Author's Note:

Chapter 7 was 10 months ago, so here is a recap: While investigating the Shrunken Tavern, Reed was unexpectedly reunited with Viera, an old friend. After reconnecting, the two of them made plans to meet in the forest to discuss the White Wolves' plans. Later that evening, Reed entered the forest, taking advantage of the alone time to think about the Parktown Incident and process the consequences of his actions. Meanwhile, Meg and Ed were walking through town when a group of thugs approached them. When Ed refused to leave, they attacked them both, but Viera unexpectedly showed up and broke up the fight. From that interaction, Ed deduced that the White Wolves were hiding something in the forest. Unwilling to get backup, Ed went in alone to investigate.

I apologise for not stating it in an earlier chapter, but the intelligence team did come into Ukon under aliases with fake names. I just haven't mentioned them because I felt that it would have made the story too confusing.

There is some action violence in this chapter.

Reviews are always appreciated.

I own nothing

Mustang sat in the inn's common room, flipping through a tattered newspaper. He skimmed a few articles, but found nothing of interest. Frowning, he glanced for a publication date. Just how old was this thing?

Beside him, a group of construction workers were chatting amongst themselves. There were a few dozen of them staying at this particular inn. Mustang had already acquainted himself with most of them. They seemed to be honest folk; civilians commissioned from all over the Eastern Area and promised a hefty bonus for taking on this particular job.

It had become customary among them, after a long day's work, to pull up a chair, pop open a bottle, and talk about their various exploits. Normally, Mustang would join them.

But today was different.

Hawkeye was busy surveying the town. Even though her preliminary reports were more than adequate, she insisted on verifying the information. Mustang knew better than to stop her.

Reed seemed to have a similar clivity towards work. He had taken on the arduous task of providing Ed with backup, though today he was out following a lead with Mark.

And Ed...

Mustang cast a glance at the clock.

Ed should have been back by now.

It wasn't as if Mustang had expected him to arrive on time. Ed had been making a clear effort to avoid him whenever possible. But Ed wasn't completely reckless, he knew the dangers of staying out too late.

Mustang shook his head.

Something must have happened.

He took a breath. If Ed had gotten into trouble again-

"Excuse me," someone said.

Mustang looked up. There was a construction worker standing before him.

"Yes," Mustang said.

"Have you seen your apprentice this afternoon?" the man asked.

Mustang shook his head. "Why do you ask?"

"You should find him," the man said.

"Why?" Mustang asked.

The man paused, pursing his lips. "I heard a gunshot."

Mustang took a sharp intake of breath.

"Where?" he asked, his voice tight in his throat.

"I was in the northern part of town, near Maple Street," the man said.

"Did you see who it was?" Mustang asked.

"No," the man shook his head.

"Did you hear anything afterward?" Mustang asked. "Like yelling or another shot?"

"Nope," the man said. "Just that one shot."

Their conversation was beginning to grab the attention of those nearby. A few workers leaned over.

"Do you think it could've been that group?" someone asked.

"The White Wolves?" another person replied. "I don't know, but it makes you wonder who they were shooting at."

"You sure it wasn't an engine kicking?" someone asked. "They sound awfully similar."

"I know what I heard," the man said.

"Maybe it was just a firework," someone suggested.

"Why the hell would someone set off a firework in the middle of the day?"

Mustang didn't stay to hear the rest of the conversation. He was already halfway out the door.

Once outside, he began walking down the street.

It was possible, he reasoned, that Ed was completely fine. After all, a single gunshot suggested a minor argument. It could've been a squabble between two merchants, a gun accidentally going off, or some foolish kids in over their head. Ed might've not been involved at all.

But knowing Ed, he would have gone to investigate the moment he heard of a gunshot.

Mustang gritted his teeth. He needed to find him.

He turned down an alley.

He would start at the abandoned clinic where the vandals held their meetings. If anyone asked, he'll say that he was looking for his apprentice. No one should be suspicious of that.

