Chapter 2 –
"My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, and I brought you here so that you could aide us in saving both our worlds from a tyrant who has made it his life's mission to wipe out half of the universe."
The brief introduction and announcement from the self-proclaimed sorcerer were enough to render everyone present in the room speechless for several moments. Ed could feel his shock echoed by Ayala and Nala, creating a feedback loop between the three that likely exaggerated the shock they all felt but then again, the sorcerer's words were so out of the left field that Ed wasn't sure all of the surprise he was feeling wasn't his own. He saw Mustang's hand tighten on his right arm and Ed had the strangest urge to mimic the gesture but found himself unable to move as his brain tried to comprehend and process what he'd just been told.
After what seemed like a long stretch of silence but that Ed knew was really only a few seconds, the red-and-gold humanoid's face lifted to reveal a human underneath. The revelation only added to Ed's shock and he was sure he heard a cut-off gasp from Mustang at the same time he forced himself to stop the full-body flinch he felt. Both Nala and Ayala were just as taken aback as their humans were but their protective instincts kicked in quickly and they were soon growling softly at both the sorcerer and the man standing in red and gold. "What the fuck do you mean by "tyrant who has made it his life's mission to wipe out half of the universe"?" he asked. "And what does he have to do with you kidnapping two people and their Animals?" he added, his eyes flicking to the Amestrians before flicking back to the sorcerer.
"I received word from Asgard three days ago. Or those that remain of Asgard, I should say," Strange said. "I haven't been given the full story of what happened but what I was told is that Asgard – the planet – has been destroyed and Thor, Loki, and several hundred, if not thousands, of Asgardians are heading for Earth," Strange informed them. Ed could hear at least two people on the other side of the sorcerer gasp at the news. "Thor and Loki ended up facing a Titan named Thanos while in route to Earth and that's when they learned that Thanos was seeking the Infinity Stones and why. His plan, once he has all six Stones, is to wipe out half the life in the universe," he told them gravely. "Once I was given this information, I used the Eye of Agamotto to view 14, 000, 605 possible futures so that I could identify the key players that would keep Earth safe and make sure we start down that path," he said, gesturing to his necklace.
"That didn't answer my second question and I'm gonna need to know what I need to be doing and who we need to start talking with in order to make sure this Thanos doesn't wipe out half the universe for whatever reason he thinks is good enough," the man wearing the red and gold whatever it was said.
Strange didn't look happy about the interruption but didn't confront the man with similar facial hair to himself. "Out of those 14, 000, 605 possible futures I saw, we only won in two of them." Strange went quiet, letting that bombshell sink in.
"Two?" Ed's attention was grabbed by the large man holding the blue, white, and red round shield. "That's it?" he asked, looking at the man off his right, the one of a similar build with shoulder-length brunette hair and gun with an unreadable expression.
Strange nodded solemnly. "One of the futures has Thanos winning the initial battle and achieving his goals until five years later when the heroes who survived band together once more and fight Thanos once again. Those who perished after the first battle were brought back by an ally but Thanos got a hold of the Stones once again. Dr. Stark was the one to manage to get the Stones back from him and win the battle. At the cost of his and Elio's lives," Strange revealed, giving who Ed assumed was Dr. Stark and Elio an apologetic look.
The man in question was looking at his dingo with a stricken look, not that Ed could blame him. Even though he was still struggling with everything that had happened to him, Ed felt a flare of sympathy for the man and dingo. The man with the shield moved to put a hand on the shoulder of the goateed man but he ducked out of the way, glaring at the blonde as he shifted to be out of arm's reach. Ed saw the blonde's crestfallen look but his attention was grabbed once more by the sorcerer.
"The second future I saw where Earth survived involved these four here and that is why I brought them here," Strange told them. "In roughly 70% of the futures I saw, Thanos uncovered the fact that other dimensions existed and decided to unleash his idea of mercy on them," Strange said, looking at Ed, Mustang, and their Animals. "Half of life in your dimension would also be lost if Thanos survived the initial encounter here and finds out about your dimension. The second future I saw where we won? You four were here, fighting alongside us and no one had to make the kind of sacrifice Dr. Stark did for humanity and all other life to survive. I took the steps necessary to start us on that path," Strange informed them.
"Kidnapping us was a "necessary step"?" Ed asked, voice seething. "You couldn't have just asked us for help like a sensible person?!" Mustang's grip tightened further on Ed's upper arm, something he only knew because he couldn't move an inch towards the sorcerer. "Mustang, let me go! I'm only gonna hit him a little bit," Ed snapped, trying to yank his arm out of Mustang's considerable grip.
"Fullmetal, we don't have all the details and we still don't know what that man used to attack us with or trap Nala and eventually you," Mustang said, voice calm enough that those who hadn't spent several years interacting with him wouldn't notice the underlying thrum of anger in it. That anger was the only thing that got Ed to calm down enough that he wasn't filled with the urge to immediately punch the sorcerer in the jaw.
Strange didn't look all that surprised or phased at the fact that Ed had wanted to hit him but he did take the opportunity of not having to defend himself against an angry blonde to keep talking. "The information I received is that Thanos will be on our doorstep within three months, perhaps no more than two. Thor and the remaining Asgardians, as well as a handful of allies, weren't sure on the exact time Thanos would be here but a group calling themselves "Guardians of the Galaxy" are searching for information so we can narrow Thanos' estimated time of arrival to a more specific time," Strange explained. "Before you ask," Strange said, turning to the group of four people and their Animals and looking at the goateed one specifically, "I don't know who, specifically, the Guardians of the Galaxy are. All I know is that one of them is half-human and that they all have gone up against and defeated an ally of Thanos' in a fight for the Power Stone, one of the Infinity Stones," he told them.
Strange then turned back to Mustang, Ed, and the two Animals and took what was likely a subconscious step forward but stopped wisely in his tracks when his movement caused Ayala and Nala to start growling once more. He raised his hands in a placating gesture and that's when Ed noticed the mass of faint scars and slight tremble in them. "I am fully aware that the way I went about bringing you to our dimension was reprehensible and I am sorry about the methods I used however I will be honest and tell you that I do not regret the way I went about things," Strange admitted. "I used the Eye of Agamotto to see your pasts as I wanted to know more about you all and to see if I could find the best way to ensure you came here." Ed baulked at the idea that someone was able to use some mysterious object to watch his life. Ayala certainly didn't react well to that news either, her snarling becoming a bit more ferocious towards Strange.
