Avengers & Alchemists, Assemble!

by TheFullmetalBitch

Six years after Promised Day, Ed, Al, Ayala, & Chester are on their way to Central Command when an unknown person with powers they've never seen attack them. Despite Mustang's & Nala's help, their attacker is successful & now Ed, Ayala, Mustang, & Nala are in a whole new world that needs their help against a tyrant. How will they survive this new world & the tasks asked of them?

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 –

Ed was mildly impressed with Harold "Happy" Hogan. Not only did the man only give him, Mustang, and their Animals a cursory but suspicious once-over but the suspicion disappeared almost entirely after Tony had insisted they weren't a danger once introductions were over. Happy didn't outwardly threaten them, verbally or otherwise, but Ed had a feeling it was because he didn't have to. His Animal, a Sumatran Tigress named Lily, was very effective at ensuring anyone who she or Happy didn't know personally and extremely well were warned against harming Tony, Elio, or Happy with nothing more than a yawn that showed off more teeth than necessary. Ayala and Nala hadn't bothered to hide their unimpressed looks aimed at the tigress, who acted like she didn't notice. When they climbed into the sleek, shiny, black car, Ed was surprised to see that Lily had followed them rather than take the front passenger seat like Mark or Soren would've done if Havoc or Hawkeye had been chauffeuring them somewhere.

"She does this so she can intervene if Elio or I are attacked," Tony divulged, getting an unimpressed look from both Happy and Lily as a result as they drove away from the Compound.

"You know, Boss, telling people that sort of thing kind of gives away the element of surprise," Happy commented casually as he drove the car through two massive, secure-looking gates that opened automatically with no prompting from anyone that Ed could see. The blonde made a note to ask about that later.

"Something tells me that most people would automatically assume that when they realise that Lily is sitting in the back here with us rather than up the front with you," Tony told him, looking up from the small device he'd been holding in his hand.

"They would've assumed she just wanted the leg space," Happy argued.

"Touché," Tony conceded. "I promise that next time I won't tell whoever's riding in the back with me why Lily is with us instead of with you," he swore for all intents and purposes sincerely but the smirk on his face and in his voice betrayed him.

Ed caught Happy rolling his eyes thanks to the rear-vision mirror. Lily didn't bother hiding her eyeroll from any of them. "Appreciate it, Boss," Happy said, somehow managing to keep the sarcasm Ed could see on his face out of his voice.

The device in Tony's hand started playing what Ed assumed was music, causing him, Mustang, and their two Animals to startle. Tony didn't seem to notice as he sighed before making a swiping motion with his thumb on the device and raising it to his ear. "Good evening, President Ellis," he said, sounding far less tired than he looked. Elio placed his head on Tony's lap and Tony subconsciously moved his free hand to scratch Elio's ears. "I'm sorry, Ellis, but I'm not going to be available for the next couple of hours at least. I'm on my way to Columbia Medical to check on Rhodey and Zara and I don't know when I'll be free," he told the Ellis person on the other end of the device that Ed now believed was some kind of phone. A flash of irritation flickered across Tony's face before he tersely said, "I appreciate that, Mr. President, but I'm sure you'll appreciate that right now, my main concern is my best friend. You know, the man who pilots the War Machine armour and saved the lives of everyone aboard Air Force One, including yours, a couple of years ago?" Tony listened for a few moments before tired victory shone in his eyes. "Of course, President Ellis. I'll pass your well-wishes along to him and I'll give you a call as soon as I've got some spare time," Tony told him. There was another small pause before Tony nodded, despite the fact that Ed was certain Ellis couldn't see him do so before he wished him goodbye, pulled the phone away from his ear, and tapped something on the device that Ed assumed ended the call since Tony groaned as he leant into the car seat.

"Everything okay, Boss?" Happy asked from the front of the car. Lily swished her tail as she watched Tony closely.

Tony gave another sigh. "Yeah, Ellis just wanted to be briefed on everything. Why he didn't just call the UN to get the story from them or, better yet, call Rogers is beyond me," Tony said, rolling his eyes before he scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "He's a Captain America fan. I would've thought Ellis would've jumped at the opportunity to have a reason to talk to Rogers," he muttered.

"Well, maybe Ellis trusts you more. Like you just reminded Ellis, you did save his life a few years ago," Happy pointed out. "Perhaps that's why he's calling you instead of Rogers," he added. Despite the fact that Ed was certain Happy didn't know the full story of what had happened between Tony and Rogers, there was something in Happy's voice whenever he said Rogers' name that told Ed that he knew enough and wasn't happy with Rogers.

Tony groaned once more and said, "I've never wished I left saving the Air Force One passengers to Rhodey more than I have now. At least that way it'd be one less person I'd need to deal with." He sighed again before he sat up a little more and pressed something on the phone to make it light up. As his fingers practically flew across it, Tony changed the topic. "Did the Spider-Kid get home alright?" he asked, his eyes watching his fingers.

"He did. He wanted me to tell you that he's sorry he couldn't help out more in Germany and that he wants me to ask you if I'd be allowed to tell him how you're going. He also insisted on making me promise to tell you that if you need his help again, that all you need to do is just give him a call," Happy reported, no small amount of amusement in his voice.

"I'm glad he's alright," Tony sighed. Ed wasn't sure about Mustang but he knew his irritation and uncomfortableness with not knowing what was being discussed was echoed by Ayala and Nala. "Especially considering what a shitshow that airport fight turned into," he added.

"He's a tough kid, Boss. Plus he had that fancy suit you made for him. Imagine him trying to do what he did in the suit he was wearing before you found him!" Happy said, causing Tony to grimace.

"Don't remind me of that monstrosity," Tony groaned. "But speaking of the kid, did you give him my message?" he asked and Happy gave a nod just as Ed realised that the scenery was turning from the countryside to a built-up area and his focus was now split between the conversation and the scenery.

"He wasn't happy about your ultimatum but he did promise me that he would tell his aunt within the week. Apparently his aunt's pretty stressed out at the moment because of some things going on with the hospital she works at. He doesn't want to add to it," Happy reported.

Tony gave a nod. "Well if I don't get an angry phone call from May by the end of the week, I'll know he's chickened out," he commented casually.

"The kid promised to at least text me once he's broken the news to his aunt. When he does, I'll send you a heads up," Happy promised.

"Appreciate it, Haps," Tony said gratefully. "I'll make sure FRIDAY knows to allow the phone call through, whether May's yelling already or not. I don't think May's the type of woman to appreciate being hung up on when she's rightfully pissed off," Tony half-joked.

"I have a feeling you'd be right, Boss," Happy told him. Lily made a chuffing noise of agreement that had both Tony and Happy chuckling.

Ed had planned on staying quiet, leaving it entirely up to Mustang as to whether he'd break their silence and remind the two men and their Animals that the Amestrians were in the car but in that moment, he caught sight of the city they were heading for. The skyline was filled with buildings taller than anything he'd seen in Amestris, Creta, or Xing by a significant amount. The number of lights he could see now despite the fact that the sun was only starting to sink now made Ed want to see this city when it was fully dark. He didn't even notice the soft, "whoa!" he voiced when he saw the first building that looked tall enough to reach the sky but everyone else in the car certainly heard it.

"That's your city?" Mustang asked, breaking Ed out of his visual devouring of the scenery. Ayala and Nala had both joined him in gazing out the window and the only sign they gave that they'd heard Mustang speak was a flicker of one of their ears.

"Can you imagine getting lost in there? You'd never find your way back out," Ayala said, her golden eyes still glued to the city, which was getting closer and therefore bigger with every second that passed.

"You'd be able to find your way back by tracking our scents," Ed said confidently.

"With the number of Animals I'm starting to sense and the number of humans I'm assuming there are to go with them, I highly doubt our scents would be trackable for long," Ayala commented.

"I'm with Ayala on this," Nala said, somewhat predictably. It took Ed a lot of self-restraint to pretend she wasn't talking to him, something he hadn't had to do for years since pretty much everyone back home knew about his ability now. "We'll need to stick close to Stark and Elio if we don't want to find out just how easy it would be to get lost in there," she told him.

"I don't have any plans of trying my luck in this city," Ed assured her, though he made sure to speak through their bond and keep his eyes on the changing scenery. The trees that had been hiding New York had long since disappeared and Ed's vision was soon filled with concrete buildings and bright lights. "I highly doubt Mustang's considering making a run for it either," he added.

"You'd be right about that," Nala said, her eyes flicking to Ed for a moment before they went back to watching the buildings fly past them. "I think he was more concerned about you taking off," she teased.

Ed looked over his shoulder and glared at Mustang, who'd been in the middle of talking with Tony about – Ed assumed – the city they were now making their way through. It was obvious Nala wasn't keeping her human apprised of what she and Ed were talking about because Mustang was certainly surprised about why he was being glared at this time. Tony, Elio, and Lily seemed to be either confused or indifferent to the whole exchange and Happy appeared to be too focused on the road to be worried about them glaring at each other.

"Boss?" Happy called from the front, getting Tony's attention and breaking the stare-down between Ed and Mustang. "We're thirty minutes from the hospital at this rate. Did you want me to make a detour anywhere for food or coffee?" he asked, eyes meeting Tony's via the rear-vision mirror.

"No, Hap. Let's just get straight to the hospital and see my Rhodey-Bear," Tony instructed.

"You got it, Boss," Happy said before letting his eyes fall back to the road.

