Bandit- Oh yeah! I'm on a roll! Reviews make me feel so special! I feel the love!
Ed- (looks at this chapter) God, you suck ass.
Bandit- …Okay, I don't feel the love…
Roy- Ignore him. He's going through withdrawal.
Bandit- Huh?
Ed- Where's the lemon scene? You can't have a story w/o a lemon! Idiot girl…
Bandit- Keep calling me an idiot and you won't even get a kiss from Roy! (sticks out tongue)
Roy- Ed shut up. Bandit, just say the damn disclaimer. (mutters) I'm surrounded by children…
Disclaimer- Yes, I own FMA!… You don't believe me? Damn… I can't fool anyone.
(A/N) Finally, I'm bringing it the characters! But just so you know, I haven't seen all the FMA episodes, so I really don't have a clue with Farman and Breda. One of them hates dogs… I think. XD Also, Ed won't be it this chappie. (dodges sharp flying objects) I swear on my plushie collection he'll be in the next one! Gomen!
Roy knew he was inviting trouble. If Hawkeye came in and he didn't have a pen in his hand at the least… But he couldn't bring himself to care this morning, and he thought Hawkeye knew it. The murders were starting to get under his skin. And everyone else in Central, or at least his team.
Havoc was losing a bit of his so called 'unshakeable' easy going attitude, Fury was acting more meek than usual, Breda jumped at anything that remotely sounded like a bark, the office now had to get more wall plaster for the holes Hawkeye's trigger happy finger kept producing, and Farman… actually, where the hell was Farman?
'Probably taking a vacation. Smart bastard…'All the tension made it hard for the Flame Alchemist to get any work done, even if he actually had the intention of doing it. And that stack of papers needing to be signed must be alive, the way it kept growing. It was starting to come near Fullmetal's size.
Mustang could almost hear the screech Fullmetal would make if he made that obvious stab at his lack of height. A smirk easily slid onto his face and decided if the papers didn't dwindle down before Fullmetal came back from his… mission, if one could call it that, he'd get a rile out of him, just for sport.
'I must have serious mental issues if my only form of entertainment is to find new ways to piss off the chibi. But it is more interesting than doing paperwork, and more safe.' A dangerous image of Hawkeye wielding her gun and aiming it at his skull came popping into Roy's consciousness. 'I really should get to those signatures…'
As if on cue, Hawkeye came striding in, gun in hand. She took one look at Roy and narrowed her eyes. Only a bit, but enough to make the Flame Alchemist cringe. Damn, he was the superior officer, and yet he was now wishing he'd been more diligent in his effort to do his job, or what Hawkeye considered his job.
In an effort to at least appear more in control, Roy sat up straighter in his chair and cleared his throat.
"Hawkeye, is there something you wanted to discuss? I'm busy." Roy mental laughed at himself. Yeah, he was busy all right. 'Busy my ass. Like she's gonna buy that.'
Hawkeye didn't. But she didn't level her gun on him, and Roy thanked every high entity he knew by name. With all this pent up stress around Central, the golden rule was don't get on Hawkeye's bad side. A creed followed by every sane man… and even a few of the not so sane ones.
"Sir, you have been requested to come down to the medical wing (1). The Fuhrer is waiting for you there." Hawkeye watched the mild surprise register on the man's face. It was about time he realized the situation was starting to get that bad.
"I see. I suppose the Fuhrer is thinking of giving me this assignment." Roy stood up and walked toward the door, Hawkeye falling into step behind him. "Well, what do you think, Hawkeye?"
"Sir, I don't think what I think will really matter," Hawkeye replied. The unheard, but still present bite in her voice told Roy, she hadn't forgotten about the paperwork. Damnit.
"But why does the Fuhrer want to meet in the medical wing? Surely he'd rather have this type of discussion in his office, or at the least my office…"
"Permission to speak, sir."
"Of course. You always have that permission. That's one of my everlasting offers."
Hawkeye's expression clearly read "suck up". "I believe you already know why the Fuhrer wants to meet you in the medical wing. So stop trying to butter me up because you still have to do paperwork when you return to your office."
"… Hawkeye, I revoke my previous offer."
Hawkeye suppressed a smirk. So much for everlasting.
Conversation ceased for the time being and both party members made their way through the hallways. The silence itself sat comfortably between them, but each wandered in their own private thoughts. Riza's on if the team could take this mission that would undoubtedly be given to them and Roy on where the hell Hughes was.