"I didn't see it all in detail. I saw everything in the space of twenty seconds," Strange explained, giving Ed and Ayala an understanding look. "Again, I apologise for my actions but I do not regret them," he told them. "I noticed that you have a stubborn streak worse than several people I can name and that your country went through something extreme recently. As I said, I only saw your lives in the span of twenty seconds, if that, and I couldn't be sure how long ago those events took place and whether your military," Strange nodded to the uniform Mustang was still dressed in, "would be in a position to either speak with me or spare the two of you to help us," he told them. "Even if I hadn't seen those past events, there were several hundred thousand futures I saw with you in them and we lost the vast majority of those futures because you didn't believe me when I tried explaining everything to you or you refused to come with me until the fight was nearly on us. The future I saw us winning in - aside from the one that doesn't include any of you - started like this. I had to do what was best for the whole of the multi-verse, even if that meant taking the actions I did," he told them, back straightening as he squared his shoulders. The owl still sitting on debris ruffled their feathers as its large eyes watched them keenly.
"Those events took place over six years ago now!" Ed exclaimed. "And I don't know what the military is like here but we got our shit together within six months! Literally, sorting through the higher-ups and rebuilding and whatever else the military had to do was all done within six months! And that doesn't mean you couldn't have at least asked before resorting to kidnapping despite the futures you claim to have seen! Is that what everyone is like here? Just kidnapping people because some magical bullshit stone told you so?!"
"Fullmetal, calm yourself," Mustang ordered, moving his grip from Ed's right arm to the junction of his automail and shoulder so that Ed could feel the weight of his touch. Ed wanted to snark back at his commanding officer but found himself holding it back when both Nala and Ayala pressed against his side, Nala doing so a little lighter since she was also trying to ground Mustang as well. "So there is a very high chance that Amestris will be in danger from this Thanos, is that you're telling us?" Mustang asked Strange, who nodded.
"In at least 70% of the futures I saw, he uncovered the fact that alternate dimensions exist and travels to them, using the Stones, and wipes out half the life in them before moving on," Strange confirmed, a touch of melancholy in his voice. The man's owl hooted softly from where it still sat on the broken piece of wall and Strange gave it a small smile that fell almost immediately.
Mustang glanced at Ed, who gave a nod that told Mustang that Ed would follow his lead but also gave him a look that told him he would only do so until Ed's patience ran out. Turning back to Strange, Mustang said, "Fullmetal and I would like to talk to our Fuhrer about this threat. We may be able to provide more alchemists to assist us and you in the upcoming fight. We would be amicable to you bringing us back here a few days or so before the fight is expected."
Strange gave both bonded pairs of Amestrians an apologetic look. "As I stated before, the futures I saw with you involved in them all resulted in us losing when you weren't here from the time I took these actions," Strange told them, making abroad gesture between himself and the Amestrians, "so I'm afraid that I wouldn't be willing to do that," he said apologetically but firmly. "Opening portals to an alternate dimension isn't exhausting in and of itself but opening them and keeping them open as long as I did, especially after using the Eye of Agamotto, is far too draining. I don't even have the energy left to open a portal to another room in this structure, let alone another dimension again," he added before Ed could tell him exactly what he thought about his refusal.
Ed felt his heart drop as he realised he, Mustang, and the Animals wouldn't be going home for a while. They were stuck here – wherever here was – and there wasn't anything they could do about it. Ed could still feel the aching and almost overwhelming loss of the vast majority of his bonds. He could feel that they were still intact but he was receiving nothing from them. He couldn't feel the worry that Chester must be feeling, he couldn't hear anything from any of the Animals still in Amestris, he couldn't sense their emotions, and he would have no way of knowing if any of them were in danger or trouble. He never thought he would be cut off from the Animals he was bonded with again – not after Father was dealt with – until they or he passed away and he fully believed that the only reason he wasn't in the middle of a panic attack right now was because he could still feel his bonds, even if that was all he could do, which meant he would be able to tell if one of the Animals he was bonded with was killed while he was away from Amestris.
"So you won't take us back now?" Mustang asked, apparently needing that clarification.
"No," Strange said simply.
"Will you take us back home when you have the necessary energy to do so? If only so we can explain to our friends, family, and Fuhrer what is going on and how long we would be away from Amestris?" Mustang queried, face not betraying any of his emotions.
When Strange didn't answer right away, Ed was certain he knew what the answer would be. "No, I'm afraid I will not do that," he said, proving Ed right. Ed was sure his expression was betraying his thoughts and feelings but the only thing that gave away Mustang's feelings was the flash of anger that shone in his eyes for a few moments. "I believe it would be best for us all and our universes if the four of you stayed here until Thanos arrives. In the future I saw with you here, everyone involved worked cohesively together to such a degree that I can't believe you and they hadn't trained together for a significant period of time," he hastened to explain. "Even if I allowed you to go back to visit, it would take me two days - more, if I had to use my magic between opening the two portals - to build up the energy required to bring you back. Those two days may not seem significant in the long run but they may be all that is required to bring your teamwork to the level needed for our success," he tacked on.
"But you said Thanos wasn't going to be here for three months," Ed said, slightly stressing the period. "That's a quarter of a year and you're asking us to spend it here with complete strangers instead of spending a couple of months at home, preparing a few more alchemists who could help before coming back a couple of weeks before the fight and spending the remaining time training with whoever we'd have to fight alongside of?" Ed asked, a small amount of incredulity in his voice.
Strange nodded, his facial expression flickering with regret and apology. "Yes," he said firmly. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, especially considering this world isn't yours, that we're complete strangers, and the way I brought you here, but I am asking that you stay here until Thanos is dealt with," Strange said, a small hint of pleading in his voice. From the slightly awkward way Strange spoke, Ed got the impression that the man didn't do an awful lot of pleading, in lesser amounts or not.
Ed felt his heart sink when the realisation that they really would be stuck here for upwards of three months with no chance of going home in that time. He felt his heart starting to race as his mind whirled with everything that could happen back home and what he could face when he, Mustang, and the Animals did get back but thankfully, before the breakdown could fully happen, Ayala made herself heard. "Everything will be fine, Ed. Chester is an excellent fighter and Al is just as unbeatable as you are. Not to mention that the others aren't exactly useless in a fight and are quite capable of protecting themselves and those around them," she told him, pressing her head up under his flesh hand while still glaring at the strangers. Ed could feel Mustang's grip on his shoulder tighten. "They'll all be perfectly alive and well by the time we get back and who knows? Maybe we'll convince this caped dick to let us have some kind of contact with at least Al, Hawkeye, and Hughes so we can make sure they are okay and aren't panicking," she added.
Ed let her voice and words soothe him and soon his heartrate was almost as normal as it could be considering he was still in a completely foreign land, surrounded by complete strangers, and with no clue how he got here besides Strange's explanation of "I'm a sorcerer" that Ed still didn't fully buy. "Thanks, Aya," Ed said, affection and gratefulness in his voice as he spoke through their bond.
"Look, I don't know about anyone else," Ed's attention was grabbed by Stark, "but I would much rather be on my way out of Siberia's territory before we find out if HYDRA has truly abandoned this bunker or not," he said with a small sigh. "I understand that this situation must be completely confusing and making you feel twenty different things all at once and that you probably want to punch Strange in the face but if the four of you wouldn't mind, can we take this conversation into the quinjet where, at the very least, we'll have heating?" Stark asked the Amestrians.