Since he was an alchemist, many assumed that Mustang's tactical skills were entirely composed of long range offense. Mustang didn't blame them. Flame Alchemy was a spectacle in itself. Still, many forgot that Mustang was an officer who had undergone rigorous training. It was because of this, that despite his increasingly frantic thoughts, he became aware of a second set of footsteps following his own.

If the situation were different, Mustang would approach the matter with great caution. There were subtle methods of finding out who was following you. However, those methods took time to execute. And at the moment, time wasn't something he could afford to waste.

So instead, he simply stopped and turned around.

"Who's there?" he called.

A figure, half covered by a shadow, stiffed at his words. They stood still for a moment, before stepping into the light.

It was Meg.

Mustang furrowed his brow. "You're the girl my apprentice hangs out with."

Meg looked down, but didn't respond.

"I'm actually looking for him," Mustang continued. "Have you seen him this evening?"

The girl nodded. "I had a feeling that Edward wouldn't return to the inn."

Mustang narrowed his eyes. They had come into Ukon under aliases. How did she know Ed's real name?

"Do you know where he might be?" he asked.

Meg nodded again. "I think he went into the forest."

"Why would he go there?"

The girl said nothing.

"Did something happen?" Mustang asked.

She took a step back.

"It's complicated," she said. "But I'm certain that's where he went."

"Is he in danger?" Mustang asked.

Meg nodded, eyes watering. "Please, you need to help him."

"How can I find him?"

"You can't tell anyone I helped you," Meg said.

"I won't tell anyone," Mustang promised. "But please, how can I find him?"

"You have to promise," Meg said. "If anyone finds out I helped you, they'll kill me."

Mustang stared at her. Why was she so nervous?

"I promise I won't tell anyone," he said. "Now please, I need to find him."

Meg looked him in the eye. "There's a trail..."

Ed couldn't believe his luck.

He crouched lower behind a bush, peering out onto the trail. He stalked forward, taking every effort to make his footsteps as silent as possible.

Far ahead of him, the woman named Viera was walking down the path.

It had been pure luck to come across her again. While he was at Ukon's outskirts, he spotted her sulking in the shadows. Remembering the interaction with the thugs, Ed made a quick judgement call and followed her into the forest.

It was clear that she knew where she was going. She was walking with purpose, one foot in front of the other. Ed looked at the green foliage all around him and thought back to the maps he had seen. He honestly had no idea where they were. All he knew was that they were somewhere north, heading up a hill.

He looked back at the woman and sighed. She must be headed somewhere. People don't just walk around forests for no reason. There must be someone she was going to meet, or something she was going to collect, or even-

The woman turned around.

Ed darted behind a tree.

"Who's there," she called.

Ed held his breath, his heart beating in his chest. Had she seen him?

He hoped that she hadn't. Not only was he in no shape to fight, but he had no weapons. Ed looked at the ground and picked up some rocks, maybe he could transmute a knife or something.

"Show yourself," the woman said, taking a few steps forward.

Ed didn't move.

"I can see your shadow," the woman said.

Ed's eyes went wide.

There was the sound of a gun cocking.

"Raise your hands and get out from behind the tree!"

Ed stared at the ground. The woman had already seen him once, if she saw him again she'd definitely become suspicious.

He couldn't let that happen.

It would put the entire team at risk.

But what else was there to do? It wasn't as if he could dodge bullets.

The woman was slowly approaching the tree.

Ed looked down at the dirt. He could use alchemy to collapse the ground around them. It should be enough of a distraction to allow him to get away. However, it would certainly leave alchemical marks. If the White Wolves discovered them, then they'll know that an alchemist was investigating them. And once they knew what to look for, it wouldn't take long for them to discover the entire investigation team.

The woman's footsteps were closer than ever. Ed needed to decide, fast.

He looked up, sweat dripping down his brow.

It was then that he saw it, a figure half hidden in the undergrowth, slowly coming up the trail.

For a moment, their eyes met. Then, the person raised their gun and fired.

The woman let out a cry of surprise and Ed heard her run for cover.