Roy took a quick left and almost let out an embarrassing yell as he narrowly missed running into Havoc. The man in front of him stopped short and looked at both of them before that seemingly ever-present grin light up his face.
"And where might you two be going?"
"That really isn't any of your business, Havoc," Mustang snapped, still a little miffed that Havoc almost ran into him. "What I want to know is why aren't you working. Last time I checked, that's what you're paid for."
"It's my break," Havoc stated easily, not the least bit intimidated. "And I rather not have Hawkeye shoot me, so I decided to smoke outside for once." Riza raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing. She'd let that one slide only because it was the truth.
"Well, since you're not doing anything productive, you can accompany us to the hospital wing." Roy's tone held that 'don't you dare argue' feel to it, not that Havoc dreamed of objecting. Anything beat doing paperwork.
The duo gone trio continued on their way, with Hawkeye filling Havoc in of the Fuhrer's summoning. By the time they arrived, all three felt a bit anxious. Not of the mission, but of their highest superior. They'd been one of the few to know the real reason Bradley had 'disappeared', and Fuhrers were now not high on their trustworthy list (2).
The medical wing wasn't really big, not nearly as large as the neighboring hospital a few blocks away, but it did make a reasonable substitute. It consisted of maybe six medium sized rooms in one hallway, connected by doorways to make it easier for doctors to move quickly and efficiently to their patients. Of the six, at the very end of the hall, the largest room held a table used for autopsies, a few chairs, and ten beds for the weary to rest in. Roy and Co. stepped into that one.
The first thing Roy became aware of was the smell. It reminded him of when he was little and his mother would vigorously scrub the floors with bleach in preparation of his father's boss coming to dinner. That ammonia scent; not unpleasant, but a bit hard on the nose.
'Someone did some heavy cleaning. Was probably--'
"Hey Shayla. What are you doing here?" Havoc greeted the attractive, young woman standing in the middle of the room, who leaned heavily on a mop. Her back was facing them, and she quickly turned, bangs flying in her eyes, and gave them all a rather tired smile.
"Hey, guys. I'd salute, but I might fall over, so just excuse me for now." She blew at the soft brown bangs that obscured her view. "And I'm mopping, Havoc. What's your excuse?"
"You look like you've been through a wind tunnel and back," Roy stated. He relaxed his stance a bit and eyed the woman in front of him. "Or you've been rolling in bed with someone." Roy felt the smirk return to his lips.
"Kindly get your mind out of the gutter, Mustang." Shayla took no offence to Roy's comment since she knew how she looked. Her brown, wavy hair that grew to her waist, usually in a ponytail, frizzed out in all directions, refusing to stay confined. Bags were growing under her orange, red tinted eyes (3), and she looked like even a fifteen minute nap would do her wonders. The usual smile one could find on her face seemed forced, as if a conscious effort were being made to look cheerful.
Havoc walked up to her, clicking his tongue as he went. "I hate to agree with him, but he's right. You definitely could use another hour of sleep."
"I said I know. Now step back, Havoc. You're making me feel shorter than I prefer." And short she was. For such looker, the woman just barely made it past 5' 2". No one bother her about it. Hawkeye could shoot, but Shayla was known for her whipping. Even Roy didn't touch that topic with her. He'd seen the pictures of one guy who tried to assault her.
'I didn't know whips could do that…'
"Now, I already know that Fuhrer Stanford is coming in a few minutes, so I'll brief you guys a bit." Shayla wobbled slightly, before she stopped leaning on the mop and stood up straight. "As everyone in Central knows, another victim of the Alchemist killer showed up about 5:30 this morning. They called me in, wanting to see if I could do anything for him."
Roy cut in. "Could you?"
This got a glare pointed at him. "What do you think, smartass? Of course not. Despite being known as the Angel Alchemist, I can not bring people back from the dead. And despite his appearance, this guy was certainly dead." The glare died, and she shook her head sadly. "He was just like all the other ones. Stone cold and not a scratch on him. He looked like he was sleeping, so I can see why the felt the need to call me."
This time it was Riza who interrupted. "Was the man a State Alchemist?"
Shayla nodded an affirmative. "Yup. His watch was still in his pocket."
Havoc, who still stood pretty close to the Angel Alchemist, looked down at her and asked, "Have you found the cause of death?"
"I wish. Unless State Alchemists are suddenly dying from a sleeping sickness no one's ever witnessed, I'll have my hands full for a while." She shrugged and suddenly tilted her head up to return Havoc's gaze. "I know I told you to back up, so why can I smell the smoke on your clothes?" As she said this, Shayla brought a hand to her left side, caressing the whip the hid beneath her military jacket. Havoc immediately stepped back. Shayla smirked. "Works every time."