"Up to you, Mustang. You're the one who'd be best to make this decision," Ed muttered out of the corner of his mouth. At Mustang's surprised look, Ed rolled his eyes and added, "I wanna punch the sorcerer too badly still."
Mustang gave a small "ah" of understanding before he nodded to Stark. "We'll accompany you to your quinjet," Mustang said, barely stumbling over the unfamiliar word.
"Wonderful. Fantastic even," Stark said before he turned to the person dressed in a completely black outfit that covered them from head to toe and reminded Ed somewhat of a big black cat. Maybe a jaguar, like the Animal Ed was assuming was bonded to the person or perhaps a panther? Ed wasn't sure. "You got Zemo squared away?" he asked.
The person nodded. "He's secured on my quinjet and awaiting transport to the nearest UN facility," the man – as Ed identified from the deep, heavily accented voice – answered. "Illoh and I made sure there is no chance of him or his Animal escaping our custody," he said reassuringly.
"Marvellous," Stark said, sounding genuine but tired. "I have to swing back by the control room so FRIDAY can hack into the servers and download whatever's on there," he told the man. "Russia haven't said they wanted the place blown up but one of the UN representatives – Tarasovich, I think his name was – did hint that they wouldn't be too mad if there was only rubble when we left," he said. His dingo gave him a flat, unimpressed look that Ed felt was almost as good as Al's.
"Though I can't say that I blame Mr. Tarasovich for not wishing for there to be any remaining evidence of HYDRA in his country, I think it would be best if we did leave it intact so that Russian authorities can gather evidence from here and perhaps identify the men and their Animals in the cryochambers," the black-suited man said, a small amount of amusement and fondness in his voice. Ed got the impression that the man was smiling behind his mask.
"Yeah, that would be the grown-up thing to do," Stark said, not sounding too happy about it. He turned to Strange, who now had his owl perched on his left forearm. "I'm assuming you want a lift? We aren't going to be making any detours since we'll have two international fugitives riding with us," he said, pointing to the blonde man with the shield and the brunette with the gun, "so New York is your only option," he warned him.
"We would appreciate the ride and my sanctum is in New York so no detour is necessary," Strange told him. The owl hooted softly in agreement.
Stark simply nodded to acknowledge the words before he turned back to the Amestrians. "We'll do proper introductions and stuff on the quinjet before we interrogate Harry Potter over there," he told them, gesturing to Strange, who looked thoroughly unamused by the name he was given. Though confused about the reference, Ed and Mustang gave Stark a nod of agreement. "Right, good. Let's get going," Stark said, turning with his Animal to lead the way before freezing for a moment. Ed couldn't hear what Stark muttered but Ayala was quick to inform him that he'd said, "oh yeah," before he threw a right hook that caught the blonde man with the shield square on the jaw, sending him stumbling several steps. The crane flared its wings as it tried to stop Stark but did so too late. Ed jerked back in surprise, as did Mustang, while Strange merely sighed and the two other men didn't give much of a reaction. "Lie to me again, Rogers, about anything and me punching you in the jaw will be the nicest thing I do to you," he growled at the newly identified Rogers, who was rubbing his jaw and looking at Stark with a surprised look.
With that said, Stark and Elio headed through the bunker, Stark's steps clunking down the hall. Ed, Mustang, and the Animals exchanged a look before they followed suit, ending up walking behind the sorcerer as the three men who'd been standing closest to Stark followed him and his dingo. The great horned owl perched on Strange's arm turned so it was watching the Amestrians, likely to make sure they actually did follow. Ed didn't bother hiding his scowl as he glared at the owl but the Animal didn't seem phased by it at all. Ayala nudged against Ed, not breaking her stride in the slightest, and drew him out of his glaring contest with the owl. Taking a deep breath, Ed brushed his fingers along Ayala's head in thanks before he focused on staying with Mustang and making sure he wasn't left behind in this strange world.
Stark's stop to let FRIDAY gather data from the computers – that's what Stark had called them when Ed had asked – didn't take long. Ed couldn't see this FRIDAY person working and had no clue how she was getting the data but right now, that sort of information wasn't that high on his list of shit to ask about. What did make it to the top of his list was what a quinjet was when the group had made it outside and Ed had gotten his first look at the two large, other-worldly machines sitting neatly next to a vehicle that somewhat resembled a truck but only more advanced. Mustang had as well but managed to make it look like he wasn't approaching out of solidarity with Ed rather than his own uneasiness and fears about the machines.
The Animals – of course – had been the first ones to notice that the Amestrians weren't following them once they'd left the relative warmth of the bunker. "What's the matter?" Rogers asked, a frown appearing on his face even as he tightened his grip on his shield.
"What the fuck are they?" Ed asked, pointing to the two machines that he was fairly certain were the quinjets.
"Quinjets?" Rogers confirmed, though he sounded confused about it. "That one there is ours and the other one belongs to T'Challa," Rogers told them, pointing to the quinjet closest to them with 'Stark Industries' painted on the side of it. The other was sleeker looking and fully black with no obvious markings.
"You mean it's mine. Just because it has Stark Industries on the side of it, doesn't mean it belongs to the Avengers and it sure as shit doesn't mean you lot can take it out for a joy spin or, you know, evade countries with it whenever you want," Stark said stiffly, glaring at Rogers before he turned to Ed. "A quinjet is basically an airplane only a lot more sophisticated," he told him. "It doesn't have the capacity to hold as many people as a normal airliner but it can reach much faster speeds and has several other useful qualities," he explained.
Ed was sure his mouth was gaping during that whole explanation and he knew Ayala's was as well. "What the hell is an airplane?" Ayala asked Ed, looking up at him curiously.
"An airplane is a vehicle capable of flight. Humans use them to travel from continent to continent, country to country, state to state, or city to city when they don't want to drive the distance, if they can afford to," Stark replied when Ed voiced Ayala's question. "I take it from your questions, your country doesn't have anything like this?" he asked, brown eyes sparkling curiously.
Ed stiffened slightly but it was Mustang who answered the question. "No, I'm afraid not. It must be one of the ways our worlds differ," he said smoothly.
"I'd be very interested in finding out how else our worlds differ from one another," Stark said.
"As would I," Mustang replied with a small nod.
Though his question had been answered – likely as best as Stark could answer it considering how little Ed knew about airplanes and the fact that the group as a whole wanted to leave the frozen bunker – Ed still hesitated to follow the group into the closest quinjet. The only person who didn't follow them was T'Challa, who'd had a quiet conversation with Stark before he and Illoh had left their group to enter the second quinjet. The only reason Ed did end up following the rest of them was because Ayala and Nala were pushing him gently to do so and if both the Animals thought it was safe enough for him and Mustang to be on that quinjet then Ed had no good reason not to be on it.