Ed made a break for it.

He darted down the trail, hoping that the woman wouldn't get a good look at him. There was a large tree to his left, if he could just get to it-

His foot caught on a rock.

Ed overbalanced, falling forward.

But before he could make contact with the ground, a hand grasped the back of his collar and pulled him to the side.

"You okay?" the person said.

Ed looked up in fury.

"Dammit Mustang! How did you know I was here?"

Mustang rolled his eyes. "Never mind that. Who the hell is that?"

"I don't really know," Ed said. He paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "But some thugs started a fight earlier and she broke it up. They seemed to obey her, so I figured she is important."

"Did she get a good look at you?" Mustang asked, firing off some more shots.

"I don't think so."

"Okay, we need to get out of here. Do you see that big boulder down the hill?"

Ed looked over. "Yes."

"On the count of three. I want you to run for it. I'll be right behind you."

Ed swallowed, staring at the distance between them and the boulder. He didn't know if they could make it.

He looked up at Mustang. "Are you sure?"

"Look Ed, I only have two rounds left and that woman might have backup. We need to get out of here."

Ed's heart was hammering in his chest. "But can't we just..."

Mustang fired off a few more shots. "Ed we don't have time for-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by a loud cry of pain.

Ed flinched.

"Colonel..."

Mustang didn't respond. He was cradling his arm against his chest, teeth gritted in pain. Ed watched in terror as blood began to drip down Mustang's sleeve.

He had been shot.

Reed stared at the wisps of smoke rising from the barrel of his gun.

He was not sure which surprised him more: how quickly he had fired his weapon or the shriek of pain that had followed.

He shook his head.

No.

What was most surprising was that he felt absolutely no guilt. In fact, Reed was sure that he could shoot Mustang again, maybe even shoot him dead, if that meant getting Viera to safety.

He had not intended to get caught in the middle of this. He had been laying far behind the treeline among a soft bed of clovers, contemplating the Parktown Incident, when the sound of gunshots had torn him from his thoughts.

For a moment he froze, eyes focused on the clear sky above him. He was tempted to stay where he was, safely hidden within the undergrowth. He certainly didn't need any more trouble.

But Viera was supposed to meet him.

In fact, it was incredibly likely that she was one of the people shooting. With that thought on his mind, he pulled himself up from the ground and rushed through the undergrowth.

He had spotted Mustang and Ed first. They were both sheltered behind a tree, Mustang firing blindly up the hill. Reed took out his own weapon as a precautionary measure. From his current vantage point he couldn't see who they were shooting at. Sill behind the treeline, Reed began walking up the hill to get a better view.

That's when he had recognized Viera.

And before he knew it, he had turned around, raised his gun, and fired.

Reed took a breath, trying to focus. He needed to be careful. If Mustang or Ed saw him now, smoking gun in hand, everything would be over. He began to stalk forward. He needed to get Viera out of here as soon as possible.

'Though this is the perfect opportunity to kill Ed'

His eyes went wide.

'Mustang trusts you now. You could probably shoot him again before he even has the chance to react. After that, killing Ed would be easy. And when their bodies are found, the military will just blame it on the White Wolves'

Reed swallowed, his gun shaking in his hand.

Before he could dwell more on that thought, he felt a shiver run through him. He raised his head and scanned the tree line. Someone was watching him.

His eyes quickly found Viera's, staring at him from behind a tree.

Forget everything. He needed to get her out of here.

Reed began to move towards her, carefully manoeuvring through the undergrowth. Once he was within earshot, he called to her.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

Viera continued to stare at him. "Who are they?"

Reed knew it would take too long to explain.

"They're alchemists," he said instead, hoping she would catch on. "Please, we need to go now."

"Are they from the intelligence team?"

Reed nodded. "I'll explain later, but we need to hurry. Please, I don't want you to get hurt."

Viera stared at him for another second before nodding.

"Cover me," she said.

Reed raised his gun and fired several shots, waiting until Viera was safely hidden behind the tree line before retreating.