"Well, you play dirty."
"That's what the military does. I just play by their rules." Shayla shot a grin at Havoc so he'd know she was just messing with him.
At that moment, Fuhrer Stanford came waltzing in, followed by two of his bodyguards, effectively ending the playful banter. All four saluted at once.
"Ah. Good, you're all here." Stanford's voice boomed off the walls, as though shaking them. It was probable. Stanford stood an astounding 6' 5", towering over everyone in Central, and knowing it. The man consisted of all hard muscle, and piercing green eyes that'd make a cougar run and hide. The well-trimmed beard only seemed to enhance his severe appearance. And he had an ego the size of his body. Roy remembered a time Fullmetal mused over how the guy might take Roy's title for Bastard of the Year, if he wasn't careful.
Fullmetal was no fan of Stanford. In fact, no one really was, but that didn't stop everyone from sweating bullets when he was even fifty feet away.
Dark eyes took in the sight in front of him, before resting his gaze on Shayla. "I presume you showed them the body?"
"…No sir. I was waiting for your return." Roy gave Shayla credit. The woman didn't flinch as the gaze on her hardened. "I did, however, brief them a bit."
Stanford nodded curtly and turned his eyes on the other three occupants of the room. "Well, since you neglected to do that, Angel Alchemist, I'll have to show them."
Roy noticed Shayla twitch and silently hoped she wouldn't do something homicidal, or suicidal in this case.
If the Fuhrer saw the woman's anger, he dismissed it. He walked up to the metal table in the middle of the room, the silent order to follow hanging in the air. Roy now noticed a body bag lay out on the table, completely zipped up.
"As you all know, another State Alchemist was found dead today, at approx. 5:30 this morning. We have also identified the alchemist." Stanford paused a bit and swung his gaze back to the group. "It was Henry Ross (4)."
Roy felt more than saw Hawkeye and Havoc stiffen. Shayla just looked on, not surprised by the news. She already saw the body.
Ross, barely even 23 years old, had shown much promise. He'd specialized in manipulating the weather, and earned the title Storm Alchemist. A bit on the naïve side, but still a reasonably level headed young man. Roy had hoped to later recruit him on his team, but that obviously wouldn't happen now.
"Angel Alchemist, unzip the bag," Stanford ordered. Shayla twitched again, but did as she was told. Roy already knew what images ran through her head, and he'd bet a certain Fuhrer covered in whip marks was one of them.
"Permission to brief them, sir?" Shayla stood on the left side of the metal table, facing them.
"Permission granted."
She nodded and began to talk while unzipping the white bag. "Headquarters got a call at 5:20 this morning. A local… resident claimed he'd found a State Alchemist on the South Side of town in some alleyway, and he wasn't moving." Shayla moved the zipper all the way down to where Roy assumed the toes would be, but she made no move to uncover the body. "I was called down, along with some other military officers to check it out. We found this." Theatrically, she removed the covering and showed everyone what the fuss was about.
Roy stepped a bit closer to get a good look at the body. At first, he could find nothing wrong with it. No cut marks, burns, missing limbs. The body seemed a bit pale, but that was to be expected. The man was dead, after all. Roy noticed relief, and maybe a smidge of disappoint wash over him.
"Jesus, look at his eyes."
Havoc made that statement, and Roy glanced at the face. He took an involuntary step back.
Mustang had seen many things in his lifetime, most of which he'd love to forget and put behind him permanently, but those eyes…
Where the eyes once lay was nothing more than a thick, scrambled substance that closely resembled mashed potatoes. It had sunk deep in the skull and also covered the area around the eyes, like cheap eye shadow worn by young girls just learning how to put on makeup. Roy didn't know what the hell it was.
"It's his eyes." Shayla spoke quietly, watching Roy. On the outside, his face was blank as paper, but she knew his disgust inside. "Some guys leave roses on their victim's bodies, like a signature, but this one makes eyes explode. I have no clue how he/she does it."
Havoc didn't bother to hide his expression. His right hand twitched, and if he ever needed a fix, this was the time. Hawkeye kept her cool, but her face went two shades lighter. She calmly averted her eyes from the sight in front of her. Shayla heard the unspoken request and began to zip the body back up, gingerly closing the eyes so not to see the horror that lay in them.
