I had fun writing this chapter despite it being pretty lackluster and short. This is a bit of insight on Linor and Archer's relationship- or lack thereof. So despite Archer being a 2003 exclusive character, I really wanted to include him because he's such an unnerving character imo. He'll play an important-ish part in the story, but I'm kinda gonna move him around to fit my needs.
Tanned fingers roughly rubbed the black-dyed, bunned-up tresses.
"This doesn't make any sense," Linor muttered, reclining cross-legged on Roy's office couch. Havoc and Hawkeye stood alongside Mustang's desk as the latter informed the two alchemists of the lack of Scar's presence since his incident with the Elrics- no sightings, no murders, no whisper of anything. "He wasn't injured to our knowledge and being on the radar hasn't stopped him before." Jean carefully studied the map of East City on Roy's desk, the back of the Colonel's chair facing his guests as he looked out the window. "He may be elusive, but he isn't cautious, that much is for certain."
"Maybe he's not even in East City anymore?" Havoc suggested.
"I hope you're wrong about that," Roy replied, stunning the others. "This case has obviously gotten to be too much for Central to handle. If I can close it quickly enough, I'll be golden." Linor scoffed and eyed Roy as he swiveled in his chair to face them.
"So, you're planning to take the case then," Linor affirmed, shooting him an entertained look. A grin crossed the man's face.
"I've got a ladder to climb and this is how it's done. I need every mark in my favor that I can get. At least until I've assumed the office of Fuhrer, that is." Linor rolled her eyes as Riza and Jean smiled briskly.
"You might not want to display your ambitions quite so nakedly, sir." His Lieutenant informed though she didn't seem too upset about the matter. With a sigh at his bluntness, Linor stroked the loose hairs back that her harsh rubbing let loose. She was well aware of the man's drive and while she was vocally against him saying such, she held too much admiration and respect for him to be anything but loyal.
"And you think I'm just going to hand over my knowledge about this case for you to take all the credit?" Linor drawled with a cheeky grin, "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes entrusted my division with helping him." Roy's dark eyes glimmered with amusement at her quip.
"You don't have to, Hughes will tell me, and I'll make sure to let the Fuhrer know that he was the one who helped me catch Scar." She narrowed her eyes at his retort, his hands folded in front of him and hiding his evident smirk.
"So, you've twisted my arm," Linor huffed, raising her hands and shrugging playfully. A harsh knock on the door interrupted them, ruining the relaxed mood, and then swung open quickly.
"Reporting in, sir!" A soldier bellowed breathlessly, Linor raising a brow at the urgency in his tone. "We've just received word of an explosion occurring on the Maro River!"
"What?" Roy barked, narrowing his eyes at the soldier. The lower ranking officers looked at each other with concern as Roy swiftly swung open his drawer to snag a pair of his ignite gloves. "Lieutenants, you're coming with me," He ordered, pushing up out of his chair. "Major, can you have those files for me by the time I get back?" He asked brusquely, Linor quickly standing as he brushed past.
"Yes, sir," She saluted. "Are you sure you don't need back up? What if it's-"
"I doubt it's him," Roy interrupted, dismissing the foot soldier at the door. "Not in such a public place at this time, but I do need those files as soon as possible. Who knows when he'll show up again."
"Understood," Linor replied strongly, watching the three leave hastily.
#
Flipping through the alphabetical manila folders in her office drawer, Linor snagged Scar's case file.
"Just when we get a lead," She mumbled, flipping the folder between her body and arm and coolly flinging the office door shut behind her. "He wants to take it," Linor wasn't upset per se, but she was looking forward to being the one to help Hughes close the case. She was banking on the success to help her get brownie points in the trust department, but she was willing to let it go for Roy. Turning the corner, Linor had to stop so abruptly to not run into the person in front of her, that she almost stumbled backward. "Oh, I'm so sorry-" Looking up, she had lost the apologetic look immediately.
"Major Ziegler, what a pleasant surprise." The cool, leveled voice of her commanding officer made her body rigid, and his piercing navy eyes sent a shudder down her spine. Despite the two mere inches from crashing into each other, Frank Archer had yet to move back from their close proximity, so Linor very willingly opened the distance for him.
"Lieutenant Colonel," She greeted blandly, her eyes never leaving his as if he'd pounce the second she looked away. The man unnerved her, she wasn't sure why, but he did- maybe it was his aura, his soulless eyes, his icy demeanor; or perhaps it was his relentless pursuit for her, despite her obvious refusals.
"Where are you off to?" Archer asked casually, his gaze seeming to pierce through her glasses, eyes, and into her soul. Linor faltered for a bit, not particularly wanting to tell him she was helping Roy with the Scar case- one thing she learned about Archer is that he wanted recognition just as much as, if not more, than Mustang himself. If Roy closed the case before Archer did, she had no doubts he would be furious. His eyes trailed down her body to the folder in her hand and a sharp brow was raised inquisitively. "Which reports are those?" Unconsciously gripping the folder a bit tighter, Linor shifted a bit anxiously.
"It's Scar's file, sir. I'm going down to the library to do some research." She lied, hoping his intense gaze couldn't somehow read her mind.
"Oh?" He hummed, making her nervous. "What sort of research?" He inquired, Linor getting the feeling he wasn't actually interested.
"On his alchemy- Fullmetal mentioned something about him not using all the steps of the alchemy process. I thought maybe I could find something to help us take better precautions against him." Archer's lips tugged into an unnerving smile, a silence just long enough to make Linor uncomfortable passed between them.
"Very well," He finally said, the knowing smirk never leaving his face. "Smart woman," He then remarked, though Linor felt like he meant something aside from her false initiative on the case. "Have a good day, Major." Archer cooed, striding past her just close enough to brush his shoulder against hers. After he had turned the corner and she heard his soft steps fade, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Fucking creep," She muttered quietly under her breath before forcing her legs to finally move toward Roy's office. Every step she took, her heart pounded in her chest- she had no reason to be genuinely afraid of Lt. Colonel Archer, and yet she was. Every time he entered the room, she felt her blood chill. Any time his eyes met hers, she felt like she froze. His voice felt like needles prickling her skin and sending shivers down her spine- King Bradley made her feel the same way, yet she understood her fear for him because he was the Fuhrer of Amestris. Though Lt. Colonel Archer was her superior, the anxiety she felt was unreasonable for his rank and she realized it that is was just his mere being that unsettled her.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Linor pushed open the door to Roy's office. As she placed the folder on his desk, she paused. Quickly grabbing one of the unfinished papers from the other side, she placed it over the documents. Handing Roy her information on the case wasn't wrong or even prohibited, yet the anxiety Archer instilled in her made her feel as if doing so would get her in trouble. She hated him for making her feel that way- as if every move she made on Roy's behalf was wrong; making her question everything she did for him.
Shoving her hands in her uniform pockets, Linor looked over her shoulder once more at the case file before leaving. She would have to ask Roy to keep the favor just between them as she really didn't want Archer to know. The lie she told her commanding officer played in her brain multiple times, convincing her feet to move to the Eastern Command library, just in case his slimy ass decided to check up on her. A chill brushed her spine, but she shook it off and continued, unaware of the crystal blue eyes watching her retreat down the hall without the manila folder under her arm.