Mustang peeked out from behind the tree trunk.

"I think they left," he said, scanning the tree line once more. "But they might come back. We should get out of here. Can you walk?" Mustang glanced over. "Fullmetal?"

Ed was still leaning against the tree. He had drawn up his legs and was resting his head on his knees.

Anxiety pried at Mustang's chest, his mind already assuming the worst.

"Ed," Mustang said fearfully. He swallowed, trying to get a grip. "Are you injured?"

Ed turned his head away.

"Are your ribs hurting again?" Mustang said. A second passed. "Talk to me, where is the pain?"

Ed said nothing.

"Fullmetal, if it's something relating to the surgery-"

"Shut up," Ed said, his voice breaking. "Just shut up."

Mustang fell silent and moved to crouch before his subordinate.

Ed was shaking all over, his skin was clammy, and he was gasping for breath.

Mustang knew an anxiety attack when he saw one.

"Take deep breaths," he said as softly as he could. "Just breathe for a moment."

Ed took several shaky breaths.

"That's it," he said. "Now unclench your hands. Try to relax."

Ed opened and closed his fists. He shook his head and let out a short sob.

Mustang made a soft shushing sound.

"Don't worry. You'll be okay." He rested a hand on Ed's shoulder. "Just keep breathing. The feeling will pass."

After several aching moments, Ed slowly stopped shaking.

"There you go," Mustang said, rubbing circles on his back. "Do you feel better now?"

Ed gave a slow nod.

"Good, do you think you can stand up?"

Slowly, Ed uncurled. Mustang looked him over. He didn't seem to be injured. Well, not physically at least.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Mustang asked, just to be safe.

Ed shook his head. "Ribs hurt a bit, but everything else is fine."

"That's good," Mustang said.

"Your arm," Ed said slowly.

Mustang looked down. He had been trying to ignore the pain, but his forearm was stinging badly and there was blood dripping down his sleeve. Luckily, a quick inspection found that the bullet had only grazed him.

"It's just a flesh wound," he said. "We can fix it up when we get back to the inn."

Ed gave another nod and moved to stand.

The second he put weight on his feet, he staggered off balance.

Mustang gripped his shoulder to steady him.

"You okay?"

Ed said nothing, but leaned against him, his breathing rapid.

"Don't worry, I got you," Mustang said. Without another word, he scooped Ed up into his arms.

Edward was too exhausted to protest.

They had been hiking through the forest for several minutes when Reed heard Viera stop behind him.

"I think we're good," Viera said. "They shouldn't be able to follow us this far."

Reed ignored her. They needed to keep moving.

"Hey," Viera called. "Will you slow down?"

Reed shook his head, his thoughts a muddled mess.

"I just want to put more distance between us and them," he called over his shoulder.

"Well, can you tell me who they were?" Viera asked.

Reed stopped and took a breath.

"Edward and the Colonel," he said, turning to face her. "I honestly don't know why they were in the forest. I didn't tell them anything."

Viera sighed, shaking her head.

"No," she said. "I think this might be my fault."

"How?"

"I saw Edward and Meg earlier," Viera said. "Well actually, I had to stop a fight between them and some other Wolves. I was sure that Ed had left with Meg, but I guess he must've come back and followed me."

"And Mustang?"

"I don't know."

Reed sighed.

"Let's keep going."

"Hey, you alright?" Viera asked.

"I'm fine,"

"You know, Mustang was probably just following Ed."

Reed shook his head. Even though that was the most plausible answer, it still didn't placate his fears.

Viera seemed to notice too.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I said I'm fine."

Viera was silent for a moment.

"You were shooting at them."

"I know."

"Why?" she asked.

"I really don't want to talk about this right now," he said.

Viera sighed.

"It's just that if they had used their alchemy, which they easily could have done, they would have discovered both of us. It would've been safer for you to just side with them," she said. "Why would you endanger yourself like that?"

"I wasn't endangering myself," Reed said.