Ed did freeze when Stark spoke to FRIDAY somehow and the back end of the quinjet suddenly opened, extending itself into a ramp for them to climb up on. Ed's eyes were flicking back and forth as he followed Mustang up, their Animals following him, as he ascended the ramp. He was convinced that the ramp was going to suddenly close on them as they walked up it but it didn't. He still gave a small sigh of relief once he was at the top of it. Looking around, Ed could see several storage areas inside the small expanse that made up the middle of the quinjet. There were six chairs, three on each side of the body, and all facing each other for the passengers to sit in while beyond them was a section that had two chairs side-by-side, facing the glass that made up what Ed figured was the windscreen of the machine. Since its layout was kind of like a military truck, Ed was left to assume that that front area was where the people who drove the quinjet sat.
"Make yourselves comfortable," Stark said, waving to the seats as his red-and-gold suit suddenly started peeling away from him. He must've seen Ed's slight step back and quickly said, "it's called the Iron Man armour. It's what I use to fight in or help people. I promise I'll explain it a bit better later."
Ed was convinced that he was going to have a breakdown at some stage with everything that was happening. It was one thing to be dragged through a portal into another dimension but it was quite another thing to watch someone's armour peel itself off of them without any action on the person's part whilst standing inside a technological marvel in both dimensions. In fact, he was quite certain he would've had one right then and there if it hadn't had been for Ayala's entire body weight suddenly leaning against his right side or the understanding look he caught from Mustang.
Swallowing down the hysterics he could feel building inside of him, Ed gave Stark a nod. "Alright," he said, managing to sound far calmer than he felt.
Stark looked at him with a gaze that told Ed he could see right through his mask but thankfully, the man didn't call him out. Instead, he clapped his hands and said, "Right! I promised introductions once we were on the quinjet." He looked over at Rogers and the brunette man who hadn't left the blonde's side for a moment. "The blonde is Steven Rogers, AKA Captain America, and the hobo-looking brunette with the resting murder face is his bestest friend in the whole wide world, James Buchannan 'Bucky' Barnes, AKA the Winter Soldier," Stark introduced. Ed wondered if he imagined the tenseness in his tone as he introduced Barnes. "Strange has already introduced himself and I'm going to leave it up to everyone else to introduce their Animals but I'm Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, and this is my partner in crime, Elio," he said, brushing a hand against the tips of the dingo's ears.
"Brigadier-General Roy Mustang, or the Flame Alchemist, and my Animal is the lioness, Nala," Mustang said after a couple of beats of silence made it apparent no one else was going to talk. "This is my subordinate, Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Elric, or the Fullmetal Alchemist, and his wolf, Ayala."
Steve blanched at Ed's military rank. "'Lieutenant-colonel'?" he repeated and Ed gave a nod. "You look awfully young to be ranked so high," he commented, looking confused about it.
"I don't remember asking your opinion on my rank," Ed snapped, unable to stop himself from lashing out slightly.
Rogers immediately held up his hands in a placating gesture as Mustang placed his hand back on the junction between Ed's shoulder and automail. "I meant no disrespect," he told Ed, looking mildly apologetic. "I was merely curious," he said.
"Deal with it because I'm not about to explain my life choices to someone I haven't even known for half an hour," Ed snarked. He knew he was probably being unfairly defensive but he didn't think anyone could blame him for being so considering everything that had happened to him, his commanding officer, and their Animals in the last half an hour.
Tony was looking rather approving of Ed's snarkiness and was all but grinning gleefully at Steve, who was looking rather affronted. "I think you and I will likely get along brilliantly, Edward," Tony said delightfully, "but we'll have to find out later because I've gotta get this quinjet into the air and out of Russia before they think we're planning on moving into this bunker," he said with a small sigh. "Buckle yourselves in for the take-off," he ordered before motioning for his suit to head for a corner, which it did, unnerving Ed even further.
Elio followed Tony to the front of the quinjet while Ed and Mustang took up two seats on one side and the three others filled the seats on the other side. Ayala and Nala took up position next to their humans and Ed was quick to find an adjustable harness attached to his seat that could be used to secure Ayala. Upon finding it, he pointed it out to Mustang, who found a similar one on his seat and they both worked quickly to fit the harnesses to their Animals before they secured themselves in. That endeavour took them a little longer just because the seatbelts were in no way similar to any kind of seatbelt in any vehicle back in Amestris but they both managed it as a sudden noise sounded from outside, causing Ed's head to whip to the side as though he could see it.
"It's just the engines powering up," Steve said, noticing Ed's look. Ed looked back, taking in the blue and purple bruise on the man's jaw before he nodded in acknowledgement of the man's words.
Steve went to say something else when the movement of the ramp closing up got Ed's attention again so the super soldier settled for watching the blonde eye the closing ramp suspiciously. He took this time to take in the blonde and his companions properly now that there was nothing else demanding his attention. Edward was dressed in combat-styled boots, leather pants, a black top with a black jacket over the top of it that had white trim and was closed with a silver latch at the base of his throat. He was also wearing a pair of white gloves – one of which was stained with something Steve couldn't quite identify – but, unlike his boss's pair, was otherwise unmarked. His hair was braided back and was an unusual shade of blonde that matched his eyes and his wolf's fur. Mustang was dressed in what had to have been a military uniform of some description but not one belonging to any country that Steve knew, which made sense since these four weren't of this world. He looked remarkably unphased by everything but Steve could see the small glances he gave his lioness and his companion that told a different story. His black hair was tousled, giving the impression that it wasn't styled but Steve figured it was meant to look that way and his white gloves had a red design stitched on the top of them that Steve couldn't make out.
Steve exchanged a look with Bucky but his best friend wasn't watching him. Rather, he was watching the two strangers intensely, obviously suspicious of them. Steve couldn't really blame him considering he couldn't honestly say that he trusted them any more than he trusted a random civilian. He watched as Bucky finished securing himself and Zima, neither he nor the snow leopard taking their eyes off of the four sitting opposite them on the quinjet. Steve heard the engines of the quinjet grow louder, telling everyone that Tony was ready to take off so he quickly attached the harness on his chair around Timothy's body, being careful of his wings. He glanced over at Strange and noticed that he was the only one who'd left their Animal unsecured as it perched on his lap.
It didn't take more than a few seconds after Steve had straightened from securing Timothy in for the quinjet to launch upwards and Steve managed to catch a glimpse of the second quinjet, the one belonging to T'Challa, heading off in front of them, though he knew it would veer away from them soon enough as the newly crowned Wakandan king took his prisoner to the nearest UN building to be dealt with. Steve wasn't sure if he trusted T'Challa to deliver Zemo alive considering how he'd gone after Bucky when his friend was the one suspected of the Vienna bombing that had killed King T'Chaka and his cougar, Cinso, but he couldn't find it in himself to bring up his worries to Tony. He didn't think Iron Man would take too kindly to him accusing T'Challa of not keeping his word, not after the events of the bunker.
