier was more obvious now. She nearly frowned. Something was really off with his behaviour. If he was really as much of a low asshole as she was thinking he was then gossip should have been one of his main interests. He'd need it for ammunition for his insults. So, did a dislike of alchemists and gossip come from some other source?

"It keeps the soldiers happy," Colonel Rourke remarked, an almost teasing note in his voice.

Ed sighed. Fucking great, was the other Colonel trying to start something? At least he wasn't teasing her, but to tease Mantel was just asking for trouble. Just what had she done to deserve this? Would it be wiser to start ignoring them unless they actually spoke to her? She couldn't move to another seat so she was stuck there. A quick look around showed no-one appearing to take interest in the two Colonels. The Colonel opposite her was more intent on the soup, his spoon moving in a continual smooth motion from bowl to mouth and back again. Ed figured she should probably do the same.

"Soldiers aren't here to be happy. They're here to follow orders. And why should it matter that she's an alchemist? I've never found them very useful. Special privileges for not much in return, they're just a waste of resources when there's no actual conflict."

Ed had to focus hard to swallow her mouthful without spitting it right into his face. It took more self-control than she knew she had to put her spoon down silently and turn to him.

"Conflicts and rebellions are a waste of all soldiers." She couldn't help the contempt she felt for him from colouring her voice and he turned to face her as she continued. "I don't know if you have actually been in a war, Colonel, but I'd hate to be under your command if that's your attitude."

"As you are only a Lieutenant-Colonel, you would have no choice and being an alchemist you lack the understanding of what it means to be a soldier."

Ed's eyebrows rose. "I've been in the Military long enough to know exactly what it means to be a soldier. You want some dumb, blind idiots to walk into a firing line because you say so, well, Colonel, dying is the last thing a soldier should be doing. And as a Colonel you're the one that should be keeping them alive." Ed managed to keep her voice down but her eyes were glaring at him. He looked a bit taken aback by her response and his reply was cold.

"It is not your place to determine how soldiers are used, Lieutenant-Colonel and I suggest you remember that. Being chosen to look after an investigation is nothing for you to feel superior about. You are unlikely to further your career if you think your self-import has risen enough to dictate to your superiors."

"What are they?" Breda asked as he looked at the four pink flowers now lying on Havoc's desk.

"I don't know," Havoc replied. "Flowers are flowers. I don't know why they all have to have different names anyway."

"You have no class, Havoc. It's a miracle Hawkeye puts up with you," Breda insulted casually as he leant closer to the flowers. "They don't have much of a smell."

Sergeant Berent looked from one to the other and felt the all too familiar sense of being completely out of his depth. Ever since Majors Havoc and Hawkeye had re-appeared with a Sergeant he didn't know and those flowers his meagre stock of understanding this office had been wiped out again.

"Where's the Chief?" had been the first question Major Havoc had asked upon entering the office. At the news that the Lieutenant-General had left the flowers had appeared along with several relieved looks. Breda and Fuery had looked surprised at the flowers but not completely baffled by them. Not like Berent was.

"Schieska would probably know," Hawkeye said thoughtfully. "Or she'll know where we could find out more about them."

"Florists as well. They had to come from somewhere," Havoc added after an equally casual grimace at Breda.

"There is no real threat to the Lieutenant-Colonel is there?" the unknown Sergeant asked. Berent thought he was seeking reassurance from the others and wondered to which Lieutenant-Colonel he was referring. It took a moment before he recalled the only Lieutenant-Colonel it could be and he nearly groaned at his own slowness.

"No, Terlat. We don't think there's any real trouble here," Hawkeye answered with her usual unruffled calm manner. "It's just something that's not part of the usual routines and when it comes to Edward, we'll always be a little suspicious when things like this happen."

"She won't be happy when she finds out I haven't told her about this," Terlat said without thinking and Havoc grinned.

"Don't worry Terlat. You won't be alone. The Boss will be unhappy with all of us."

"Edward knows we have her best interests at heart, even when she doesn't like it." There was a hint of a shrug in Hawkeye's words. "This will probably turn out to be a stupid hoax or someone's idea of a joke. She hasn't asked further about the first bunch and she knows nothing about the second. It's obviously not important and we're just making sure of that."

