Warnings: Language

Spoilers: None in this chapter

Feedback: Constructive feedback is very welcome

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to get these couple of chapters out...I dug myself into a plot corner and needed to dig myself out again. This fic is nothing like what I'd meant to write originally. I intended just humor in a few short chapters; this mutant drama getting darker and darker was a complete accident. Fun though. Oh, and I plead guilty to getting into reading Kushiel's Legacy trilogy and hoooo boy there went a chunk of time... Good stuff. Heh heh.

Felis Catus: Circle Twenty

"Okay, here's what we've got so far," Hughes said in an agitated tone, pacing furiously across the floor of the tower in front of a map of the Third District he'd tacked to the wall.

Hawkeye was staring through the open windows of the tower with a peculiarly flinty look in her eyes, and every so often her fingers would twitch slightly as if she couldn't wait to start blowing holes in something. Hayate was eyeing her worriedly.

"We lost radio contact with the team members at approximately here, here and here," Hughes continued, stabbing small red pins into the map. "They checked in, then nothing. Between the time they checked in and the time we lost contact with each pair, the distance they could have covered lies within these spheres."

Here, Hughes drew large red circles around the pins. "Now, what we have to figure out is why those locations?"

"Do you have any information from Gran's group or the other Districts?" Edward asked sharply. He was fidgeting irritably where he sat on a stone bench. Roy was sitting next to him and feeling equally fidgety, his tail lashing about as if it had a mind of its own. He wanted to be out getting things done, not sitting around twiddling his thumbs! Metaphorically speaking, that is.

Hughes snorted. "You think Gran would volunteer any information? Think again," he said bitterly. "We're on our own, Edward. He would have us write off our team as a casualty and tell us to get more men and sweep the area again. Never mind that all the teams have a large number of people missing; we're all expendable little toys to that man."

Edward gritted his teeth. "But the information could help us capture the chimeras," he pointed out reasonably.

Hughes sighed. "I've already radioed it in. He said that unless we have a lead, to not bother him again because he's got too much stuff going on over on his end."

"Bastard," Edward snarled, slamming his fist into the wall.

"Less cursing, more thinking," Hawkeye said abruptly, turning around from the window. She stalked over to the map, her heels making sharp reports on the stone floors that sounded like gunshots. Her brow furrowed as she glared at the map, as if the force of her will alone could make it spit out whatever secrets it was holding.

"We're thinking..." Hughes said seriously. He sat down next to Edward, a bleak expression on his face. Roy jumped lightly into Edward's lap to make room for him.

"By all means, if you think of anything don't hesitate to speak your mind," Hughes said wryly. "I can't think of anything linking those areas."

"You didn't hear any radio noise at all?" Edward wondered, as he absentmindedly petted the small black cat perched in his lap.

"Nope. Not a peep," Hughes said with a heavy sigh. "Something managed to take them all out without even a whisper."

"Do you think it was one of the chimeras?"

"It must have been...but damn it all, there are lots of military personal missing and only three chimeras on the loose! How the HELL could they have managed that?" Hughes exploded, running his hands through his hair in agitation. It firmly stood up on end.

"Shit! That's what I needed to tell you!" Edward exclaimed, smacking his hand on his forehead. "I got distracted by the news of everyone's disappearance, but there was something I really had to tell you!"

"Well, I'm all ears now," Hughes said with a grimace.

"There's someone controlling the chimeras," Edward stated flatly.

Hughes' eyebrows shot up and Hawkeye likewise turned around to eye Edward incredulously.

"How do you figure that, Ed?" Hughes asked intently, his eyes alight with a dreadful eagerness.

Edward quickly explained his reasoning, the expressions on Hughes' and Hawkeye's faces growing grimmer by the minute.

"I should have seen that sooner," Hughes groaned, his head falling into his hands. "Hang it all!"

"It's not your fault, Hughes; we all should have seen it," Edward said practically. Hawkeye nodded abstractedly, going back to study the map with a look of concentration on her face.

"Roy would have seen it right away," Hughes mumbled through his fingers.

I didn't, Roy thought despairingly. If Edward hadn't prompted the idea that there was something off about the chimeras' behavior, I wouldn't have even thought of it. Don't blame yourself, Hughes.

"Hughes, even Roy, I mean, Colonel Mustang, wouldn't have seen it in time," Edward soothed.