Steve knew he'd gotten off easy with just the hit to the jaw from Tony and he knew that the only reason it hadn't devolved into a punch-up once the tape had finished playing and Tony had realised Steve had known about what had happened to his parents was because Strange happened to choose that moment to kidnap Edward, Mustang, and their Animals. The thing was, Steve wasn't even sure why he hadn't told Tony the truth as soon as he'd found out. Of course, he knew that part of the reason – perhaps the biggest part – was because he was afraid of what Tony might've done to Bucky. At the very least, Tony could've pulled all of his money from the Avengers, making Steve unable to keep up his search for Bucky. At the very worst, Steve would've been forced to watch as Tony used his wealth and technology to find Bucky and get revenge for what the Winter Soldier and HYDRA had done to his parents. Steve always felt a wave of guilt roll through him every time that thought had entered his head but he couldn't help it. Tony had everything at his disposal to hunt down Bucky and the connections to get away with anything and Steve, though he knew what Tony was like and knew that Tony would never kill a man in cold blood like that, just couldn't take that risk. But that didn't mean he hadn't felt as though he was drowning with the guilt every time he looked at Tony and made the decision to keep what he knew to himself.
"I told you it was a stupid, selfish idea to keep that to yourself. I told you he would find out eventually," Timothy said, his voice thoroughly unimpressed but lacking the smugness that normally came when he'd been proven right about something.
Steve startled as he was pulled out of his reverie by Timothy's voice. He hadn't even noticed that they'd separated from T'Challa and hadn't seen the moment when the four strangers had started to relax as they slowly got used to the quinjet and the sensation of flying. The blonde still looked tenser than Bucky but at least Steve didn't think he was a second away from attacking the first one of them that looked at him wrong. He looked at his Animal and gave a small sigh. "I know you did and you were right. I should've listened to you," he admitted.
It had been the cause of one of the biggest fights between his crane and himself. Timothy had wanted Steve to tell Tony about what Zola had said but Steve had been adamant on keeping it to himself, even letting Natasha believe he would tell Tony eventually so she wouldn't. Timothy had been thoroughly pissed off when he realised what Steve's plan was and threatened to tell Elio so the dingo could tell Tony but Steve had forced his Animal to promise not to do that. It had taken Steve three days to wear Timothy down enough that the sandhill crane had given in, though he'd made it clear that he thought this was going to backfire on Steve spectacularly and that he was fully against the whole thing.
"Though there had better not be but maybe next time you'll actually listen to me," Timothy said, though Steve winced when he heard the lack of faith in Timothy's voice.
Steve didn't want to give Timothy the opportunity to actually verbalise that lack of faith by trying to assure him that he would listen to his Animal the next time, especially when Steve couldn't even believe himself when he thought that. So he decided to address Strange, the only stranger in the quinjet he felt most comfortable talking to about getting answers but he was cut off before he could even begin. "So, Mr. Wizard, wanna tell us why you kidnapped complete randoms from another dimension?" Tony asked as he swivelled his pilot's chair around to face them. His eyes purposefully avoided Steve and Bucky as he focused on switching between the four kidnapped strangers and the wizard and his owl.
Strange gave his owl a pat before he looked up. "As I explained earlier, I saw two futures out of over 14, 000, 000 where we won against Thanos," he repeated himself. "I was paid a visit by Thor and Loki two weeks ago. They were looking for their father, Odin, and sought me out for assistance in that matter. According to Thor, the fire demon, Sutur, had told him that Ragnarok was imminent and Odin was on Earth while Loki was pretending to be Odin on Asgard. Thor revealed Loki's trick and they both came back to get Odin, only they couldn't find him so they came to me for help. I found Odin using a spell and sent them on their way, thinking that would be the last time I'd see or deal with them," Strange told them.
"I'm guessing it wasn't," Tony said dryly.
Strange inclined his head to Tony. "It wasn't," he confirmed. "Thor arrived back on Earth three days ago and told me of Asgard's fate. When they found Odin, he was close to death and informed his sons that upon his death, their sister – Odin's oldest child – would be released. Sure enough, when Odin passed, Hela was released from her imprisonment and destroyed Mjolnir before heading for Asgard to claim the throne and turn Asgard back into the conquering force it had been. For reasons that weren't explained to me, Thor and Loki's attempts to get to Asgard first were circumvented by Hela and they wound up together on a planet called Sakaar where Thor found the Hulk battling in a gladiator arena. To cut a long story short, Thor, Loki, the Hulk, and a few other beings escaped and headed to Asgard to stop Hela. They attacked her but Thor received a vision from his father and realised that starting Ragnarok was the only thing that would be able to stop Hela. Thor and Loki did so and Hela and Sutur fought until both were dead but the price was Asgard."
"Was Bruce alright? What about Green Bean?" Tony asked, his face creased with worry.
Strange gave a nod, even as he scowled at being interrupted. "Yes, he and the Hulk were both fine," Strange told him. "The main reason Thor paid me a visit was to let me that his ship was intercepted by Thanos'. He and Loki were taken aboard Thanos' ship, where Thor was subdued and Loki – in a ploy to save Thor's life – offered up the Tesseract, which he'd stolen from Asgard's vaults. Thanos extracted the Space Stone from within the Tesseract before he killed Loki. Oh, by the way, Loki wasn't entirely himself during the Battle of New York," Strange revealed.
Of the two who had been involved in that battle, only Tony looked unsurprised by the revelation. "I didn't think he was," Tony said with a nod. "It was a stupid plan with no hope of winning. Opening a portal that only let a few Chitauri in at a time and doing so over New York, guaranteeing an immediate response? Not the kind of intelligent plan I'd have expected to see from someone as smart as Loki is supposed to be," Tony commented casually.
"From what Thor told me, Thanos had forced Loki into working for him and made him come to Earth in an effort to locate any Stones here and bring them to him. Loki did what he could to make sure that Thanos didn't get his hands on any Stone here and that the two Stones Loki had with him wouldn't wind up in Thanos' hands," Strange explained. "Obviously, in the long run, Loki only managed to keep the Mind Stone and the Time Stone away from Thanos, making it so two out of three Stones are out of Thanos' grasp but now Thanos is on his way here to find them," Strange told them. "Thor wasn't able to give me a period of anything better than him arriving some time in the next three months. He doesn't think Thanos will be here any sooner than six weeks though so we do have some time to prepare for his arrival," Strange assured them.
"Okay, so we know what's coming and roughly when," Tony said, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "Why kidnap those four?" he asked, gesturing to the Amestrians. "Expand on the whole "we need them so Tony and Elio don't have to sacrifice everything" thing you said before," he added before Strange could repeat what he'd said earlier.