A quick look that eluded Terlat and Berent passed between them. The thought that the sender of the flowers might interfere with Edward and Roy's new relationship would stay unspoken. They weren't about to let anything get in the way of whatever was developing between them.

"It will be alright Sergeant," Fuery reassured with a small smile. "Edward won't even know about it."

"What won't Edward know about?"

They turned and found Lieutenant-General Roy Mustang standing there surveying them with one eyebrow raised and a querying expression on his face.

Ed bit down hard on her tongue and took a deep breath. One thing she was not, and never would be, was a career soldier. She had come across many of them in her time and she had never felt strongly either way about most of them. Most of them were content to stay within the rules and work solidly towards their goal. There had been a few who hadn't and those she had despised, even going out of her way to ensure their failure. But it wasn't that that was causing her to be so angry now. The accusation that rank mattered, that she thought she was better than she was, was just too much. Edward Elric had never considered himself, or herself, better than anyone. She knew, he knew, just how far into sin she had fallen. No matter how much forgiveness you received you never forgot, and Ed knew she was never going to forget. Without knowing anything about her, this Colonel who seemed to have more than his fair share of self-import, was judging her, and judging her by standards that were completely different to hers.

She had been judged before, she'd been insulted before and she'd been ridiculed before and she'd never been as furious as she was now. Heated words and thoughts spiralled around a cold hard centre that wondered why she was still sitting so calmly there. It would be so easy to let fly with curses and alchemy. It would be so easy that her fingers were itching to feel the crackle and her throat was scratchy with the unspoken words.

"My superiors are more than capable of making those decisions themselves and I trust them more than I'd ever trust you." The heated glare of her eyes was belied by the cold tone of her voice. She leant back as the server came past to take her empty soup bowl. "And any soldier that generates attention just to get noticed by their superiors isn't much of a soldier. Or even much of a person."

Ed thought Colonel Mantel was going to explode his face changed colours so rapidly. Waves of red and white washed across his skin. She was fairly certain Colonel Rourke had stopped breathing and even the Colonel across from her was staring. She heard clearly the chink of bowls being removed and the soft padding footsteps of the servers. She could hear the muted conversations going on further down the table but she sat in the middle of a small pool of silence.

Maybe I went a bit too far, she thought. But he asked for it and I can't hit him or use alchemy. Besides he started it. It was a childish thought but it made her feel slightly better. After all she was still young – too young according to the asshole Kinase, but maybe she could use that. It didn't have to be a liability, nor an excuse. It could be a whole different way of looking at things. What had the bastard said that night at dinner? "Don't let them get caught up with your gender, don't you get caught up in it. If you only see the gender, that's all they'll see too. Just be Edward and they won't know what hit them." He had been talking about her gender but she now realised it could be applied to her age and her lack of experience as well.

Just be me. I thought I had been doing that and I have, but only when it suited me, when I knew what was expected of me. I'm not going to be staying in those comfortable places anymore, I mean this is not where I want to be and probably not where I should be according to this prick beside me, but my choices led me here and I've got no-one else to blame for it. Both Roy and the Fuhrer know what I'm like, I can be me no matter where I am, and if no-one else likes it, well fuck them!

"Are you accusing me…?" the Colonel began, obviously struggling to keep his voice under control and Edward cut him off.

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I gave you my opinion and I can see you obviously don't like it." Edward leant closer and her voice dropped a fraction. "Let's get this right out in the open here, Colonel. You started it with your smartass remarks and pitiful attempts at insults. We can finish it here and now, or we can take it outside afterwards and finish it then. Your choice." Ed smiled slightly and resisted the impulse to smirk as she sat back in her chair again. She turned to Colonel Rourke who had obviously been listening and asked in a pleasant voice.

"When does dinner get served?"

Roy looked at the flowers on the desk and then up at his subordinates. Havoc and Breda still looked slightly guilty, Fuery looked uncomfortable and Terlat and Berent were confused. Hawkeye was probably the only one not feeling disconcerted by his unexpected return to the office.

"They're anemones," he said evenly.