"Maybe you're right," Hughes sighed, looking up. "That doesn't make it any easier."

"It never does, but we've got a job to do, so let's do it. We're going to get our friends back no matter what the hell is coming at us."

Hughes grinned faintly. "You're a real trooper, you know that Eddie boy?"

"Don't call me that." Edward grinned back. "C'mon, use that mind of yours and let's figure out where to start blowing things up."

"Now that I can understand," Hughes said fervently.

"Guys..." Hawkeye murmured. They turned around, hope lighting their faces. "I think I know what these locations have in common."

"Well, spit it out!"

Hawkeye turned around, a look of distaste on her face. "You're not going to like it."

"We don't have to like it. We just have to deal with it," Edward growled. "We'll dismember those fucking chimeras and whoever's behind this whole charade."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, how do you feel about getting your feet wet?"

Roy didn't like the sound of that.

"Huh?"

"Shit," Hughes said, his eyes widening as comprehension dawned.

Nope, Roy didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Exactly. No pun intended, I'm sure."

"Huh?" Edward was looking a bit frustrated.

"Each location where we lost contact is suspiciously close to an entrance to the underground sewer system," Hawkeye said calmly.

Edward groaned. "Why did they have to pick the sewers?" he complained half-heartedly. Roy gave a heavy sigh. It figured. Looked like there was another bath in store for him tomorrow. Supposing he survived the night, of course.

"When you mentioned that someone was controlling the chimeras, that made me think that if I had five man-eating chimeras at my disposal, where would I hide them? Where would I send them? And how? The sewers came to mind immediately and the areas of disappearance confirmed that."

"Brilliant," Hughes murmured. Hawkeye gave him a faint smile.

"The place you were ambushed yesterday night in First District was right next to another entrance to the underground system too."

"You can't beat the smell for camouflage," Hughes shrugged with a wry look. "I'm off my game. I should have seen that too," he berated himself.

"Hughes, stop it. You haven't slept for the last two days digging up all that illicit information you managed to acquire and you have too much on your mind to think of everything," Hawkeye said sternly. "We're a team. 'The well-being of all is the responsibility of all'#, or have you forgotten that?"

"No," Hughes admitted with a weak smile. "But it doesn't assuage the guilt."

"Well, spread the blame then," Edward suggested almost cheerfully. "We're all at fault. We can either sit here and feel guilty or go out and do something about it."

"Ah, they grow up so quickly," Hughes muttered audibly, a bit of his old humor coming back. He sniffled melodramatically. "Roy would be so proud." He mimed wiping away a tear.

"Shut it Hughes," Edward said ominously. "Stupid Roy..." he grumbled almost to himself.

Hawkeye and Hughes shared a brief smile after a quick glance at the blackly scowling boy.

"I'm sure that the Colonel would be here if he could. Since he's not, we'll just have to show him what fun he missed out on," Hawkeye soothed.

Gee...thanks, Roy thought sourly. Well, he was here and he wasn't having fun, so there!

"That's true, huh?" Edward smirked. "Great! Let's go kick some chimera ass, Spitfire!" Edward declared brazenly, leaping to his feet.

Okay, well...some fun. Not that much, Roy thought bemusedly, leaping silently onto Ed's shoulder.

"Hold your horses, Ed - you're not going down into the sewers just like that," Hughes said, holding up a hand to forestall Edward's furious protest. "You're going to need back up."

"I'm not working with Gran," Edward stated, his golden eyes a flat, flinty color. Roy hissed his agreement.

"Who said anything about Gran?" Hughes grinned, idly taking out one of his serrated throwing knives and flipping and catching it casually with one hand. Hawkeye snapped a cartridge into her gun and raised an eyebrow over at Ed.

Hayate barked, as if to say, "What? You thought you'd leave us behind? Think again!"

Edward's answering smile was like the sun coming up, Roy noted abstractedly. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

The radio chose that moment to spring to life and crackle out, "Lt. Colonel Hughes! Two of the chimeras have been spotted at the Central fountain! Brigadier General Gran wants all available personnel to report there immediately!"

The three humans and two animals looked at each other.

"Shit."

That pretty much about summed it up, Roy thought with an inward grimace.

To be con't...

#Quote is from the epic Mallorean by David & Leigh Eddings (Book Five I believe)