"They're alchemists and I'll leave it to them to explain exactly what that means when they want to but it essentially boils down to me seeing the four of them fighting alongside everyone else near New York, which is where Thanos will arrive considering my sanctum and Vision are based there," Strange explained. "Their alchemy was essential in helping us stop Thanos once and for all before he could win," he said.
"How many did we lose on our side during that fight? The one in the second future you saw?" Steve asked, his body going tense at the idea of losing any of their friends.
Strange gave him a look that Steve couldn't quite read. "As I explained to Edward, I only saw each future in the span of a few seconds. That isn't enough time to make out every detail, especially when what I was searching for were clues on how to ensure half the universe's continued survival," he told Steve curtly. The owl fluffed up slightly, giving Steve a reproachful look. There was something in both the bird's eyes and Strange's voice that told Steve the sorcerer wasn't being entirely truthful.
"I dare you to accuse him of hiding something from us, especially while Tony's sitting right there," Timothy said and Steve flinched minutely.
"Okay," Steve said rather than taking Timothy up on his challenge. "So we have at least six weeks to produce a game plan to take Thanos on. Do we know anything else about him other than the fact that he has some of the Stones and what his ultimate goal is?" Steve asked.
Strange shook his head. "I only know what I've told you. Perhaps Thor or one of his companions will know more about him or his plans and can fill us in when they arrive on Earth," Strange said.
Tony sighed in annoyance, getting everyone's attention. "Just another thing for me to try and get fucking organised so the UN doesn't lose its damned mind about a bunch of Asgardians turning up out of nowhere," he grumbled, already looking exhausted at the idea. "Pepper is not going to be happy with how little I'll be doing for SI until all of this shit's sorted," he said, apparently speaking to Elio more than to anyone else. Elio gave him an unhelpful look that had Tony rolling his eyes in a fond manner that had Steve almost smiling at the display before he averted his eyes so Tony wouldn't catch him looking.
"I can't offer a lot of help with the political side of things but feel free to call upon me if you need me to give the UN a detailed account of my talks with Thor and Loki," Strange offered.
"I might take you up on that," Tony warned. "That'd make that whole issue easier to get dealt with," he said thoughtfully. "No chance you wanna help me tackle the Accords and get them whipped into shape?" Tony asked, not sounding hopeful about his chances.
Strange considered him. "I haven't had the chance to read over the current version of them yet," Strange admitted. "However, as it would be something that would affect myself and other sorcerers, I would be amenable to reading through them if you have a copy and offering my thoughts on it," he offered.
"I'd be happy to present your notes to the UN during my next meeting with them regarding the Accords, which will be in five days, I believe," Tony said, looking at Elio, who sighed before nodding. "Yeah, in five days. I can have FRIDAY send you a copy if Hogwarts allows you internet access," Tony said, a hint of a smirk on his face.
Strange gave a sigh but nodded in agreement. Steve could see Edward and Mustang watching their exchange with a curious look before one of them finally asked the question they'd been wanting to. "What is the UN and what are the Accords you're talking about?" Mustang asked.
Tony startled before giving them a guilty look that told Steve he'd forgotten that they might not know about that sort of thing. "So, essentially, the UN - or United Nations – is an organisation that was founded in 1945 after our second world war by 51 countries dedicated to maintaining international peace and security by developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights," Tony explained. "Today there are over 190 countries that make up the UN and all of those nations can come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that suit as many countries and their people as possible," he told them.
"Now, the Accords are a recent legislation that was first drafted in 2014, shortly after the Winter Soldier went on a killing spree in Washington D.C. and Captain America had a hand in bringing down three Helicarriers that wiped out several thousand innocent people and Animals while the Black Widow and ex-Director of SHIELD thought it was a brilliant idea to dump all of the secret organisation's dirty laundry onto the internet for the entire world to find without consulting the one person on their team who could filter through the information and make sure no one innocent got burned or that state secrets didn't wind up in the wrong hands," Tony said, side-eyeing Steve and Bucky before he focused back on Mustang and Ed. "However, it wasn't fully fleshed out and submitted to the UN until shortly after Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch decided to run amok in Lagos, blow up part of a Wakandan relief building and get dozens of people killed because Scarlet Witch wasn't trained in controlling bombs and because they hadn't thought to warn the local police or government that they'd be there or, you know, ask permission before crossing territory's and invading them," he said, eye twitching with annoyance.
"That was the tipping point for the Accords," Tony continued before Steve could interrupt. "The world was seeing a bunch of mostly American superheroes constantly crossing a foreign country's borders, blowing shit up to get to the bad guy, then leaving without an explanation or offer to help clean up or even an apology for the destruction and, at times, injuries and deaths they caused to innocent civilians and they got sick of it," Tony explained. "The Accords are a set of legal agreements that were established by the UN and have been ratified by 117 countries and counting to serve as a middle point between enhanced individuals who wants to protect their country or Earth and the international community's concerns over the repercussions of those enhanced individuals' actions," he continued. "The main problem with them was that our now ex-Secretary of State, General Thaddeus Ross, was trying to manipulate the Accords into something it was never supposed to be in order to control enhanced individuals. However, that is no longer a problem and with Ross out of the picture, I'll be able to wrangle the Accords back into what they were originally meant to be: a set of legal agreements that protect both enhanced individuals and international communities from the damages done to a country by enhanced individuals who have signed the Accords and to give enhanced individuals – whether they've signed the Accords or not – the same legal and human rights as unenhanced individuals. What that means is that enhanced individuals are now seen as humans and are to be treated as such in the eyes of the law," Tony finished explaining.
Steve couldn't help himself. "That was a longwinded explanation for what basically amounts to the government trying to control the Avengers and what they do," he muttered.
"Really?" Tony snapped, eyes flashing. "You're gonna keep spewing that bullshit after the entire world saw how spectacularly you fucked up over the last few days? Leaving control of the Avengers in your hands will see more foreign borders ignored, causing international incidents that'll eventually get America in hotter water than President Ellis will appreciate, meaning you'll be disowned by America and any protection our government will give you will disappear quicker than you can say "star-spangled man with a plan", and that's not mentioning the property damage and civilian casualties you lot continually leave behind you," Tony snarled, causing Steve to reel back slightly. "We've seen what the Avengers can do with you in charge. Maybe try giving the say about what they do to the "little guys". You know, the people you say you fight for," Tony spat. "And that's not even touching your continuing insistence that the UN is a singular government out for your blood. They are an international organisation focused on world peace. Can you understand that? The only reason they're upset with you right now is because you are threatening the world peace they've fought so hard to achieve since World War Two ended by burning the world to ensure Barnes there doesn't so much as stub his toe," Tony informed him.
Steve felt his cheeks grow warmer with every word Tony snarled at him as his humiliation grew. He felt like a chided child and Timothy was offering no sympathy. Tony had never lost his cool like this, especially not in front of people he didn't know but then again, Tony had never been this furious with Steve before and Steve knew it was completely his fault. He couldn't make himself look at Tony, or anyone else for that matter, even after Tony stopped speaking. He heard Bucky shift minutely in his seat, the fabric of his clothing making noise as he moved against the seat of the quinjet in response to Tony's comment about him.