Ed saw Mustang open his mouth and just knew what he was going to say. "Don't even think about it," the blonde snapped, pointing warningly at his commanding officer.

Mustang held his hands up in a faux surrender, looking mostly innocent and shocked by Ed's words except his eyes were glinting with amusement. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Fullmetal," he claimed, earning a disbelieving scoff from Ed.

"Sure you don't," the blonde muttered. "Just so you know, the reason I'd never follow your orders as easily as that is because someone really does need to keep you from getting too big of a head so poor Nala isn't suffering more than she already does with you as her human," Ed told him, wrapping an arm around Nala's neck as he pulled her into a comforting hug that she absolutely played into, if the scowl on Mustang's face and amusement on Tony's told Ed anything.

"I have to ask this but is it common in your dimension for Animals to be that touchy-feely with humans that they aren't bonded to?" Tony asked, gesturing to Nala and Ed, the latter of which was now on the former's lap and letting out rumbling purrs as Ed scratched her under her chin while Ayala rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"As a general rule? No, Animals tend to stick to their humans. Obviously, close family members can usually pat their sibling's/child's/parent's/whoever's Animal but not normally to this extent," Mustang said, nodding to his Animal, who was watching him lazily through one open eye as she lapped up the attention from Ed. Ayala had gotten sick of Nala getting Ed's full attention and had shoved her head under one of his hands so he'd pat her too, which he happily obliged her, even if he rolled his eyes at her first. "Fullmetal and Nala have known each other for a little more than 10 years now and she took an immediate shine to him when they first met for some unknown reason," Mustang told him.

"You're just jealous because you know Nala would choose me as her human instead of you," Ed snarked with no real bite in his voice.

Mustang's lips twitched upwards as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever you reckon, Lieutenant-Colonel," Mustang teased, grinning at the way Ed twitched and glared at the use of his rank. "But as I was saying. If someone else tried scratching Nala without her permission, even if I've known that person for years and trust them, they'd likely lose their hand. The same, I can confidently say, would go for Ayala. But there seems to be something about Fullmetal that attracts Spirit Animals to him. It can be very useful or extremely irritating, depending on the situation," Mustang added.

"It's because the Animals have such good taste in people," Ed informed him before he looked at Tony. "I take it that Animals being touched by someone they aren't bonded to is unusual?" Ed asked curiously.

Tony hummed in thought. "I wouldn't say unusual. It's more like it's… less common. 100 years ago, it was practically unheard of unless a human or Animal was in extreme danger and there was no other way of getting them out of it," Tony told them. "Then about 40 years ago perhaps, people started realising that their Animals could make up their own minds about who they wanted touching them, if they wanted someone other than their human giving them pats or whatever. It's not unusual for those from an older generation to lecture someone younger because their Animal sought touch from someone other than their bonded partner as they consider it highly inappropriate but it's definitely changing with the later generations. Animals won't go up to a stranger for pats and whatnot but it's not that unusual to walk down the street and see friends carrying their friend's Animal or an Animal bouncing between two people or playing with a bunch of kids or whatever," Tony explained. "But I can almost guarantee you that an Animal belonging to a superior officer wouldn't act like that towards any of their human's subordinates," he added, nodding to Ed and Nala.

"Nor would the Animal of any other military officer back home," Mustang told him. "As I said, there's just something about Fullmetal that makes most of the Animals around him act like they're bonded to him instead of their human," Mustang said, sharing an amused look with Ed. Though they hadn't discussed it, it seemed as though Mustang fully planned on keeping Ed's abilities with Spirit Animals as much of a secret as Ed was.

"Considering how jarring it is to hear the voice of a human who isn't yours in your head for the first time, I think keeping your abilities quiet for as long as possible is a good idea," Nala said. "If these people do turn on us, you could cause their Animals – and thus their humans – to hesitate which could be the difference between us being captured or worse or escaping," she told him.

"I hadn't thought of that when I decided to keep my abilities quiet but that is a very good point," Ed praised, scratching Nala under her chin again. Deciding a change in subject was probably a good idea so that the car didn't fall into silence again for the remainder of the drive, Ed asked, "so what's with that thing in your hand?" while nodding to Tony's left hand, which still held the device in it.

Tony looked down at his hand as though expecting to see something else in it. Both Elio and Lily looked between the device, Ed, and Tony with confusion while Tony, looking just as confused, met Ed's eye while holding the small, rectangular object that fit in the palm of his hand up so Ed could see it. "You mean my phone?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Ed said. "I mean, I figured it was some kind of phone or maybe a really good radio but I've never seen anything like that," Ed told him, his eyes flicking between the phone and Tony. Ed knew Mustang was eyeing the phone just as curiously as he was.

"It's a cell phone," Tony told him. When the name only drew blank looks, Tony frowned. "What would you call your country's most recent advance, technological or otherwise?" he asked.

"Uh…" Ed trailed off while Mustang looked deep in thought. "Oh!" Ed exclaimed, causing half the occupants in the car to jump. "Doctor Banting – you know, the biochemist in Laboratory Three?" he said to Mustang, who nodded, "was telling me a couple of days ago that he and his team have discovered a hormone in the human body they're calling "insulin"," Ed told them, "and that another team is close to finding a cure for tuberculosis," he recalled. "Laboratory Three also has their alchemists working on Cretan healing arrays to see if they can be improved or new ones created. I think it's a waste of time since I'm the one who brought the arrays back and know them better than the ones studying them," he added, rolling his eyes before looking at Tony now, whose fingers were tapping rapidly on the top of his phone.

"Okay, the alchemy stuff I'm not going to touch because the only references to alchemy we've got are in fantasy books/movies or as failed experiments in old texts but according to Google," Tony looked up in time to see more blank looks, "I'll explain that later," he promised before continuing. "So according to Google, those were discovered here in July of 1921, so you're about 95 years behind our dimension, technologically wise at least," Tony told them, half sighing. "I'll have FRIDAY compile a list of notable events and discoveries that you should know about during those years for you to go through at your convenience but I'll give you the quickest twenty-minutes cliff-notes version you'll likely ever get," Tony said, leaning forward slightly.

Ed found himself without Nala or Ayala on his lap as the two Animals gave Tony their undivided attention. Both Ed and Mustang found themselves mimicking Tony and leaned forward in their seats as they waited for the man to start speaking. Seeing he had a captive audience, Tony started speaking. "Probably a good idea to start with the '20's and move forward from there," he said before clearing his throat. "So the '20's are best remembered as a time where…"

---

"We're here, Boss," Happy told them just as he pulled the car into a large car park situated in front of a massive white building. Ed could barely comprehend the size of it as he swayed forward with the momentum of the car coming to a complete stop. "Do you want me and Lily to wait with the car?" Happy asked, twisting in the front seat so he could look at Tony face-to-face.

"No, Hap, Rhodey will be happy to see you as well," Tony said, shaking his head. "Just lock the car. FRIDAY's already identified four CCTV cameras that have an unobstructed view of the car and will monitor them just in case." Tony said before Happy could say whatever he'd opened his mouth to voice.

"You know that it's illegal for your A.I. to hack into any closed-circuit system, right?" Happy asked conversationally as he got out of the front of the car and opened the door in time to hear Tony's reply of, "she didn't hack it. She's just… keeping an eye on things using everything available at her disposal."

Happy rolled his eyes as Tony and Elio climbed out of the car, Tony still defending FRIDAY's actions while Elio shook his head lightly to Happy's amusement. Lily followed next though she stuck next to Happy and watched Mustang and Nala as they climbed out of the car. Ayala then went next, pushing past Ed to do so. He was confused by her eagerness to get out of the car – it truly was one of the smoothest car rides they'd ever been in and Ed was of the opinion it was because of the advanced car they were in and the roads themselves – for a moment until he felt her overprotectiveness of him flare through their bond. He rolled his eyes at that as he followed his wolf, deciding to just roll with her protectiveness and walk around her so she was between him and Lily as she wanted him to do. Mustang raised a brow that had Ed shrugging in a "what can you do?" way before he joined the other humans.

"Alright let's get going before someone recognises me," Tony said once they were all out of the car and Happy clicked something that had the car beep twice while it's hazard lights flicked twice, causing Ed and the Animals to jump a little while Mustang pretended not to be as shocked as the other Amestrians were.

"Are you well-known?" Mustang asked as they walked behind Tony and Happy, the latter of whom was walking right behind Tony like a bodyguard would. Lily and Elio were in front of Tony, with Lily walking on Tony's left, just like Happy was.

"You could say that," Tony said, tone somewhere between amused and – for some reason – mildly disbelieving. "I own Stark Industries, a weapons company turned technological giant. We're a multi-billion-dollar, international company who strives to bring the public cutting-edge technology at affordable prices. We also have various contracts with the military and other prominent departments so we can outfit our soldiers and others with top-of-the-line body armour and other equipment. There are several other things we do but that's the gist of it. As the owner, former CEO, and current R & D head, as well as a Stark, I've been in the media spotlight most of my life," Tony told them as he led them into the building with "Columbia Medical" in large, blue letters above the entryway.

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you actually explain who you are and why you're famous, Boss," Happy commented even as his keen eyes continuously moved around the area, tracking every single person and Animal present and analysing what danger they might be to his boss.

"It's probably the first time I've ever had to," Tony said with a small grin before he noticed Mustang and Ed exchanging a look. "Like I said, I'm very well known. I very rarely have to actually introduce myself rather than just exchange names with someone to be polite. You belong to an extremely tiny percentage of the world who doesn't know the name "Tony Stark"," he explained.