Stanford gauged each reaction. "Now that you've all seen it with your own eyes, you understand the situation."He for once looked somber. "If the public knows about this, there will be panic. That fact we've kept it out of the public eye this long is a small miracle. I haven't been Fuhrer for long, but long enough to know that your reputation for handling these types of… missions precedes you." The Fuhrer fixed Mustang with a long look. "You'll be given as much support and materials, whether they be money or men, as you need. I don't care what it takes. Just catch that man, dead or alive."
Roy stood tall and answered. "Yes sir."
Pleased, Stanford nodded briskly and headed toward the door with his men following. "Oh, and one more thing." He paused, peeking over his shoulder, staring at Shayla but addressing Roy. "The Angel Alchemist is now under your command. Since there might be a slight chance you uncover a victim who's still alive, you'll need her expertise." With that, the Fuhrer and his bodyguards exited the room.
Silence filled the medical room.Roy didn't have to look at Shayla's face to know she'd be red as a tomato. And he couldn't resist…
"Well, we both knew I'd have you under my command some day…" Roy drawled. He let the double meaning hang in the air.
"I'd punch you, but that's Ed's field, so I'll let it go." Shayla pouted and folded her arms. To a passisng stranger she looked no older than sixteen.
"It's not that bad," Havoc said. He seemed relieved for a change of topic. "Yeah, he's a bastard, but at least he's not Stanford."
Shayla grinned at that. "True. And the man knows I hate him. He probably thinks of new, malicious ways to make my life hell. He hit it right on the mark this time."
"Oh, I'm hurt!" Roy pretended to be wounded, fixing her with puppy eyes that would make any woman swoon, excepttwo. "Are you saying I torture you?"
"I'm not even gonna give you an answer."
"OH! So you mean its torture to be away from me." Roy fixed her with a lecherous grin. "I never knew you felt that way."
Hawkeye and Shayla rolled their eyes. Havoc shook his head.
'Well at least I lifted the mood. They should all thank me.'
However, Shayla's eyes turned grave again. "I still have information to tell you guys. Sorry to dampen the mood again, but it can't be helped." She moved away from the body bag and sat on one of the beds, placing her chin in her right hand. "First off, we've given our murderer a name. The Dream Alchemist."
Everyone gave her skeptical looks.
"How does that name fit him?" Havoc exclaimed. "I'd think The Eye Popper Alchemist would at least fit."
"Yeah, but if you close the victims eyes, you can't tell anything's wrong. Hey, don't glare at me. I didn't pick the name." She put her hands up in surrender. "Stanford has shitty taste; excuse the language."
"What his name is shouldn't matter, Havoc." Hawkeye fixed him with a stern gaze. Havoc had sense to look sheepish.
"Now, what worries me the most is that there is never a sign of a struggle," Shayla continued. "Hughes and I have interviewed the relatives of the victims, and the story is the same. The person was fine, then for about a week would stress out, and seemingly worked up over some hidden reason he couldn't tell anyone. Then magically he'd recover from it and be his usual self, and a week after that, wind up with his eyes blown up from the inside." Shayla cringed at her last statement.
Havoc spoke up. "So why don't we find anyone who's stressed out? Keep an eye on that person for a while."
"Yeah, if you want to include me on that list. Might as well ckeck out Stanford, too. This is the military. Everyone stresses about something." She shook her head. "Sorry, but that's just not gonna happen."
"A manhunt, perhaps?" This time Hawkeye spoke.
Again the Angel Alchemist gave a negative response. "Tried it. And it was kept low key, if you know what I mean. I don't know who this guy is, but he's far from stupid. A maniac, but not stupid. He doesn't leave so much as spittle. Believe me, the squad I traveled with checked."
Roy bent his head down and closed his eyes, digesting the information. 'A manhunt proved unsuccessful, but that's to be expected. We don't even know what the killer looks like. And keeping tabs on the State Alchemists is a waste of time…'
"Is there any chance this killer has an accomplice? It would make things easier for him, especially at the rate he's moving. I'd say he's pretty sure of himself if he's killing a person a week."
Shayla's brow furrowed in thought and stared at the floor. "That's a good question, Mustang. I have no idea, but from the way the victims are shown it seems like there's one person. There could be more but…" She shrugged. "Until we capture one guy, we probably won't know for a while."
"Were the victims related in any way?" Havoc questioned. "Maybe if there's a connection between them, the military can figure out the next target."
"I doubt it," Hawkeye stated, focusing on Havoc. "It suspect it's the same as Barry the Butcher. He just picked a girl when one was available and the coast was clear."
"You guys ask good questions," Shayla said ruefully. "But let's call it quits for now. What we need is a sign or a lead, and preferably sometime this week."