"They're alchemists. How can you be-"

"Because if they'd seen me," he said. "I would have shot them."

Viera stared at him for a moment.

"Alright," she said. "Sit down. We're going to talk this over."

"Viera-"

"I don't care what you say," she said. "We're discussing this, because something is obviously bothering you." She crossed her arms. "Besides, if you turn up at the inn at the same time as them, that'll look suspicious won't it?"

Reed sighed deeply. "Fine."

He sat down on a nearby rock. Viera sat down next to him.

"Now tell me what's going on," Viera said.

He started. "About two months ago, I was sent on this mission to Parktown. Towards the end of it a group of soldiers, including myself, ended up being ambushed. In the heat of the moment, I was able to shoot many of our attackers. However the soldier I am impersonating wasn't capable of that kind of precision, so the military became suspicious of me. As you can understand, my superiors weren't exactly thrilled at that prospect."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Ever since then I've just been so worried about losing my cover and scared with what my superiors would do to my family if I did. Right now, I cannot afford to make any more mistakes." He paused. "Then there's this mission. And Amber, who turns out to be the leader of this entire spy operation, gave me some other orders."

"Which were?" Viera asked.

Reed paused. "If this mission can't be salvaged. I am to kill the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Viera nodded.

"So that's why you were so inclined to shoot at them."

He turned away.

"It's not like I can decline," he said. "I seriously messed up during that mission to Parktown. If I don't follow these orders..." He shook his head. "I just have to carry them out."

"I get it," Viera said. "And this is just my personal opinion, but I don't think you should feel guilty about it either. Everyone knows that Drachma is ruthless, you can't afford to disobey them."

"Even if I have to follow through?"

"Especially, if you have to," Viera said, tilting her head. "Though it's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Reed asked.

"It's unusual to expect someone who just jeopardised their cover and saved enemy officers to basically assassinate someone, especially someone as young as Ed," Viera said. "You'd think they were testing you or something."

Reed fell silent. That hadn't even occurred to him.

It made sense. He received a lot of backlash for the Parktown Incident. Of course, being assigned to the case was out of his country's control. But once he arrived, Amber could have easily put him on the sidelines, ordering him to do nothing and overlook whatever the Wolves were doing. Yet instead, she had given him critical orders, orders even he wasn't entirely sure he was going to follow.

She was testing him.

Reed groaned. "I knew I didn't like her."

"Well, if that's the case, then you only have one thing to do," she said.

"What?"

"You'll have to kill Ed."

Reed looked at her.

"Look, I'm not just saying this because it'll benefit the Wolves. Think about it. Amber is testing your loyalty, giving you a difficult order. If you don't follow it, she'll likely kill you and your family. It's obvious that rogue operatives are of no use to her. But if you follow your orders, it'll both show your loyalty and redeem yourself for your past actions."

"So you think I should kill Ed, no matter how the mission goes?" Reed said.

"It's the only way to pass Amber's test," Viera said.

Reed looked down. Even if Amber wasn't intending to test him, Reed knew she wouldn't tolerate him disobeying orders. And in the end Viera did have a point, following orders was the best way to show his loyalty and amend for his past actions.

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about this right now.

"So what are the Wolves planning?" he said, changing the subject. "You still haven't told me that."

Viera smiled.

"Well for the past few months, the Wolves have been steadily growing in numbers. This includes support from townspeople and villages throughout the northeast area. They've been giving us a lot of food, supplies, and resources. In all, we're pretty well off," she said. "But we have one problem, we lack weapons."

Reed nodded. It didn't matter how large an organisation was, without weapons, they were powerless.

Viera continued. "Now, there is an obvious solution to this: we can raid the military depot in Heinsworth. The only problem with this is that it's too obvious."

"Did I mention that the military knows nothing about what the Wolves are planning? I seriously doubt that they'll be expecting it," Reed said.

"Yes, but if they spot even one member near Heinsworth, it won't be hard to guess what we're going for," she said.

"True."