"Fullmetal can relate to that," Mustang said, before he grunted softly when Ed's left elbow met his ribs.

At Tony's and Happy's curious looks – Elio and Lily were too busy keeping an eye on the area to look at Ed but he knew they were listening – Ed sighed. "I'm pretty well-known back home. Youngest person to ever join the military, youngest person to successfully become a State Alchemist, highest score on the entrance exams to become a State Alchemist, and alchemy prodigy. Not to mention very vocal about calling the military out on its shit," Ed told them with a shrug.

"Not to mention renowned for causing buildings to collapse," Mustang commented teasingly, dodging the elbow this time.

"Only 73% of those buildings falling was actually my fault!" Ed argued, glaring at his commanding officer.

"Are you trying to convince yourself or the others of that?" Ayala asked curiously.

"Traitor," Ed muttered back at her, though he continued glaring at Mustang, who looked far too amused, which told Ed that Ayala's comment had been heard by Nala and the lioness had apparently decided to betray Ed by telling her human what his wolf had said.

"I have so many questions about everything you just said but I can see the nurses desk and someone's already recognised me so questions will have to wait until later," Tony said, looking at Ed like he wanted to ask those questions right then and there despite what he'd just told them.

"I'm sure you'll have enough time to ask them, Boss," Happy reassured him just as a dark-skinned nurse beelined straight for them.

"Mr. Stark?" she greeted, looking straight at Tony and with her hand held out for him to grasp, which he did immediately as he nodded. "I'm Shayla Dean, one of the nurses assigned to Colonel James Rhodes and Zara," she introduced herself before her brown eyes pointedly looked over at the other three bonded pairs.

"They're fine, Nurse Dean," Tony told her. "How's Rhodey? Last I heard, they weren't sure what kind of damage he took," he said.

Shayla's eyes found him once more as she nodded. "I'll explain as we head to his room. His doctors have been paged about your arrival and will meet us there," she told them before she turned on her heel and walked quickly in the direction Rhodes' must've been in with them all on her tail. "As you were probably made aware from the update given by our colleagues in the hospital Colonel Rhodes was first brought to, his spine is our main concern. He landed on his back from a great height. Though he did manage to get power back to the War Machine armour for a few moments before he crashed, he was still falling at a great enough speed for us to be treating him as though we have confirmation of a serious spinal injury," she told them as the elevator they'd entered arrived at the floor she'd pressed for and they continued down the hallway.

"But you don't have any proof of a serious spinal injury?" Happy asked, voice concerned.

Shayla nodded. "We don't but that's due mainly because of how swollen the spinal cord is. It's preventing us from getting clear images of his spine. Until it heals and the swelling goes down significantly, we won't know for sure," she explained.

"Does he have sensation in his feet and legs?" Tony asked. If Happy's voice had been concerned, Tony's was more so. It was easy to tell from his tone that Rhodes was a good friend of his.

"He does have sensation in his feet and legs but he describes it as soft pins and needles rather than actual feeling," the nurse told them. "There could be a number of reasons for that, the swelling in the spinal cord being the most likely cause but again, until that swelling goes down, we just won't know for sure," she warned them.

"How long do you have to wait until you know?" Tony asked just as Shayla turned a corner and led them down another corridor. Ed could see a couple of doctors in white coats at the end of it and surmised that these were the colonel's doctors.

"Hopefully the swelling will have subsided enough within 24 hours for us to get a good image," Shayla said, giving Tony a warm smile.

Tony had just nodded at her words when they came to a stop in front of the three doctors. One of the doctors looked at the group before he inclined his head to his colleagues, politely did the same to Shayla and the group with her then left, walking briskly in the opposite direction Tony and the others had come from. "Mr. Stark? I'm Doctor Daniel Brown and this is my colleague, Doctor Anthony Sharp," the first doctor, a tall, lanky man with blonde hair turning silver at the sides and roots. The second doctor was a few inches shorter than his fellow doctor, at least a decade younger, and had rich, brunette hair. He gave them a nod in greeting as Brown continued. "I'm the doctor in charge of Colonel Rhodes' care and Doctor Sharp is our resident specialist on spinal injuries," Brown told them.

"Tony Stark, my Animal, Elio, and friends," Tony greeted, holding out his hand to shake the doctors' while gesturing to Elio and everyone else with him with the other. "Nurse Dean has been kind enough to give us the rundown on Rhodey's condition so far. What are the treatment options?" he asked as Shayla slipped past them to enter Rhodes' room. She did so efficiently enough that Ed barely got a glimpse of a dark-skinned man laying on the hospital bed with his neck braced and a brown bear sitting next his bed before the door shut.

"I'm sure Nurse Dean told you that we're waiting for the swelling of his spinal cord to go down so we can actually ascertain what the damage is," Doctor Sharp said. Tony nodded but the doctor continued before he finished. "Right now our treatment plan is built around worst-case scenario. We're proceeding as though he's snapped his spinal cord and fractured several vertebrae so right now, our treatment plan consists of keeping his pain in check, ensuring he doesn't move if it can be helped, and keeping him comfortable while keeping an eye on any limitations he's developed and slowly introducing appropriate exercises for him to complete to make sure those limitations don't increase or new ones don't develop," he explained. "We need his injury to stabilise and start healing before we can do anything more vigorous," he said before Tony or anyone could ask.

"Can I see him?" Tony asked, brown eyes subconsciously switching between Sharp's and the door.

"Of course," Doctor Brown said before Sharp could answer. "He's conscious now and lucid," he told them and from the way Brown looked at Sharp as he was speaking, Ed figured that his fellow doctor was likely about to protest.

"Thank you," Tony said, his relief evident. "Let me know if there's anything you or the hospital need to make sure his recovery is as comfortable and effective as possible. Seriously, nothing's out of the question," Tony told them, making the doctors pause before they opened the door.

"That's very generous of you, Mr. Stark. We'll keep that in mind," Brown said, giving him a smile before he opened the door.

The dark-skinned man Ed had sighted for a moment was watching the door as much as he could while laying down. The brown bear sitting next to him was actively watching the door and was likely the reason why the dark-skinned man wasn't surprised to see Tony, Happy, or their Animals. He was also not surprised to see four additional people and Animals but he was obviously confused about it, even doing a doubletake when he saw Ed, likely due to how much younger he was compared to everyone else. Shayla was still jotting things down on a clipboard that she handed over to Doctor Brown as soon as she was done before she dismissed herself when neither doctor asked her for anything.

"Hey, Platypus. They treating you alright here?" Tony asked as he approached the bed. Elio and Lily both went straight over to the brown bear and placed themselves so they were touching the other Animal. "Mustn't be. You look like shit. Worse than Spring Break of '89," he teased, though his voice trembled slightly.

"At least I still look better than you, Tones. What the hell happened to you afterwards?" Rhodes asked, peering at his best friend. "And why do you have someone who looks like he's barely out of his teens with you?" he added, brown eyes flicking to Ed before they went back to Tony.

"Long story and I will share it with you soon," Tony assured. "How are you, Zara? Do you need anything?" he asked, turning to the bear, who shook her head. "Alright. Well, you let Elio know if that changes, okay? I'm sure whatever the hospital is feeding you isn't all that bad but I can get you whatever you want, okay?" he asked. The bear gave a nod and a smile though made no move to touch Tony or Elio.

"Stop trying to deflect," Rhodes ordered. "What happened?" he asked again, this time more sternly.

"I'm not deflecting," Tony protested. At Rhodes' disbelieving look, he added, "seriously, I'm not. I will be telling you everything. Just not right now."

Rhodes gave a very audible sigh before he said, "fine! But I expect all of the details from you, Tony, and don't for a minute think I won't resort to having Zara ask Elio for them if I think you're hiding something."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Honey-Bear," Tony said, tone fond. His expression turned somber before he asked, "they have given you an update on what's going on with you, right? You've been awake long enough for that?"

"Yeah, I've been given the news and possibilities," Rhodes confirmed. "Even if the worst-case scenario is my reality, it's not your fault, Tones, so don't blame yourself. I can see it in your eyes that you're working your way into convincing yourself that this is completely on you," the colonel said, glaring at his friend. "I've flown hundreds of missions as War Machine and thousands in my Air Force career, Tony. Any one of them could've landed me in this hospital bed or a morgue. This is a bad beat but it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, really," Rhodes told him. "And if Elio tells Zara – and believe me, he will tell her with no hesitation – that you've been beating yourself up out of guilt over this then injured or not, I will kick your skinny, white arse," he threatened.

Tony held his hands up in surrender, though he was grinning. "Whatever you say, Sour Patch," he said, laughter in his tone, though it was faint.

One of the doctors – Ed thought it was Brown – cleared their throat so he could get their attention. Once their attention was caught, Sharp said, "we had been about to come in here to let you know that we were planning to run so more tests tomorrow to see if the swelling has gone down enough."

Rhodes shallowly nodded his head, unable to move much more than he had thanks to the neck brace he was wearing. The mention of the swelling while in Rhodes' presence seemed to be what Tony was waiting for to say, "well, we actually might have a way for you guys to take new images sooner than you thought."

"Really?" Rhodes asked, one of his brows rising slightly in disbelief. "When did you find the time to invent something between my fall and you visiting to help the doctors with that?" he asked.

"No, not me," Tony said, "though your faith in my inventing abilities is astounding, Platypus, truly," he snarked before gesturing to Ed, who barely managed to stop himself from flinching when suddenly everyone's and every Animal's attention was on him. "Edward offered to use his healing powers on you to at least heal the swelling we were told about," Tony told them.