Mustang watched with well-hidden interest as Tony laid into Steve with a viciousness that had to stem from a personal issue. Something to do with a lie, if Mustang was remembering the words Stark had spat at Rogers back in the room that Strange had pulled Edward into correctly. But as curious as he was about the interpersonal issue going on between the two of them, there was something more imperative that he needed to deal with. "I hate to interrupt," Mustang said, not sounding at all that apologetic and causing Ed to snort softly, "but is there a first aid kit on this quinjet?" he asked.
Tony frowned but got out of his seat and walked over to a storage unit that sat just above Ed's right, making sure to skirt Ayala wide enough that he wouldn't accidentally touch her. Pulling the small kit out of the compartment, Tony said, "what do you need it for? This kit's only stocked for minor injuries," in explanation.
"Fullmetal was injured during the struggle with Dr. Strange," Mustang said, ignoring the muttered grumbles from Ed he could hear. "We need the first aid kit so we can clean and patch up his injuries before they get infected," he told Tony.
"I'm fine, you bastard. You didn't have to go and mention that shit to everyone," Ed muttered, glaring at Mustang.
"I don't know how it hasn't gotten through to you in the last ten years yet that you need to check and at least clean out your injuries, Fullmetal, but it does have to happen," Mustang informed him. "Besides, it's not like that injury would be enough to prevent you from defending yourself just as well without it if this lot tried to attack," he added.
Strange shifted, catching Mustang's attention, and he could see the sorcerer's eyes land on Ed's bloodied left glove and torn jacket sleeve. "Did you want some help?" Tony asked, bringing Mustang's attention back to the second goateed man.
"No," Ed said immediately and predictably, or at least to Mustang and their Animals. He made no move to take the first aid kit, leaving Mustang to accept it with a sigh that sounded uncannily like Al's. "Don't sigh at me, dick. I'm fine," Ed grumbled at him.
"Whatever you reckon, Fullmetal. It's still happening," Mustang informed him as he dug through the first aid kit and produced some gauze, saline solution, bandages – just in case – and the alcohol swabs. "Give me your arm," he ordered, ignoring the curious looks they were getting from everyone.
Ed refused for a moment but from the barely-there sigh and small glare he levelled at Ayala, Mustang knew the wolf had pushed Ed into doing as Mustang said. He was proven right barely a moment later when Ed held out his left arm, a slight tremble in it from the injury. "Was that really so hard?" Mustang teased even as he gently grasped Ed's wrist and slowly started pushing the black jacket's sleeve up. He murmured an apology when Ed hissed as the jacket slid roughly over an injury but he didn't stop in his actions. He settled the sleeve to sit in the slight crook of Ed's left elbow before gesturing for the blonde to pull off his own glove. He didn't think Chester's claws had gone further than his forearm but he wanted to be sure.
Ed did as he was asked, revealing a bloodied but uninjured hand, just as Mustang suspected he would. He barely noticed as Tony made his way back to his seat but he did notice when Tony spoke as he started to gently clean out the injuries. "FRIDAY, how are we looking?" Tony asked someone.
"We're looking good, Boss," a voice answered from somewhere up the front of the quinjet. "I've started finding news reports stating that General Ross has been arrested and will be facing numerous charges. I doubt he'll find himself anywhere but jail, Boss," the voice reported gleefully. Whoever it was spoke in a strange accent that Mustang didn't recognise but there was also a tone to her voice that made it sound somewhat not-human. The closest Mustang could compare it to was how Al's voice sounded while his soul was bound to the armour but it wasn't the same. "Everything else is looking good as well. Colonel Rhodes is being transported to Columbia Medical Hospital for further treatment but due to current company and my protocols surrounding privacy, I can't tell you more about the doctors' prognosis' until we're talking privately, Boss." The voice sounded apologetic and Tony, when Mustang glanced at him, looked proud rather than annoyed.
"Good girl, FRI. That's fine. I'll talk to you through my earpiece in a moment. What's the flight path looking like and how is the UN and Accords Council looking?" Tony asked.
Ed's hiss got Mustang paying attention to the blonde once more and he gave his subordinate an apologetic look that got an eyeroll in response. Ayala gave him a reproachful look that told Mustang he'd better be more careful or he'd find out what kind of damage her teeth would do. Since he felt nothing from Nala that told Mustang that she would defend him in that case, he heeded the silent warning. "Damned right I wouldn't," she informed him. "You should be paying enough attention to Ed's injury to make sure he doesn't feel anything more than mild discomfort," she said, a judgemental tone in her voice.
"You know how good I am at multi-tasking," Mustang reminded her. "Especially in a situation where we are surrounded by potential hostiles," he added. She harrumphed at him through their bond, causing Ed to make a suspicious sounding cough that had Mustang looking up at him. Ed shook his head, silently saying that it was nothing but Mustang wasn't convinced. However, even as he ignored Ed's amusement and turned his attention back to cleaning the dried and frozen blood off of Ed's arm, he still listened to the continuing conversation between Tony and this FRIDAY woman.
"The flight path is clear, Boss. No expected delays and there aren't any abnormal weather systems appearing on the radar. Should be smooth flying for you and your company," FRIDAY assured Tony. "As for the UN and Accords Council, right now the issue of General Ross is taking up most of their attention for the moment. I believe you won't be contacted regarding Rogers or the rest of the Rogue Avengers – as they've been dubbed by social and mainstream media – for several hours yet. They'll be too busy trying to predict and circumvent any disasters that might happen because of Ross' involvement," she told him.
"Excellent, that's what we want," Tony said. Mustang glanced over to see Tony looking mildly excited about the news. "Start working on implementing our plans, FRI hun. Start off by making Ross' team's real orders vs. the orders given by the UN for the Bucharest situation known then start working your way through the list in chronological order at the rate you deem acceptable. If you get to the RAFT situation before we get back to the Compound, let me know. You might need me to help you get that one sorted," Tony instructed.
"You got it, Boss," FRIDAY answered immediately.
"Why can't you be like that when I give orders?" Mustang couldn't help but ask Ed as he cleaned out the last injury and got rid of the last bit of blood, though he did so in a hushed tone so as to not be overheard by anyone else.
"Because Nala wouldn't appreciate it if she had to deal with your ego being any bigger," Ed snarked back without missing a beat, his voice equally as quiet.
"Brat," Mustang grumbled good naturedly as he dropped the alcohol swab into the growing pile of rubbish before he grabbed the saline solution so he could flush the puncture wounds.
"Bastard," Ed said as cheerily as he could manage, their familiar banter helping him to relax a little. He did flinch when the saline found its way into the first injury Mustang chose to clean out. "You would've made a shit nurse though," he told him before Mustang could think of apologising.
