FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST PART XI:
The Flame Alchemist
"Uh, Mr. Mustang?...hellooooo….."
I rapped on the door to the Colonel's office, to no avail. There weren't any sounds inside that sounded like people moving about. In fact, there were barely any sounds at all.
"Jesus, this guy is unbelievable. He begs us to come, and then doesn't even show up when we arrive!"
I banged on the door again, with still no response. Now I was getting ticked. WE paid for a ticket to central with OUR money, got our OWN cab, and walked ALL THE WAY the rest of the way to here, and now we were going to go back without ever having even talked to the guy.
"I'm serious, Al. Things like this piss me off big-time…..COLONEL MUSTANG! WOULD YOU COME ANSWER THE DOOR ALREADY!"
Suddenly, a door behind us to the right opened, and from it stepped Colonel Mustang.
"I'm sorry, did you call for me?"
"Wait…I thought this was your office… 36B, right?"
"You must have been mistaken. My office is in 37B. 36B is Corporal Harris's office."
"If that's his office, why the HELL didn't he ANSWER when I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR!"
"Corporal Harris is deaf, Mr. Elric."
Al looked at me in a way that would normally tell someone that now was a good time to shut the hell up, so I listened to him for once. Mustang then proceeded to lead us into his office and close the door.
"I'm very glad you boys managed to get here alive and well. I heard that there was an attempted robbery on the train to Central, and I was worried that one of you boys had been hurt, or worse, killed."
I grinned and looked at Al.
"Heh, it was nothing, really, just a bunch of people calling themselves the Train Hogging Usurpers of Great Stature, or something like that."
"Really….I've never heard of a group like that before… However, that is not our main concern. It's been said that you boys have been looking for the Philosopher's stone, correct?"
"Well, yes, sir. We plan on restoring ourselves back to our old bodies again."
"Ironically, there have been reports coming in about an army made of a mix of alchemists and war veterans called the Blue Ribbon Army. They apparently have been attacking nearby towns in search of the philosopher's stone as well. Their motives seem to be that they wish to control most of this land for themselves, and frankly….though I hate to say it…they want better healthcare."
"HA! You're kidding me, right? A bunch of old guys, some of which have some magical powers? How is that a threat?"
"Don't be so easily deceived. Since a lot of them are veterans, they know a lot about the terrain and how to use it to their advantage. The thing is, you boys probably know better about how to deal with situations like this than I do, even if it seems unorthodox."
"Well, Colonel, the only reason why we came here was to join the state alchemists so we could have access to some of the military's notes."
"I heard that that was what you were after, which is why I came up with this proposal. If you can disperse this Blue Ribbon Army with minimal damages and fatalities, The Fuhrer has agreed that he will let you bypass the test we gave everyone else here and allow you to join automatically. Let's face it… there's nothing the Fuhrer would hate more than being a slave to a bunch of old geezers."
"Colonel, you have yourself a DEAL! C'mon, Al! let's get us some old guys!"
"Wait! Edward! You forgot your "new entrance" papers! –
He was too late. I had already run outside the door, run into a tree, fallen over the bushes, and run back to grab Al, who was holding his head in his hands.
"Heh…you're as persistent as I thought, Mr. Elric. Very well then…(picks up phone)
Havoc, Fury. Get a cab. See to it that the Elrics get exactly to where they need to be. And make it quick!"
END OF PART XI
COMING SOON:
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST PART XII:
The Blue Ribbon Army
So, a bunch of old guys wants to take over Central, huh? Let's go, Al! I want to have some fun for once!