"'Healing powers'?" Rhodes repeated incredulously. "Sure, why not? We've already got a zynthezoid with a mystical stone in his forehead, a super soldier who managed to survive being frozen in the artic for seventy years, and a woman who let herself be experimented on by HYDRA just so she could get revenge on you with her witchy powers then realised how stupid she was being on our team. Why not a teenager with healing powers?" he ranted slightly.

"I'm 22," Ed scowled, ignoring the amusement he could sense from Ayala and Nala and could see on Mustang's face.

"My bad," Rhodes apologised. "Why not someone barely out of his teens with healing powers?" he corrected himself, voice still filled with scepticism.

"You can heal people? How?" Doctor Sharp asked, voice all business as he eyed Ed with a mixture of disbelief and awe.

Ed forced himself to not squirm under the doctor's look. Brown looked only moments away from demanding answers from Ed himself. "I can use alchemy. I've studied in Creta – a country that shares a border with ours –" he gestured between himself, Ayala, Nala, and Mustang, "for the last three years, learning their arrays, which include healing ones," he explained.

"'Alchemy'?" Rhodes was the one to ask, giving Tony a confused look that also asked for an explanation.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't had the chance yet to ask them for a more detailed explanation for what alchemy is," he told his best friend.

"Alchemy is a science and the study of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing material to suit our purposes. We follow the law of equivalent exchange in order to transmute," Ed told them. "Alchemists like me and Mustang can use an energy available to us to create things out of other things. There are laws and rules that must be followed by an alchemist, such as an alchemist can't create something without exchanging something equivalent to what they want to make," he explained.

"Fullmetal is one of Amestris' most renowned alchemists," Mustang said. "There are only a handful of alchemists who can match him, knowledge-wise," he told them, no small amount of pride in his voice. The pride surprised Ed, not because he didn't think Mustang was proud of him – he was well aware of just how proud of him Mustang was, especially since Promised Day – but because he didn't think Mustang had planned on showing people they didn't know that he held Ed in any kind of regard except that of subordinate.

"I'm sorry but I still don't understand," Doctor Brown said. "How can you heal someone? You said that you have to exchange something when you transmute. Is healing alchemy different?" he asked, looking confused. Sharp continued to look thoroughly disbelieving of everything.

"No, it's still alchemy and therefore I'm still bound by the laws of alchemy when I use it," Ed told him, delighted to have someone ask such a great question. "What I'd be exchanging in order to heal him is my energy," he said. "Like my actual energy, not alchemic energy. I use that to fuel the array but it's not what I give in exchange to heal someone," he explained. "How serious an injury I can heal depends on how rested I am," he added.

"So you can heal the swelling in my back and any underlying damage?" Rhodes asked.

"I can heal at least the swelling," Ed told him, his golden eyes finding Rhodes' brown ones on him. "I don't know what, if any, damage there is under the swelling so I can't tell you if I can heal it now or after a night's sleep," he said.

"You look like your sleep schedule matches Tony's," Rhodes snorted. At Tony's protest, Rhodes raised a brow and asked, "when was the last time you got more than three hours sleep?"

"Last night," Tony said with a scowl.

"Really? Because according to Zara, Elio says it was a week ago," Rhodes informed him.

"Elio's delusional," Tony immediately claimed, not missing a beat.

"I don't think Elio's the delusional one out of the two of you," Rhodes sniped back before Elio had time to do more than look mildly offended at his human.

"This oddly reminds me of you and Alphonse," Ayala commented, watching the exchange between the two friends with mild intrigue.

"Hush up, you," Ed muttered, shooting a half-hearted glare at his wolf who, to the complete lack of surprise of Edward, ignored it.

"If you can heal with your alchemy as you claim," Sharp said, interrupting Tony halfway through a retort to Rhodes, "why is your arm bandaged?" he asked, nodding at Ed's left arm where the sleeve had risen to show a hint of the white bandages wrapped around it.

Ed shrugged as he tugged the sleeve back down. "Wasn't severe enough for me to waste my energy on healing it," Ed told them. He didn't add on the part about how he hadn't wanted to waste energy he would've needed to escape if Tony and the others had turned on him, Mustang, and their Animals but he was sure the two doctors, Rhodes, and Zara knew there was something he wasn't telling them.

"He offered to heal the damage. That's why they're here," Tony told Rhodes before anyone could demand Ed tell them what he was trying to hide. The slight pleading in the man's voice betrayed how much he wanted Rhodes to take Ed up on his offer.

"I'm sorry but without proof of his abilities, I can't in good conscience permit this person to use his abilities on an injury like Colonel Rhodes'," Brown said. Mustang shot the man a glare for his insinuations against Ed while Sharp looked like he was in complete agreement with his fellow doctor. Rhodes looked torn between allowing Ed to heal him or following his doctor's advice.

"Would proof help you feel better about Edward using his alchemy to heal the swelling?" Tony asked, looking between the two doctors.

"It would certainly make me feel more comfortable about it," Brown admitted. Sharp didn't say anything but did give Tony a slight nod when the billionaire looked at him.

Ed frowned. "I can give a demonstration, I suppose," he said slowly, "but if you don't want me working on Colonel Rhodes then I'll need another injury to heal," he told the doctors.

"What about your injury?" Sharp suggested, brow quirked in silent judgement that had Ayala's hackles raise as her top lip lifted slightly.

Ed gave the doctor a bored look as he stated, "it's already been cleaned and treated so there's no need for me to heal it," in a tone that suggested he thought the answer was obvious. From the way Sharp scowled, he found the tone offensive. "Besides," Ed shrugged, "while not an awfully severe injury, it is more than just a scratch and would take a decent amount of energy to heal and since I don't know what the severity of Colonel Rhodes' injury is, I'd rather waste as little energy on this demonstration as possible," he said, directing the words to all of them.

For a few moments, no one did or said anything. Just as Ed was about to ask Mustang whether he had any cuts or bruises he could heal, Tony stepped forward. "You can heal the cuts on my face," he offered, though he looked thoroughly apprehensive about letting Ed near him while wielding an unknown ability.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked, not wanting to make the man who was going to be housing, feeding, and otherwise taking care of all of his, Mustang's, and their Animals' needs for the foreseeable future uncomfortable.

Tony nodded even as he visibly steeled himself. "I'm sure," he said firmly, his resolve hardened.

Ed exchanged a look with Mustang, who just gave him a small nod, before he closed the distance between him and Tony. Elio put himself between Ed and Tony, making it so Ed had to stop barely within arm's reach of Tony but he didn't comment on it. He was still close enough to direct the healing alchemy like he needed to and he knew having Elio there, ready to defend him, would be making Tony more relaxed. Besides, Ayala had stuck by his side and was ready to intercept Elio on the off chance the dingo attacked so Ed truly had no reason to be worried about the canine in front of him.

"Hold still," Ed warned softly as he brought his hands together. The familiar clap of his array activating rang out in the hospital room, causing those who didn't hear it on a semi-regular basis to flinch. "I'm starting now," he informed Tony before he held both of his palms close to Tony's face, palms facing Tony, and let his alchemic energy loose to do its job.

Unlike regular alchemic energy, the energy Ed released for his healing arrays didn't spark or act like electricity arcing off of metal. It was the same shade of blue but glowed softly, like that of an Animal's healing energy. If he'd been using his healing alchemy on an Animal, it would be the same green of their own healing energy. Izumi, Ed, Al, and the Cretan alchemists Ed studied with theorised that it was because the Animal's healing energy mixed with the healing alchemy to help direct the alchemy for the most effective healing possible but no one knew for certain. Tony flinched minutely before he shut his eyes against the bright blue glow as it got to work. Muscles in Tony's face twitched at the uncomfortable and itchy feeling of his skin knitting together as Ed healed the small scratches that marred the bridge of Tony's nose, above his left eyebrow and from his right cheekbone down to his right bottom jaw. It only took a handful of seconds before Ed released the array, his job finished, and took a few steps back as he lowered his hands.

Mustang moved forward to stop Ed's retreat with a firm hand on his left shoulder. At the touch, Ed looked up to find Mustang looking at him with concern. Ed was quick to realise why and even quicker to take stock of himself. It was the first time either of them had performed an array successfully on this side of Strange's portal. "I'm fine," Ed told Mustang honestly. His energy felt like it had dropped by the amount he would've expected back home from using the same array for similar injuries.

"Tony?" Rhodes asked, getting the alchemists' attention back to the situation.

"Are you really fine, Ed?" Nala asked just as Tony faced Rhodes, his face now healed of all his cuts and bruises.

"Really," Ed promised as Tony reassured his oldest friend that he was, "perfectly fine, Platypus. Felt like I wanted to scratch my skin off as it healed but only for a moment."

Rhodes must've seen the honesty on Tony's face or Elio had confirmed his human's words to Zara because the hospitalised man accepted Tony's words with a slight nod. "Alright, kid. What do you need to do to heal me?" Rhodes asked, his attention on Ed.

The blonde scowled at the name he was called but let it slide in favour to tell Rhodes and the doctors that, "I'll need access to whatever x-rays or other images you've got of the swelling so I know exactly what I'm dealing with."

"Colonel Rhodes, are you sure?" Brown asked, even as he and Sharp were gazing at Tony's healed face with amazement.