"Plus, I'm sure that the depot is full of military officers. We can't exactly have them at the base while we're raiding it," she said. "So I had an idea, the military already thinks Ukon is swarming with Wolves. If it seemed that Ukon had become unstable, the military would send soldiers to intervene, vacating the base."

Reed understood. "And since the tracks to Ukon are destroyed, they'll have to walk all the way here, giving you time to do the raid," he said.

"Exactly," she said.

Reed smiled. "Well, that only leaves one problem. What're you going to do when all those soldiers arrive in Ukon?"

"Easy," Viera said. "We blow them up before they get here."

Reed stared at her, ice running through his veins. "That cave you mentioned..."

"It's full of landmines," Viera said.

Reed studied her for a moment.

"You want to turn the White Wolves into a terrorist group," he said.

Viera nodded. "The former leader wouldn't allow acts of terrorism. He said aggravating the military would only lead to trouble. But the White Wolves have existed for nearly 20 years and simple resistance isn't getting us anywhere." She took a breath. "We have a lot of support now. It's about time we launched an attack against the military."

"The military won't stand for this," Reed said. "When Ishval revolted, they destroyed everything."

"Ishval was an annexed country. The general public already despised them. But we're Amestrians, it would be political suicide for the military to turn on it's own citizens and slaughter them," Viera said.

Reed shook his head.

"And you said it yourself," she said. "The military knows nothing about the Wolves. They don't know where our bases are. They don't know who our members are. It's not like they can just obliterate the entire northeast area."

"Okay okay," Reed said, shaking his head. "You have a point."

"So," Viera said. "Will you help us?"

Reed looked at her.

What she was doing was ambitious and incredibly dangerous. From the looks of it, the Wolves would need all the help they could get. Besides, if the plan actually worked then he would have helped in the destruction of Amestrian soldiers. This would help prove his loyalty to Drachma.

But above all, Viera would be safe.

He looked her in the eye, certain of his answer.

"Of course."

Ed's head was pounding uncomfortably.

He groaned and shut his eyes tight, hoping the feeling would pass.

His entire body was aching. If Mustang wasn't carrying him, Ed wasn't sure that he could even walk.

If the situation was any different, Ed knew that he would probably demand that Mustang put him down.

Then maybe kick him for good measure.

But Ed was just too tired and too hurt to complain.

And maybe a small part of himself just wanted to be held right now.

They had walked for a few more minutes when Ed felt Mustang slow down.

"We're stopping?" Ed asked.

"We can't go into the town just yet," Mustang said, placing him on the ground. "I still have blood on my arm."

"So what are you..."

Mustang didn't answer him, instead beginning to draw an intricate transmutation circle in the dirt. Ed watched with silent wonder. Sometimes he forgot that Mustang was capable of more than just producing flames.

Once the circle was finished, Mustang placed his injured arm over it. The circle activated. Ed watched with amazement as the blood slowly began to peel away from his clothes.

"It's a trick I picked up in Ishval," Mustang said, inspecting his arm. "Do you think you can walk?"

Ed nodded. He was starting to feel better.

"Good," Mustang said, rising to his feet. He brushed away the circle. "You'll need to walk on my right. That way no one will be able to see my arm."

"I got it," Ed said, standing up.

They waited on the edge of the forest, for a few minutes, making sure that no one was around, before entering the town. Luckily, no one seemed to notice them.

"Let's try to get past the common room as soon as possible," Mustang said, as they climbed the inn's front steps.

"Do you think Hawkeye and Reed are back?" Ed asked.

"They should be," Mustang said, pushing the door open.

As usual, the common room was full of bustling workers, hunched over tables and chatting loudly.

"You found him," one worker said loudly.

"Sure did," Mustang said. "He was playing around and lost track of time."

The worker nodded. "Want to join us for a drink?"

Mustang flashed a charming smile. "Nah, I'm really worn out. Maybe tomorrow."

The worker nodded contently and turned away.

"Let's go," Mustang said, nudging Ed in the direction of the stairs.

"What about-" Ed started.