"How'd you know that?" Breda asked.

"My mother used to have a flower garden," Roy replied with a straight face and then smirked at Breda's startled face. Then his smirk became more of a grin as Breda kept staring at him. "Think Breda, I've been to enough florists to be able to recognise most flowers."

Hawkeye looked at the stunned expressions on her colleagues' faces and nearly smiled. It wasn't often that Roy teased the office like this. She knew very well that it had been her mother and not his who had had the flower garden. Not that Roy had been interested in it back then, spending most of his time with her father learning his alchemy.

"We still need to know where they come from," Hawkeye said keeping an eye on Roy. He had been remarkably calm when he had been told that the flowers had been delivered for Ed. With Terlat and Berent here, his responses were always going to be reserved. Even in front of her and his regular staff he would stay calm. Only alone would he let himself behave otherwise.

"Get Schieska to get whatever information there is on the flowers and then go around the florists and the markets too." Roy studied the flowers. He didn't want to appear to be overreacting again. "We won't say anything to Ed about it until she returns. It's probably nothing but when Ed's involved, you can never tell."

Terlat and Berent exchanged a look. Berent began to wonder just what the Lieutenant-Colonel had done to warrant this kind of universal reaction from everyone. Terlat was even more convinced that his Lieutenant-Colonel was one of a kind and that he had been more than fortunate to have been put into her command. Ever since he had met her his peaceful military life had been overturned, and as he looked back at the others he realised that it was going to be like this for a very long time because he intended to stay at her side for as long as he could.

Edward happily ate roast beef, enjoying the continuing silence on her left side. Colonel Mantel hadn't said anything since she had last spoken to him. Whether he intended to say something afterwards she didn't know and she didn't really care. She would face that if and when it happened. She felt much better for having spoken and while she still didn't really want to be here, she felt less irritated about it. Although it wouldn't stop her from complaining later. It would be what everyone expected and she liked being able to vent and rant. It got rid of any lingering resentment that she might be harbouring.

Colonel Rourke was eating his meal and wondered how the blonde beside him could look so relaxed. He was aware of the gossip around her and he had seen her sparring. He knew Colonel Stost and had heard more from him. It was one thing to hear the information, it was definitely another to see it in action. Most soldiers he knew would have stormed out or shouted back but she had taken a different tack and left Mantel with little room for reply. From all accounts she was barely twenty years old. Where had the self-control and self-confidence come from that she was able to basically insult a Colonel and still walk away the winner? Not that Rourke was going to take her to task for her insubordinate behaviour. There weren't that many people who were fond of Colonel Mantel and Rourke wasn't one of them. There'd be a few fellow Colonels who would certainly be smiling later when he told them about it.

"So you work under Mustang's command, Lieutenant-Colonel?" he queried lightly as he felt the need to break the silence that had fallen since her last words to Mantel.

"Yes Sir," Ed said after a brief pause to swallow her mouthful.

"Where have you served?"

"East City, Sir. Was based there for most of the time." Ed kept her answers short, timing them between mouthfuls for a reason for the abruptness.

"I believe Colonel Armstrong does some very good work there," Rourke said lightly and Ed had to grin.

"I don't know, but with all that tradition behind him he can't go wrong."

"I thought you said you served at East Command, Lieutenant-Colonel?" Rourke's voice was almost too casual and Ed turned to look at him, her eyes suddenly focusing sharply.

"I did, Colonel. For nearly four years under Mustang when he was a Colonel." He held her gaze for a long moment until a small smile creased his mouth. "You already knew that." She was accusing him and his smile widened.

"I'd heard the gossip. For once it was correct." Rourke didn't apologise and he didn't think she was expecting one judging from the grin he got.

"There are some strange stories around, Colonel," she said, her grin becoming more of a smirk. "Most are completely different to what I remember."

"That's the way it usually is, Lieutenant-Colonel." He grinned back. "So were you apprenticed to Izumi Curtis, and did you really destroy half of Dublith?"