"Damned straight I am," Rhodes said, looking between Tony, the doctors, and Ed with a determined expression. "Give him access to the files he needs," Rhodes verbalised, leaving the doctors no choice.

"Here are the x-ray's and MRI's we took shortly after he arrived," Brown said, grabbing Rhodes' files he had and pulling out the films he needed before he handed them over to Ed.

"Thanks," Ed said, grabbing the images and zeroing in on the board on the wall of Rhodes' room. He was quick to place the images on the board and find the switch to turn on the lights that would shine through the film to help him see before he started studying them intently.

---

While Ed was distracted by the images in front of him, Mustang turned his attention onto the conversation that was happening between the doctors, Rhodes, Happy, and Tony. Ayala and Nala had decided to join Ed in scrutinising the images, though Mustang knew one of their ears was listening in while Elio and Zara were focusing more on their humans. The doctors were discussing how Tony was feeling while checking over his face. Rhodes was mainly intent on making sure Tony was still feeling fine while trying to get his original question of what had happened to his best friend answered. Tony was expertly dodging Rhodes' questions about anything that had to do with what had happened while fending off the doctors with assurances that he wasn't about to drop dead. Happy wasn't saying much as he continued his role of bodyguard by keeping an eye on Tony, those around him, and the door.

"Doctor Brown?" Ed called, interrupting the two conversations happening at the same time. "Can you come here for a moment? I have a couple of questions," Ed asked. Mustang would've admitted to being surprised that Ed had asked if it hadn't had been about someone's injury. He knew that Edward would never have risked injuring someone further because he was too stubborn to ask for help.

Brown left Sharp to continue querying Tony while he went over to Ed, standing a respectable distance from Nala as he asked, "what can I help you with?"

"Can you explain what an MRI is and what this image shows?" Ed asked, pointing to the image that wasn't an x-ray.

"You don't know what an MRI is?" Brown asked, sounding thoroughly confused about that.

"We don't have them in Amestris," Ed told him. "Mr. Stark believes our country is slightly behind yours, in terms of technology and medicine," he divulged.

Brown looked surprised at the information but didn't hesitate to start his explanation. "MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging," he explained. "The machine's scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body. In this case, we have an image of the section of Colonel Rhodes' spine that we think is damaged," he said. He pointed to the MRI image and gestured to the area he was talking about as he said, "as you can see here, this part of the spinal cord is swollen and pressing against Colonel Rhodes' vertebrae. We're worried that if Colonel Rhodes moves in the wrong way, his vertebrae – if they aren't already damaged – may cause additional damage to the spinal cord if they pinched it. It's part of the reason we have him as immobilised as possible."

Ed nodded as he followed the doctor's explanation. "So this grey area next to the vertebrae is the spinal cord on this image?" he asked, seeking the clarification.

"Yes," Brown confirmed. "If he did damage any vertebrae, it could be on any vertebrae from the L4 through to the S1," he told Ed, who nodded as Brown gestured to the vertebrae in question.

"So why can't we see any damage to the vertebrae on the MRI image?" Ed asked. "We can see the bones themselves clearly," he pointed out.

"Actually, we would normally use an MRI to find fractures or breaks over an x-ray as the MRI is capable of picking up stress fractures up to two weeks before an x-ray will," Brown told Ed, who looked surprised at the news. "The problem is that we can't move Colonel Rhodes to get the images needed to look for fractures in the vertebrae until that swelling goes down. If we try and the vertebrae pinch or snap his spinal cord, he could be instantly paralysed from the site of the injury down," Brown explained.

Mustang hadn't seen Ed looked so intrigued since the last time he'd spoken with the doctors at Central Hospital and working in Laboratory Three about their medical advancements so he could take the information back to Creta. Mustang half expected Ed to ask for the blueprints to the MRI machine so he could take it back to Amestris but Ed didn't. Instead, he said, "thanks for the information, Doc," before he went back to studying the images.

Brown took the dismissal as it was and headed back over to the others, joining back in with Sharp's conversation with Tony before the two doctors walked away to consult with one another. Mustang caught snippets of the conversation but from what he heard, it was mainly about organising another MRI/x-ray for the colonel once Ed was finished. He looked back over to his subordinate and almost snorted at the scene in front of him. Ed was studying the images closely, which was no surprise to Mustang, but both Nala and Ayala were on their hind legs with their forepaws resting on the wall so they could look at the films too. Mustang was willing to bet his gloves that they were asking questions and offering their opinions to Ed as they scrutinised the pictures.

"Are they actually looking at the film or just offering their support?" Tony asked, sounding like he was standing right next to Mustang.

Mustang barely suppressed his surprised flinch at Tony's voice sounding right next to his ear. "I would be very surprised if they weren't offering their opinion or asking Ed questions," Mustang told the man.

"Do you possibly have images of what a healthy spinal cord looks like in an x-ray image and MRI image?" Ed asked, getting the doctors' attention, as well as everyone else's. "I want to compare the films against each other so I know what the spinal cord should look like," he explained before anyone could ask.

"I can find some," Sharp said after being nudged slightly by Brown. The younger doctor didn't look happy about it but he still left the room to do as he said he would.

"It'll likely take him a few minutes," Brown said as Sharp left. A device on his hip beeped and he glanced down at it. "I'm needed by another patient but I should be back in a few minutes," he told them apologetically before he followed his colleague out of the room at a brisk pace.

Ed turned back to the images before he sighed lightly and walked over to Mustang and Tony, the two Animals following him. "I need the new images. Staring at those ones for however long it'll take Sharp to get them won't show me anything new," Ed said with a shrug before anyone could ask.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened now, Tones, or do I gotta get Zara to ask Elio?" Rhodes asked, voice impatient. Happy, who'd been about to take a step forward and say something, snapped his mouth back shut and stayed where he was, obviously wanting to hear about everything himself. Lily had been sitting at her human's feet, her eyes also watching everything for any hint of an incoming attack but her eyes went straight to Tony at Rhodes' question.

Tony gave a put-on sigh as he headed over to the chair next to his best friend's hospital bed, giving Zara a smile as he sat while Elio took up a spot next to his feet. "Fine, you impatient bastard," Tony grouched. "So Romanoff followed me to the hospital you were first taken to. I sent Spider-Man back here with Happy while T'Challa got his people to check out his injuries caused by Romanoff. I was waiting for news on how injured you were while having FRIDAY track the quinjet Rogers and Barnes had stolen, search for information on Doctor Broussard, and field calls from anyone not from the UN or who wasn't Ross while I dealt with those calls," he explained, his gaze going slightly unfocused as he recalled the memories. "I'd just been told what your worst-case scenario was looking like when Romanoff approached me and…"

---

Both Sharp and Brown entered the room almost at the same time, with Brown preceding Sharp by a handful of seconds. When Sharp did enter the room, he placed the images up on the board and stepped away from it, allowing Ed to head back to the images to start looking at the new ones and comparing Rhodes' ones to them. Tony had finished telling Rhodes everything that had happened from the time Rhodes fell to when Tony had left Siberia with three surprise bonded pairs by the time Brown had entered the room but not with enough time for Rhodes to get more than a string of creative expletives out in response to hearing what Steve had hidden from Tony, which was quickly followed by an apology that Tony managed to stop just as Brown opened the door. It was obvious to the two doctors that there'd been something serious discussed and it was obvious to everyone in the room that Rhodes had more to say but one look at Tony's pleading eyes had him staying quiet. Happy was looking anything but his name and Lily wasn't looking much better but neither of them did or said anything that would confirm their ire.

It was a very awkward few minutes that passed with no one saying much of anything, though Rhodes occasionally forgot himself and could be heard muttering what vaguely sounded like threats. Nala happily translated the ones she heard to Mustang and the man found himself almost hoping that Rogers didn't go near Rhodes any time in the future. Zara was looking at her human with mild concern but with determination on her face, which told Mustang that the bear was definitely planning on helping her human fulfill his revenge fantasies if given half the chance. Tony simply looked resigned with every mutter that came from Rhodes while Happy looked as though he was considering offering his assistance to the hospitalised man.

"Okay, I think I'm good to go," Ed said, his voice breaking the awkward silence and causing a couple of them to jump. Ed didn't seem to notice as he turned from the films and faced the bed. "I need Colonel Rhodes on his side. I need to be as close to his spinal cord as I can be," Ed told them.

Brown and Sharp were immediately shaking their heads. "We can't risk turning him on his side," Brown told Ed. "The movement could cause his vertebrae to pinch his spinal cord," he reminded Ed, repeating his earlier reason from when the two were discussing the MRI.

"He doesn't have to be completely on his side," Ed assured them. "I just need enough space so I can fit my hands under him," he promised them. "As long as whoever helps shift him can hold him at that angle for as long as I need, there won't be any risk to him and his spinal cord," Ed swore.

Sharp and Brown still didn't look convinced but Rhodes looked thoughtful. "How long would it take you to do your magic trick?" he asked.

Ed scowled at him. "It'd take maybe a minute for my alchemic transmutation to finish," he told him, still scowling at Rhodes for calling his alchemy magic.

"Only you would be upset at a complete stranger calling alchemy magic," Ayala said, half fond, half amused.

"I bet Al would've been as well," Ed said petulantly.

"I'm giving the kid permission to use his alchemy," Rhodes said firmly. "If he can heal the swelling so you lot can get clear images of any further injuries, I'm all for it. I doubt he'd make it any worse," he added before the doctors could try and argue further.