"Not a doctor?" Mustang asked as he focused on his task.
"Nah, you aren't bright enough to be a doctor," Ed told him, his familiar smirk in place. The smirk disappeared when Mustang flicked his ear in payback for the comment. "Just cuz you can't handle the truth," the blonde grumbled. "So am I going to bleed out and die or was I right when I said I was fine?" Ed asked before Mustang could make any sort of retort.
Mustang gave him a flat look. "You aren't going to bleed out but you do need stitches. Chester made sure he had a good grip on you," he told him. Ed scowled at his punctured arm as though it had made the decision to need stitches. "It's that or you heal it yourself," Mustang pointed out.
Ed sighed. "No, I'll get it stitched. It's not worth the energy healing it with alchemy," Ed said. What he didn't say but that Mustang heard was that it wasn't worth the energy healing it with the Cretan alchemy he'd spent the last few years studying because they might need all of their alchemic energy to fight if this turned out to be some kind of elaborate trap.
Mustang nodded at Ed's answer. "Well, you'll have to wait until we're on steadier ground before I try and stitch those shut for you," he told the blonde, moving to wrap the injury up since the cleaning had made it start bleeding sluggishly.
"I wouldn't have let you stitch me up now anyways. Knowing your sewing skills, you'd end up stitching the intact part of my arm," Ed said, idly watching as Mustang finished placing the gauze before holding it himself so Mustang could start wrapping the bandage around it to hold it in place.
"You're hilarious," Mustang deadpanned as he went through the motions of wrapping an injury.
"I am trained as a highly skilled surgeon. Did you want me to take a look at the injury when we're on ground to see if there's something other than stitches we can do?" Strange suddenly offered, getting the attention of all four Amestrians and making them realise that their voices had grown loud enough to be overheard by at least one person.
Mustang could see the offer was made partially out of guilt for being the main reason Ed was even injured in the first place but he could also see that the offer was also made from somewhere genuine. However, Ed immediately shook his head, his distrust plain to see. "I'll deal with the stitches," he told the sorcerer.
"Well I have a fully staffed and fully equipped medical wing in the Compound that you'd be welcome to make use of once we land," Stark told them, speaking from the front of the quinjet but turned so they couldn't see him. "I'll need you to go through a few tests in medical anyway so if you're agreeable to it, you might as well get them done while you're there," he said, turning the chair back around slightly to face the back of the quinjet once more.
Ed stiffened at the mention of tests while Mustang felt his mind racing to come with a way to best answer without sounding too suspicious of these people. "What kind of tests?" he decided to ask as he finished wrapping Ed's arm and secured the bandage with two metal grips. Ed immediately pulled his ruined and bloodied jacket sleeve down over the bandage and replaced his glove, all the while watching Stark for his reaction and response.
"Just the usual stuff, I suppose," Stark said, waving a hand casually. "Draw some blood to make sure you haven't been exposed to any contagious diseases, test to see if you're up to date on your vaccinations, get your blood type in case one of you needs a transfusion while you're here, conduct a physical to make sure you're healthy. That sort of thing," he told them. "Everyone who wants to live at the Compound is required to have them. Aside from needing to know your blood type in case you need the transfusions, as I just mentioned, it also makes sure we aren't exposing anyone else who lives, works, or visits the Compound to any sort of potentially dangerous disease," he explained.
Ed still looked suspicious but Mustang couldn't detect any deceit in Stark's eyes and the request certainly didn't sound unreasonable. In fact, it didn't sound any more invasive or unnecessary than the medical portion of the State Alchemists application was. "What about our Animals?" Mustang asked rather than give an outright agreement or refusal just yet.
"There won't be any reason to conduct any sort of medical test on your Animals," Stark said, giving him a small frown. "Assuming your Spirit Animals are similar to ours in that they don't get sick and are able to be healed by their human when injured?" he asked.
"They are," Mustang told him before looking at Ed to gauge his reaction. It seemed as though Stark's answer regarding the Animals had settled Ed down a bit. He still looked suspicious but he did give Mustang a nod, telling him that he was happy for Mustang to answer for the both of them. "We'll both pay a visit to your medical wing when we arrive at the Compound," Mustang told him.
Stark looked relieved for a moment before he managed to wipe the expression off his face. "Brilliant," he said, turning to face the front of the quinjet once more. "Someone will show you the way when we land," he told them before ending the conversation there. "Now I have to make some private calls so I'll be sealing the cockpit off from the rest of the quinjet. Don't knock unless one of you is dying or something else equally catastrophic is happening," he instructed before pressing a button that cause a thin but sturdy looking wall to fall from the ceiling to the floor before anyone could say anything in response.
Mustang took in Rogers' slightly crestfallen look at the appearance of the sectioning wall and filed that away for later before he started cleaning up the rubbish he'd made tending to Ed's arm and putting it in the first aid kit for lack of anywhere else to put it. Since he didn't quite trust himself standing and walking across the floor of a machine that was somehow managing to fly them across the world, Mustang packed the kit up and placed it under his seat so it wouldn't be in the way. After that was dealt with, he leaned back in his seat and placed a hand in between Nala's ears to both comfort her and check that she was okay. He glanced over to see Ed doing something similar with Ayala, though he was far more obvious about it and the wolf was obviously lapping up the attention, both unafraid to show how just how closely bonded they were to each other, not that Mustang could blame them. The idea of trying to attack such a closely bonded pair as Ayala and Edward was usually stopped by a display of that bond's strength. After all, a closely bonded pair was one thing to go up against but a pair whose bond was that strong? That was another thing entirely.
The quinjet jolted slightly, startling both Amestrian pairs and making them as tense as they had been when they first spotted the quinjet. Their tension eased slightly when they noticed no one else was worried but the jolt had been more than enough to remind the four of them that they were somewhere completely unknown, with technology far beyond what any single person in Amestris could dream of, surrounded by people they didn't know or trust, with no one but the other human and Animal to rely on. Mustang's fingers sunk a little deeper into Nala's fur while Ed's did the same to Ayala and the humans exchanged a look. This wasn't the time to grow complacent. They would need to stay on high alert until they were sure they were safe with these people. Ed went back to flicking his eyes over everyone, including the wall that separated Stark from them, waiting for any hint of an attack while Mustang did the same thing, though he included making mental notes of their surroundings to his routine. He knew both Animals had the strange Animals under constant watch so he wasn't too worried about them taking the four of them by surprise. He settled himself further into his chair as he continued keeping watch of everything. This was going to be a long flight.
A/N - As promised, here's the second chapter! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Boxing Day or a couple of great days if you don't celebrate the holiday! Thank you to those of you who left me your thoughts on the first chapter! I really appreciate them and while I won't be able to work on the chapter I'm up to just yet (work has to come first because I got bills to pay because being an adult is a trap), I'm hoping to get hooked into it on my next day off! I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on this chapter though! See you all next year XD