Roy Mustang closed his apartment door behind him and leant against it with a soft breath out. It took him several moments before he felt ready to straighten up and walk further into his rooms. The coat he had forgotten and gone back to collect was shrugged off and tossed over the back of a chair. His jacket ended up on another chair. He looked towards his bedroom and bathroom as he undid his shirt but decided a shower could wait. Edward might ring. He looked at the mantle clock. Officer's dinners usually lasted a couple of hours. He should probably have something to eat as well. It would give him something to do while he waited and it would distract him from those flowers.

Annoying things. He had almost forgotten that first bunch and now it was all back again. It was typical of Edward. Getting mixed up in something without even knowing about it. Not that anyone else had a better idea of what was going on. The flowers seemed so pointless and harmless. It was hard to see anything dangerous and threatening in four pink flowers. It was that very innocence that worried at the office and at Roy. Flowers didn't just get sent to anyone. There had to be a reason for them. They weren't even proper bouquets. They looked as if they had been picked randomly from someone's garden by a child.

They made Roy feel jealous. Not that he would admit that to anyone. It had to be completely pitiful to be jealous over those straggly flowers, and anyway he had much better taste when it came to giving flowers to women. Except Edward hadn't seemed particularly impressed with the flowers he had given her. He shook his head as a wry expression crossed his face. Of course she hadn't. He doubted she knew much about them at all. He took a deep breath. Nothing was going to happen and he was just worrying over nothing. He had to make himself something to eat and then he could sit back and wait for Ed to ring. He always felt better when he spoke with her.

Ed stood quietly and swallowed the rising burp before it could get free. It had been a good meal. There had even been a fruit pie of some description for dessert and she was pleasantly full. She was also glad that she would be able to get out of here very soon. She just had to wait for the General and then she could head back to the office and ring Roy.

She looked around the room. The officers were again standing in small groups talking quietly. She saw Colonel Mantel and noticed he was talking to the Sergeant-Major she had seen earlier. She felt sorry for the Sergeant-Major but not enough to wander over that way and rescue him. He'd probably known Mantel for a long time and knew exactly how to deal with him. Her gaze caught that of Colonel Rourke and he gave her a lopsided grin which she returned. He had been completely different to Mantel and thanks to him the evening had gone quicker than she had thought it would.

"Lieutenant-Colonel, I trust you enjoyed yourself?" General Sarin's voice made her turn with a polite smile.

"Yes General. It was an interesting night."

"I'm glad to hear it." He studied her for a moment. "I nearly announced your appointment as Military Liaison but felt it would be unnecessary."

"Thank you Sir." Ed bowed her head slightly and hoped her relief didn't show. "It has no bearing on my duties while I'm here so it isn't something that needs to be known." She resisted the urge to shrug. She didn't think anyone would really care if they did know. Her appointment was in Central and she doubted it would have any effect on anyone down here.

"When do you think there will be some results from your investigation, Lieutenant-Colonel?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"I had hoped to see some results by now, Lieutenant-Colonel."

"We have to make sure we account for everything that is there, so we can see what's either missing, or what's there when it shouldn't be. We can't rush it or we could miss something important." Ed tried to keep her face and voice expressionless and thought she had been successful when he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, I expect to hear of more than just moving debris next time," General Sarin said almost blandly and Ed's eyes flickered as her temper surged.

"You'll be one of the first informed when the results come through, General." Ed hoped the sarcastic edge she could hear was just in her mind and not actually attached to her words. For a moment she thought he had heard it too as his eyes narrowed but he only blinked slowly and she wondered if he had intended to say something just then but changed his mind.

"Then keep working hard, Lieutenant-Colonel." There was an obvious dismissal in his tone and she took a step back before remembering to salute. Before her arm had dropped he had moved away and Colonel Becfor suddenly appeared at his side. She watched them for a moment. Did that mean she could leave now? She looked around the room. No-one was paying her any attention so she walked slowly towards the door.

No-one stopped her and she paused for the smallest moment for a last check. Still no-one seemed to care what she was doing. With a mental smirk she opened the door as quietly as possible and left, smiling with relief as soon as she heard it close behind her. Her strides lengthened as she walked further from the room. She had a phone call to make.