"Already done," Mustang said. "Look to the far left, near the bookshelf."

Ed flashed a quick glance. Sure enough Hawkeye was seated there, watching them over the rim of her glass.

Ed started up the stairs.

Once the door to their room closed behind them, Ed let out a sigh of relief and plopped down on his bed.

"We'll wait till Hawkeye gets here," Mustang said, sitting down on his own bed. "We have a lot to discuss."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Mustang opened it and Hawkeye slipped in.

Her eyes flashed from Mustang to Ed. "What happened?"

"It's a bit complicated," Mustang said. "Has Reed come in yet?"

Hawkeye shook her head.

Mustang let out a deep sigh. He raised his hands to rub his eyes.

"Go downstairs and wait for him. We need to discuss this as a team."

"Sir-" Hawkeye began.

"That's an order," Mustang said.

Hawkeye glanced at him, then brought her gaze to meet Edward's. Ed looked away.

"Yes, sir," she said, turning towards the door once more.

The door shut behind her and Mustang focused his attention on a newspaper laying on the table.

Ed was grateful for the silence. He stared at the wall, contemplating the events of the day.

In the space of a few hours, he had two panic attacks. Two.

What was wrong with him?

He felt a few tears prick at his eyes. He missed Al.

There was a knock on the door.

Ed wiped the tears away.

"Who is it?" Mustang called.

"It's us," Hawkeye said through the door.

Mustang opened the door, allowing Reed and Hawkeye to enter. Hawkeye was holding a small bag in her hands.

"What's going on?" Reed asked.

Mustang gestured for them to sit.

"Fullmetal," he said. "Would you care to explain what happened?"

Ed stared at the floor. He might as well start at the beginning.

"After the meeting with the vandals, Meg and I decided to hang out. We were walking through town when we came across this woman. Based on what I saw, she seemed to be pretty important and well respected. So when Meg left, I circled back and began to follow her. She was headed somewhere in the forest, but I'm not certain where. Anyway, I guess she noticed that I was following her. But before I could really react, Mustang showed up and started shooting."

Mustang stared at him. "She had you cornered. There weren't a lot of options."

Ed pursed his lips.

"How did you even know I was there?" he said, changing the subject.

"Meg told me."

"Meg?" Ed said, raising an eyebrow.

Mustang nodded. "She also knew your real name."

"My name?" Ed asked. "How'd she find that out?"

"You tell me," Mustang said.

Ed furrowed his eyebrows. "You think I told her."

"How else would she know?"

"Maybe she found out on her own."

"How?"

"I don't know," Ed said.

"Are you sure you didn't give anything away?"

"I don't think so," Ed said, thinking back. "I mean she saw my automail but-"

"What?"

"It wasn't intentional," Ed groaned. "It's complicated okay."

"Complicated?" Mustang gritted. "Is there anything that you do know?"

"You mean besides the fact that you're a self-centered bastard," Ed spat.

Mustang opened his mouth to protest, but Ed cut him off.

"Look," he said. He was shouting now. "The whole point of me getting close to the vandals was so that we can find out if they have any connections to the White Wolves and if so who those people are. I'm pretty sure that woman qualifies as a 'connection.' All I did was make a decision to follow her before she got away. Why do you have a problem with this?"

"I have a problem with the fact that you purposefully entered a dangerous situation," Mustang shouted back. "A situation, which by the way, got you cornered at gunpoint."

"I had things under control!"

"You were unarmed and seconds away from blowing your cover. What were you going to do?"

"I would have thought of something!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know!"

There was a long pause.

"You should have asked for help," Mustang said.

Ed turned away.

Mustang let out a sigh. "I don't see why you keep doing this."

Edward snapped his head back. "Don't see why? Tell me Mustang, why are you on this mission? Why don't you want me to get close to the vandals?"

"I'm only looking out for you," Mustang said.

"I've been on my own since I was six," Ed spat. "I don't need you."

Mustang didn't respond. He simply stared at Edward, some sort of expression on his face.