"Colonel!" At that precise moment, Fury made an entrance, looking decidedly out of breath. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but Hughes is here and said he got info from a guy who was attacked by the killer."
Havoc let out a long whistle and turned to Shayla, grin on his face. "You sure know how to call 'em."
"It's about time that idiot got his ass here," Roy muttered and opened his eyes, annoyed. He was however relieved that Hughes, as usual, came through for them.
'These are the times I'm actually proud to admit he's my best friend. Not that he'll ever know.'
"Sir, it'd be best if you met him down at your office."
Roy glared at his First Lieutenant. "I know that. You don't have to mother me."
"Yeah, she does. You'd be dead if she didn't, Mr. I'm Gonna Try Lighting Scar's Ass On Fire In the Rain." (5) Havoc howled and clutched his side, and Fury barely mustered a snicker. Hawkeye felt the ends of her lips twitch upward. Shayla mentally tallied up the score for the day: Roy -3. Rest of the world - 1. It was a start.
Roy turned and walked out the door, not the least bit amused. "That won't get any of you a promotion!"
Angie meekly to a peek at her husband, who currently rested against the wall, his stared directed at the window. "Hunny, would you like some dinner? After that attack, you must be hungry."
Mark glanced at the pregnant woman and smiled. "Of course. Anything you make is fine."
A pleased smile lit up her face and she hurried to the kitchen to please her husband, and thankful he was still alive.
The moment her back turned, Mark dropped the smile and sneered. 'Foolhardy woman… are they really that gullible? Her lover could have beaten her for all I know and she'd still wouldn't know the difference!'
/What does it matter? She's completely fooled and that's all you should care about. /
'Yeah…' Mark ran a hand through the thick mass of reddish hair on his head. 'Did I mention I hate this color?'
An invisible sigh. /Yes, you did. And I care why/
'Sorry! Just trying to make conversation.' Mark felt the need to pout, but settled for resuming staring out the window.
/…We need to be prepared for the next victim. He'll be coming to interrogate you soon. /
'Yeah, but he's no alchemist. Are you sure this will work? I won't tolerate failure.'
/But he's close to many, including the one we're after… the child. /
'Fullmetal…'
/Yes. /
A slow grin formed on his face, and a bubble of laughter threatened to tear out from his throat. 'Oh, yes. Finally, we'll have what we want, and make all those asses pay.'
A soft voice cooed from the depths of Mark's mind. /Yes. We'll have what we want. So just relax. /
'Just… relax…' Eyes grew heavy, and Mark felt himself slip into the dark abyss known as sleep. 'Jus.. t… re.. l..'
/Yes, Robert. Go to sleep and dream. /
"Mark! Your dinner's ready!"
Mark breathed in deeply and opened his eyes, a small smile forming on his face, so much different from the grin from earlier.
"Coming."
/Yes. Dream. It's what you do best. /
(1) I don't think there's a medical wing, but it's my story and I needed one, so there!
(2) As I said, I haven't seen the end of the series, so I don't know what happens to Bradley. Try to bear with me.
(3) No, that's not a typo. She's got orange eyes. I'm a bit out there, if you know what I mean…:p
(4) That name sucks, but I didn't want any other characters dying, so I killed off one in my head. Hehehehe…
(5) I laughed my ass off when I saw that episode. Can't remember which one it was though… (sigh)
I hate this chapter! (throws a tantrum) It wouldn't flow the way I wanted it to, and I don't think Roy or Havoc was in character! (sighs) Oh well. What did you think of Shayla? I like her; but then again, she's my character, so input would be lovely! She'll be in most of the story, so if there's something you want changed, say so now! Also, this story is getting a lot longer than anticipated. We're not even into the main part yet! So I understand if any of you guys lose interest, but you're welcome to stick around! Now for the shout outs :p
Anime Monster- I'm happy to know I got Hughes' character on the nose! Hopefully I didn't screw up on the other characters in this chapter. (sighs) I'm glad you like it so far, and I'll definitely check out your story: p
BloodFlavoredDonghnutsRoxMySox- Your name is definitely unique! (grins) I'm glad you think this story kicks ass! You know how to feed the ego! Thanx!
sirith- I'm glad you thought it was interesting! Hopefully you'll like this chapter, even if I don't… (mutters) Stupid chapter…
catey- I'm sorry! Ed will be in the next chapter, so hang in there!
Give me an R! Give me an E! Give me a V, an I, an E, a W! What's that spell? REVIEW! REVIEW!