Sharp looked ready to argue anyway but Brown nodded in acceptance. "Very well, Colonel Rhodes," he said, not sounding entirely thrilled with his patient's choice but knowing he couldn't stop him from allowing Ed to heal him and he'd prefer Rhodes took the risk in the hospital where help would be immediate if something did go wrong than him discharge AMA and something go wrong in a less equipped facility. "I'll organise some nurses to assist us," he said before he swept out of the room.

Sharp didn't follow Brown but he didn't speak either, which Ed was a little surprised with, if he was being honest. Sharp didn't look like the kind of person to keep his opinions to himself but here he was, doing just that. However, that changed when Sharp spotted Ed's curious look aimed at him. "I don't think this is a good idea. You're not a doctor, are you?" he asked Ed, who shook his head. "How can you be sure you won't worsen Colonel Rhodes' situation? Can you guarantee that your treatment will be successful to any degree?" he asked.

"Can you?" Ed shot back immediately, raising one judgemental brow at the doctor, whose face started to turn red in indignation. Ed didn't give him the chance to say anything as he continued. "Of course I can't guarantee that nothing will go wrong. One of the nurses or doctors might slip while I'm working on Colonel Rhodes' injury or perhaps the swelling is hiding something I could worsen, though that is very unlikely to happen considering my array will be for reducing swelling and nothing more. Nothing's guaranteed in life and this situation certainly isn't the exception," he said dismissively.

"Can you elaborate on the part about your array?" Tony asked before Sharp could say anything. Ed frowned in confusion and Tony elaborated on his request. "About how you don't think you'd worsen a hidden injury because of your array," he clarified.

Ed's confusion turned into understanding and he nodded. "Arrays are designed with a specific purpose in mind," Ed told him. "There are arrays that are broader, like my water-manipulation array, but for the most part, they are extremely specific. The array I'll use on Colonel Rhodes' spine is designed specifically for reducing swelling or inflammation so that is all it will do. Of course, if the swelling has worsened in the time since those images were taken and are pushing on another injury, thus dulling it, by reducing the swelling and pressure on the injury, I could unintentionally cause him more pain because that injury will make itself known but that is really the only risk to my array," he explained.

"So when you say "broader", what do you mean by that?" Tony queried. Both Rhodes and Happy were listening to Ed with the same amount of intrigue as Tony and the American Animals were. Even Sharp was paying attention, though he was doing his damnedest to look like he wasn't.

"They're not designed for a specific task," Ed said. "Take the example I gave before. My water-manipulation array can be used for a variety of things like gathering water to put out a fire or to scrub out a wound or create water whips for a fight. It's an array that's purpose is to simply allow me to draw in water molecules from the air or a nearby water source and let me manipulate them how I need to," he explained.

"So could you use an array that could heal a person of all injuries at the same time?" Tony asked, already thinking of how useful that sort of array would be in the upcoming battle.

Ed hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. "No, creating an array like that would be a very bad idea," he said. "There's so many different types of injuries a person could suffer that creating one array to heal them all would be exceptionally difficult and controlling the array during the healing would be almost impossible. And that's not taking into consideration the energy drain on the alchemist transmuting the array," Ed told him. "Healing cuts is vastly different to healing broken bones. The array would need to take into account muscle structures, nerves, veins, arteries, the skeletal system, organs, literally every tiny thing about the human body and the alchemist would need to be able to heal all of those systems at the same time while keeping the healing of each system separate," he explained. "I don't think there's an alchemist, dead or alive, who would be able to pull that kind of healing off and not kill themselves in the process," Ed informed Tony.

"Well, not unless they had a Philosopher's Stone," Ayala muttered through their bond.

"Yeah, I'm not even gonna mention that to them," Ed told her, a smirk in his tone that wasn't reflected outwardly.

Tony's face fell but he nodded at Ed's words. "That's fair enough," he said with a sigh. "Probably shouldn't have expected it to have been that easier, all things considered," he said with a humourless chuckle that Ed understood all too well. Tony's eyes found Mustang and asked, "can you use healing alchemy?"

Mustang considered for a moment on how to word his answer. "I can but not to the same degree as Fullmetal," he said. "I can heal basic injuries like cuts and sprains and I can stabilise someone by partially healing worse wounds but I lack the amount of training Fullmetal has and the…" Mustang seemed to be mulling over his word choice but soon continued, "control over my energy he does," he told them. "At the moment, it costs me more energy than it would him to heal a small injury," he said.

"How come?" Rhodes asked, looking curious and confused about why the older alchemist wouldn't be at least at the same level as his subordinate.

"Fullmetal has been training with Cretan alchemists for the last three years full time, as well consulting doctors to learn more about the human anatomy, whereas I and other Amestrian alchemists who are interested in learning healing alchemy have only had access to the same arrays for the last year and I can only study it when I'm not busy with my other duties for the Amestrian Military," Mustang informed him. "As a brigadier-general who doesn't see as much action as, say, a sergeant or field State Alchemist, it's not as high a priority for me to learn as it is for the State Alchemists who hold a lower rank or military officers who can use alchemy but aren't State Alchemists to learn," he explained.

"'State Alchemists'?" Rhodes repeated.

Mustang opened his mouth to explain but was unintentionally cut off by the return of Doctor Brown, who had three nurses in tow, including Nurse Dean. "Are you ready?" Brown asked, eyes flicking between Ed and Rhodes.

"As long as Colonel Rhodes still gives me permission, I am," Ed said.

"Definitely," Rhodes said. "I'm sick of waiting around," he groused.

"I don't ever want to hear a lecture from you when I bitch about being stuck in medical again," Tony informed him, a grin on his face.

"You need those lectures," Rhodes immediately shot back. "There's a significant difference between me being irritated with waiting around and you trying to drag your pasty arse out of medical with broken bones and internal injuries," he snarked.

"I'm kinda wishing we hadn't met Stark now," Ayala said as they watched the best friends continue snarking at one another while the doctors and nurses got into position at Rhodes' bedside. At Ed's questioning hum, she elaborated. "I'm afraid you'll start feeling like your escape attempts are justified because your injuries weren't as serious as that."

Ed rolled his eyes then rolled them again when he felt Nala's agreement with Ayala thrum through their bond. "I haven't been hospitalised in well over six months. Your argument is invalid," he told them.

"It so isn't since it's not a question of how often you get hospitalised anymore," Ayala informed him.

"I have no idea what you're insinuating, Ayala, but I have to go over there to do very important things so I can't listen anymore," Ed stated before heading to stand opposite the doctors and nurses so he could move his hands under Rhodes' back quickly.

"I will remember this," Ayala swore, her eyes narrowing at her human even as she walked over to stand guard next to him.

Ed's lips twitched upwards in amusement, the only sign he'd even heard her, before he clapped. The familiar ringing echoed through the hospital room, causing the medical professionals to jump a little, though Sharp and Brown didn't react as much as the nurses did thanks to the fact they'd heard the clap before. As Ed allowed the alchemic energy to build up, he raised one last questioning brow to Rhodes, who gave as firm a nod as he could while wearing the neck brace. With that final permission given, Ed gave the doctors and nurses a go-ahead nod.

"On three," Brown instructed as he carefully gripped Rhodes right arm, holding it firmly against his right side. Sharp was positioned at Rhodes' head, ready to keep Rhodes' neck in alignment with the rest of his spine as the others rolled him. The nurses nodded, showing they'd heard and tightened their grip on Rhodes' hip, knees, and lower legs in preparation. "One, two, three!"

As one, the medical professionals rolled Rhodes carefully onto his left side until Ed called out, "hold him there!" before he thrust his hands under Rhodes' back while they held him in position. Ed released the healing energy the moment his hands were where they needed to be and the three nurses gasped at the sudden blue glow, though thankfully their grips didn't falter.

Ed closed his eyes in an effort to block out any distractions while he focused the healing energy on the swollen section of spinal cord. Since he couldn't see the injury and how it was progressing like he could with a cut or bruise, he had to fall back on his prior experience and the teachings of the Cretan alchemists and doctors. He'd never had to heal a swollen spinal cord but he had healed plenty of sprained joints and swollen fingers, which was the basis for the array he was using, so he treated it like a severe sprain. He could feel Ayala's and Nala's encouragement as he kept up the array, supplying a constant stream of his energy to the transmutation so it could be turned into the healing energy the array produced. He wasn't worried about sacrificing too much energy and losing consciousness once he was finished as the array wouldn't require that much energy but he was worried about the sudden drop in energy hitting him while he was still using the array. That was the downside to this array. The sudden loss of energy hitting the alchemist while they were still using the array could cause the alchemist's focus to be lost, which could result in the array failing or possibly rebounding if the alchemist was unlucky.

Thankfully for Ed, he was able to end the transmutation after nearly a full minute before feeling the loss when he took a couple of steps back. His knees started buckling just as the doctors and nurses lowered Rhodes back onto his bed but he managed to lock his knees and stay standing as he adjusted to the loss of energy. A warm hand gripped his left forearm as Ed fought off the dizziness but even though he had his eyes shut, he knew it was Mustang. The lack of protectiveness from Ayala and Nala meant it could only be him.

"I'm good," Ed assured his commanding officer as he opened his eyes. Since his vision didn't blur or have black spots dancing in front of it, he could even say that truthfully.

"Are you sure?" Mustang obviously couldn't help but ask.