Without another word, Ed turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

They all stood there in silence, staring at the closed door.

Hawkeye was the first to compose herself. In a fluid motion, she thrusted the bag she was holding into Reed's hands. Casting a short glance at the Colonel, she turned and followed after Ed.

Reed continued to stare at the door.

From the sounds of it, Ed had happened upon Viera by chance. The intel team still had minimal information on her.

Reed almost let out a sigh of relief. Viera was safe.

'For now'

With one problem momentarily solved, Reed turned his attention to the bag in his hands. Inside he found bandages, tweezers, and a small bottle of alcohol. It was a first aid kit.

Reed blinked slowly. He had forgotten that he had shot Mustang.

At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to just walk away. To pretend like his life wasn't falling apart around him.

But he didn't have the luxury.

He was impersonating an Amestrian soldier. In this situation, a soldier would be helping his commanding officer. His thoughts and feelings were not a priority.

Reed stepped forward.

"Colonel," he said.

Mustang's eyes were still fixated on the door. His shoulders were slumped and his face wore a crestfallen expression.

Reed tried not to dwell on this too much.

"Your arm," Reed said.

Mustang looked down, as if just remembering his injury.

"Pass me the medical supplies," he said. "I can bandage it myself."

Reed raised an eyebrow. "The injury is on your right arm. Do you intend to clean and bandage it with your left hand?"

Mustang looked blankly.

Despite everything, Reed's lips curled into a small smile.

"Is something amusing, Lieutenant?" Mustang asked.

"I just find it ironic that you berate Edward for not asking for help. When you are guilty of doing the same thing," Reed said.

Mustang stared at him for a few seconds.

"Fine," he said, extending his arm.

Reed examined the wound.

The bullet had carved a deep groove into the flesh, but there didn't seem to be any damage to the bones or ligaments.

Reed didn't know whether or not to be relieved.

"We'll need to wash it first," he said.

They proceeded to the bathroom where Reed began to clean the wound. Mustang remained silent, his downcast eyes staring at his reflection in the mirror. Reed looked down and sighed.

"Is something on your mind, Lieutenant?"

Reed paused and reached for a towel.

At this very moment there were a thousand thoughts bouncing around his skull.

'Focus'

'This is an opportunity. Use it to find out what is going on'

"I'm just thinking about what Ed said," Reed said slowly. "After all, you are a Colonel. It is unusual for someone of your rank to be on this sort of mission."

Mustang nodded.

"Well, you're a smart man," he said. "What do you think?"

Reed shook his head. "I think that this mission is grunt work. It's not going to earn you a promotion or any major prestige."

"You're probably right."

"It doesn't make sense at all. You have nothing to gain from this." Reed was silent for a moment. "Unless..." He looked Mustang in the eye. "This is about Edward, isn't it?"

Mustang looked away. "Figured out that much, haven't you?"

Reed creased his brow.

"I'm just trying to make sense of what's going on," he said.

Reed fell silent. He really needed this information. Perhaps a change in tactics.

"But if you don't want to talk about it that's fine," Reed said. "Forget I said anything."

Mustang sighed. "No. You're on this mission as well. You have a right to know."

"So what happened?" Reed asked.

Mustang ran his free hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

And then he began to speak.

Author's Note:

To everyone who thought that Reed would've looked at the Parktown Incident and decided to be a better person... I'm sorry. But I PROMISE that I have a plan and know what I am doing. Unfortunately, that's all I can say for now. As much as I can't wait to further Reed's character arc, Mustang and Ed's subplot is going to take the spotlight for the next chapter (I think that's pretty obvious).

Fun Fact:

I tried to be consistent with this, but members of the White Wolves or those affiliated with them (Reed, Viera, Meg) frequently use the simplified 'Wolves" to refer to the group. While outsiders (Mustang, Ed), refer to them as the "White Wolves." This small detail is useful to differentiate between who is or is not a member of the resistance group. I also used this to foreshadow Meg's Father's membership with the group.