It was a small room and when a Colonel entered, it became smaller still. Communications equipment lined the walls and their quiet hum filled the room. Three chairs were in front of the equipment and two were already occupied. A Lieutenant-Colonel sat on one, writing on a pad as his other hand flicked various switches on the panels in front of him. Earphones sat crookedly over his head and he didn't look up at the newcomer.

"You're late." The other occupant spoke without turning around.

"Sorry Naylor, I was talking with the Sergeant-Major after dinner."

Colonel Naylor pushed the pad he had been writing on to the side and swivelled around to look at his fellow Colonel. "Oh yes, the dinner. He said he would be there. Does he have any further advice for us?"

"No. He didn't get to speak to the subject but he said to remind you of what he told you this morning."

Naylor leant back in his chair. "Which was mainly not to get too complacent and not to underestimate them."

"I would agree with him. I sat next to her at dinner and she needs watching."

Naylor tilted his head towards the oblivious Lieutenant-Colonel. "Rowe knows what he's doing. We've taken all precautions and we'll be vigilant." Naylor stretched slightly. "Well, now you're here I can go and get my dinner and some sleep. Next shift change is at oh-two hundred. Rowe's transcribing the calls they've made today so you can read over them and if you get bored you can listen to the recordings and double check them. There aren't many."

"Alright, I will do that."

A series of clicks had them both turning to one of the panels and a light began blinking as a soft whirr sounded.

"Tape's running," Naylor said as he looked at the indicator beneath the light.

"And that number is not Central HQ," the other Colonel said as he looked at another panel. They shared a look while the clicks continued behind them.

"You want to listen in?" Naylor asked as his hand reached for his set of headphones. The other Colonel was already moving to his seat and the headphones waiting there.

"Yes."

Ed heard the phone begin to ring at the other end and idly counted. Once, twice…

"Hello Edward."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else would call me at this time?"

"Bastard." Ed leant back in the chair and began to get comfortable. "Did Falman ring through earlier?"

"Of course he did. Still no results?"

"Not yet. We're still cataloguing what's there so we can compare with what's not. Tedious and boring but necessary."

"Yes. Didn't you say some items had been sent for testing?"

"Yeah. I was hoping we'd get the results this afternoon but it will probably be tomorrow now."

"Don't start trying to do their job too." Roy's voice was slightly stern and Ed grinned.

"As if. I have enough of my own to do without doing theirs as well. Besides they're probably a damn sight more competent than those morons we had in Research."

"'We' Edward? As I recall you were the one labelling them morons amongst other things."

"That's because that Colonel of theirs was an idiot. If he applies for Research again, I'm not letting him back."

"He won't be. I heard he was transferred elsewhere."

"Good. Hopefully it's somewhere where he can't do much damage. At least here Stost seems like he knows his stuff." Ed put her booted feet up on to the table. "You know if it hadn't been for the Fuhrer and you, I think I'd like to have been assigned to Research."

"Such are the sacrifices we make," Roy's voice warmed her ear and her eyes widened slightly. Roy was sounding very relaxed and it was slightly unnerving. Was it just because he was at home? Had he been drinking while he had waited for her call? Was it because he was feeling the same way she was now that she was talking to him? Relaxed, relieved and with a small warm spot somewhere in her stomach. She shivered. Is that what it was? She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about that right now.

"Sarcastic bastard. At least then I wouldn't get invited to stupid dinners."

"Oh yes and how was your foray into Officer territory?"

"A complete fucking waste of time. And I got seated next to the biggest asshole I think I've ever met."

"Even worse than the Councillor?" She could hear Roy chuckle.

"That asshole has some intelligence, this one couldn't see past the Colonel stars on his shoulders. What is it about being a Colonel that turns you all into morons?"

In a small room in South City Headquarters two Colonels looked at each other and blinked, and in Central an ex-Colonel struggled against the laughter he could feel building up inside.

"My dear Edward, it's not the Colonels at fault but the Lieutenant-Colonels we have to deal with that ruins us."

…

Author's Note: Thank you for being so patient with me and this monster… it would have been here last weekend but for whatever glitch kept us out of ffnet and unable to update until now…

and yes, I really suck at thinking of chapter titles....

Tand ikh bayarlalaa

silken :)