Ed looked up at his fellow alchemist and nodded, giving him his usual cocky smile before his attention turned to the commotion happening around Rhodes' bedside. Both Sharp and Brown were asking Rhodes questions about his wellbeing while barking orders to the nurses as they scurried around the room or out of it, depending on what they were instructed to do. Both Happy and Tony were watching Rhodes with concern, though they never asked anything. Ed figured it was because Rhodes was already being interrogated by the doctors and any question his friends had was being asked by them. Zara was standing over Rhodes as she growled and chuffed at him, something that caused Tony to mutter about her being "such a mumma-bear" which had Rhodes chuckling. Elio and Lily were standing out of the way respectfully, making sure they weren't inconveniencing the doctors and nurses as they bustled around.

The nurse who had left the room – a blonde man – came back in and his eyes immediately found Brown's. "Radiology is ready for Colonel Rhodes," he told him.

Brown gave a nod as he gestured for the nurses still with him to start unlocking the bed. "Doctor Sharp will take you down to radiology, Colonel Rhodes," he told his patient, who gave a small nod.

"See you soon, Tones. Try not to get yourself in any trouble while I'm gone," Rhodes instructed his friend, who rolled his eyes in response.

"Just remember to keep your flirting to a minimum. You don't want those nurses to poke you in the wrong spot," Tony teased back, earning a bark of laughter from Rhodes as the man was wheeled out of the room.

Ed wasn't surprised that Zara stayed behind since no Animals were allowed in the x-ray room with their human in Amestris and he hadn't expected the rules to be different here but he was surprised that Doctor Brown hadn't followed his co-workers out of the room. He was, however, not impressed when Brown's eyes turned onto Ed, roving over him in the familiar clinical way all medical professionals looked at a potential patient. "I'm fine," Ed said before the doctor could ask anything.

"You said that the array exchanged your energy to power it," Brown said. "You're not feeling any effects of an energy drain?" he asked, sounding like he wouldn't believe Ed if he said he wasn't.

"Of course I am," Ed sniped irritably. "But it's nothing I can't handle and that some food and sleep won't fix," he said.

Brown didn't look convinced, which Ed was mildly offended by, but he gave a nod. "I can ask a nurse to find you a sandwich or something to eat, if you'd like?" he offered.

Ed debated for a moment about whether he should turn the doctor down but in the end, simply not knowing when Stark would suggest they leave had Ed nodding. "I'd appreciate it. Thanks," he said gratefully.

Brown nodded to him before he looked over the rest of the group. "Does anyone else want anything while we're at it?" he asked.

"I can order something to be delivered if you want something other than a sandwich, Edward," Tony offered, ignoring the doctor for the moment.

"Oh, trust me. Fullmetal will still eat whatever take-away you order as well as the sandwich," Mustang drawled.

Ed elbowed him in the side, scowling at him. "Arsehole," he growled as Mustang gasped from the hit. "But he's not wrong. It's been a while since I last ate," Ed said nonchalantly. His stomach chose that moment to verbalise its agreement with Ed's and Mustang's words.

"I'll order you something to eat as well but you should probably get a sandwich first. It'll likely be here before the delivery is," Tony said before he looked over at Brown. "I think the rest of us are alright for now," he told him.

"Right," Brown said as he headed for the door. "Colonel Rhodes shouldn't be long before he's brought back but it may take a little while longer to hear about his results," he told them as he paused at the door. "I'll be using this time to check on my other patients but don't hesitate to ask a passing nurse for anything you need," he said before he looked at Ed. "Someone will be by with food for you shortly," he promised him.

"Thanks, Doctor," Ed said because he didn't completely lack manners no matter what Alphonse and Ayala said.

Brown gave him a nod before he disappeared through the door. The moment the doctor was gone, Tony pulled out his phone and looked around at them all. "What does everyone want to eat?"

---

As Brown had predicted, it hadn't taken long for Rhodes to be brought back from radiology. They were given advanced warning of his arrival by the way of Zara suddenly perking up and heading for the door. She even tugged it open, startling the nurse who was at the foot of Rhodes' bed and preparing to push it open herself. However, it had been long enough for Ed to have been brought two sandwiches and a bottle of orange juice – which he'd devoured almost immediately, though one sandwich was split between Ayala and Nala – and for the take-out to have been delivered. There wasn't, though, enough time for the take-out to have been eaten by everyone before Rhodes arrived.

"You'd better have ordered me food," was the first thing Rhodes said as the nurses wheeled him inside and positioned the bed back into its spot. "I'd better be allowed to eat," he added, looking questioningly at the nurses. Ed wasn't surprised to see that Sharp hadn't accompanied them back. As the spinal injury specialist, he'd be waiting for the results of the scans so he could study them.

"We'll incline your bed so you can but one of us will need to assist you in eating until we get the all-clear from Doctors Sharp and Brown," Shayla told him.

Rhodes grimaced but the gurgle his stomach gave had him nodding. When Shayla looked over at Tony, who had been in the process of handing out the various orders, he produced a packet of hot fries. "We didn't know what he could or couldn't eat so figured fries were the best bet," Tony explained as she took them.

"Well, considering where you've ordered from, this was probably your only decent option," the nurse said as she turned back to Rhodes and fed him a couple of chips.

Ed was busy devouring the massive, greasy, cheesy burger Tony had ordered for him when Ed had revealed he had no idea what half of the options from the various restaurants that had been read out to them were. He'd just given Tony a list of the food he didn't like and let Tony choose for him and he had to give it to the man; he chose well. Mustang was currently enjoying a creamy pasta dish while both Nala and Ayala were making good progress on the premium steaks they'd been given. Happy and Tony were sharing a large pizza while their Animals ate their weight in the mince pies they'd wanted. Zara, out of solidarity, decided to eat just French fries, though she had significantly more than her human did.

Despite the sandwich and juice he'd finished only a few minutes before their delivery had arrived, Ed still managed to demolish the behemoth burger and equally large order of cheese and gravy smothered fries with no problems. He washed it down with half a bottle of water since his other choices had been milkshakes – a big no from him – or soda and he'd felt like maybe water was the best choice considering the amount of grease in his meal. Tony and Happy's murmured conversation barely registered in Ed's mind as he let his stomach settle and leant against the cool wall of Rhodes' hospital room.

It didn't take long for him to feel a familiar weight settle against his leg and find Ayala looking up at him as she licked her chops clean of any blood she might've gotten on them. Ed shook his head at her before he rested the back of his head back against the wall. The food had done what it was supposed to do but now he was feeling the sleepiness that came with a comfortably full stomach and energy drain from using his healing alchemy. He wouldn't fall asleep there, still too wary of those in the room despite the fact that he'd have Ayala, Nala, and Mustang watching out for him but that did mean he found himself hoping that Rhodes' results wouldn't be too much longer and that Tony wouldn't have them stay too long after that.

"How was your dinner?" Ayala asked as she rested her head on Ed's leg, her eyes lazily watching everyone else.

"Really good. I think Granny and the doctors back home would've hit me upside the head for how much grease I just ate but I can't even begin to tell how much I don't regret it," Ed chuckled. "Sorry I didn't give you any of it. Maybe we can order from there again and I'll get you one of your own," he suggested thoughtfully.

"I knew I wasn't getting any of it to try after you tasted that first bite," Ayala laughed, her eyes twinkling a little. "But I think I would like to try it in the future. Pinako and the doctors can yell at both of us," she smirked.

"Good plan," Ed praised with a half-smile. "How was your dinner?" he asked, returning the query.

"Phenomenal," Ayala told him. "Wherever Stark organised mine and Nala's dinners to come from sells some of the best cuts of beef I've ever had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into," she told him. "Makes me want to hunt down the species of cow my dinner came from to see if we have any in Amestris," she said, half-serious.

"I honestly wouldn't be shocked to learn you did exactly that," Ed told her honestly.

Nala interrupted their conversation by flopping down between her human and Ed, having finished the cut of steak she'd been savouring. "I'll join her," the lioness informed Ed, sighing wistfully in his mind. "I'm ready to slip into a food coma now," she yawned, her sharp teeth glistening with saliva and a small amount of blood.

"I'm sure if something or someone were to attack us, you'd suddenly find a reserve of energy," Mustang murmured low enough that Ed barely heard him. Thanks to their superior hearing, Ayala and Nala heard him perfectly fine but from the lack of reaction from Elio, Lily, and Zara, Mustang had managed to stay quiet enough to not be heard by them.

"Of course I will," Nala said, sounding offended that Mustang had felt the need to even voice that out loud. "Nothing's touching you or Ed on mine and Ayala's watch," she informed them both, a protective growl in her voice.

"Well, nothing would touch Ed on my watch, at least. It remains to be seen whether my attacks will cover your human as well," Ayala told the lioness, who grinned in amusement. Mustang didn't even bother asking what Ayala said, likely already knowing the gist of her words.

"How are you feeling now?" It took Ed several seconds and a physical nudge from Mustang to realise Tony's question had been directed at him.

"Fine," Ed told him, a small amount of suspicion in his voice. A query about his health from a virtual stranger was usually followed by a request for him to do something if his answer wasn't about his impending death or something similar. At Mustang's pointed throat-clearing, Ed rolled his eyes but said, "I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks for asking and for the food."

"Don't worry about it," Tony immediately dismissed. "If your alchemy did what you said it would, buying you the best burger this side of New York and your Animal the finest steak I could get delivered was the least I could do," he told Ed.

"Does that mean there's better steak out there that he couldn't get delivered?" Ayala asked, suddenly much more alert than she had been. Ed almost choked on his laughter when Nala lifted her head and looked at Ayala with an overwhelmingly hopeful look and he could see amusement faintly lining Mustang's face.

Before Ed or Mustang could be begged to voice Ayala's question, the door opened and permitted Doctor Sharp entrance into the room, followed quickly by Doctor Brown. At the looks on their faces, Ed, Mustang, and their Animals were on their feet and out of their way so the doctors could pin the fresh films in their hands to the back-lit board that had been holding the scans Ed had studied, which were now in Brown's hand so they were out of the way. Sharp finished pinning the two new scans in place and looked over at Ed, an undecipherable look in his eyes that had Ayala taking a warning step forward in front of her human.

Ed saw Tony and Happy get to their feet while Rhodes was whispering questions to the equally confused nurse out of the corner of his eye but his main focus stayed on Sharp. "Take a look," the younger doctor ordered, gesturing to the films.

More than a little wary, Ed took the needed steps forward to be in front of the films, being careful to avoid stepping on his wolf as he did so. Mustang was right by his side, something that would've caused Ed to roll his eyes if they hadn't been too busy taking in the images in front of him. Finally he shook his head and said, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be seeing. They look fine to me."

"That's what you're supposed to be seeing," Sharp said, jabbing a finger on the MRI image. "There's no swelling. There's no evidence Colonel Rhodes' spinal cord has suffered recent and horrific trauma," he told them, looking around at the room. "You healed it," he said in disbelief.

Ed scowled. "That's what the damned array was designed to do!" he reminded the doctor.

"So there's no swelling at all?" Tony asked and the two doctors shook their heads. "Does this mean you were able to get the images you needed?" he questioned.

"Yes," Brown was the one to answer. He gave Rhodes a smile and said, "you're a lucky man, Colonel Rhodes. There's no sign of any damage to your spine. No fractures, no breaks. You're in the clear."

Rhodes' mouth wasn't the only one to gape in disbelief. "So can I get rid of this brace and eat the last of my chips myself?" Rhodes asked, stunned.

Tony gave a snort, bringing himself back to the present while Happy grinned in amusement. "I think we can arrange for that to happen," Brown said, his smile still in place. "How are you feeling?" he asked Rhodes as he approached the bed. Sharp was still watching Ed with almost reverent awe, which was making the blonde a little uncomfortable. It must've been obvious enough because Mustang slipped so he was standing between Ed and Sharp, blocking the latter's view of the former.

"The same I was an hour ago," Rhodes said honestly. "A little less tender in my back, maybe," he said.

Ed couldn't stop himself from speaking up. "Don't be surprised by that," Ed said, getting Rhodes' and Brown's attention. "Your body just doesn't realise it's healed yet. You'll probably feel the same for a few more hours then your body will slowly adjust to the lack of injury. I often describe it as your body going through the healing process but much quicker. In a day or two, you won't even feel like you've fallen from a great height," Ed assured him.

"Oh, that makes sense," Rhodes said, still in shock over the news that he wasn't paralysed and would walk out of the hospital under his own steam.

"It certainly does," Brown agreed with a nod. "Now that we aren't going to be waiting for your swelling to go down to get those images, we'll let you rest for the night before we have you walk around the ward. If you manage to do so with minimal or no pain, you'll be released tomorrow afternoon," Brown told Rhodes, who looked even more shocked by this news. "As long as you've got somewhere you can go where someone can keep an eye on you, just in case," he added.

"He can come to the Compound," Tony immediately said. "We've got our own medical staff on standby who'll be able to treat him if something happens," he informed Brown, who nodded.

"That'll be acceptable," Brown said. "We'll give you a call once he's ready to be released, assuming your number is on his file," he said, brow raised questioningly.

"It should be," Tony said, looking over at Rhodes, who, though still shocked, rolled his eyes.

"You've been my emergency contact since I joined the Air Force and that hasn't changed in the last thirty-odd years," Rhodes told him.

Tony grinned. "I didn't think so but I've heard that you should ask obvious questions of your older friends to make sure their memory is still as good as it was in their youth," Tony teased.

"Dick," Rhodes said, though his voice was fond and he was fighting a grin.

"I should tell Miss Riza –" Ed started saying but was cut off by Mustang.

"It is so important to your military career that you don't finish that sentence," the older alchemist growled.

"- to ask you obvious questions every day to check your memory isn't going," Ed finished saying as though Mustang hadn't interrupted, a shit-eating grin on his face. "You should've threatened literally anything other than my military career, Mustang. Is that a sign of your mind going?" Ed asked, faux concerned.

"Brat," Mustang scowled.

"You've known this for ten years and yet you keep me around," Ed smirked. "Maybe your mind really is going," he said, his grin growing wider when Mustang glared at him.

"I could ask a doctor to run some tests on his mind," Tony offered, looking amusedly at the two of them.

Ed's face lit up but Mustang immediately put a stop to anything the blonde might've said. "There'll be no need for that," he told the goateed man.

"Fun killer," Ed grumbled, dodging the retaliatory swipe Mustang tried to get him with.

"Glad to see this whole adventure hasn't impacted your banter," Nala said, fond amusement drenching her voice.

Brown had obviously decided to move the subject back to Rhodes and his recovery. "We'll start weaning you off the painkillers during the night but let us know if the pain is too bad," he instructed Rhodes, who nodded. The doctor turned regretfully to the group visiting Rhodes. "I'm afraid I must ask that you all leave now. Visiting hours have been over for the last twenty minutes but I knew you all would want to know what the last scans showed us so I allowed you to stay but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. I can't break the rules for anyone, no matter who they are," he said, his eyes on Tony for that last part.

Tony didn't look displeased by the doctor's words. Instead he gave a nod of acceptance, though he didn't look happy about leaving his best friend's side so soon after getting the news that Rhodes was going to make a full recovery far more quickly than anyone had hoped. "We understand," Tony said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Platypus," Tony told his friend, who grinned at him.

"Yeah, you will, Tones," Rhodes said delightedly. "I expect to be picked up in style," he informed his friend, who let out a bark of laughter.

"I'll see what I can do," Tony promised, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I'll drive," Happy immediately said. "We wouldn't want Rhodey to end back up in hospital because you took a corner to quick, Boss," he said, tone teasing.

"I haven't crashed a car in years!" Tony tried defending himself but it was ruined by his own laughter.

"Which means you're due for one," Rhodes said, looking exaggeratingly scared. "I think Happy definitely should drive," he said, grinning widely when Tony muttered something about betrayal and not believing he was taking this behaviour from his friends. "You love us," Rhodes sing-songed.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony said, flapping a hand dismissively, grin not fading. "We'll leave you to get your beauty sleep. God knows you need every minute of it at your age," he said cheekily.

"You're like six years younger than me, Stark!" Rhodes exclaimed.

"And don't you forget it," Tony grinned.

"I don't want you guys here anymore," Rhodes said, not serious in the slightest. "Get outta my hospital room before I have Zara throw you out." The bear in question made no move to show she'd do as her human threatened, causing Rhodes to hiss out a "traitor" at her.

"Give us a call when he's ready to be picked up," Tony said to Brown, grin still in place.

"Will do, Mr. Stark," Brown promised, holding out a hand that Tony shook. "Have a good night," he wished warmly.

"You as well, Doctor," Tony said before he nodded to Happy, who'd been having his own conversation with Rhodes while Tony and the doctor exchanged words. Happy and Lily were immediately on guard once more and crossed the room to stand at the door and wait for Tony. "Bye, Sour Patch!" Tony called as he herded Ed, Mustang, and their two Animals towards Happy and Lily with Elio on his heels.

"Bye, Tones. Try and get some sleep," Rhodes called back. Tony's only response was to snort and the glance Ed got of Rhodes told him the man was completely unsurprised. "Hey, Edward." Rhodes' call to him had Ed and Ayala pausing, allowing Tony and Elio to pass them. "Thanks," the man said, tones and expression completely genuine.

Ed considered the man for a moment, trying to see if there was going to be any hint of his using healing alchemy on Rhodes coming back to bite him in the future but there truly wasn't anything other than gratefulness to be seen on Rhodes' or Zara's faces. "You're welcome," Ed said with a nod before he turned on his heel and shut the door behind himself and Ayala, leaving Rhodes with Zara, the nurse and his doctors for company.

"Back to the Compound, Boss?" Happy asked as they headed through the corridors and towards the front entrance, where the car would be waiting for them.

Tony groaned at the idea of going back to the Compound for reasons Ed figured he only knew some of. Seeing Rogers and Barnes after Siberia was probably a major part but there was also all of the work Tony had complained about needing to do after everything that had happened that was another decent part of way Tony didn't want to go back to the Compound. "No," Tony finally said, tone firm. "Let's go to Stark Tower," he told Happy. "I'm taking tonight and being the selfish billionaire everyone and their dog accuses me of being and I'm going to ignore everyone and just focus on the fact that my best friend wasn't paralysed in a fight that never should've happened," Tony decided.

Ed could see a hint of a smile on Happy's face. "You're probably the least selfish person in this city, Boss, but I think that sounds like a mighty fine plan," he said. Lily and Elio made agreeable noises that had Tony's shoulders relaxing a little. "The Tower it is," Happy said as he continued leading them out of the hospital and towards the car.

A/N - And here's Rhodey's and Happy's debuts! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you're not getting too bored with the lack of action and pacing! I promise that the story won't be covering each and every minute of the time I have the FMA characters in the Marvel Universe! Please let me know your thought! They really help me keep going with my writing! See you all next week!